The night was filled with dim lights and bustling crowds, the epitome of a lively marketplace.

At the Yinqiao Fang night market, amidst the clamor of voices, the banners of "Bamboo Branch Subdivision" and "Hua Tuo Reborn" were hoisted. On a cart converted into a stall, a dazzling array of goods was on display: heart protectors looted from battlefields, quaint daggers, gold and silver necklaces of dubious quality, jewelry, jade pendants, intricately carved wooden boxes, all jumbled together with needles, thread, ancient books, and various miscellaneous tomes.

A tall, handsome young man was attending to the female customers who gathered around the stall. Holding a folding fan, he attempted to recommend a dagger and a novel to one of them.

"...In these chaotic times, even women should possess some means of self-defense. Especially if a woman knows martial arts, she will be admired and desired. Like Yan Jiuniang, the most famous heroine in Jiangnan in recent years, who serves the country and its people, proving to be a match for any man. I learned in Fuzhou that her deeds have been recorded by Mr. Songshan and are now in circulation, which is truly heartening... If this young lady is interested, you might consider buying this book to read. Moreover, the short sword wielded by Yan Jiuniang in the book is precisely the one I hold in my hand..."

"This... This is so short, isn't it a dagger?"

"No, this is a short sword. Please allow me to borrow a strand of your hair, and you'll see the edge of the blade..."

The two people haggled in front of the stall, and after a while, another young woman who had been watching approached, "Excuse me, young master... Is the story of Yan Jiuniang really true?"

The refined gentleman responded with a smile, "Yes, it is absolutely true."

"Ah, I didn't know..." The young woman blushed under the gentleman's smile.

The thriving merchandise stall was next to a rice cake stall run by a plump woman, and further down were fish-frying stalls, glutinous rice wine stalls, mask stalls, and sugar figure stalls, among others. On the other side of the street were larger storefronts. The most bustling of these was "Xiang Family Food," which sold wine, ice cream, snow-bubble water, and various other foods. Every night, the first floor of this large shop was packed with people, buzzing with activity.

During the Wu Dynasty, cold drinks were sold in the summer, but there was no well-developed ice-making technology at the time. In Bianliang and other places, the cold drinks sold by large shops in the summer used ice blocks stored since winter, just like wealthy families. Because the items were rare at that time, the prices were also high. Years earlier, as the Bamboo Branch spread everywhere, the technology of making ice with saltpeter was developed to maturity. Here in Fuzhou, Jun Wu vigorously promoted commercial support in order to promote the development of technologies such as saltpeter production and gunpowder. As a result, in the hot and humid Fuzhou nights, at least the price of ice had fallen to the point where ordinary people could occasionally afford it.

While Qu Longjun stayed at the merchandise stall to swindle money from women, Ning Ji wandered around to scout things out, eventually finding his way into "Xiang Family Food," where there were many common people, so he could drink cold drinks and eavesdrop on various Jianghu matters. After a long time, he returned to the stall with a bowl of ice cream, trotting all the way, and while Qu Longjun ate the goat-milk ice cream, he told her about the gossip he had heard in Fuzhou.

"Hehehe," he said excitedly, "The little emperor of Fuzhou is also a lecher."

The ice cream was quite similar to the ice cream of later generations, but it melted faster in the current environment. Qu Longjun took two elegant bites with a small spoon and looked up, "...Huh?"

"Hehehe... I heard over there that the emperor is choosing a wife... No, a concubine. I heard the commotion is quite big, and many people have been alarmed..."

"Why is choosing a concubine the same as being a lecher?" Qu Longjun took a bite.

"Doesn't it always say in books that when the emperor chooses a concubine, isn't that the same as forcibly taking women from the people! Moreover, the Wu Dynasty is almost bankrupt. He came to Fuzhou and said he wanted to work hard and rejuvenate the country, and even took a title called Revitalization, and in the blink of an eye, he's choosing a wife. Hmph, isn't that a lecher!"

"No, I wanted to ask, why are you so happy about it, and why is he 'also' a lecher? Who was the previous lecher?"

Qu Longjun was dressed as a man, looking handsome and refined from a distance, but only up close could you see the cunning glint in her eyes and the fox-like smile on her lips. Ning Ji was slightly stunned, and then he realized that the other person was teasing and joking: "You you you... you are rebelling, you..."

Before he could raise his voice, the plump woman from the rice cake stall nearby leaned over, "Whoa! Who's rebelling?"

Ning Ji turned around: "What's it to you!"

"Hmph!" The plump woman provoked slightly and retreated.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry..." Ning Ji raised both hands to his chest, then slowly pressed down towards his dantian. He glared at Qu Longjun, who opened her fan and whispered with a smile: "I am a lecher, okay? I am a five-foot pervert!"

"I'll smack you if you say that again!"

"Then smack me when we get back, don't smack me out here."

"You..."

Ning Ji wanted to say that this was a question of where to smack, but Qu Longjun was shameless, and for a moment, he opened his mouth wide, then turned his head away, feeling his face burning.

Qu Longjun chuckled and sat down next to him. She snuggled up to him, continuing to eat ice cream with a calm smile.

The night market was noisy, with people coming and going.

After sitting like this for a while, Ning Ji found another topic to talk about.

"Hey, you know, how come no one has come to cause trouble since we put up the name of this Bamboo Branch Subdivision?"

"I don't know either." Qu Longjun tilted her head, pretending to be silly, and then spoke again after a moment.

"But I guess it might be like this... The Revitalization Court of Fujian has always had a somewhat ambiguous relationship with the Southwest. The current Emperor and Princess seem to have been taught by Mr. Ning, according to rumors..."

"That's true." Ning Ji nodded.

"So this matter is complicated. Back then, Mr. Ning committed regicide, which seems rebellious to the people of the Wu Dynasty, but whether they hate or fear him, people here have to admit that Mr. Ning is formidable. The current Emperor was taught by Mr. Ning, and many people expect him to have Mr. Ning's abilities, but this cannot be said openly. The Emperor is the Wu Dynasty's orthodox ruler, and in name, he is sworn enemies with Mr. Ning... As a result, with gratitude and enmity intertwined, his attitude toward the Southwest is probably something that cannot be boasted about or cursed."

"Yeah, his father seemed to have said that he wanted to be friendly with the Southwest, and then a minister killed himself in the Golden Palace."

"So, it's not good to boast about it openly, and he doesn't want to curse it, so the official attitude towards the Southwest can only be to turn a blind eye. We've seen people talking about the Southwest everywhere on the way here, either cursing it like Eunuch Dai Mengwei or using it as a banner to expand their influence like the Fair Party, but here, it might be best not to mention or talk about the Southwest. Ordinary people should know about the Huaxia Army, but the newspapers here probably rarely mention the Bamboo Branch of the Southwest. Most people probably don't know about it."

"...I see. But... there will always be someone who knows, right?"

"Haven't there been a few people who have looked at us more closely in the past two days? But for some reason, they didn't say anything strange. Perhaps the attitude of those above is very strange."

"Mm-hmm."

After getting Qu Longjun's explanation, Ning Ji had a rough outline of the situation. It wasn't that he had any far-sighted plans to put up this rebellious flag; it was purely a result of a brain fart because he thought it rhymed. Now that he knew the flag might not be appropriate, he didn't have any inspiration to modify it. He thought to himself and couldn't help but sigh at how vast the world was. The three thousand miles of mountains and rivers he had traveled were all different. His trip away from home was indeed the most correct plan.

He set up a stall at the night market, sold things, and returned with Qu Longjun late at night. During their time together, they occasionally bickered and played around.

The longer they spent together, the more they had their own courtyard. Qu Longjun no longer had the slightly suppressed caution and fear of the past, and Ning Ji realized that her temperament was not dull at all. She read a lot and had a lot of talent. She was skilled in qin, chess, calligraphy, painting, paper-cutting, and poetry. When she was quiet, she seemed gentle and tranquil, and when she was lively, she could make people feel the joy in her heart. Occasionally, Ning Ji would even blush and be unable to cope with her unrestrained words. Of course, he actually liked that feeling quite a bit.

After the night market stalls started, when there was no rain during the day, the two began to discuss going out to wander around. They "inspected" several large markets, toured the Three Lanes and Seven Alleys, ate all kinds of snacks, climbed Wushan Mountain, and carved the words "Long Aotian and Sun Wukong were here" on the stones near Daoshan Pavilion. Ning Ji began to feel that the life of traveling around and playing was quite happy, and his ambition and the desire to "join in the fun" had almost dropped to the lowest point for a while.

He was even very rationally considering whether to take down the "Bamboo Branch Subdivision" slogan that caused trouble.

May 19th, the fifth day that the two were running the stall in Yinqiao Fang. In the Yinqiao Fang night market, Qu Longjun diligently coaxed passing female customers who seemed wealthy, while Ning Ji walked around in the vicinity where he could see the stall, eating and drinking. Around Xu Shi, a commotion arose vaguely in a block not far from Yinqiao Fang. The local constables banged on warning gongs, and then in the night, Ning Ji heard from afar: "...Where are you running..."

The person who spoke sounded young, but his inner strength was already very strong. Ning Ji's blood surged within his body. If it were normal times, he would have had to go and see who the young expert who could make such a sound was, but at this moment, he simply returned to the vicinity of the stall, signaling Qu Longjun not to be surprised.

The commotion continued in the distance for a while, seemingly related to the arrest of some thieves. Ning Ji couldn't see too much activity from where he was standing. When Chen Hua, a fierce-looking member of the Gui Tai Alliance, passed by nearby, he grabbed the other party's collar: "What happened, what happened?"

Although he had pinched him when he first arrived here, Ning Ji was highly skilled in martial arts, and his personality wasn't awkward. He gave him a warning on the first day, and then pulled him to eat a bowl of sour plum soup on the second day, and the two became "inseparable" friends. At this time, Chen Hua had obviously come from afar to watch the fun. When Ning Ji grabbed him, he immediately wore a smiling face: "Hey, Brother Sun."

"Tell me what happened?"

"Catching people, fighting, a gang fight, my goodness, they're all fierce people..."

"Fierce people... then your Gui Tai Alliance didn't go?"

"Brother Sun, what are you saying? Our Gui Tai Alliance is a place to make a living. Look, Gui means returning home, and Tai means peace. As the saying goes..."

"Okay, okay, get to the point." Ning Ji got a headache when he heard the other party start reciting, "The guy who shouted loudly with a broken gong voice, what's going on."

"Ah, this is quite something, Brother Sun..." Chen Hua walked to the side and pulled a chair from a nearby stall to sit down, "Yue Fei, General Yue, have I told you about him?"

"Yeah." Ning Ji also sat down.

"General Yue's daughter, have I told you about her?"

"Yeah... but that was a man just now."

"Then General Yue's son, have I told you about him..."

"You bastard..."

"Hey, don't hit me, don't hit me, Brother Sun, wasn't that the thing I told you about the other day?" Chen Hua laughed, "Wasn't there a big incident in Houguan County at the end of April? They said a bunch of thieves framed the soldier Zhong Ergou—of course, it's hard to say whether it was a frame-up, but General Yue's children insisted it was a frame-up, and they went to Fuzhou Prefecture to appeal for injustice, making the prefectural governor rack his brains. On the other hand, the siblings started to arrest people in the city. That's why, before the middle of the month, many Jianghu heroes from other places were taken by these two siblings. They're relentless, like yasha demons..."

"Then tonight is..."

"Isn't it just that someone was targeted? Ah, this time there's no sister, only that little tyrant Yue Yun. Brother Sun, let me tell you, I'm not trying to stir up trouble, but even though you have some strength, that Yue Yun has natural divine power. His arms are thicker than your legs, and he can push down a house with his hands... You see, I told you before, at the end of last year, the siblings fought in a ring in Fuzhou and defeated all their opponents. The sister is fiery, and her spear skills are somewhat restrained, but the brother uses his fists, tsk tsk, who hasn't been beaten black and blue by him... Alas, everyone's having a hard time lately..."

"What's so hard about it for you guys who have returned to the Peace Alliance? They're not arresting you..."

"It's hard to say, Brother Sun. I, Chen Hua, don't have much ambition, but I can't say anything about the boss's business. Inevitably, it's also a matter of licking blood off a knife..."

Chen Hua stirred up some trouble, but Ning Ji was calm about the issue of martial arts. He didn't feel anything about Chen Hua boasting about Yue Yun. The two chatted for a few more words before Chen Hua left. Ning Ji then returned to the stall and told Qu Longjun the news he had inquired about.

Qu Longjun was now playing the role of the Jianghu hero Long Aotian and was coaxing people to buy daggers with stories of heroines all day long. After hearing these things, she was a little curious: "I wonder how high Yue Yinping's martial arts really are."

Ning Ji thought for a moment: "If I really fought her, it would probably be a 50-50 chance."

He had heard a few evaluations of General Yue's children from his parents in the past. They were well-educated in their family's martial arts, and their skills were the best among their peers. Carefully considered, they were probably at the level of First Sister and Hei Niu. He was suppressed in age in the past, so he couldn't beat them, but after traveling for more than a year and experiencing various trials in Jiangning, his physical strength had also increased. Now, if they really fought, it might not be much different.

The two chatted casually for a while and didn't think that the upcoming events would have anything to do with them. But before long, a huge accident came rashly.

After Xu Shi halfway, the turmoil on the other side of the night had temporarily stopped, and some constables had arrested people and were returning from the direction of the Golden Silver Bridge. As various news spread, some people said that there was a large arrest in the distance, and perhaps there were still some fish that had escaped. Ning Ji didn't go around eating and drinking anymore and stayed with Qu Longjun behind the stall.

At the third quarter of Xu Shi, a sneaky figure passed through the pedestrians and walked towards the inside of Yinqiao Fang—for some reason, when he looked carefully at the other party's footsteps, they were very ordinary, but Ning Ji subconsciously felt that the other party was being sneaky. He took a few more glances at this person.

The person's gaze was also scanning the surroundings, and as he was about to walk past the side of the merchandise cart, for some reason, he suddenly stopped, and the sneaky aura on his body disappeared for a moment.

He saw this person looking at the flagpole on the roof of the car, standing still, looking at it again, then taking a few steps back, and then unconsciously putting his hands on his hips, with a puzzled look on his face.

Ning Ji was also looking at this person from behind the car, stretching his neck. Their gazes met for a moment, and they were both somewhat hesitant, surprised, and incredulous. The other party put down his hands on his hips and began to narrow his eyes, coming over here.

Ning Ji suddenly shrank down, revealing half of his head. The next moment, half of his head was gone, and he completely retreated behind the carriage, but that figure squeezed in along the gap between the carriage and the rice cake stall.

"...Bamboo, Bamboo Branch Subdivision?"

The person poked his head in, staring at Ning Ji, who was shrinking behind the car. Ning Ji's mouth was also twitching slightly as he looked at the person's face with resentment. At this time, Qu Longjun's figure suddenly stood in front of Ning Ji: "This guest, please leave."

That guest said: "Get out of the way."

Ning Ji also pulled Qu Longjun's hand: "It's okay."

"...Impossible. Don't scare me..." After Qu Longjun stepped aside, the figure climbed in through the gap like a gecko, arrived in front of Ning Ji, and was still narrowing his eyes to look at his face: "You, you... how did you..."

Then he reached out his hand and was about to pinch Ning Ji's face.

Ning Ji punched him.

With a bang, the person's head swayed, and blood flowed from his nostrils. He covered his nose, squatted down facing Ning Ji: "Ah, it's not a dream, you... you, how are you here..."

"I want to ask you that." Ning Ji suppressed his voice, "Zuo Xingzhou, you dog thief, what are you doing here!"

"I, I..." The dog thief named Zuo Xingzhou pointed to himself, hesitated for a moment, "I can't say, but what are you doing here, that's not right... how did you appear here, this is not right..."

"I'm Sun Wukong!"

"...Huh?"

"My name is Sun Wukong now!" Ning Ji suppressed his voice and pointed to himself, "I'm traveling the world. I didn't want to see you. I have nothing to do with the Southwest."

"Ah—you hung up such a big Bamboo Branch Subdivision, and you say you have nothing to do with the Southwest! If it weren't for this flag, who would see you..."

"Ah!" Ning Ji hugged his head, "I knew it, I should have changed this broken flag—"

The two squatted together, and for a moment, their minds were muddled. After such a chaotic entanglement, Zuo Xingzhou seemed to have remembered something, and then he turned around, climbing on the edge of the stall to peek outside, and also lowered his voice: "That's right! I... my name isn't Zuo Xingzhou either, my name is Zhou Xing, the Xing in Xing Tian."

"What the hell? You're just reversing your name as an alias?" Ning Ji also subconsciously looked outside, "...That's not right, why do you need an alias here, and what's with this sneaky appearance of yours?"

"You're the one being sneaky, who's being sneaky." Zuo Xingzhou glanced at Ning Ji, who was climbing next to him, and then looked at himself, who was also squatting and peeping, and his expression became tangled, then he shook his head vigorously and sighed, "Alas! Never mind, I can't explain it to you for a while... I'm a bad guy now, don't ruin my good deeds."

"What good deeds does a bad guy like you have! But I also wanted to say, don't tell anyone about my business, you can't tell anyone, understand?"

Zuo Xingzhou squatted there and thought for a while, then finally turned his head and looked at Ning Ji carefully. He had calmed down, and his gaze had a complex scrutiny: "Tell who? What to say... That's right, seriously, why did you run here? Don't you know how dangerous it is here?"

"What danger is here? Where is it dangerous?"

"It's not dangerous here, but you're in danger."

"Get out!"

"...No."

"Don't you have bad things to do? If you don't get out, I'll pinch you to death!"

"No." The other party said seriously, "I have something to do, but I'm not going to do it anymore. I can't leave until I figure out what's going on with you. Do you have a box in this carriage that you can crawl into? Let me crawl in..."

"I... Damn... you bastard..."

Ning Ji gnashed his teeth, wishing he could pounce on him and bite him to death, but there was no way.

In the past, Zuo Duanyou had sent some of the children in the family to Xiaocang River one after another, and later sent some to the Southwest. Zuo Xingzhou was the youngest among a group of "foreign students", but he had a wild nature and was a rare martial faction among the Zuo family. Although he was a few years older than Ning Ji, the group of rascals had nothing to do and blew up manure pits, organized factions to deploy troops, and finally had a group fight. The two had a lot of interactions, sometimes as comrades-in-arms and sometimes as enemies.

Knowing each other well, he couldn't threaten the other party.

The two squatted there sneakily, in a stalemate for a long time, and Ning Ji had to calm down.

"Never mind, if you don't leave, then don't... Then tell me, what were you planning to do?"

"...Originally, I was planning to fight Yue Yun. Now it seems, let's do it another day."

"Fight Yue Yun... where?"

"Right here... I guess he'll be here soon."

"Here..."

The two can be regarded as knowing each other well. When the other party said this, Ning Ji nodded and already understood:

"I understand, you dog thing, you were originally an undercover agent..."