The Shadow Clan!
Ning Cheng never expected Chu Qingge to bring that up.
The Shadow Clan was the Shadow Guard of Western Qin's imperial clan and the most loyal of the Seven Noble Families.
Back then, Chu Yunyi had told him the secret of the phoenix birthmark and offered to cooperate with him. He'd asked the Shadow Clan about it, but Chu Yunyi hadn't said a word.
Now it looked like Chu Yunyi had lied to him!
Now the Nether Clan had exposed the secrets of the Seven Noble Families, while only the Chu Clan knew about the Ning Clan's secrets.
Ning Cheng had been worried that Chu Tianyin would reveal the Ning Clan's secrets, but the man had been focused on the war after colluding with the Long Tianmo. He'd forgotten about the Nether and Di Clans.
Did the Nether Clan's Chu Clan know about the Shadow Clan's whereabouts long ago, or did the Shadow Clan's descendants seek them out of their own accord?
"What do you want to say?" Ning Cheng asked Coldly.
"What do I want to say?" Chu Qingge laughed coldly. "What I want to say depends on my mood. If I'm in a good mood, I'll say more. If I'm in a bad mood, heheh …"
Ning Cheng understood her meaning and immediately dismissed all the guards outside.
Still, Chu Qingge didn't buy it. Ning Cheng's attitude told her that Witch Aunt's words were right. The chips in her hands were enough to suppress Ning Cheng completely. She didn't know how Witch Aunt had found out about these things, but she was certain that her father, uncle, and even big brother had kept many secrets from her.
Thinking back, Chu Qingge realized that she really had been nothing more than a chess piece. Even Witch Aunt, who'd doted on her, had passed away, which only strengthened her resolve.
From now on, she would live for her own sake and for the sake of revenge!
Having gained the upper hand, Chu Qingge calmed down and began to play with her fingernails in amusement. Slowly and deliberately, she said, "Ning Cheng, our previous deal wasn't pleasant at all. Tell me, how should I continue working with you?"
Ning Cheng's eyes turned cold, but he endured it in the end. Of the Seven Noble Families, he only trusted the Shadow Clan.
If the Shadow Clan was still alive, then Western Qin's imperial clan had to have a descendant left behind.
No matter what, he had to find that person!
Ning Cheng suddenly recalled the secret of the phoenix birthmark. Did the descendants of the Shadow Clan know about this? Had the Shadow Clan been searching for the orphan of Western Qin's imperial family all these years, just like the Fiends?
"How do you want to cooperate?" Ning Cheng asked patiently.
"It's very simple. I'll tell you the secret the day you hand over Han Yunxi to me." Chu Qingge laughed out loud before she added, "Of course, you can kill me too. That way, you won't have to wait any longer."
Ning Cheng's hand, which had fallen into his sleeve, clenched so tightly that it made cracking sounds. However, his face was still as calm as before. "Someone come, send the Empress Dowager back to the palace!"
Chu Qingge knew she was safe now.
She turned around gracefully, raised her chin proudly, and strode away.
Once Chu Qingge was gone, Ning An couldn't suppress the joy in her heart. "Big brother, there's finally news of the Shadow Clan! We'll immediately send someone to kidnap Han Yunxi! "
The Di Clan had been searching for their master for too long, too bitterly, and too lonely.
Especially Ning Cheng, who was the head of the clan. He needed companions worthy of his trust, someone who would treat him with absolute sincerity and risk their lives for him.
"Han Yunxi's at Celestial Mountain. Are you going?" Ning Cheng asked Coldly.
"Celestial Mountain?" Ning An was surprised. "How did you know?"
Weren't Han Yunxi and Long Fei Ye at the south central regions' commander-in-chief's estate? When did they go there?
Ning Cheng didn't answer her, but asked, "Long Fei Ye just destroyed the City of Daughters not long ago. Say … who do you think we should send to kidnap them after they leave Celestial Mountain?"
Ning An was at a loss for words. It was impossible to kidnap someone from Long Fei Ye's hands, unless they could separate the Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi.
"Go personally to Three-Way Black Market and repeat Chu Qingge's words to those old fogeys. Tell them to give your lordship one month and return the red coat cannons in full. Once we've destroyed Western Zhou and Tian An, your lordship will lead troops south and force Long Fei Ye to hand over Han Yunxi!"
So Ning Cheng was saying that he was going to lead troops to kidnap a woman? Was that necessary?
"It's better to plan things out at length. As long as we can get Han Yunxi out of Long Fei Ye's sphere of influence, we won't have to worry about catching her, "Ning An said seriously.
"Your lordship isn't planning to play dirty with Long Fei Ye! Your lordship will fight with him. If he loses, he'll hand over Han Yunxi. If your lordship loses, he can do whatever he wants with me, "Ning Cheng said.
Ning An looked at her older brother in disbelief. Since when did the man Chu Qingge had called a scoundrel become so upright?
Ning An couldn't think of any other reasons. She assumed that Ning Cheng wanted to use the Shadow Clan as an excuse to bargain with the Council of Elders and have them deliver the red coat cannons instead.
After all, the Shadow Clan was more important than the fact that they were being attacked from both sides.
"Big bro, leave Han Yunxi's matter to me. Focus on the battle. There's still three months until autumn. If they can't get any grain this fall, they'll have a hard winter! "Ning An was very calm.
But Ning Cheng only looked at her coldly. "Don't get involved in Han Yunxi's matters."
So speaking, he didn't waste any more words with Ning An, but left her to one of his guards to negotiate with the Council of Elders at the Three-Way Battlefield.
Ning An felt that Ning Cheng's handling of this matter was strange, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
She knew she couldn't persuade him otherwise, so she excused herself.
She wondered if Ning Cheng was holding a grudge against Han Yunxi. Not only did he want to kidnap her, but publicly humiliate her as well?
After all, the news of Han Yunxi splashing wine on Ning Cheng had long spread throughout the Ning Clan troops and Cloud Realm Trade Consortium. That was probably the most humiliating thing in Ning Cheng's life.
As soon as Ning Cheng left, Ning Cheng ordered his guards to keep an eye on Han Yunxi. Then he arranged for people to investigate the Chu Clan and track down the Shadow Clan. Afterwards, he buried his head in his pile of military reports again.
After an hour of silence, Ning Cheng lowered his eyes and asked, "Any news from Jin Zhen?"
Who was Jin Zhen?
His guard gave a start, but quickly recovered to report, "There shouldn't be any news yet. If they do, they'll definitely send it over."
Ning Cheng didn't speak, but kept flipping through the military reports in his hands.
A few days later, late at night, Ning Cheng finished his work and was about to leave the imperial study when he stopped at the door. Coldly, he asked, "Is there anything you haven't reported recently?"
"No. We've handed over all the military reports we've received. The Council of Elders is still negotiating with them, but there's been no progress on the Shadow Clan matter," the guard reported.
Ning Cheng's face was expressionless as he left without a word.
Soon enough, the guards outside the door began to whisper among themselves. "Chu Qingge hasn't come to make a fuss recently. It's much quieter these days!"
"Aiya, at least we don't have to hear 'Han Yunxi' anymore. It's so annoying! It's so scary when a woman hates another woman. "
"Aye, do you think Chu Qingge doesn't know about our master being splashed with wine? She brought up the name 'Han Yunxi' to the master every day, so it's no wonder the master wanted to kill her. "
"Serves her right!"
"Aiya, Chu Qingge's sudden absence makes me feel like something's missing."
… …
While Ning Cheng was searching for the Shadow Clan, Gu Beiyue was in the Duke of Qin's estate, observing Grand Concubine Yi's condition while studying a map of Cloud Realm Continent. He kept a close eye on the movements of the three nations, especially Tianning's Ning Clan troops.
Gu Beiyue knew that the Ning Clan troops, backed by Cloud Realm Trade Consortium, were the hardest to deal with compared to the Chu and Mu family troops.
Because Gu Beiyue had moved into the Duke of Qin's estate, Baili Mingxiang had grown wary of him. Ever since Han Yunxi and Long Fei Ye left, she'd been living at Pill Fiend Pharmacy with Mu Ling 'er as her companion.
Without the Duke of Qin's orders, no one was allowed to approach the ancestral hall. Su Xiaoyu might have wanted to poke Gu Beiyue and Baili Mingxiang's heads, but she didn't dare to cross the line. She had been thinking of ways to lure Gu Beiyue out of the ancestral hall before luring Baili Mingxiang back.
Today, Zhao mama was about to deliver medicine to the ancestral hall when Su Xiaoyu stopped her. "Mama, can Doctor Gu stand up yet?"
Zhao mama looked at her doubtfully. "Aiya, our little Yu 'er's learned how to care for people today?"
"I don't care about anyone else but Master. If Doctor Gu can stand up, Master will definitely be very happy, "Su Xiaoyu's words weren't false, but she had other intentions.
Unfortunately, Zhao mama missed her main point. "So you don't even care about an old bag of bones like me?"
Zhao mama had always doted on Su Xiaoyu as her own granddaughter. After the girl lost her memories, Zhao mama felt like it was Heaven's will and treated Su Xiaoyu as her own granddaughter.
Su Xiaoyu was a heartless girl, at least on the surface. She looked at Zhao mama from head to toe and said, "Why should I care about you? Aren't you perfectly fine? "
Zhao mama poked her nose. "You damned girl with no conscience!"
"You still haven't told me how Doctor Gu is doing?" Su Xiaoyu asked impatiently.
"He'll be able to stand for a while in the next few days. He'll definitely be healed by the end of the month," Zhao mama said happily.
"That's great, we should celebrate!" Su Xiaoyu was thrilled. "Mama, your cooking skills are so good that everyone likes to eat your dishes. When Doctor Gu can stand up again, we'll call everyone over and celebrate! "
Su Xiaoyu thought that if they held a banquet and called Baili Mingxiang over too, she'd have a chance when he got drunk!
As soon as Granny Zhao was praised for her culinary skills, her heart was filled with joy. She immediately agreed, "Alright, I'll tell Chu brat about this!"
Chu boy was Chu Xifeng. Calling everyone over to the estate would require Chu Xifeng's approval as the head of the guards.
Su Xiaoyu grinned from ear to ear. She knew that Zhao mama would definitely be able to handle Chu Xifeng.
After watching Zhao mama leave, Su Xiaoyu was so happy that she couldn't close her mouth. As long as Baili Mingxiang marries Gu Beiyue, she'll have to move to Pill Fiend Pharmacy and never see His Highness Duke of Qin again.
As time went on, Baili Mingxiang naturally stopped harboring such thoughts. As long as she didn't harbor such thoughts, she wouldn't hurt her mistress. She wouldn't fail to live up to her master's kindness in saving her life and taking her in.
What's the best and fastest way to forget someone? Get used to another person, of course!
Su Xiaoyu was in a great mood as she skipped out the door towards Pill Fiend Pharmacy. Soon, she saw a familiar figure at the entrance of the small alley.
"Lady Helian?" she muttered to herself.
She saw Lady Helian talking to someone, but her back was the only thing she could see. She couldn't see the person's face in the shadows.
Su Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment, then silently walked over.
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