The night sky was like a罩子 (zhào zi, cover), and the densely packed rooms reeked of rotting fish. Unidentified birds flew in the darkness, near and far, as fishing lights floated. A man named Pu Xingui waved in the dim light, leading his men away through the spiderweb-like alleyways. A figure in a cloak stood on the dilapidated shed roof, watching them silently. Yu Wang (Fish King) Gao Xingzong came over and spoke a few words of concern in the faint starlight. Soon after, he also left. The cloaked figure smashed something on the shed roof, causing large pieces of tile to fall. After a while, the flagpole beside the roof broke and fell into the river below. A few ripples spread across the surface of the water, becoming simple ripples when they reached the fishing boats not far away. This commotion burned in the fire of the night, and some civilians living nearby came out to curse. Ning Ji cursed back. Before long, this brief exchange of curses became just another trivial ripple in the city's night. The night wind gently caressed the city along the river. He took off his cloak, changed into simple clothes, and walked along the unpaved dirt road beside the river. This half of the night had been very successful in meeting with Pu Xingui. He had inquired about the information he wanted to know, determined a strategy to deal with Chen Shuangran, and obtained the names of several rumor-mongers in the city who might be able to contact Chen Shuangran—this was a complex plan that he had only heard of but never executed before, but the sense of accomplishment was gone from the start. A sense of emptiness and pale anger lingered in his heart. To sum it up, it was probably: "Fuck Zuo Xingzhou." He thought of that stupid face. Just like that, he kicked the bucket. You lost the Zuo family's face, and this time you lost the Hua Xia Army's face as well. When you go back to the Southwest, you'll be laughed at to death! The remaining feeling was just emptiness. In fact, he had experienced the feeling of saying goodbye to his comrades on the battlefield in the Southwest, but perhaps because he was young at that time, or because he had prepared himself mentally every day, the deaths of some older brothers and uncles did not feel so sudden. Having stayed in the Hua Xia Army for a long time, he also understood that the cruelty of the so-called Jianghu (江湖, martial world) was far less than the violence of the state. Zuo Xingzhou was accidentally killed in such a childish struggle, which made his state of mind particularly difficult to calm down. When anger flared up, he punched in the dimness by the river, breaking a tree planted there. When he first met Zuo Xingzhou and others, he was just a child who ran around with his brother, sister-in-law, Hei Niu (Black Girl), and others, and when he occasionally participated in fights with his village companions, he was often beaten to the ground. But now, his body had grown, and he was gradually entering the age of vigorous energy and immense strength. If Zuo Xingzhou, who was a little older than him, could carefully see his current power and divine strength, he would probably be shocked. It's a pity that the last time they met, he didn't hit him hard enough. Should have hit him hard… His mind was filled with empty, pointless information. He crossed this river and gradually entered a relatively crowded market area. Shabby vendors pushed their carts, beggars picked their feet by the roadside, and half-open doors on the roadside revealed yellow teeth to solicit customers. Impotent scholars toasted each other in the restaurant, talking about the court's jokes. Two listless Yamen (衙役, government runners) with痞相 (pǐ xiàng, hooligan look) brushed past him. One of them took the time to look at him, but had no reaction at all. A mere formality… If it were him, in this tense situation, would he let a one-eared, bruised and swollen person pass by on the street? He would interrogate him, arrest him! Arrest him and beat him! He hated the small court in the Southeast even more in his heart. What尊王攘夷 (zūn wáng rǎng yí, support the king and expel the barbarians), what constitutional monarchy, they can't even catch a few petty hooligans, it's worse than dog shit! Even worse than the Fairness Party! The group of people from the Zuo family were thrown back here, and they all lost their souls! Thinking like this, he passed through the city of Fuzhou at night, with deserted streets and crowded markets. Passing through a market, he sat for a while on a bluestone bench under the archway at the entrance, watching the people coming and going in front of him. He thought in his heart that Chen Shuangran, that little bitch, might be hiding in some such market, and maybe those fools would walk past him later and be caught and beaten to death… But of course, things didn't happen so coincidentally. At this time, he thought of Zuo Xingzhou again, and then he thought of the many people who had sacrificed on the battlefield in the Southwest. The faces of those people before their deaths seemed to pass before his eyes, and for some reason, they suddenly became clearer. He remembered those uncles, aunts, older brothers, and older sisters who had teased him, given him candy, and beaten him, and like Zuo Xingzhou, they all made him feel sad. The life and death that he didn't quite understand when he was twelve or thirteen years old, the life and death that he once thought was ordinary, became gradually deeper on this night. They had left forever. He accidentally shed two drops of horse urine, and resolutely waved it away. He didn't have good luck to wait for Chen Shuangran. The next round of plans and revenge still required a period of forbearance. Ning Ji stood up and walked towards the Princess's Mansion, crossing rivers and small bridges, and then crossing several streets and stone bridges. The mansion gradually came closer. Behind this mansion, Yue Yinping had once given him a secret code that allowed him to pass through a small door guarded by several people and enter the interior. He passed through the secret door and could see sentry posts in the distance. At this time, it seemed to have changed from the daytime. Changing every day, is that security? -- Change your mother's head! He was furious. Ning Ji crossed the alley and then, under the cover of trees, climbed over the wall, avoided the guards' blind spots, and moved forward all the way.

When he was in the Southwest, he heard people talk about the two siblings here, talk about Fuzhou. People always said that there was still some hope here. When his father received intelligence from here, he occasionally said, "The little emperor is still diligent" "The princess has a good brain" "There is still hope" -- What hope is there! The garrison of the dignified Princess's Mansion is a mere formality. He, a nameless Hua Xia Army candidate scout, broke through several courtyards in the blink of an eye and was about to enter the core area. He crossed another stone archway and entered a courtyard with a small pond and rockery. Ning Ji was about to put his hands on his hips and curse when he suddenly stopped. Because he heard "humming" sounds in front of him. Looking carefully, he saw a figure enjoying himself on the road over the rockery. He was about to hide when a gust of wind came from the side. "You..." Damn it... He was discovered... The figure that came out seemed to be hiding in the blind spot of the rockery. He didn't know if it was a guard or an assassin. The other party pounced over and wanted to speak. Ning Ji unhappily threw a heavy punch. His fist turned into a claw, whistling and tearing towards the other party's neck. The figure suddenly moved closer and waved a knife, but Ning Ji punched the knife back into its sheath. The two figures flashed and crossed several times. Ning Ji punched the person to the ground with a bang. This hit the back of the neck, and the other party immediately fainted. Ning Ji's figure was as fast as lightning, rushing forward. Because the figure humming on the opposite side had also arrived nearby and had clearly seen the fight between the two of them, Ning Ji raised his hand and wanted to chop the other party down at the first opportunity. Halfway through the rush, he stopped. A little girl was walking over from the opposite side, skipping and licking a sugar bar in her hand. At this time, she was sticking out her tongue and blinking her eyes. Ning Ji was in a bad mood, but at this time, it was impossible to really hit a silly little girl. He stood there, turned his palm into a fist, made a threatening gesture, and then, without caring whether the other party would shout, turned back and looked. The woman lying on the ground was wearing a guard's uniform, but he didn't know why she was hiding in the dark to scare him. "A mere formality, too unprofessional..." Ning Ji muttered and cursed in a low voice. "Ah, Sister Zou..." The little girl with the sugar bar ran over, squatted on the ground, and poked the female guard's face. Then she looked up, "What's wrong with her?" Ning Ji put his hands on his hips for a while, then walked over and squatted down, reaching out to check the other party's breath: "She's still alive, she's asleep!" "Still alive." The little girl also imitated his appearance and probed the female guard's nose. This little girl is a fool. He can ask the two fools from the Yue family later if she is their younger sister... Ning Ji thought, looking around. Then he raised the woman's hands and dragged the other party into the rockery: "She's asleep, she can't sleep on the road, we have to find a place for her to sleep well." He dragged the other party into the cave in the rockery. The little girl with the sugar bar seemed to think it made sense, so she followed over and found a stone on the ground and handed it to Ning Ji: "Sleeping needs a pillow." Ning Ji nodded to indicate that it was right and asked the other party to put down the "pillow." The little girl then picked up a few leaves and placed them on top, indicating that it was a pillowcase. Under the cooperation of the two, the female guard who had been knocked unconscious was placed in the rockery and lay quietly. Ning Ji had a fire in his heart, and at this time, he didn't know how to continue. He stepped out of the rockery, looked around with his hands on his hips, and looked at the little girl standing aside, feeling annoyed. He pointed at the two of them. "Do you know each other?" "Yes, I'm with Sister Zou." "You... this world is going bad because of stupid people like you!" "...Ah?" The little girl blinked her eyes, stunned, not knowing why she was being scolded. "Ah what? You know her, but you don't know me. What if I'm a bad guy?" "...Ah?" The other party opened her mouth and licked the sugar bar. "Then... are you a bad guy?" "I... of course I'm not!" "Oh, you're not." The little girl licked the sugar bar twice, then nodded, one word at a time, as if she had learned it from someone, "Then I'm relieved." "..." Ning Ji was silent for a while, not knowing whether he was stupid or the other party was wise. He put his hands on his hips and looked around, calming down: "Then do you know who I am?" "I don't know." "Then I'll tell you, I'm a magician." "Ah?" "Come on, let me do a magic trick for you!" Ning Ji twisted his neck, stretched his muscles, and then reached out: "Let me use your candy." He didn't wait for the other party to react and snatched the sugar bar from her hand. The little girl blinked her eyes, not knowing if she wanted to cry. Ning Ji stood in front of her and held up the sugar bar: "Look, candy." Then he opened his mouth: "Ah, there's nothing, right." The little girl nodded, looked into his open mouth, and then nodded again. Ning Ji made an "ah" sound and slowly opened his mouth to the maximum. Then he put the sugar bar in his mouth, made a "woo" sound, and closed his mouth. Then there was a violent, crackling sound. "Dangdangdangdang--" When he pulled it out, only a small stick was left in Ning Ji's hand. He opened his mouth wide to the other party and smiled evilly: "Gone! It's gone!" The little girl blinked her eyes and looked at him. In the dimness, her eyes seemed to be gradually becoming watery.

Ning Ji waited for the other party to wail. He had been holding his breath all night and wanted to lose it. Now that he found a little fool, this kind of prank was the mildest way to vent. "Giggle, haha..." The little girl pointed at the small stick in his hand and made a strange sound. He recognized it for a while before realizing that the sound was actually laughter. "Giggle, giggle..." The other party laughed so hard that she held her stomach: "You're so amazing--" Ning Ji's face flattened. Before he could make the next round of pranks, the little girl reached out and grabbed his hand: "Come here, come here, giggle..." The little girl laughed excitedly, pulling him through the rockery area and through the courtyard door. In the next courtyard, the other party led him into a room on the side. Ning Ji was not happy. He saw the other party struggling to hug a box from the head of the bed, struggling to hug it onto a stool and open it. Presented in front of him was a whole box of sugar bars. The sugar was big and round, and piled together, it was enough to suffocate a person three times. "Hahaha, you're so amazing, I want to see the magic trick again..." The little girl's voice was sweet, like she had eaten sugar. Ning Ji was so angry that he was stunned. Obviously, the other party was playing him, but he wasn't very sure... In this moment, the alarm sounded. Torches rushed into the courtyard. At the door of the room, someone suddenly rushed in. Ning Ji turned around and fought with the other party. In the blink of an eye, he jumped and moved, and the two soldiers who rushed in first were knocked to the ground by him. Ning Ji rushed past the little girl and dropped a sentence fiercely: "Only dogs eat your candy!" The little girl was stunned and watched the other party rush out of the back window like the wind. At this time, Ning Ji also knew who the other party was. Because the alarm in the courtyard was: "Someone is assassinating the princess." This is the daughter of the little emperor Zhou Junwu. She is silly and has no future, just as silly as his family's silly Ning Xiao Ke-- More guards were rushing around. Ning Ji ran wildly, jumping over the water, climbing over the rockery, and crossing the wall... He was so angry that he wanted to test the limit of the Princess's Mansion's garrison. After a while, Yinping, Yueyun, and Qu Longjun behind the Princess's Mansion were also alarmed. The Yue siblings rushed over with weapons... ****** In the darkness, the sound of commotion spread behind the Princess's Mansion again, attracting a lot of prying eyes. By tomorrow, I don't know what kind of bizarre rumors will form. Junwu and Zhou Pei were worried for a while behind the mansion. When the guards brought the princess over and found that the little girl was not injured, they were relieved one after another. The sound of commotion spread behind for a while, and soon, it was suppressed. There was no result from yesterday's assassination, and it came again tonight. Moreover, it also affected the little niece brought by her younger brother. Zhou Pei was particularly angry and ordered Zhao Xiaosong to keep the other party, regardless of life or death. However, Zhao Xiaosong went out for a while, and when she came back, her expression was also particularly complicated. "The, the assassin has been blocked at the back, but, but... things are a bit strange, he hasn't been taken down..." "Tell me in detail." "Girl Yinping is fighting with the other party, but, but... they won't let anyone else go over. Yue, Yueyun told me..." Zhao Xiaosong hesitated. She looked around. Zhou Pei frowned: "What's wrong, what can't you say!" Junwu waved his hand: "Let the others go outside and guard." Several guards left one after another. Zhou Pei stood there, and Junwu held his daughter, listening to Zhao Xiaosong cupping her hands and saying in a very low voice: "Yueyun said... that person is from the Southwest..." The room was quiet for a while. The daughter held in his arms was still gesturing about the magic trick of eating sugar bars: "Such a big sugar bar..." "What did you say? Where?" Junwu asked. "Yueyun said he is from the Southwest." "From the Southwest, that is the Zuo family... the Zuo family..." Junwu's eyes became serious. He put his daughter down, realizing that the other party was not a companion of the Zuo family. He listened to his daughter talking about the things the other party teased her about. At this time, he took a breath: "...Tell me in detail." "Yes, this matter seems to be related to the commotion last night. This matter was handled by Mr. Cheng and Mr. Zuo Wenxuan together. All I know is..." Zhao Xiaosong hurriedly said about the events of last night. Hearing half of the words, many things could be understood. Junwu waved his hand: "Call, call Cheng Zhouhai over." Zhao Xiaosong was about to salute when Zhou Pei said: "Call Zuo Wenxuan over together." "Yes, I will..." "Call Yueyun over first." "Fang Jinghao is in the mansion, let him come over too... Let them two come over first..." The orders were noisy, and Zhao Xiaosong ran away with her head in her hands. After the other party left, Junwu listened to the sounds outside and walked around the room. After a while, he said to Zhou Pei: "Is it a little quieter?" "That person is fighting with Yinping." "Yinping can stop him. They know each other, he's not a bad person." "...Let's figure it out first." "If he's a bad person, Fuyang would have had an accident long ago." Junwu walked back and forth with his hands behind his back, then waved his hand, "Let's go, let's go, let's go take a look behind." "You
have some strategy..."

"What's wrong with me joining in the fun? This is not a serious matter..." The emperor stepped out, and Zhou Pei had to follow behind. Halfway there, they met Yueyun and Fang Jinghao. They told them some of the details of last night's events... In the courtyard, the fight gradually subsided. Ning Ji sat on the ground in the messy courtyard, panting. "What's wrong?" Yinping was extremely unhappy. She paced in the courtyard and threw a piece of cloth that was originally used to bandage wounds on the ground. "What are you going crazy for!" "A mere formality..." "What mere formality, you think you're so great... you were fine when you went out..." "You." Ning Ji pointed at him. "You have no hope at all, you can't even deal with a few thugs, you have no hope at all." "What hope, what thugs, if you don't agree, come fight again!" Ning Ji was a little tired. He had bullied a little girl, knocked over more than a dozen guards, and his emotions had gradually calmed down. Yinping was also angry for a while, afraid that he would continue to freak out, so she sat down beside him. Not far away in the courtyard, there were guards poking their heads out, they were blocked and were quite unhappy. "If I hadn't stopped them, how many could you have beaten? They could have beaten you to death! Look at you after going out..." "...Zuo Xingzhou is dead." Ning Ji said in a low voice. Only Yinping could hear this sentence, so her expression was also blank for a moment. After a moment, Yinping supported the ground behind her with both hands and leaned her body back. In her vision, there was a starry night sky. "...Oh." ... Not far away, the second-floor window of a building was opened, and someone was looking over here from there. Zhou Pei seemed to think this was indecent. When the window was opened, she stepped back, but then she tilted her head and looked out towards here. "He's really not very old..." "Hehehehe." Yueyun introduced from the side. "This is... the famous in the Hua Xia Army! Known to everyone! Known to all--" ... Under the starlight, Yinping reached out and patted Ning Ji on the shoulder. ... Ning Ji slapped her hand away. "...The four-foot pervert!".