After leaving Huaiyun Ward, Zuo Xingzhou headed west along the roads in the night.

It was past midnight, and the night markets on the edge of the city were gradually dispersing. Occasionally, carriages and pedestrians could be seen on the main roads, while many alleys were already quiet. He found a few alleys and quietly passed through them. This was a fixed procedure to avoid being followed. Only occasional dog barks echoed in the night.

Fuzhou City was currently under the control of the imperial court, and intelligence gathering was not as difficult as behind enemy lines, but some fixed procedures were still necessary. After confirming that there were no tails behind him, Zuo Xingzhou arrived at a dilapidated courtyard in the west of the city, opened the hidden door on the side, and startled the old soldier guarding the courtyard. After he made his specific requests, the old soldier left. Soon after, in a room in this small courtyard, Zuo Xingzhou met Zuo Wenxuan, who had come through the tunnel.

The man named Zuo Wenxuan was in his early thirties. In the night, he wore a pair of glass glasses that looked like they had been used for many years. He had squinty eyes, bags under his eyes, and dark circles. His long robe was stained with a lot of ink. At first glance, apart from his relatively upright figure, he looked more like a sleep-deprived accountant. He held a writing brush and a book. After entering the room, he closed the door and made a few strokes on the book before putting it down. The expression in his squinty eyes was clear.

His voice was low and slow but clear: "Yue Yun said that you didn't show up at the agreed place, and the family was a little worried. You came to see me again, what happened?"

"Of course, it's a big deal, Third Brother." Zuo Xingzhou was vigilant about his surroundings and sat down with a complex frown.

"How big?"

"Very big." Zuo Xingzhou lowered his voice and got straight to the point, "I saw Ning Ji."

"...Hmm?"

According to the needs of intelligence work, Zuo Xingzhou would never approach this place unless absolutely necessary while he was out. He stood Yue Yun up and then requested a private meeting through a pre-arranged channel. Zuo Wenxuan was mentally prepared for a serious situation, but for a moment after hearing this sentence, the expression on his face clearly became chaotic, mixed with a strange confusion.

"...What's going on?"

"It's just the literal meaning... I followed the agreement and fled to the night market near Yinqiao Ward to wait for Yue Yun. Then there was a stall selling goods next to me. I took a look, and there was a flag on the stall with 'Bamboo Branch Branch' written on it, and below that was Ning Ji. Third Brother, I didn't understand it at the time, why Second Young Master would suddenly come here..."

In the early morning room, Zuo Xingzhou recounted the evening's experience as methodically as possible. He didn't beat around the bush, and after talking about the meeting, he mentioned how he stubbornly followed the other party and inquired about a series of events about the other party running away from home. In the shadows of the lamplight, Zuo Wenxuan occasionally nodded, and sometimes reached out to stir the wick in the oil lamp on the table, until the other party had repeated all the information.

"...Ning Ji is just a troublemaking brat who fears nothing. There's nothing good to say about him personally, but I know that his identity cannot be compromised," Zuo Xingzhou said.

Zuo Wenxuan listened to everything, took off his glasses, and rubbed his forehead. Then he nodded: "You handled it very well. This matter cannot be told to others..." He paused, "Also, we must each make a record of this matter and keep the records in places where we cannot find each other."

"Hmm?"

"This is not a trivial matter. Next, if something happens to Ning Ji and harms the interests of the Chinese Army, Zuo Xingzhou, I will testify against you, and you must also testify against me."

"...I understand." Zuo Xingzhou thought for a moment, then nodded: "But Third Brother, with Ning Ji's character, he dares to hang the 'Bamboo Branch Branch' sign in Yinqiao Ward. I'm afraid he'll cause some big trouble sooner or later. There are more people in the city who know him than just us. Then it won't be a question of whether we keep it a secret."

"Then we'll talk about it when the time comes." Zuo Wenxuan frowned and waved his hand, "With such a sensitive identity, running here... Headache... Xingzhou, this matter must be kept secret, even among our own Zuo family members who have studied in the Southwest, not all of them may be on the side of the Southwest. Once his identity is exposed, the ambitious people in the dark will explode."

"I know the stakes." Zuo Xingzhou stroked his chin, "But Third Brother, I also thought about this on the road. Do you think... does His Majesty support the Southwest? If he knows that Ning Ji is here, will he..."

Zuo Wenxuan lowered his head and wiped his glasses: "His Majesty respects Mr. Ning very much. If he knows about this, he will probably be very happy and may even want to meet him."

"Then if something goes wrong, we can at least report it to the top. His Majesty will always protect his safety."

"His Majesty will protect his safety, but what about the others?" Zuo Wenxuan raised his eyes, "How will Mr. Cheng think? How will Li Pin think? How will Mr. Wenren think? And... what will Her Highness the Princess think? Are they all on the side of the Southwest? Even including the Zuo family, do you think Uncle Quan will be on the side of the Southwest if he knows? It won't happen, something big will happen..."

"Hmm, you're right."

"It's not a matter of reason, it's common sense." The lamplight flickered, Zuo Wenxuan tilted his head and continued to think about the problem, answering casually, then frowned and said, "However... the names Long Aotian and Sun Wukong, I feel like I've heard them before."

"I also heard about them in the Southwest."

"No, like the intelligence that came from Jiangning last year, they must have caused some trouble."

"Ah?" Zuo Xingzhou opened his mouth, then lowered his voice and said, "Ning Ji was bragging to me, saying that he punched Wang Nantuo and kicked Lin Zongwu in Jiangning, and that Wang Nantuo was killed by him with one shot, and Lin Zongwu couldn't do anything about him. I know Commander Chen was there at the time... Could it be true? Did he really do something so big?"

"I'll check it out, it should be there..." Zuo Wenxuan stood up, thinking, "You wait here first, don't leave."

"Okay." Zuo Xingzhou replied, feeling complicated.

……

Zuo Wenxuan went out of the room, and after a long time, he came back. When he came back in, he was holding some papers in his hand, and his eyes had become quite solemn.

"Ning Ji, did he really say his name is now Sun Wukong?"

"Okay."

"And the one with him is called Long Aotian?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

After not seeing each other for more than two years, the little brother who used to blow up the dung pit together had become unfathomable, and even Zuo Wenxuan in front of him had a complex expression on his face that was incomprehensible, and Zuo Xingzhou was confused. As Zuo Wenxuan threw the papers in his hand on the table, he couldn't wait to look at them, only to find that they were some newspapers with bounties.

Soon after, he found the specific information...

"Sun Wukong... four, four-foot pervert!?"

The dark sky was dimly lit by starlight, and the night was as dark as ink. In the room under the night, the two were astonished, confused, chaotic, and guessing, with some chaotic conversations in between. As professionals, they both found it difficult to summarize their emotions and expressions, but in addition to complexity and helplessness, both of them couldn't help but laugh for a while—although they tried hard to be serious, there were always some times when they couldn't help it.

"...Four feet, hehe..."

"...Five feet, hum hum..."

"Haha, he's still a little brother as a pervert—"

Since such a meeting was to be kept secret, no one knew what happened at this moment.

……

"...The reward for the two of them first appeared during the Jiangning Conference last year. At that time, the rewards from all sides were mixed together, and the two perverts were put on the blacklist. After the Jiangning Conference, the various factions split, so it can be seen more clearly. The reward is still there, mainly from Shi Baofeng under the command of King Pingdeng, who offered a reward of 12,000 taels for the two, but the reward notice did not list the two's evil deeds in detail, which is quite intriguing."

"That five-foot pervert... didn't he mess with Shi Baofeng's wife?"

"It's not impossible to say, but Second Young Master's character is not so improper. I think in short, they had some deep hatred with Shi Baofeng during their time in Jiangning. Of course, Second Young Master probably won't say what the reason is. Since he doesn't say it and refuses to change his name, he has to take the blame himself... If these things are passed back to the Southwest, there will be a lot of excitement, but now it's not a big deal, let it rot in your stomach."

"Hmm."

"There was really no way to keep the appointment with Yue Yun today. When it gets light, I'll arrange another time. You guys find a chance to put on a show. I heard that the outside is a little tense. Do you have any clues on your side?"

"According to rumors on the street, Chen Shuangran seems to be going to do something big, but everyone estimates that it's not like assassinating the emperor."

"They've failed so many times before, it's time for a change."

"Some people privately estimate that the important figures in Fuzhou now can be roughly divided into three directions. One is Her Highness the Princess. We all know that His Majesty is a New Party, and the Princess is inclined to the Old Party. In recent days, the conflicts between the two sides have deepened, and it has always been because the Princess has been mediating from the middle that she has stabilized the hearts of many old ministers. And many of His Majesty's New Deal measures have been implemented because of the Princess's coordination. Therefore, there are rumors that Chen Shuangran may have given up assassinating the king and instead plans to kidnap or assassinate the Princess."

"Not impossible... If we compare her to the Princess, Mr. Li Pin's side is probably not peaceful either."

"That's right. In recent years, Mr. Li has gathered a large number of young scholars with his influence. He was originally a core figure of the New Party, and what's more, he holds the power to issue five newspapers inside and outside Fuzhou. If Chen Shuangran can really guide the overall situation and get rid of Li Dexin, it will also be a good move."

"...And the third direction..."

"Us."

"That's a good thing..."

"The specific news still needs some luck... By the way, Third Brother, there's one more thing."

"What is it?"

"His Majesty is going to choose a consort, what's going on?"

"Palace affairs, what are you curious about this for?"

"It's like this, I know a friend in the Jianghu, the kind who is very loyal. In the past, he was engaged to a cousin of Huang Bailong, a Putian tea merchant. This time, the news of the consort selection came out from the palace, and Huang Bailong seems to want to send this cousin to the palace. Third Brother, do you think this will work? What are the standards for this consort selection?"

"...Money."

"Ah?"

"...As long as the Huang family is willing to give money, they can send her in."

"—What kind of broken standard is this!"

"..."

The night was deep and quiet. In the early morning meeting room, after explaining about Ning Ji, there were various work-related exchanges.

After that, Zuo Xingzhou left, and both of them made their own records of Ning Ji's matter.

In the morning, Ning Ji and Qu Longjun woke up in the room and went outside to practice two sets of boxing as usual. Breakfast was eaten in a shop outside Huaiyun Ward. After observing that there was no one following him, Ning Ji also sent a letter at the post station a little further away.

The letter was sent to the nearest secret node of the Chinese Army, recording the fact that he had recognized Zuo Xingzhou and that he would soon be informed of Zuo Wenxuan's matter. If he disappeared for a long time, then one day in the future, the Chinese Army would conduct an event search based on this record.

He didn't plan to move.

Although there had been cases of betrayal by people like Zou Xu in the Chinese Army, it would be too cautious to distrust everyone because of this. And although he understood the reasons for the existence of these procedures and concerns, Ning Ji's heart still had the unyielding spirit. After digesting the experience of the Jiangning War, even if he encountered any dangerous situation, he was confident that he would not be defenseless.

The only thing he needed to worry about was the little jerk... Little Qu who was following him.

Last night, when he was chatting with that jerk Zuo Xingzhou, he had the idea of joining in the fun, but when he returned to the courtyard and saw Qu Longjun waiting for him with a stick, that idea faded. In fact, Zuo Xingzhou was right, Chen Shuangran couldn't be Yu Xiaoer, although they might all be jerks, but they should each have their own way of being jerks.

Fuzhou was their small court's home field. Tie Tianying led a bunch of dogs, plus Zuo's gang of jerks from the Southwest. A few rebels, they should be able to take care of them. He and Little Qu came here to watch the fun if there was anything, and watch the typhoon if there was nothing. How easy, why fight and kill, and always get involved in other people's affairs.

If he didn't run into her head-on, he would spare the life of the jerk and bad guy.

With this in mind, the world became wider, and he took Qu Longjun to Sanfang Qixiang to eat good food again that day. In the evening, he tore down the troublemaking sign of "Bamboo Branch Branch" in the courtyard before driving the cart to Yinqiao Ward to set up a stall again.

The night in Yinqiao Ward was as humid and hot as ever. Ning Ji accompanied Qu Longjun to sell things peacefully for a while, and then wandered around to listen to gossip, leaving Qu Longjun, dressed as a man, to deceive innocent girls. He sat for a while next to the dining hall of the Xiang family, and after drinking a few mouthfuls of cold snow bubble water, he saw a dog-like thing coming from the crowd at the night market, passing by his own stall, and then sitting down in front of the steamed rice cake stall of a big aunt.

Ning Ji jumped up, his eyes widened.

——Choosing the same place twice, are you a psychopath, do you have any brains!

He was shocked by the imagination of Zuo Xingzhou, Yue Yun and his gang.

At this time, the waiter brought the ice cream he had ordered. Ning Ji walked towards his stall, holding the ice cream, and gave Zuo Xingzhou a few glances: "Bastard, get out."

Zuo Xingzhou ate the rice cake, pretending not to see it.

Ning Ji returned to the back of the stall, pulled Qu Longjun to stand inside. On the other side of the road, a swaggering idiot figure finally appeared, with his nostrils facing the sky, arrogant - that was Yue Yun.

"Hahahaha—" Inner breath was running, and a huge and heroic sound passed through the chest, and began to spread in the humid night market, "There is a road to heaven, but you don't take it! There is no door to hell, but you break in - what a coincidence today—"

At the rice cake stall, Zuo Xingzhou dropped the bowl in his hand, waved his hand and turned around: "Humph, who is this brother? I'm afraid he has - recognized the wrong person?"

"Hahaha! Hunyuan Axe Zhou Xing, don't pretend anymore!" Yue Yun walked over with a grim smile, "I'm Yue Yun! I'm your long-lost father—"

"Okay! Since that's the case, Yue Yun, listen to me clearly, others are afraid of you, but I'm not! Everyone else, get out of here - today I will have a showdown with you to see who is the real No. 1 in Fujian—"

The sound of the conversation, driven by internal force, resounded through the night sky, and in a blink of an eye, it explained the ins and outs of the grievances.

"I'm going to vomit, I'm going to vomit..." Ning Ji held the ice cream bowl in one hand and pulled Qu Longjun away with the other, "These bastards are going to fight, let's stay away so that we don't get splattered with their blood - stinky." He was now a peace-loving person.

On the night market in front of him, two figures fought together with a bang, and after a while, another figure holding a knife rushed over: "Brother Zhou, I'll lend you a hand!"

Ning Ji and Qu Longjun stood in the distance, eating the ice cream that was about to melt.

Three bastards, fighting in a ball. The surrounding pedestrians screamed and ran away.