The serious and somber atmosphere vanished completely.
Qin Gu chuckled, rubbing his forehead. Ruan Bei was speechless. To be fair, Ma Chunhua had initially captivated him with her looks, so why did things turn out so strangely later?
"What does Ms. Mary want with me?" Ruan Bei felt inexplicably awkward when he said the name, and even wanted to laugh.
The ugly ghost said, "She asked me to give you a message: the person you're looking for is in Ghost King Forest."
"What? Are you sure? It's that...that woman with the scar on her hand?" Ruan Bei was so shocked that he couldn't even control his expression. He had only ever asked Ma Chunhua about one person, Zou Na, whose name he didn't know at the time.
So many of them searched for so long, but they couldn't find Zou Na's whereabouts. She was actually in Ghost King Forest.
Ugly Ghost was timid; he trembled at Ruan Bei's loud voice and said hesitantly, "I...I don't know either. That's what she told me. She asked me to pass on a message..."
Qin Gu frowned and said, "Isn't Ghost King Forest unsuitable for human habitation?"
The yin energy there is too heavy. It's okay for a short time, but a person's body can't withstand it in the long run. What's more, it's the territory of ghosts. Zou Na doesn't have the ability to see ghosts, but she is a celestial master who can sense the existence of ghosts. Staying there would drive her crazy.
"I don't know..." The ugly man was about to cry. He really didn't know anything. He was ugly, and Ms. Mary usually didn't like to talk to him.
This time, they suddenly contacted him, asking for his help in a very gentle tone, and he agreed on a whim. Later, when he found out it was to deliver a message to the Celestial Master, he almost ran away halfway there.
"What do you know?" Ruan Bei patted Qin Gu's hand, signaling him not to rush, this kid is too timid.
“Tell us exactly what Ma Chunhua told you and how she found you,” Ruan Bei said.
“Ms. Mary,” the ugly man muttered softly, almost to himself, not wanting Ruan Bei to think he was being corrected.
Ruan Bei: "...Okay, Ms. Mary, what did she tell you?"
Ugly Ghost tried hard to recall, but there wasn't much to say. Ma Chunhua had only asked him to convey this one sentence.
In fact, Ruan Bei didn't know that Ma Chunhua wanted to say a few more things, such as that the Yinming Ghost King had returned to the Ghost King Forest and secretly circled back, and that Zou Na had returned with the Ghost King.
But she dared not say it. The ugly ghost was too cowardly. If he knew that it was related to the Ghost King, he certainly wouldn't dare to come and deliver the message. Telling the Celestial Master about the Ghost King would be clearly an admission that he was an inside traitor.
Ma Chunhua is a smart woman; she wouldn't do something as foolish as revealing her true identity.
Ruan Bei couldn't get any useful information out of the ugly guy, so he didn't dare let him go back directly.
Qin Gu gave him a Yin Qi talisman to calm him down. The ugly ghost was both happy and scared, his face twisted and contorted with joy and fear.
He was really afraid of being in the same room with the two Celestial Masters, Ruan Bei and Qin Gu, especially since they didn't trust him and didn't want him to be by their side.
Qin Gu extracted a wisp of his Yin energy to ensure he could be found in time, and then released him.
As long as I don't go back to Ghost King Forest, I can stay in Jincheng as a wandering ghost for the time being.
After sending the ugly man away, Ruan Bei and Qin Gu discussed the reliability of the news and concluded that it was highly likely to be true.
First of all, regardless of whether Ma Chunhua had the guts to lie to them, she really had no need to do this unnecessary thing.
Even if she didn't want to help Ruan Bei, he had already left. She was hiding in the Ghost King Forest, and Ruan Bei couldn't find her. If she didn't want to be an informant, she could just pretend nothing had happened. It was better than causing trouble and deceiving him.
If this news is false, it's unlikely that Ma Chunhua made it up to fool Ruan Bei for her amusement. Qin Gu believed that the lesson he taught Ma Chunhua would prevent her from doing something so foolish as to make things difficult for herself.
Furthermore, if she were to side with Zou Na and the Underworld Ghost King, what would be the point of her sending such ambiguous messages that expose Zou Na's whereabouts? Ruan Bei wouldn't be foolish enough to go to the Ghost King's Forest to find her, and Zou Na wouldn't even know that her identity has been exposed.
And would she dare to go and surrender to the King of the Underworld? Wouldn't that expose her past relationship with Ruan Bei and her promise to be his spy?
A ghost, acting as a spy for the Taoist priest—Ma Chunhua must have no desire to live anymore.
Regardless of whether she actually betrayed Ghost King Forest later, Ghost King Forest would not tolerate her. She would be caught in the middle and meet a dead end.
After reaching a conclusion, Qin Gu immediately called his senior brother. Arresting criminals like Zou Na, who committed crimes across realms (the secular world and the cultivation world), was originally the job of the Special Affairs Bureau.
Upon learning that Zou Na might be in Ghost King Forest, Xuan Ningcheng immediately replied, "The team that was recently hunting down the Underworld Ghost King has lost track of him. He has most likely returned to Ghost King Forest. If the clues you have are true, Zou Na is very likely with the Underworld Ghost King's team."
This confirms that she colluded with the Ghost King. Furthermore, if Zou Na was staying in the Ghost King Forest, she couldn't possibly be without a backer. She couldn't possibly rely on the White Bone Ghost King, so the only possibility is the Underworld Ghost King.
"Then what do we do? Can we arrest her?" Qin Gu asked.
Xuan Ningcheng said it would be difficult if she hid in the Ghost King Forest and didn't come out.
This is why they failed to find the Underworld Ghost King before. He disappeared into the deep mountains, and the Special Affairs Bureau couldn't catch him at all. They were even led around by his ghost generals, which infuriated them.
The Special Affairs Bureau has developed for so many years, and it's not that they can't win. Although the Ghost King has high individual combat power, there are too many of them. The key is that they really can't keep up with the speed. Ordinary celestial masters can't trap the Ghost King. If it were an open area, it would be fine. If all else fails, helicopters can be called in for support. But in that dense forest, they really can't catch up.
Although Zou Na is a person, the Ghost King Forest is too complex and there is no signal inside, which is too dangerous for the people of the Special Affairs Bureau.
The White Bone Demon King wouldn't allow their people to enter in large numbers. The reason they were able to chase the Underworld Demon King before was because he shifted the blame and slandered the White Bone Demon King, which angered him, and he sided with the Special Affairs Bureau to help chase him away.
If we want to capture Zou Na this time, if there are too many people, we won't be able to get in; if there are too few, we might be discovered as soon as we get in.
Moreover, if the situation is true and Zou Na has sided with the Underworld Ghost King, then sending people in would be like sending food to someone else—a pointless sacrifice.
They finally got some useful information, but they couldn't catch the person. Not to mention Qin Gu, even Xuan Ningcheng himself felt frustrated.
However, Ghost King Forest is a legacy of history. The cultivators at that time had already done their best to confine the ghosts to one place and prevent them from continuing to wreak havoc on the human world.
Xuan Ningcheng also came from that time, and was even a leader, so there's really no reason for him to be critical.
In the end, he could only offer words of comfort: "I will send people to guard Ghost King Forest. Zou Na can't stay in Ghost King Forest forever. As soon as she dares to come out, we will arrest her immediately!"
"Can't we try to lure her out?" Qin Gu said, "For example, by making some moves with Lu Sibai and Zhao Wen."
One is Zou Na's son, and the other is her brother. She can't possibly be completely indifferent to them.
Qin Gu was still somewhat anxious. Ever since he learned that Zou Na had her eyes on Ruan Bei, he had been on tenterhooks. He couldn't have peace of mind until Zou Na was caught.
The reason he was willing to risk his life to go to Yundang Mountain with his martial uncle was because he was worried that his uncle might help Zou Na to harm Xiao Bei. It would be better for him to go first and solve the problem himself.
Before Xuan Ningcheng could reply, Ruan Bei tugged at him and whispered, "There's no signal in Ghost King Forest."
So even if something happened outside, Zou Na wouldn't know, and Zhao Wen and Lu Sibai couldn't contact her at all.
“Xiao Bei is right,” Xuan Ningcheng chimed in. “Don’t worry, once she comes out, she definitely won’t be able to escape.”
Ruan Bei, however, had a sudden inspiration: "Why don't you let me come along this time? Maybe Zou Na has some backup plan. Are you sure you don't want me to stay home alone?"
Qin Gu: "..." He was worried.
Seeing that he didn't refuse outright this time, Ruan Bei knew there was a chance, so she immediately pressed on and tried to persuade him: "If I'm with you, won't you protect me if I'm in danger? Besides, with Senior Brother and the others following behind, the security level is much higher than when I'm at home."
After thinking it over carefully, Qin Gu was still very worried. He wanted to keep a close eye on Xiao Bei right under his nose.
"Then don't follow me, follow Senior Brother instead." Qin Gu still felt it was more dangerous to be around him.
Ruan Bei thought for a moment and gave him an idea: "How about this, you send a message to your uncle and say that I might go, and then you can sound him out."
Qin Gu also felt that when his uncle invited Xiao Bei, he refused too quickly and abruptly, and that he could consider testing the waters.
However, it wasn't appropriate to go directly to Luo Zikun. The two of them discussed it and put on a show. Ruan Bei sent a message to Luo Zikun first, saying that he really wanted to go with his martial uncle to broaden his horizons. He had never seen a natural grand formation before, let alone such a stacked formation, and he really wanted to see it.
But Kunkun felt that he didn't understand anything and that going would only cause trouble for his uncle, so he didn't let him go.
Luo Zikun immediately replied that it was no trouble and that he would help persuade Qin Gu if he wanted to go.
Ruan Bei naturally expressed his gratitude. Not long after, Qin Gu received a call from the other end. At first, he pretended to be very firm, not just because he was afraid of causing trouble for Ruan Bei, but also because he was worried about Ruan Bei's safety. Everyone knew that the two of them had a good relationship, so this made him more credible.
Logically speaking, Ruan Bei didn't have to go, and given the current situation, Luo Zikun didn't need to insist on bringing Ruan Bei along, but Luo Zikun still tried his best to persuade Qin Gu.
The more he tried to persuade him, the colder Qin Gu felt. In the end, he didn't completely give in and gave him an ambiguous answer, saying he would think about it some more.
Qin Gu's phone was on speakerphone, while Ruan Bei's phone was connected to Xuan Ningcheng's. After listening to their conversation, Xuan Ningcheng also fell silent.
After a while, he finally spoke: "Tell him tomorrow that Xiao Bei will be with you."
Qin Gu immediately refused: "No!" He wanted Xiao Bei to go so badly, but the situation was not right, it was dangerous.
"Tell him this first," Xuan Ningcheng said calmly. "He's a thoughtful person. He knows your strength, and with Xiao Bei involved, he'll definitely have different plans. Let's see what he intends to do."
Judging from their tone, they've already sided with them.
Qin Gu thought it made sense. At worst, they could just create some trouble when it was time to leave and say that Xiao Bei couldn't go.
He waited all night, and the next day he pretended to be struggling and called Luo Zikun to say that Xiao Bei would also be there.
After the call ended, Ruan Bei received two messages almost simultaneously.
One group came from the capital. The eldest brother told them that the people guarding outside Ghost King Forest had caught a group of children who went out to set off fireworks in broad daylight. Apparently, someone had told them to come and set them off, but the specifics were still under investigation.
Another group consists of the dedicated ghosts of the eastern suburbs, who have been working tirelessly to keep an eye on Lu Sibai for Ruan Bei, even though there has been no useful information for a long time.
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