Hearing this, many successors including Lin Jin, all grew somber expressions on their faces.

'How long had the Wuxin Clan been planning this matter?'

'It is amazing that they have cultivated so many elites that specialize in restraining the clans' techniques!'

'Could the plan that they had formulated for years fall through just because we sat together to discuss?'

Thinking of this, they all felt somber.

Ye Wusheng was the only one with an unclear expression due to the fact that he was wearing a full suit of armor. On the other hand, the heartless Chen Chen also maintained a look of composure.

He could sense an existence that restrained Thunder techniques, however, the person dared not make eye contact with him.

It could not be helped since the person's cultivation was only at the late stage of foundation building and his strength was a notch lower than Chen Chen. Besides, Thunder Techniques did not belong to the five elements and could not be restrained completely. Hence, the cultivator did not dare to challenge him as Chen Chen would probably slap him to death.

"Ah, my Tianyun Clan is only ranked in 13th place, we don't deserve to let the Wuxin Clan help nurture an elite that's at the peak of foundation building..."

Chen Chen was a little depressed as the Tianyun Clan was clearly being looked down upon.

On the other hand, You Lanxin who was at the side, was clenching her fists tightly with bloodshot eyes.

On the other side of the room, a late-stage Foundation Establishment Earth cultivator stared her down, constantly licking his tongue provocatively.

"Everyone has a rival, that's great." Chen sat down silently and began to eat.

Seeing this, Lin Jin looked at Qi Bufan and said coldly, "You can try when the time comes."

After he spoke, he also sat down.

Upon sight of this, everyone else sat down, ignoring each other.

The eighteen people led by Qi Bufan sat on the other side of the room, drinking, chatting, and laughing unrestrainedly.

Thus, a strange scene happened on the top floor of the Purple Qi Pavilion.

The area was split into two sides, with the stairway as the dividing line.

The people on the left were chatting and laughing merrily; on the other hand, those on the right were in a tense and somber ambiance.

...

Back at the Yiran Residence, Chen Chen placed all the random things that he had picked up along the way in his storage ring.

He seemed to remember that when he tracked a hundred items, the system had an achievement that would reward him with a chance to track within a range of 10 kilometers.

Hence, he used the system whenever he could as it could possibly give him a special tracking opportunity after he tracked 1,000 or 10,000 items.

By missing a wide-range tracking opportunity, he would become insecure.

A few girls in the Yiran Inn were entertaining and receiving guests enthusiastically.

Ever since he arrived, the business in the Yiran Inn had been improving and even An Jiuniang started smiling, which was rare of her.

On the other hand, Zhang Ji huddled up in a corner to read a book while grinning elatedly.

"What are you reading? Show it to me!" Chen Chen curiously leaned over.

It was a storybook containing a tragic story about a pair of lovers who ended up finding out that they were siblings.

The main characters of the story were...

Gu Qingcheng and Qi Bufan!

"Damn it! What's this nonsense?"

Chen Chen grabbed the book and carefully flipped through it. To his surprise, the name of the male protagonist of the touching but corny story had obviously been deliberately edited!

He could vaguely see that it was his name before the edits were made!

"Damn it, the editor is so careless! Only half of my name is covered, what's this?"

Hearing this, Zhang Ji laughed as he responded, "Big Brother, I take you to be the protagonist. It's quite interesting."

"Where did you get this lousy book from?" Chen Chen asked, looking displeased.

"All the girls here have a copy!"

Hearing Zhang Ji's answer, Chen Chen casually asked for a copy, only to find that it was exactly the same as Zhang Ji's copy. The name of the male protagonist was changed from Chen Chen to Qi Bufan, but the editing was careless, making it obvious that it used to be Chen Chen's name.

"They're using me for fame! Are they sponging off me?" Chen Chen asked with a look of puzzlement.

Moments later, An Jiuniang, who was sitting at the side of the room, blurted out awkwardly, "This book was published by the Crimson Bookstore in the capital. The girls in the capital love reading their books... This is the most popular book now."

"Who wrote this?" Chen Chen asked.

"I don't know, but... Seven or eight books with Gu Qingcheng as the female lead have already been published in the nation. The male protagonist of each book is a popular figure."

After hearing An Jiuniang's words, Chen Chen was already certain of the culprit's identity.

He didn't expect Gu Qingcheng to be a marketing expert. It was no wonder that she could be the greatest beauty of the capital.

"Gu Qingcheng is a powerful figure. If I were half as good as her, the Yiran Inn wouldn't be in this miserable state."

When mentioning Gu Qingcheng, a glimmer of admiration appeared in An Jiuniang's eyes.

It couldn't be helped. The Floral Moon House and the Yiran Inn were simply worlds apart and she could only admire them without any jealousy.

As soon as she finished speaking, a commotion broke out in the Yiran Inn once again.

"Look! That's Gu Qingcheng!"

The crowd looked in the direction of the sounds, only to see a couple strutting on the street in front of the Yiran Inn.

The man was dressed in white and shaking a paper fan in his hand suavely. He was none other than Qi Bufan whom Chen Chen had met in the Purple Qi Pavilion previously.

However, Qi Bufan now looked like a mild-mannered gentleman, unlike his hysterical self previously.

The woman was obviously Gu Qingcheng who was grinning widely like a beautiful woman.

The two of them chatted and strolled along like lovers.

"I didn't expect to pass by the Yiran Inn again." Gu Qingcheng murmured with a melancholic expression.

"What? Is there something special about this place?"

"Of course, this is the place where the successor of the Tianyun Clan is staying at. He is the first successor who is willing to stay in a brothel. Qingcheng admires him greatly too."

Hearing Gu Qingcheng's words, a hint of jealousy appeared in Qi Bufan's eyes. He then asked calmly, "How is the successor of the Tianyun Clan like compared to me?"

"He's naturally inferior to you, Successor. Successor, you're ranked third among the elites at such a young age and you're superior to Ye Wusheng in terms of strength. In terms of magnanimity, you are also far better than the successor of the Tianyun Clan."

The jealousy in Qi Bufan's eyes instantly disappeared and was replaced by excitement.

However, his excitement was fleeting.

"Actually, Lin Jin from the Green Dragon Clan might not be my opponent either. Maybe you think I'm bragging but you'll find out the truth in a couple of days."

"I believe you, of course. You're not the type to brag."

...

Chen Chen who was in Yiran Inn heard everything clearly. He knew that Gu Qingcheng was obviously passing by the Yiran Inn on purpose.

She purely wanted to come over and anger him.

Chen Chen gave hats off to her.

'Just take your shower of compliments and leave. Must you come here to beat me up?'

'How can there be such a petty person in this world?!'

'Not only is this woman trying to anger me, she even used a book for clout... and made use of me for fame.'

'Tsk, tsk, tsk!'

'Since when have I ever been at such a disadvantage?'

An Jiuniang who was at the side saw Chen Chen's expression change several times, and hurriedly began to comfort him. As someone with a status of cultivation, she certainly heard the conversation outside.

"Successor, Gu Qingcheng is known for being narrow-minded. Don't bother getting upset because of her. She's just a woman."

At this point, An Jiuniang blushed a little as she said softly, "Actually, I think Qi Bufan is inferior to you in terms of magnanimity. Qi Bufan cannot even compare to you. Besides, Successor, you're very interesting and you seem... different from the others."

"You've got good taste." Chen Chen said indifferently. He then changed his tone.

"Jiuniang, do you want to revamp the Yiran Inn? I can give you a hand."

"Huh? Successor, do you know how to run a business too?" An Jiuniang asked with extreme astonishment.

Chen Chen stared at Gu Qingcheng's back in the distance and chuckled.

"Of course I do. Gu Qingcheng's tricks are nothing to me."