Just as he was spacing out, a pair of pale, jade-white hands lifted him up. Ignoring the surging softness at her chest, this person’s appearance was exquisitely refined.

Phoenix eyes and willow-leaf brows, a delicate jade nose and cherry-red lips.

A few strands of dark hair fell over her forehead, making her face appear even smaller. A chrysanthemum-petal floral mark adorned the space between her brows. She wore a crane-patterned, double-butterfly, cloud-shaped flowing skirt with layered ripples, and over her shoulders was draped a fine-patterned gauze shawl.

Her snow-white lotus arms wrapped around him, supporting his backside in the crook of her arm as she studied him with the same curiosity.

Wang Yu did not react as sharply as before because he did not sense any danger from her. She was a mature and beautiful woman at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

At that moment.

Two people dressed as maidservants came over, staring at Wang Yu with suspicious eyes as they cautiously reminded her.

“Madam, this child appearing alone at the South City Gate is far too strange. This servant has heard that recently an Ice Demon Child has appeared in Maple Prefecture, specializing in refining cultivators into pills.

“His appearance is that of a young child. Madam really does not need to take such a risk.”

Tao Sixuan’s beautiful brows immediately furrowed.

She looked again at Wang Yu, who still seemed dazed and innocent.

“Red lips, white teeth, and a full, broad forehead.

“A child who looks this upright could not possibly have any problems. Do not be fooled by idle rumors. This is the Maple Prefecture City. Who would dare act recklessly here?”

Seeing that the madam had already made up her mind, the two maids fell silent.

After waiting at the city gate for a while longer.

When no adult guardian appeared as Tao Sixuan had expected, she softly said to Wang Yu, “It seems your family will not be able to find you anytime soon. How about coming home with Auntie first?”

Although Wang Yu was sitting in her arms, only part of his attention was on her. He was thinking about the issue of gathering intelligence.

This detour to the Maple Prefecture City was largely because he wanted to make contact with the Maple Prefecture Council of Elders. These administrators were certain to have detailed intelligence on the upheaval within the Blood Reversal Sect.

Only second to that were the Blood Axe Opportunity Site and the underground palace of Blackbone Mountain.

His true body was currently being hunted by the Nine Evil Sword Lord and could not reveal itself. The identity of the Ice Demon Child also lacked a suitable opening. This madam appeared gentle and fragile.

Her cultivation was at mid-stage Foundation Establishment, but the feeling she gave him was the type that easily stirred pity. She seemed kind-hearted. For someone in Maple Prefecture to develop such a temperament.

Wang Yu felt she was somewhat like a minor concubine kept in seclusion by a powerful figure. Perhaps this could be a breakthrough point.

Thinking this far.

He felt a bit awkward inside.

But since no one knew the truth anyway, he simply exaggerated his act. He wrapped his arms around the beautiful woman’s neck and buried his head against her, rubbing hard as if expressing affection, his face almost completely pressed in.

Tao Sixuan could not help but cover her mouth and laugh softly.

“You little one. Then come with Auntie.”

Wang Yu rubbed until his head was full of a milky fragrance, his face flushing noticeably. This was caused by the rush of blood and also partly by embarrassment.

Do not be fooled by the fact that his physical body was only three years old.

The traces left by time in his bones still existed. His true age was a very real one hundred forty-eight years, equivalent to half the lifespan of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

All kinds of physiological reactions still existed.

As for that little sparrow, it seemed unusable, but there were always more solutions than problems. With many marvelous methods at hand, if he wanted to use it, there would always be a way.

For now, however, he had no such thoughts. Intelligence gathering was the priority. When it came to self-control at critical moments, his experience was quite abundant. He would not lose control.

After nodding, the group entered the city directly through a side gate.

Lying on the beautiful madam’s shoulder, Wang Yu’s divine sense keenly detected hidden guards following them. One was at the early stage of Core Formation, more than sufficient as long as they did not leave Maple Prefecture.

This madam might bring him even more surprises.

…

…

Maple Prefecture City, Garrison Stronghold.

This place was protected by a low-grade fourth-rank formation array, laid out by the Blood Reversal Sect according to Maple Prefecture’s characteristics, known as the Thirty-Six Snow Dragon Slaughter Formation.

As the name implied, the power of this formation was determined by thirty-six formation nodes. Aside from using Core Formation cultivators as its core, it could also be activated with magic treasures.

With this formation in place.

Even ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators would be unable to break through the city’s defenses.

At this moment, within the enormous meeting hall, there were already thirty-six peak Core Formation cultivators seated, with even more standing behind them.

All of them were between the third and eighth levels of Core Formation.

There were at least three hundred of them. Almost all were local cultivators, either from small families or minor sects, with some having rushed over from other regions of Maple Prefecture.

With so many people gathered, the place was as noisy as a marketplace.

Everyone spoke at once, arguing endlessly.

It was said that during its peak, the Maple Prefecture City had over a thousand Core Formation cultivators. During the righteous-demonic war four hundred years ago, eighty percent died. These were all cultivators who had grown again over the past several hundred years.

After all,

Not far from here lay the Mystic Heaven Secret Realm, which produced massive quantities of ordinary Core Formation spiritual items, along with a small amount of high-grade Core Formation spiritual items.

It was therefore very easy to accumulate a large number of cultivators who formed their cores using ordinary spiritual items. High-grade Core Formation spiritual items were generally sent directly to the mountain gate of the Blood Reversal Sect.

As reputation grew, more and more people naturally gathered.

Once the base number of Foundation Establishment cultivators became large enough, it was entirely understandable for a thousand Core Formation cultivators to appear at the peak period. These people would in turn nourish Maple Prefecture City, attracting merchant guilds from all sides.

As a result, the prefectural city flourished in splendor. After all, this was a fourth-rank city, and its population capacity ceiling was extremely high.

As for why they had started arguing, there was in fact only one topic.

Should they provide support to the sect?

Previously, they could bury their heads in the sand and pretend not to see the chaos. But the situation in Maple Prefecture changed after the sudden rise of the Ice Demon Child, which frightened off many ill-intentioned forces.

In some areas, entire clans even began fleeing en masse, fearing they would be settled accounts with by Maple Prefecture City.

Once the chaos in Maple Prefecture was cleared away, the presence of over three hundred Core Formation cultivators like them became extremely conspicuous. Everything was already resolved, yet they were still staying home and drawing empty benefits. What did that mean?

Thus, this grand assembly came to be.

“At a time like this, if we do not send people to help, how do you think the Exalted Sect will view us in the future? Even if they kill all of us, it would count as a blessing. You, you, and you, all of you would have your nine clans exterminated.”

The few people who had been pointed at were the loudest in their shouting.

They even dared to claim things like the Blood Reversal Sect would not last three years, and some went so far as to propose that the thirty-six members of the Maple Prefecture Council of Elders organize manpower to raid Night Jewel Prefecture.

Such things had already been done before.

The Blackbone Bandits were one piece of evidence.

“How foolish. Those trash might not know how strong the Blood Reversal Sect truly is, but could we not know?”

“Come on then. You say it will fall in three years?”

“I say you will be dead in three days. Do you believe it?”

“Deploy troops. We must deploy troops.”

The two factions argued fiercely, while others stirred the muddy waters and desperately tried to smooth things over.

In the end, the meeting broke up unhappily. They planned to convene a second grand assembly in a few days, but judging from the situation, the pro-war faction still had the louder voice compared to the ostrich faction.

As for the opportunistic looting faction, they were completely dead silent.

Only a fool would bring that kind of proposal up in a public meeting. The few people who suggested it were mostly stirring up trouble on purpose.

For example, deliberately trying to implicate those who had already taken action.

The Wang family residence.

Wang Yu looked up at the plaque and felt momentarily stunned. This coincidence was really rather hard to put into words. Earlier, he had followed Tao Sixuan around the city for another half hour.

Now that they had just returned to the residence, his conjecture proved to be very accurate.

That beautiful woman truly was one of the Wang family’s concubines. She had no children, and judging from the situation, she did not seem to be well liked by the other women of the inner residence, most likely due to jealousy.

After all, the Core Formation bodyguards secretly following her already showed that the man still valued her. Otherwise, there would have been no need for such precautions.

From the front courtyard garden, passing over a long covered bridge, they arrived at a courtyard known as the Purple Wisteria Court.

Along the way, some old servants, acting on their master’s instructions, deliberately spoke loudly enough for Tao Sixuan to hear, maliciously gossiping about her and pointing fingers.

They deliberately focused on vulgar and indecent insinuations, causing Wang Yu’s brows to knit tightly.

Among the Crimson Kite Demonic Domain, it was normal for men to have multiple wives and concubines. Disciples of the Joyous Union Sect were even more fond of taking cauldrons as concubines, using them long-term as a sign of affection. They would often give concubines to others, either to curry favor or to build alliances.

Depending on the person, some even raised premium specimens from a young age to satisfy special proclivities, pure maidens trained to be proficient in bedchamber arts.

These were often gifted when associating with outstanding geniuses from other sects, and it was hard to say there were no ulterior motives involved.

After probing the Wang residence with his divine sense, Wang Yu counted fifty-four women in total. Strangely, there was not a single child.

He could not help but mutter inwardly.

With so many beautiful women, could he even keep up?

Purple Wisteria Court.

After settling Wang Yu in and instructing the maidservants to look after him, Tao Sixuan headed toward the main residence. Out of curiosity, someone extended a wisp of divine sense in that direction.

Not long after, it was withdrawn as if nothing had happened.

Behind the main residence seemed to be a greenhouse bathing chamber, heated by earthfire, with steam lingering year-round. He only glanced once before pulling back.

A vast expanse of pale white, nothing could be seen.

“Bathing at a time like this… is it a habit?”

He soon understood. It turned out that the male head of the household was about to return. With only a few dozen steps between front and back, he was immediately met with the enthusiastic welcome of the group of women.

The master of the Wang residence was a Core Formation peak cultivator, already showing signs of advanced age and physical decline. His lifespan was estimated to have exceeded seven hundred years.

His vitality was clearly aged, and his appearance looked to be that of a man in his fifties.

Living with a household full of wives and concubines, he truly knew how to indulge himself. The moment he returned, he was touching here and kissing there, utterly different from his taciturn silence during the meeting.

A woman laughed coquettishly and asked,

“Master, how did today’s meeting go? Did anything major happen?”

“These are troubled times…”

Wang Zhenghong said as he stroked the short beard on his chin.

“Shufen, make sure everyone in the residence keeps a low profile lately. If you can avoid going out, then do so. Don’t invite trouble. Those people are probably going to fight until either you die or I live.

“Our family is not to participate in anything. The same goes for your poor relatives. If anything happens, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

In his view, whether it was providing support or taking advantage of the chaos, both carried immense danger. Although there were opportunities to be found, they were no longer worth risking his life for.

No matter how good the opportunity was, could it really help him form a Nascent Soul?

Thus, Wang Zhenghong was the most conservative among the conservatives.

With less than a hundred years of lifespan remaining, the proper course was to work hard at leaving behind at least one or two descendants. As for the others, if they wanted to fight, they could go fight.

He would rather do nothing than make a mistake.

Hearing him speak so gravely, the expressions of the women changed slightly, and they immediately echoed his words. However, someone began harboring ulterior intentions.

“Master, Tao Sixuan went out today and even brought back a child. Could it be that she was doing something outside…”

A look of confusion appeared on Wang Zhenghong’s face. Naturally, he did not believe he had been cuckolded. Who would dare do such a thing, and even bring the child back?

He could guess what they were thinking, so he merely nodded to show he understood.

“I will go take a look.”

After entering the central courtyard, he dismissed the group of women.

Then he headed alone toward Purple Wisteria Court.

Wang Yu’s divine sense observed everything clearly. With a flash of movement, he appeared at the entrance of Purple Wisteria Court. If he wanted complete intelligence, this Wang Zhenghong had to be controlled.

If he only searched one person’s soul and the information turned out to be insufficient, would that not be a waste of effort, not to mention the risk of alerting others?

Since he had decided to obtain intelligence, he would do it thoroughly in one go. The key was choosing the right person. Whoever was responsible for liaising with the Blood Reversal Sect was of critical importance.

As for Tao Sixuan, she was merely a tool for him to infiltrate Maple Prefecture City. He did not have time to play house. Wang Yu had always valued efficiency, so he planned to confront Wang Zhenghong directly.

Thus,

The hurriedly arriving Wang Zhenghong saw a three-year-old child standing there. The moment their gazes met, he felt a divine sense as deep as an abyss and as oppressive as hell itself.

His knees went weak, and he slid forward with a thud.

“Shhk!”

He knelt all the way to Wang Yu’s feet, pressing his forehead tightly against the ground.

“Senior Ice Demon, whatever you wish to know, this old man will answer everything he knows and hold nothing back. I will exhaust all my strength to satisfy Senior’s needs.”

Wang Yu was slightly surprised. As expected of someone who had survived the great righteous and demonic war four hundred years ago. He truly knew when to bend and when to yield.

Being recognized was only natural. He had not deliberately concealed himself.

Portraits of the Ice Demon Child had surely circulated among Maple Prefecture’s experts more than once. He liked dealing with people who knew how to read the situation.

“Get up. I have questions for you.”

“Yes!”

Though he responded verbally, he only raised his head slightly, maintaining an awkward upward-looking posture as he waited for Wang Yu’s questions.

“Who is responsible for contacting the Blood Reversal Sect?”

“It is the Message Transmission Division. There are three hundred members in total. Only two people have the authority to know all secret communications, and both are currently in the city.

“If Senior Ice Demon requires it, this old man can find a way to lure them to the residence. Additionally, there is also a young master from the Yu clan of Sacred Mountain in the city. He may know something as well and could also be invited.”

What a sharp old fox. Afraid that Wang Yu would search his soul, he deliberately emphasized his own usefulness and instead proposed a scheme to lure Wang Yu’s intended soul-search targets directly to him.

The message he wanted to convey was simple. Without him, this would not work.

As for whether there would be crossing the river and tearing down the bridge afterward, that was another matter entirely. Wang Zhenghong’s quick thinking was commendable. People like this were actually easier to control.

Because he was afraid.

After a moment of thought, Wang Yu replied,

“The Yu clan young master is unnecessary. Go arrange for the head of the Message Transmission Division to come. Do you have detailed information on that person?”

“Yes.”

After handing over an intelligence jade slip, Wang Yu flicked his finger and planted a demonic thought seed, issuing a warning.

“Handle matters well for me, and I will spare your life.”

“This old one will remember.”

“Withdraw.”

Wang Zhenghong slowly backed away, casting one last reluctant glance at Purple Wisteria Court. In the end, he gritted his teeth and abandoned his beloved concubine to carry out Wang Yu’s orders.

At this point, he could only accept his misfortune.

Wang Yu then reviewed the information on the Yu clan young master. This was an unexpected detail. The Yu clan’s Sacred Mountain was located in the northeastern corner of Night Jewel Prefecture, near the Ancient Chaotic Sea.

A vast expanse of surrounding sea and land belonged to their private domain. The young master currently in Maple Prefecture City held far less status than Yu Xing.

He was merely an illegitimate child from a collateral branch. The local powers in Maple Prefecture were not particularly strong. He had come here mainly to throw his weight around as a spoiled young master.

Just venting some chaotic emotions.

Not worth paying attention to.