Hearing Xu Yuan agree with her, Lou Ji’s voice became very happy. She said with a smile, “Changtian is the most obedient after all. You came to find me, so there should be something else, right? Do you want pills, or intelligence? Or if there’s someone you want killed, you can tell your big sister too.”
Lou Ji seemed deeply attached to the word big sister.
Xu Yuan hesitated slightly, but still refused. “No need. I wanted to ask how the Blackscale Guards plan to deal with Qin Weijiu.”
“Ah, that...” Lou Ji’s charming voice drew the words out.
“You can’t say?” Xu Yuan frowned.
“Call me Big Sister and I’ll tell you,” Lou Ji said with a laugh.
Xu Yuan said nothing.
“All right, all right. Don’t call me that, then. Why go silent?” Lou Ji’s tone turned plaintive. She clearly loved teasing him.
After several breaths, seeing that he still refused to speak, the smile in Lou Ji’s voice gradually faded. “Actually, Changtian, even if you hadn’t brought this up, I would have come to you in a few days to ask you something.”
“Go ahead, Auntie.”
Lou Ji gave a soft snort. “Ahem. Are you willing to part with that Bewitching Soul Devil Body?”
Xu Yuan was a little surprised to hear this.
“Auntie, why do you say that?”
Lou Ji snorted lightly again, her tone unchanged. “If you are willing, then I plan to send her in as an undercover agent. She may die.”
Those words contained a rather large amount of information.
Xu Yuan had always assumed that Xu Changge had made a special trip to Southriver Prefecture in order to kill Qin Weijiu, but now it seemed that was not the case. If they killed him, Su Jinxuan naturally would not be able to go back either.
After thinking for several breaths, Xu Yuan did not answer, but instead asked, “Is there someone behind Qin Weijiu?”
“Hm?” Lou Ji let out a soft sound of surprise. Her voice sounded a little caught off guard, but she soon laughed happily. “Looks like our Changtian has gotten smarter. Over the past month or so, the Blackscale Guards have found some clues. Qin Weijiu may not be the final person behind this.”
“That’s all?” Xu Yuan continued asking.
Lou Ji sounded rather helpless. “Changtian, the situation in the Imperial Capital is very complicated right now. We don’t have the spare attention for anything else. Without alerting the other side, this is all we can find for now. If we want to keep digging, we’ll have to use some other methods.”
“I see.” Xu Yuan understood.
“So, Changtian, are you willing to part with her?” Lou Ji asked again, as if she truly cared about his opinion.
“Of course.” Xu Yuan smiled when he heard this. He had not invested in her out of charity.
A journey of a thousand miles began with a single step. From ruthless monsters like Lou Ji and Hua Hong, down to grassroots hard cases like Zhou Chen, they had all been cultivated by his old man step by step. He just had not expected that right after making his investment, he would have to put her to use so quickly.
After a pause, Xu Yuan still reminded her softly, “But it would be best to ask for her own wishes.”
A willing undercover agent and a forced one were two entirely different things.
Lou Ji replied with a smile, “Don’t worry. I already had Ying’er ask her before this. She said she was willing.”
Xu Yuan was speechless. When it came to such a major matter, Lou Ji asking him really was just a formality. In the dark, she had already started moving.
Xu Yuan did not mind, though. He simply continued reminding her, “Auntie Lou, Su Jinxuan’s personality does not seem very suitable for being an inside agent.”
He was telling the truth. This clumsy enchantress did not exactly look clever. Back in the carriage, he had drawn a great deal of information out of her with just a few sentences. On top of that, she did not know how to hide some of her inner emotions. If she became a mole, she would be very easy to sniff out.
“Not suitable as an inside agent?” Lou Ji chuckled when she heard this. “Don’t worry. Things like personality and speaking skills can be trained.”
“Trained?” Xu Changtian raised an eyebrow.
Lou Ji’s voice carried a hint of temptation. “If you’re interested, Changtian, I can have Ying’er bring you over to try it too. That way, you’ll call me Big Sister from now on. Heh…”
“I’ll pass.” Xu Yuan shuddered.
Same old saying. Professional matters should be left to professionals.
Once Lou Ji had laughed enough, she suddenly reminded him, “Oh, right. Although Su Jinxuan has already agreed, Changtian, you had better personally ask her about this.”
“Why?” Xu Yuan did not react for a moment.
Lou Ji’s voice carried a trace of playful reproach. “Changtian, you really don’t understand a woman’s heart. If you don’t go ask her yourself, that little vixen will be hurt. When the time comes, she might end up becoming one of my Blackscale Guards instead.”
Xu Yuan finally understood. This old auntie was telling him to cultivate his own loyal subordinate, just like his old man had done with Lou Ji herself.
“Thank you,” Xu Yuan said seriously.
“Don’t thank me. Call me Big Sister.” Lou Ji’s resentment on this point really ran deep.
“All right, Big Sister.” Xu Yuan decided to indulge her.
The moment she heard the words Big Sister, Lou Ji’s sweet laughter grew even happier. “Good. What an obedient boy. Changtian, is there anything else you want to ask?”
Xu Yuan was silent for several breaths, then suddenly asked, “Do you know about Qin Weijiu wanting me to go snipe Qin Mo?”
“Of course I know. That little bastard left from Burial Village, right?” Lou Ji gave a soft laugh. “My original suggestion was to play along, kill Qin Mo, then use the opportunity to send Su Jinxuan back to Qin Weijiu’s side. But your brother rejected it. He said it might put you in danger, so everything can wait until he arrives.”
Xu Yuan was very glad Xu Changge had not agreed. Otherwise, he would have had to find some excuse to refuse. He had no desire to follow the plot and charge into that damn deathtrap.
“But if we refuse, how do we explain it to Qin Weijiu?”
Lou Ji’s voice was light and casual. “Don’t worry. We’ve already sent him an explanation. We told him you have a secret treasure protecting your soul, so you still can’t be fully controlled for the time being.”
“In that case, there’s nothing to worry about,” Xu Yuan said softly.
Once the serious business was over, Lou Ji was in no rush to cut off the communication. Instead, she asked with a smile, “Don’t be so hasty. I still have something to ask you.”
“Go ahead, Auntie,” Xu Yuan said, immediately switching back to his original form of address.
Lou Ji gave a soft snort, then asked, “I heard from Ying’er that you haven’t been going to places like Drunken Immortal Tower lately?”
“Mhm,” Xu Yuan said.
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why?” Xu Yuan asked back.
Lou Ji’s voice was full of teasing laughter. “Don’t you miss all those little ladies of yours?”
“Of course I do.” Xu Yuan answered honestly. “But right now, I find cultivation more interesting. Only by becoming stronger can I stop what happened before from happening again.”
Lou Ji suddenly fell silent. Those two brushes with death really did change him a great deal.
With a sigh, she said gently, “Changtian, don’t worry so much. You should still go relax once in a while. Even if something really does happen, we elders will be there to hold up the sky for you.”
“Yet, look what’s still happened to me,,” Xu Yuan said.
Lou Ji suddenly sounded like her defenses had cracked. “Tsk. I’m going to find that old bastard Hua Hong and discuss this with him. Tomorrow, we’ll ask the Chancellor together to bring you back to the Imperial Capital. With the situation this chaotic, what kind of nonsense is it to leave you in Stillwater?”
Warmth rose faintly in Xu Yuan’s heart, but he advised her, “Auntie, this is a compromise between my father and Marquis Wucheng. That Commandery Princess probably still doesn’t want to see me for the time being.”
Lou Ji sighed, sounding rather dispirited. “Fine. Once Changge gets there, he should make new arrangements for your safety. Anything else?”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
Xu Yuan coughed lightly. “Ahem. Big Sister, I want the most comprehensive internal reference report on the war in the north.”