Chapter 323 - 314: Concubine

Chapter 323: Chapter 314: Concubine

A small alley in the western part of the city.

A small, blue-bricked courtyard was hidden in the twilight. It was easy to miss if one wasn’t specifically looking for it.

The courtyard walls weren’t high, but the flowering branches reaching over them were unusually lush. The evening breeze carried waves of elegant, rich floral fragrances that soothed the soul.

Zhuo Yuan’s carriage stopped at the mouth of the alley. She walked alone to the courtyard gate and knocked three times: two quick, one slow.

A moment later, the door slid open a crack without a sound. A serving girl stepped aside to let her in, then silently bolted the door shut again.

The courtyard was a world of its own.

It was the height of summer, yet the small courtyard was filled to bursting with all kinds of flowers. Many were strange and exotic plants she couldn’t name, all vying for attention in a riot of color.

Between the flowerbeds, a cobblestone path snaked toward the main house.

At the end of the path, a woman in a simple white gauze dress stood with her back to the gate. She held a small pair of silver shears, trimming a pot of orchids.

Her figure was slender, and her long hair was held up loosely by a single white jade hairpin. She exuded a tranquility that was completely at odds with the riotous blossoms filling the courtyard.

Hearing footsteps, she didn’t turn around. Her voice was as clear and cold as jade pearls falling onto a platter. "Aunt Zhuo is here. Is there news from the Zhou Family?"

Zhuo Yuan stopped behind her. "Young Miss, the Zhou Family... has not yet given a definite reply."

The white-robed woman’s trimming motions paused for a fraction of a second.

Zhuo Yuan continued, "However, when Wanru returned from Jingxin Nunnery today, she met someone on the road and brought them back to the estate. They were sent by the Chen Family."

"Oh?"

The white-robed woman turned around.

She looked to be in her early twenties, with exquisitely beautiful features and skin so fair it was almost translucent. Her eyes were as clear as water, and her gaze carried a chill that seemed to see right through a person.

"The Chen Family couldn’t hold back any longer? After I dangled such a large piece of bait, for them to wait until now to send someone to investigate... I suppose they have some patience after all. Tell me about it."

Zhuo Yuan quickly recounted everything Sun Wanru had told her, including Li Yuniang’s story, repeating it word for word.

The white-robed woman listened quietly. After Zhuo Yuan finished, she let out a soft hmph. "The Tuo Long Bang colluding with the Zhou and Chen Families? He Zhangqiu killed in a counterattack? The Chen Family forcing her to be their spy? That is... a plausible-sounding story."

She paused, then asked, "What is this woman’s background?"

"She was a mistress Young Master Zhangqiu kept outside the main residence."

Zhuo Yuan answered cautiously.

Hearing the word "mistress," the white-robed woman’s lovely, willow-like brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. A faint trace of disgust flashed in her eyes before vanishing completely.

After a moment of contemplation, she said, "Bring her to me. I want to see her myself."

"Yes, Young Miss."

Zhuo Yuan agreed. "Shall I bring her over tonight, then?"

"You may."

「Later that night, as darkness fell.」

An inconspicuous, blue-canopied carriage once again entered the small alley in the western part of the city.

Zhuo Yuan led a washed and newly dressed Li Yuniang into the small, fragrance-filled courtyard.

Lanterns had been lit under the courtyard’s covered walkway, their dim yellow light casting sparse shadows of the flowers.

The white-robed woman, still dressed in simple white, sat behind a bamboo tea table. She was methodically preparing tea, her features slightly blurred by the billowing steam.

Li Yuniang followed Zhuo Yuan closer. As she felt the white-robed woman’s seemingly casual gaze land on her, her entire body tensed, and she subconsciously held her breath.

She lowered her head, not daring to look directly at her.

"Sit."

The white-robed woman gestured to the cattail cushion opposite her, her voice flat.

Li Yuniang sat down as instructed.

The white-robed woman raised her eyes. Her gaze fell upon Li Yuniang, as tangible as a physical touch, and she studied her carefully before speaking slowly. "Your Qi Sea is obstructed, your Divine Hall is clouded, your meridians are sealed, and a restriction has been placed on your Divine Sense. What happened?"

Horror flashed in Li Yuniang’s eyes. She couldn’t believe the woman had discerned her physical condition in just a moment. She replied, "It was the work of Patriarch Chen. He said... if I don’t behave, he can make my life a living hell with just a thought."

The white-robed woman gave a noncommittal response and changed the subject. "How did my brother, He Zhangqiu, die? Tell me the details of what happened again."

Li Yuniang forced herself to remain calm and repeated the story she had told Sun Wanru earlier that day, her voice catching with sobs.

The white-robed woman listened quietly, her expression unreadable, making it impossible to tell if she believed her or not.

When Li Yuniang finished, she suddenly asked, "What is the Chen Family’s strength? And Chen Li himself, what is his cultivation level?"

Li Yuniang chose her words carefully. "Specifically... my cultivation is low, so I couldn’t see clearly. However, during the fight that night, Patriarch Chen fought a Void Transformation Grandmaster and came out on top, killing his opponent. I would guess he is at least at the Void Transformation Realm, and perhaps... even stronger."

She paused, then added, "The Chen Family has two Grandmaster Tributors. Also... the family’s eldest son, Chen Shouheng, and his wife, Zhou Shuwei, have both recently broken through to the Divine Hall realm."

"Chen Shouheng? Zhou Shuwei?"

For the first time, a clear change in expression appeared on the white-robed woman’s previously placid face.

Her fine brows knitted together. "When Chen Shouheng participated in the Martial Examination last year, his cultivation was only at the Spirit Realm Second Level Profound Acupoint Realm. How long has it been? And Zhou Shuwei... she was stuck at the Spirit Realm First Level: Blood Refining Realm for seven or eight years. How could she suddenly break through several levels?"

Li Yuniang shook her head. "That... how could a humble woman like me know such secrets?"

The white-robed woman fell silent, her expression shifting uncertainly.

She had never expected to receive such information from Li Yuniang’s lips.

If the Chen Family truly possessed the strength of at least one Void Transformation Realm and four Divine Hall Realm Grandmasters, combined with their possible collusion with the Tuo Long Bang, then it made perfect sense that He Zhangqiu and his party—two Void Transformation Grandmasters and two Divine Hall Grandmasters—were completely wiped out.

The Chen Family’s strength far exceeded her estimations.