The city echoed with the sound of gongs and the guiding voices of constables directing people home. Fires blazed in several locations, blades clashed in others, and some individuals confronted members of the China Army in the streets.

In a bustling marketplace, seven street performers turned martial artists brandished swords and spears, attempting to incite the populace to revolt. Soldiers of the China Army blocked them from the front and rear. These performers spat fire, performed continuous somersaults, and threatened the soldiers. When one of them produced dangerous throwing knives, the China Army soldiers raised their shields and swarmed forward, casting barbed nets to ensnare and knock them to the ground.

During this process, a storyteller from Bamboo Records emerged, loudly calming the crowd and vividly describing the performers' martial skills as being insignificant in the martial world. The China Army, on the other hand, employed small-scale battle formations written by Zhou Tong, the Iron Arms. After subduing and binding the performers, the onlookers cheered enthusiastically and then continued their way home under guidance.

Several warehouses and government offices within the city were either stormed or had would-be troublemakers apprehended en route.

Minor chaos that temporarily went uncontrolled did occur. Fortunately, the martial artists were striving to win popular support, so they refrained from indiscriminately hacking with their swords in the streets. Had they done so, they would have become immediate targets for nearby snipers and musketeers. The people were unusually simple and honest; if any evildoers caused trouble and were killed on the spot, with blood flowing everywhere, it was considered perfectly justified, and the witnesses would have plenty of stories to tell over tea after dinner, earning them the admiration of their listeners.

Ning Ji was sprinting wildly through the city.

After running two more streets, he was stopped.

"Hey, hey, hey, second... that..."

A China Army soldier waved from the street corner, running down from a side slope. He clearly recognized Ning Ji but hesitated to call him by name directly. Ning Ji looked at the soldier, stopping as he approached, his eyes widening with surprise, having found his people.

"Hey, hey, Bamboozle... Cursed Mouth... Old Yao! You're not dead yet!"

The China Army soldiers were operating in groups, and several others were clearly following behind the soldier. Upon hearing Ning Ji's words, the soldier's shoulders sagged slightly. This man was Yao Shubin, an elite warrior drafted into Zheng Qiming's squad during the Southwest War. He was skilled in martial arts, but his nicknames were somewhat nagging. Since the Battle of Wangyuan Bridge, Ning Ji had been held back by his father and elder brother through unscrupulous means and had been separated from these comrades.

On the battlefield, they had forged bonds stronger than life itself. Moreover, Ning Ji was ruthless, skillful in martial arts, and never a burden. Yao Shubin would not treat him like a child. He approached and said, "That, Second Young Master, how did you..." He glanced back at his companions, clearly aware that Ning Ji's true identity needed to be kept secret.

"Dragon!" Ning Ji pointed to himself. "Dragon Aotian, that's my name now... call me Brother Tian."

"Ah..." Yao Shubin paused, then introduced as his other companions arrived, "This is... my own brother, Dragon... Aotian. Just call him Little Dragon."

"Wow, that's a good name..."

"Brother Long's name is so impressive..."

The soldiers were startled by the imposing name. Ning Ji smiled and greeted them, "Hello, brothers, we're all on the same side..." As he spoke, he pulled out a badge from his chest. The soldiers had initially thought he was just a young boy, some relative of Yao Shubin's, but now they were shocked: "Wow! Special Ops!"

"I was with Brother Zheng Seven's team during the war, like Old Yao."

"Family tradition, his martial skills are high, you might not be able to beat him. And he's mainly responsible for military medicine, healing injuries and treating illnesses, he's very capable."

Yao Shubin provided a suitable explanation for Ning Ji. The soldiers now understood. During the Southwest War, manpower was tight, and while boys in their teens were kept away from the battlefield as much as possible, it wasn't unheard of. This Little Dragon with the intimidating name was clearly from a martial arts family and also knew medicine, making him a good fit to be brought along. Zheng Qiming's team was composed of true elites; anyone with shortcomings wouldn't get in or would be quickly weeded out. This young man's prowess was evident, living up to his impressive name.

The soldiers were instantly filled with respect, exclaiming how impressive he was. Ning Ji then followed Yao Shubin towards the nearby slope. The terrain here was relatively high, and a tower stood next to the temple, which seemed to have been requisitioned. Seeing the setup, he knew that preparations had been made thoroughly. He couldn't help but ask, "Hey, Old Yao, when did you guys come to Chengdu? How long have you been preparing?"

"I arrived on the thirteenth. We didn't do these preparations. We're responsible for catching people. As for preparations, Chengdu has been uneasy lately. They started preparing more than a month ago. Didn't you know? By the way, what have you been doing lately? Never mind, I won't ask if you can't say."

"I haven't been doing anything. After the Battle of Wangyuan Bridge, my brother grabbed me and kept me in Shiling. Then he wouldn't let me go to the front lines again. Later, he wanted to send me to the rear. I went with my mother... to visit the families of some of the dead, like Monkey and them, Monkey's wife, his son... Then I was in Chengdu, working as a doctor in the First Martial Arts Tournament... I live in a courtyard in the south, the address is on Pingrong Road, block B..."

When Yao Shubin asked, Ning Ji rambled on about his recent activities. Yao Shubin nodded, "Oh, Monkey and them... back then..."

Ning Ji waved to cut off his reminiscence. "Let's not talk about that. What's the plan? Who are we hitting? Who are we dealing with? Count me in..."

"How can we? You know the orders, there's only one group of us here, how can we just bring people along? Hey, I was just about to talk to you. You know how tense things are tonight, and you're running around the city, using Qinggong, scaling walls. Do you know there are snipers up there, watching you? If I hadn't seen you, a bunch of people would be chasing you around the city right now."

"No wonder I felt tense..." Ning Ji glanced at the tower next to him, then innocently spread his hands. "How was I supposed to know things were tense? No one told me beforehand. I wanted to come and help..."

Yao Shubin frowned. "...You didn't know?"

"I can't say I didn't know. Everyone in the city was talking about it. I thought something was bound to happen sooner or later, that the higher-ups must be prepared... But I've been busy lately and didn't specifically ask."

"That's why. Your brother is in charge of coordinating everything. If you had asked him, you would have been involved..."

"Ah?" Ning Ji opened his mouth wide. "Damn it... I'm going to argue with him later. Where's my brother now?"

"He was responsible for coordinating everything. He led the team when we entered the city. In this situation... he's probably overseeing things from the center. I don't know exactly where..."

"I'm going to find him now... I'll go to the Mohe Pond. I'm sure I can find someone..."

Yao Shubin grabbed him. "Second Young Master, you can't run around now. There are dozens of snipers in the city. What if one of them doesn't recognize you and you're running around..."

"What kind of logic is that? Lots of people are going home, why can't I?"

"You just can't go. It's so chaotic in the city. I can't take responsibility if you leave."

"Where's the chaos in the city? Where's the chaos, let me go there!" Ning Ji jumped up and down, stomping his feet, then looked at Yao Shubin. "You won't let me go? Fine, then take me with you. If bad guys come, I'll help fight."

Yao Shubin thought for a moment. "...That's not impossible... I have to ask the higher-ups..."

"We're all on the same side. Don't try to fool me. My dad told me, if you want something done, just ask a lot..."

"This is only the first time I'm asking!"

"Bamboozle, are you arguing with me? I get it. You just don't want me to leave, and you don't want me to have fun... Okay, let's duel."

"I'm not afraid of a duel, but not today."

"Why not?"

"We need to conserve our energy. It's going to be a long night. The orders are not to duel anyone, if we encounter bandits, use firearms directly. I want to duel too, but there are orders..."

"You... I..." Ning Ji pointed at him, speechless and furious. After a moment, he said, "Fine, no deal. I'm going to Mohe Pond to get a task. There are so many people on the road, don't try to fool me, I'm telling you, it's your fault if I die... Now you either agree or let me go."

"Why are you acting like a rogue..."

Ning Ji tilted his head back, glared with his eyes, and extended his finger. Yao Shubin tilted his head, frowned, and placed his hands on his hips. The night wind blew down the leaves of the trees, fluttering in the air. The two faced off in the open space in front of the temple for a moment.

Finally, Yao Shubin relented. "Fine, consider me unlucky. We'll be together tonight. Let's say it's a mission. Anyway, we'll act together. You're not allowed to run around. A gentleman's word."

"A swift horse's whip!"

The two bumped their fists in the air, then laughed.

"I shouldn't have met you today. You know you're taking a risk."

"Hey, Old Yao, I actually don't like working with you guys. Use firearms when we encounter bandits? Is that what humans do? Who are we afraid of dueling!"

"The higher-ups said to conserve our energy. Look at all the bad guys in the city. They'll come out in waves, right? It's going to be one whole night. If we're all dueling, how many people do we have on our side, including you? It's not worth it."

"That's right, they'll come out in waves, right?" Ning Ji's eyes lit up, looking around.

"Yeah, that's the plan. First, we'll deal with the most troublesome ones, the ones with the loudest reputations. Someone's already gone to greet them. After we deal with this group, there will inevitably be people who want to pick up the scraps, or think it's late and the China Army will be careless... Anyway, it's possible all night... There's nothing we can do. The higher-ups said that the outsiders want to say hello to us, get to know us. We have to give them a good greeting. Whatever methods they have, we'll swallow them all. Then fewer people will want to say hello like this again. Everyone in the world will know us..."

Yao Shubin rambled on, and Ning Ji nodded. "The first wave of troublesome ones, is there something like Wang Xiangfo, Xu Yuanzong, Chen Wei or something?"

"Yeah, arrangements have been made. That Chen Wei doesn't seem to be found anywhere, we have to watch out for him tonight. Xu Yuanzong is said to be assigned to Wang Dai. Niu Chengshu and Liu Muxia went to Wang Xiangfo's side..."

"Oh, I saw Wang Xiangfo... weakling... Niu Chengshu and Liu Muxia are surrounding him, five against one, kicking him on the ground. That's too much..."

"Well, saying it like that is a bit much. They all rushed him at once, who can withstand that..."

The two sighed and shook their heads in unison. Then Ning Ji perked up. "Never mind, there are still bad guys coming up next, right? We're just waiting for them to come..." He walked forward and began greeting everyone, "Hello, brothers, uncles, elders, we're working together today. My name is Dragon Aotian, just call me Little Dragon..."

Yao Shubin began introducing him with a helpless expression.

Ning Ji's excitement lasted a long time...

*****************

The Silver River flowed across the sky, with firecrackers like shooting stars streaking across the night. Beacon smoke rose several times in the city, and fierce battles erupted.

"I fight for the people of Wu!"

"Many people will starve this winter!"

"You China Army only care about yourselves!"

"The crime of regicide is unforgivable!"

"As long as Ning Yi is gone, my Han people can negotiate peace, and the great rivers and mountains will not be fragmented, and the restoration of the Central Plains is just around the corner!"

"Why must you heroes and heroines follow that rebellious demon? Look at the suffering and starving people of this world!"

In the city, some people were persuaded to go back, some were deterred by the power of the sniper rifles and did not dare to act rashly, but also on some streets, fierce fighting led to blood splattering and bodies falling to the ground.

Xu Yuanzong and his brothers fought hard, and in the end, only he escaped through two streets covered in blood. Wang Dai and others surrounded and intercepted him, cutting him all over with wounds. He was still shouting incessantly, first fighting with passionate fervor, then begging and persuading everyone. But he would not surrender.

"Old Wang, what is he saying? I don't understand a few sentences..."

"The words of Hankou." Wang Dai said, "Obstinately stubborn, kill him."

As the words fell, he rushed forward suddenly. Xu Yuanzong swung his sword to attack. Wang Dai dodged like lightning, his long knife slashing under his ribs, then another knife slashing his back, and a third knife reaching his left shoulder, kicking him away. Xu Yuanzong was indeed a Grandmaster cultivator, with great vitality. Covered in blood, he was still staggering and fighting back, but the next moment, a blade of light flashed across his neck, and his head flew off.

Xu Yuanzong's team had been fighting and fleeing all the way, and now they were all dead.

In fact, Wang Dai and others still had some respect for the group's previous fighting and fleeing and refusal to surrender, and had tried to persuade them to surrender several times. Wang Dai was also trying to conserve his strength as much as possible, hoping to capture them alive as much as possible, so that more of them could live. However, it was not until Xu Yuanzong fought to the end, spouting rhymes, that he truly angered Wang Dai, and finally Wang Dai severed his head with four consecutive knives.

"Idiot, bah!" Wang Dai spat, waving his hand, and looked back at the corpses all the way. "A good group of people, but why are their heads all broken!"

……

"Glorious heroes, worthy of praise!"

In a courtyard three streets away from the street where Xu Yuanzong died, Huang Nanzhong clenched his fists, saying these words. He turned to Huang Jianfei, Huang Shan and other family generals and said, "Did you hear that sound? That is the cry of the heroes of my Wu Dynasty. Tonight is the time to determine the lifeline of the entire world. Even if you and I may die here, we will be remembered by this world, and by history, together with those heroes, and be immortal in this world!"

Everyone nodded, their blood boiling.

At the other end of the city, Guan Shanhai sat in the courtyard, listening to the various movements outside, his hands clenched into fists, trembling.

"Wait a little longer, wait a little longer..."

He muttered to himself.

……

Members of the China Army made statistics of the events that occurred in the city, and after more than an hour after the initial explosion, began to make preliminary summaries and make phased reports.

"...The first round of chaos basically appeared in the first half hour. After being quickly suppressed, the chaos in the city began to decrease, and the intentions and targets of the enemy's actions began to become irregular. We estimate that there will still be some small-scale incidents tonight... However, the too firm suppression seems to have frightened some people. According to the reports from the secret agents we sent out, many Green Forest people who secretly gathered righteousness have begun to discuss giving up their actions, and some of them are ones that we haven't made warnings to..."

……

When the members of the command reported to Ning Yi on the watchtower, the originally high-spirited Second Young Master Ning Ji was interrogating an old grandma who was late in returning home. The old grandma was carrying a jar of pickles: "I brought things back from my daughter's side, the jar is heavy, so I rested for a while..."

Ning Ji checked the pickle jar - he thought it could hold gunpowder, but unfortunately it didn't: "Where's your home?"

"It's just on the hill in front."

"Oh, thank you, young man."

Ning Ji's face was gloomy, and the old grandma took the pickle jar and walked forward with difficulty. His shoulders drooped even more, and he followed.

"Grandma, let me help you take it back."

"Oh, thank you, young man."

"...You're welcome, it's what I should do."

……

"...In addition, the Sixteenth Group accidentally discovered Ning Ji running around in the city while performing the mission. The group leader Yao Shubin left him to avoid too much trouble, and temporarily agreed to take him to perform the mission together. This was reported to the higher-ups not long ago."

"Ning Ji..." Ning Yi, who was bored and looking around on the tower, was stunned for a moment, and then thought that it was very reasonable. It would be strange if this guy didn't run around. He took out the map, "Which side is the Sixteenth Group responsible for..."

"Pine Tree Pavilion."

"Did something big happen there?"

"A few people were caught at first. After he arrived, it seems that nothing happened. The action to capture Wang Xiangfo was nearby, but later reports said that Ning Ji didn't participate in it... He is really a lucky general."

"...Forget it." Ning Yi thought for a while, "Let him go, anyway, it's not the first time he has participated in an action. Hmph, when September comes, I'll throw him into the school and lock him up..."

****************

The night wind blew slowly, and the stars and moon in the sky gradually moved their positions. On the open space in front of the temple on the slope of Pine Tree Pavilion, Ning Ji walked around nervously and bored from time to time, chatting with everyone occasionally, climbing to the top of the big tree to look into the distance, and also running to the tower to borrow the sniper's telescope to watch the excitement in other places.

He even sent the old grandma back home.

But he didn't encounter any enemies.

"I think you're just targeting me... Old Yao, did you secretly say something you shouldn't have said..."

"I'm also performing a mission! This area is very peaceful! What can I do! Brother Tian!"

"I don't care, I want to go to other places. I'm not staying here!"

"We've already agreed, a gentleman's word is a swift horse's whip, if you break your promise, you can go, we're all brothers, I won't say anything about you, I don't like to chat with people, you know..."

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-" Ning Ji held his face, glared with his eyes, and shouted in front of Yao Shubin. Yao Shubin pushed him away, feeling a little funny. Ning Ji's appearance was delicate and pretty. He was definitely ruthless when killing people on the battlefield, and his killing intent was particularly frightening, but when he didn't have any killing intent, he looked a little silly.

"Don't be like this, Brother Tian, if you run to other places at this time, the fight will have been over, and maybe something will happen here just after you run away, right? Now the possibility of something happening anywhere in the city is the same, we're guarding the tree to wait for the rabbit, the important thing is to have patience..."

Feeling that what Yao Shubin said was a bit reasonable, Ning Ji suddenly felt a little depressed.

After midnight, something finally happened nearby. A few petty thieves who wanted to be heroes set fire to a house nearby. The constables found out and quickly beat the gongs. Ning Ji and others rushed over quickly, blocking from both sides. When they were about to arrive, the three petty thieves were casually knocked down by two soldiers who had outflanked them from the opposite side, and were rolling on the ground.

Ning Ji walked over and kicked a petty thief on the back.

Midnight gradually passed, and time entered the hour of the rat. There were very few pedestrians in the city, and occasionally there seemed to be sounds of gongs and drums catching people, but they were all ringing in the distance, as rare as the hair of some senior researchers at the Institute of Matter. Ning Ji finally gave up.

"I want to go home."

"We'll be on duty until tomorrow morning."

"I'm going home, I'm not on duty, I want to go back to sleep."

"Oh, I'll find someone to send you back, you're at this age, you should go to bed early..."

"Old Yao, you jinx, I'll remember you..."

"After the work is done, I'll find you to eat hot pot tomorrow to apologize. It was my fault this time, I was unlucky, I didn't encounter any thieves, so Brother Tian didn't enjoy himself..."

Yao Shubin couldn't help but laugh as he said this.

Ning Ji didn't want to see his face anymore. He turned around and left. Yao Shubin called a constable to follow him back. It was called escorting, but in reality, it was naturally surveillance - Ning Ji knew this clearly, but there was nothing he could do. He had indeed promised the other party before to perform the mission together, and Yao Shubin had indeed taken responsibility. If anything, he could only blame the bad guys in the city. They had been so sure before, and the guys who were shouting in front of him alone could form a division. When no one took action, they didn't dare to move. There were so few bad guys who really dared to come out after someone took action first. Why couldn't they seize the opportunity...

Clumsy goods! Cowards! Unreliable-

He cursed all the way in his stomach, and returned to the small courtyard where he lived dejectedly. The constable who followed him confirmed that he had entered the door before waving goodbye. Ning Ji sat in the courtyard for a while, feeling exhausted, knowing that it would have been more interesting to monitor the little dog. When the old dog saw the city in chaos, he would definitely say some shameless nonsense...

But at this moment, he didn't want to go over there anymore, mainly because there was indeed a strict defense by the China Army in the city. With his skill, it was possible to avoid some experts under a surprise attack, but in this situation, if he ran to some place randomly, and was suddenly discovered by the experts and instructors in the China Army, the situation would be embarrassing. It would be good to be beaten up in a daze, but it would be too unworthy if he was judged as a threat and shot from afar.

He sighed and sighed in the courtyard for a while, listening to the faint commotion in the distance, adding to his annoyance. He took some cold rice from the pot in the kitchen and ate it, had no heart to practice martial arts, and prepared to sleep.

After lying on the bed, his stomach was full from eating, so he got up again and walked around the courtyard. It was now past midnight, almost 1 a.m. on July 21. The sky was covered with stars, and at one moment, Ning Ji stopped in the courtyard.

There was movement coming from outside.

It was the cautious footsteps of many people, and then, someone knocked on the door.

Ning Ji stood under the eaves and waited for a moment. The door was knocked three times, and he became excited, and then walked over to open the door with heavy steps.

Someone was climbing over the wall to peep inside.

Ning Ji opened the door, and there were dark figures outside, filled with the smell of blood. Two people reached out at the same time, pushing Ning Ji's shoulders, pushing Ning Ji back staggeringly, falling to the ground. The person with the fastest pace ran to the side of the courtyard with Qinggong, checking whether there were other people in the room, and a steel knife was stretched out in front of Ning Ji.

A few familiar faces appeared in the crowd, one of them was a strong man with a simple and honest appearance: "Brother Long, sorry to bother you, but don't shout." He then introduced to others: "This is the little military doctor from the martial arts tournament, surnamed Long, named Aotian. He secretly sold military supplies to us, and once the matter is exposed, he can't get away with it..."

Countless stars in the sky seemed to be blinking playfully, Ning Ji lay on the ground in the courtyard, with his arms outstretched, completely defenseless. He was quietly feeling the most tense and exciting moment of this summer.

The bad guys, finally came...