Chapter 263: Reliable Information!

Inside the inn.

Chen Mu sensed the surroundings, then took out the five cards he had picked up.

True Energy Card!

Skill Card!

True Qi Card, True Qi Card, Cultivation Card.

"Not bad."

The True Energy Card contains one year and two months' worth of True Energy; the True Qi Cards contain one year and one year and three months' worth of True Qi respectively.

The Skill Card is a palm technique at the Flawless Realm.

Chen Mu used both True Qi Cards together; the energy that spontaneously arose propelled his cultivation technique, refining and converting into his own True Energy.

He used the True Energy Card the same way.

To break through to the Earth Altar Realm's Three Flowers Converging at the Crown, his physique, True Energy, and spirit must all reach peak condition.

His physique, possessing the Horizontal Iron Tripod Body, had always been in place.

His spirit was slowly enhanced daily by three pieces of high-grade Soul Jade, requiring no deliberate cultivation.

Only his True Energy could not be rushed.

Of course, compared to others who spent decades of relentless daily cultivation to reach peak True Energy, Chen Mu had rapidly advanced his cultivation through True Energy Cards, True Qi Cards, and Internal Power Cards—this was already taking a shortcut, and this shortcut had no side effects!

……

Huh~

A night breeze brushed against the window.

Chen Mu immediately halted his cultivation and turned toward the closed window.

Tap tap~

Someone lightly knocked on the window.

"Brother Chen, it's me."

Su Donglai?

Chen Mu raised an eyebrow, stepped forward to open the window, saw Su Donglai outside, and stepped aside.

After Su Donglai entered the room, Chen Mu closed the window and asked curiously, "Brother Su, what's happened?"

"Nothing bad. It's good news."

Su Donglai smiled, "Uncle Hua… that is, Deputy Mayor Hua, has agreed to help look for him. I came to ask you for details about the person you're seeking—ideally, a portrait."

"Really?"

Hearing this, Chen Mu could not help but feel joy, bowing his fists, "Thank you, Brother Su!"

"Ah, this is what I should do." Su Donglai waved his hand.

The two understood their arrangement without needing to say it.

Chen Mu said nothing more, walked to the corner, and took out a scroll.

Unrolling it, he placed it on the table and pointed to the portrait of a middle-aged man with a square face, a single-line mustache, cold eyes, and his hair tied up.

He said seriously, "This is the man I'm looking for—Zhu Jiuchuan, former Magistrate of the Southeast Dao's Martial Guard Bureau, who defected and entered Bai Yun City. I've wandered the city these past days but found no trace of him. Unless I'm mistaken, Zhu Jiuchuan has likely sought protection from some powerful figure here."

He did not say which powerful figure.

Bai Yun City, besides its five deputy mayors, also hosts many prominent clans; over time, the families of former deputy mayors have passed down their power generation after generation, and their influence remains substantial.

Su Donglai understood this as well.

He nodded, memorizing Zhu Jiuchuan's appearance, and said solemnly, "Brother Chen, rest assured—if I get any information on him, I'll notify you immediately."

Saying this, he pulled out a bamboo sliver and handed it to Chen Mu.

"Just in case, we'll use this Heartbond Bamboo to communicate. By the way, your identity—besides me—only Baby and Deputy Mayor Hua know."

"Understood."

Chen Mu took the Heartbond Bamboo sliver, bowed his fists, "Then I leave it in your hands, Brother Su."

"Naturally."

Su Donglai smiled, rolled up the scroll, bowed again to Chen Mu, then turned, opened the window, leapt out, and vanished silently into the night.

Chen Mu watched him disappear, then exhaled slowly.

Finally, there's some progress!

Bai Yun City has nearly two million people; if Chen Mu searched alone, finding a hidden Zhu Jiuchuan might take months—or longer.

But with local help, it's different.

……

The next day.

The sky was clear and bright, white clouds drifting.

In the eastern district of Bai Yun City, the He family estate.

"Second Uncle! Are we just going to let this go? We lost a high-grade spiritual weapon, a Earth-Origin Pill, and a major oceanic trade vessel. And on top of that, Uncle Tang is just… dead?"

He Zaiyun's face twisted with bitter fury as he growled.

This morning, Hua Shanhe arrived with Su Donglai, carrying Tang Haishan's corpse, demanding an explanation.

He Yan simply accepted the compensation, and Hua Shanhe left with his men.

But He Zaiyun was not satisfied!

This time, they lost five men—including Tang Haishan, who had reached the Three Flowers Converging at the Crown in the Earth Altar Realm. The loss was enormous.

"Then what do you want to do?" He Yan spoke calmly, his expression unchanged.

"I…"

He Zaiyun opened his mouth, wanting to say something, then swallowed it back.

Go to war with Hua Shanhe?

Impossible, and unrealistic!

The key is that Tang Haishan led people to ambush Su Donglai — there is both eyewitness and physical evidence; even if they want to refute it, they cannot.

Likewise, after this incident, Su Donglai cannot be touched either!

If last night Tang Haishan had successfully killed Su Donglai, then no matter how angry Hua Shanhe was today, the matter would be easy to resolve.

After all, Su Donglai has not yet married Hua Baobao.

Now that Hua Shanhe has come in person to demand justice for Su Donglai, if He Zaiyun dares to touch Su Donglai again, it would be a slap in Hua Shanhe's face!

Precisely because of this, He Zaiyun felt aggrieved and frantic.

Clenching both fists, fire shooting from his eyes, his chest heaving without pause, he suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "Su Donglai can be left alone, but the person who helped him last night absolutely cannot be let off!"

"At last you've gotten to the point."

He Yan turned around and said calmly, "Su Donglai alone could not have killed Old Tang. The one who was with Su Donglai last night — that person is the key."

"Send word — find this person!"

"Yes, we must find him!" He Zaiyun gritted his teeth, his eyes full of fury. "I want him to suffer a fate worse than death!"

Hearing this, He Yan glanced at He Zaiyun and shook his head almost imperceptibly.

Because of an injury to his foundations in his early years, He Yan himself was unable to father offspring, which was why he had always given He Zaiyun, his own nephew, special care — even a measure of indulgence.

He Zaiyun had also lived up to it.

At only twenty-six, he already possessed cultivation at the Ninth Stage of Heaven, and had comprehended the Second Heaven of the Storm Intent.

But looking at it now, perhaps he had indulged him too much — He Zaiyun's disposition clearly had problems.

……

……

Once Hua Shanhe's people began to move, news of Zhu Jiuchuan was quickly obtained and delivered into Chen Mu's hands.

【Reliable intelligence: Zhu Jiuchuan once entered Shan Yufeng's residence】

The content displayed on the Same-Heart Bamboo Slip!

After reading it, Chen Mu's brow immediately furrowed.

He muttered inwardly that things had gotten troublesome!

Bai Yun City currently has five Vice City Lords: Hua Shanhe, Shan Yufeng, He Yan, Han Ming, and Situ Xiaoyue.

The person Zhu Jiuchuan had thrown in with was actually one of the Vice City Lords, Shan Yufeng?

To snatch a person from the hands of a Heavenly Palace realm cultivator — Chen Mu asked himself and knew he did not have that ability.

Of course, he did not lose heart because of it either.

Hoo~

Taking a deep breath, Chen Mu calmed his mind. His true Qi stirred as he entered a message onto the Same-Heart Bamboo Slip and sent it out.

【Confirmed that Zhu Jiuchuan is hiding inside Shan Yufeng's residence?】

After the message was sent, a while later the bamboo slip flashed with flowing light — a reply arrived.

【Zhu Jiuchuan is not inside Shan Yufeng's residence; his exact hiding place is still under investigation】

Hum~

The bamboo slip vibrated — another message.

Chen Mu hurriedly read it.

【Reliable intelligence: Zhu Jiuchuan entered Shan Yufeng's residence to discuss cooperation with Shan Yufeng】

Cooperation?