Nearing midnight on the eighth day of the ninth month, Shi Weiyang, the second son of Shi Baofeng, briefly became the focal point of attention for the entire city's important figures.

At this time, the meeting at Yi Garden had already dispersed. He Wen's ambiguous attitude towards the "Reading Club" had put everyone on alert. This was a major political trend that could sway the entire Fair Party's ecosystem, and it was not to be trifled with. When He Wen revealed the possibility of war, everyone had to prepare for a response across the entire Jiangnan region.

Some simple but important orders had already been issued in the first instance. The heightened vigilance and tension in many important places within the city were just minor ripples that came along with it. And in such a situation, Shi Weiyang led his men to storm the "Undying Guards'" base, causing many who received the information to almost drop their jaws in shock.

Xu Zhaonan, who was deploying troops at the New Tiger Palace, was somewhat dumbfounded. It was said that his face twitched a few times: "I originally thought that Zhou Shang was the only madman in the Fair Party. After seeing what happened this afternoon, He Wen is no less crazy. And before two hours had even passed, old Shi has gone mad too... Is this madness contagious!? Is there no one normal left in the entire Fair Party?!"

While Xu Zhaonan was lamenting at the New Tiger Palace that "I'm the only normal one in the Fair Party, struggling to keep it afloat," throughout the city, Zhou Shang, Gao Chang, Wei Xuwen, Gao Huiyun, Tan Zheng, Xu Longbiao, Meng Zhuotao... and even peripheral representatives such as Qian Luoning, Zuo Xiuquan, and Li Yanfeng, and even He Wen himself, who had provoked the incident, roughly expressed their amazement at "Shi Baofeng's fierce and resolute actions."

Although He Wen's attitude had led to the deterioration of the situation that day, tracing back further, it was Shi Baofeng who had put the issue of the Reading Club on the table in the first place. He was confident when he raised the issue, thinking that He Wen would mostly make a statement, but the matter escalated to this extent. No one had expected this, but no one had thought that Shi Baofeng, who always touted his merchant identity, would be so fiery either – having lost some face in the evening, he wanted to slap back that very night.

This kind of madness that didn't care about mutually assured destruction almost made people think of Ning Yi, far away in the Southwest.

No wonder Shi Baofeng occasionally compared himself to that Mr. Ning.

Those who do business are all crazy...

...

Of course, the sudden changes among the upper echelons of the Fair Party that night did not affect the lower levels of the city in the short term.

On the one hand, there were too many possibilities in the upheaval that He Wen had provoked. When it suddenly erupted, even high-level members like Wei Xuwen and Meng Zhuotao could not judge the future direction of the overall situation. The more prudent approach was to prepare and wait for the situation to develop.

On the other hand, since the martial arts tournament began, the security environment in the city had become relatively peaceful, and the Jiangning Fair Party Congress was progressing smoothly. Before the arrival of the Double Ninth Festival, the city had even begun to decorate with flowers and lanterns. This peaceful atmosphere had its own inertia.

By the time night fell on this evening, some of the lanterns erected during the day had been lit throughout the city. Large groups of Green Forest men gathered in restaurants and night markets, and a large number of idle Fair Party lower-level personnel took advantage of the lantern light to stroll outside, drinking and bragging. The celebratory atmosphere of the Double Ninth Festival had already begun that night.

By the time Shi Weiyang led his men to find trouble with the "Undying Guards," those in the various nighttime establishments who were still awake at this hour were already the wildest thrill-seekers.

At this time, those with good sources knew that there was unrest in the city, but few could grasp the full picture and severity of the situation. Shi Weiyang's actions gave many "guesses" a temporary place to land, and the people closer to the scene of the incident went to watch the excitement, cheering for Shi Weiyang's confrontation with the "Undying Guards."

People did not know that the eyes of various high-level figures were also fixed on this small area of confrontation in the night, with countless causes and effects swirling together to form a huge vortex. And Shi Weiyang himself did not know these things at this moment. This night, he stood in front of a market called Yunlai Ward in the city, and loudly declared to the "Undying Guards" group opposite him:

"...The villain Yang Hanzhou under your command! Hit a guest of the Shi family! He hit the anti-Jin hero from Yan Family Fort, Yan Tiehe! Second Master Yan! Now Second Master Yan is on the verge of death! If you don't hand over the perpetrator! My Shi family will not spare your lives—"

His words were sonorous and powerful. From far and near, onlookers standing on the rooftops in the dark applauded and shouted: "Good—"

"Fight—"

"Long live the heroes—"

"A life for a life—"

One after another, voices filled with the smell of alcohol rang out in the night. For a time, the atmosphere was tense, and a fight was about to break out.

...

The causes and effects in the political arena were certainly not that simple. Just as the two sides were locked in a tense standoff, and Xu Zhaonan was lamenting "too many madmen" in the New Tiger Palace, he saw Jin Yongsheng, the old manager of "Baofeng Company," who had arrived secretly, in the main hall.

The confrontation at Yunlai Ward was still continuing. Xu Zhaonan had just learned the whole story from Chen Juefang and others. Seeing Jin Yongsheng at this time, he felt a little relieved and snorted coldly, "What is old Shi up to? Does he not want his son's life?"

"Please calm your anger, Duke Xu." The old manager, with a tired face, cupped his fist. "In the end, the matter outside cannot be blamed on the Second Young Master. Yang Hanzhou, under Chen Hanya, injured Yan Tiehe of Yan Family Fort. Many people saw it. Second Master Yan... has a special status. If we don't stand up for him, it will be difficult for my Baofeng Company to explain to all parties under the heavens. Duke Xu only needs Chen Hanya to hand over Yang Hanzhou to settle this matter. I heard that he's just a small figure, so is there any difficulty?"

Jin Yongsheng's words were calm and reasonable. Xu Zhaonan looked at him and hesitated slightly. After a moment, he said, "With big things in front of us, why would I protect someone named Yang? Chen Juefang just reported that he was looking for Yang Hanzhou everywhere, but he couldn't find him. Later, he said that this Yang is also an old Jianghu hand. Knowing that he had caused trouble, he probably ran away with his money and belongings. If he's still in the city, we can still find him, but if he has already left the city, then it will be difficult to say."

"This..."

"When we parted from Yi Garden today, I and your master said that we should join hands. Why would we hurt our harmony for such a small matter? Old Jin, you should be clear about the situation in the city today."

Jin Yongsheng cupped his fist and nodded: "My master sent me here to confirm Duke Xu's attitude in person. Since Duke Xu has said so, my master will probably rest assured... Moreover, in my opinion, the matter of Yunlai Ward is beneficial rather than harmful."

Xu Zhaonan frowned slightly: "What is your idea..."

"Today at Yi Garden, Mr. He suddenly stirred up the situation, and we will inevitably be a little suspicious and uncertain in the future. Speaking of which, alliance and joining hands is a general trend, and at the same time, showing an alliance as not being allied is not a bad thing."

"Old Jin means... a fake fight?"

"As long as the higher-ups make it clear, the situation will not expand. Whether or not the lower-levels fight is not a big deal. The problem is the lack of private communication and tacit understanding. That's where the problem lies." Jin Yongsheng said, "Moreover, the matter of alliance is not just a verbal agreement. It's about future actions. Therefore, as soon as the Second Young Master came to the door today, my master immediately sent me over, firstly to show our hand, and secondly to see Duke Xu's attitude. The matter outside is like us putting on a good show together. Then, this matter will not only not alienate our two families, but will make us closer. This is my master's idea. What do you think, Duke Xu?"

In the hall, Xu Zhaonan looked at Jin Yongsheng and thought for a while.

A moment later, Xu Zhaonan's laughter came out in the night. Jin Yongsheng also laughed immediately. After that, the two communicated many more things...

...

Big shots have the world of big shots, and they also have their own causes and effects.

On this night, Shi Weiyang's figure appeared briefly in the eye of the huge storm that was brewing quietly, but soon after, it also crossed paths with them.

Shi Weiyang also had his own world.

On this night, he led his men to confront the leader of the "Undying Guards," "Raven" Chen Juefang, in the streets of Yunlai Ward past midnight. In the tense atmosphere, the two sides were about to trigger small frictions several times, but fortunately, they did not cause a real firefight in the end.

Shi Weiyang's heart was a little uneasy.

He wanted to stir up a huge commotion here and was mentally prepared for a firefight. However, even with his father and old Jianghu figures like Jin Yongsheng standing behind him, Shi Weiyang would still be a little worried when facing "Raven" Chen Juefang, fearing that he would provoke the other party's fury and eventually lead to an uncontrollable situation.

Fortunately, the old manager was reliable. He didn't know what kind of efforts he had made behind the scenes. The famous "Raven" Chen Juefang seemed to be arrogant, but he remained restrained from beginning to end. The two sides had a few rounds of cursing with tacit understanding. When a few influential peacemakers came to mediate, Shi Weiyang knew that from now on, he could call himself a figure of the same level as "Raven" in the Jianghu.

At the same moment, Wu Chennan, whom he regarded as a strategist, had taken people to all the large and small newspapers in the city, ordering them to print a new article and reward notice.

Many arrangements were already prepared.

...

In the early hours of the morning, in a clinic in the east of Jiangning City, Yan Tiehe woke up from his sleep and felt the weakness of his body.

The room was lit by a small lamp. A maid was sleeping at a table not far away. Yan Tiehe struggled to get up, but failed.

The caretaker maid woke up and hurried over to ask him how he was feeling. Then she went out to call the doctor. In the process, Yan Tiehe asked the maid about what had happened after he was stabbed. After that, he asked the maid to call in a member of the Yan Family Fort who was waiting in a nearby courtyard.

That was a family member who had come east with Yan Tiehe, and was also a collateral relative of Yan Tiehe, Yan Yunzhi and others. After the young man came in, Yan Tiehe dismissed the maid and the doctor, and asked the other party in more detail about the development of the situation. The other party recounted the Shi family's righteous performance in detail during this period, including the confrontation with the "Undying Guards" at midnight last night. The internal forces of the Shi family had already spread the news.

Lying on the bed, the weak Yan Tiehe thought quietly for a long time, then grabbed the other party's hand: "Something's wrong..."

"What?"

"...After Yunzhi left, due to the pressure from outside, the Shi family... had to show a more friendly attitude towards our Yan family. We can even be considered to have benefited from the misfortune during this period, but... my injury yesterday has some problems..."

"Second Uncle, are you saying..."

"I can't be sure, but once this happens, some things have to be prepared for..."

Yan Tiehe grabbed the hand of this cousin, his voice hoarse, then asked the other party to listen to his ear, and slowly told him a lot of things.

The young man left the room after listening to the instructions.

It was the darkest time before dawn. The courtyard was dimly lit, and the nearby market was quiet. He left the clinic and inspected the surrounding environment on the dark street. The Yan family practiced assassination techniques, and the young man was also quite accomplished in lightness and stealth. After such an inspection, he stopped at a corner of the street. After looking around, he tried to leave a mark.

At this time, he also noticed that something was wrong.

Suddenly looking behind him—

...

The city passed through its darkest moment, and a glimmer of dawn rose from the east.

In Jiangning City, warriors who had not noticed too much were already practicing their skills in the morning, preparing to gain more cheers in the martial arts competition in the new day. In Zhong'an Ward, Shi Weiyang woke up early with excitement, which was rare.

After a brief wash, a message from the clinic was sent to him. After reading it, Shi Weiyang's emotions became even more excited, and he planned to go to the old manager Jin Yongsheng directly, but after hesitating for a moment, he first summoned Wu Chennan to inform him of the success of a certain arrangement.

After reading the news, Wu Chennan also sighed in admiration: "Old Jin is indeed an old Jianghu hand. He even anticipated such details. I am so dull that I don't have such experience."

Shi Weiyang dragged his hand: "Chennan doesn't need to belittle himself so much. Recalling the events of the past few days, Weiyang is the truly shallow and ignorant person. Thanks to Chennan for waking me up a few days ago, I know how people like you and me should act in this world. Old Jin is an old Jianghu hand. We should be humble and learn from his experience. This is the right way. Only Chennan, you are my true benefactor. Since Chennan has been planning for me, look at the things that have happened in the past few days. Which one is not solved easily? Many major events that I used to be at a loss for words are now suddenly clear..."

He was in a good mood and said a lot of heartfelt words to the other party. After waiting for the sky to become brighter, he went to Jin Yongsheng to report the feedback from the clinic.

Jin Yongsheng was eating breakfast. Hearing this, he sighed slightly.

"...Second Master Yan is an old Jianghu hand, and Yang Hanzhou is used to being casual. Arranging the two to fight each other hastily may not be able to do things so smoothly. If he wakes up, he may notice something wrong. This matter has its good and bad sides. The good thing is that with the participation of Second Master Yan's people, it is more likely to find Yan Yunzhi. The bad thing is... if things are done too much, you may really offend your future in-laws... You should still carefully consider and cautiously handle the measure of this matter."

"I am taught."

The several things that had been done so smoothly in the past few days had made Shi Weiyang's heart more humble. After Jin Yongsheng nodded in satisfaction, he asked: "Old Jin, we have done what we should do in this matter... You said, how much certainty can we have next?"

Jin Yongsheng drank the porridge: "Many things in the world are about doing one's best and then leaving it to fate. Before things have landed, keep your mood calm. After all, if that girl named Yan has already left the city, no matter how many arrangements the Second Young Master makes, it will be useless. But of course, if she is still in the city and you have made enough preparations, the possibility of success is definitely not low."

The old man paused slightly, then said: "Second Young Master, you have indeed grown in these days."

Shi Weiyang bowed his head to thank him, and then said: "These things are thanks to the assistance of Brother Chennan and the guidance of Old Jin... By the way, I don't know if there are more things to pay attention to in the next arrangements. I hope Old Jin can teach me more."

Jin Yongsheng nodded with satisfaction, and then the two talked in detail about many things in the morning light.

...

In the same light, on the other side of the city, Yan Yunzhi went to the teahouse she went to every day, holding a newspaper and preparing for breakfast.

This day was the Double Ninth Festival on the ninth day of the ninth month. The world's customs are to climb high on the Double Ninth Festival and miss relatives every festive season. She, who had already made the decision to leave home, could not help but miss her relatives at home. After she left, she didn't know when she would see her father in Yan Family Fort again.

Soon after, she saw the news of Yan Tiehe's injury in the newspaper. In another newspaper, she saw even more that Second Master Yan was seriously injured and on the verge of death, and the Shi family was offering a reward to find famous doctors and arrest the villain Yang Hanzhou.

Yan Yunzhi sat in the teahouse for half the morning. On this day, the two elder brothers "Han Ping" and "Han Yun" who could bring her some information in the city did not come over either. As members of the foreign mission, the most urgent information in this city had now become the "Reading Club." From last night to today, although the market was still calm and peaceful, the alliances and mergers of each household in private had become particularly intense. Every moment in the city, the general trend might change.

She was wary in her heart, but still decided to take a look from afar and inquire about the news.

In this case, she could never really visit Second Uncle. She only wanted to know if Second Uncle, who had been seriously injured, was out of danger.

It was afternoon, the sun was shining, and the whole city became warm and lively because of the festive atmosphere of the Double Ninth Festival. On the street in the east of the city, Yan Yunzhi, who had disguised herself, walked forward among the pedestrians. Before that, she had gone near Wen Shui Inn to inquire about the details of the martial arts competition that had taken place yesterday, confirming that Second Uncle was really seriously injured and that the city was in an uproar, before she came here and had taken a look at the clinic from a distance.

As expected, there were layers of secret sentries arranged by the Shi family near the clinic. The target of this ambush was obviously herself, who might come to visit Second Uncle.

The idea in her heart had to be abandoned. She was expanding her patrol area around the area.

In the late afternoon, she caught sight of a special signal left by her cousin in a dirty corner near the clinic. The other party also warned her in the signal.

If Second Uncle's injury was fake, then this matter might be a scheme by Second Uncle, along with the Shi family, to try to catch herself back. But after the investigation, she found that Second Uncle was really injured, and even asked her cousin to come out to warn her, then this matter had great reliability.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, Yan Yunzhi went to a teahouse two streets away from the clinic. She found a place by the window and sat down, waiting for her cousin to come and meet her.

Soon after, tea and snacks were served.

Yan Yunzhi held the short sword in her hand and stood up from her seat. In front of her vision, Shi Weiyang, Wu Chennan and others were walking towards here slowly. Her eyes looked downstairs, considering turning down immediately, but several stallholders on the street were changing people, and some of them were looking here with a smile. The window of the restaurant opposite the street also had tricky figures.

"They are all masters." Red light flashed in Shi Weiyang's eyes. His voice was gentle, so gentle that it didn't sound like his usual self. Yan Yunzhi saw him walk to the table and sit on the opposite bench, his hands trembling slightly as he touched the table a few times.

"They are all masters... In order to... not alarm you, so the ones who were arranged to come over first are all masters from the family... There are still many people, who are now surrounding from both sides. You can't leave today, no matter who comes..." Shi Weiyang looked at her and said gently, "Sit down..."

The afternoon sun shone diagonally into the teahouse. On both sides of the street, more people were indeed coming here. More and more people were appearing in the teahouse. Yan Yunzhi opened her mouth, and the sword in her hand tightened.

Shi Weiyang gently touched the table with his fingers. He just looked at her gently, only in the depths of his eyes, countless emotions were constantly fluctuating. He was experiencing the feeling of this moment.

From Shi Weiyang's perspective, in the past few days, he had endured hardships, constantly reflected, ignited the fuse of the Reading Club, manipulated the conspiracy of the slaughter, confronted "Raven" Chen Juefang head-on, brushed past the vortex of the storm, done one thing after another, and set up one layout after another. At this moment, he finally brought the huge cause and effect and killed to her face.

"Where are you going..."

At this time, this teahouse, this street, this woman, the whole world... are his...

He is going to—

Take her back.