Chapter 81

The Old Fox

Although she was now free, when she raised her head, she realized her sea and sky were no bigger than a palm’s width. There was nowhere specific she wanted to go.

But she remembered what Song Muchuan had told her. He hoped she could help Bing Zhu Si. She had promised him that. She gradually realized that promises made aloud were important, and she was ready to fulfill her promise, at least to help escort King Ling’an out of the city safely.

So, Nanyi was on her way to Liang’s Rice Shop. Back when she was with the Yucheng Army, she knew it was a contact point for Bing Zhu Si. From time to time, they sent supplies to the mountains and were able to directly contact Song Muchuan. She feared that going directly to his house or the shipyard would attract too much attention and cause trouble, so she decided to visit the meeting point first.

The so-called rice shop was a tiny establishment, run by a middle-aged couple who sourced rice from a large merchant house in the city and resold it to the local residents.

As soon as Nan Yi approached the area, she spotted a prominent sign hanging above a small building that read “Liang Ji Rice Shop.” She could now recognize the four characters. Her gaze slowly descended, and she saw a scholar in blue entering the shop.

Nan Yi was pleased. Wasn’t this Song Mu Chuan? It was a perfect coincidence. Just as she was about to rush forward, she suddenly noticed a beggar crouching by the side of the street, acting strangely.

Nan Yi knew exactly what a beggar should look like. Most beggars wouldn’t dare look up at people but would focus on their shoes or pant legs, trying to judge whether someone might be a wealthy and generous person. Once they spotted a potential target, they would take a quick glance at their face and approach to beg. Even when begging, they would keep their bodies hunched and their eyes averted from the dignitaries.

This cautious behavior came from being ground down by countless humiliations, a fear and wariness of society ingrained deep into their bones.

But this beggar was different—he was staring straight at the people passing by with wide eyes. When someone threw a few coins into his bowl, he expressed exaggerated gratitude, but his gaze never even flickered at the bowl. It seemed like he didn’t care whether he was receiving alms at all.

Nan Yi thought this person was rather strange. And since this street was a meeting point for Bing Zhu Si, she couldn’t help but be extra cautious.

If this person were a spy, already keeping an eye on Liang Ji Rice Shop, what would happen if Song Mu Chuan entered the shop? Nan Yi didn’t dare take this lightly and decided to test the waters.

Fortunately, she was just an inconspicuous passerby at the moment.

She touched her right wrist, where a hidden arrow was tied. It had been there when she woke up, so it must have been given to her by Xie Que Shan.

It could come in handy.

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Meanwhile, Xie Que Shan had already shaken off his followers with a ruse. By the time they realized they had been deceived, the house was already empty. Even if someone suspected him, they couldn’t find any evidence to accuse him.

But what Xie Que Shan really wanted to know was who was behind the suspicion.

He had He Ping keeping an eye on things. When He Ping reported back, he mentioned that the people tailing him seemed to be Han people—swift, coordinated, and well-trained. He had never seen them in the city before.

Xie Que Shan found this odd. Why would they be Han people?

It couldn’t be that Zhang Yuehui had sent them to eavesdrop, could it? He quickly dismissed that thought. Zhang Yuehui’s people entered and exited the house every day. If he wanted to eavesdrop, there were simpler ways to do it. Sending such skilled assassins would be overkill.

Suddenly, an idea flashed in Xie Que Shan’s mind. Could it be…? If his guess was right, things would become tricky.

These might be outside reinforcements.

Wanyan Jun had taken control of the military and was gaining power. He didn’t need to ask the royal court for soldiers anymore. That would be too weak, and he wasn’t so reckless. So, the only remaining possibility was Gusha.

Gusha must have received some precise intelligence and was willing to spend resources to bring in reinforcements, keeping a close watch on him.

The only thing worth Gusha investing in would be the Yucheng Army incident. They wanted to turn the situation around with that.

But the information couldn’t have come out of nowhere. And it came at such a delicate time… How did they know? Xie Que Shan couldn’t believe that no one was pushing things behind the scenes.

A simple piece of information had already led to countless possibilities in his mind.

He decided to pay a visit to Zhang Yuehui.

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At Huachao Pavilion, Zhang Yuehui had already realized that Xie Que Shan had moved Nan Yi. He immediately sent countless spies across the city to find her. In his mind, he cursed the old fox repeatedly, but the fox came uninvited.

“Boss Zhang, shall we make a deal?” Xie Que Shan walked in calmly and sat down on his own.

Zhang Yuehui stood by the door, not bothering to close it. He sneered with a forced smile, “A fortune teller told me I’m not suited to do business with someone named Xie—it’s bad luck.”

It was a clear dismissal.

“Let’s talk about the price first.”

“I have plenty of money.”

“Life, however, only comes once.”

Zhang Yuehui paused and then pushed the door shut with a bang, sitting down at the table, “Whose life are we talking about?”

“In your heart, whose life is worth more? Yours... or Nan Yi’s?”

The smile on Zhang Yuehui’s face faded, replaced by a dark look. “Where did you send her?”

Xie Que Shan didn’t elaborate, only saying, “How about you first tell me what kind of pressure Wanyan Jun is putting on you, that you’re so eager to get rid of him?”

Xie Que Shan was also testing the waters, seeing Zhang Yuehui’s reaction. After all, outwardly, Zhang Yuehui was the favored one among the Qi people.

But recalling the day when Zhang Yuehui planned to expose him in front of Wanyan Jun, only to fail miserably, he knew Zhang Yuehui wouldn’t come out of that situation unscathed. It wasn’t a huge issue—he could have just traded for different intelligence. What he didn’t know was whether Zhang Yuehui had already decided to target Wanyan Jun directly.

Zhang Yuehui narrowed his eyes and examined Xie Que Shan, not answering. He didn’t know how Xie Que Shan had deduced this, but it was clear that Xie Que Shan had figured it out somehow.

Zhang Yuehui didn’t deny it. After all, from Xie Que Shan’s perspective, seeing infighting among the Qi people was a good thing, and he wouldn’t expose him.

It seemed like Xie Que Shan was starting to play his cards openly. Interesting.

Zhang Yuehui pretended to sigh dramatically and said, “Wanyan Jun is a difficult buyer. He’s given me a tough problem. There’s only one day left—who should I betray?”

“I can help you get through Wanyan Jun, but I want something from your shop.”

Zhang Yuehui leaned back in his chair lazily and sneered, “Xie, are you looking down on someone?”

“You used Husha’s hand to investigate the Yucheng army and the Bingzhu Division. If he finds something, you’ll report it to Wanyan Jun to cover your tracks. But I’m afraid, Boss Zhang, the winds you stir up might be too strong and cause you to repeat your previous mistakes.” Xie Que Shan’s eyes were deep, hiding a hint of mockery.

Zhang Yuehui smiled, but his face soon froze. Repeat the same mistake?

— This familiar derision came from a rival.

He squeezed out a few words and jumped up in anger. “Did you send Nan Yi to the Bingzhu Division?”

“You guess, where do you think she might be hiding? When Husha investigates the Yucheng army, will he find her?”

After a moment of silence, Zhang Yuehui knew he had reached a point of no return, but refused to admit defeat. Gritting his teeth, he spat, “Xie Que Shan, your love is no more than this. You’re using her as a pawn!”

Xie Que Shan laughed. “At least my pawn doesn’t hate me. Unlike Boss Zhang, who couldn’t even get her to look back at you.”

Each word struck at the core.

Zhang Yuehui’s smile disappeared. He was silent for a long while before speaking, “What do you want?”

“Wanyan Jun needs a large number of laborers for shipbuilding, and about a month ago, he asked you to help him transport people from outside. The last group should be on their way. I want you to hand over the transport team to me.”

Zhang Yuehui refused to back down. “Where is Nan Yi?”

Xie Que Shan smiled. “I don’t know. She left on her own. I can’t control her.”

Zhang Yuehui, frustrated, kicked the table and lunged forward, grabbing Xie Que Shan’s collar. “You’re sending her straight into the tiger’s mouth!”

Xie Que Shan remained calm, savoring Zhang Yuehui’s expression. It was filled with desperation and urgency, completely exposing his anxiety.

“Boss Zhang, you haven’t seen her in a long time. You don’t know what kind of person she is now.”

It was a sharp hit to Zhang Yuehui’s soft spot. He feared the changes in Nan Yi the most. He was afraid she would grow further apart from him. He didn’t know what agreement Nan Yi had with Xie Que Shan, but this time, he dared not gamble with her safety.

Before he found Nan Yi and confirmed she was safe, he could not act rashly.

Zhang Yuehui, dejected, released his grip and stepped back. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, maintaining his dignity, and muttered, “Deal.”

Xie Que Shan stood up, patted Zhang Yuehui’s shoulder, and added, “Boss Zhang, isn’t being at odds better than risking your life?”

He left, walking tall and feeling triumphant.

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Nan Yi stood at an inconspicuous street corner, raised her hand, and shot an arrow at the sign hanging outside the shop. She was becoming more accurate now, hitting the rope and causing the sign to crash to the ground with a loud thud. It was like a thunderclap, startling those around.

Nan Yi observed the beggar, and the moment the sign fell, he rolled away quickly, far from the impact, his agility and reflexes clearly not those of a typical beggar.

But when he saw it was only the sign that fell, he immediately realized his actions had been too obvious. He looked around cautiously.

Nan Yi’s eyes met his. The two gazed at each other like hawks recognizing their kind. She was startled but knew she couldn’t show any weakness at this moment. She acted nonchalantly, walking past him.

As she passed the beggar, he suddenly grabbed her pant leg with a force so strong she couldn’t break free.

“Lady, spare some money,” he stared at her coldly and said.

Nan Yi’s legs wobbled, but she forced herself to stay composed, cursing loudly, “You filthy beggar, you dirtied my skirt. Can you afford to pay for it?”

Nan Yi, in a womanly manner, yanked her skirt back and hurriedly moved forward, trying to avoid the situation. She didn’t dare enter the rice shop and continued walking down the street. Only after she had walked past a block did she dare to glance back casually. The beggar wasn’t following.

Just as she breathed a sigh of relief, someone suddenly attacked her from behind, pushing her backward and quickly covering her mouth while dragging her into an alley.

It all happened so quickly and silently that Nan Yi had no chance to resist. The man’s strength was overwhelming.

In his other hand, he held a sharp sleeve dart aimed at Nan Yi, trying to stab her. Nan Yi struggled with both hands to hold his arm back, preventing the blade from piercing her skin.

Her wounds had all reopened. She felt like a torn rag, blood flowing from every wound, but her will to survive dulled the pain. She released her right hand and resisted with just her left. The sleeve dart pushed forward an inch, almost tearing through her clothes.

In that critical moment, Nan Yi swiftly raised her hand, triggering the sleeve dart mechanism and shooting at the man behind her.

She didn’t know where she hit him, but felt the man’s hand loosen. Nan Yi seized the moment, twisted his arm, and quickly slashed at his throat—blood splattered on her face.

The man, with the sleeve dart lodged in his face and a line of blood across his neck, collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

Nan Yi, breathless and in shock, felt warm blood dripping down her face. She looked up in confusion, only to see Song Mu Chuan standing at the alley entrance.

Nan Yi was stunned. She glanced at the body on the ground, then at Song Mu Chuan. Instinctively, she reached up to wipe the blood from her face, only to smear it with bright red.

Song Mu Chuan walked toward her, calmly shaking his head to reassure her.

His voice was steady, carrying a sense of comfort: “I’ll handle this.”