"Master, just drop me off at the hotel near the Imperial Residence."

"Alright."

Ling Zhenfei decided that he would meet with Chen Qian's junior apprentice sister first thing tomorrow morning to see what kind of legendary figure she was and what insights she might have for their development. He was quite looking forward to it.

At that moment, his phone rang—it was Bai Ling calling. Ling Zhenfei hurriedly answered.

"Ling Zhenfei, where are you?" Bai Ling's voice came through, sounding a bit muffled.

"I'm in Capital City, don't you know?"

Bai Ling's voice carried a hint of displeasure: "I'm asking for your exact location. I'll be in Capital City in the next two days to find you."

"Have you finished all your work? I forgot to tell you, I might go back the day after tomorrow, so there's no need for you to come find me."

"Really? That's really great." Bai Ling suddenly sounded happy upon hearing that Ling Zhenfei would be returning.

"Of course it's true. How are things at the auction house?"

"The auction house is doing very well now, the hype for this matter has been pretty intense. In the past couple of days, a lot of people have come to us with items to auction, hoping to catch the end-of-month autumn auction. It's been very lively."

"Let me tell you, Zongheng International is now completely behind us, but I think they will definitely fight back, and there's some good drama ahead." Bai Ling didn't feel threatened but rather delighted.

"Well done. As soon as Zongheng International makes a move, give me a call. From now until the end of the month, we can't let Zongheng International turn the tables." Ling Zhenfei remembered the aggravation he had experienced at Zongheng International and was annoyed. He silently vowed not to let them have an easy time.

"Okay, I will. I just missed you a little," said Bai Ling, sounding a bit emotional.

"I missed you too. I still have something to take care of tomorrow, but I will return to the auction house the day after. Don't worry about anything; I've got it all covered."

After chatting for a few more moments, they ended the call. The car sped along, and in no time, they reached the city center. The driver pointed to a gate not far off to the side: "Look, that's the Imperial Residence."

Ling Zhenfei looked toward the so-called Imperial Residence and saw an ancient-looking but very grand building. From a distance, it resembled a royal garden. As for what was inside, Ling Zhenfei didn't know.

The driver stopped at a hotel not far from the Imperial Residence, and Ling Zhenfei checked in. Anyway, it didn't matter where he slept since he was going to practice cultivation at night.

Because there was residual poison still in his body, Ling Zhenfei struggled with it all night. However, since it was just residual poison, it was very difficult to cleanse. Although the night passed, the residual poison was still not entirely cleared.

When he opened his eyes again, it was already the next morning. After getting up and having a quick bite to eat, Ling Zhenfei set off toward the Imperial Residence.

The entrance of the Imperial Residence was quite quiet with no one around. There was a sign at the gate that read "Closed Today; No Trespassers."

Ling Zhenfei didn't think much of it and walked directly through the gates of the Imperial Residence. He had thought there would be guards at the entrance, but after entering, he found no one.

After turning past the screen wall, he stepped into a small courtyard. The ground was paved neatly and cleaned spotlessly, surrounded by various plants that clearly had been meticulously pruned, giving the branches and leaves a lively charm.

Ling Zhenfei strolled and observed his surroundings. He walked through the second gate but still had not encountered anyone, not even a single person. After entering through the second gate, there was a noticeable increase in the number of flowers and plants.

Surrounding me was all ancient architecture, complete with corridors, graceful buildings, and even the Book Collection Pavilion; the entire courtyard was dotted with bizarre stones, lending it an air of quietude.

At that moment, on the second floor landing, a group of girls was having a lively time, hanging paintings and calligraphy on the walls.

There seemed to be a good number of them, but they were all young women, probably around twenty years old, their laughter as pleasant as the tinkling of silver bells.

Ling Zhenfei finally caught sight of people and hurried over.

Before he could approach the girls, Ling Zhenfei was spotted.

"Who are you, and what brings you here?" One of the girls looked at Ling Zhenfei in astonishment.

Ling Zhenfei quickly replied with a smile, "Hello, I'm here to look for someone. I came to the back courtyard after finding no one in the front."

"You're looking for someone? Who is it? Do you have a name?" The group of girls clearly didn't believe that Ling Zhenfei was genuinely there to find someone; hence they asked.

"I'm looking for Lu Huanong."

Lu Huanong is Chen Qian's younger apprentice sister's name, a very beautiful name that made Ling Zhenfei think of Li Bai's "Song of Everlasting Regret."

Yearning for beauty her robe to adorn, as Spring Breeze passes the gate, dew Hu Nong; if not on the mountain top picking rare gems, would meet by the moonlit towers as jade congeals.

The name Lu Huanong comes from the first line of that poem; one can only wonder what kind of girl she might be.

"You're looking for Hua Nong? She's in the back courtyard. Just head there and you'll see her, she's waiting for you," the girl replied.

Ling Zhenfei was stunned by the girl's words, confused by how she could be waiting for him—it seemed impossible.

"Did you say Lu Huanong is waiting for me?" he asked.

The girl said with a smile, "Yes, she instructed us this morning that someone would come for her, so we weren't to close the doors. If you arrived, you were to find her in the back courtyard. It's been the whole morning, and you're the only visitor. If it's not you, then who else?"

After hearing this, Ling Zhenfei was taken aback. Could it be that Lu Huanong had prophetic abilities? This was truly astonishing; the I Ching represented ancient wisdom, and it wasn't out of the question that someone could predict the future, although Ling Zhenfei had never witnessed it.

Could it be that Chen Qian's younger apprentice sister was a remarkable person capable of foretelling the future accurately?

Considering that Chen Qian himself often pretended to be knowledgeable in divination, saying 'This young master can predict and calculate,' it could indeed suggest that he and Lu Huanong were apprentice siblings.

"Thank you," said Ling Zhenfei as he made his way to the back courtyard. After passing through the third gate, he saw a very long corridor lined with numerous paintings depicting landscapes, plants, and animals of all kinds and styles.

Walking down the corridor, he suddenly felt dazzled by the sight of a small pond with a pavilion partly built over water. At this moment, a girl was painting inside the pavilion.

Ling Zhenfei caught just a glimpse of the girl's profile and was instantly stunned, as if he had seen something unbelievable. He couldn't help but whisper to himself, "I have seen a fairy!"

The third-level courtyard was a garden, its pond encircled by corridors and adorned with pavilions, towers, and rare vegetation, creating a picturesque scene.

Inside the corridor, an art exhibition was being set up, with a beautifully mounted painting displayed every few steps. Whether they depicted landscapes, people, flora and fauna, or animals, they were all exquisitely executed, demonstrating masterful techniques worthy of great artists.

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