The city spent the night in chaos.

As dawn approached, two figures hopped and skipped towards the Five Lakes Inn in the darkness. They cautiously surveyed the surroundings before taking off their clothes by the nearby river and giving themselves a quick wash.

The river water was quite cold in the autumn dawn, but it was nothing much to these two figures. After focusing on cleaning off the strange powder and smells from their bodies and clothes, they even took a moment to reflect.

"We were careless..."

"Yeah, yeah, the bad guys have experts too..."

"That last one was really good at martial arts..."

They summarized their experiences in this way, as if relieved to have survived a narrow escape. Then, after quickly putting on their clothes, they tiptoed to the side of the Five Lakes Inn again, climbed over the wall, and entered a small room in a corner on the second floor through the window.

...

Light seeped out from the eastern horizon. In Jiangning City, it was an overcast day.

The chaotic battle involving all five factions of the Fair Party gradually subsided in the city. Some streets still had fires crackling, but the number of people responsible for maintaining order gradually increased. Small squads of soldiers pushed water carts to fight the fires, while others were recovering corpses and cloth bags floating on the river.

Although the conflict involved all parties, the entire chaotic scene was mainly concentrated in a small part of the city. Some areas where friction had been intense became the main battlefields, while some markets and neighborhoods with more cohesive forces were not affected. There was a certain tacit understanding among the five factions of the Fair Party regarding the "Grand Assembly."

After the sun rose, the open fighting subsided, and various forces were busy summing up and evaluating the losses they had suffered and the gains they had made during the night.

Late in the morning, Wei Xuwen, who had not slept all night, went to the eastern part of the city to inspect the scene of a particularly gruesome crime.

"Martial Arts Alliance Leader Long Aotian, Great Sage Equal to Heaven Sun Wukong—were here. Damn, kill, kill, kill!"

Seeing this crooked line of words, Wei Xuwen couldn't help but twitch his eyes a few times. And a row of corpses in the yard proved the invaders' brutality. He focused on checking the knife wounds on several of them.

The crime scene was not the only one. Before coming here, he had already visited another scene of an incident. It was a medium-sized territory under the name of "King Yama," where an explosion near dawn had collapsed three or four houses, causing some damage.

"So... the matter started here..." Wei Xuwen crossed his arms, looking depressed at everything. "These two... named Long Aotian and Sun Wukong... rushed in here and first killed the one guarding this place... what's his name..."

He pointed to the small boss who had been stuck to the wall earlier. The person beside him leaned over and said, "Hu Hai."

"...So they first killed this whatever Hai, set off the warning fireworks, and after a while, this Yu Cheng came over with people to check, riding a horse, and then was lassoed in front of everyone and taken away. He hit his head on a rock on the road and died directly..."

"...Then, this Martial Arts Alliance Leader Long Aotian, and what's called Great Sage Equal to Heaven Sun Wukong, still didn't let it go. When our General Huang Wanyong Huang came over to check again, they followed General Huang to that street, quietly ambushed, and when it was almost dawn, probably everyone was asleep, these two... things, wanted to attack General Huang, but who knew they were discovered and chased out."

"...Huang Wanyong didn't expect the other side to put a barrel of explosives on the back wall, probably not to blow him up, but they lit it and ran after being discovered. Huang Wanyong came out to chase, and as a result, he was blown up by the explosives. And because General Huang's place also had explosives prepared, it directly blew up four or five houses... Now, you think these two people are coming for me..."

Wei Xuwen's gaze swept over everyone present, and then looked at the ugly handwriting of "Damn kill kill kill."

Someone lowered his head and said, "These two are highly skilled in martial arts. Their appearance at this time makes us afraid that they are descendants of large families who entered the city with their elders, with a long family history."

Wei Xuwen stretched out his hand and slapped the person's face.

"Write such dogshit words, what long family history does he have! You bunch of dogs go back and practice your calligraphy today. You'll write better than this in less than half a month! Long family history! I'll give you all a chance to have a long family history! Bah—"

His gaze swept across the distorted handwriting again. When things happened here last night, he should have been on the other side of the city preparing to arrest people. Although he couldn't say it, he had a strange feeling of "when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."

It's just that some abysses are more serious, and some abysses are extremely ridiculous...

"Let Lu Xian arrange people to catch them." Wei Xuwen waved his hand and made arrangements. "I want to teach them how to write!"

...

The light falling from the sky was gray. Over the wilderness, clouds flew and mist drifted.

"Find Chen San."

In the afternoon, at the Dongsheng Inn in the south of the city, someone reported this name.

When You Hongzhuo came downstairs, he was surprised to see An Xifu, who was covered in bandages.

"What's going on?"

"Had a little accident. Let's talk as we walk."

An Xifu's left arm was injured and emitted a faint smell of medicine. He smiled at this time, turned and walked out of the inn.

The sky was overcast and threatening rain. Most of the pedestrians on the road looked hurried, some rushing home, and some packing their bags to leave the city.

"Times of war and chaos." An Xifu said with a smile. "I originally thought that the Fair Party's Grand Assembly this time, opening its attitude to the whole world, would be a good thing, like the Southwest Assembly, so everyone rushed to come. The people who originally lived in the city were not in a hurry to leave. It wasn't until last night that we discovered that without a unified Fair Party of five parties, everyone is like a madman. So you see, the roads out of the city are blocked today."

"I heard that despite the fighting, the people of these parties still first guaranteed the transportation of supplies and food in and out of the city this morning. This shows that they don't want to scare everyone away." You Hongzhuo said.

An Xifu nodded: "Coming here from Jin Province in such a hurry this time, we originally thought this matter was simpler. You see, the five parties are holding a Grand Assembly, striving for the intentions and help of all parties in the world. For the representatives of all parties, they naturally wouldn't offend them casually... However, Miao Zheng's matter made us discover that things are not that simple, and there are some new changes."

"Has Miao Zheng been found?"

"He contacted us yesterday afternoon and arranged a meeting place."

"Then how do I..."

You Hongzhuo hesitated slightly. This line of Miao Zheng was being followed by Liang Si Yi, and in the past few days, You Hongzhuo and Liang Si Yi had partnered to explore several places of "King Yama," without any gains. In theory, since the other party is looking for them, Liang Si Yi should continue to make contact.

"I think there's a trap, so I didn't notify Si Yi." An Xifu said.

You Hongzhuo frowned, looked at the injury on An Xifu's body, An Xifu smiled, and pointed his right finger at his left arm: "There is indeed a trap... Fortunately, I made preparations."

"That Miao Zheng..."

"...He's probably... going to have an accident."

There were sparse pedestrians coming and going on the street. The two walked through the street under the cloudy sky, and were silent for a while. The wind blew through the street, stirring up falling leaves.

"Miss Liang... how do you see this matter..."

"Brother You, why do you think we contacted you for help?"

"Hmm?"

"There are not many people who came this time, but not few either. We came to Jiangning and contacted old comrades in the Ming Sect. We can find some helpers in this way or that. I suddenly asked Young Hero You for help. Has Young Hero You had some guesses about the reasons?"

An Xifu turned his head and looked at You Hongzhuo. His words were quite direct. The Jianghu is so big, and neither of them are novices or newbies. Absorbing an untrustworthy person into such a long-distance operation could lead to the destruction of the entire army. Why would they directly trust you and ask you for help, just because you fought side by side that year? Do you think you must be trustworthy... Such a question is too utilitarian and impolite, but of course You Hongzhuo had thought about it.

But he looked at An Xifu and didn't speak.

An Xifu paused. During this time, sparse raindrops fell from the sky. The two walked through the street to the eaves of the road.

"Si Yi is a very responsible girl."

"...But sometimes, she pushes herself too hard."

"...Of course, this can't be blamed on her either. She sent many brothers and sisters away in the Jin Province battlefield in recent years. She is young and may not be able to see through these things..."

Autumn rain gradually fell on the long street. The two stood under the eaves, An Xifu said these words, and You Hongzhuo listened for a while, looking at the rain.

"When I was in the Southwest, I heard that there were some courses called psychological counseling. It is said that everyone is killing people on the battlefield all day, or watching their brothers and sisters sacrifice, and their hearts are easily... unhealthy. For these people, you can do some... psychological counseling, which is really amazing..."

An Xifu laughed and sighed: "The north has been too bitter in recent years. Wang Shuai's personality is extreme, but he has no money or food, so he can't take care of so many things most of the time. In order to raise money and food in those years, he had to do many bad things that were even sorry for people..."

Speaking of this, he turned his head to look at You Hongzhuo, and seeing that You Hongzhuo was just listening carefully, he continued: "Ning Yi is nagging and always has some strange demands. He used the concept of equality for everyone to deceive Xigua and Chen Fan in Hangzhou. Look at this Jiangnan today..."

He said, pointing to the pedestrians running on the street in the rain: "Saint Gong wanted equality in those years, and the Fair Party wants equality today, and many people will want equality in the future, but no matter how good the idea is, how to achieve it is the real important thing... Today, in the entire world, only the Southwest can be a little bit particular and nagging. As for us, I'm afraid we have to slowly make do with it and take our time..."

"...What can I do to help?" You Hongzhuo asked.

"Help keep an eye on Si Yi." An Xifu said, "Wei Xuwen wants to catch people through Miao Zheng. This matter is very unusual. Logically speaking, if you really want to pull relations with the outside world, it doesn't make sense to kill or catch people from Jin Province. Either way, you'll offend a big force to death... We're investigating the reason for this, but Miao Zheng... I'm afraid it won't be easy for him."

"Hmm." You Hongzhuo thought for a while, understood clearly, and nodded, "Got it. I'll go kill Chen Juefang... or Wei Xuwen..."

"...Ah?"

Under the eaves, An Xifu frowned and looked at the other party with a concerned look.

"You also... need psychological counseling?"

"I'm joking."

You Hongzhuo smiled.

Outside the eaves, the rain was pouring down. The two then chatted for a few more words before parting.

******

The autumn rain that started on August 21st in Jiangning continued intermittently for several days, and the city's humidity never stopped.

This continuous rain reduced the frequency of people traveling. Most people without a clear purpose chose to hide at home or in the inn to chat and brag.

Representatives of various forces from other places communicated with each other, and the rhythm never stopped. On August 22nd, "Equality King" Shi Baofeng entered the city, followed by the successive arrival of Gao Tianwang and Zhou Shang. The spokespersons of some major forces joined forces to promote their ideas to everyone: for example, the concept of the "Chinese Martial Arts Association" proposed by a group of people representing Dai Mengwei, became the most lively topic in Jiangning's martial arts scene for a while.

Of course, only a small number of people accepted this idea put forward by Dai Mengwei and joined the team first. As for more people, they were all paying attention to the battle situation in the north of the Yangtze River between the forces of Liu, Dai, and Zou Xu.

"That Zou Xu, who came from the Southwest, the Liu and Dai families, let's see if they can keep their lives first..."

For the people of Jiangning at this time, this was one of the more common views on the situation in Jiangbei. Among the fighting parties, Liu Guangshi had money and connections, Dai Mengwei had fame, and Zou Xu had the identity of a traitor to the Chinese Army. On the scale of war, the significance of this identity could be large or small. And most importantly, this was the first large-scale clash of forces in the entire world after the departure of the Jurchens. Even the Confucians who used to claim to know the most about world affairs held a basically conservative and wait-and-see attitude towards the Bianliang battle situation.

Of course, Dai Mengwei knew that human nature was like this, so he said early on that "this matter will be fulfilled after the Bianliang battle is settled," which was considered to be burning a cold stove and raising his momentum. If he lost in the Bianliang battle, these things would naturally be regarded as never having been said. If Dai Mengwei really re-entered Bianliang for the Wu Dynasty, the momentum of the "Chinese Martial Arts Association" would rise accordingly, which was a win-win situation.

The continuous autumn rain reduced the frequency of large-scale firefights. In the following days, there were mostly small-scale malicious incidents.

At the Five Lakes Inn, every night, two young figures draped in straw raincoats sneaked into the rain. "Martial Arts Alliance Leader" Long Aotian and "Great Sage Equal to Heaven" Sun Wukong were looking for Wei Xuwen's whereabouts according to their own pace.

The two young chivalrous men had some of their own ideas. Their actions were sometimes successful and sometimes failed. If successful, they often left a crooked signature, and the suffix of the signature gradually developed from "Damn kill kill kill" to disgusting sentences such as "Wei Xuwen is dead," "Zhou Shang is a stupid dog," "Soiling people's innocence is too bad," and "He Wen loves Gao Chang."

——In Zhang Village's school, "xx loves xx" has always been a very embarrassing humiliation. The person whose name was written on it was often red-faced and speechless. Xiao Heshang also strongly agreed with this form of humiliation, feeling that his elder brother was too bad. Of course, in the eyes of real bad guys, they would occasionally be a little confused: Aren't you here to kill Wei Xuwen, why are you saying He Wen loves Gao Chang...

Of course, sometimes the action would fail because they encountered experts. The consequences of the failed action were often chaotic and a mess. The two young men were very skilled in martial arts, and due to the emphasis on fighting styles from their families or masters, their awareness and means of escape were even more outstanding.

The older Long Aotian developed evenly in all aspects. Not only could he fight and run, but the various traps he set and the hidden weapon methods such as flying knives were even more difficult to defend against. And Sun Wukong, nicknamed "Great Sage Equal to Heaven," took the thinking of running away immediately after failing to hit with one blow to the extreme. Even if some experts defended against the two's assassination, they would always return empty-handed in the subsequent pursuit, and sometimes even lose some henchmen.

In a few days, the autumn rain shrouded the world of Jiangning, making the houses and shacks damp and gray. The discussion forums composed of various inns and gathering places were very lively. Most inns, teahouses, and taverns consumed much more wine and snacks than before. In such a wave of public opinion, in the gossip circle under the political arena, rumors about the "Five-Foot Lecher" Long Aotian and the "Great Sage Equal to Heaven" Sun Wukong gradually surfaced.

"...I heard that these two don't know where they came from. They've been causing trouble in the city recently. It's true that they are highly skilled in martial arts and have fought with Wei Xuwen several times..."

"...More than just Wei Xuwen, you don't know. Now, in addition to 'King Yama,' who is looking for this 'Five-Foot Lecher' in the city, 'King Reincarnation' and 'Equality King' are also releasing the news that they want to take his head..."

"...I heard that this 'Five-Foot Lecher' is a disciple of the Western Region expert 'Hundred-Foot Lecher.' After entering the Central Plains, he has done all kinds of evil. Wei Xuwen, 'King Reincarnation,' and 'Equality King' all have daughters who have fallen into his hands. The grudge with 'Equality King' was formed in Tongshan. He soiled the daughter of Yan's family, the master of the Tan Gong Sword. Do you still remember this news? Remember?"

"...Hey, don't talk nonsense. There is no such thing as 'Hundred-Foot Lecher'..."

"...Don't understand, this is the rule of the Western Regions. They are all numbered down. Look at his junior brother, what 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven'... His name may be 'Four-Foot Lecher'..."

For the Greenwoodsmen, these gossips in the public opinion field don't need to be taken too seriously. When they occasionally talk about it, it's just a topic for after dinner. It's just that when the news spreads further, it will inevitably enter the ears of some people who shouldn't know.

In the northwest of the city, in the area with the best security, now under the control of "Fair King" He Wen, Qian Luoning, who had officially contacted He Wen and returned to the inn, heard such a conversation while eating breakfast one day. He, who had been concerned about national affairs these days, was a little confused for a while.

Two blacks, a cripple, and several core members of the Chinese Army sitting at the next table covered their faces.

"What's going on?"

Qian Luoning carried his food and changed tables.

Hei Niu whispered to explain to him: "...It sounds like Xiao Di is in the city."

"Why did he get into a feud with 'King Yama,' 'King Reincarnation,' and 'Equality King' all at once..."

"Who knows." Yuwen Feidu next to him pinched his mouth, his voice was very small, "But to say that he's causing trouble, he was taught by us all after all..."

"Are you proud of it!" Qian Luoning glanced at him.

"Making the best of a bad situation..." Yuwen Feidu sighed.

Xiao Hei was holding his face over there: "We originally wanted to find out who did it, do them, and block the news. But that 'Monkey King' Li Yanfeng is of a higher level, so we wanted to discuss it with you before saying anything. We thought it wouldn't be a problem for three or five days, but who knew... it spread like this, and we didn't expect him to be in the city..."

"Now there are two things. The first is to find him, arrest him, and let Master and Mr. Ning teach him a lesson." Hei Niu said calmly, holding a steamed bun with chopsticks, "The second thing is, since the matter has spread, we'll do something bigger to drown it. Anyway, we're going to fight. Let's plan to kill one or two of the three parties that Xiao Di has a feud with. If Fair King starts fighting in Jiangning and people die, no one will remember it in the future."

Qian Luoning stared at her: "Are you going to kill them?"

Hei Niu pointed to the front with chopsticks: "Let Yuwen shoot black guns, the chances of success are very high..."

Several people on the table were holding their chins, falling into contemplation. Qian Luoning looked around and then said, "Look over there..." He stretched out his hand and slapped Hei Niu on the head.

Hei Niu pursed her lips: "You can speak nicely."

"Actually, what Hei Niu said makes sense..."

"Leader Qian is wise. I said Hei Niu deserved to be beaten. I didn't think about shooting people at all. How can you be so cruel, people are black and their hearts are black too..."

Hei Niu glared: "You just said..."

Xiao Hei sighed: "Let's blow up the cripple tonight..."

"Alright." Qian Luoning also sighed, "Go out and look for him these days, try not to let others get there first. If his identity is revealed, it will be embarrassing for a lifetime... Also, that 'Four-Foot Lecher,' who is that person, take care of him if you meet him..."

"It's 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven,' Leader Qian. People call him 'Five-Foot Lecher,' you can't follow along and call him that too..."

"Now that's good, everyone in the city is looking for them. Xiao Di is surrounded by enemies..."

"Hehe, I think after the Jiangning incident this time, the name 'Five-Foot Lecher' will follow Xiao Di for the rest of his life..."

"Don't talk nonsense when you go back..."

"Will you talk nonsense?"

"I won't."

"Anyway, I won't... It's all your fault..."

Several people ate, chatted, and were serious.

Because it was morning, the two topic figures "Martial Arts Alliance Leader" and "Great Sage Equal to Heaven" were sleeping soundly in the inn room. Ning Ji originally planned to use Wei Xuwen's head to wash away the bad rumors about himself, but these days he felt that it didn't matter if he killed Zhou Shang. Except for meeting a powerful person named Lu Xian in last night's action, and escaping after fighting each other, they were unaware of the multi-party pursuit they were in...

In the same rain, outside a camp under the name of "King Reincarnation's" "Undying Guard," three corpses were hung high. These were the corpses of Miao Zheng's family after suffering torture.

They had originally contacted Liang Si Yi, and after the failure, they turned to Wei Xuwen. Now, the corpses of these people had magically returned to the hands of the "Undying Guard."

Liang Si Yi stood in the distance, staring blankly at all of this. Further away, You Hongzhuo quietly looked at her and sighed...