"Senior, these people surrounded us in the past. We can’t let them leave." The junior disciple who had been reporting to Lu Wenshu spoke up.

Bai Luochu's men weren't going to be outdone as they reported, "Your First Highness, Divine Physician Bai, these are the suspicious people we discovered entering the Desolate Region. We fought them in the past and cut off the corner of their clothes.”

Bai Luochu raised her brows. She didn't think that Pei Rumo's slow-witted soldiers could actually carry out their tasks properly. They were definitely incredibly talented if they were able to take the upper hand when fighting against members of Lu Wenshu’s sect.

Even though her thoughts were running wild, Bai Luochu was prepared to step in to mediate the situation. Before she could speak, Lu Wenshu interrupted her with a burst of hearty laughter. "Hahaha, I didn't think that my juniors would meet the First Prince’s subordinates. I wanted to make their enemies pay but I never thought that we are all on the same side. What a coincidence! We are all friends here…”

Pei Rumo spat in his heart while thinking.

 What the f*ck… Those people standing on the same side with you would be killed without knowing why. How are you able to gloss over such a serious matter with a simple claim of coincidence? I thought that I was unscrupulous when it came to achieving my goals… Well, you’re the true master in that sense.

No matter how he despised Lu Wenshu, he didn’t show it on his face. He forced himself to smile and he exchanged cavities with Lu Wenshu, "That's right. When my subordinates delivered the message, I chided them for being rude to our guests. I hope Young Master Lu will forgive us boorish people. After all, we are all barbaric soldiers. We don’t have Young Master Lu’s perfect etiquette.”

The soldiers turned to face each other with an expression of dismay. They were at a loss of what to do as they thought that they were fighting with their opponents. From the looks of things, Lu Wenshu and Pei Rumo knew each other and they even seemed to be friends.

Bai Luochu knew that the soldiers were confused but she couldn’t be bothered to explain anything to them. She turned to Lu Wenshu and asked, “What is Young Master Lu doing here?”

Bai Luochu already had the answer in her heart but she was rather confused with Lu Wenshu's arrival. After all, he wasn’t one to take the initiative. 

He is definitely plotting something sinister.

When Lu Wenshu heard her question, his expression changed. He asked with extreme concern, “I am under my sect’s orders to patrol the area.”

"Patrol? Does the Desolate Region belong to your sect?!" Bai Luochu immediately followed up with a question. If Lu Wenshu didn’t give them a clear explanation, no one would be walking away today.

Lu Wenshu shook his head and realized that he didn’t have a choice. He felt that he was possessed by a trouble seeking ghost when he made the decision to seek her out. She wasn’t exactly the easiest person to deal with and he even sold out his juniors for a chance to speak to her. His master was right. She was indeed a femme fatale.

But so what? He had done so willingly. Even if she was a femme fatale, he would willingly get into trouble for her.

"Divine Physician Bai's statement is a little incorrect. How can the Desolate Region be our territory? If it belongs to us, my master wouldn’t allow anyone to step into it with his stubborn temperament. However..." Lu Wenshu wanted to put up a wall of suspense but Bai Luochu remained indifferent. She didn’t even bother to look him in the eye.

Lu Wenshu felt that he was embarrassing himself as he wasn’t able to deal with the situation with his juniors behind him. As such, he had to come up with an excuse on the fly. "However, our sect arrived in the Desolate Region before anyone else. Now that it is getting chaotic, my sect master ordered us to ensure the peace of the region. We are tasked to carry out patrols and maintain order in the Desolate Region so as to prevent any mishaps.”

Bai Luochu sneered in response, "Heh, Young Master Lu's sect is really greedy. Does the world belong to you? I am truly filled with admiration. You can even dip your hands into the Desolate Region…”

Lu Wenshu knew that Bai Luochu was referring to the incident three years ago. 

She is probably still thinking of the Battle of Thousand Brilliance… 

In any case, he felt that he owed her too much as he caused her to betray her temple and die a miserable death in the hands of the Three Great Immortal Sects. 

Lu Wenshu originally wanted to offer consolation, but seeing that Pei Rumo was present, he didn't do too much. The fist he concealed in his sleeves betrayed his thoughts and he swore in his heart, 

Luo Chu, please wait a little longer. When the time is right, I will return everything I owe you… Will you forgive me then?

Pei Rumo noticed that the atmosphere between Bai Luochu and Lu Wenshu was slowly turning sour and he quickly interrupted, "Does Young Master Lu wish to say that we aren’t allowed in the Desolate Region?”

Pei Rumo didn't wish for Bai Luochu to face too much danger. According to him, Bai Luochu was a pitiful girl forced to improve herself due to the darkness of the world. He didn’t know that a powerful spirit was hidden beneath her frail-looking appearance.

Lu Wenshu's expression instantly changed. He never liked Pei Rumo and he felt that Pei Rumo’s presence was all the more irksome after watching their interaction.

“Of course not. However, I hope that you are careful when exploring the Desolate Region. We are not the only people here and if anything happens to you during your time here, my sect’s reputation would be tarnished. If you enter the ruins without being able to leave, don’t blame me.”

Pei Rumo knew that Lu Wenshu was treating him harshly because of Bai Luochu. However, after his years of service in the imperial court, Pei Rumo was a person who could control his emotions easily. He also knew that Bai Luochu trusted him more than Lu Wenshu and felt that there was no point bickering with him over a single statement. With the improvement in his relationship with Bai Luochu, Pei Rumo didn’t bother too much about Lu Wenshu.

But then again, Pei Rumo wasn't going to let Lu Wenshu say whatever he liked. "I thank Young Master Lu for the concern. Luo Chu and I have other important matters to attend to and shall not disturb Young Master Lu's mission." 

"Let's go. Otherwise, we are going to miss dinner." Bai Luochu moved the moment the words left her mouth.