Stinky tofu, you've matured.

"Brother, how is it?" As soon as Ouyang Mingtian stepped into the imperial study, Chou Doufu, who had been waiting for him for a long time, hurried forward to greet him.

"City Lord," Ouyang Mingri saluted and gave Chou Doufu a wink.

"All of you go down." Stinky Tofu ordered.

After sending away the maids and guards inside and outside the imperial study, Ouyang Mingri closed the door and said softly, "I have investigated the new guards who have entered the palace in the past month, and it is indeed as I suspected before."

"So what should we do now?" asked Stinky Tofu.

"We need a secret underground palace to train our elite troops, so as to prevent any leaks." Ouyang Mingri said, "This is the blueprint of the underground palace I designed. It includes not only the layout but also the placement of the instruments. I have carefully considered every detail to maximize the use of the space."

"The underground palace is easy," said Chou Doufu, "but what about the training of these elite soldiers?"

"Master wants to teach me the Wuwo sword technique, and I want to concentrate on practicing sword. So the task of training these elite soldiers can only be done by the ancient senior. I believe he will not refuse." Ouyang Mingri said.

Stinky Tofu nodded and said, "Brother, what you said makes sense. I will go there immediately and ask the old senior for help."

"Leave this matter to me," said Ouyang Mingri.

"No, big brother, I'll go and ask for it myself," said Chou Doufu. "Training elite soldiers is of vital importance. Although big brother has a close friendship with the ancient elders, this is still a matter of great importance to the court. As the lord of a city, I should go and ask for it in person to show my sincerity."

Ouyang Mingri nodded approvingly: "Stinky tofu, you have really matured."

Stinky Tofu smiled bitterly and said, "Brother, if I could choose, I really want to be the carefree Stinky Tofu I used to be. But now, I have no choice."

Ouyang Mingri put his hand on Chou Doufu's shoulder to comfort him. Chou Doufu smiled faintly and said, "Thank you, brother. I'm fine."

"Hahaha, stinky tofu!" Gu Mutian said, "You haven't been here for a while!"

"Stinky Tofu has something to say to the ancient senior." said Stinky Tofu.

"Let's go inside and talk." Ouyang Mingri said.

The three of them entered the house. As soon as Ouyang Mingri closed the door, Chou Doufu knelt down in front of Gu Mutian with a plop. Gu Mutian was immediately confused by the two young men and kept saying, "What are you doing! You two! Chou Doufu, you can't just kneel down like that!"

Stinky Tofu bowed his head and said, "Senior, I have an important matter and I beg for your help."

"What kind of help do you need that you have to kneel down to ask? Get up quickly! Get up first and talk later!" Gumutian said as he pulled the stinky tofu up from the ground.

Ouyang Mingri explained the whole story in detail. Gu Mutian couldn't help but sigh, "Leng Yue is really something. Ban Tianyue missed a trick this time. He eliminated his enemies, but we trained them into elite soldiers, giving them a taste of their own medicine. Mingri, this is a brilliant idea!"

"Did Master Uncle agree?" Ouyang Mingri asked with a smile.

"Of course, leave it to me! Hehe!" Gumutian stroked his beard and laughed.

"Thank you, senior." Stinky Tofu bowed deeply.

"No thanks, no thanks!" Gu Mutian patted his belly and laughed, "Ever since that old guy from the border taught me sword skills, he hasn't played with me. This time I have the chance to practice my fists and feet properly. I'm so happy!"

When Ouyang Mingri heard this, he lowered his head and smiled embarrassedly.

Seeing this, Gu Mutian laughed even more happily.

The stars tonight were exceptionally bright. Ouyang Mingri had always searched for Leng Yue's natal star in the past, only to return disappointed. But tonight, without any deliberate search, he simply glanced at his own natal star and made an unexpected discovery.

He discovered a purple star southeast of his natal star. Because of its purple color, it appeared much dimmer than the other stars. The purple star flickered unsteadily, appearing like a mirage.

"Everything is like a dream." Ouyang Mingri thought of Leng Yue's words.

Mingri carefully observed the star, hoping to find any clues about Leng Yue's life and fortune, but he discovered a calamity star a short distance southeast of the star. If it weren't for the purple star, the calamity star would have been heading straight for him. Now, the purple star was blocking his natal star, and the situation looked extremely dangerous.

Could it be a half-moon? Or someone or something scarier than a half-moon?

Ouyang Mingri was even more convinced that he had to bring Leng Yue back. Even if she had to endure the calamity of imprisonment, it would still be much safer than staying with Ban Tianyue.

There was still no other clue about the purple star in the sky, and Mingri, who was well versed in astrology, was puzzled.

"Lengyue, Lengyue, how many secrets are you hiding?" Mingri shook his head and said to himself.

Ling Xue watched all this from afar, feeling extremely sad.

Ling Xue returned to her room dejectedly, sewing the boots in her hands intermittently.

"Xiaoxue," a gentle female voice came. Ling Xue, who was lost in thought, was startled and her finger was pricked by the needle and bleeding.

"Stepmother." Ling Xue said in a low voice.

Madam Yuzhu held Ling Xue's small hand, looked at the bright red oozing from her fingertips, and said distressedly: "What are you thinking about? Why are you so careless! Does it hurt?"

Ling Xue didn't say anything, just shook her head and lowered it even lower.

Madam Yuzhu picked up the boots on the table and took a look. "Hey, these are a pair of men's boots." Then she smiled and said, "It turns out that our Xiaoxue has grown up and has her own worries."

"Mother, Xue'er didn't." Ling Xue denied in a low voice.

Yuzhu felt that the size of the boots looked very familiar. Isn’t the size and dimensions exactly the same as Mingri’s feet?

"Xiaoxue, do you like tomorrow?" Yuzhu asked.

Ling Xue nodded timidly.

"It's rare that you're so thoughtful," Yuzhu gently placed Lingxue's small hand in hers, patted her hand and said, "You're so gentle and sensible. It would be the best if you could marry Mingri."

"But...big brother only has Leng Yue in his heart." Ling Xue said.

Yuzhu felt a little unhappy at the mention of Leng Yue. Wanted notices were flying all over Sifang City. It was obvious that Leng Yue was a cold-blooded and ruthless female devil, a demon of the Shenyue Cult. If Mingri gave his heart to a woman like that, it would be completely unworthy.

Ling Xue, on the other hand, was different. Her background was clean, and her personality was gentle and virtuous. If she could marry Ming Ri, she would definitely be a virtuous wife to Ming Ri. Furthermore, her resemblance to Ying Ying gave Madam Yu Zhu an even stronger preference for her. She would support anything Ling Xue liked, just as she had doted on Ying Ying back then.

"Your stepmother supports you," said Madam Yuzhu.

Ling Xue nodded shyly, and two blushes quietly crept up her face.