Chapter 15

Zhou Shuo was in a state of his soul leaving his body, extremely sensitive to qi flow, and instantly knew of the corpse-driving demon's sneak attack. But relying on his lead-mercury golden body, he didn't bother to deal with it, instead preparing to continue chasing and beating Tian Ze. However, to his slight surprise, his body actually felt a wave of cold assault.

The soul has no sense of touch, but Zhou Shuo felt a chill approaching. After a moment of bewilderment, he lowered his head and saw that some green light had stuck to his arm—indeed, it was the green fire the corpse-driving demon had just flung. Those green lights kept crawling; it was actually a worm with a glowing green shell.

The worm itself wasn't a big problem, but those green lights harmed the soul. Zhou Shuo didn't hesitate; he instantly detached his soul from the false body. The silver warrior lost its soul's support and instantly collapsed into a pile of silver powder. Silver mist sprayed up, frightening Tian Ze and the corpse-driving demon into repeated retreats, fearing a counterattack.

"Damn!" Zhou Shuo's soul returned to his body, and he immediately felt his legs go weak, waves of chill rushing from his brain throughout his body, like having a cold. But his physique was sturdy; he certainly wouldn't get sick for no reason. This was because his soul had been injured. He lacked a systematic Dao canon technique, so his soul couldn't ignore many injuries like Hong Yi could.

"How are you?" Zi Nu stared at the silver warrior that had suddenly turned to powder, and at the distant Tian Ze and his corpse-driving demon attendant whose expressions were uncertain, she couldn't help but retreat and stare wide-eyed, but she stood beside the unsettling Zhou Shuo.

"It's fine." Zhou Shuo took a few deep breaths of fragrant air; his viscera quickly began to flow, qi and blood surged to his head, nourishing his mind, instantly dispelling the cold within and easing his somewhat weak body.

"You're really okay?" Zi Nu looked somewhat doubtful.

"I can't exactly tell you I've suffered a hidden injury, can I?" Zhou Shuo glanced at the nearby tall beauty, blurted out from between his teeth, "Hey sis, what time do you think this is? With a strong enemy before us, I certainly can't tell you I got hit by the opponent!"

"Hmph!" Although Tian Ze stood far away, his martial arts were strong; hearing Zhou Shuo's gritted-teeth words on the wind, he couldn't help but let out a cold snort: "So you can get hurt too, so you can..."

"Ugh!" Tian Ze looked at Zhou Shuo's face flipping between pale and red, feeling pleased, but before he could laugh, something inside him stirred; his face instantly darkened, he clutched his chest, and the corpse-driving demon beside him saw this, his expression changed, and he reached out to support him.

"Master, you..."

"Shut up, kid. Today you're lucky—next time we'll see." Tian Ze glared to stop his subordinate from helping him up, straightened his back, and threw two harsh words at Zhou Shuo. However, just as he could hear Zhou Shuo's movements, Zhou Shuo naturally wouldn't miss his.

"What's with the madness? If you have the ability, don't wait for next time; let's continue now." Zhou Shuo looked at the stubborn Red Eyed Dragon Snake acting like a dead duck, and couldn't help but straighten his back and shout loudly, "My spirit was injured; how could you, you bastard, get any better? Six of one, half a dozen of the other—let's continue."

"Are you really capable?" Zi Nu looked at Zhou Shuo, his face flushed red, somewhat doubtful, while Tian Ze's pale blue skin kept flushing white and red; he gritted his teeth, wanting to turn around again, but after thinking, he just lowered his head and left. As the former crown prince of Bai Yue, he had endured over a decade of imprisonment; let him bear this humiliation.

"Even if it's not possible, we have to do it; but looking at this, it's him who can't manage first." Zhou Shuo looked at the nearby Zi Nu, without hesitation wanting to tough it out, but seeing Tian Ze across from him with head down about to leave, he couldn't help but crack a smile, making Zi Nu roll their eyes a bit—Is this interesting?

"You guys, hurry and chase after me." Han Fei looked at the departing Tian Ze, immediately pointed at the nearby guards, and ordered them to pursue Tian Ze.

"Speaking of Wei Zhuang, how is he?" Zhou Shuo looked at the departing Tian Ze, slowly circulating his internal true qi, while turning his head to look at Zi Nu; at a time like tonight, Wei Zhuang should be standing here to hold the line.

"What have you been up to lately?" Zi Nu looked at Zhou Shuo, her expression involuntarily turning strange—could this guy really have no news at all?

"Lately..." Zhou Shuo blinked; lately he has been treating Li Kai and incidentally refining the Qi-Spirit Golden Core—speaking of which, it's truly unlucky, his Qi-Spirit Golden Core hasn't been fully refined yet, and that one got consumed just like that, but it's not a big loss; it's just that lately it seems something has happened, and I haven't been paying attention to outside affairs.

"I don't know what you're up to, but you'd better regularly listen to outside news these days; the former crown prince of Bai Yue, that is, the one you just fought, has kidnapped the current crown prince of Han..." Zi Nu looked at the bewildered Zhou Shuo, couldn't help but shake her head and recount the whole story.

Originally, while the case of Left Situ Liu Yi's murder was happening, near Xinzheng a prison break occurred; the escapee was none other than the one who just fought Zhou Shuo—the former crown prince of Bai Yue nicknamed Red Eyed Dragon Snake, Tian Ze. Tian Ze kidnapped the current crown prince of Han, stirring up another major case, and as the Situ Han Fei, he was appointed by the King of Han as the person responsible for welcoming and rescuing the crown prince.

Tian Ze is the former crown prince of Bai Yue, possessing considerable martial skill and especially adept at Bai Yue's esoteric arts; he has summoned his former four subordinates, stormed the crown prince's residence, kidnapped the current crown prince of Han, and drawn the full military force of Xinzheng, while he himself brought a subordinate here to prepare for an assault on the palace, but was blocked by Zi Nu and Zhou Shuo, whom Han Fei had summoned, whereas Wei Zhuang is still attacking the crown prince's residence.

"As expected, it's your doing again." Zhou Shuo turned his head to look at the guards who had all been driven away, and then Han Fei approached, his face full of disdain—this guy really is a trouble.

"Well, it can't be said to be my fault either; I'm also quite innocent." Han Fei looked at Zhou Shuo's disdain, felt somewhat embarrassed trying to defend himself, but his defense was somewhat feeble—since he took office as Situ, the city of Xinzheng has known no peace, with matters coming one after another.

"How is it?" A voice suddenly came; Zhou Shuo turned his head to look, only to see Wei Zhuang already returned, cold and aloof.

"He was blocked, Brother Wei Zhuang—how's your side? Got any leads?" Han Fei looked at the returning Wei Zhuang, couldn't help but ask anxiously; the Tian Ze who launched a sneak attack here has already been blocked by Zhou Shuo and Zi Nu, and how about the crown prince's residence over there—given Tian Ze's methods, rescuing the crown prince is out of the question, but he hopes to have some leads.

"I stormed the crown prince's residence and didn't find the crown prince, but I did discover another interesting thing—Tian Ze was holding a person in his hand." Wei Zhuang's face was cold.

"Who?" Han Fei blurted out.

"The vulture."

"He took the vulture's corpse away—what does he intend to do with it?" Zi Nu's expression involuntarily shifted—the vulture was the murderer in the Left Situ Liu Yi killing case, one of the three Duanfa Wolves who fled back then, killed by Wei Zhuang, and later Han Fei used his corpse for a disguise to replace Li Kai; now Tian Ze wants his corpse for what purpose!

"To interrogate for some information." Wei Zhuang's words startled Han Fei greatly.

"Isn't he dead?"

"The Corpse-Driving Demon, that bug-playing freak." Zhou Shuo looked at the people conversing, couldn't help but respond— that gothic-styled freak's attack can harm the spirit; this world isn't as safe as one might imagine, I'll have to be more careful from now on, can't rely on my accomplishments in Dao arts to act recklessly.

"Exactly!" Wei Zhuang looked at Zhou Shuo and nodded.

"By the way, what came out of the interrogation?" Zhou Shuo looked at the composed Guigu heir, couldn't help but ask.

"Have you heard of the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions?" Wei Zhuang looked at Zhou Shuo, turned his gaze toward Han Fei and Zi Nu; Zi Nu, seeing this, shook her head, Zhou Shuo lifted his spirits, while Han Fei's expression turned solemn.

In the Yin-Yang school's astrological art, heaven has four spirits corresponding to the four directions: East Azure Dragon, West White Tiger, South Vermilion Bird, North Black Tortoise; among the Eastern seven mansions—Horn, Neck, Base, Room, Heart, Tail, Winnowing Basket—are collectively called the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions.

"Anything else?" Zhou Shuo listened to Han Fei's solemn words, couldn't help but continue asking—having long heard the great name of the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions, aside from this astronomical explanation, is there nothing more?

"No, that's all I know; besides, it's said that these seven mansions seem related to the present seven states, as well as the former lord of this cold palace where we stand, Duke Zhuang of Zheng; otherwise I don't know." Han Fei looked at Zhou Shuo, who was pressing for more, blankly shook his head— that's all I know either.

"Tian Ze conducted a necromantic interrogation of the vulture's corpse, during which he mentioned these four characters." Wei Zhuang looked at the head-shaking Han Fei and the dispirited Zhou Shuo, then proceeded to recount what he had seen and heard in the crown prince's residence.

"The vulture, that one of the three Duanfa Wolves, teamed up with Liu Yi to slaughter the entire Huoyu Mountain Villa; that night, he clashed with me at Liu's manor." Zhou Shuo felt somewhat disheartened by Han Fei's explanation; hearing Wei Zhuang's words, he couldn't help but say— the secret of the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions, so to speak, has implicated many people, from the royal houses of the seven states down to the bandits of the martial world; what on earth is the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions!

"The vulture's reappearance, besides revenge, also involves a treasure, and moreover, the Night Curtain of Ji Wuye is also investigating this." Zi Nu glanced at the silent cold palace, nodded in response to Zhou Shuo's words, and at the same time spat out a few pieces of news.

"Tian Ze's goal likely differs from that of the dead vulture and Liu Yi's followers; it probably isn't solely for wealth." Wei Zhuang crossed his arms in speculation—given someone like Tian Ze, they should not be interested in wealth.

"There are plenty of places where money is used in this world; it might not be not for money." Zhou Shuo looked at the cold Wei Zhuang, couldn't help but chuckle—this Guigu heir's worldview differs somewhat from mine.

"Mm, Elder Brother Zhou is right; Tian Ze's goal amounts to two things: first, revenge, then, to restore the state—restoring a state requires substantial financial support." Han Fei nodded in agreement and at the same time made some speculations.

"In that case, the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions is a riddle of a great treasure!" Wei Zhuang, without hesitation—since we're talking about money, then the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions must be related to the treasure!

"This is also uncertain." Zhou Shuo shook his head—cannot but assume this certainty, mainly depending on the writer's imagination.

"Young Master Nine, Young Master Nine, something's wrong!" A scholar-official hurried over, then knelt on one knee before Han Fei and, with an urgent tone, reported a piece of news that made Han Fei's complexion change.

"The Scarlet Lotus Princess was seized by the intruders who just broke into the palace."