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

In a bustling marketplace, seven street performers-turned-bandits brandished knives and spears, attempting to incite the public to revolt. Soldiers of the Huaxia Army blocked them from both sides. These bandits breathed fire and performed continuous somersaults, intimidating the soldiers. When one of them produced and threw a dangerous flying knife, the soldiers raised their shields and swarmed forward, casting barbed fishing nets to bind and knock them down.

During this melee, a storyteller from the Zhuji teahouse emerged, reassuring the crowd and vividly describing the bandits' martial arts skills, which were, in fact, insignificant in the martial world. The Huaxia Army, on the other hand, employed small-scale battle formations written by Zhou Tong, the Iron Arms, years ago. Once the bandits were subdued, chained, and led away, the onlookers applauded enthusiastically before continuing home under guidance.

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

Minor chaos inevitably arose, but fortunately, the chivalrous bandits aimed to win hearts and minds, refraining from wielding broadswords to indiscriminately hack at people on the streets. Had they done so, they would have become immediate targets for snipers and musketeers. The populace at this time was exceptionally simple and honest. If a miscreant caused trouble and was killed on the spot, blood flowing everywhere, it was considered perfectly justified. Eyewitnesses would later have much to discuss over tea, easily impressing their audience.

Ning Ji sprinted through the city.

After running another two streets, he was stopped.

"Hey, hey, hey, you, you, you... that..."

A soldier of the Huaxia Army waved from the street corner, running down the slope from the side. He clearly recognized Ning Ji but hesitated to call him by name. Ning Ji looked at the man and stopped as he approached, his eyes wide with surprise and joy, having found his people.

"Hey, hey, Bamboo Stick... Raven's Beak... Old Yao! You're still alive?"

The soldiers of the Huaxia Army were operating in groups. It was clear that some soldiers were following behind him. Upon hearing Ning Ji's words, the soldier's shoulders slumped slightly. This man was Yao Shubin, an elite warrior who had been incorporated into Zheng Qiming's squad during the Southwest War. His martial arts were quite high, but his nickname was a bit of a mouthful. After the Battle of Wangyuan Bridge, Ning Ji was held back by his father and brothers using underhanded methods, separating him from his comrades.

On the battlefield, they had shared life-and-death experiences. Ning Ji was ruthless, skilled in martial arts, and never a burden. Yao Shubin would not treat him as a child. As he approached, he said, "Well, Second Young Master, how come 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, my name is Dragon Aotian now... call me Brother Tian."

"Ah..." Yao Shubin was taken aback. Then several companions arrived, and he introduced, "This is... my own brother, Dragon... Aotian. Just call him Little Dragon."

"Wow, what a great name..."

"Brother Long's name has such grandeur..."

The soldiers were startled by the name's imposing presence. Ning Ji smiled and greeted everyone, "Hello, brothers, we're all on the same side..." As he spoke, he took out a badge from his pocket. The others, who had thought he was just a teenager and some relative of Yao Shubin's, were now shocked. "Wow! Special Forces!"

"I was with Brother Zheng Qi during the war, just like Old Yao."

"He comes from a martial family and his skills are high. You might not be able to beat him. Besides, he is mainly responsible for military medicine, skilled in treating injuries and illnesses."

Yao Shubin provided a suitable explanation for Ning Ji. The others now understood. During the Southwest War, manpower was tight. Although teenagers were kept away from the battlefield as much as possible, it wasn't unheard of. This impressively named Brother Long was clearly from a martial arts family and also understood medicine, making him a good fit to be brought along. Zheng Qiming had led a truly elite team, and those without substance couldn't get in or would be squeezed dry. The prowess of this young man was evident, living up to his good name.

The soldiers were filled with respect and exclaimed how formidable he was. Ning Ji then followed Yao Shubin toward the slope, which was relatively high. There was also a tower built in the nearby temple, which seemed to have been commandeered. Seeing the setup, he knew that preparations had been thorough and 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 the preparations, we're responsible for arresting people. To talk about preparations, Chengdu has been uneasy recently. 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. Later, he wouldn't let me go to the front lines anymore, and then 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 his wife and son... and then I was in Chengdu, working as a doctor in the First Martial Arts Tournament... I live in a courtyard on the south side, I'll give you the address, it's in Pingrong Road, section B..."

When asked about this by Yao Shubin, Ning Ji chattered on about his recent whereabouts. Yao Shubin nodded. "Oh, Monkey and them... back then..."

Ning Ji waved to interrupt his memories. "Let's not talk about that. What's the arrangement? Who are you fighting? Who are you dealing with? Take me along..."

"How can we take you? You know how the orders are, we're just one group here, how can we randomly bring someone along?... Hey, I was just about to talk to you. You know how tense the situation is tonight, yet you're running around in the city, using parkour and scaling walls. Do you know there are snipers up above, watching you? If I hadn't taken a look, you'd be running around the city with a group of people chasing you."

"No wonder I felt tense..." Ning Ji glanced at the tower, then shrugged innocently. "How was I supposed to know the situation was tense? No one told me in advance. I wanted to come and help..."

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

"I can't say I didn't know. It's been all over the city, and I thought something would happen sooner or later, and the authorities must be prepared... but I've been busy lately and haven't specifically asked."

"That's understandable. Your brother is responsible for contacting everyone. If you had asked, you would have been involved..."

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

"He was previously responsible for contacting everyone. He led the team when we entered the city. In this situation... I guess he's sitting in the center, in command. I don't know exactly where..."

"I'm going to find him now... I'm going to 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 someone doesn't recognize you and you're running around..."

"What kind of reasoning is that? A lot of people are going home, why can't I leave?"

"Anyway, you can't leave. The city is so chaotic, I can't take responsibility if you leave."

"Where is the city chaotic? Where is it chaotic? Take me there!" Ning Ji jumped up and down on the ground, stomping his feet, then looked at Yao Shubin. "If you don't let me leave, then take me along. If bad guys come, I'll help fight."

Yao Shubin thought for a moment. "...This isn't impossible... I have to ask my superiors..."

"We're all on the same side, don't try to fool me. My dad told me that if you want to get something done, you should ask for instructions often..."

"This is only the first time I've asked for instructions!"

"Bamboo Stick, are you arguing with me? I understand, you just don't want me to leave, and you don't want me to have fun... How about this, we'll have a duel."

"I'm not afraid of dueling, but not today."

"Why?"

"To conserve energy, the night is long. The order from above is not to duel with people, but to use firearms directly when encountering bandits. I want to duel too, but there are orders..."

"You... I..." Ning Ji pointed at him, dumbfounded and furious. After a moment, he said, "Forget it, there's no point in talking. I'm going to Mohe Pond to beg for a task. So many people are walking on the road, don't try to fool me. If I die, it's your fault... Now, you either agree or let me go."

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

Ning Ji tilted his head, glared, and pointed his finger. Yao Shubin cocked his head, furrowed his brows, and put his hands on his hips. The night wind blew down the leaves from the trees, scattering in the air. The two faced off in the clearing in front of the temple for a moment.

Finally, Yao Shubin chose to back down. "Okay, consider me unlucky, let's be together tonight. Then it's settled, just consider it 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 fists in the air, then laughed.

"I shouldn't have met you today, you know you're taking risks."

"Hey, Old Yao, I don't really like working with you guys. Using firearms when encountering bandits? Is that what people do? Who are we afraid of in a duel!"

"The superiors said to conserve energy. Look at so many bad guys in the city, they have to come out in batches, right? If we all duel for the whole night, how many people do we have here, including you? It's not worth it."

"That's right, they will come out in batches, right?" Ning Ji's eyes lit up, looking left and right.

"Yes, that's the plan. First, we'll deal with the most troublesome ones, the ones with a reputation. Someone has already gone to greet them. After this group is dealt with, there will inevitably be people who want to pick up the scraps, or think that it's late at night and the Huaxia Army will be careless... Anyway, it's possible all night long... There's nothing we can do. The superiors said that this is how the people outside want to greet us, to get to know us. Then we have to give them a good greeting. Whatever means they have, we'll swallow them all, and fewer people will want to greet us like this next time. Everyone in the world will know us..."

Yao Shubin chattered on, and Ning Ji nodded. "The first group of troublemakers, are they Wang Xiangfo, Xu Yuanzong, Chen Wei or something?"

"Yes, it's all arranged. It seems that the one named Chen Wei hasn't been found yet, so we have to be careful of 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... a weakling... Niu Chengshu and Liu Muxia surrounded him, five against one, kicking him on the ground. That's too much..."

"Well, it's a bit too much to say that. Five of them swarmed up, who could resist it..."

The two sighed and shook their heads in unison. Ning Ji then cheered up. "Forget it, it's okay, there are still bad guys coming, waiting for them to come..." He walked forward and started greeting everyone, trying to get close to them. "Hello, brothers, uncles, uncles, we're working together today, my name is Dragon Aotian, call me Little Dragon..."

Yao Shubin then helplessly began to introduce him.

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

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

The silver river flowed across the sky, and the fireworks with the sound of arrows, like shooting stars, streaked across the night. The city saw several beacons of smoke and the outbreak of fierce fighting.

"I fight for the people of Wu!"

"Many people will starve to death this winter!"

"You Huaxia Army only care about yourselves!"

"The crime of regicide is unforgivable!"

"As long as there is no Ning Yi, my Han Chinese world can negotiate peace, and the beautiful rivers and mountains will not be fragmented, and the restoration of the Central Plains is just around the corner!"

"Heroes, why do you have to follow that rebellious demon? Look at the suffering and starving people of the world!"

In the city, some were persuaded to go back, some were deterred by the power of the sniper rifles and dared not act rashly, but also on some streets, the fighting caused blood to splash and bodies to fall to the ground.

Xu Yuanzong and his brothers fought hard. In the end, only he, covered in blood, escaped through two streets. Wang Dai and others surrounded and intercepted him, cutting him with wounds all over his body. He still kept shouting, first fighting with high morale, then turning into pleas and exhortations to the crowd. But he did not surrender.

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

"The words from Hankou." Wang Dai said, "Stubbornly persistent, kill him."

As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed forward. Xu Yuanzong swung his knife to attack, Wang Dai moved like lightning, and with a dodge, his long knife slashed under his ribs, followed by another knife slashing his back, and the third knife reaching his left shoulder, and he kicked him out. Xu Yuanzong was indeed a grandmaster, extremely vital. Covered in blood, he was still staggering and counterattacking. The next moment, his neck was finally slashed by the blade, and his head flew off.

Xu Yuanzong's team fought and fled all the way, and at this moment, they were all executed.

In fact, Wang Dai and others still had some respect for the group's previous hard fighting and refusal to surrender, and tried to persuade them to surrender several times. Wang Dai also tried his best to maintain his physical strength, hoping to capture them as much as possible and let more of them survive. However, until Xu Yuanzong fought to the end, full of jingles, did he really anger Wang Dai, and finally cut off the other party's head with four consecutive knives.

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

……

"What a heroic, commendable!"

In a courtyard three streets away from where Xu Yuanzong died, Huang Nanzhong clenched his fists and said so. 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 decide the fate of the entire world. Even if you and I may die here, we will be remembered by the world and 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 fists clenched, trembling.

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

He murmured to himself.

……

The members of the Huaxia Army compiled the events that occurred in the city one by one. More than an hour after the initial explosion, they began to compile the initial data and make a phased report.

"...The first round of chaos basically appeared in the first half of the hour. After being quickly suppressed, the chaos in the city began to decrease, and the enemy's intention and target began to become irregular. We estimate that there will still be some small-scale incidents tonight... However, the overly resolute suppression seems to have scared some people. According to the reports from our secret agents, many greenwoodsmen who gathered in secret have begun to discuss giving up their actions, and some of them have not been warned by us..."

……

When the member of the command reported to Ning Yi at the watchtower, the originally high-spirited Second Young Master Ning Ji was questioning an old woman who was late for returning home. The old woman was carrying a jar of pickles. "I brought something back from my daughter's house. The jar is heavy, so I took a break..."

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

"It's on the slope in front."

"Oh, thank you, young man."

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

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

"Oh, thank you, young man."

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

……

"...In addition, when the Sixteenth Group was performing its task, it accidentally discovered that Ning Ji was running around in the city. The group leader Yao Shubin left him behind to avoid too much trouble and temporarily agreed to take him to perform the task together. This was reported to the superiors not long ago."

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

"Pine Tree Pavilion."

"Did anything major happen there?"

"Several people were caught at first. After he arrived, nothing seemed to happen. The operation to arrest Wang Xiangfo was nearby, but it was later reported that Ning Ji did not participate... He is really a lucky general."

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

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

The night wind was blowing slowly, and the stars and moon in the sky were gradually moving. 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 the big tree to look into the distance, and running up the tower to borrow the sniper's telescope to see the excitement in other places.

He also sent the elderly grandma 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..."

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

"I don't care, I want to go somewhere else. I'm not staying here with you!"

"We've already agreed, a gentleman's word is a swift horse's whip, if you want to break your word, just go, everyone is your own brother, and I won't say anything about you, I don't like chatting with people, you know..."

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh—" Ning Ji held his face, stared at Yao Shubin, and shouted. Yao Shubin pushed him away, only feeling a little funny. Ning Ji's appearance was delicate and pretty. He was indeed unambiguous when killing people on the battlefield, and his murderous aura was particularly scary, but when he didn't have any murderous aura, he looked a little silly.

"Don't be like this, Brother Tian, ​​at this time you run to other places, and the fights are already over, and maybe something will happen here as soon as you run away, right? Now the possibility of something happening anywhere in the city is the same, we're guarding a tree and waiting for a rabbit, the important thing is to be patient..."

Feeling that what Yao Shubin said actually made sense, Ning Ji suddenly became a little depressed.

After Hai hour, something finally happened nearby. A few thieves who wanted to be heroes set fire to a house nearby. The constable found out and quickly beat the gong. Ning Ji and others rushed over quickly, surrounded them from both sides, and when they were about to arrive, the three thieves were casually knocked down by two soldiers who came from the opposite side, and curled up on the ground rolling.

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

Hai hour gradually passed, and time entered Zi hour. There were very few pedestrians in the city, and occasionally there seemed to be the sound of catching people by knocking on gongs and drums, which sounded in the distance, as rare as the hair of some senior researchers at Gewuyuan. Ning Ji finally gave up.

"I want to go home."

"We're on duty until tomorrow morning."

"I'm going home, I'm not on duty anymore, 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 crow's beak, remember this for me..."

"After finishing the matter, I'll treat you to hot pot tomorrow to apologize. This time it's my fault, I have bad luck, I didn't encounter a thief, so Brother Tian didn't enjoy himself..."

Yao Shubin said, and couldn't help but laugh himself.

Ning Ji didn't want to see his face anymore, turned around and left. Yao Shubin called a constable to follow him back. It was ostensibly an escort, but in fact, it was surveillance - Ning Ji knew this very well, but there was nothing he could do. He had indeed promised the other party to perform the task together, and Yao Shubin did take responsibility. If anything should be blamed, it could only be blamed on the bad guys in the city. Before, they said with confidence that there were so many guys who clamored in front of him that they could form a division. When no one dared to move, so few real bad guys came out, why couldn't they seize the opportunity...

Dumb goods! Cowards! Unreliable—

He cursed all the way in his stomach, and returned to the small courtyard where he lived, disgruntled. The constable who followed him confirmed that he had entered the door before waving his hand and leaving. Ning Ji sat in the courtyard for a while, feeling exhausted. If he had known this, it would have been more interesting to monitor Little Bastard Dog this night. Old Bastard Dog, when he saw the city in chaos, would definitely say some shameless nonsense...

But at this moment, he didn't want to go there anymore. The main reason was that there was indeed a strict defense of the Huaxia Army in the city. With his skills, it was possible to avoid some masters with intention, but in this situation, if he ran to some place randomly and was suddenly discovered by the masters and instructors in the Huaxia Army, the situation would be embarrassing. It would be good if he was beaten up in confusion, but if he was really judged to be a threat and shot from a distance, he would be too unworthy.

He sighed in the courtyard for a while, listening to the faint commotion in the distance, which added to his annoyance. He took some cold rice from the pot in the kitchen and ate it. He had no intention of practicing martial arts and was ready to sleep.

Lying on the bed, his stomach was full after eating, so he got up again and took a walk in the courtyard. At this time, most of Zi hour had passed, which was the early morning of July 21st. The stars covered here, and at a certain moment, Ning Ji stopped in the courtyard.

There was movement coming from outside.

That was the sound of many people's cautious footsteps, 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. Then he walked over to open the door with heavy steps.

Someone was climbing over the wall and peeking inside.

Ning Ji opened the door, and there were dark figures outside, and the smell of blood spread. Two people reached out at the same time and pushed Ning Ji's shoulders, causing Ning Ji to stagger back and fall to the ground. The person with the fastest pace ran to the side of the courtyard with light power to check whether there were other people in the room, and a steel knife was stretched out in front of Ning Ji.

Several familiar faces emerged from the crowd, one of whom was an honest-looking strong man: "Brother Long, sorry to disturb you, but don't shout." He then introduced to the others: "This is the little military doctor from the Martial Arts Tournament, surnamed Long, named Aotian. He secretly sold military supplies to us, and if the matter is exposed, he will not be able to escape the blame..."

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

The bad guys had arrived...