Chapter 306: I Can't Blame My Good Colleague, Can I?
After delegating tasks to his subordinates, Luo Wusheng realized he was, once again, unsure what to do with himself.
Training new recruits for the Demon Artifact Pavilion? It seemed unnecessary. Last night, Long Dahai had already managed to bridge any gaps, and these Demon Sect disciples proved to be pragmatic and efficient workers.
Having experienced the treacherous ways of the martial world, they seemed to have resolved to stick with the Demon Artifact Pavilion, leaving behind the dangers of their past lives.
His engagement? What engagement? That could be filed away in the mental recycling bin for now.
Luo Wusheng appreciated their straightforwardness but suspected his conveniently cheap master might have had a hand in selecting this group, which left him feeling somewhat conflicted.
At least it was one less thing to worry about.
Advertising? He was already a walking advertisement. The problem was that most people weren't coming for the artifacts but for the juicy gossip.
As the boss, maybe this was the time to receive visits from powerful figures?
The issue was that he had only been in Royal City for less than a month. There hadn't been time to build connections with influential individuals. The Pavilion's rapid rise had outpaced such opportunities, and with the upcoming Human Immortal List, most factions were focused on that instead.
Surely, he couldn't stir up another major event in the few days before the competition, right?
The situation was, therefore, rather peculiar.
Although crowds gathered outside, no one dared to approach Luo Wusheng directly. Various factions had sent spies to observe the Demon Artifact Pavilion, and news that Luo Wusheng hadn't broken into the Nascent Soul Realm would likely spread soon.
Royal City's powers had their methods of discerning cultivation levels, but they would still wonder where he had been these past few days and whether the Demon Sect was planning something.
After all, not everyone was as fortunate or resourceful as the Six Gate Bureau, who had managed to intercept Luo Wusheng while he dealt with the Soulblade Specter in Sword Province.
'Speaking of the Soulblade Specter… Why is the Broken Sword still wandering aimlessly in Sword Province? With its ability to suppress the Soulblade Specter, shouldn't this have been resolved by now?'
Luo Wusheng's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden realization. He frowned slightly, then relaxed, casually waving a hand behind him.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing reverberated.
A sharp intake of breath followed.
"Hiss— You're really at the Nascent Soul Realm? And not just the early stage… Did you really take an immortal pill?"
...
Luo Wusheng looked at the two figures who had appeared before him, his expression somewhat odd.
Familiar feather and scale masks greeted him.
"Even if you wanted to gauge my strength, Lord Night Crow, this method of intelligence gathering is quite unconventional… Were you not worried about damaging my Demon Artifact Pavilion?"
Though his tone seemed annoyed, Luo Wusheng's gaze quickly shifted to the other figure.
A cool and elegant demeanor, her robes hiding what he could imagine was an exceptionally graceful figure. Though her face was concealed by a mask, Luo Wusheng's mind easily conjured an image of unparalleled beauty.
"Greetings, Miss Kirin."
Night Crow's presence hardly required any formalities—it was on par with his relationship with Daoist Da Zhuang. But Miss Kirin was different. She was his fiancée—no, the Empress in disguise, his future superior!
Even though Luo Wusheng had merely borrowed the name of the Demon Sect's Holy Saint to earn a gold badge from the Six Gate Bureau, he hadn't even chosen a proper codename yet.
Should it be Dragon Subduer? Or maybe Phoenix Tamer?
Suppressing the urge to indulge in these playful thoughts, Luo Wusheng noted Miss Kirin's measured nod.
"Hmm."
Her reserved demeanor was on point, though slightly exaggerated. Was it because the Taoist Alter Ego separated from him yesterday? Or was it because of the engagement?
While Luo Wusheng evaluated her performance, Night Crow interjected.
"Come on, I've been in the Nascent Soul Realm for years. I know my limits… See? Everything's fine."
Luo Wusheng responded with a wry smile.
Had he not been able to detect the man's non-hostile aura, things wouldn't have been resolved so peacefully. His cautious nature might have led him to draw his Phantomless 2.0 out of fear.
However, Night Crow wasn't done.
"By the way, your strength is astonishing. Even without an artifact, I'd wager you could now easily slay the Blood Mist Netherkin. Are you really still in the Golden Core Realm?"
"Whether I am capable or still in the Golden Core Realm, Lord Night Crow, don't you already know? The Six Gate Bureau must have records of my actions in Sword Province by now."
Luo Wusheng's lighthearted response caused Night Crow to freeze momentarily.
Subduing the Nascent Soul Realm Sword Province Soulblade Specter, battling his "good colleague" Xuan Ming to a near draw…
Night Crow recalled the firsthand intelligence he had received from his esteemed colleague.
—Had Luo Wusheng already deduced that the Six Gate Bureau possessed this information?
Meanwhile, Miss Kirin's eyes, hidden beneath her mask, studied Luo Wusheng thoughtfully.
'So he's already aware of Xuan Ming's identity...'
How, though?
The disguised Empress couldn't figure it out.
The brief tension was broken by the sound of footsteps on the stairs.
"Senior Brother, what's going on— huh?"
Bai Xiaoyao appeared, her curious gaze falling on the two unfamiliar figures.
Her perceptive nature was evident. Despite the earlier exchange being almost undetectable, she had noticed it. Perhaps it was due to her focus on the surroundings or simply a touch of intuition.
...
In the end, the tense atmosphere dissipated.
Given that these two figures were likely the Pavilion's most important visitors today—especially with her imperial majesty present—Luo Wusheng naturally played the gracious host.
Of course, with both of them wearing masks, even something as simple as drinking tea was inconvenient. Instead, they sat down casually at a table.
Bai Xiaoyao, for her part, took a seat beside her senior brother instead of attending to other matters.
Night Crow quickly adjusted his mindset, chalking up Luo Wusheng's deductions to some keen observation of the Six Gate Bureau's movements. After all, the initial attempt to probe Luo's strength was suspicious enough to suggest he already knew about the Nascent Soul Realm capability.
It certainly couldn't be because Xuan Ming had slipped up, right?
Thinking of his esteemed colleague, who had delivered earth-shattering intelligence, Night Crow found himself momentarily lost in thought, his gaze drifting toward Kirin.
'If I tell her about that matter, surely she'll join our side, right?'
If not…
Well, then it might be time for Wutong to intervene.
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