My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

"Alright, Qingsheng, please move to the main hall. We probably need to discuss the identity of this thief and the aftermath of the martial arts tournament more carefully."

As he spoke, Dongfang Shuo turned and walked toward the main hall.

Upon seeing this, the three members of the Purple Cloud Manor breathed a sigh of relief and quickly followed.

Upon hearing this, Xiang Qingsheng gave Xie Yan a deep look, then turned and stepped forward to lead the way.

Chu Ling then slowly walked to Xie Yan's side and walked alongside him, chuckling softly, "You seem to attract attention wherever you go."

Xie Yan chuckled, patted her sleeves, and said modestly, "There's nothing I can do about it. Everyone loves me, and flowers bloom for me."

Upon hearing Xie Yan's reply, Chu Ling chuckled softly.

He put his hand on Xie Yan's shoulder, leaned closer and whispered, "She really is quite lovable."

As he spoke, he gave Xie Yan's shoulder a meaningful squeeze.

Xie Yan: ...I'm starting to think you're getting greasy.

A chill ran down his spine.

Then Xie Yan shrugged, shaking Chu Ling's hand off, and quickly walked forward.

Chu Ling was left standing there, watching his retreating figure thoughtfully.

He glanced at his fingers, but there was nothing on them.

But clearly, when Xie Yan and Xiang Qingsheng were fighting just now, he clearly saw that Xie Yan's shoulder was cut by the wind of the blade.

When he looked closer, he saw that apart from a trace of blood remaining on Xie Yan's torn clothes, her skin underneath was completely unharmed.

Chu Ling frowned slightly, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

Could this also be one of the effects of the Gu in Xie Yan's body? But why does he always feel uneasy? Under what circumstances and what kind of Gu did Wu Ya plant in him?

Everyone moved to the main hall and took their seats.

After the maid served the tea, Dongfang Shuo waved his hand, signaling her to leave.

Then, his expression turned serious, and he said, "If young friend Xie is not the thief who stole the manual, do you have any clues about his identity?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the group immediately hardened.

The Lord of Zixiao Manor said in a deep voice, "To be honest, Brother Dongfang, since you know that Song Yunzheng killed Cheng Nanchun, do you also know that she joined a cult?"

"Oh?" Dongfang Shuo frowned, his face darkening. "I knew he had betrayed his sect, but I didn't know he had joined a heretical cult."

What religious sect is it?

The Master of Zixiao Manor shook his head, looked at Chu Ling and the other two, and said, "We know very little about them. I'm afraid we'll have to ask Young Friend Xie and the others."

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Shuo turned to look at Xie Yan and Chu Ling.

Chu Ling paused slightly in his teacup, then looked up at Dongfang Shuo and said succinctly, "This sect is called the Holy Sun Sect. There are several experts in the sect, and some of them are skilled in using Gu poison."

"When Xie Yan was at the Cheng family, he fought with the young master of this sect and confirmed that the man had traces of the Zixiao Mountain Villa's mental techniques."

“We discovered the presence of the Holy Sun Church a long time ago, which is why we tracked them all the way here. We also confirmed their purpose, which is very likely to overthrow the imperial court.”

His words were quite astonishing, and everyone present stared at him in disbelief.

"What?!" Master Zixiao slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly. "Is this really true?"

The expressions of the others also changed drastically. Although they knew that the cult was up to no good, they did not expect it to have such wolfish ambitions.

Dongfang Shuo looked at Chu Ling with a solemn expression and asked, "Is Your Highness truly serious?"

Chu Ling nodded slightly, "Absolutely true."

His words immediately weighed heavily on the hearts of the group, and even Xiang Qingsheng couldn't help but frown and fall into deep thought.

"This matter is of great importance. I wonder what Your Highness's plans are next?"

Dongfang Shuo pondered for a moment, then said, "Since there are people in this sect who are skilled in using Gu poison and are opposing the imperial court, they may not be easy to deal with."

"I know Your Highness has come here for that evil cult. Is there anything Your Highness needs our assistance with?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Ling curled his lips into a smile, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

He put down his teacup and said, "As expected, Alliance Leader Dongfang is a man of few words."

"Then I will speak frankly. I wonder if the Alliance Leader would be so kind as to take a look at half of the treasure map as part of the prize for this conference?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions on the faces of the group changed again.

They looked at Chu Ling with suspicion, but it was the Lord of Zixiao Manor who reacted first and tentatively asked, "Does Your Highness mean that the treasure map is related to the Holy Sun Sect?"

Chu Ling nodded slightly, "That's right, there might be clues left by the Holy Sun Sect on that treasure map."

"This……"

But Dongfang Shuo looked hesitant.

He obtained this half of the treasure map by chance, as it was incomplete. He studied it for a long time but could not figure out its structure, so he used it as the prize for this conference.

I plan to take this opportunity to find a suitable match for her.

Therefore, it was widely announced to the martial arts world a month ago that this treasure map would be the reward for the winner of the martial arts tournament.

It's fair to say that, while it might not be the majority, at least some people came specifically for the treasure map.

The martial arts tournament has not yet begun. If we hand over this treasure map to others, we will inevitably break our promise.

Although the people present were upright and honest, they all knew that Chu Ling wanted to borrow the treasure map to investigate the cult, and they understood that this matter was of great importance.

However, if this matter were to inadvertently spread in the future, Dongfang Shuo would likely face criticism from the entire martial arts world.

This matter is of great importance, and he cannot hand over the treasure map based solely on Chu Ling's testimony.

Moreover, he always felt that Chu Ling was still hiding something.

Seeing Dongfang Shuo's hesitation, Chu Ling tapped the table a few times, smiled knowingly, and said, "Alliance Leader Dongfang, there's no need to make things difficult. If it's inconvenient, just pretend I never mentioned this matter."

"However, regarding the treasure map, I hope the Alliance Leader will be careful and not let thieves take advantage of the situation."

So he stood up and said, "In that case, let's discuss the treasure map later."

After saying this, without waiting for a response from the others, Chu Ling gave Xie Yan a look and said, "We have troubled the Alliance Leader today, so we will take our leave now."

After saying that, he nodded to the group and then pulled Xie Yan away.

Watching Chu Ling and his companion's departing figures, the Master of Zixiao Manor withdrew his gaze, turned to Dongfang Shuo, and frowned, saying, "Brother Dongfang, regarding this matter..."

Dongfang Shuo raised his hand to interrupt him. He sighed with a bitter expression and said, "If I hadn't taken out that treasure map as a prize, what harm would it have done to give it to the prince?"

“But since I have made a promise, the owner of this treasure map will be the next leader of the martial arts alliance. If you want it, you can run for it, or ask the next leader after he comes out.”