They all became female demons after being reborn.

Chapter 44 Reencounter with Li Anchan

Under the arch of the Peony Bridge on the Luo River, Wu Cheng and his three companions sized up the officials who were shouting and running past quickly.

"Hey, now we can't stay at the inn."

"Young Master, it's all my fault."

"Sister Qingque, I'm not blaming you." Wu Cheng smiled broadly. "Besides, that assassin named Luo Shang is quite interesting. He actually revealed the person who hired him."

Zhou Ke asked in surprise, "Junior brother, you seem to be in a good mood?"

Wu Cheng pointed to the departing officials and said, "No matter what, the government will still take care of the dead, which is always a good thing for the people."

"Who said they'd care? It's just because the owner behind the Waiting for the Wind Restaurant is the steward of the Prince Yu's mansion." Xue Jianren curled his lip. "Back then, Yuan Congwen rode his horse recklessly through the streets, injuring countless people, and nobody cared."

Wu Cheng glanced at him.

Xue Jianren chuckled and changed the subject, "But I didn't expect their purpose was to lure Junior Brother Wu to Luoyang."

He didn't know whether to be happy or sad for a moment.

I was happy because he wasn't important, and I was sad because he really wasn't important after all...

"Junior Brother Wu, what exactly is your identity?"

Wu Cheng glanced at him sideways, "Since you guessed it, just say it. Why are you beating around the bush?"

Xue Jianren glanced at him, then at him again, and seeing Wu Chengzhen's impatience, he cautiously asked, "Junior Brother Wu, could you perhaps be... a servant of the Prince of Yu's mansion?"

"¿?"

Wu Cheng's face was as dark as a giant magnet. "Senior Brother Xue, you always speak up whenever I have some expectations for you. Now I can understand why your father sent you to the Wentian Sect."

The fact that Xue Baichuan, the father, didn't die of anger from keeping such a fool around only shows that he truly had the demeanor of a great general.

Zhou Ke laughed and said, "Junior Brother Wu is actually the heir of a prince, isn't he?"

Well, Senior Brother Zhou didn't dare to guess too high either.

Wu Cheng said, "That's not true. In fact, I am the fourth prince of the Great Yu Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, Xue Jianren blurted out, "That foolish prince!"

Wu Cheng's face darkened even more.

Xue Jianren suddenly realized and slapped his forehead. "So they were talking about Junior Brother Wu... Oh no! Your Highness! But Your Highness, you're not stupid, are you?"

Wu Cheng retorted, "Your name is Xue Jianren, do you have a sword on your face?"

Xue Jianren chuckled, "That's definitely not the case."

Zhou Ke couldn't help but sigh, "It's about keeping a low profile. Not to mention the imperial family, even ordinary wealthy families do the same. If there are two legitimate sons in the family, it's best if one of them is intelligent. If both of them are intelligent, it will make it difficult for the head of the family to be in charge."

"Who said that?" Xue Jianren argued, "I have a very good relationship with my older brother at home."

Wu Cheng scoffed, "Did your father only take your brother with him when he led troops, and not you?"

Xue Jianren was taken aback. "How did Your Highness know? My elder brother used to be my father's personal guard, and now he is a captain under my father. However, they do not allow me to get involved in leading troops into battle, but it is also because I like to practice swordsmanship."

Then his face paled. "Am I the one my father abandoned?"

"Heh, if you preferred military training to sword practice, your elder brother's attitude towards you wouldn't be like this," Wu Cheng said leisurely. "The struggle for the crown prince has always been like this. I'm afraid your elder brother fully supported you when you said you wanted to come to the Asking Heaven Sect to learn martial arts."

Xue Jianren was silent for a moment, then nodded blankly. "My father was a little hesitant at the time, and my mother didn't really want me to come. My older brother asked me if I really only wanted to practice swordsmanship, and I said yes. So my older brother went to my father and mother to argue with them, and I thought my older brother was the best to me..."

Wu Cheng patted him on the shoulder, "Your older brother is indeed very good to you, provided that you don't compete with him for your father's position as heir. But it's good that you're like this; your family is quite harmonious."

Xue Jianren instantly perked up, "Yeah! I used to enjoy sword practice too! Wait a minute!"

He suddenly realized something, "Your Highness!"

"Just call me as you used to," Wu Cheng corrected.

Xue Jianren opened his mouth, hesitated for a long time, and finally said, "Yes, Your Highness."

Wu Cheng: "..."

So, there's already an insurmountable barrier between us?

How pathetic, Senior Brother Xue, so you were the one most deeply poisoned by the feudal class system?

Zhou Ke changed the subject, saying, "Junior Brother Xue, we are all disciples of the Wentian Sect now, so let's not think about those outside ways."

Xue Jianren looked up pitifully, "Senior Brother Zhou, are outer disciples considered disciples of the Wentian Sect?"

"...At least you've got one foot in Sword Pavilion, haven't you?"

"That makes sense! We don't need to worry about outside matters while we're at the Wentian Sect." Xue Jianren was fully recovered, then turned around and picked up a few branches from under the bridge, stuffing them into his clothes.

Wu Cheng asked in confusion, "Senior Brother Xue, what are you doing?"

Xue Jianren took a deep breath and knelt down with a thud. "Your Highness! Please forgive my past provocation once again!"

Wu Cheng: "...You still care, don't you!"

Xue Jianren: "There's nothing I can do. When I was a child, if I disobeyed, my father would say that now I have to talk even while eating, and that I'll definitely offend some spoiled prince and be imprisoned and executed by slow slicing in the imperial prison."

Wu Cheng: "...I'm starting to have doubts about your family's parenting methods."

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Alright, alright, I forgive you. My next step is to go and have a good talk with that Prince Yu."

Xue Jianren then chuckled as he got up, took out all the branches, and threw them away. Then he slapped his forehead, "Wait! Fourth Prince! Isn't that Prince Yu your third brother?! Doesn't that mean..."

"This is the darkness of the royal family," Wu Cheng chuckled. "Here's what we'll do. Now that all the officials' attention is drawn to the Waiting for the Wind Inn, let's go to the place where those two masters fought earlier. There must be a lot of people there now. Let's go and fish in troubled waters, and then leave together when the fight is over. Then we'll go to the Prince Yu's Mansion."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"..."

-----------------

A small alley outside the West Market was packed with people.

"My God! What brutal destruction! These two are definitely experts!"

"Yes, but why does the scene look a bit off? Why are there so many hidden weapons? Could that white puddle on the ground be quicklime? It can't be salt, can it?"

Wu Cheng and the others, squeezed in the crowd, listened to the discussions around them and were quite astonished by the horrific scene.

The alley was covered with a jumble of knife and sword marks on the walls and the ground. Countless hidden weapons, such as flying needles and knives, were also stuck in the walls and the ground. Judging from their bluish metallic color, they were definitely poisonous.

On the ground were white or gray powdery residues, as well as two obviously corroded and incomplete corpses.

There were also coroners carefully examining the corpses but not daring to touch them, and city defense soldiers maintaining order and blocking the bloodthirsty audience.

Xue Jianren was a little stunned. "Is this really a duel between two masters? Or perhaps they are both masters of hidden weapons?"

Zhou Ke was also quite surprised, "Such behavior... is certainly not the act of a master."

Qingque, on the other hand, looked serious.

No... that's what a master does.

In her previous life, she had served by His Highness's side, and at that time, His Highness had instructed her that if she were to contend with someone, she could use any means necessary.

His Highness has even done things like agreeing to a duel in fifteen days, then drugging the opponent fourteen days later, and then cornering them in the outhouse to force them to admit defeat.

Qingque didn't understand why His Highness did that, and His Highness found it very strange and said something she couldn't understand.

"As a Shandong native with competitive skills, all I want is to win!"

Thinking of this, Qingque couldn't help but glance at Wu Cheng, only to see that Wu Cheng's brows were furrowed.

"Your Highness?" she asked softly.

Wu Cheng also lowered his voice, "I recognize these two corpses. They are Li Anchan's two guards. I never expected them to die here. I don't know what happened."

"It's nothing, just ran into a lunatic and got into a fight," someone replied.

Wu Cheng turned around in astonishment, only to see Li Anchan, pale-faced, give him a weak smile.