Zhou Chen saw that Fang Yuan agreed with him, and a look of "great minds think alike" appeared on his face as he sighed.
"Yes, exactly! It's a pity Junior Sister has been blinded by love and cannot see the crux of it."
There was a touch of regret in his tone, along with a faint, barely perceptible sourness.
He considered himself one of the first to notice Chen Yin's budding affections. He had assumed it would be some young master from the Inner City whose family was a suitable match.
Yet he had never expected it to be such a man of unknown origins, leaving him with the stifling feeling of a pearl cast into darkness.
"What a... pity."
He leaned a little closer and lowered his voice further, his tone carrying a note of concern.
"Junior Brother Fang, Junior Brother Wang, you may not know this. I've heard that among the Rebel Army currently active along the border, they specifically cultivate a kind of spy.
"They are best at disguising themselves as destitute scholars or sons of wealthy families, using their looks and eloquence to infiltrate towns in the rear. On one hand, they gather intelligence.
"On the other... they specifically seduce sheltered young ladies like Junior Sister, girls of some standing who know nothing of the world. They can extract information from them, or use them as hostages or bargaining chips."
The two men's expressions changed dramatically at those words.
Chen Zhengyang, the master of the Martial Arts School, was a Martial Arts Third Rank expert and an important figure whose voice carried weight in Qinghe County!
Wang Pangzi sucked in a sharp breath.
"My heavens! There's such a thing? No wonder Master reacted so strongly the moment he heard that man was from Hanshan Commandery! That's