The eastern sky was tinged with azure light, and the rain that had persisted throughout the night gradually softened.

Within the Five Lakes Inn, subtle and cautious footsteps echoed, followed by a knock on a door.

"Guest... Guest... I'm terribly sorry to bother you at this hour... We have a waiter in the inn, I don't know if you remember him..."

"..."

"Sorry, sorry... He's suddenly gone missing. I just wanted to ask if you've seen him..."

"..."

"Well, you know the city's not very peaceful... These are turbulent times, and we're afraid..."

"..."

"Sorry to disturb you... Please rest..."

The tapping and voices continued gradually down the corridor on the second floor, pausing with a slight hesitation at one end.

"That's where those two children are... Should we..."

"... Ask them too."

The man in the blue livery knocked on the door, and the middle-aged innkeeper stepped aside. After a moment, a small, bald head peeked out, rubbing his eyes.

"Ah... Ah... Amitabha... What is it?"

"Terribly sorry to bother you at this hour... We have a waiter, a slightly short one. I don't know if you remember him..."

"Ah..." The little monk gaped sleepily for a moment, then nodded. "A, A Qing... It's that waiter, A Qing..."

"That's right, that's him. The city's in chaos, and he's been missing since last night. We're a little worried and wanted to ask if you've seen him..."

"Last night... He went out last night, I don't know..." The little monk rubbed his eyes, wincing at the bruises.

The man in blue sniffed the air and glanced into the room. After some simple questioning, they apologized and left.

The innkeeper and the man in blue reunited.

"That's strange..."

"What is it?"

"Those two kids must have been in a fight last night. Look at that little monk, black and blue all over. The room reeks of medicinal wine... Could A Qing have been..." The man in blue frowned.

The innkeeper considered this, then shook his head. "...I doubt it. If there'd been a real fight, it would have been noisy. If those two kids did something to A Qing, it would have been a sneak attack, not a three-way brawl. And think about it, if they really did it, why would they open the door smelling of medicinal wine?"

"Those two kids aren't simple either."

"Who is simple at this time of the year? Everyone staying in the city has some kind of background, always sneaking out at night, all trouble..." The innkeeper thought. "It's unlikely that A Qing fell into their hands. I'm more worried that he fell into the hands of our own people..."

"Those things he brought back yesterday... Sigh..."

The two figures gradually left, whispering to each other. The little monk returned to his bed and continued to snore, while on the other bed, the slightly taller figure suddenly sat up, his mind still a little foggy. "Strange, he disappeared last night, and they're so anxious to knock on the door this morning?"

"Hmm?" The little monk tilted his head.

"Something's fishy," the Five-Foot Fiend muttered. After a moment, he lay back down.

Jiangning City was a melting pot of different factions, and many people had secrets. Besides, what could the Five Lakes Inn have to do with him and the little bald head? Thinking this through, he fell fast asleep.

Outside, the cold, drizzling rain continued to fall, and in certain areas of the city, things were subtly changing.

In Zhong'an Ward, on the east side of the city, a caravan arrived in the morning rain and entered the most central courtyard of the "Gathering of Talents Hall." Stepping out of the carriage and entering the main hall was none other than Shi Baofeng, the current "King of Equality." This ruler, who controlled most of the business affairs of the Equality Party, was tall, with a gentle yet imposing appearance. From afar, he looked more like a Confucian scholar than a merchant. Many people said that his demeanor was similar to that of Mr. Ning in the Southwest. Many actions of the Equality Party, including the construction of the "Gathering of Talents Hall" in Zhong'an Ward, were similar to the "Welcoming Guests Road" in the Southwest, more or less revealing such traces.

Shi Baofeng had been in the city for several days. As the leader of the King of Equality faction, Shi Baofeng had been inspecting the surrounding territories these days and secretly meeting with some people. He learned of the incident at the Golden Tower last night as soon as it happened, but he only came to Zhong'an Ward in the morning to meet Jin Yongsheng, who had witnessed the incident last night.

While summoning Jin Yongsheng, Shi Baofeng inquired about the whereabouts of his second son. One of the stewards in Zhong'an Ward came forward to report that the second young master had gathered his men and left less than half an hour ago, and several skilled retainers in the ward had also been taken with him.

Shi Baofeng frowned, "What trouble is this rebellious son going to cause again?"

"According to the report, someone has found the whereabouts of those two demons."

"... What demons?" Shi Baofeng was stunned.

"Those... The ones related to Miss Yan..."

"... Hmph."

In the few days since entering the city, Shi Baofeng had been quite dissatisfied with Shi Weiyang, this "rebellious son," and gave the child a slap in private. The specific reason was that Shi Weiyang's recklessness had driven away Yan Yunzhi, ruining the marriage with Yan Family Fort.

Shi Baofeng and Yan Taiwei of Yan Family Fort had been friends since they were insignificant. Although in the past two years, Shi Baofeng had suddenly become one of the most powerful figures in the world by riding the coattails of the Equality Party, and in the eyes of outsiders, the support of Yan Family Fort was already dispensable, as a businessman, he deeply understood the principle that even a mosquito is still meat.

In his opinion, a pig can fly to the sky if it stands on the wind, but if it loses its caution after flying to the sky and no longer consolidates its foundation, it is a symbol that the pig's death is not far away - this principle must be kept in mind, especially by those who have suddenly become rich.

On a second level, he believed that he and Ning Yi in the Southwest had something in common. What is the most important thing for a businessman? The Southwest has already made it clear.

--Contract.

If a businessman violates a contract in public, even if the other party looks weak and easy to bully, it actually damages his most important foundation. Who will do business with such a businessman in the future?

The Southwest has always adhered to this principle, and he is unambiguous. This coincidence is exactly what he and that hero in the Southwest have in common.

Under this principle, although the girl from the Yan family had encountered some things in Tongshan and had some not-so-good rumors, could this be considered a bad thing? Especially when the other party made a mistake, his side could instead clarify and accept it in a big way, and in the environment where all parties gathered, truly show the "King of Equality's" generosity and open-mindedness. What an ideal opportunity to buy bones with gold?

Don't say that the Tongshan incident sounded like nonsense. Even if Miss Yan really encountered something in Tongshan, shouldn't his side express tolerance and goodwill towards her coming from thousands of miles away? The Hero Conference is a time to show one's image in front of everyone. What's so important about other minor details? If you're not happy after marrying her, you can go out and play.

Before arriving in Jiangning, he had made a full set of preparations: express sympathy and condolences to the Yan family, promote the marriage with the greatest effort, and secretly send people to make publicity - although the Yan family girl had some flaws, and although Yan Family Fort itself was not very powerful to the Equality Party, Shi Baofeng would never regret the agreement, and the Shi family would treat anyone who came from thousands of miles away in the best way possible.

As a result, the first thing he found after entering Jiangning was that his son had scared the other party away because of his lust.

All the preparations were in vain, and Yan Tiehe, the second son of the Yan family, even ran to him and scolded him severely. Shi Baofeng was so angry that he finally appeased Yan Tiehe and gave Shi Weiyang a slap in the face that day, directly calling him "rebellious son."

Coming over early in the morning, the rebellious son ran out with his friends again. He had already been brewing punches and kicks for his son in his heart. After hearing that it was related to those two demons, he snorted coldly and calmed down a bit.

If the Yan family's affairs are to be properly resolved, it depends on two directions. The main thing is naturally to find the Yan girl back and complete the marriage, making up for the overall situation of cooperation with Yan Family Fort. On the other hand, since the other party came here and was discredited, he certainly had a responsibility to clear those insults for her, so that the matter could be done properly. If those two demons can be caught back, they will still be of some use.

"Hmph... This rebellious son, don't cause any more trouble!"

His anger subsided, and he still had to say a word to scold him. After scolding this sentence, Jin Yongsheng also came outside the hall. Shi Baofeng's face was gentle, and he called "Old Jin" and greeted him.

Jin Yongsheng's complexion was not very good at this time. His martial arts style, the Tai Mountain Plate, was expansive and open, always relying on force to overwhelm people, with a fierce fighting style and high consumption. Who knew that he would encounter a jumping little imp last night, with insidious moves and quick escape. He overwhelmed the other party with heavy moves for several streets, and several times he was about to kill the other party, but in the end, the little monk dodged all the way in a panic. It was a very tiring fight, and for his age, it was considered a very high-intensity exercise.

The most terrifying of the two enemies was not that little monk. When the teenager who fought with Li Yanfeng snatched a long knife on the street and fought desperately, Jin Yongsheng truly felt a substantive killing intent.

It was the most ferocious fighting style on the battlefield. When the light of the knife unfolded, it seemed as if he wanted to exchange one life for another with Li Yanfeng, forcing Li Yanfeng to retreat subconsciously. Jin Yongsheng also endured such attacks twice during the pursuit. Their martial arts were naturally higher than the other party's, but when facing those attacks in a few moments, they all subconsciously chose to save their lives - they were naturally unwilling to die with a child. Later, it was in such a crazy fight that the other party finally seized the opportunity to run away, leaving Li Yanfeng and him somewhat embarrassed.

Li Yanfeng was insidious and not a good person. He did not make it clear who these two people were from beginning to end, but after gathering some recent news, Jin Yongsheng had some guesses about this matter.

His waist ached and his back hurt after returning last night. After resting at this moment, he cheered up and met Shi Baofeng, and then said, "I am ashamed. Last night, near the Golden Tower, I saw traces of Miss Yan, but I was disrupted by Li Yanfeng and others, and I was unable to find Miss Yan. I hope the owner will forgive me."

"Oh? You found Miss Yan?" Shi Baofeng dragged Jin Yongsheng to sit down. "Tell me in detail, Old Jin, what exactly happened."

Jin Yongsheng explained the second half of the Golden Tower incident: "I don't know why, but after Miss Yan left for several days, she had some bizarre connections with several young experts. The first person to step out to protect her escape on the long street was one with immense strength, using Tumbling Fists, and the other used Five Step Thirteen Spears, inheriting the mantle of Grandmaster Zhou... As for the two people behind, one was a short little monk, and the other was a teenager whose saber techniques vaguely had the power of the Tyrant Saber. I can only guess the identities of these two..."

"... In the green forests and martial world, these young heroes have a family background. These four young people, no matter where they are placed, all have the skills of first-class experts... I can't imagine how Miss Yan was able to befriend them one by one..."

When Jin Yongsheng said this, his words were actually a bit complicated. After the Yan family came to Jiangning, because of the rumors circulating in the market, he had naturally investigated Yan Yunzhi's matter. He knew from the beginning that this girl had a clean background and was framed by mistake. Who knew that only a few days after escaping, she suddenly had connections with four young heroes, causing the four to fight desperately for her in that situation.

This doesn't make sense. She was frivolous and turned against people, and after escaping, she immediately turned bad? Is this considered a complete awakening or giving up on herself?

Hearing the implication in Jin Yongsheng's words, Shi Baofeng frowned for a moment and said, "The Yan family actually has quite a reputation in the martial world. Perhaps they had other friends who took them in this time..." After a pause, he added, "By the way, Old Jin, do you think the two young people behind might be those four-foot and five-foot... Demons?"

"I just think it's possible..."

Shi Baofeng said, "Old Jin, after you came back last night, did you talk to that rebellious son about this matter?"

Jin Yongsheng hesitated slightly: "Actually... When I went to bed, the second young master was still outside..."

"..." Shi Baofeng pursed his lips. After a moment, "Old Jin may not know, but this morning, someone came to report that they had found the whereabouts of those two demons. This rebellious son gathered his men and went out... It seems to be a coincidence."

Jin Yongsheng nodded: "...Although those two escaped, they were quite injured, perhaps revealing their whereabouts because of this. If the second young master can capture them back, the matter will naturally be clear... Well, perhaps Miss Yan's whereabouts can also be found because of this and brought back together."

"That would be best." Shi Baofeng waved his hand, "Let's see how that rebellious son handles this matter. Let's not mention it. Old Jin, what do you think of the impact of the Golden Tower incident this time?"

"I was just about to talk about this." Jin Yongsheng's face became serious. "Master, Xu Zhaonan has an overbearing temperament and is not someone who will suffer in silence. It seems that only the envoy sent by Liu Guangshi died in the Golden Tower incident, but we must guard against Xu Zhaonan making a fuss over a trifle. The messages sent over last night were not clear. I just remembered carefully that preparations must be made early..."

"Haha, Old Jin, don't worry, you and I thought of the same thing." Shi Baofeng laughed, "I know Lao Xu's character best. These cultists always have to make a big scene when they have nothing to do on weekdays. This time, they will definitely take advantage of the situation to go crazy, force people to take sides, and make some profits. Fortunately, he can force people, so we can show goodwill. He wants to scare people, so we can protect people. So last night, you sent someone to send a message, and I have already made arrangements here, sending people to inform various envoys in the city overnight, saying that Xu Zhaonan is going to attack them. As long as Xu Zhaonan takes action today, someone will definitely ask us for help..."

Jin Yongsheng's waist ached and his back hurt after fighting last night. After returning, he only sent someone to send Shi Baofeng the basic news of the Golden Tower incident and did not make any further warnings. At this time, he was surprised and relieved to hear that Shi Baofeng had already made arrangements. He immediately expressed his admiration for the owner, and Shi Baofeng was also modest. The two then discussed some arrangements for the next step.

In fact, it was already a public formula for all parties that the situation in Jiangning City would intensify. At this stage, everyone was consciously adding fuel to the fire and showing their own sacredness. After only a moment of discussing these matters, a soldier reporting the news suddenly rushed in from the rain outside and informed them of the emergence of a certain change. On the streets outside the courtyard, some commotion seemed to be faintly heard.

Shi Baofeng and Jin Yongsheng stood up and frowned as they went to the nearby pavilion on the outer side of the street. In the misty autumn rain, a large crowd of people was faintly moving on the distant streets, and some flags were being unfurled.

"What is Fu Pingbo, this rotten snake, going to do?"

The people who were acting on the streets were faintly the men of "Dragon Worthy" Fu Pingbo under "King of Equality" He Wen.

The five kings of the Equality Party are now said to be evenly matched, but on the surface, He Wen, as the leader, is still the most special and transcendent existence among them. And Fu Pingbo, the "Dragon Worthy" now in the city, also nominally has the highest authority for security management. The other four kings in the city fight each other unscrupulously, and all kinds of means are commonly used, but only the power belonging to He Wen seems to have a final say when it moves.

At this moment when something happened in the Golden Tower, the Dragon Worthy's people suddenly moved on a large scale. No one could ignore the possibility behind this action.

Shi Baofeng and Jin Yongsheng watched for a while in the pavilion, and suddenly a horn sounded in the southern end of the city. During this period, people who went out to inquire about the news also returned.

"'Military Worthy' Lin Jiao Jiu led light cavalry into the city from the south, only five miles away from the city gate—"

Shi Baofeng frowned, then waved his hand: "Forget him, a Lin Jiao Jiu, if you don't say it clearly, I would have thought He Wen had arrived!"

Jin Yongsheng thought: "Lin Jiao Jiu suddenly entered the city at this time, probably to suppress the mess caused by the Golden Tower incident."

"Of course I know." Shi Baofeng replied calmly, "He was still stuck thirty miles outside the city yesterday, without moving at all. This morning, he suddenly came with light cavalry, of course to help Fu Pingbo."

Gu Anhe was killed in the Golden Tower, and the next wave of chaos in the city was about to begin. Fu Pingbo would probably not be able to hold the scene, so He Wen urgently sent someone over... These things were not strange. After Shi Baofeng finished speaking, he turned to leave, but after taking a step, he seemed to have suddenly thought of something, and turned back, looking thoughtfully at the north side of the drizzle through the rain.

In the city, one wave of people after another was acting in secret. When Fu Pingbo's team began to clear the streets, Xu Zhaonan was already arranging the order of threatening the various envoys; In the north of the city, Zuo Xiuquan received the warning from Shi Baofeng and was convening Yinping and Yue Yun, who had caused trouble last night, and others to a meeting; The envoys sent by Wu Qimei and Tie Yan, who were the most disadvantaged in the city, fled the inn overnight and moved to another place... Some people watched the changes on the streets and discussed the changes that "Military Worthy's" arrival might cause.

In the north of Jiangning City, on the wharf outside the city, many workers had already begun working in the cold autumn rain. Teams of troops came here, and then someone raised their head on the wooden frame of the wharf, looking at the Yangtze River, which seemed to be a misty rain.

A fleet of ships with huge flags had already crossed the river, and the huge tower ships were slowly sailing towards this side.

Someone recognized the flag and knelt on the ground.

"... Save the people..." Some people began to kowtow.

"... King of Equality, save the people..."

A message was like a stone hitting the river bank, and the ripples of the message began to spread towards the entire Jiangning City. Soon after, some people ran around in the city with the message.

King of Equality, He Wen, is here.

……

Shi Baofeng stood in the pavilion and looked at the direction of the north bank of the river for a while. On the distant streets, someone was galloping on horseback in the rain.

He rubbed his fingers.

"Some small things, whatever."

He said.

"Prepare for negotiations."

******

Returning to half an hour ago, in a room on the edge of the second floor of the Five Lakes Inn, the Five-Foot Fiend, whose name had spread, suddenly sat up from the bed.

"Something's not right..."

His eyes were still closed, and his ears moved, listening to the surrounding movement.

The rain was falling outside.

In the inn, the innkeeper and several companions were searching for the waiter named A Qing to no avail. A companion ran in from outside.

"So, something happened..."

"What's wrong?"

"A large team is coming this way, asking people on the road for the location of our place..."

"Who are they?"

"I, I don't know... The flags look like they're from the King of Equality."

"Damn it, call the people around, come here, A Qing only disappeared last night, and people are coming now, things are going to be bad... Bring all the things in your hands, I'll burn them first!"

Outside was the continuous drizzle. Xue Jin, who had been apprehensive all night, put on his tattered raincoat and came up from under the bridge. Then he stood by the roadside and saw a large team of people coming leisurely. The leader was a young master. They crossed the bridge and were about to deploy their team in front of the Five Lakes Inn.

"Drive away everyone around, surround this place for me."

The young master gave the order.

The lackeys spread out in all directions. Someone came towards Xue Jin and shouted, "Get out of here!" Xue Jin humbly shrank to the edge of the river bank. He wanted to say something stutteringly, but the other party had already approached: "Go away."

Xue Jin wanted to return to the bridge below. He took two steps towards this side, and the other party kicked him: "I told you to go, don't you understand?"

"I... Return..."

Xue Jin knelt on the ground and began to kowtow. The man kicked him over in the mud.

At the inn and in some of the surrounding buildings, many people began to pour out at this moment, welcoming Shi Baofeng's team and confronting them on the street.

"What are you doing?"

"Are the people of the King of Equality coming to make trouble?"

"...Is there still any law?"

At the front of the team, Shi Weiyang frowned. He had brought many people and was strong. Out of his own kindness, he gave the other party a little politeness. Who knew that this group of people carrying the banner of Agricultural Worthy would not give in at all. What kind of mental illness is this?

Just as he was about to lose his temper and start fighting, some movements began to become obvious on the main road not far away in the city. A large number of people and flags were being mobilized around.

In a moment, the news that "Military Worthy" Lin Jiao Jiu had entered the city came over.

The shop assistants in the inn and the people helping nearby were immediately excited. Some people even ran to the main street and began to complain and ask for help from the "Dragon Worthy" and "Military Worthy's" people. For a time, the front of the Five Lakes Inn, where a bloody tragedy was about to occur, returned to a confrontational situation. Shi Weiyang maintained his sanity.

In the rain, it was a noisy scene.

The little monk and the teenager who had climbed out from the side and rear watched the excitement on the roof for a moment before going down to the back alley, preparing to leave this place of right and wrong. Things were too chaotic, it was really too exciting. If they hadn't just had a fight last night, the Little Overlord, who was afraid that the world would not be in chaos, would have gone over and shouted, "Listen to my advice... Have a fight."

"Let me tell you, it's most interesting to secretly watch them fight in groups."

He imparted life experience to his younger brother.

The long and dirty back alley was filled with some sundries, and the ground was muddy in the rain. At a certain moment, the two people walking forward saw a figure in front of them, and they dodged to the side at the same time. The little monk walking behind hid behind a pile of garbage, and the Overlord in front, slightly stunned.

He heard a voice.

"Yo, what a coincidence."

The voice was somewhat familiar, coming from a plump, dark-skinned girl under the raincoat.

Her next sentence was: "... Isn't this our legendary Five-Foot Fiend, Long Aotian?"

The boy's face was originally a little flustered and frightened, but at this moment, all the expressions on his face froze.

He knew he was dead.

……

"...That! Is! Them! Slandering! Me!—"

In the chaotic city morning, someone shouted in the rain with grief and indignation. At this time, the King of Equality was entering the city, countless people were kowtowing in the rain, the streets were confronting, Xue Jin climbed back under the bridge, crying while shivering, countless intrigues were intertwined, and Ning Ji saw Blackie, who should not have been here.

He was dead.

Download [Reading Assistant App] Official Website: No Ads, All Free!