岳云 hadn't had too much interaction with Zuo Wenxuan in the past.

Due to childhood experiences and the connections of their fathers, the Yue siblings and the Zuo family, who had returned from the Southwest, were generally quite close. Moreover, soon after returning to Fuzhou, the Zuo family members had visited the Beiwei Army multiple times for exchanges, treating each other as comrades in the same trench.

However, while the overall relationship was friendly, there were naturally individual differences and varying degrees of compatibility. For example, Yue Yun preferred Zuo Wenhuai, who was good at social situations, and Zuo Xingzhou, who had a more outgoing personality. As for Zuo Wenxuan, the captain, Yue Yun had initially engaged in conversations out of curiosity, but Zuo Wenxuan possessed an introverted demeanor, even emitting an aura similar to their teacher, Li Pin. Yue Yun held him in respect or awe, and while they didn't dislike each other, they didn't have much to say either.

Privately, he had complained to Zuo Xingzhou, "When Brother Wenxuan looks at me, I always feel like he's saying I'm an idiot."

Zuo Xingzhou nodded in agreement, pointing out, "I also think you are."

Regardless of his personal feelings, Yue Yun knew that Zuo Wenxuan was a reliable and steady person. He was clearly here for serious business. It was already evening, and Yue Yun hadn't stayed home for dinner. He immediately mounted his horse and headed towards the Zuo family's temporary residence.

As he arrived at the Zuo family's courtyard, the western city walls were gradually swallowing the sunlight. Some Zuo family members, having already eaten dinner, greeted the arriving Yue Yun. Some even joked about him having been off causing trouble in some bandit den. Yue Yun responded with a few "hehehe"s before being led to a study in the core courtyard, filled with various documents.

Zuo Wenxuan, wearing his glasses, was flipping through some files. After asking Yue Yun if he had eaten, he had someone bring over some pancakes and a large mug of tea. Yue Yun devoured a few bites, and Zuo Wenxuan finished reviewing the documents in his hands before sitting down, dispensing with further pleasantries. "Have you seen Xingzhou recently?"

Yue Yun's heart skipped a beat.

He carefully recalled, saying, "I saw him once after the Silver Bridge Market fight, on May... twenty-first, in the morning. I haven't seen him since... Has something happened to him?"

"It's uncertain at the moment." Zuo Wenxuan adjusted his glasses. "Did you mention the acting you were doing to anyone else?"

"...I mentioned it to my sister in private, without going into specifics, but if she were to guess, she might figure it out."

"Miss Yue is discreet and can keep secrets." Zuo Wenxuan said. "However, if it's convenient, I might need you to discuss it with her and see if it's possible that the matter of Xingzhou was inadvertently leaked somewhere."

"Okay, no problem." As someone who had come from the battlefield, Yue Yun knew the importance of such serious matters. He didn't say much, agreeing and then biting his lip. "Zuo... Xingzhou, what happened? Was he... exposed?"

"Don't worry." Zuo Wenxuan patted his hand on the back, then stood up and walked to the side, picking up a document. "According to my guess, exposure isn't the most likely possibility, but it needs to be considered."

Yue Yun opened the document. It was a report from the Ministry of Justice. Due to the messy handwriting, he had some difficulty reading it at first, but scanning down, he didn't immediately see the name "Zuo Xingzhou" or "Zhou Xing."

"According to the previous arrangements, Xingzhou left a message on the twenty-second, saying that he might have found the enemy's tracks and was about to infiltrate them. These kinds of actions are inherently improvisational, and it's not necessarily a big deal if there's no news for several days, but because of the recent increase in vigilance towards the Green Forest Brotherhood, I have been exchanging information with the Ministry of Justice. Some vicious infighting or bizarre deaths are sent here to me for notification. So this morning, I saw a name." Zuo Wenxuan reached out and pointed to a spot on the paper in front of Yue Yun. "'Tiger Shark' Zhan Yunhai."

"Tiger Shark..."

"The one who suddenly came out to support him that night you and Xingzhou were acting. 'Mixed Yuan Axe' Zhou Xing's good brother."

"I've heard of it." Yue Yun looked up at Zuo Wenxuan.

"Xingzhou found a way to infiltrate the enemy on the twenty-second. 'Tiger Shark' Zhan Yunhai died on the afternoon or evening of the twenty-second. According to the coroner's examination, he was attacked by multiple people and died a terrible death. At the same time, Xingzhou hasn't sent out any news." Zuo Wenxuan sat there, his words calm, with not much expression on his face. "After seeing this report, I went to the Martial Arts Academy this morning and confirmed with Wenhuai that he didn't know Xingzhou's whereabouts either. At that time, I also arranged for our people to personally re-examine Zhan Yunhai's body. According to the examination, there was gunpowder residue on Zhan Yunhai's body, and it was high-explosive gunpowder from the Southwest... the kind we're using now."

Yue Yun thought for a moment. "...Xingzhou's life-saving move? Did he blow up Zhan Yunhai?"

"It shouldn't be." Zuo Wenxuan shook his head. "Imagine, he and Zhan Yunhai go to join a gang, and during the event... no matter what the reason, Zhan Yunhai turns against the others and a fight breaks out. If Xingzhou joined the others, then it would be a situation of many against one. He wouldn't throw a thunderbolt at Zhan Yunhai in such an advantageous situation. First, there's no need to expose such a trump card, and second, it would blow up 'his own people'..."

"Then it's... he and Zhan Yunhai were hunted down as soon as they joined..."

Zuo Wenxuan's gaze was calm, and he didn't comment on this obvious deduction, only remaining silent for a while before saying, "There are two main possibilities right now. First, after Zhan Yunhai died, his body was thrown into the Kuannian Canal outside the city. This section of the canal is often used by the underworld as a place to dump bodies after contract killings. Then the greatest possibility is that someone wanted to hire someone to kill Zhan Yunhai, and Xingzhou happened to be caught up in it. If this is the case, he hasn't been found yet, and he used a thunderbolt, perhaps... he might have saved his life. We need to find him as soon as possible..."

"The second possibility, there's nothing to say, his acting was exposed, and the other side used a counter-scheme against us. But if that's the case, the situation behind it is complicated. While you and Miss Yue are acting so conspicuously, it's very likely that you've been carefully watched by Chen Shuangran and the others..."

Hearing Zuo Wenxuan mention this possibility, Yue Yun felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Relying on his superior martial arts, he had indeed put a lot of pressure on the Green Forest Brotherhood in the city over the past month. But if the other side really acted according to Zuo Wenxuan's line of thought, his sister might be able to take precautions, but he... couldn't take care of everything around him.

"The possibility is small, I'm just thinking about what I would do if I were them..." Zuo Wenxuan comforted in a low voice, then said, "In any case, Xingzhou is now neither alive nor dead. The shorter the time it takes to find him, the greater the chance he has of surviving. Brother Yue, you first... confirm with Miss Yue whether there's a possibility that the matter was accidentally exposed, and also ask Miss Yue to advise you; second, please... use your connections in the martial world, no matter what, to investigate the information about Zhan Yunhai and Zhou Xing. Since there are no clues for the time being, just investigate whatever you can..."

Yue Yun nodded. After a moment, he was a little embarrassed. "Zuo... Brother Zuo, actually... actually... my sister and I were too famous last year, and now... the martial world sees us as righteous people. Some... some news, it’s harder to get. If it weren't for that, after Zhong Ergui died unjustly, we wouldn't have been fighting everywhere. Maybe we would have secretly gone undercover like Zuo Xingzhou..."

"..." Zuo Wenxuan was silent for a moment, then raised his glasses. "...Then... keep fighting. In the Green Forest, if there are any informants or middleman with ambiguous identities that you think might have information, Brother Yue, you can go and force them to talk."

"That's possible, but... if it's really like you said, Brother Zuo, and Chen Shuangran and the others are secretly watching me..."

"It doesn't matter, I'll also send someone to watch you this time."

"Then what's the difference!" Yue Yun almost jumped up, hitting his chest with his fist. "Brother Zuo, you just watch. I'll definitely beat them to the ground. You can't catch a wolf without putting out bait. Brother Zuo, you guys are responsible for catching the wolves."

Zuo Wenxuan frowned. "...Take a few thunderbolts with you when you leave."

"Hehehe, okay, hehehe..." Yue Yun smiled, and at this point, he suddenly remembered something. "Oh, yes, there's one thing that's very strange..."

"What?"

"I remember... the time my and Xingzhou discussed doing the acting was originally on the evening of the nineteenth, but then something unexpected happened. Xingzhou didn't show up that night, so it later became the twentieth. That thing is very weird..."

As he said this, he saw Zuo Wenxuan wave his hand opposite him. "I know the whole story of this matter, but I can't reveal it, but there's nothing suspicious about it."

"...Oh." Yue Yun nodded.

"Is there anything else you can think of?"

"Right now... there isn't. I'll tell you if I think of anything else."

Zuo Wenxuan also nodded, then was silent for a moment. "Then the whole thing depends on improvisation now. If he was caught up in it by Zhan Yunhai, then he can only rely on his luck. But if his identity is exposed, in any case, the Zuo family, the Southwest background, it's a rare commodity, he may not die, maybe someone will come to negotiate terms. Brother Yue, you must pay attention to this information, and of course, pay attention to your own safety... Another point, since Xingzhou used thunderbolts that day, then the movement won't be small. This afternoon, I have arranged for the Ministry of Justice to inquire with the village leaders outside the city about the strange explosion sounds from the afternoon to the evening of the twenty-second. I don't know if there will be any news. You can also pay attention to it when you inquire..."

The words here were calm, and he roughly instructed him on many trivial matters. Yue Yun listened with approval. When the matter was finished, he left here, his heart still full of concern for Zuo Xingzhou. But on the other hand, he had a clearer confidence in the method of things.

He finished the pancakes in his hand in a few bites, received a few hand grenades for self-defense from the Zuo family, and then left the house and went to the Princess Mansion.

Although his sister had instructed him not to publicize it this morning, now that he had Zuo Wenxuan as a backer, what was there to be afraid of? Thinking about how he had only learned about Zhan Yunhai's matter this morning, and by the afternoon he had sorted out the context and arranged all the things properly, if he could cooperate well with him, maybe that Wonton Monk would have to fall into his hands. This would really be a big face-showing thing.

Thinking about it, he was already burning with excitement.

Yue Yun rode his horse and disappeared into the streets near the Zuo family's residence. On the other hand, in the Zuo family's mansion, Zuo Wenxuan called a cousin and made arrangements to search for Zuo Xingzhou and take care of the rising star Yue Yun. Then he went to deal with other matters at hand.

When he raised his head from the files again, the night was already deep. Although he seemed calm, his heart was actually not at peace. Judging from the state of Zhan Yunhai's death and the current date, the hope for Zuo Xingzhou's survival was actually small. But even if he was abusing his power for personal reasons, he couldn't arrange more manpower to participate in the investigation of this matter now.

And the situation couldn't be expanded too much.

--Who else might know a little bit of the clues?

He thought about this, calculating what he might have missed.

There was actually a name in his heart.

But he was hesitating whether he could touch matters concerning this name...

...

May 26th, past halfway through Hai hour.

Ning Ji, who was still tidying up his stall at the still lively Silver Bridge Market night market and arguing with people, turned around and saw the figure standing across the road.

He opened his mouth wide and blinked.

"What's wrong?" Qu Longjun, who was talking to a pretty little maid beside him, noticed his expression.

"Um... no, nothing..." Ning Ji took a breath, then tilted his head and said calmly in a low voice: "I met a friend, I'll go for a while."

"Okay." Qu Longjun nodded encouragingly.

The man across the road smiled at him. Ning Ji walked closer, with his hands on his waist: "Hey, Four-Eyes! Are you here to cause trouble?"

Zuo Wenxuan was one of the oldest members of the Zuo family to study in Xiaocang River. When he arrived, his Confucian studies were already complete. Even if he participated in the imperial examinations, he could potentially get a scholar or even a provincial graduate degree. He was more than a cycle older than Ning Ji. He had participated in some courses on Confucian studies in the army. He had a certain degree of bloodline suppression on a school dunce like Ning Ji. Therefore, Ning Ji focused on showing the demeanor of "I'm not afraid of you anymore" -- of course, it needs to be emphasized that Zuo Wenxuan could not be considered his teacher for the Confucian studies, because he didn't learn anything.

Zuo Wenxuan reached out and patted his head. Ning Ji originally wanted to dodge, but for some reason, his body didn't move. Then he reacted. It should be because his virtue of respecting the elderly was in action.

"Where to sit?" Zuo Wenxuan said.

"I'll treat you." Ning Ji said, and walked towards the Xiang Family's catering shop to eat cold desserts.

The two chose a secluded spot on one side of the hall. Ning Ji skillfully ordered a few things. Then he looked around before opening his mouth pretending to be calm: "What are you here for?"

"Don't worry, I don't want to hurt you. Fuzhou is too far away from the Southwest, and I can't ask for orders."

"That goes without saying, hmph, let me tell you, with my current skills, even if you turn against me, you won't be able to catch me."

"I'm just a scholar, without the strength to truss a chicken. I don't like to fight and kill all day like you kids. I'm just here to see you because I have nothing to do today."

"What's so good about looking at me? Your identity is so sensitive, I'm afraid of being exposed if you come over."

"Increased vigilance is a good thing." Zuo Wenxuan smiled. After the waiter who came left after serving a bowl of ice powder, he said, "However, as a routine, I always have to make a trip. Your identity is special. When Zuo Xingzhou told me, it scared me. You don't have to worry about other things for the time being. Regarding the issue of your identity, only Xingzhou and I know about it so far. I have also been disciplined and must not disclose it to anyone else. But Xingzhou does things a little carelessly as always, so I still have to confirm the important things."

"I don't agree with this." Ning Ji said, "That Zuo Xingzhou is a dog, but he's still reliable when it comes to important matters."

"Say whatever you want, he said that you, a brat who deserves a beating, has come over, so I must confirm it in person. You know, that's the procedure."

"Then you've seen it now."

"Confirmed." Zuo Wenxuan nodded and sighed, "But there are still some things I want to ask."

"What's the matter? Ask."

"Let's talk about your nickname..."

...

With a "bang," Ning Ji slapped the table and exploded from his seat.

...

"Four-Eyes, you're looking for trouble, right? I knew you were looking for trouble, right? Are you bringing up things I don't want to talk about--"

...

The summer night became a little cooler than the day. Zuo Wenxuan sat there quietly, with a smile, watching the little kid who had been stabbed by a word, intentionally or unintentionally. He knew that many probes would be easier to do next.

Then, grasping the measure, he chatted with the Monkey King, Young Hero Sun, about his trip, and also mixed in a few words about the idle talk when he met with Zuo Xingzhou these days. Because of his occasional sarcasm, Ning Ji didn't notice the thoughts and anxiety in the other party's eyes for a while...

Soon after, the two separated at the entrance of the store.

"Next, if there is no need, Xingzhou and I will not come to disturb you." Zuo Wenxuan said, "But you also have to pay attention and protect yourself. Don't cause trouble."

...After May 21st, Ning Ji never saw Zuo Xingzhou again...

"You don't have to tell me."

He heard Ning Ji shout from behind.

"Take care of yourselves, Four-Eyes!"

(End of this chapter)