Chapter 574: Again Lost Again

He had no love token to offer. Since she had given him a ring, he could only give her a hairpin in return. He wasn't sure who the female ornaments left by Xia Fu Li in the Qiankun Bracelet belonged to, but they were just sitting unused, so he decided to make use of one.

Yet, he said something entirely different, "I just happened to see this hairpin earlier and thought it would suit you, so I bought it. I didn't expect you'd also have a love token for me. We truly are on the same wavelength, a perfect match."

He let go, then instinctively tried to embrace her.

The woman in red, however, pretended she wanted to look in the mirror. She calmly twisted away, pushing him aside, and bent over to examine herself in the mirror. After seeing it, she instantly thought, "Are you blind? This hairpin is meant for a little girl. How does it suit me? It doesn't suit me at all!"

Yet, she smiled and said, "It's really beautiful."

The room was small, and Shi Chun moved closer, naturally wrapping his arms around her from behind. With her soft, fragrant body in his embrace and them being alone, he couldn't help but feel aroused again. He kissed her ear and neck, his breathing heavy.

The woman in red was very uncomfortable with his advances, but being agile, she twisted around and pushed him away, maintaining her distance as she warned, "When Situ Gu arrives, and when you've fulfilled your promise to me, I will yield to you. For now, don't think improper thoughts or try anything. You must respect me. Can you do that?"

Shi Chun's sweet talk flowed easily. "It's just that I've never seen a woman as beautiful as you; I can't help myself. It's not out of disrespect..."

However, no matter how charming his words were, they were useless. After Dong Wen Shu reminded her about his involvement with a courtesan, the woman in red truly didn't want him to touch her anymore. Before, she would have feigned compliance and played along, but now even pretending felt repulsive.

Yet, she was no simple woman. Employing the cunning tactics of a seasoned schemer, she managed to thwart Shi Chun's desire to stay and pester her all night, effectively ushering him out the door.

Just before leaving, however, Shi Chun took another batch of wine from her. Since she wanted him to leave, he naturally took the opportunity to make a small request.

As soon as Shi Chun left, the woman in red immediately removed the hairpin from her head, disgustedly tossing it aside. She then turned towards the Scripture Pavilion and transmitted a message, "Things are not what you think."

Fu Que transmitted back, "I won't overthink it. If you're planning any murders to silence people, don't involve me. I don't do that kind of thing."

The woman in red replied, "Anyway, it's not what you think. What you see with your own eyes isn't necessarily the truth."

Fu Que simply stated, "I didn't see anything."

The woman in red, uncharacteristically, revealed a childish expression of exasperated frustration.

Just then, Ah Lan's transmitted message arrived. "Your Majesty."

The woman in red, who had been pacing inside, turned and transmitted a question, "What is it?"

Ah Lan's transmitted message was tinged with alarm. "Your Majesty, the informant at Yanbao Sect has personally confirmed that Li Hong Jiu is not there. The 'Li Hong Jiu' at his cultivation retreat is merely a stand-in arranged by his fellow sect members. It's highly probable that Li Hong Jiu has already left Yanbao Sect, though the informant doesn't know the specifics."

The woman in red's eyes flickered with deep thought, her chest noticeably rising and falling. After a brief silence, she slowly replied, "If he can't even manage this small task, what good is he?"

Ah Lan immediately understood her meaning and replied, "Understood."

The woman in red then added, "Shi Chun will be leaving soon after he arrives. Assign those two 'eyes' to monitor him closely and track all his interactions."

"Understood," Ah Lan confirmed again.

In Li Hong Jiu's room, Shi Chun placed another ten jars of wine on the table. Li Hong Jiu's eyes immediately lit up as he eagerly approached.

Observing his eager expression, Shi Chun patted the wine jars on the table. "Brother Jiu, I didn't fool you, did I? Plenty of good wine here. But you, my friend, were a bit unfair. You actually tried to make me accept a good-for-nothing as a disciple. Weren't you trying to trick me? Given my situation, do you think I can show my face publicly?"

He had actually requested twenty jars earlier, keeping ten for himself as a reserve.

Li Hong Jiu also touched a wine jar and casually replied, "Wasn't it just an excuse to meet you after such a long time and share some good fortune, to gather more often? Anyway, it was just a formality. But hearing you say that, perhaps I was too naive. Fortunately, people blessed with good fortune have their own destiny. Even if I spoke until I was hoarse, they wouldn't have wanted you as a master anyway."

"Never mind," Shi Chun thought, letting the matter go. There was no point discussing it further; reasoning with such a shameless person was futile. So, he changed the subject, "I've already spoken with Ruo Jun. If you run out of wine, feel free to ask her for more."

"I'm much obliged, many thanks," Li Hong Jiu happily bowed with cupped hands.

After chatting for a while longer, they finally parted ways, and Shi Chun returned to his guest room.

Before sitting cross-legged to meditate and regulate his breathing, he took off the ring, examined it, and then used magic to probe it for a careful inspection.

He discovered it was simply a solid metal ring. Aside from the extremely intricate carvings of dense vines and blooming flowers, there were no traces of it being forged as a magical artifact inside. It was just a plain lump of metal.

However, he didn't have a habit of wearing such ornate rings, so he simply tossed it into his storage bracelet.

The next morning, as the streets bustled with people, Shi Chun quietly left through the side door of the library's backyard.

Dong Liang Yu, who was organizing books upstairs in the library, saw him from the window. To her, it was an unannounced departure, and she felt a slight sense of loss.

Suddenly sensing someone nearby, she startled and turned around, only to find it was none other than Li Hong Jiu.

Li Hong Jiu had come to read and inadvertently witnessed this scene. He observed her reaction, then glanced at the figure that had already disappeared into the alley outside the courtyard wall, a slight surprise in his eyes.

"Mr. Li," Dong Liang Yu greeted, somewhat flustered and losing her composure, a rare display of panic for her.

Li Hong Jiu chuckled as he surveyed the surrounding bookshelves, saying as he walked away, "Go about your business; don't mind me. The collection here is indeed excellent. It's like seeing a single spot and understanding the whole leopard — truly admirable. I didn't expect such a place to exist in the demon realm; it's truly hidden deep in the mountains, unknown to most. But then again, the master I introduced to you yesterday was truly remarkable. Whether missing out on that master-disciple relationship was right or wrong for you, I can't say. Perhaps you'll see more clearly if you reflect on it later."

His words were somewhat profound and enigmatic, and the latter half left Dong Liang Yu perplexed; she didn't understand what he meant.

In the backyard, the woman in red, who had opened her room door but hadn't yet stepped out, suddenly froze. Ah Lan's transmitted message sounded in her ear again, "Your Majesty, he was lost before he even left the city."

Dong Wen Shu, neatly dressed in the courtyard, happened to see her and cupped his hands in a polite salute, signifying "Good morning."

The woman in red gave a slight nod of acknowledgment, then retreated back into her room. As soon as the door closed, she immediately transmitted a message, "What happened?"

Ah Lan replied, "Our two 'eyes' couldn't detect his aura along the way and didn't dare to get too close. After following him through various streets and alleys, when they reached the main street, he suddenly vanished."

The woman in red scolded, "You two are useless!"

Ah Lan quickly explained, "Your Majesty, this also confirms why his traces could suddenly disappear on the divine mountain. He himself cultivates a spell that conceals his aura."

The woman in red pondered, "Are you implying he was originally from the demonic path?"

Ah Lan replied, "This servant doesn't know if there are any other reasons."

The woman in red slowly raised a hand to touch the flower at her temple, closing her eyes in contemplation. A moment later, she swiftly opened them and transmitted, "He hasn't left the city yet; he's approaching the North City Gate. Go quickly... No, wait. Since he can conceal his aura, it's useless for those two to follow him; it might even alert him. Tell them to stand by."

Ah Lan asked with surprise and doubt, "Your Majesty, are we just letting him go?"

The woman in red replied, "I have my own plans."

"Understood," Ah Lan quickly agreed.

At this moment, Shi Chun was in a carriage, which was one of the reasons the two trackers lost him. After he navigated several winding alleys and emerged, Xiao Sheng, who was waiting with a carriage at the alley entrance, immediately drove him away.

The two trackers ran onto the main street, but his figure was nowhere to be seen.

Of course, the primary reason was that Shi Chun had cast a spell to block any aura that could be tracked. Given his cautious nature, and having already realized he was being trailed by the demonic path to the library, it was unthinkable that he wouldn't take precautions when entering and leaving the city and the library.

The carriage left the city, and as it sped along, Shi Chun left the carriage, riding his wind scales into the sky alone.

After circling around, he flew to Zhelan Slope and met with Wu Jin Liang.

Upon meeting, he immediately asked, "How is the refinement of those items progressing?"

Wu Jin Liang replied, "I asked Bai Qi Ru. He said the quantity is quite large, so it won't be quick. He mentioned we'd need to wait a while longer. Was Li Hong Jiu's trip to the library to accept a disciple smooth?"

Shi Chun replied, "Overall, it was smooth, but that guy is no good. I almost got dragged into a trap by him. I don't harbor ill intentions, but he's still up to no good."

Wu Jin Liang, however, didn't seem to care much about that, hesitating instead about something else. "Chun Tian, I have a bad feeling about putting so much effort into that woman in red's troublesome affairs. Do we really have to go find Situ Gu for her?"

Shi Chun gazed into the distance, ignoring his visible fatigue, and said, "The easy matters are not for us to handle. Jin Liang, sometimes I'm also quite lost. Whether she genuinely doesn't know our identities or is merely pretending, one thing is certain: as long as we remain useful, we will survive.

We will soon face a challenge: how to extract the Golden-Furred Rat clan. To obtain the secret refining method for the Deathly Fragrance, I already revealed our hand to them. Therefore, we don't have many options: either rescue them or eliminate them all."

Wu Jin Liang was thoughtful. "You want that woman in red to help?"

Shi Chun nodded. "Given our current circumstances, it's not difficult to secretly rescue the Golden-Furred Rat clan. The problem is how to settle them. Should they never show their faces again? If they do, they will surely be pursued by the Phoenix clan. If caught, can you guarantee that the Golden-Furred Rat clan won't expose us? The best approach is to have that woman's maternal uncle help the Golden-Furred Rat clan secure a pardon from the Demon Queen. If the Demon Queen pardons them, the Phoenix clan will naturally have to release them, and only then will the Golden-Furred Rat clan achieve true, legitimate freedom."

He raised a hand and patted Wu Jin Liang's shoulder. "Jin Zhan, a supreme being of the Demon Realm from his generation, and that demonic book is certainly extraordinary. If we rescue the entire Golden-Furred Rat clan and then pass on the demonic book, we shouldn't miss this opportunity to forge good karma. Furthermore, I'm quite interested in the 'Big Dipper Spirit Repulsion Array.' That's an excellent life-saving artifact. I hold the command arrow but don't know how to retrieve it. The Golden-Furred Rat clan should be the ones who know the most about the 'Big Dipper Spirit Repulsion Array.'"