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...
Wu Hen tossed and turned on his own bed, unable to sleep through the night.
Han Han still cared about him, but how exactly should he explain things to her?
He had taken over Lu Yun’s body, and those years she thought she was with Lu Yun, she was actually with him; the Lu Yun she knew had long been lost.
"Let’s deal with the matters at hand first and then be honest with each other afterward," Wu Hen pondered for a while, feeling there was no point in being evasive since Ruan Muhuan had noticed something.
It tortured not only him but also her.
The next morning, Wu Hen did not see Ruan Muhuan.
This made him somewhat regretful.
He regretted not using the courage from the wine last night to tell her the truth, waiting for her to sober up and become cautious after rethinking deeply.
By the third day, his compatriots had already gathered the information he needed.
With the aid of the super AI, even the most complex data could be simplified; soon, Wu Hen noticed something intriguing…
"This is getting interesting."
"It seems I can sleep well for the next few days."
After viewing the data and considering his previous simple visits to the sects and the public, Wu Hen somewhat figured it out.
He had intended to share his conjecture with Ruan Muhuan.
But Ruan Muhuan did not appear.
He didn’t know whether she was disappointed in him for not achieving any results in that day’s investigation or because his behavior, so similar to someone she once knew, had made her averse; anyway, she didn’t ask Wu Hen to assist in the investigation anymore.
Wu Hen was patient nonetheless.
Wasn’t there still some days left?
Just wait slowly; besides, Ruan Muhuan might have been busy these days, following the leads he provided in search of the Demon Clan. He believed the Demon Clan would surface within a few days.
Only the last two days were left in the period given to Ruan Muhuan by the Rotating Martial God.
Finally, atop the wooden loft where Wu Hen had been observing the rain for days, Ruan Muhuan appeared once again.
"The Demon Clan has been found," Ruan Muhuan said.
"It’s Yueyun Faction, right?" Wu Hen asked.
"Yes," Ruan Muhuan nodded. She looked at Wu Hen, who hadn’t left his house in days, without surprise at his correct guess, and continued, "But the Demon Bone is still missing."
The Demon Clan was found.
But the Demon Bone was lost.
The thief was caught, but not the stolen goods.
Only two days were left in the time given by the Rotating Martial God. Although Ruan Muhuan didn’t care about being demoted, being suppressed would stir up the sects she had trampled on.
"Have some tea, eat some fruit," Wu Hen pointed to the space beside him, motioning Ruan Muhuan to sit and talk.
Gu Luoshui was also following behind Ruan Muhuan.
Gu Luoshui walked up to them angrily and complained, "The Demon Bone hasn’t been found, and yet you are leisurely here. If this item is lost, Wuting won’t allow a suspect like you to leave; you might spend the rest of your life under Wuting’s watch."
"Don’t rush, don’t rush," Wu Hen said.
"Do you know where the Demon Bone is?" Ruan Muhuan also stepped closer, sitting beside Wu Hen.
"I don’t know where it is, but I am certain it will appear very soon," Wu Hen stated.
Gu Luoshui rolled her eyes, not understanding what high act this Foreign Guest was pulling.
Couldn’t it be possible that the Demon Clan would return the hidden Demon Bone to him?
"Martial Arts Queen, the Demon Bone may have been transported out of Wudou using special methods by those Demon Clan members; it could have already reached Demon Spirit Pass. If the Demon God revives, it would be a disaster for the dawn citizens… The suffering population would blame you for not protecting the Demon Bone, which led them to be invaded by the Demon Spirit. Then, your promotion to Martial God will face greater obstacles," Gu Luoshui, instead, fretted for Ruan Muhuan.
Ruan Muhuan took a sip of tea and also took some fruit offered by Wu Hen.
Gu Luoshui anxiously stamped her foot, seeing the two leisurely drinking tea and eating fruit, partly wondering when they had become so close, and partly panicking about the imminent punishment from the Martial God.
"How about we interrogate those Demon Clan members disguised as humans again? Maybe something was overlooked?" Gu Luoshui continued.
"No need, the Demon Clan either have hard bones or soft bones; they will definitely tell what they are willing to tell, and even if we break them to pieces, they won’t divulge what they don’t wish to," Wu Hen said.
"You are just talking nonsense; do you even want to assist the Martial Arts Queen?" Gu Luoshui said.
"How about this, if I find the Demon Bone, you let the Northern Guardian Lady dance for me, how about that?" Wu Hen said.
Gu Luoshui’s pupils dilated!
This shameless fellow, he was indeed scheming this outrageous act!!
What was most outrageous was that the Northern Guardian Lady was sitting right there; how could such words be said in front of her??
Wasn’t she afraid that the Martial Arts Queen would pull out her sword and chop off his head immediately??
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"You... you... you… you impudent!!" Gu Luoshui was at a loss for words, pointed at Wu Hen for quite a while and only managed to choke out that much.
As she spoke, Gu Luoshui had already drawn out the Butterfly Dual Swords, placing them at Wu Hen’s neck, and warned him, "Even if you are a guest, you must respect the True Monarch of Wuting, otherwise you are showing contempt for the Martial God of the True Martial Continent!"
Wu Hen, observing Gu Luoshui’s tense and angry appearance, didn’t understand what her excitement was about, it wasn’t like she was asked to dance the Demon Dance.
```
"Martial Arts Queen, I will now behead this scoundrel for you…"
"Good," Ruan Muhuan replied.
After hearing the response, Gu Luoshui hesitated for a moment, but still swung the Butterfly Dual Swords.
In Gu Luoshui’s view, Wu Hen would definitely dodge.
She knew of Wu Hen’s abilities.
But Wu Hen did not dodge, causing her sword to slow unconsciously, and she fretted internally, ’Why isn’t this fellow apologizing? Apologizing would save his life.’
"If you like, I can learn to dance."
Just when the atmosphere was extremely tense, Ruan Muhuan suddenly said such a thing.
Suddenly, Gu Luoshui realized that the Northern Guardian Lady hadn’t responded to her, but to the opponent’s extremely offensive demand!
What??
The Martial Arts Queen agreed?? Find your next read at freewebnovel
Not only did she agree, but she also said a sentence that shattered Gu Luoshui’s concepts.
"If you like, I can learn?"
Impossible, impossible, how could the imposing Northern Guardian Lady, the most dazzling martial artist of Wudou, stoop for a man? She who should shine bright across the lands, how could she comply with these despicable male preferences!
"Martial Arts Queen, you represent the entire Wuting... if he really finds the Demon Bone, wouldn’t you…"
Still finding it absurd, Gu Luoshui did not understand why she would agree to such a disrespectful request.
"I represent only myself," Ruan Muhuan responded indifferently.
"I understand now, you are certain he won’t find the Demon Bone, or perhaps you are confident that you can find it yourself," Gu Luoshui said.
Ruan Muhuan shook her head helplessly, not knowing how to counter anymore.
It seemed that in Gu Luoshui’s mind, a different Northern Guardian Lady existed.
Unfortunately, the real Northern Guardian Lady was not like that.
Three years ago, she was still struggling for a meal, for saying the wrong word in front of a patron she had to severely slap herself, her martial artist status merely providing a single additional layer of life security, yet still unable to escape the fate of becoming a plaything of power; she had long accepted her lowliness and also yearned to have a noble birth like Gu Luoshui...
"Why are you sure it is the Yueyun Faction?" Ruan Muhuan asked Wu Hen.
"In the Twenty-four City Regions, we’ve visited the other sects already, only the Yueyun Faction met us with strong resistance, everywhere else there were no clues, so only the Yueyun Faction remains," Wu Hen said.
The Duan Family was very honest, allowing them both to visit completely.
The Xia Mountain Gate was even flattened by Ruan Muhuan, the Silver-Hanging Martial Saint, and nothing was found.
Excluding these two, naturally, only the Yueyun Faction, which claimed to have a deep-seated hatred with the Demon Spirit, remained.
"Then why do you know the Demon Bone isn’t with them?" Ruan Muhuan still felt puzzled.
During these days, Ruan Muhuan had investigated according to Wu Hen’s ideas, obtaining evidence through various means like missing people, traces of old demons, probing Wuting, and also planting some spies, all basically pointing towards Yueyun Faction. Most importantly, Yueyun Faction purchased a large number of house slaves, yet the actual number of house slaves was not large.
Ruan Muhuan used some methods to finally find evidence, breaking through the gates of Yueyun Faction and finding the hidden Demon Clan there.
But the Demon Bone was nowhere to be seen!
"Wudou has not lifted the ban, indicating the Demon Bone hasn’t been found. It’s not that I have any clever calculations, just simple deductions," Wu Hen said.
"So, you also don’t know the specific location of the Demon Bone," Ruan Muhuan said.
"Let’s wait and see, perhaps there will be…" Wu Hen was speaking when suddenly he heard a series of urgent footsteps.
Heavy boots landed on the wooden loft stairs, it was the Martial Saint Commander Lei Kangxing coming.
He glanced at Wu Hen and Gu Luoshui, seeming to have something to say, but found it improper to speak in front of the two.
"Speak straightforwardly," Ruan Muhuan told the Martial Saint Commander.
The Martial Saint Commander nodded, then reported to Ruan Muhuan, "There’s civilian news, the Demon Bone is apparently involved in an upcoming alliance in the twenty-third city region."
"An alliance?" Ruan Muhuan was somewhat surprised.
"Yes, this alliance has been very prosperous in recent years, attracting martial artists and heroes from all over, they’ve gained a very solid influence in Wudou, subtly surpassing some major sects, and they also have forged a very strong ideology and culture within. Unlike other alliances, their members are very united, accepting the management of Wuting but not necessarily abiding by it," said Martial Saint Commander Lei Kang.
"Did the Demon Bone show up by itself?" asked Wu Hen.
"It’s a lead investigated by Wuting’s spies, and it’s very reliable," Lei Kang said.
"Which alliance might it be then?" Ruan Muhuan continued to inquire.
"Based on Commander Lei’s description, I fear there is only one alliance in Wudou that fits his description, and that is the East Bright Alliance!" Gu Luoshui said.
Hearing the East Bright Alliance, Ruan Muhuan’s brows tightened.
Wu Hen noticed her expression and asked incredulously, "Is this East Bright Alliance very powerful? How does it compare to those major sects?"
East Bright Alliance??
Why does that sound somewhat familiar?
Feel like someone has mentioned it to me before…
Hiss~~
East Bright Alliance, East Bright Alliance,
Is this not the powerhouse of my own kinsmen!!!
The culprits who turned the commerce and culture of the entire True Martial Continent into that rustic flavor!!