"Swordsman Mei, do you by any chance know any newly-surfaced Opportunity of Fortune?"

Chu Kuangren asked Swordsman Mei.

Murong Xuan and Shang Qingxue were stunned when they heard the question. They looked at Chu Kuangren with a weird look in their eyes.

Why did he ask that?

Would Swordsman Mei even bother answering?

She would most probably prefer to chop him into pieces. There was no way she was going to tell him such important intel.

As they had suspected, Swordsman Mei merely sneered at him. "You really think I will tell you about the Enchanted Forest Realm?"

Murong Xuan and Shang Qingxue stared at each other, wide-eyed in surprise.

Swordsman Mei, especially, was utterly shocked.

What did she just say??

Why did she tell Chu Kuangren about the Enchanted Forest Realm? What was going on?!

"Oh, Enchanted Forest Realm, huh? What Opportunity of Fortune is this?" Chu Kuangren added to his inquiry.

"Impossible. I'll never tell you anything about the Enchanted Forest Realm. If you want to know more, you'd have to go to the Dark Aether Prefecture to find out."

Swordsman Mei said aloud.

"Oh, it means that the Enchanted Forest Realm is in Dark Aether Prefecture?" Chu Kuangren smiled.

Swordsman Mei's expression turned increasingly terrified.

What was this?

Why was she spilling more info to Chu Kuangren against her will?!

"What the h.e.l.l have you done to me?"

Swordsman Mei questioned him in rage, "What other effects does that slave seal have?!"

"Come on. Let's go to Dark Aether Prefecture."

No explanation whatsoever was given to her as Chu Kuangren got up and led Murong Xuan and Shang Qingxue to the direction of Dark Aether Prefecture.

On their way there, the group pa.s.sed by a large river.

Swordsman Mei gazed at that river, then back at her outfit which was stained dirty with blood. Suddenly, she could feel the uncomfortable itch all over her body.

Chu Kuangren glanced at her and said, "Qingxue, help her wash up a little and change into some new clothes."

Swordsmen Mei, who was standing at the side, felt a little suspicious at his intentions.

Was he really this kind?

"You're so awfully unkempt that people might think we're bringing along a beggar. How embarra.s.sing."

Chu Kuangren's words fuelled the rage inside Swordsman Mei.

This d*mn b*stard…

However, just as she had that thought, her soul started to hurt again.

D*mn you, d*mn you!

She was not allowed to have any ill-mannered thoughts about Chu Kuangren at all?!

Under the threat of the slave seal, Swordsman Mei immediately suppressed any disrespectful thoughts that she had against Chu Kuangren.

Shortly after.

Shang Qingxue was done with helping Swordsman Mei wash up and brought her back to the group.

The swordsman had already changed to a new black dress. Her shoulder-length black hair, fair as snow skin, and pair of bright eyes gave her a somewhat attractive charm.

It was hard to deny that Swordsman Mei was actually a stunner.

A stunner that would prove especially deadly amongst men.

Chu Kuangren took a glance at her and commented, "Now, you look more bearable. I won't feel too ashamed now to bring you along."

Swordman Mei's lips twitched as she forced herself to abandon the thoughts of wanting to murder Chu Kuangren.

The group continued their journey to Dark Aether Prefecture.

During their few days on the road, Shang Qingxue and Murong Xuan found that Swordsman Mei's att.i.tude toward Chu Kuangren was slowly changing, much to their surprise.

From her extreme hatred at the very beginning to a gradual terror, then to reverence that she now showed toward Chu Kuangren in every action that she took.

In just a few days, her att.i.tude toward Chu Kuangren had a complete turn-around. It was as if she had become a whole different person.

This astonished Murong Xuan and Shang Qingxue.

"How amazing is our Sect Leader? He has managed to subdue Swordsman Mei in just a short few days' time. He didn't even do much in this period."

"Yeah. Besides, Sect Leader has been taunting her all this while. Is this kind of cold treatment Swordsman Mei's thing?"

"No way, right…?"

Murong Xuan and Shang Qingxue were both scratching their heads at that.

Hence, they went to ask Chu Kuangren about it, but he merely shrugged it off with a smile.

It was the night before they would arrive at Dark Aether Prefecture.

Swordsman Mei went to meet Chu Kuangren, her emotions visibly perturbed.

These past few days, she was aware of the changes that she had been experiencing. Still, she had absolutely no control over everything that had been happening to her.

At first, she was terrified of this feeling.

Nevertheless, she slowly grew numb to it. Right now, she had already conceded to these changes.

"When are you going to set me free?" Swordsmen Mai asked Chu Kuangren face to face.

"About time now."

Chu Kuangren looked up into the sky and stared at the moon as he said, "Tonight, you'll be allowed to leave."

Swordsman Mei was momentarily stunned. She did not think it would be so easy.

The moment Swordsman Mei heard that she would be free, she felt an emotion brewing deep inside her heart. She seemed… reluctant?!

"Are you not afraid that I'll tell the Sword Tribe everything?"

"Will you?" Chu Kuangren deflected the question back to her.

Swordsman Mei fell silent when she heard that. She then shook her head and replied, "I won't."

"We're settled, then."

Chu Kuangren took out an almost transparent, colored glaze lamp that looked pristine inside and out. That was the Divine Emerald Lamp he had obtained from the Wu clan a while back.

"Take this lamp back and save yourself."

"This is… the Divine Emerald Lamp?!"

Swordsman Mei was sent here to a.s.sa.s.sinate Chu Kuangren, so she clearly knew a thing or two about the Divine Emerald Lamp.

At the same time, she knew how important this lamp was to the Sword Daoist. It was as vital as an Opportunity of Fortune to him.

"If this lamp falls into Sword Daoist's hands, I fear his strength will improve to an unimaginable height. Why are you even doing this, Master?"

Swordsmen Mei felt a little perplexed.

Just when the words exited her mouth, she abruptly came back to her senses and realized, did she just refer to Chu Kuangren as Master?!

Not only that, but she was even concerned about Chu Kuangren's safety, so much that she had placed it above Sword Daoist, who had been her priority all this while!

This was not something that she would have ever done in the past.

The old her would rule anything about Sword Daoist more important than everything else.

Yet, Chu Kuangren's place in her heart had now overtaken the Sword Daoist's.

Chu Kuangren glanced back at her. Deep down, he could not help but admit the marvels of this slave seal. It was truly domineering.

"It's just a lamp. It doesn't really matter if I hand it over to him. Besides, this lamp is connected to an Opportunity of Fortune, so I don't mind Sword Daoist taking over my job of looking for it."

Chu Kuangren explained.

The Divine Emerald Lamp was still incomplete, so it did not really have much use for him.

The Sword Daoist, on the other hand, had been sending people here to s.n.a.t.c.h the divine lamp, so Chu Kuangren suspected that this divine lamp's missing piece must be in his possession.

On top of that, the divine lamp, in a complete state, would lead them to a Sword Emperor. Such an Opportunity of Fortune was definitely not what Chu Kuangren would like to miss out on so easily.

Since Sword Daoist had not come to him yet, he would send the lamp over to him.

"Sword Daoist, I hope you won't let me down. Uncover that opportunity of fortune soon."

Chu Kuangren muttered.

Swordsman Mei accepted the Divine Emerald Lamp and simultaneously handed him a jade scroll. She said, "I've written down all the information I know about the Sword Tribe here. Apart from that, I've also included some intel about the Enchanted Forest Realm. I hope it'll be of some help to you, Master."

"Alright, understood."

Chu Kuangren kept the jade scroll.

Swordsman Mei took a final glance at Chu Kuangren before her figure flashed, turning into a black shadow that instantly blended into the darkness. With that, she disappeared from sight.

Once Swordsman Mei had left, Murong Xuan and Shang Qingxue both walked out.

They stared at Chu Kuangren with a face full of admiration.

"Wow, Sect Leader, that was way too impressive. I can't believe Swordsman Mei is calling you Master now. What a huge change!"

"You really think that your Sect Leader's tricks are all just for show?"

Chu Kuangren laughed it off.

The next day, the three of them reached Dark Aether Prefecture. They did some research on Enchanted Forest Realm to verify the intel that Swordsman Mei provided to them.