A farmer has a shrewish wife; he's busy making money every day.

Ye Qingxue was so shocked by his series of conjectures that she could hardly breathe.

"Of course, this is just my guess, you don't need to take it to heart," Lu Chuci said with a smile.

Ye Qingxue stared at him with wide eyes: "You're saying this now? You threw out so many earth-shattering statements all at once, and then just casually said 'I was just guessing' and that's it?"

Lu Chuci was amused by her reaction: "I tend to overthink things, and I was afraid of scaring you, so I never said anything."

There was nothing we could do. Living in a remote village, we couldn't get much information from the capital, so we could only guess.

We must keep exploring all sorts of bold and feasible ideas, and then have Pei Shao verify them, so as not to fall behind the changing situation in the capital.

Ye Qingxue seemed to have thought of this as well. She pursed her lips and asked, "So, are your guesses usually accurate?"

“Quite accurate,” Lu Chuci said.

Ye Qingxue: "How accurate?"

Lu Chuci thought for a moment: "I didn't make many mistakes."

Ye Qingxue gasped.

In other words, what he just said might actually be true!

Ye Qingxue quickly shrank into the blanket.

Lu Chuci chuckled and tugged at the corner of the blanket, asking softly, "What's wrong? Were you really scared?"

"Who said that?" came Ye Qingxue's muffled voice from under the covers. "Go to sleep quickly, we'll talk to Old Master Qu again tomorrow."

Lu Chuci thought to herself: It's good that I wasn't scared.

After a while, Ye Qingxue's voice came again: "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Lu Chuci said helplessly, "Put this half of the blanket away first."

Ye Qingxue: ...

Without realizing it, I stole someone's blanket.

Ye Qingxue blushed and shifted her body, releasing the blanket that had been under her. She turned over so her back was to Lu Chuci: "That's enough, go to sleep."

Lu Chuci smiled, lifted the covers, and went inside, embracing her: "Goodnight, my wife."

Ye Qingxue remained silent, whether she was still reeling from those outrageous speculations or simply embarrassed.

Lu Chuci felt the delicate warmth in her hand and let out a satisfied breath.

His wife is so cute.

—

The next day, after breakfast, Ye Qingxue and her companion visited Master Qu again and took the opportunity to check on Xiao Fu's condition.

Her complexion became rosy, and she was clearly much better.

Old Qu was all smiles, extremely happy, until he was invited into their room, at which point his excitement subsided a bit.

"You want to ask if there are any wanted fugitives in the cultivation world?" Qu Cheng looked at Ye Qingxue and the other person in front of him.

Ye Qingxue nodded: "To put it simply, is there a character in the cultivation world who is hated by everyone as soon as he shows his face?"

"This..." Qu Cheng looked troubled.

Ye Qingxue knew that her question was too abstract and might be difficult to answer.

She thought for a moment and added, "Also, their appearance would immediately be known to the higher-ups in the cultivation world, causing them to be afraid to have children in the human realm..."

Hiss... It seems even more chaotic now.

Ye Qingxue closed her eyes; indeed, it was too difficult to verify by guessing alone.

"Are you afraid to have children...?"

Unexpectedly, Qu Cheng spoke up at this moment, and Ye Qingxue quickly looked up at him: "Do you have an idea?"

Qu Cheng was not quite sure: "If it is as you describe it, there is indeed such a technique in the cultivation world that can allow cultivators to conceal their bloodline and appear as ordinary people. Even people with high cultivation levels cannot detect this technique. Only when one gives birth to their own bloodline will it be noticed by others."

Ye Qingxue's eyes lit up: "This should be it."

Qu Cheng pondered for a moment under her expectant gaze: "Ordinary cultivators do not need to use such techniques. If a cultivator uses this technique, it may be to hide that he is a cultivator so as to plot something among ordinary people. Another possibility is that it is to hide his bloodline and race."

Lu Chuci asked in confusion, "Race? I've never heard of cultivators having races?"

“This idea dates back thousands of years.” Qu Cheng lowered his eyes, recalling something. “Back then, cultivators’ bloodlines were not unified. In the oldest times, they were divided into more than a dozen races.” Qu Cheng frowned, seemingly trying hard to recall what he had seen.

"According to ancient records, the bloodline of cultivators we have now is the bloodline of the gods. The bloodlines of other races are weak, and they have all disappeared after only a hundred years. The Ghost Clan, which is as powerful as the gods, was suppressed and sealed by the elders of the gods a hundred years ago because its members were ruthless and cunning, often raping and killing women and children and indiscriminately killing innocents. In the end, only the peaceful and kind bloodline of cultivators remains today."

Ye Qingxue stared at Lu Chuci with wide eyes, never expecting that cultivators could have such fantastical backstories.

“The Ghost Clan…” Lu Chuci repeated softly, then looked up and asked Qu Cheng, “Is there any way to identify this clan?”

Qu Cheng's pupils trembled as he looked at Lu Chuci: "Why does the young general inquire about such matters? Is it because you suspect that the ghost race has reappeared in the human world? This is a very serious matter."

His tone was serious and solemn, as if he were terrified of the demons.

Ye Qingxue asked, "What would happen if the Ghost Clan really reappeared in the world?"

“If we return to the cultivation world, it won’t be so bad, but if not…” Qu Cheng stiffened for a moment, as if he had foreseen that tragic future, and then spoke almost as if he sighed: “The human world will be devastated, with cries of sorrow everywhere, and the vast expanse of yellow earth will be devoid of life.”

Ye Qingxue's pupils suddenly contracted.

Lu Chuci grasped her hand and continued, "So, I want to know, is there any way to identify the Ghost Clan bloodline? Or, how to decipher the spells that conceal the bloodline?"

Qu Cheng gave him a deep look, as if he had already guessed who their suspect was.

"No one can break this kind of spell, but if the ghost race uses this kind of spell, there is still a chance to find out."

Ye Qingxue quickly asked, "What should we do?"

"There is a treasure in the Yun Pavilion's treasury called the Glazed Inkstone. It was made by the patriarch of the God Clan to deal with the Ghost Clan. By dripping the blood of a Ghost Clan member onto it, one can determine whether they belong to the Ghost Clan," Qu Cheng said.

Ye Qingxue: "Then..."

“However,” Qu Cheng hadn’t finished speaking, “if the Ghost Clan uses a technique to conceal their bloodline, then blood testing will be even more difficult. Ordinary blood is hard to test; a drop of the heart’s blood is needed for the test to be effective.”

Heart's blood...

Where could she possibly get the Emperor's heart's blood?

Not to mention that as the emperor, he was guarded by imperial guards both inside and outside the palace, not to mention that he himself was likely a master at the Nascent Soul stage!

Ye Qingxue lowered her head, her heart pounding rapidly, and she was somewhat agitated.

If it were just a power struggle within the imperial court, their investigation could proceed at a slower pace.

But now the Ghost Clan is involved! If the Martial Emperor's plan succeeds, they will be powerless to fight back!

Just as she was feeling restless, Ye Qingxue felt the hand holding her squeeze her tightly, as if to comfort her.

"Thank you for telling us, Elder Qu. We won't disturb you any longer." Lu Chuci pulled her up to take their leave.

Just before they were leaving, Old Master Qu called them back and took off his token, handing it to Lu Chuci.

"Take this token. I have already set up a spell on it. If you need to contact me, just infuse it with spiritual energy."

Lu Chuci accepted the token and solemnly said, "Thank you, Elder Qu."

Old Qu clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to them, saying, "You saved my son. I will never refuse to help you in the future if you need anything."