"Young Master, today’s assassin seemed a bit strange. It didn’t look like he was actually trying to assassinate you..."
Ying said with a grave expression. He had also noticed that the mastermind controlling the puppet only wanted to stall for time and had no intention of fighting him to the death.
"He was probably here for revenge against Qinghan," Jiang Lan said with a casual smile.
Ying was stunned.
Su Qinghan, who was standing behind him, heard this and simply snorted inwardly.
Jiang Lan did not explain.
’With Ye Ming having escaped like that, chasing him down again won’t be easy. Besides, judging from his reaction just now, he must have seen Li Mengning. Last time on the Blood Red Plateau, although we startled him into fleeing, given his personality and the cunning of the Residual Soul he carries, he would certainly have grown suspicious afterward. Back then, Li Mengning must have run into Ye Ming while she was looking for me. That’s why his reaction was so strong when he saw her. He wasn’t afraid of Li Mengning’s strength. He was afraid because he had likely guessed my identity...’
Jiang Lan’s eyes glinted darkly.
’If there weren’t so many people here, I would have taken action myself. Letting Ye Ming escape today could spell future trouble. Still, it isn’t a major problem. So what if Ye Ming knows my identity? Without any proof, who would believe him? Besides, I never planned on letting Ye Ming go anyway. With or without today’s incident, I was going to make a move against him eventually.’
At Jiang Lan’s instruction, Ying and the others withdrew.
Inside the Drunken Immortal Residence, the other guests had long since left because of the incident, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.
Despite the interruption, Jiang Lan’s good mood was unaffected. The banquet continued until sunset, around 5:00 PM.
Inside the private room, steam drifted like mist, and the rich aroma of wine filled the air.
But at this moment, the beautiful women were even more intoxicating than the fine wine.
Both Su Qinghan and Chu Chan had no choice but to begin the Refinement of the astonishing medicinal power they had consumed.
For them, it was less a banquet and more a fortuitous medicinal feast that could significantly boost their Cultivation Realm.
"Chan’Er, come here..."
Jiang Lan, sitting cross-legged on a mat, called out softly, his voice betraying a hint of impatience.
Chu Chan, who was trying to refine the medicinal power coursing through her body, heard his voice. Her pretty face flushed a deep crimson as her eyes snapped open. They were misty and glistening, breathtakingly beautiful.
"Young Master..."
She looked over, seeming to understand Jiang Lan’s intentions. Her gaze was soft and affectionate, yet tinged with shyness.
Her delicate hands trembled slightly. Then, as if steeling herself, she clenched them into tight fists.
"Sit here next to me," Jiang Lan said.
Chu Chan did as she was told, walking over and obediently sitting down beside him, her legs tucked to one side.
"Young Master, it’s a little hot..."
As she spoke, she gently slipped off her silk socks, revealing ankles as white and smooth as jade. Delicate and flawless, they looked all the more tantalizing from beneath the hem of her dress.
She then leaned in, her face tilted up to gaze at Jiang Lan with an infatuated look.
She had never been an indecisive person. Having made her decision today, she knew there was no turning back; she’d never truly had a choice anyway.
’The young master of the Prime Minister’s Mansion before me is my only chance to change my destiny,’ she thought. ’I have to seize this opportunity.’
Jiang Lan was no saint. With a beautiful woman offering herself so proactively, he naturally wasn’t going to refuse.
In essence, it was a transaction where they both got what they wanted.
This "bad woman" coveted his power and status, while he coveted her body, the Token left by the Purple Mist True Monarch, and a long-term benefit.
’It’s a winning proposition no matter how I look at it,’ he thought.
As for whether Chu Chan might turn on him in the future, Jiang Lan couldn’t care less. ’If I don’t even have the guts for this, then I might as well give up on my pursuit of immortality. Besides, I’m confident I can keep her in check easily.’
"Young Master... that assassin from earlier... I think he was trying to save me..." Chu Chan suddenly whispered, as if it took all her courage to say it.
Seeing Jiang Lan’s confused expression, she repeated the words Ye Ming had secretly conveyed to her via voice transmission.
"Oh? So there’s that connection, is there? The Quasi-Saintess of the Jasper Pool Sect?" The corner of Jiang Lan’s mouth lifted in an intriguing smile.
’In the original story, Ye Ming did have some connection with the Saintess of the Jasper Pool Sect,’ he mused. ’This is a good reminder. Perhaps I can use this to my advantage.’
"I would not deceive you, Young Master. I don’t want to hide anything from you."
"I know my station is low. To have earned your favor, Young Master, is a blessing I could not have imagined in three lifetimes..."
"Mmph..."
The next moment, all her words were muffled and silenced. Chu Chan’s delicate hand clutched a clean white piece of silk, her starry eyes half-closed and lost in a daze.
Nearby, Su Qinghan, who was still refining the medicinal power, heard the sounds. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and the blush on her cheeks deepened, whether from the wine or for some other reason, it was hard to say.
But she kept her eyes closed.
Sensing that Su Qinghan’s composure was clearly disturbed and her breathing had become uneven, Jiang Lan smiled to himself.
’I’m deliberately giving Su Qinghan the cold shoulder. The female lead of the original story hasn’t completely given her heart to me yet. She may have opened up to me once in Yu Yi City, but that was merely a matter of circumstance. After that day, I could clearly sense that she had a lot on her mind. Su Qinghan hid it well, but it wasn’t good enough. After cultivating the White Bone Visualization Technique, I’ve been constantly tempering my Divine Soul with my Life Qi Blood Power. This has made my Divine Soul Power far stronger than what is expected for my current Cultivation Realm. Therefore, Su Qinghan’s subtle emotional turmoil couldn’t possibly escape my perception. I suspect that when she returned to the Su Mansion that day, she secretly met with her master, Fu Qingyu, the Cyan Jade Sword Immortal. For an Eighth Realm expert, appearing silently in Yu Yi City wouldn’t be difficult. The Cyan Jade Sword Immortal must have told her something and given her instructions, making her understand the dangerous predicament she was in. Given Su Qinghan’s intelligence and shrewdness, she would never have told the Cyan Jade Sword Immortal any of my secrets. This must be what she has been agonizing over recently. On one hand, there’s her master, to whom she owes a great debt. On the other, there’s her husband in name. The Cyan Jade Sword Immortal might have even left some kind of measure on her. This is also why I’ve been intentionally distant with Su Qinghan lately. I’m not actually worried that she would help the Cyan Jade Sword Immortal deal with me. After all, it’s difficult for a woman to be ruthless enough to act against a man she’s been intimate with, unless she despises him to her very core.’