After coming out from the Heavenly Cloud Chambers, Qu Wen Hao stood unmoving in a spot and stared at Jun Xie for a good while, looking like he wanted to say something but finally left without a word.
Lin Que was in despair as he left while the other Clan Chiefs and their deputies bid each other farewell before they all left.
Jun Wu Xie departed from the place with Xiong Ba and Qing Yu and halfway through the journey, it was already very late at night and only the bright red lanterns were still lit in the Thousand Beast City, the streets already completely empty.
"Young Master Jun, how did you suddenly become the Fire Country's Emperor?" Xiong Ba had tried very hard to resist for a very long while and he could not hold himself back anymore as he asked of Jun Xie in a low voice.
He still clearly remembered that Jun Xie had only been a disciple from the Zephyr Academy and although he played the Fire Country's Emperor out completely, he had not seized the opportunity to take on the throne. From what Qu Ling Yue said, hadn't Jun Xie previously heaped the rulership of the Fire Country onto the Crown Prince, Lei Chen at that time?
"I don't know." Jun Wu Xie replied truthfully.
Xiong Ba's face was immediately filled with surprise.
"I know only just as much as both of you." Jun Wu Xie said calmly. She had come to the Thousand Beast City together with Xiong Ba and the others and after they left, whatever Lei Chen actually did then was not known to her at all.
But from the way Qu Xin Rui had reacted, she must have investigated into her identity and the matter about her being the ruling Emperor must have been collaborated.
If there was no problem with Qu Xin Rui's source of information, then it could only mean that the Fire Country had done something after she had departed from the country.
At first, Lei Chen had been insistent for Jun Xie to ascend to the throne, but Jun Wu Xie had relentlessly given him the runaround and distracted Lei Chen from the issue completely. Jun Wu Xie had then quickly left the place without even a word, and came to the Thousand Beast City with Xiong Ba and the others. She had thought that she would be able to forget everything about the Fire Country cleanly, but from the way things looked at the moment, things were not exactly going the way she had anticipated.
Having suddenly become the Emperor of the Fire Country for no good reason, Jun Wu Xie did not find it the least bit amusing.
Xiong Ba and Qing Yu exchanged a look between themselves, and knowing that Jun Xie was not a person prone to lies, they believed what the youth said.
"From Qu Xin Rui's demeanor, she intends to poach you. Barring that it's something completely unexpected, she must be eyeing the might behind the Fire Country, to help her further the exploration of the region around that map." Xiong Ba reasoned.
"But from what she said, she seems to be willing to use the powers of the Purple Spirit in exchange. But….. the powers of the Purple Spirit, can be bestowed upon a person by others?" That was one point that Xiong Ba had not been able to understand. If Qu Xin Rui had the ability to give others the powers of the Purple Spirit, wouldn't that be just absolutely Heaven defying?
Jun Wu Xie did not reply. Xiong Ba and Qing Yu were people in the Lower Realm and they would naturally not know that there exists a method that enabled people to temporarily raise their spirit powers in the Middle Realm. But she noted that Qu Xin Rui method of trying to win her over was the same as what the original owner of the ring had experienced.
They were both baited with the might of the Purple Spirit, to lure them to the hook.
Although Jun Wu Xie had never met that person, but she already acknowledged him as her Master. Having the disciple put in the same situation as her Master, to be confronted with the same temptation, had seemed like fate was at play.
"Young Master Jun, you wouldn't really be….. thinking of cooperating with Qu Xin Rui would you?" Xiong Ba asked, looking worriedly at Jun Xie. It wasn't that he did not believe in Jun Xie's character, but it was because the lure Qu Xin Rui threw out was really alluring.
What Jun Xie seeked, Qu Xin Rui was able to provide, and even help him attain the Purple Spirit. But the Thousand Beast City on the other hand, had besides that one piece of map, nothing else to offer Jun Xie and Xiong Ba could not help himself but to become worried.
"I don't need to." Jun Wu Xie replied.