This immortal was clearly ordinary, yet he was unusually confident.

"This..." Chen Chui chuckled and said, "Fellow Daoist Zheng is joking. How could I forget what I promised you? I have already inquired with His Majesty... Um, does Fellow Daoist know the identity of the person in the painting?"

"Empress Cangyue!" Zheng Zhuang said calmly.

Chen Chui looked surprised: "Fellow Daoist, you already know?"

Zheng Zhuang nodded: "I guessed it."

Chen Chui suddenly realized, "I see. It's not a secret at all. It's just that His Majesty lives a secluded life and few people have seen him."

Zheng Zhuang said, "Grand Preceptor, you can rest assured. I only wanted to verify one thing with her."

Chen Chui's heart skipped a beat. Last time, Zheng Zhuang expressed his interest in the Empress. Was he going to publicly declare his love when they met this time?

Given the Empress's temperament, she would definitely reject even a cultivator if he were pursuing her.

At that point, this Fellow Daoist Zheng in front of me will probably be in a difficult position. If he gets angry and tries to use force, I'm not sure I can stop him...

Oh, it’s too difficult!

Thinking of this, Chen Chui hesitated and said, "Fellow Daoist Zheng, aren't you being a little too hasty? Pursuing a woman requires a gradual approach. If you rush things, it might backfire."

Chen Chui knew that the Empress was proud and arrogant, and that her ambitions lay elsewhere. But matters between men and women were unpredictable. What kind of men hadn't the Empress seen? What if she suddenly went blind and really took a fancy to this ordinary-looking fellow Daoist Zheng?

Different strokes for different folks.

Just like when I often went to brothels, I couldn't help but feel sorry for those women whose lives were full of twists and turns!

Zheng Zhuang was taken aback at first, then remembered that he had once said he had fallen in love at first sight with the woman in the painting, so he couldn't deny it and said:

"The Imperial Advisor is overthinking things. I am not a reckless person; I know my limits."

He thought to himself that he had indeed been reckless and shouldn't have made up such a boring story. With his unparalleled beauty, he was afraid that the empress wouldn't be able to resist him, and then he would be in a dilemma.

Chen Chui was skeptical, but didn't want to say anything, so he nodded and asked, "When does Fellow Daoist plan to meet His Majesty?"

"The sooner the better!" Zheng Zhuang said without thinking, then immediately realized his mistake and quickly added, "Haha, well... you know what I mean."

Chen Chui chuckled dryly, "Understood. Then I will go back and consult His Majesty, and inform you later."

Zheng Zhuang nodded, then asked Qin Qianqian to escort Chen Chui out.

He suddenly felt something was off. He was just helping Xiuer find her sister, but it felt like he was going on a blind date.

Qin Qianqian saw Chen Chui off in a sullen mood. The little girl had always known that Zheng Zhuang was very interested in a portrait, but through the conversation just now, she learned that Zheng Zhuang actually liked the woman in the painting, and the woman in the painting was none other than the Cangyue Empress!

Hmph, so what if she's the Empress? I'm a disciple of the Sky-Supporting Sect!

In terms of status, she's no less than her!

As for looks... she's only a few years older than me, right? I'll definitely surpass her in a few years!

Most importantly, I was here first!

It's all that lecherous old man's fault! He even tried to set the young master up with that woman. When we get back, I'll have the young master modify the formation outside and maximize its power!

The little girl's gaze toward Chen Chui had become somewhat unfriendly without her realizing it. After escorting Chen Chui outside the formation, she said in a cold tone, "Grand Preceptor, take care!"

Chen Chui was a little confused. When did he offend this young girl? She used to be so kind to him.

Chen Chui shook his head and walked into the street.

Zheng Zhuang's successive killings of the wolf demon and the spider demon have fully demonstrated his value. Chen Chui is well aware that at this time, he must do his best to win them over and absolutely must not antagonize them.

Chen Chui appeared to be taking a leisurely stroll, but as a cultivator, he was not slow at all, and soon returned to the villa.

As soon as I entered, I heard an angry shout:

"This is outrageous! Ye Ningshuang has gone too far!"

"Your Majesty, please calm down. Fourth Princess... no, the Kingdom of Xuri has come with ill intentions this time, using an open scheme. However, my Quliang City is known as the 'City of Scholars,' and we will not tolerate their arrogance."

"But Yang Minghan is simply too monstrous. He has already defeated five students from my academy. No one in the younger generation dares to challenge him anymore. If I were to personally take on the challenge, even if I won, it would not be honorable. Besides..."

"Besides, you might not even be able to win? Humph!"

Chen Chui pushed open the door and entered, only to see Empress Ye Chuxue sitting on a wide-backed chair with an unhappy expression, while standing below her was his old acquaintance, Meng Chang, the dean of Quliang Academy.

Seeing Chen Chui enter, Meng Chang immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and Ye Chuxue's expression also softened.

"Uncle Chen is back. Did you see the Peach Blossom Immortal?" Ye Chuxue asked.

“I saw him…” Chen Chui nodded, then suddenly realized that these words could only be spoken to Ye Chuxue alone. So, he glanced at Meng Chang and asked, “Dean Meng, what brings you here?”

Ye Chuxue snorted: "Ask him yourself!"

Meng Chang had unspeakable bitterness in his heart. Last time, he sent a message by carrier pigeon to report Lin Zhu's situation in Quliang City, and soon received a reply stating that Her Majesty the Empress was in the city and that he should go and pay his respects.

After meeting Ye Chuxue, he was informed that Lin Zhu's matter was already known and that he was ordered not to inquire further.

Now that His Majesty was aware of the situation, it was better to avoid trouble and he was happy to continue his leisurely life as dean, teaching and educating students.

But just a few days later, an envoy from the Kingdom of Rising Sun arrived.

The dispatch of an envoy at this time is indeed somewhat intriguing, but it is customary for two countries at war not to harm their envoys. Moreover, the envoy did not engage in any provocative behavior; on the contrary, he was very polite and simply expressed his desire to exchange knowledge.

Meng Chang didn't take it to heart at first, because Quliang City held an unquestionable position in the hearts of scholars, and the students of Quliang Academy were all talented and eloquent.

To show respect, Mengchang sent one of his most outstanding disciples to compete in a simple contest: playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, or prose.

Meng Chang knew that he could not hold back at this moment and had to show the might of the Cangyue Kingdom, so he ordered his disciples to go all out.

Unexpectedly, his prized disciple lost, and was completely crushed.

The students of Quliang Academy could no longer contain themselves, and four more students stepped forward. These four were extremely famous in the academy, and each had their own area of ​​expertise. They were known as the "Four Gentlemen of the Academy".

As a result, the four of them lost without any suspense, while the opposing team only sent one person from beginning to end, and that person was Yang Minghan.

It is said that Yang Minghan came from a poor family when he was young, but he was known as a child prodigy. He was selected to enter the palace as a tutor to the crown prince and was deeply loved by Ye Ningshuang.

Of course, at that time Ye Ningshuang was just a minor concubine, not yet the powerful Empress Dowager.

After entering the palace, Yang Minghan gradually faded into obscurity. Later, when the crown prince was deposed, he was rescued by Ye Ningshuang and then stayed by her side.

But who could have imagined that he would make such a name for himself on this mission to the Cangyue Kingdom? Only then did everyone realize that the former child prodigy was not lacking in talent, but had been biding his time all along.

After the "Four Gentlemen of the Academy" were defeated, none of the students dared to step forward easily. In the end, it was Liu Mengchen who appeared with Zheng Zhuang's "Peach Blossom Poem" and barely managed to save face.

However, Zheng Zhuang's "Peach Blossom Poem" left at the academy was not finished, so the two sides could only consider it a draw for the time being and agreed to fight again in three days.

Therefore, Mengchang also had another purpose: to find Zheng Zhuang and ask him to take the place of the academy in the literary debate.

After Meng Chang recounted the whole story, Chen Chui's expression became somewhat strange. Wasn't that Peach Blossom Immortal Zheng Daoyou? He could even compose poetry?

"Are you sure that poem was written by Zheng Zhuang?"

"Of course, the signature on that visiting card was 'Zheng Zhuang'," Meng Chang nodded.

Chen Chui no longer concealed anything and asked, "Do you know that Zheng Zhuang is the Peach Blossom Immortal?"

Meng Chang was completely dumbfounded. Zheng Zhuang had clearly said that he had seen the Peach Blossom Immortal from afar, and had even praised the Peach Blossom Immortal to Meng Chang's face.

So he himself is the Peach Blossom Immortal? How shameless!

However, when Mengchang thought of the story Zheng Zhuang had told him, he suddenly felt relieved. How could someone so shameless as to claim that he was the most beautiful in the world do such a thing?

"Does the Imperial Advisor know where he is?" Meng Chang asked in surprise.

Regardless of whether he is the Peach Blossom Immortal or not, the person who can compose this poem must be quite talented. If he were to challenge Yang Minghan, he should have a good chance of winning.

"Of course, my teacher just returned from him."

Chen Chui suddenly had a plan.