Chapter 156: The Tower of Myriad Blossoms

Just as the Chu Family Army pulled their bows to the full and stood on high alert, an elegant young man in flowing white robes slowly walked toward them from afar, carrying the gentle and pleasant breeze of spring.

"Shuangjiang, you must not be so rude." Wei Ziyuan flicked his sleeve and walked to Shuangjiang's side.

Shuangjiang obediently curtsied. "Yes, Young Master." Her voice was soft, devoid of any of the arrogance and domineering attitude she had displayed just moments before, making her look entirely like an innocent girl next door.

"Sir, you've finally come out." Chu Junhan wore a bitter expression, though she had already mentally recorded this heavy debt, plotting to completely uproot the Jiuling Chamber of Commerce once she figured out their network. It was true that she had been too rash this time.

The young man in white gently dusted off his robes with a smile at the corner of his mouth. "I am quite unaccustomed to staying in that dungeon, Young Master. I didn't sleep a wink all night. Might I borrow a bedchamber from the General to rest for a few days?"

Didn't sleep a wink? You brought this entirely upon yourself.

Chu Junhan cast a sideways glance at the youth, gave Yunyi a look of exasperation, and left the General's Residence accompanied by Tang Chen.

"Junhan, since this Master Jiuling is so outrageous, why did you keep him here? He is nothing less than a hot potato."

On the bustling streets of Pingzhou City, Tang Chen pressed close to Chu Junhan's shoulder, lowering his voice to a whisper, his face full of perplexity.

As she walked along, Chu Junhan cupped her chin in thought. She still could not sort out or understand whether this Master Jiuling was an enemy or a friend. "There is something fishy about all of this!"

"What could be fishy?"

"He clearly knew of Junyi's existence, so why would he let Junyi discover his name?"

Tang Chen's pupils constricted. Finding it hard to believe what the youth beside him was implying, he asked in astonishment, "Do you mean that he intentionally let Junyi find out so that you would come after him? But... why on earth would he do such a thing?"

Chu Junhan still rested her chin in her hand. "That is precisely what baffles me the most... Logically speaking, with a power as vast as the Jiuling Chamber of Commerce, the mastermind behind the scenes should remain deeply hidden to guard against any contingencies. Why on earth would he deliberately seek me out?"

While deep in doubt, the two of them unconsciously walked up to the entrance of the House of Ten Thousand Flowers. They went straight up to the second floor and took their old spot.

This location offered the widest view, but by the same token, it was also the easiest place to be put under surveillance.

The reason Chu Junhan chose this spot was precisely to put on a show for the various secret agents watching them.

No matter how meticulous those secret agents were, living as they did by licking blood from the blades of swords, they would never realize that shortly after the two youths entered, the music had quietly shifted to *The Goddess of Luo*.

Nor could they be blamed; living as desperate outlaws accustomed to daily killing, how could they find the time to study musical tuning? Naturally, they could not detect the hidden trick within.

Let alone them, even someone well-versed in musical theory would merely praise the zither player for executing a marvelous tune. Only when matched with Chu Junhan's secret code could the true clues be deciphered.

The youth by the window merely sipped his tea, appreciated the graceful dances of the courtesans, applauded and cheered from time to time, and then rewarded them with some silver, never coming even half a step close to female indulgence.

Xiao Shengjie furrowed his brow as he stared for a long while without discovering anything unusual, then flicked his sleeve and departed impatiently.

"Junhan, the Crown Prince has left." Tang Chen glanced at the figure departing from the teahouse diagonally across and murmured.

Chu Junhan tilted her head slightly backward to watch Xiao Shengjie leave, lazily stretched her back, and wore a mocking smile at the corner of her lips. "Let's go, it's time for us to return to the residence as well."

Shortly after the two youths departed, several figures also vanished together, hurrying in the direction of the Crown Prince's Mansion. Meanwhile, inside the brothel, the zither music remained melodious, though the tune had imperceptibly changed once again.