They all became female demons after being reborn.

Chapter 40 First Meeting in Luoyang

It was nearly noon when we came out of Fushengtang.

Wu Cheng stood at the entrance of the alley and looked up at the sky. The sun was blazing.

As expected of Luoyang, even in another world, with a different geographical location, its appearance remains unchanged.

For example... there are only two seasons, winter and summer.

Looking back at the other three, Qingque was unaffected, and Zhou Ke didn't seem to have much of a reaction either, but Xue Jianren had beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Let's go, let's find a place to eat and rest first, we can chat while we eat."

The four of them found a place called Hongfa Building on the east side of Zhuque Street, and found a window seat on the second floor.

Xue Jianren was not in a good mood and began to sigh after sitting down.

Zhou Ke remained calm and composed. After untying the judge's pen and placing it on the corner of the table, he asked the waiter for hot water and carefully washed the teacups, bowls, plates, and chopsticks.

As usual, Wu Cheng ordered the dishes, and soon the braised Yellow River carp, bird's nest soup, sliced ​​meat in soup, fried meatballs, and four bowls of steaming hot and sour soup were served.

Qingque first tested the poison with a silver needle, and only after seeing no adverse reaction did she signal to the others that they could eat it.

Zhou Ke took a sip of the spicy soup, then exhaled and laughed, "Luoyang was the capital of the previous dynasty, which is why this expensive pepper-seasoned delicacy is so popular here. I'm only able to taste it today thanks to Junior Brother Wu."

"It must be because of Senior Brother Xue, since he paid for it."

Wu Cheng looked at Xue Jianren, only to find that he hadn't touched his chopsticks much. It wasn't until Wu Cheng put a meatball on his plate that he thanked him in a low voice, then lowered his head and ate a couple of bites of food.

Wu Cheng asked in confusion, "Senior Brother Xue, why do you have no appetite?"

Xue Jianren put down his chopsticks and sighed, "Sun Xiaohu is dead, so the trail has gone cold."

"That's not right. There are still clues." Wu Cheng put a piece of fish on Qingque's plate.

Qingque carefully picked out all the small bones from the fish meat, and then bit off a small piece of the whole, boneless fish meat to taste.

Seeing that she was alright, she put the remaining half of the fish back into Wu Cheng's bowl.

Wu Cheng turned around and saw Qing Que looking at him with a cool and aloof expression, then gesturing for him to eat the fish.

Helplessly, he picked up a piece of fish and put it in his mouth. Then he served Qingque and himself a bowl of meat soup. Seeing that Qingque was drinking the soup obediently, he said, "Sun Xiaohu's body tells us at least two things. First, the other party was extremely quick to kill him, which means that the person behind the scenes has a stable and powerful force in Luoyang City."

"Secondly... the person who sent the night watchman away was a servant from the Luoyang Prefecture, which means that the person behind the scenes has infiltrated the Luoyang Prefecture, or at least can impersonate a government official."

Xue Jianren curled his lip. "Junior brother, you might as well just say that the person behind it all is the magistrate of Luoyang. But that's impossible. Yuan Congwen is the magistrate of Luoyang's only son. How could he possibly force his own son to be killed just to frame me?"

Because the real target is me, my pure and innocent Senior Brother Xue.

Wu Cheng said, "Don't forget about Prince Yu, Wu Ju. His palace is also in Luoyang."

"Prince Yu?" Xue Jianren's expression changed drastically. "Could it really be targeting my father?"

Wu Cheng smiled but remained silent.

Zhou Ke put down his porcelain spoon and asked, "Should we continue following the trail of the corridor guard?"

"There's no need for that anymore. We haven't even been able to find out exactly who this local thug is, so we won't be able to find him either. Besides, it's enough to know that he's a government official."

Wu Cheng picked up a spoon and took a sip of soup. "We just made our appearance at Fushengtang, or rather, we should have already alerted them when we entered the city. So what we should do now is eat and stroll around normally, and then stay at an inn. That way, if someone is secretly watching us, they will think we have no other options, and that's when they will make their next move. Once they make a move, they will reveal their weakness."

Xue Jianren asked in a low voice, "What if they don't reveal anything?"

"It will be revealed." Wu Cheng smiled. "Since their target is us, and now that we've been lured to Luoyang, they'll definitely come knocking on our door."

As soon as he finished speaking, a waiter approached with a smile and a bow. On his tray was a delicate white porcelain bottle, its surface smooth and warm, clearly not something from this restaurant.

"Gentlemen, a distinguished guest has sent me with a pot of wine."

He paused, then fixed his gaze on Wu Cheng. "He said he wanted to invite this young master over for a drink."

Wu Cheng took the wine pot; the body of the pot was slightly warm, indicating that it had just been warmed.

He uncorked the bottle and smelled it. The liquor was full-bodied and mellow, not a local low-alcohol liquor, but more like a strong spirit from the North.

Setting down the wine pot, Wu Cheng asked, "Where is our honored guest?"

"It's in that private room at the end of the corridor," the waiter gestured solicitously.

Wu Cheng stood up and straightened his clothes, and Qing Que followed suit.

Wu Chengchong shook his head. "Sister Qingque, you and your two senior brothers wait for me here. If I don't return within half an incense stick's time, just go find the shopkeeper."

Qingque bit her lower lip lightly with her pearly teeth, but still obediently sat back down, though her hand was already on the handle of the oil-paper umbrella.

Wu Cheng gave Xue Jianren and the other man a few more instructions before following the waiter to the end of the corridor.

A bamboo curtain hung on the door of the private room, and a tall figure could be vaguely seen behind it.

Wu Cheng lifted the curtain and entered, only to see a young man in white sitting at the table.

The boy looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old. He was dressed in a white brocade robe, with a jade belt around his waist, and his black hair was casually tied up with a silver hairpin.

Wu Cheng glanced at him and saw that he had a face like jade, and his eyebrows and eyes were so exquisite that they were almost bewitching. However, because of his thin lips and high nose bridge, he had a bit more heroic and noble air.

He wasn't the only one in the private room. Two burly men stood by the window. Although they were dressed in civilian clothes, they stood as straight as spears, clearly the bodyguards of this noble young man, and from the military.

"Please sit down, young master." The young man, whose voice was as clear as the clinking of jade stones, raised his hand and pointed to the chair opposite him.

His movements were graceful and natural, completely unlike the stiffness of a woman dressed as a man who deliberately imitates a man.

Yes, it's a girl.

Anyone who isn't blind can tell just by looking at the extremely fine ear piercings on her earlobes and her smooth, mirror-like Adam's apple.

Wu Cheng sat down opposite her, looked up and asked, "How should I address you, esteemed guest?"

"We've only met by chance, why ask so many questions?" The girl dressed as a man stared at his face for a long time before pouring him a glass of wine and pushing it in front of him. "This is my own wine, try it and see if you like it."

Girl, your reaction doesn't seem like that of someone you've just met...

Wu Cheng picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

This is indeed a strong liquor from the North.

"Not bad." Wu Cheng put down his wine glass.

The young woman herself didn't drink the wine. Instead, she picked up her chopsticks, took a slice of meat, and put it in her mouth. But after only a slight chew, she frowned, put down her chopsticks, took out a silk handkerchief, and dabbed at the corner of her lips. "The food and wine in Luoyang smell alright, but they taste very rough."

Wu Cheng also picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth, saying, "I think it's pretty good."

Then, without changing his expression, he asked, "May I ask what brings you here, esteemed guest? Perhaps you simply wish to have a drink?"

"Of course not." The boy in men's clothing looked at him for a while, then suddenly spoke, "I just want to know what brings you to Luoyang City, Young Master Wu Cheng."