Chapter 1175 - 354: Young Friend, I Have a Few Pieces of News Here—Are You Interested?

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"So it was that bastard Xuanyuan Yichen who tipped off Old Ancestor Nangong?"

After listening to Zhou Qing’s account, Ghost Mastiff slammed the wine jug onto the table, the rage in his eyes almost erupting.

They’d been wanted in the Imperial City for so long before and that guy never exposed them—so why choose to stab them in the back now?

Did he feel Old Fourth was too much of a threat, or did he just think the time was ripe?

And I actually treated him like a friend.

As for Luo Lingling, when she heard about the old hen’s bizarre appearance inside the Taiqing Sect, although she had no idea how it managed that, as long as it was safe, that was enough.

At least she and Boss no longer had to feel guilty about losing their little junior brother’s Spirit Pet.

Then she propped her chin on her hand, pacing back and forth as she pondered the reason behind Xuanyuan Shuo’s actions.

She had always been meticulous, striving for security in everything she did. Now she carefully sorted through the information Zhou Qing had brought in her mind, and quickly arrived at a judgment.

She tilted her head slightly and said softly, "Under normal circumstances, no one could have predicted that Nangong Xiongba would launch a surprise attack on the Taiqing Sect."

"But Xuanyuan Shuo stepped in to save the day at the critical moment..." Her gaze grew colder. "That means he’d been lying in ambush in the dark long beforehand."

Zhou Qing nodded silently. This guess coincided exactly with his own thoughts.

Ghost Mastiff suddenly cut in, a hint of urgency in his voice: "Didn’t you say Xuanyuan Shuo and the other five Spirit Severing Realm experts were at Vast Mansion dealing with the Demon Emperor? How the hell did he suddenly appear in Lingyun Mansion?"

His brow furrowed tightly. "And add in this business with the Seventh Prince snitching... I have every reason to suspect this is a setup by the Xuanyuan Family."

Luo Lingling nodded lightly, her gaze shifting between the two of them. "If I’m not mistaken, they’ve made two-handed preparations."

Their eyes simultaneously focused on her.

But Luo Lingling looked at Zhou Qing instead, her voice calm but edged with hidden sharpness. "First, with your identity as a Fourth-level Array Master, if you’re willing to serve the Imperial Family, they’ll definitely present Nangong Xiongba as a gift to mark your joining."

"If no one recognizes the Dragon-Seizing Hand, they can completely fabricate how great a price they paid to capture Nangong Xiongba."

"They might even go so far as to risk arousing the suspicion of the other great clans, all just to earn your wholehearted allegiance."

"If they’re exposed..." The corner of Luo Lingling’s lips lifted in a meaningful smile. "They’ll simply argue that it was a specially arranged surprise."

"Saving Nangong Xiongba was only so you could personally end this karmic entanglement, to avoid leaving regrets, so it wouldn’t turn into a Heart Demon and affect your future Spirit Slash or whatever."

The two men’s expressions were grave. They remained silent, quietly listening to Luo Lingling’s analysis.

"Second..." Luo Lingling’s eyes suddenly turned icy cold. "If you refuse their recruitment, that rescued Spirit Severing Realm cultivator will become their most loyal claw and fang."

"At that time, that viper Nangong Xiongba will lurk in the shadows night and day, waiting for a chance to retaliate against you and the Taiqing Sect. As for the Imperial Family..."

She gave a soft, derisive snort. "They’ll get to go on playing the ’nice guy’ who can step in and mediate between both sides whenever they like."

After hearing this, a cold gleam flashed in Zhou Qing’s eyes. His second senior sister’s thread-by-thread dissection of the situation made him secretly marvel.

Ghost Mastiff, however, felt his temples pounding. All these twists and turns of scheming made someone with his straightforward nature feel utterly ill at ease.

In his simple, straightforward worldview—especially under the influence of his "Blood Battle Path" Realm—there was nothing that couldn’t be solved with a spear.

"So what do we do now?" Ghost Mastiff rubbed his fists together, battle intent blazing in his eyes. "Do we go find Lu, or go straight to pay that bastard Xuanyuan Yichen a visit?"

A flash of killing intent flickered in Zhou Qing’s eyes. "Lu has a senior from the Shen Family looking after her, so she’s safe for the time being. But Xuanyuan Yichen... I intend to meet him personally."

"We’ll go with you!" Ghost Mastiff thumped his chest with a booming sound. "Don’t worry, we’ll still stay in Jintian Palace, so we can back each other up anytime!"

Zhou Qing shook his head with a wry smile. "Jintian Palace today isn’t what it used to be. You two had better not go."

"But that Nanny Su is pretty decent," Ghost Mastiff said doubtfully. "Last time we even helped her deal with those eunuch corpses that Chief Eunuch Gao Xianzhong killed."

Zhou Qing’s expression turned solemn. "It’s not Nanny Su, it’s..." He paused for a moment. "The true master of Jintian Palace has returned."

The two of them looked at each other, seeming not to quite understand what Zhou Qing meant.

Zhou Qing took a deep breath. After a brief moment of thought, he still decided to tell them about Sikong Yan’s true identity...