Chapter 1408: Trying to Get Out of the Trap

When Zhu Changfu heard this, his expression changed again.

The imprint of spiritual consciousness is equivalent to handing over one's life and death to the other party. Once the other party has a thought, his soul will be destroyed.

But at this moment he had no way to retreat, and the spiritual imprint was not completely binding on the cultivators of the Great Xuantian. Without much hesitation, he closed his eyes and released his spiritual defense.

Seeing this, Zhou Yiqiao's eyes flashed with a barely perceptible sneer, but on the surface he still maintained a calm attitude.

He slowly stretched out his right hand and lightly tapped with his index finger. A subtle ray of light that contained endless pressure instantly sank into Zhu Changfu's brows.

Zhu Changfu's body trembled slightly, and then an expression of pain and helplessness appeared on his face.

He knew that from now on, his fate would be closely linked to this seemingly young but ruthless man.

However, compared with death, such restraint seems acceptable.

"Remember, Master Zhu, you must not make mistakes in your monthly appointments. Otherwise, you will bear the consequences."

Zhou Yiqiao's voice echoed in Zhu Changfu's ears, without much warmth.

Zhu Changfu nodded with difficulty, his clothes soaked with sweat.

He didn't dare to be negligent in the slightest, for fear of accidentally angering this young strong man.

"I...I understand, Master Zhou."

Zhu Changfu trembled and restored the imprint of his spiritual consciousness left by Zhou Yiqiao. He fled in a hurry as if he had been pardoned.

Zhou Yiqiao stood outside the door, and after Zhu Changfu completely disappeared, a smile finally appeared on his face.

"Mr. Zhou, if you let Lord Zhu go back like this, aren't you afraid that Lord Zhu will change his mind or secretly interfere?"

Luo Qingwu couldn't hold back her curiosity and couldn't help but ask.

Zhou Yiqiao raised his eyebrows slightly, glanced at Luo Qingwu, and asked back nonchalantly.

"This is a deal between Lord Zhu and your Luo family. Your Luo family should worry about what they should worry about. What does Zhou have to worry about?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Qingwu was speechless for a moment, and secretly cursed Zhou Yiqiao for being cunning.

She originally thought that Zhou Yiqiao asked the Luo family to collect the monthly immortal crystal offerings on his behalf because he was afraid that he would be included in the liquidation list after something happened.

Now, after Zhou Yiqiao's reminder, she finally understood that this monthly offering was simply a transaction between the Luo family and Zhu Changfu, and Zhou Yiqiao had completely absolved himself of all responsibility.

If Luo Qingwu was a self-disciplined person in her daily life, she would naturally not be afraid of Zhou Yiqiao's strategy of killing someone with a borrowed knife.

But her own ass was not much cleaner than Zhu Changfu's. In order to prevent Zhou Yiqiao from having other leverage over her, she could only do her best to help Zhou Yiqiao collect the monthly offering.

Luo Qingwu took a deep breath, suppressed the dissatisfaction and uneasiness in her heart, put on a smile, and said to Zhou Yiqiao.

"Mr. Zhou is right. The Luo family will do their best to ensure that the monthly offerings are delivered on time so that Mr. Zhou won't have to worry."

Zhou Yiqiao smiled gently, seeming quite satisfied with Luo Qingwu's reaction.

He glanced at the crowd of people outside the window and stood up to say goodbye.

"Since Mr. Zhu has already left, I will not stay here and disturb Miss Luo's pleasure of seeking pleasure."

After saying this, Zhou Yiqiao disappeared in a flash.

Several women with half-unbuttoned clothes came in one after another. Before they could even open their mouths to compliment Luo Qingwu, they were sternly scolded by her.

When the house calmed down again, she sat alone at her desk, tapping her fingers lightly on the table, feeling mixed emotions.

Zhou Yiqiao's methods and schemes made her feel both frightened and angry, but she knew more clearly that she was now in a difficult situation.

"Damn it, how did it come to this?!"

Luo Qingwu murmured to herself, her beautiful eyebrows twisted into a shape of a "川" (river).

Recalling the several confrontations with Zhou Yiqiao, she felt more and more that this man was unfathomable. Every move he made seemed to be carefully planned. She had unknowingly fallen into his chessboard and became one of his chess pieces.

"No, I can't sit still and wait for death."

Luo Qingwu stood up suddenly and paced back and forth in the room, thinking of a countermeasure in her mind.

Soon, an idea flashed in her mind and a smile appeared on her lips. She ordered the pleasure boat to dock and left quickly.

The next morning, Luo Qingwu changed into men's clothes, quietly left the Luo Mansion, and went to the most prosperous market in the city alone.

Hidden in this market is the secret base where Luo Qingwu communicates with her backers.

It was a seemingly ordinary teahouse, but in fact it held a secret. Only Luo Qingwu and a very small number of core figures knew its true purpose.

Entering the teahouse, Luo Qingwu walked through the bustling crowd with ease and came to the innermost elegant room.

An old man in a grey robe was already sitting in the elegant room. He was a frequent visitor to this teahouse and was responsible for delivering messages and instructions, and was the most trusted confidant of the forces behind Luo Qingwu.

"Miss Luo, how come you have time to come here in person today?"

When the old man saw Luo Qingwu, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then he stood up and saluted.

Luo Qingwu didn't waste any words and sat directly on the main seat, speaking with a serious expression.

"I have something important to discuss with you, about Zhou Yiqiao."

The old man's face turned serious when he heard this.

"Zhou Yiqiao? Is he the Taoist companion that the Second Princess brought back to Xuanxuantian recently?"

"Exactly this person."

Luo Qingwu nodded, a hint of hatred flashing in her eyes.

"I don't know where he got the evidence on me and Tiansheng Prefecture Governor Zhu Changfu, and used it to threaten us. I'm worried that this matter will implicate you, so I came here to ask for help. I hope that he can lend a hand to me and solve this problem."

Since the old man was able to become the confidant of the power behind Luo Qingwu, he was naturally no ordinary person. It was impossible for him to make a decision easily because of Luo Qingwu's few words.

He pondered for a moment and asked.

"Miss Luo, can you tell me in detail how Zhou Yiqiao threatened you? What evidence does he have against you?"

Luo Qingwu bit her lip and hesitated for a moment, but finally told everything that happened after being threatened by Zhou Yiqiao.

After hearing this, the old man also frowned.

“The information Zhou Yiqiao has obtained is much more detailed than what you know. I’m afraid the power behind this is not to be underestimated.

If this matter is not handled properly, it could indeed trigger a chain reaction that would be detrimental to all of us.”

Luo Qingwu looked at the old man eagerly, her eyes full of anticipation.

"So in your opinion, how should we respond?"

The old man tapped the edge of the table with his fingers, staring intently at the tea leaves floating in the teacup, and fell into a long silence.

After a long time, the old man slowly raised his head, and his expression finally became clear.

"If this matter is to be resolved, there are only two ways."

"Either we start from the root and solve the source of the problem, or we pretend to be friendly with them and wait for the right time to defeat them in one fell swoop."

When Luo Qingwu heard this, a gleam of light flashed in her eyes. She hurriedly stood up and filled the old man's cup of spiritual tea herself, then asked anxiously.

"Senior, why did you say this?"

The old man took a sip of the fragrant tea and continued.

"If it's the first option, we need to send enough people to investigate Zhou Yiqiao."

"But the power behind this person is able to investigate a person to such a horrific level. The power behind him is stronger than us. Once exposed, it is likely that we will suffer instead."

"As for the second method."

The old man paused, his eyes becoming deep.

"Even if you have to endure it temporarily, since you have been used as a chess piece by him, then you should play this role well."

"During this period, you must try your best to find out where Zhou Yiqiao's information came from. I will also notify the adults and mobilize forces to find out Zhou Yiqiao's background and details as soon as possible."

"When the time is right, we can not only resolve this crisis, but we can also take this opportunity to bring the forces behind Zhou Yiqiao under our control. It's like killing two birds with one stone. Why not do it?"

When the old man said this, a sophisticated smile appeared on his lips.

However, Luo Qingwu was not satisfied with the old man's advice.

She came here originally hoping to ask adults to help her escape from Zhou Yiqiao's control, but she didn't expect that she would continue to be used as a pawn by Zhou Yiqiao.

"Senior, Zhou Yiqiao is extremely scheming. I'm afraid that before we can find out his background, Qingwu will be played to death by him."

The old man laughed and didn't care about Luo Qingwu's worries.

He looked Luo Qingwu up and down, admiring her figure through her men's clothing, and a hint of greed flashed in his eyes that did not belong to someone of his age.

"Miss Luo's figure is no worse than the Second Princess'."

When Luo Qingwu heard this, her face changed slightly, a chill surged in her heart, and she involuntarily took half a step back.

The fact that she liked women was an open secret in this secret base. The old man in front of her knew this and still hinted at her to seduce Zhou Yiqiao. It was obvious that he, like Zhou Yiqiao, treated her as a chess piece that could be used at will.

Luo Qingwu glared at the old man in front of her and said in a cold voice.

"What do you mean?"

"Haha, don't be angry, I was just praising Miss Luo for her beautiful figure."

The old man returned his gaze to the tea leaves in the cup and put away his frivolous attitude.

But even so, he had no intention of taking back the suggestion he made.

"Miss Luo, you may not know that in the eyes of the master, neither you nor I are his pawns that can take him one step further."

"Since your chess piece has been exposed in broad daylight, you must naturally do something radical to make full use of your last value before it is completely scrapped."

The old man did not look at Luo Qingwu's face which had turned ashen. He traced the rim of the teacup with his fingers and said coldly.

"Although Zhou Yiqiao knows about the dirty things you, Luo Qingwu, have done over the years, the adults behind us know about all the dirty deeds that your Luo Mansion has done over the years."

"Miss Luo, you don't want to let Luo Zhuguo and the entire Luo Mansion be buried in the abyss along with your insignificant gender preferences because of your own reasons..."