[{"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-265":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},2292228,4481,"Chapter 265","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-265",265,"\u003Cp>The impostor posing as Baron Bai Feng is highly likely to be the King of the Wuyin Clan; Beicheng is very close to the exit of the Scorched Lands, so perhaps the King of the Wuyin Clan came here during his escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What puzzled him was why the King of the Wuyin Clan had stayed here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At a time like this, why wouldn’t the King hide in some remote place instead of boldly impersonating Baron Bai Feng? Is he truly unafraid of pursuit?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beicheng is so near the Scorched Lands that the pursuers would surely come here to investigate—does the King have such confidence in his disguise?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No mistake—I can confirm her aura,” Mo Xin affirmed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang nodded, glanced at Bai Yu across from him, and whispered: “It seems we’re truly in trouble. I think I know what’s going on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Yu froze, unsure what was happening; she always felt that Lu Yunzhan had changed—he now seemed calm and confident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know what’s going on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Yu asked urgently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang sighed and whispered: “Explaining the details won’t help you. Your Bai family has some connection to Shen Kangbo, right? When I arrived before, I heard he was touring the southern border to offer comfort—perhaps we can ask him for help.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Yu paused, then whispered: “My father did have some dealings with Shen Kangbo, but I’ve never met him, let alone sought his aid.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang comforted her: “Don’t worry about that—I’ll make contact. Hopefully we can handle it. For the next two days, try not to slip up. Let that fellow make the first move—he’s surely planning something. If he doesn’t sense danger, he won’t act.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you sure you can?” Bai Yu doubted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wasn’t Lu Yunzhan just an orphan who wandered everywhere? How could he suddenly contact Shen Kangbo?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To understand someone like Shen Kangbo, unless you have a certain status, it’s impossible to even get a meeting with the richest man in Zhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang didn’t respond, only nodded at Bai Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Somehow, seeing Lu Fang so confident eased Bai Yu’s anxious heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Bai Yu didn’t leave. She truly didn’t want to return to the Bai residence; the once warm home now felt to her like a terrifying abyss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staying by Lu Fang’s side made her feel safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had felt this way only once before—on her father’s side. This was the first time she felt it toward another man. She felt unsettled—had she truly grown fond of him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you really have no family or spouse?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Yu blurted it out, her face instantly flushed crimson. Why had she asked such a thing in this moment? It was far too embarrassing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, she truly wished she could crawl into a crack in the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang paused, then whispered honestly: “It was a misunderstanding before. I’ll explain everything once this is resolved. Just know—I’m not a bad man, and I never lied about having no family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his view, he already had a family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t expected to encounter this during his trials. Had he known, he would’ve added a memory of having a family when he altered his own memories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a clever man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Yu’s changes and tone made him instantly understand her state of mind. She was merely deceived by her feelings—it wasn’t love, just a temporary illusion born of isolation, desperation, and suddenly finding someone to confide in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Yu looked slightly disappointed, but still nodded firmly: “I don’t know your reasons, but I believe you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Yu didn’t leave the room until dawn, and she pleaded pitifully: “Can I sleep here tonight? I used to never fear being alone, but now I’m terrified—I can’t trust even my maidservants.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine. You take the bed,” Lu Fang agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spending the night together in one room wasn’t necessarily bad—it might mislead the Wuyin Clan into thinking Bai Yu had truly taken a liking to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang judged that unless the King of the Wuyin Clan sensed strong danger, he wouldn’t act rashly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Shen Kangbo, he had already sent a whisper-talisman, outlining his suspicions about the Wuyin Clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reply came: “Wait for me. Don’t alert the snake.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that, Shen Kangbo said nothing more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the pitch-black room, Bai Yu tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Neither of them slept—they couldn’t. Their situation was too dire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Footsteps echoed in the silent courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Someone’s here!” Bai Yu sat up sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this hour, in this place, no one should be here—and the footsteps were coming toward this room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The intruder didn’t seem to be hiding his steps at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang stood, frowned at the door, wondering: Had the Wuyin Clan decided to strike? Had he revealed himself?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That shouldn’t be possible!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can’t sleep? Why not come out and chat?” A lazy female voice spoke—it was Que’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang opened the door. Bai Yu immediately rose from the bed and hurried to stand behind him: “I’m coming with you. Don’t leave me alone here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How tender,” Que laughed loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang smiled at Bai Yu, stepped out of the room. Under the moonlight, Que stood clearly visible in the courtyard—she had shed her maidservant disguise and appeared as he had first seen her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dressed entirely in crimson, a whip in hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who are you?” Lu Fang asked, though he already knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Que covered her mouth with a light laugh: “You don’t need to know. But I’ll offer you a deal—submit to me. All you have to do is kill the woman beside you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kill her?” Lu Fang raised an eyebrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he hadn’t slipped. The Wuyin Clan had come to kill Bai Yu. They hadn’t acted before—perhaps for some reason—but now they’d decided to abandon caution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Que nodded, smiling. Her cultivation essence surged upward, a crushing pressure spreading across the courtyard. Bai Yu, a seventh-rank third-tier cultivator, trembled, her legs weakening—she nearly collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Lu Fang’s support kept her from falling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm!” Que glanced at Lu Fang in surprise, murmuring: “I didn’t expect you to be so hidden—you blocked my pressure so easily. I’m truly interested in you. Kill her, and I guarantee you limitless advancement, endless wealth and glory.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1037,"2026-06-20T03:56:22.339Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e06f943b90cf9ef5070e0013025d9ed956f4e31ec76047ade61a29a8e9a8ce00","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-266","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-264",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]