Bang! Bang! Bang—

In the city, the night watchman struck the midnight gong. The damp heat of the day seemed to have subsided slightly. In the courtyard on the side of Huaiyun Ward, the vending cart had returned, and a warm yellow light shone in the room.

After bringing the purchased cold dishes and Xue Pao Shui (snow-bubbled water) into the room, Qu Longjun came out and continued to tidy up the Zao Hua Ma (date-blossom horse) and the cart in the courtyard. Looking back, two figures were still confronting each other at the dining table inside the room.

The young man named Zuo Xingzhou, who insisted on squeezing himself into the cart to follow them back, seemed to be an old acquaintance of Xiao Long. However, despite appearing to be carefree, he was actually not easy to fool. As soon as the group returned, he reached out to express his affection, saying, "I heard your brother is called Long Aotian? You're quite the talent…" But his eyes kept scrutinizing and examining, indicating he wasn't a pushover.

In the past, she understood how to read people's expressions and was actually quite sharp. Xiao Long bringing him back to their "home" meant they were indeed companions he knew from the Southwest. Based on his surname, she could tell that Zuo Xingzhou was one of the "seeds" sent to the Southwest by the powerful Zuo family.

However, judging from Xiao Long's demeanor, there was both familiarity and caution between them. She didn't ask too many questions and simply found an excuse to come out, avoiding too much interaction with Zuo Xingzhou.

According to Xiao Long, his father once swept the floor in Mr. Ning's office, making him a core member of the China Army. This statement raised many questions and could lead to many topics for discussion, but Qu Longjun wasn't particularly concerned about these things at the moment.

She led the Zao Hua Ma to the stable, happily calling out "Xiao Hua" (Little Blossom) a few times, waiting for the horse's reaction to counteract the negative influence of Xiao Long calling it "Bald Donkey" for no reason during the day. At this moment, the two in the room had already started arguing.

"You two are acting weird."

"You're the one acting weird..."

"He's called Long Aotian?"

"Your name is Zhou Xing, what's it to you...Why the hell are you working undercover, you dog?"

"Of course that's classified. You, you, you... You suddenly ran over here from the Southwest... Why did you come here?"

"That's also classified, I'm on an important mission..."

"Mission my a**..."

"Alright, you dare to say that louder—"

"I dare, you told me to say it, so I won't."

"Tch..."

After exchanging a few trash-talks, they chugged down the Xue Pao Shui in bamboo tubes, both with defiant and displeased expressions. But as friends who knew each other well, after a while, perhaps realizing that this attitude was meaningless, Zuo Xingzhou moved his stool closer and tapped on the table.

"Seriously, how did you end up here? This matter is a big deal, and I won't leave until you explain it clearly."

"Hmph." Ning Ji sneered, thought for a moment, and said, "Alright, you're already here anyway... An exchange."

"...Exchange what?"

"Your business, and..." Ning Ji wiggled his fingers, "Also, even if I tell you my business, you have to keep it secret and not blab it out... If you can promise that, we'll talk."

"I can't promise that." Zuo Xingzhou looked serious, but as the other was about to slam the table and leave, he reached out and grabbed him. "Don't get angry, you know the rules. I have to report it, but I can promise to tell only one person... It's fine if you came here and nothing happened, but if something does, no one can take responsibility. Since I saw you, there needs to be a record, you psycho!"

Ning Ji then sat down again: "Zuo Wenhuai?"

Zuo Xingzhou rolled his eyes: "Zuo Wenxuan."

Ning Ji shrank back: "Damn, you know how long-winded he is. He was a bookworm back then. Who the hell..."

"Your Chief chose him! What can I do? I don't like him either. We martial arts hardliners never get along with him."

"What martial arts hardliner are you? Look at your scoundrel-like appearance. I've always said that the Zuo family is inherently weak. Even if you practice martial arts..."

"What do you mean weak? You... Never mind, let's not have infighting among martial artists, okay? We need to unite. Anyway, I have to report this to Zuo Wenxuan. And no matter what you think of him, Zuo Wenxuan is usually tight-lipped. You have to admit that, right?"

Ning Ji thought for a moment and nodded: "...Okay."

Zuo Xingzhou smiled, crossed his arms, and leaned forward: "Then... tell me, what happened?"

Ning Ji glanced at him: "We agreed to exchange."

"I swear, I won't cheat." Zuo Xingzhou raised a hand, "Besides, my situation isn't hard to talk about. You know I'm undercover. If I cheat, you can ruin my plans anytime."

"Alright, I need your help anyway." Ning Ji nodded, then looked outside the room before muttering in a low and frustrated voice, "I got schemed by a woman..."

"What?"

"I, GOT, SCHEMED, BY, A, WOMAN!" Ning Ji glared at him, gritting his teeth, one word at a time.

"Whoa!"

Zuo Xingzhou's eyes and mouth widened into circles. For a moment, he had the surprised feeling of having scooped up something valuable. Ning Ji, of course, understood the meaning in his expression and pointed his finger over. Zuo Xingzhou reached out and held his finger.

"Come, don't, don't be angry. Tell me all about it..." He even picked up a piece of food for Ning Ji, "Come on, big brother, eat."

"If this gets out, I'll kill you!"

"Ah, kill me, kill me. You go first..."

"Last year, I met a teacher named Yu Xiao'er..."

…

It was already midnight, the lamplight flickering. Ning Ji's muffled voice echoed in the room, telling Zuo Xingzhou the strange and bizarre story he had encountered since last year. When he heard about Yu Xiao'er, Zuo Xingzhou ate with some schadenfreude. When he talked about running away from home, he sighed slightly.

Next, Ning Ji spoke of his experiences on the way, from Dai Mengwei to Tongshan, and then the huge upheaval in the Jiangning Fair Party. Ning Ji concealed the details about himself, making it sound complicated and tragic. Zuo Xingzhou couldn't help but sigh: "You've truly traveled ten thousand miles this time."

"Right?" Ning Ji raised his chin. "Unlike you guys, I thought you two-faced traitors had stolen something and were thriving in Fuzhou. But after coming here, I saw that it was a mess. I thought you could lead troops..."

"Lead what troops? Do you really think that just because you hung out in the China Army, you're better than General Yue and General Han? There aren't many of us from the Southwest. The work we can do for now is only to build frameworks and spread ideas... And I'm not very good at that..."

"So you ran off to work undercover?"

"Social investigation, understand?" Zuo Xingzhou frowned and took a bite of the cold dish. "The problems faced in the Southeast and Southwest are different, and the points to pay attention to are also different. After the officials came to Fujian, they brought a large number of displaced people from other places. The situation is almost the same as when the previous dynasty first arrived in Lin'an. When there are more people, conflicts will arise between the locals and the outsiders, and they will compete for benefits. The locals will want to drive the outsiders out. Many of these joints can cause great chaos..."

He paused: "So after arriving in Fuzhou, Zuo Wenxuan told me that we can't just sit in the halls of power and talk grandly. We also have to see clearly what's going on below. So I was sent out, mainly following a group of displaced people from other places, occasionally helping them seize territory, leaving a good reputation. At critical times, it will be useful... Hey, don't you think this is similar to Mr. Ning's feeling in the Secret Intelligence Division back then? I think when the time is ripe, Fuzhou will eventually have a Secret Intelligence Division..."

"You won't be the boss even if there's a Secret Intelligence Division. It'll probably be that dog Zuo Wenxuan." Ning Ji grumbled. "So, what's the matter this time?"

"...This matter is a bit troublesome." In such a situation, Ning Ji had already explained his reasons for coming all the way here. Zuo Xingzhou sighed and stopped being mysterious. "The social situation in Fujian is different from that in the Southwest. There are many mountains and little farmland, and communication is poor, so the situation of clans and local gentry forming groups is very serious. You should have seen this on the way, right?"

"Yeah." Ning Ji nodded. "I saw them killing 'yellow dogs.'"

"Okay, then it's easy to explain." Zuo Xingzhou also nodded. "After the officials came to Fujian, they wanted to centralize power, count the population, and survey the land in order to collect taxes. As a result, they got on very bad terms with the local clans. We won't talk about the necessity and process of this matter. In short, relying on our strong army, we have now taken several large coastal cities, as well as Fuwen, Fuou, Fupu, and Fuyan. The more difficult the roads in the mountains are, the more fiercely the two sides fight..."

"Last year, we cleared the seas and got rid of a group of local pirate families entrenched in Fujian. At the end of the year, the officials personally lured the enemy out and got rid of several wealthy households plotting against us. It seems like we won on the surface, but the other party's alliance in the dark has already been formed. That's why, when the typhoon hit in late April, we suffered a big loss in Houguan County. The most troublesome thing is that it's just the beginning..."

He explained the series of events after the typhoon in detail, including Chen Shuangran's scheme and the subsequent resistance and slander of the disaster relief officers and soldiers in various places.

"Chen Shuangran's matter has caused a lot of noise." Zuo Xingzhou said, "The officials lost face, and many young people in the army couldn't swallow their anger. Zuo Wenhuai and the others made many positive responses, but they can't just fight head-on... I was originally tracking a 'killing yellow dogs' clue you mentioned in Putian, but Zuo Wenxuan called me back, saying that if there's one, there will be two. This group of people has taken advantage in the resistance, and there will probably be big moves next. Then we discussed it and wondered if we could send me into their ranks like the previous Secret Intelligence Division to find out some information."

"So Yue Yun of the Yue family discussed it with you..."

"Yeah." Zuo Xingzhou nodded. "Yue Yun and Yue Yinping are both highly skilled in martial arts, but their identities are too obvious. They came back from Jiangning last year and participated in a martial arts competition in Fuzhou City. Half of the Fuzhou underworld knows them. So what can we do? We can only make them high-profile, come and chase me, make our fight look realistic, get a little injured, and use it as a certificate of loyalty in the future. It's a pity that the planned things were disrupted because of you."

"Then why didn't you pretend you didn't see me!"

"Get lost!"

They cursed at each other irritably. After a while, Ning Ji spoke again.

"Speaking of which, the guy who walked around the market several times later, the one who looked a bit muscular and arrogant, was Yue Yun?"

"Yeah." Zuo Xingzhou nodded. "Don't underestimate him. Yue Yun is naturally strong. Everyone says he has the same talent as Commander Chen back then. With your small body, you haven't fully grown yet. You'll be beaten to death if you fight him."

"Tch, as if I haven't sparred with Uncle Fan enough. Last year in Jiangning, what happened? I shot Wang Nanda to death with one shot, and the fat monk Lin Echan chased me all the way. Did you see him do anything to me? I'm telling you, Xiao Zhou, practicing martial arts is about the great terror between life and death. After fighting Lin Fatty, I'm no longer the same."

"Alright, alright, keep bragging. If Lin Fatty chased you, would you still be here? I'm not a bookworm like Zuo Wenxuan. Although Fatty isn't human, the contingency plan to encircle and kill him often involves more than a dozen people with muskets."

They argued about this topic in the room for a while. Zuo Xingzhou naturally didn't believe it, and Ning Ji was angry, but there was nothing he could do. After saying it for a while, he saw Zuo Xingzhou wave his hand and changed the topic:

"Alright, alright, whether you can fight or not isn't about bragging. Anyway, in the past half month, the situation in the Fuzhou underworld has been a bit wrong. It's being rumored outside that because the Houguan County matter was done beautifully, Chen Shuangran, who was responsible for planning it, is now very famous. In secret, several big shots among the rebels are very optimistic about her. Then Pu Xingui and Cao Jinlong are also said to be recruiting troops and horses to do something big together. So my time is also tight, and I have to establish my reputation quickly..."

He tapped the table with his chopstick, sighing, "Originally, I was supposed to fight Yue Yun today. If he can't find me, he might think I'm dead. I have to go back and report later... What about you? You came to Fuzhou, what are you planning? You don't have a big case to do, do you?"

"Even if I have a big case to do, would I tell you? That's a stupid question!"

Zuo Xingzhou raised his head and stared at him with a frustrated expression.

Ning Ji looked at him for a moment before waving his hand: "Alright, what can I do? I'm traveling ten thousand miles to surpass reading ten thousand books. I'm just here to travel and broaden my horizons. At most, if you fight, I'll watch the fun... There's only one thing, you can also report to Zuo Wenxuan when you go back, and ask him to mobilize the forces of your Zuo family to help me find that b*tch called Yu Xiao'er..."

"This I can do, but..."

Ning Ji started chattering. Zuo Xingzhou hadn't finished speaking when he suddenly saw him stunned, then his eyes came closer, blinking in shock. After a long while, he opened his mouth.

"Hey, you said... Yu Xiao'er likes to deceive people, and Chen Shuangran also likes to deceive people. They... wouldn't be the same person, would they?"

Zuo Xingzhou also blinked: "...Are you kidding me? That's nonsense. You also said that Yu Xiao'er has been in the Southwest for many years, and the Chen family has been a big pirate for many years. Chen Shuangran has been here all along..."

"Maybe... it's an alias? An adopted daughter? Identity theft?"

"Get lost, don't joke around."

"No, I'm serious." Ning Ji looked at him sincerely. "I didn't have any ideas at first, but now that you say they're very similar, I suddenly... really want to see what this b*tch looks like. How about this, Big Brother Zuo, since you're working undercover, and I'm highly skilled in martial arts and not a good person, you just take me... take us two brothers, more people, more strength, don't you think..."

"Don't even think about it! You just said you wouldn't cause trouble—"

Zuo Xingzhou's roar came from the room, scaring Qu Longjun, who was walking along the corridor holding a few pieces of old clothes she had taken down. Afterward, she heard the laughter of her housemate.

"I'm just hating evil like my enemy, Brother..."

The room was filled with shouting again. Soon after, Zuo Xingzhou, who seemed to have agreed to something humiliating, left the courtyard gate in anger. He cupped his fist to Qu Longjun as a greeting, and Qu Longjun politely said goodbye to him. After his figure turned away from the courtyard gate, Qu Longjun saw Xiao Long, smiling, come out to close the gate, then turn around and raise a finger to her, the smile on his face fading a little.

Qu Longjun nodded, standing there quietly. She saw Xiao Long climb onto the dark courtyard wall, seemingly following the direction Zuo Xingzhou disappeared in, and disappear into the night in the blink of an eye.

According to her understanding, Xiao Long and Zuo Xingzhou should have been companions with deep friendship in the Southwest. She didn't know why Xiao Long was showing such a defensive response at this time. But since he did, there must be a reason. Qu Longjun originally wanted to take a shower, but she decided not to. She thought for a moment and went to check the condition of the Zao Hua Ma, confirming the integrity of the saddle and bridle. Then she checked the dry food in the kitchen before grabbing a stick and sitting under the eaves of the courtyard to wait.

When Xiao Long came back, midnight was almost over. He jumped down from the roof of the courtyard, seeming to be thinking about something. He turned his head and saw her holding a stick, and suddenly smiled.

Qu Longjun pursed her lips, her eyes large, only inquiring with her eyes. The boy opposite her shook his head slightly and said, "I'm wondering if we should move to another place."

Qu Longjun said, "Then I'll pack up?"

"No need." Ning Ji thought for a moment. "I'll leave a record. It should be fine."

Qu Longjun didn't understand what he was talking about, but then she just nodded.

Coming out from the Southwest, the journey was ten thousand miles. Ning Ji was highly skilled in martial arts and always had a carefree and fearless side.

But at the same time, his true identity was the most special thing for everyone in the world.

After seeing Ning Ji, Zuo Xingzhou refused to leave, because if Ning Ji had an accident in the Southeast, the anger of Ning Yi would be unbearable for few in the world. Therefore, at least grasping basic information was more important than his undercover mission.

But at the same time, the Zuo family's position in the Southwest was not necessarily so clear. If it was on the battlefield against the Jurchens, Ning Ji believed that every one of them could become his firm comrade-in-arms. However, leaving the battlefield, they also had their own families and their own positions.

If the Zuo family had already made a decision in private to help the Southeast court against the Southwest, then his exposure in Fuzhou would be extremely difficult to avoid.

Ning Yi's son must not fall into the hands of the enemy. The only dignified choice at that time was a clean death.

Ning Ji had received such information before. And in the conversation with Zuo Xingzhou, he clearly understood them...

The night was deep, and the young man and woman stood in the courtyard, looking at each other for a while, and then smiled at each other clearly and warmly.