Devouring Soul Emperor

"You’re Ma Zhiyong. Work with us to kill Chu Qingyun."

"Hmph, why should I help you?"

"It’s not about helping us. That Chu Qingyun is here to cause trouble for you. It’s not just us who want to deal with him; you should be worried too."

"What do I have to be worried about? In another eight days, if he can’t find anything, he’ll leave on his own."

"If you don’t cooperate, we’ll kill you."

...

The next day was spent investigating around town, but unfortunately, it was another fruitless effort. That Ma Zhiyong was indeed incredibly cunning and had left no clues behind.

That evening, Town Mayor Qu Yuanhang once again threw a grand banquet, inviting Chu Qingyun and insisting he attend, saying some distinguished guests had arrived today.

Chu Qingyun found this very strange.

The Town Mayor’s daughter had been missing for half a month, yet he was still in the mood to host banquets. Moreover, according to Chu Qingyun’s discreet inquiries, the Town Mayor had been frequently throwing feasts and indulging in revelry for the past month. Even some of the servants found it abnormal.

Chu Qingyun felt there was likely something wrong with the man, so he decided to attend the banquet to see what kind of trick he was trying to pull.

Upon his arrival, Chu Qingyun noticed that, compared to yesterday’s welcome banquet, Chief Constable Tie Mingyuan was absent, but two unfamiliar men were present.

One of the two was tall and thin, the other short and fat. Both were seated in a rather inconspicuous spot, and they had been staring at Chu Qingyun nonstop ever since he appeared.

’Something is definitely wrong!’

Chu Qingyun’s heart skipped a beat. He was almost certain that Town Mayor Qu Yuanhang was no good man.

Because as soon as he entered the main hall, the Devouring Martial Soul within his Qi Sea began to tremble faintly.

This had happened before, back in Qingshan City, whenever he saw Qian Sanpang. Qian Sanpang was a member of the Martial Soul Hall, which meant those two were also from the Martial Soul Hall!

The reason he was so sure was that everyone else present had also been there yesterday!

’Qu Yuanhang? A member of the Martial Soul Hall? What... What’s their connection?’

Chu Qingyun couldn’t figure it out, but he was already on high alert.

Both Ning Xue and You Yun had spoken of the Martial Soul Hall with extreme aversion and nervousness. This showed that the Martial Soul Hall was undoubtedly a terrifyingly powerful force.

However, thanks to the warning from his Devouring Martial Soul, Chu Qingyun had quietly turned a major disadvantage into a slight advantage. The people from the Martial Soul Hall thought Chu Qingyun was oblivious, but in reality, he already knew.

"Haha, allow me to make some introductions. This is Mr. Zhu, and this is Mr. Hou. These two are wealthy merchants from Flame City, here in our San Yang Town to purchase specialty mountain goods. We’ll have much to cooperate on in the future! Come, come, everyone, let’s toast!"

Qu Yuanhang laughed heartily as he raised his wine cup.

As Chu Qingyun held his cup, a sudden sense of alarm washed over him. He subtly scanned the room and noticed that Mr. Zhu, Mr. Hou, and Qu Yuanhang were all watching him.

’There’s something in the wine!’

Chu Qingyun sneered inwardly. With a deadpan expression, he drained the cup in one gulp. But once the wine was in his mouth, he didn’t swallow. Instead, he used his Primordial Power to envelop the liquid, Refining it into a gas, and then exhaled it.

Seeing Chu Qingyun down the wine, the three of them smiled, their minds put at ease.

They likely interpreted his hesitation as understandable. After all, his investigation was going nowhere, and he was on the verge of failing his assessment. It would be strange if he were in a good mood.

The banquet had not been long underway when the short, fat Lord Zhu claimed he was weary from his journey and couldn’t hold his liquor, needing to rest. Qu Yuanhang promptly declared the party over.

This banquet ended much earlier than usual.

The guests left one after another. Coincidentally, less than a minute after Chu Qingyun left the front hall, Tie Mingyuan arrived.

"Town Mayor, you were looking for me?" Tie Mingyuan asked, looking somewhat haggard as he cupped his hands.

Qu Yuanhang paused for a moment, then slapped his forehead. "Look at me. I called you here to discuss something with Lord Chu, but I just let him leave. No matter, let’s go find him together."

With that, he ordered a few servants to light lanterns and lead the way to the rear courtyard at a leisurely pace.

Throughout the evening, Chu Qingyun had used his Primordial Power to Refine all the wine that entered his mouth into gas and exhale it. Yet, upon returning to his room, he still felt a bit dizzy, and a strange heat seemed to radiate from within his body.

Chu Qingyun sat down, grabbed the teapot from the table, and GULP, GULP, chugged half a pot of cold tea. He felt much better.

However, when he looked toward his bed, he was so startled he almost fell off his stool.

There was a woman lying on his bed!

She was a young woman who looked to be under twenty. The dim candlelight obscured her features, but judging from her silhouette, she was likely a beautiful woman with delicate features.

The girl lay motionless, only the sound of her steady breathing indicating she was merely unconscious.

More importantly, the young woman was wearing nothing but a small, silk bodice, and even that had been half-untied, creating a very disheveled appearance.

GULP...

Chu Qingyun swallowed hard. The heat that the cold tea had just extinguished surged up again, radiating from within.

’Who is this girl?’

Chu Qingyun moved closer to get a better look, but he didn’t recognize her at all.

And moving closer, the clearer view only made the heat in his body intensify.

’Strange... I didn’t feel this strongly last time I saw Chen Lengyu stark naked. What’s going on? Could it be... the wine?’

Just as Chu Qingyun was pondering this, footsteps suddenly sounded from outside.

’Someone’s coming!’

Chu Qingyun’s expression changed, and a hint of panic rose in his heart.

It was late at night, and there was a scantily clad girl on his bed. If anyone saw this, it would be impossible to explain.

But he was certain the bed had been empty when he left his room. Someone must have put her here on purpose.

CREAK.

The people outside didn’t knock, pushing the door open directly. The first to enter were Town Mayor Qu Yuanhang and Chief Constable Tie Mingyuan.

"Yan! What is Yan doing here?!"

Upon entering, Qu Yuanhang’s eyes immediately fell on the girl on Chu Qingyun’s bed, and he couldn’t help but cry out in shock.

Hearing his words, Tie Mingyuan’s face changed drastically. He rushed to the bedside. "You’re right, it is Yan! But... why is she here?"

’Yan?’

In a flash, a name came to Chu Qingyun’s mind: Qu Yan. Qu Yuanhang’s daughter, one of the missing girls.

"I just got back and found this young lady on my bed. I..."

"It was you! You’re the one who abducted Yan! You’re the Flower Thief, Ma Zhiyong! Tie Mingyuan, seize him!"

Before Chu Qingyun could finish his sentence, he was rudely cut off by Qu Yuanhang, who then ordered Tie Mingyuan to arrest him.