Yaoqin looked down at the crumpled talisman in her hand.

The blood qi contained within was incredibly violent and aggressive, yet it seemed fundamentally similar to the Blood Qi Spirit Stone that Chu Xingchen had given her.

The difference was that the blood qi in the talisman was clearly used as an attack method.

While the spirit stone's qi was relatively stable.

Considering how quickly Chu Xingchen's cultivation level had improved.

She trusted him and didn't ask much.

The Qingfeng Sect was actually quite far from Yuzhou City.

Why would they risk extending their reach near Yuzhou City? Wasn't that just asking for trouble?

It didn't align with their interests unless they were tracking Chu Xingchen.

But Chu Xingchen could leisurely reside within Yuzhou City, clearly confident that he had handled things smoothly without leaving any loose ends.

Chu Xingchen was definitely not a fool; if he were being followed, he would have noticed quickly, otherwise, given his past reckless actions, he would have been in trouble long ago.

This indicated... Chu Xingchen must be hiding something from her.

Or perhaps he had switched to practicing evil cultivation!

Yaoqin clenched the talisman in her hand. "I'm going out for a bit. If there's anything, wait until I return."

The maid quickly asked, "Miss, aren't you taking me with you?"

"No." Yaoqin picked up the clothes beside her, answering decisively.

The maid, Little Ling, hesitated but ultimately could only watch her mistress's hurried departing figure.

---

Yaoqin once again looked down at the note in her hand.

It was given to her by Chu Xingchen, stating his current address.

After confirming, the closed courtyard house before her was indeed where Chu Xingchen was staying.

Yaoqin reached out and gently knocked on the door.

A response came quickly.

"Coming~"

It wasn't Chu Xingchen's voice, but a female voice.

The closed door soon opened.

A pure and beautiful young girl opened the door with a smile, but upon seeing Yaoqin, her expression froze, and she retracted her smile.

"Did you come to the wrong place?"

Yaoqin slightly frowned at the girl in front of her and then asked coldly:

"Does Chu Xingchen live here?"

Li Yingling was also taken aback by the cold and beautiful woman in front of her.

Who was this person? She directly mentioned her master's name.

Could she be a former lover of her master?

Or an enemy of her master?

More importantly, how should she answer this question?

Did her master really live here?

The woman in front of her clearly had a cultivation level, and with her Foundation Establishment Stage strength, she couldn't see through her.

"That name... sounds familiar. What do you want with him?"

Li Yingling tried to ask indirectly.

"I have something to discuss with him."

"What is it?"

Yaoqin's brows furrowed slightly. "What does that have to do with you? Does he live here or not?"

Li Yingling put on a friendly smile:

"I can't quite remember that name. My brother has a good memory; he surely knows if Chu Xingchen lives here. I'll go ask him, wait a moment."

With that, Li Yingling quickly closed the door.

She hurried to her junior brother's room and knocked quickly.

Soon, Li Xingtian opened the door and looked at his senior sister: "What's wrong? What happened?"

Li Yingling whispered, "There's a woman at the door looking for Master for some unknown reason. Go find Master outside and tell him a cold and beautiful woman is looking for him."

"If she's here to cause trouble, come back and give me a signal, and I'll say Master doesn't live here."

"If she's Master's lover... tell Master to come back quickly."

Li Xingtian frowned slightly... Was his senior sister overthinking this?

But seeing her serious expression, Li Xingtian nodded in agreement with her plan.

After all, being cautious never hurt.

Li Yingling instructed, "Alright, you go out the back door, and I'll stall her!"

"Be careful too, Senior Sister." Li Xingtian advised before quickly turning to head out the back door.

As for where their master was now, Li Xingtian had a good idea.

Master always told his disciples where he was going when he went out, so they could find him if anything happened.

At this moment, Master was most likely... at a brothel listening to music?

Ever since Master caught a corpse, he decided to change his method of mental training.

But Li Xingtian didn't understand what kind of mindset could be trained at a brothel listening to music.

What was so good about listening to women sing?

Li Xingtian carefully slipped out the back door, cautiously observing his surroundings to ensure no one noticed him, then quickly headed towards the brothel his master mentioned.

The brothel wasn't far.

A few streets were nothing for a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Soon, Li Xingtian arrived at the brothel his master mentioned.

Several scantily clad women leaned alluringly against the brothel's entrance, holding instruments like lutes and softly singing suggestive lyrics.

Just by looking at the entrance, it was clear this brothel was quite improper.

It was truly disgraceful; didn't anyone in Yuzhou City manage this?

Master, you're being foolish! These women are all deceitful vixens!

Li Xingtian's expression turned cold. He had long seen through such shallow female charms.

But entering the brothel required payment.

A servant waiting at the entrance quickly approached.

"Sir, here to listen to music?"

Li Xingtian wasn't in the mood for conversation. He casually stuffed some silver into the servant's hands and walked into the brothel.

Li Xingtian scanned the room, where nearly everyone had a brothel girl in their arms, engaging in indecent activities.

Soon, his gaze locked onto his master in the far corner.

What surprised Li Xingtian was that his master wasn't behaving like those common folk, touching and groping.

Instead, he was sipping tea, smiling gently, and conversing with a brothel girl holding a lute.

Li Xingtian didn't think much of it and quickly approached.

---

Chu Xingchen sipped the tea before him.

The brothel girl holding a lute looked at him with admiration.

Her voice was a murmur, "Young master, you truly are talented... Your far-sightedness is deeply admired by this humble girl."

The man before her, whether in poetry, song, astronomy, or geography, even the changes of the world, had unique insights and high standards.

Cheap brothel girls, like those singing at the entrance to lure customers, naturally didn't need to learn much, just to sing and play some instruments.

In any field, there are distinctions of high and low, noble and base.

She had been trained as a top courtesan from a young age, with serious study in poetry, song, and dance, even learning the nuances of speech and behavior.

Her vision and abilities far surpassed ordinary people; understanding and appreciation were necessary for true appreciation.

She usually encountered people who only sought beauty, with no knowledge, crude language, and greed evident in their eyes.

But this young master was different.

Every word and action exuded the demeanor of a gentleman.

And his looks... were truly exceptional.

Those eyes seemed to sparkle with stardust.

They say her job was to flatter customers, but now she felt like she was the one being charmed by him.

Talking to the handsome man before her felt like a refreshing spring breeze.

This contrast made the handsome man before her seem like an immortal from the heavens, not a mere mortal.

Chu Xingchen gently set down his tea, noticing the brothel girl's eyes filled with admiration, knowing his charm hadn't faded.