Let them offer their loyalty!-Chapter 1458 - 626: Qing Lan: Qiu Tu Is an Interesting Person

Hearing Jackal's words, Qiu Tu and Rain Butterfly both froze for a moment, then exchanged a glance.

Qiu Tu didn't say anything. Sitting below, Rain Butterfly, as if she could read his mind, first looked at Jackal and asked, "Has Qing Lan come to 'Three Capitals City'?"

"When did she arrive? And how did you find out?"

Hearing Rain Butterfly's question, Jackal quickly replied, "Lady Qing Lan arrived at 'Three Capitals City' half an hour ago."

"The reason I knew she was here is that when I went to find Lady Candle Dance just now, as soon as I walked into the brothel, I heard her voice in my ear."

Qiu Tu's eyes narrowed slightly at these words, then he spoke up, "So what you're saying is... Princess Qing Lan sought you out first?"

Jackal bent half over, his lanky figure giving off a slightly shifty vibe. He bared his teeth and nodded, "Yes. Lady Qing Lan actively came to find me."

Rain Butterfly glanced at Qiu Tu. The two exchanged a brief look, then Rain Butterfly asked again, "What did she want from you?"

Jackal lowered his head but sneaked a cautious glance at Qiu Tu before finally speaking, "She... she asked me to deliver a message to you, my lord."

Qiu Tu's gaze grew darker; his mind stirred, and he started to guess what was coming...

He sat up straighter, looked authoritatively at Jackal, then asked, "What did Princess Qing Lan tell you to say?"

Jackal swallowed nervously, shrinking down and cautiously said, "Lady Qing Lan asked me to tell you: before sunrise tomorrow, leave the 'Divine Domain Kingdom' under her control."

"If you don't leave, then don't blame her for taking deadly measures."

After speaking, Jackal furtively glanced up to observe Qiu Tu's reaction.

He assumed that upon hearing this, Qiu Tu would surely explode in rage, or at least turn furious and grim-faced.

But... he didn't!

Qiu Tu wasn't angry at all; instead, his face was full of amusement, as if... he'd seen it coming.

Seeing this, a question mark popped up over Jackal's head. He couldn't make sense of Qiu Tu's reaction.

Back when he got Qing Lan's message and hurried back, he'd been a nervous wreck, ashamed at being discovered switching sides, worried about making Qiu Tu angry, and scared the two might fight.

Yet... Qiu Tu wasn't even angry—he smiled?

Thinking this, Jackal hunched over further, extending his head forward dog-like, and tentatively asked, "My lord... you don't seem angry?"

Hearing Jackal's words, Qiu Tu, seated at the head, looked at him and replied with a smile, "Why should I be angry?"

Jackal opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know how to start.

So in the end, he just scratched his head confusedly, then opened his mouth to show his sharp teeth, and asked in a dopey tone, "But... Lady Qing Lan has expelled you, right?"

Qiu Tu smiled and shook his head. "So what?"

He didn't explain himself further, but turned to Rain Butterfly and asked, "Speaker Rain Butterfly, when you picked a place for us to settle in the 'core area,' why did you choose 'Three Capitals City'?"

Hearing Qiu Tu's question, Rain Butterfly sat up a little and replied, "Because the 'Fog Hidden Association' is one of the biggest powers in the 'Western Kingdom.'"

"And of the provinces near the 'Northwestern Region,' at least half are under the control of the twelve high-level members of the 'Fog Hidden Association.'"

"Of all the top leaders, Princess Qing Lan is the friendliest and most neutral toward us; by her nature, she's also the least likely to take action."

"Choosing her meant a relatively stable spot to settle, easy access to the 'Fog Hidden Association's' intelligence, and the ability to stir up tensions within the association—it's a win on all fronts." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

When Rain Butterfly so bluntly brought up "stirring up relations," Jackal paused for a moment, then quickly raised his hand to his lips, making a "shh..." gesture.

He glanced around nervously, then whispered to Rain Butterfly, "Lady Rain Butterfly, keep it down, keep it down. Lady Qing Lan is probably listening in on everything we say."

Seeing how cautious Jackal was behaving, Qiu Tu chuckled. Then he said, "Jackal, since 'Three Capitals City' is ruled by Princess Qing Lan, she's omniscient here."

"If she wants to listen, it doesn't matter if you whisper or shout."

"If she wants to watch, every move you make is already in her sight."

"But, if she truly wished to rebuke or attack us, she'd have done it long ago."

"So the fact that she's done nothing proves she doesn't care about our frankness."

Jackal: .....

To be honest, Qiu Tu's remark sounded a bit like sophistry. But thinking it over, there wasn't anything wrong with it.

'So... Princess Qing Lan really is watching us? And doesn't mind Lady Rain Butterfly's honesty?'

Maybe because ever since he met Qiu Tu, Qiu Tu had never made a mistake, so Jackal, though he always felt this kind of judgment was a bit too arbitrary, still nodded and agreed.

And... a leader's composure really does rub off on you. So as Qiu Tu stayed so calm and composed, his own heart slowly settled too.

So after quietly pondering for a couple seconds, Jackal gave a sheepish smile and said, "My lord, you're right. Looks like I was overthinking it."

Hearing Jackal's words, Qiu Tu nodded slightly, then followed up, "Not only were you overthinking it, but... you clearly haven't figured out Princess Qing Lan's nature yet."