[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou":3,"chapter-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-244":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ink Saint of Great Zhou",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2292207,4481,"Chapter 244","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-244",244,"\u003Cp>“You may address me as Jue Hufa. Jia Sheng, you don’t seem afraid of me? That’s truly delightful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jue bent down, looking down at Lu Fang, her snake-like tongue nearly brushing his eyelashes, exuding intense pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang treated Jue as if she were air, his eyes unblinking: “Jue Hufa, are you going to kill me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm?” Jue straightened up, a smirk curling her lips: “You’re so interesting—how could I possibly spare you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you won’t kill me, why should I fear you? Doesn’t that make no sense?” Lu Fang said seriously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes! Exactly! Hahaha…” Jue threw her head back and laughed freely: “Do you know? Aside from the King, I rarely take interest in any being like this. You’re just an ordinary ghost cultivator—why are you like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wuyi clan members watching Jue and Lu Fang converse warmly looked as if they’d seen a ghost. Was this really the ruthless Jue Hufa?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, even the other three Hufas, Jue refused to let them near her. Yet now she was actively approaching a ghost cultivator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jue! Have you discovered something?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Huan Hufa guarding the black mist tunnel called out loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the four Wuyi Hufas, Huan Hufa was the most cautious, regarding the protection of the King as his honor—he suspected and treated every being near the King with wariness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had the King not requested to meet Song Ce and Lu Fang, he would have killed them both without hesitation—only then would the King be safest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jue rolled her eyes, sounding irritated: “The King hasn’t sensed any danger—why would you think I have? Huan, focus your attention on your illusions. Don’t let anyone discover this place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is strange!” The Li Hufa, a giant ball of flesh, scratched his head in confusion: “I’ve never seen Jue act like this. Is it her, or am I the one who’s off?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fourth Wuyi Hufa, a towering giant like a iron tower, sat cross-legged beside the cave entrance. He glanced toward Jue and muttered softly: “Who knows? After being sealed and asleep for so long, a little strangeness is normal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How interesting.” Jue frowned slightly, her eyes locked on Lu Fang as if trying to pierce through his soul: “Why am I so interested in you? This is truly strange.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this your extraordinary ability?” Lu Fang asked expressionlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this fantasy world, extraordinary abilities came in countless forms—Jiang Yuan, for instance, could sense whether someone could be trusted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such abilities were subtle, likely known only to the user. This Wuyi Hufa, Jue, didn’t approach anyone else—yet singled him out. It must be a similar ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, he couldn’t fathom why she’d act this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, his own extraordinary ability—Conceal Heaven and Earth—was nearly impossible to detect, not even by the Wuyi King himself; otherwise, he’d be dead already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know,” Jue shrugged. “I’m naturally drawn to and fond of the King. I’ve always despised every other being. I never thought much of it—until I saw you. Then I realized I could still feel this kind of interest in someone else.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh! I forgot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I shouldn’t have said that so openly. If the King hears and gets angry, you’re done for—I won’t plead for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang’s eyelid twitched violently. He forced calm, closing his eyes, silently cursing Jue. That damned woman—could she be sleeping with the Wuyi King? If the King truly disliked him, what if he ordered him killed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, he’d overthought it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Song Ce finally stepped out of the cave. He said: “The King says that since Jue Hufa is so interested in Jia Sheng, let him become your subordinate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the King’s command,” Jue smoothed her expression, bowing toward the cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang saw Song Ce give him a reassuring glance. He nodded inwardly. He didn’t know why the King did this—but he hadn’t uncovered his identity, or he’d be dead already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether he followed Song Ce or Jue Hufa, he’d seize the first opportunity to flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wuyi clan’s strength was no longer something a cultivator of his realm could wade into. If he stayed any longer, he’d die at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What Lu Fang hadn’t expected was that after Song Ce emerged from the cave, the King immediately appointed him as the fifth Wuyi Hufa—announced publicly by Jue herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jue frowned at Song Ce: “The King ordered you to gather intelligence on the Luo Sha Kingdom. Coordinate the details with Huan Hufa.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Jue Hufa,” Song Ce smiled and nodded, walking toward Huan Hufa guarding the black mist tunnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jue watched Song Ce and Huan Hufa converse for a moment, then shook her head: “Come with me. I never imagined the King would value you this much. Becoming a Hufa’s subordinate isn’t that simple.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang followed closely behind her, smiling: “Perhaps the King values your opinion highly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm?” Jue whipped her tail across Lu Fang’s face, her expression icy: “Who gave you permission to speculate about the King? If you’re my subordinate, you follow my rules. Don’t speak unless I tell you to—understood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This woman is insane!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She changes moods faster than flipping a page.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Lu Fang could beat her, he’d make her understand why flowers bloom—but now he was stuck serving her. What bad luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How was he going to survive the days ahead?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why did the King make him Jue’s subordinate? If he’d been sent out with Song Ce to gather intelligence, he could’ve escaped immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jue had many subordinates—nearly half the Wuyi clan who entered the gorge were hers. Ji and Hui were among them, and held high positions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once Lu Fang understood this, he realized: he wasn’t special. The King had likely spoken with Song Ce about building influence—and now wanted an outsider under his control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wuyi clan’s presence would expose them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why someone like Lu Fang was useful—he could do what the Wuyi couldn’t, without drawing suspicion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing this, he exhaled in relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he didn’t need to fear danger—as long as he didn’t overstep, the Wuyi wouldn’t touch him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Escaping was still possible—he just needed to wait until they sent him out on a mission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From now on, you’re my bodyguard. You answer only to me and the King. A bodyguard must stay by my side at all times. Understood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just moments ago, Jue had signaled for Lu Fang to go to Ji—now she said this. From her expression, she’d just communicated with the King. This order came from him.\u003C\u002Fp>",1081,"2026-06-20T03:56:22.339Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","473c2ac59e38ec67d693bd3a59ddff06d4710222ea2b33e5e33a1ccf6c790179","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-245","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-243",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]