Princess Lingmeng called out from a distance, "Uncle Ye! Pay him no mind, let’s go." Ye Guhan was so infuriated that he nearly deviated from his perfectly balanced peak state and immediately vanished from Jun Moye’s sight with a whoosh, utterly gone. He silently resolved: although this brat’s Xuan Qi is trash and his combat prowess is laughably low, his mouth is truly the most venomous in the entire world.

It’s best to keep a distance from him in the future. If one day he is actually angered to death by this fellow, he will truly set a record on the Xuanxuan Continent: a dignified Tianxuan master being enraged to death by a mere descendant of an enemy household! In such a short span, without even a physical confrontation, let alone injury, he had experienced countless surges of blood and qi, feeling the urge to vomit blood!

Such an experience was utterly new in his entire life. Even if his meridians had gone awry during cultivation, it hadn't been this severe. "If I don't choke the life out of you, then I’m the one who’s damned!

But I still have to thank you all for dealing with my troubles. Humph!" After snorting twice and watching Princess Lingmeng and Ye Guhan depart, both spitting smoke from their orifices in anger, Jun Moye looked at the now empty street, gave a strange smile, pushed off the wall with his left foot, and with a whoosh, sprang onto the parapet, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye. Princess Lingmeng continued to tremble uncontrollably even after entering her carriage, her vision occasionally blacking out as she gasped for air, feeling an unbearable tightness in her chest, as if it were about to explode.

The waiting maidservants were terrified out of their wits, frantically patting her chest and back to help her regulate her breathing; it took quite some time before she finally calmed down, feeling completely weak, as if she had just fought a major battle, utterly drained. This was the first time in her life anyone had managed to anger her to this degree, and she felt an intense impulse to tear Jun Moye into ten thousand pieces! “Make a turn towards the Dugu Residence,” Princess Lingmeng commanded.

Ye Guhan, the great master, had his face cycle rapidly—instantly turning ashen, then flushed crimson, then back to black—as if he were performing a theatrical face-changing act. His only regret was that his color palette was limited to red, black, and white; if only he could manage a few more hues, he would truly be a grandmaster of face-changing! The surging fury emanating from him carried the impulse to destroy everything; he stared straight ahead like a burning volcano.

The eight guards of the Jun family looked at him anxiously, filled with immense worry. Why did the Princess and this man come here, but not their young master? Also, what was their young master shouting about earlier?

Could it be that this man really beat their young master until he cried?! Although they sensed the terrifying aura emanating from Ye Guhan and knew perfectly well that provoking him at this moment would be extremely dangerous, the instinct to protect their master eventually won out. Mustering their courage, one finally dared to inquire, “Esteemed attendant, might I ask about our young master’s…” “Get lost—one—one—one—one!” Ye Guhan’s eyes were bloodshot.

Every strand of his graying, long hair stood straight up, pointing toward the heavens. His hair stood on end as he roared from the railing—a sound so long and mighty it shook the very earth and sky, causing everyone before him to change color, their hearts skipping beats, nearly losing their footing and falling. Displaying the sublime power of a Tianxuan master!

This torrent of rage had finally been vented, exploded, and poured out! If he hadn't released it, he likely would have suffered internal injury from bottling it up! A long cry reverberated through the nine districts!

Countless masters across the capital instantly sensed it, and waves of powerful divine senses subsequently shot skyward, hovering over the city. Everyone was intensely curious: the aura of the master who let out that roar was so immense, at least a peak Dixuan master! What could possibly have enraged such a master to this extent?

The incandescent fury contained within that sound threatened to incinerate heaven and earth—that much was undeniable to everyone! At the entrance of a small tavern, Old Man Song violently opened his cloudy eyes, filled with astonishment: that sounded exactly like Little Ye’s voice? After watching the carriage of Ye Guhan and Princess Lingmeng depart, the guards hurried over.

What they saw dismayed them: the place was empty, and their young master had vanished without a trace, causing them all to cry out in dismay! Could this bizarre attendant have killed their young master, perhaps even destroying the body? Jun Moye skillfully emerged from the shadows, moving like a wraith.

He sped through the alleyways, his spiritual sense already extended, closely tracking the group of assassins also retreating at high speed. Jun Ye moved rapidly, his hands constantly active. After only a few dozen feet, his entire face had transformed into that of a completely different person—appearing as a middle-aged man in his thirties, with particularly disheveled hair.

A person like this was commonplace on the streets of the Imperial Capital; finding such an individual in a crowd would be incredibly difficult. Turning corners, Jun Ye shot out of the street with seemingly effortless speed. His steps appeared slow but were actually fast as he quickly passed by "After passing a tailor shop, his speed did not diminish at all, but the moon-white robe on his body had already transformed into the dark blue attire of an ordinary commoner.

The owner of that tailor shop, Fu Ran, remained oblivious, still beaming as he beckoned to customers… Meanwhile, the assassins ahead were clearly very cautious. After turning several corners and maneuvering several times, they too had changed their original disguises, now dressed as ordinary merchants, heading east at an unhurried pace, chatting amongst themselves and occasionally letting out bursts of laughter, seeming to be enjoying a hearty conversation. Judging by the expressions on their faces, they were discussing women—a typical look of debauched patrons.

The caliber of this assassin organization is truly remarkable, Jun Ye mused internally. Such camouflage, while common knowledge to assassins in his previous life, was clearly well-practiced in this world, given how naturally these two executed it. What was even more impressive was their flawless concealment of killing intent—that was the true mark of mastery.

If not for his spiritual sense detecting the chilling, kindred aura on them, tracking them would have been nearly impossible. Or perhaps, besides himself, no one else could track them using such a method based on mutual essence. After winding and doubling back for about the time it takes to steep a cup of tea, a faint sound of water reached him, accompanied by melodious strains of stringed instruments, and the indistinct, low humming and singing of women.

A scent of feminine perfume drifted over, growing stronger. It seemed the assassins had reached their destination. The Misty Spirit Lake!

Jun Moye finally understood why these men insisted on passing through that particular street. It was the necessary route to the Misty Spirit Lake; taking any other direction would require a significant detour! However, if it were him, he would willingly take the longer route just to be absolutely certain!

Following them this far, Jun Ye had already changed his disguise three times, even altering his height and build three times! Tianxiang City, and the Misty Spirit Lake, was paradise for every man; here resided countless beauties—slender and plump, every type imaginable, everything one could conceive was available! Here, you could walk into any pavilion, step onto any pleasure boat, and as long as you had enough silver, you could indulge however you pleased, without reservation or restraint!

But if you were penniless, you might as well leave early; even middle-aged professional women as stout as Tang Yuan wouldn't spare you a second glance! Naturally, there were many legends in this world—tales of talented scholars and beautiful courtesans falling deeply in love, secretly pledging their lives to each other and achieving a happy union. But legends, after all, are merely legends!

Legends are invariably beautiful, but reality is brutally harsh. Many scholars from humble backgrounds, possessing handsome features and scholarly talent, would adopt the guise of romantic literati here, hoping to script their own myth of scholar and beauty, dreaming of meeting a soulmate whose beauty rivaled heavenly fragrance, who would fall in love at first sight. They fantasized about rising above their station, relying on their wit and looks to live a life of leisure supported by a woman’s wealth...

But sadly, once their few paltry copper coins were gone, they were mercilessly thrown out. Some were even tossed into the Misty Spirit Lake and nearly drowned, utterly humiliated. This served as a harsh reminder: while legends were alluring, without sufficient silver, legends were a roadmap to a confusing and ignominious death.

They never stopped to consider: what kind of place is a brothel? The saying goes: courtesans are heartless, actors are faithless! A brothel is the epicenter of heartlessness!

Which man who frequents such places remains loyal to his wife? To play the romantic saint in a place like this is far more repulsive than a woman building a memorial archway for herself! Having witnessed the cold realities of human nature and the callousness of the world, how could the women of the pleasure quarters fail to see the base intentions hidden beneath the refined exterior of these so-called scholars?

It is best to have fewer of those dreams! No wonder Tang Yuan once said that dispatching a villain with a single clean strike is satisfying, but a hypocrite must be tormented, endlessly tormented until their spirit breaks, to truly sate the hatred! This sentiment deeply resonates with me!

Jun Moye hugged the wall, concealed by shadow, hid behind a tree, moved like the wind past the grass. He was clearly a living man, yet he was like a formless shadow; seemingly anything could serve as his cover. Following them thus far, not only did the three assassins ahead fail to notice him, but not a single passerby along the route spared him a glance.

He saw the three men, looking lustful yet extravagantly wealthy, like newly rich tycoons, walk into a luxurious pavilion by the Misty Spirit Lake—the Neon Plume Pavilion. After their party entered, a nearby pleasure boat slowly glided over and stopped silently against the waterside edge of the Neon Plume Pavilion, remaining still. Jun Moye’s heart stirred.

He watched for a moment and saw that apart from the boatman, there was no one else on board, as if waiting to pick someone up; this situation seemed a bit odd. Besides, the boat approached immediately after the men went in? That was too coincidental, wasn't it?

Jun Moye gritted his teeth—he would bet on this one chance! A slight breeze rose, causing the reeds on the water to release a flurry of catkins that drifted down, adding a dreamlike, ethereal quality to the twilight scene, making everything before him seem unreal. Jun Moye took advantage of this drift of reeds, his entire body seeming to dissolve into the masses of floating down.

With one movement, he swiftly drifted over ten feet away, using a large willow tree by the bank for cover. He casually plucked two reeds, then silently slipped into the water, truly like a weightless feather settling onto the surface, raising not even the slightest ripple. This was testament to Young Master Jun’s recent immense progress; half a month prior, he would not have possessed such mastery.