It was the hour of You (5-7 PM).

The Golden Street in Jiangning was ablaze with lights.

In a small courtyard behind the Golden Tower, "Martial Tyrant" Gao Huiyun had invited "Measuring Rod" Meng Zhutao, along with some trusted confidants, to a banquet. As news filtered in from their respective subordinates, both were taken aback and filled with doubt. They dismissed the accompanying diners and drinkers, and the servants quickly cleared away the feast, replacing it with tea.

Before long, the first to arrive was the half-grey-haired "Wanderer of the Tuo River" Xu Longbiao, followed by "Heavenly Saber" Tan Zheng. Their opening lines were both variations of "Something's up." After settling down and exchanging a few words, Meng Zhutao jokingly mentioned to Tan Zheng:

"Why didn't Little Li come with you, Tan Gong?"

Tan Zheng shook his head with a helpless smile. "Meng Gong, don't be so petty. Monkey King is young and impetuous, but he's still a junior. You've taught him a lesson; don't hold it against him. But speaking of which, although he's currently a Protector of my Mani Sect, he's officially an envoy sent by General Liu Guangshi. With something this big happening, he naturally needs to consult with the embassy first."

After the earlier chaos at the Golden Tower, Li Yanfeng had twice exploited the situation, accusing Meng Zhutao of protecting his martial siblings because he failed to capture the culprit. Xu Zhaonan had initially mediated at the New Tiger Palace, offering Li Yanfeng considerable compensation. However, a few days ago, when Li Yanfeng vaguely brought up the matter again, Meng Zhutao lost his temper on the spot.

Meng Zhutao directly challenged Li Yanfeng to a sparring match. Li Yanfeng, a master of martial arts and full of youthful vigor, readily accepted. In the ensuing contest, the "Monkey King," known for his fist techniques, was beaten to the point of vomiting blood by the unarmed "Measuring Rod." The onlookers then understood just how formidable Meng Zhutao's skills were, and also realized that this man, in charge of criminal law within the Wheel-Turning King's faction, was a man of strong character and not to be taken lightly.

After casually discussing Li Yanfeng and drinking a couple of cups of tea, "Raven" Chen Juefang also hurried over. He sat down, took a sip, and said, "Damn it, something doesn't feel right."

Meng Zhutao picked up his teacup and said, "I received news this afternoon that your men have caused trouble again. Someone named... Yang Hanzhou, went and slashed Yan Tiehe of the Yan Family Fort. This could be a big deal or a small one. Either we have a fight with Shi Baofeng, or you and I deal with Yang Hanzhou first... Are you close to this Yang Hanzhou? Is he a relative?"

Chen Juefang paused slightly, then waved his hand. "Those are minor matters; I haven't had time to deal with them. What's happening at the Yi Garden? I received a message to put the 'Undying Guards' on standby. Xu Gong ordered Yuan Zhan to leave the city. I heard the goal is to mobilize troops. The other factions are also making moves. What's going on? Are we going to fight over that 'Reading Society' now?"

"It shouldn't come to that," Tan Zheng shook his head.

Xu Longbiao also shook his head. "I've heard some rumors, not necessarily accurate. I heard... the Equitable King tacitly acknowledged his relationship with the Reading Society?"

"I heard it was ambiguous," Tan Zheng said.

"Same here," Chen Juefang nodded.

"He didn't admit it, so why is it suddenly like this?"

"I've got a bit more information," Gao Huiyun said. "Xu Gong and Shi Gong confronted He Wen about the Reading Society, intending to get all five factions to agree, and then use the conference as an opportunity to jointly eliminate the Reading Society's threat. But for some reason, He Wen refused to take a position, and even argued with Crazy Zhou. He Wen told everyone that what the Reading Society wrote in their little pamphlets wasn't entirely unreasonable, and that everyone should think about it more."

The others fell silent, exchanging glances. Chen Juefang looked around and asked, "What's reasonable about it?"

For a moment, no one spoke. Meng Zhutao took a sip of tea. "He Wen's gone mad."

"There are probably three possibilities," Xu Longbiao, the eldest and most experienced of the group, cradled his cup and slowly began, "First, Xu Gong and Shi Gong used the Reading Society to force He Wen to take a position, but He Wen seized the opportunity to turn the tables... Everyone knows that while the Reading Society's ideas are a bit radical, their influence is starting to grow. Most importantly, each of our five Equitable Party factions has people who agree with the Reading Society's ideas. Even many who don't agree have at least read their material. And our Equitable King wants to take advantage of this to win over these people and gather them under his banner."

"Xu Gong and Shi Gong forced him to take a position, and he's trying to poach from the other four factions in return?" Meng Zhutao frowned.

Tan Zheng smiled. "The Jiangning Conference has already held four sessions, and everyone has been relatively restrained. I said earlier that it wouldn't stay that way forever, and that there would inevitably be a day of confrontation. I just didn't expect He Wen to be the first to make a move."

"Shi Baofeng isn't without his little tricks. He didn't attend the meeting yesterday, and it seems he was the first to try to create some variables at today's Yi Garden gathering. It's just that he didn't expect the variables to be so big," Meng Zhutao said. "Xu Lao, please continue."

Xu Longbiao nodded. "The first possibility is that the Equitable King is taking advantage of the situation. The second possibility is that he genuinely finds the Reading Society's views reasonable. He simply wants to reason?"

After he finished speaking, the others exchanged glances again. Chen Juefang laughed. Gao Huiyun asked, "What's the third possibility?"

"The third possibility is simply that... our Equitable King is actually the mastermind behind the Reading Society. But if that's the case, he should have denied it when Xu Gong and Shi Gong questioned him. Schemers aren't usually so honest, are they?"

As he said this, the others smiled and nodded. Meng Zhutao shook his head. "These days, I and Lao Chen have been involved in handling the Reading Society's affairs. He's been in charge of arresting them, and I've been in charge of interrogating and killing them. I've discovered that the Reading Society has a characteristic... Those who hold these little pamphlets and feel that they've joined the Reading Society don't actually know who wrote them, who's at the top. In other words, whether he is or isn't, if the Equitable King stands up and says he is, some people will actually believe him."

He looked at the others, turning the teacup in his hand slightly. "If there are members of the Reading Society among the five of us sitting here today, I wouldn't be able to tell... In that case, the Equitable King's actions today aren't just a calculation against the four factions..."

Meng Zhutao paused slightly. "If he's not the mastermind behind the Reading Society, then today's actions are a calculation against five parties, including the Reading Society. Think about it. There have often been rumors that the mastermind behind the Reading Society is actually Ning Yi of the Southwest, who is targeting the Equitable Party. If that's true, I would be a thorn in his side if I were the Equitable King. And his actions are making half the people unsure of what to do."

The others were silent. Meng Zhutao said, "And according to Xu Lao, if another possibility is true, and He Wen really created the Reading Society, then his actions today are a declaration... Taking advantage of the conference to declare to all Reading Society members... 'I am here.'"

His words were slow and deliberate. At this point, everyone's expressions were grave. Gao Huiyun said, "He's the Equitable King, so why create a Reading Society? The Reading Society's ideas... are incompatible with all five factions. They're always saying that the Equitable Party is going to collapse sooner or later. Even He Wen's territory has been criticized. What, is he even planning to rebel against himself?"

"Logically speaking, that's unlikely," Xu Longbiao said.

"So He Wen is deliberately taking advantage of the situation? Attacking our four factions while also disrupting the Southwest's plans?"

"That's also unlikely," Meng Zhutao shook his head. "It sounds great to say it, but in reality, for the Equitable King to take on four at once and directly overturn the table, he must be crazy. Why would he do that? Didn't you see that our factions have all started mobilizing troops? If we really wait until our four factions destroy his one, then he can say it was a misunderstanding? A momentary impulse, a joke?"

"..."

The courtyard behind the Golden Tower, by the river, was brightly lit. Decorations for the Double Ninth Festival tomorrow already hung from the eaves outside. The noisy sounds of guests toasting each other drifted in from the front. The room fell silent. Xu Longbiao stood up, put his hands behind his back, and shook his head, muttering.

"Something's not right..."

The whole thing felt wrong from start to finish. If He Wen was really related to the Reading Society, then he would be harming the interests of the other four factions, even harming the interests of his own group. And if he had nothing to do with the Reading Society, then there was no need for him to come forward at this time and make Xu, Shi, Zhou, and Gao all nervous. Because even if he, as the Equitable King, could receive some of the Reading Society's strength, the other four factions would all suffer as a result. And with the risk of this loss, everyone would launch a counterattack.

The Jiangning Conference had only held four sessions, and everyone's demands hadn't even been fully articulated. Why would he, as a leader, provoke this storm that had no real benefit?

At that moment, while Xu Zhaonan's giants were confused by this at the Golden Tower, people in the know in various places in Jiangning City had already more or less noticed the unusual movements in the night. The Equitable Party's higher-ups were becoming nervous, and some forces were even beginning to adopt a stance ready for a full-scale brawl. In the north of the city, Yin Ping and Yue Yun had also been summoned, and were discussing the news coming from outside with Zuo Xiuquan, Duan Siheng, and others.

The "Yi Garden" gathering hadn't dispersed. He Wen, who had ignited the fire, and Gao Chang, who was rumored to be on good terms with He Wen, had also issued orders from within, demanding that some of their elite forces prepare for a full-scale brawl, not to mention Xu Zhaonan, Shi Baofeng, and Zhou Shang.

In this matter, no matter what considerations each party had, once they tore apart their facade, what would follow would not only be chaos affecting Jiangning, but would directly trigger a five-way melee engulfing the entire Jiangnan region.

In the southwest of the city, Lu Xian galloped to what appeared to be a dirty courtyard under the command of "King Yama." He dismounted, removed his weapons, and after passing several sentries, he whispered to a familiar guard, "Something doesn't feel right... What exactly happened?"

"It's big, they say the Equitable King has gone mad..." The guard whispered, then said, "Go in, Lord Wei has been waiting for a while."

"How's his mood?" Lu Xian passed over a small ingot of silver.

The guard accepted it. "He's met with several groups of people, giving very detailed instructions, all troublesome matters. But he hasn't been cursing anyone."

Lu Xian nodded and entered the inner room, where he saw "Heavenly Killer" Wei Xuwen standing by the window with his hands behind his back.

"I've summoned you to confirm something with you again, about what happened at the Five Lakes Inn a few days ago." In the room, which looked like a study, only a dim oil lamp provided light. Wei Xuwen spoke simply by the window. "You said you encountered people from the Southwest. Remember carefully, and tell me again in detail."

"Yes..." Lu Xian nodded. "This matter mainly starts with that Y-demon, who was suspected to be from the Southwest..."

At this time, the situation in the city was becoming tense. Lu Xian knew that there must be a deep meaning behind Wei Xuwen summoning him to inquire about this matter. He carefully recalled the details of that rainy night, and when he had finished speaking in detail about the noteworthy parts, Wei Xuwen nodded, thinking for a moment.

"The Five Lakes Inn, there really are people from the Reading Society?"

"I wouldn't dare to fabricate this, they were indeed captured..."

"But that day you said that the connection between the people from the Southwest and the Reading Society at the Five Lakes Inn might not be that strong."

"...This matter is too important, I just felt that we need to... investigate carefully to be certain..."

Lu Xian hesitated slightly. He had eavesdropped in the rain that day, and among the little information he had obtained, the Black Flag members hadn't mentioned anything special about the Five Lakes Inn as a base. In his subsequent observations, the Reading Society at the Five Lakes Inn and the Black Flag who happened to be residing there seemed more like two coincidental but parallel threads. After all, the consequences of this matter were too great, and he didn't dare to make any direct assertions. Wei Xuwen had told him to continue investigating, but in just a few days, he hadn't found the whereabouts of those Black Flag members in the city.

In the dim light, Wei Xuwen scratched his head.

"You tipped off Shi Weiyang, revealing the whereabouts of that ill-mannered kid. Shi Weiyang rushed over excitedly. The people at the Five Lakes Inn had ulterior motives, blocking Shi Weiyang in front, the ill-mannered kid escaped from behind, and happened to run into more Southwest experts. Then everyone started fighting. Neither the Reading Society nor the Black Flag were captured, only Shi Weiyang was left with a bruised face... These... are all coincidences..."

He clutched his hair, muttering to himself. Lu Xian frowned, recalling the events.

"After all, that day..."

"Do you know what happened today..."

"I... am not very clear, I only heard that there was a commotion at the Yi Garden..."

"He Wen is strange." Wei Xuwen said, "Shi Weiyang, who had been humiliated at the Five Lakes Inn that day, exploited the situation. Yesterday, he smashed up the Five Lakes Inn, arresting a bunch of people and forcing confessions, saying it was a base of the Reading Society... Since we had your intelligence, we knew it was nonsense. But Shi Baofeng borrowed flowers to offer to Buddha, and together with Xu Zhaonan, confronted He Wen, forcing him to say that he had nothing to do with the Reading Society. But... He Wen was noncommittal, his attitude was very ambiguous... Lu Xian, you're the most thoughtful of my subordinates, tell me why..."

"This..."

Lu Xian's mind worked quickly, and he thought of many possibilities in a moment, but before he could speak, Wei Xuwen had already turned to look at the courtyard outside the window.

"...The Reading Society uses the name of the Southwest orthodoxy, what they usually say is actually not important at all. What's important is that they want to replace the Equitable King. And for the Equitable King himself to joke about this kind of thing... you see, because of his attitude, all the factions have started mobilizing troops and preparing, because if the Reading Society really is related to him, then the entire Jiangnan will be in chaos. What will be burned to the ground is not just Jiangning City... Then, the reason he's so fearless, I can only think of two..."

"First, He Wen has already cut us off and allied with one or two of Gao Chang, Xu Zhaonan, and Shi Baofeng, and feels that he has a sure chance of winning. So he simply announces his intentions to start a full-scale brawl... Oh, Shi Baofeng shouldn't be his ally, because today's show was provoked by Shi Baofeng. In that case, we can still consider talking to Shi Baofeng..."

"As for the second possibility... You were able to confirm that people from the Southwest had arrived at the Five Lakes Inn that day, so no matter what the Reading Society is, perhaps He Wen has already formally negotiated cooperation with the Southwest, and wants to overturn the table, cut off the other four factions, and do something big and spectacular. If that's the case... then..."

Wei Xuwen faced the window, speaking very quickly, it didn't even sound like there was any intonation, only when he said the last few sentences, the tone of his words gradually lowered, and the thoughts and doubts seemed to be immersed in the darkness outside the window. Lu Xian's hair stood on end when he heard this kind of speculation.

"Then it's the Southwest... involved... After all, they're too far away from here..."

Wei Xuwen shook his head, muttering: "The people of the Southwest are all crazy, Ning Yi is the biggest madman, and He Wen is from there, there's something wrong with his brain. If it weren't for that, why would he create the Equitable Party... Don't look at them being normal at other times, they can do anything for the little idea in their hearts..."

Lu Xian didn't know how to respond to Wei Xuwen's summary of the Southwest for a moment.

In the dim room, the two talked about the recent situation again, and Wei Xuwen instructed: "...There may not be a fight recently, everyone is considering matters that will affect the entire Jiangnan. It will take some time to mobilize troops from various places. The small scenes in the city are just to put pressure on He Wen. But I said, He Wen is a madman, he has no humanity... That's right, you saw those Black Flag people that day, I'll transfer another batch of people to you, give it a boost, and find them as soon as possible."

"..." Lu Xian hesitated slightly, then said, "I obey the order."

"Then I'm counting on you."

In the dim light, Wei Xuwen said calmly.

...

The city was submerged in the night, like a boat carrying starlight.

On this night of the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, when countless threads were set in motion by that ambiguous argument and roared faintly beneath the surface of the water, there were also more subtle clues that intersected in this huge undercurrent. Some clues would suddenly be carried by the huge undercurrent and pushed to the surface.

On this night, after directing the accident at the Wenshui Wine Shop, arranging for the wounded Yan Tiehe to be taken to a suitable clinic, leaving people to monitor, and having dinner with the military advisor Wu Chennan, Shi Weiyang returned to Zhong'an Ward with a group of attendants.

As soon as he got home, he found that the atmosphere in the ward had become a bit strange. The elite guards were all armored, and the ward gates on both sides were under martial law, as if it was a prelude to war.

"...Uncle Jin is so good to me?" Shi Weiyang was almost flattered. "Could it be that he knew I was going to cause trouble tonight and prepared it for me early? But this scene... it's not necessary, is it..."

Wu Chennan frowned slightly and said after thinking, "Maybe it's because the 'Undying Guards' are used to being overbearing, and know that they can't apologize for the grudge they made this afternoon, so they plan to kill us directly tonight and file a complaint first?"

The two discussed it for a while, but couldn't figure it out. It wasn't until they met Jin Yongsheng in the side courtyard and asked him that Shi Weiyang roughly knew the huge changes that had occurred in the city.

Because of the situation he had set up before, his father directly questioned the Equitable King at the meeting. The Equitable King's answer was not satisfactory, so his family directly took a stance ready for war to face the Equitable King's authority head-on.

"...Pressuring the Equitable King? My dad is so... domineering?"

Shi Weiyang was dumbfounded. In the past, his father had only taught him to be a good dancer, and had even beaten him because he was impolite and not humble enough, but he didn't expect his father to be so tough when he met a real strongman.

There were many people in the courtyard where several shopkeepers were working, and Jin Yongsheng, who had just carried out a lot of troop deployments, didn't have the energy to explain too much to Shi Weiyang, only saying: "Now it's four families pressuring one family."

How domineering...

Shi Weiyang shook his head with admiration, then frowned and thought for a while.

"...Then... Uncle Jin, about the matter of Second Master Yan, it was originally agreed that we would go to the 'Undying Guards' to cause trouble tonight. If our four families join forces, then this matter..."

Jin Yongsheng rubbed his forehead and considered it.

"Pay attention to your actions, just make a show, don't really fight," the old shopkeeper said, "It shouldn't... matter."

Shi Weiyang was not interested in the Reading Society. At this time, he only asked about the situation he had set up. After getting a positive answer, he left contentedly. That night, he took a gang of followers and marched mightily towards the "Wheel-Turning King" "Undying Guards" residence.

At this time, Jiangning City was still seemingly a harmonious night before the Double Ninth Festival, but the elites of the five factions in the city had all received orders and were making intimidating gestures to each other. Seeing Shi Weiyang's domineering actions, almost everyone was shocked.

Just as everyone didn't understand why He Wen was the first to provoke this conflict, no one could understand that at this time when everyone was making threats and on the verge of breaking out, the first to raise the flame and pretend to light the powder keg was actually the Shi family, who had always been friendly with guests from all directions...