Mist Crossing River Town was a remote town bordering Qing and Northern Qi. Because it wasn't a strategic military location, there hadn't been any major battles there for many years. However, both sides had garrisoned troops, and minor conflicts were unavoidable. After both countries shifted the focus of their trade and wars to the principalities south of Mist Crossing River, the town became even more desolate and quiet.

Fan Xian knew that this town had belonged to Northern Wei twenty years ago before being incorporated into the territory of Qing.

Therefore, the residents of the town didn't feel any particular closeness to his delegation. It seemed that it would take many years for the people of a country to truly accept the fact that their ruler had changed.

The glazed tiles in the town reflected the dim light of the sky. Sitting in the carriage in the middle of the street, Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and kept calculating how he should handle things after entering Northern Qi's territory.

The secret in Xiao En's mouth was something Fan Xian had to obtain, even more important than the mission and interests of the entire Qing court! Because the Temple was related to Uncle Wu Zhu, and his mother had revealed in the few words she left in the box that she had sneaked into the Temple and stolen something from it.

A faint smile appeared on the corner of Fan Xian's lips. He had never met his mother, but strangely, he loved the woman named Ye Qingmei. Just thinking about a young girl sneaking into the ethereal Temple, whose location was unknown to the world, many years ago, he couldn't help but admire her courage, audacity, and wisdom.

Fan Xian knew that he wasn't as good as his mother. This fact didn't discourage him at all; on the contrary, it made him more actively face this seemingly beautiful but actually very dangerous second life.

So he needed to know exactly where the Temple was and then feel the place where his mother had set foot and the aura she had left behind.

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Outside Mist Crossing River Town was a small river, which was now the boundary river between Northern Qi and Qing. A temporary pontoon bridge had already been built on the river, just wide enough to accommodate a carriage.

The officials of Northern Qi and the Honglu Temple official in the delegation were waiting for the delegation on the other side of the bridge. On this side of the river, the listless and sallow-faced local garrison was also on guard, but judging by the way they held their spears, it was hard to tell whether they were displaying the majesty of their country's army or using the spear shafts to lean on and sleep.

The first carriage went onto the bridge. The wheels made a creaking sound as they came into contact with the uneven wooden bridge surface. It looked like the bridge might collapse at any time, which was a bit scary.

Fan Xian had already gotten out of the carriage and strolled to the other end of the bridge. He greeted the Northern Qi officials who came to welcome him, then looked back at the carriages slowly crossing the bridge one after another. The bridge seemed to be increasingly unable to withstand the continuous assault, and the creaking sound became louder.

As if sensing the worry in Fan Xian's brow, the Northern Qi official, whose surname was Hou, quickly explained, "We've tested it, there's no problem."

Fan Xian nodded, knowing that in interactions between countries, everything was judged by strength, and he didn't need to be too enthusiastic towards this low-level official. His mind was mainly focused on the delegation convoy. If Haitang really wanted to kill Xiao En to silence him, then this bridge was her last chance.

As the female disciple of Grandmaster Ku He, she had to be responsible for her master's reputation and the safety of the people of Northern Qi. Therefore, she couldn't act within the country's borders.

Suddenly, Fan Xian's heart stirred, and he slowly turned around. He saw a white poplar forest on the southeast bank of the small river. The trees were thin but stood straight, piercing the sky, looking as solemn as the long spears in an army.

A village girl in floral cloth clothes was carrying a basket, watching the carriage team pass by. The clear wind by the river blew, lifting the floral cloth scarf on her head, revealing her ordinary face and those clear eyes.

Fan Xian smiled and looked at the woman named Haitang, nodding almost imperceptibly, expressing gratitude and a kind of goodwill. He knew that after going to the Northern Qi capital, he would inevitably deal with her again, and Chen Pingping had also told him to find a way to get close to Ku He.

Haitang was different from Fan Xian's imagination of her in Kyoto. She wasn't as beautiful as Shi Feixuan, but she was more beautiful than Shi Feixuan. The former beauty naturally referred to her appearance, while the latter beauty referred to her temperament.

Fan Xian always believed that there were no fairies in the world. If there were, they must be disguised ghosts.

Although Haitang had come to assassinate Xiao En this time and had even thought about killing Fan Xian, Fan Xian still admired her, partly because he admired the girl's powerful and natural strength, and partly because of the village girl feeling when Haitang stood akimbo on the prairie, pointing her finger at Fan Xian's nose and talking like a shrew, which Fan Xian really liked.

The carriage stopped beside Fan Xian. He lifted the curtain and entered, without looking at the riverbank again.

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After crossing the river and passing through the forest, the delegation's convoy, under the protection of the regular army of Northern Qi, arrived on the official road. Fan Xian sniffed the smell of the air and looked at the newly green trees beside the official road. He felt a little strange—was this it? He had crossed the border? Why didn't he feel anything?

The formation on the official road was quite intimidating. Two teams were lined up on the left and right sides. One team was all women, with tender little maids, nimble middle-aged servants, and experienced and sinister old nannies. The other team was all men, but even more gloomy than the women, dressed in brocade clothes, wearing curved sabers at their waists, and exuding a chilling aura.

At least half of the people in the delegation were from the Qing Kingdom's Overwatch Council. As soon as the convoy got on the official road, and they saw the team wearing curved sabers, a strong sense of hostility began to brew. Everyone's hands subconsciously reached for the hilts of the straight sabers at their waists.

The Qing Kingdom's Overwatch Council and the Northern Qi Jinyiwei (embroidered uniform guard) were the most secretive and dangerous intelligence agencies in the two great countries in the world. In the past ten years or so, the two sides had fought countless times, both openly and secretly. The struggle between spies and counter-spies was always so cruel and ruthless, and both sides' hands were already stained with each other's blood.

Today, they suddenly met on the official road, and both sides began to turn red-eyed as they smelled the scent on each other.

The Northern Qi officials quickly came up to explain a few words to Fan Xian. Fan Xian didn't take it to heart and waved his hand, telling his men to relax a bit. After all, today was for the sake of the friendly relationship between the two countries separated by a strip of water, not a real battle on the battlefield. It was his seven Tiger Guards behind him who had remained remarkably calm.

Indeed, they were two neighboring countries separated by a strip of water, especially when crossing the border from Mist Crossing River, the feeling was even more obvious.

Without waiting for a rest, Fan Xian immediately asked his subordinates to arrange the handover ceremony with the other party. Wang Qinian was a little puzzled and asked in a low voice, "Why don't we continue to escort Xiao En? Maybe we can ask him something on the way to the capital." He didn't know what secret Xiao En had in his heart, but as Fan Xian's confidant, he naturally knew that Fan Xian was seeking something.

Fan Xian shook his head and said calmly, "Forget it. It's not so convenient to travel with these Northern Qi spies all the way. It's better to hand him over to the other side, so we can worry less. If something happens to Xiao En on the way, the Northern Qi side will naturally be responsible. They wouldn't dare not return Yan Bingyun to us, would they?"

Although he said so, Fan Xian still felt a little depressed. Once he entered the capital, not to mention whether Xiao En could save his life under the pressure of Ku He's status, even if Xiao En regained power because of Shang Shanhu's relationship, he wouldn't have a better way to pry open Xiao En's yellow, old, and tight mouth.

The sound of clanging iron chains rang out. Fan Xian coldly watched the old man being helped out of the carriage. Xiao En's legs were broken, so getting out of the carriage was particularly difficult. A faintly sweet smell of blood emanated from inside the pants at the knees.

Most of the Jinyiwei in Northern Qi were young people and didn't know what Xiao En looked like. But in the legends among the people and the word-of-mouth stories of the guards, they knew that the current intelligence agency of Northern Qi was actually built by this pitiful old man who couldn't even stand still. In other words, this white-haired old man should be regarded as the founder of their group.

A somewhat strange atmosphere permeated the handover site. The Northern Qi Jinyiwei didn't know how to treat Xiao En. Should they treat him as a national hero? Or as a remnant of the former dynasty? Was he the ancestor of their group, or a heavily guarded prisoner in the future?

After a moment of silence, the emotion flowing in everyone's blood finally took over. The Jinyiwei, dressed in bright clothes and riding spirited horses on the official road, dismounted in unison, knelt halfway on the ground, paid their respects to the old man, and shouted in unison, "Greetings, Lord Xiao!"

With the loud sound of the salute, a powerful and familiar force seemed to return to the body of the old man Xiao En. He looked at these disciples and grandchildren on the official road, squinted his eyes slightly, his silvery white hair fluttered in the wind, his dry lips opened slightly, but he didn't say anything after all, just waved his hand lightly.

It was this feeling of waving his hand that made Fan Xian's heart tremble as he observed from the rear.

Xiao En straightened his body. His iron-like shoulders seemed to have regained the strength to shoulder the world.

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On the other side, the women and maids from the capital had already boarded Si Lili's carriage. No one knew how they carried so many ornaments and utensils with them, but they even let Si Lili have a fragrant bath in the carriage. After a long time, the car door opened slightly, and Si Lili stepped down from the carriage on soft embroidered shoes.

Everyone's eyes lit up, but Fan Xian's eyes dimmed slightly before quickly returning to normal.

A pair of slender jade hands were lightly suspended outside her light green wide sleeves. Her full curves were perfectly accentuated by her gorgeous clothes. Her black hair was loosely tied up with a simple ebony hairpin. Her red lips were like cherries, her eyes glanced around, her eyebrows were like distant mountains, captivating all around.

This was Si Lili, the unparalleled beauty who topped the list of courtesans in the Liujing River and lightly captured the Emperor's heart.