Hua Jiuer, Do You Have Sisters?

More than thirty corpses lay on the ground, and of the more than fifty members of the Boundless Camp, only thirteen had escaped the battlefield.

Liao Zihui wanted to give chase, but Shuiyun Road and even the Qingtian River were already in chaos.

Although Liao Zihui tried his best to control the scale of the battle, it is impossible to fight without making any moves.

The surrounding people were terrified. It would have been better if they had all stayed at home, but many people were carrying large bags and small packages and fleeing for their lives. Now the situation is getting a bit complicated.

Liao Zihui was in a dilemma when Zheng Siyi stepped forward to deliver a message: Li Qi had arrived with He Yuxiu, and the remnants of the Boundless Camp would soon be wiped out.

Liao Zihui had to quickly change roles and become a mediator, ordering his men to maintain order and persuade all the people to go home.

Amidst the commotion, a man in his fifties named Fu Qingguang approached Liao Zihui and said in a low voice, "General Envoy, the magnetic field around here is a bit different."

Zheng Siyi watched from the side, unsure of Fu Qingguang's true role.

Fu Qingguang came from Green Water City with Liao Zihui. He didn't hold a high position, but he was never reserved when talking to Liao Zihui.

Liao Zihui was also very concerned about what Fu Qingguang said, "Is there a trap?"

He worried that the Chasing Light Group had left a trap here, and if it was triggered now, countless people would die on this road alone.

Fu Qingguang said, "It's hard to say whether it's a trap or not. I sensed Magnetic Monopole."

Magnetic Monopole a particle that exhibits a single polarity in a magnetic field.

The detection of Magnetic Monopole proves the existence of an invisible space nearby.

Liao Zihui instructed his men, "Get the equipment and investigate quickly."

A group of people got to work, first setting up a flatbed truck, then mounting solar panels on the truck, adjusting the angle, and connecting the output end of the solar panels to a "cannon barrel".

This cannon barrel isn't for firing shells; it's a specialized device for locating gaps in space. In Pro State, electricity can't be transmitted over long distances, so this "cannon barrel" must have its own power source.

Fu Qingguang stood behind the cannon barrel, watching the data changes. After searching back and forth for more than half an hour, Fu Qingguang pointed to a pavilion on the side of the street. "General Envoy, the entrance is right here."

This pavilion usually attracts many sedan chair carriers, but with the chaos just now, they all ran away.

Liao Zihui first ordered everyone to retreat, and then Fu Qingguang took over the equipment to carry out the next step of the operation.

The instrument in question is still the same flatbed cart, except that the "cannon barrel" is no longer used.

Fu Qingguang took out a 15-centimeter-long steel needle, inserted half of it into the top of his head, leaving the other half sticking out of his scalp.

He detached the output wires of the photovoltaic panel from the "barrel," wrapped them around the steel needle on his head, and heard a series of static noises in his ears.

La la~

The signal is bad.

Fu Qingguang first shook his head to the left, then leaned forward. The noise subsided, and a woman's voice could be heard.

It faintly reached my ears:

"As many of my male listeners know, after the age of fifty, many people feel less capable in certain areas. A friend of mine, surnamed Luo, once called to say that he had tried many medications, but the effects were not obvious—..."

Fu Qingguang muttered to himself, "This radio station is causing trouble again."

However, he wanted to listen a little longer. The matter mentioned on the radio was quite important in dealing with Fu Qingguang, and the phrase "powerless to do what he was supposed to do" struck a chord with him.

He said that the friend surnamed Luo, could it be Luo ZhengNan? He should be getting on in years too.

The host kept rambling on and on without getting to the point; he couldn't listen anymore. There were so many people waiting in the audience. Fu Qingguang shook his head and turned off the radio.

After repositioning himself, Fu Qingguang heard a faint whistling sound.

Facing the direction of the sound source, Fu Qingguang attached a homemade searchlight to the top of his head, and the lampshade emitted a bluish-green beam of light.

Under the beam of light, in less than two minutes, a deep purple halo appeared next to the pillars of the pavilion.

"This is the entrance to an invisible space," Liao Zihui asked in a low voice. "Is it the Dark Dimension Space?"

Fu Qingguang examined the color of the halo carefully and shook his head, saying, "It's Stealth Space."

Liao Zihui breathed a sigh of relief. Stealth Space are rare, but they are much safer than Dark Dimension Space.

He waved his hand, signaling his men to get ready. Six of his men donned heavy combat gear, full-face helmets, and oxygen tanks, and entered the halo of light.

Chu Shaoqiang watched from the shadows, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He had just entered this Stealth Space once, and he knew it was the dwelling place of the Local Earth God.

There's something very important inside, but he can't take it out yet.

The six subordinates stayed in the halo of light for more than half an hour before five of them came out first.

Liao Zihui frowned and asked, "Where's Xiao Meng?"

A subordinate said in a trembling voice, "Xiao Meng touched the thing inside. He didn't mean to. I told him not to touch it anymore, but he said that since it's already like this, we might as well take it out—"

Liao Zihui frowned and asked, "What did you touch?"

Before he could finish speaking, his subordinate, Xiao Meng, came out.

He was holding a red copper ornament in his hands.

It was a lotus flower with its petals tightly closed.

Xiao Meng's face turned deathly pale as he asked, "General Envoy, is this... is this the Mystic Life Crimson Lotus?"

He was terrified.

Liao Zihui thought about the photo of Mystic Life Crimson Lotus, then looked at the ornament in Xiao Meng's hand, and was speechless for a moment.

Wasn't the Mystic Life Crimson Lotus in Li Qi's possession? How did it end up here?

To everyone's astonishment, Xiao Meng, who was holding Red Lotus, suddenly lit up.

Xiao Meng's tears streamed down his face. "General Envoy, what should we do?"

"Seventh Brother, look at that!" He Yuxiu lifted the skull of a member of the Boundless Camp, threw the corpse aside, and looked at the beam of light falling from the sky above the street in front of her.

Li Banfeng was very familiar with this light. "Dawn."

He Yuxiu nodded. "It looks like it to me too. Who was the unlucky one who got caught in the sunlight?"

Li Banfeng led He Yuxiu toward the direction of the beam of light.

On Shuiyun Road, next to the pavilion, Liao Zihui was calling out, "Go get the Guiding Agent quickly!"

With his last bit of strength, Xiao Meng placed Red Lotus on the stone table in the pavilion.

His body stiffened immediately, and he lay motionless on the ground.

Li Banfeng watched from the crowd, and he was very surprised. From the outside, the Red Lotus on the stone table was exactly the same as the one in his Portable Abode.

This Red Lotus can actually attract the light of day?

Li Banfeng lowered the brim of his hat.

The face beneath the brim of the hat was full of confusion and bewilderment.

The Guiding Agent arrived; it was a syringe filled with a yellowish-green liquid.

No one dared to approach Xiao Meng. Liao Zihui picked up the syringe and personally injected the Guiding Agent into Xiao Meng's vein.

This was the first time Li Banfeng had seen Guiding Agent from Outer State. In terms of its effects, he estimated it would be similar to the medicine powder sold by Peddler.

Liao Zihui helped Xiao Meng up, repeatedly saying, "It's alright, child, it's alright."

Xiao Meng, catching his breath, said, "My General Envoy, I was being impulsive. It was my fault. I... I feel much better now."

"It'll be over in a bit." Liao Zihui helped Xiao Meng up and told someone to bring over the stretcher.

Xiao Meng said, "I feel like I can move now, so I probably don't need a stretcher."

Liao Zihui said, "Don't move around, take it easy. After being exposed to that light, you'll need to rest for at least a few months. You should rest first."

Bang!

Xiao Meng exploded, splattering blood and flesh all over Liao Zihui.

The Outer State Guiding Agent was significantly less effective than the Peddler's powder.

Blood flowed down his hair. Liao Zihui stood there, stunned. A group of people wanted to step forward to protect the General Envoy, but they were also a little scared.

The Red Lotus on the stone table slowly bloomed, engulfing Xiao Meng's flesh and blood into its Lotus Heart.

The lotus leaves closed, and beams of light moved upwards from below, moving across the lotus flower.

Liao Zihui was stunned and speechless.

Li Banfeng was just as stunned as he was.

He Yuxiu said from the side, "My God, this is the Mystic Life Crimson Lotus! Seventh Brother, we'd better stay away from this thing!"

"You absolutely mustn't touch it, Seventh Brother, what are you thinking about?"

Li Banfeng turned to look at He Yuxiu and said, "Xiu Er, let's go home."

He Yuxiu glanced at Red Lotus again and then followed Li Banfeng away.

Guanfang Hall, Liao Zihui sat in his office, listening to Zheng Siyi's report.

"Your General Envoy, we have already used machinery to seal the Mystic Life Crimson Lotus inside the stone box."

"Will this work?" Liao Zihui felt that using tools could not shield Red Lotus's negative effects.

Zheng Siyi said, "The personnel operating the machinery have not shown any abnormalities so far, and professional medical personnel are monitoring them in real time."

Liao Zihui nodded. "Has the report been submitted?"

"They've taken it."

"Is there an echo from above?"

"I inquired around, and they're still having a meeting to discuss it."

"They've been researching for so long?" Liao Zihui smiled. "Guess what they're researching?"

Zheng Siyi thought for a moment and said, "They must be researching how to send Red Lotus out of Pro State."

Liao Zihui shook his head. "That's not the point."

Zheng Siyi said, "Isn't that the main point?"

Liao Zi sighed, "This is of utmost importance to us, but to them, it's never been an important point."

Send more people to keep an eye on Red Lotus. Report to me immediately if there's any news from above.

At two o'clock in the morning, Zheng Siyi knocked on the office door.

Liao Zihui hadn't slept; he knew there would definitely be news tonight.

"Director Du called."

Liao Zihui went to the communications room, and before picking up the receiver and telephone, he took a moment to catch his breath.

"Director Du, we... we've been waiting for your news." Liao Zihui's breath hitched several times as he said this.

Director Du asked with concern, "Old Liao, what's wrong? Are you too tired? You need to take better care of yourself. We just finished a meeting here. We hope to transport Red Lotus to Outer State as soon as possible, but at the same time, we also need to handle Ye Song Bridge's funeral arrangements properly."

The secrecy surrounding this operation was not handled properly, and we are concerned that it may have a negative impact on Ye Song Bridge and even the entire Pro State. Therefore, we must attach great importance to both aspects of the operation.

These words were spoken in a cryptic and ambiguous manner, but Liao Zihui heard them clearly.

They requested that Red Lotus be sent over, but it was best that the person wasn't Liao Zihui.

They hoped that Liao Zihui would handle the aftermath at Ye Song Bridge and do some work equivalent to providing toilet paper.

They hope to leave the more valuable work to the more valuable people.

This incident has caused quite a stir. Director Du has already pointed out the problem: the confidentiality work was not done well.

No matter how hard the person in charge of cleaning up the mess tries, it's impossible for things to go completely smoothly. Just like in some places, no matter how much you wipe with toilet paper, it's never completely clean, and you end up smelling like toilet paper.

Sending Red Lotus safely back to Outer State is a different matter altogether; if described properly, this achievement could even be greater than the discovery of Red Lotus.

Director Du was worried that Liao Zihui would not agree, so he planned to try to persuade and guide him further.

Liao Zihui knew very well that he wouldn't take the credit, but he also wouldn't accept the toilet paper. He coughed twice and said, "Director Du, you can arrange the rest. I was affected by the Dark Matter Stream, and my body is still a bit stiff. I may need to go back to Outer State for treatment."

Director Du was very surprised. "Old Liao, you were injured during the operation? Why didn't you report this sooner?"

Liao Zihui said, "The situation was urgent, and I had suffered casualties among my men. I really didn't notice in a moment—."

"Stop talking, Lao Liao. Send a special train immediately and take you back to Outer State for treatment tonight."

After hanging up the phone, Director Du breathed a sigh of relief.

He picked up the phone and dialed another number. "Teacher, the problem is solved."

"Xiao Du, the key issue isn't when Red Lotus is brought back, but who brings Red Lotus back."

We have achieved very important results in this work, but it must be made clear that these achievements were not made by Liao Zihui alone!

"Teacher, you're right. This time, the task of escorting Red Lotus will definitely not be given to Liao Zihui. Liao Zihui has to leave Pro State for treatment due to health reasons. The next phase of the work will be handled by Xia Shumin."

"I think this outcome is very good. Since Liao Zihui is sick, he should rest for a while longer. I'm not very familiar with the situation in Pro State, but I know Xia's abilities. It's time to give energetic young people more responsibilities!"

At Ye Song Bridge Train Station, Liao Zihui was pushed onto the train carriage along with his bed.

Zheng Siyi came to see him off. "General Envoy, everything was fine before, how could this happen at such a crucial time—"

Liao Zihui dismissed the people around him and lowered his voice to Zheng Siyi, saying, "You go back immediately and stay at the Guanfang Hall. You are not allowed to leave the Guanfang Hall before Xia Shumin arrives."

With you here, your subordinates will be attentive, the Guanfang Hall will function properly, Red Lotus will be able to hold her ground. If you leave, Red Lotus will be gone in the blink of an eye.

When Xia Shumin sends someone to transport the Red Lotus, remember to make the handover at the Guanfang Hall. After the handover is completed...

"You and your people are not allowed to leave the Guanfang Hall, nor are you allowed to have any further contact with Red Lotus."

Zheng Siyi felt this was inappropriate. "Xia Shumin is coming, and I'm not even going to the station?"

"You don't need to go. He has plenty of people around him. You just need to do two things for me."

First, Xiao Meng's compensation must be in place. You keep a close eye on this; anyone who takes money from Xiao Meng will be killed when I get back.

Secondly, while I'm gone, you need to take good care of yourself and your people. Don't try to claim credit for Red Lotus's matter; there's no credit there. But don't let anyone smear you.

Portable Abode, Li Banfeng went to the Ninth Room and gently stroked Lotus Heart, asking, "Hua Jiuer, do you have any sisters?"

Red Lotus said in a soft voice, "If you continue to be so rude, I might—"

Lotus Heart suddenly tightened her grip, and Li Banfeng trembled. "No, don't pinch my fingers!"

Li Banfeng withdrew his finger and blew on it for a while before Red Lotus said, "I don't have any sisters."

"I saw a Copper Lotus that looks exactly like you. It can summon the light of heaven and refine elixirs." The Red Lotus sneered, "There are many elixir furnaces in this world, and many elixir furnaces that look like lotuses, but there is only one true Mystic Life Crimson Lotus."

Li Banfeng touched Lotus Heart and asked, "So, you're the only one who's real?"

"If you don't believe me, you can ask your Wicked Woman wife; she knows me."

The record player never doubted Red Lotus's identity.

Hong Ying knew Red Lotus, and so did Portable Abode Red Lotus. Neither of them had ever doubted it, which proves that the Red Lotus in Portable Abode must be real.

What was the condition of the Red Lotus that Liao Zihui obtained?

Was that pavilion where the sedan chair carriers lived?

Is this the Red Lotus that the sedan chair carriers used to Pill Refining?

From this perspective, the sedan chair carrier was indeed not lying; in terms of its Pill Refining function, the Copper Lotus in his hand was extremely similar to the Red Lotus.

Xia Shumin arrived at Ye Song Bridge by special train.

Following Liao Zihui's instructions, Zheng Siyi did not go to the station to meet Xia Shumin, but instead chose to stay at the Guanfang Hall.

Xia Shumin expressed his approval. "This small incident shows Lao Zheng's sense of responsibility. The more critical the moment, the more he must stick to his post!"

The new recruits in the Guanfang Hall all felt that Old Zheng's opportunity had come. Since the future General Envoy appreciated him so much, they estimated that Old Zheng would be transferred to the General Office in a couple of days.

But the old man knew in his heart that Zheng Siyi's life would not be easy from now on. His failure to come to pick him up meant that he did not take Xia Shumin seriously. Once the matter with Red Lotus was over, Xia Shumin would definitely deal with him.

Upon arriving at the Guanfang Hall, Zheng Siyi greeted Xia Shumin in the lobby.

Xia Shumin checked Red Lotus's condition, inquired about the wounded soldiers' injuries, and offered condolences to the families of the fallen. He immediately ordered Red Lotus to be transported to the station.

Xia Shumin mobilized hundreds of elites from various Guanfang Hall. They first used special machinery to extract the Red Lotus, and then used different Daoist techniques to seal Red Lotus in a glass container to prevent it from attracting sunlight.

During the handover, Zheng Siyi ordered the entire process to be recorded to preserve evidence.

After the handover of Red Lotus was completed, Xia Shumin ordered a curfew along the route, with multiple layers of defenses in place, and personally led his men to bring Red Lotus onto the train.

As a warning to Zheng Siyi, Xia Shumin forbade Zheng Siyi from seeing him off when he left, and told him to continue to stay at his post.

Zheng Siyi was more than happy to accept, exchanged a few polite words, and stayed in the Guanfang Hall without leaving.

After Xia Shumin and his entourage got into the car and left, Zheng Siyi breathed a sigh of relief and instructed his men to take a holiday starting tomorrow.

Everyone took turns resting, and each person sang for two weeks.

Xia Shumin's special train made no stops along the way. It had five carriages, with Red Lotus placed in the third carriage. It was heavily guarded at both ends, and Xia Shumin himself was in the third carriage, watching over Red Lotus.

It was transported all the way to Yuezhou City and delivered to the experimental center.

Experts from various fields spent a day observing the Red Lotus through the glass container.

The next day, under strict protection, technicians operated a robotic arm to remove the multiple seals and prepare to observe the physical form of the Red Lotus.

When looking through glass, the details that can be observed are ultimately limited.

When the glass storage container was opened, everyone was stunned.

They discovered that Red Lotus was missing.

It's a magical process; as soon as you open the cabinet door of the glass storage unit, the Red Lotus disappears.

But as soon as the cabinet door is closed, Red Lotus reappears.

What is the underlying principle?

Experts held an emergency meeting and conducted in-depth research and discussion. After a thorough inspection of the glass storage unit, they discovered a mirror on the cabinet door. The mirror was imbued with some kind of magic, projecting the image of Red Lotus into the glass storage unit.

In other words, there is no Red Lotus in this glass container at all.

When did the Red Lotus in the storage container disappear?

Xia Shumin was stunned. The only conclusion he could come up with was. "I don't know, I didn't touch it."

Yes, he didn't touch it.

Since Red Lotus entered the glass container, no one has touched it. Even though it was sealed with a magic circle, no one dared to touch it, since everyone was afraid of the sunlight.

But how exactly did Red Lotus get lost?

Director Du dialed the phone. "Teacher, something happened to Red Lotus, she's lost on the road—"

A questioning voice came from the other end of the phone. "What did Liao Zihui do? How could something so important turn out like this?"

Director Du reminded him, "Teacher, this matter is not Liao Zihui's responsibility—"

"He wasn't in charge of the escort mission, but wasn't he in charge of the Pro State mission? For such an important task, didn't Liao Zihui take any necessary precautions beforehand?"

"Teacher, Liao Zihui is currently receiving medical treatment in Outer State. During this time, Xia Shumin is also in charge of the overall work in Pro State."

"What's wrong with getting medical treatment? Is that a valid reason? In any case, he's definitely involved in this!"

Click! The phone was angrily hung up.

Director Du sighed deeply, pondering how to explain the situation.

How could such a large Red Lotus just disappear like that?

At Yuezhou East Station, Chu Shaoqiang, carrying a briefcase, boarded 1160 Train.

He was carrying a briefcase, a very small and narrow briefcase, which seemed to be able to hold only a few documents.

Once inside his carriage, Chu Shaoqiang, clutching his briefcase, quietly sat down in his seat.

A day later, the train arrived at Sea Eat Ridge. Chu Shaoqiang got off the train but did not leave the station; instead, he transferred to 1165 Train.

Heading to the Soda Kiln.

While waiting in the waiting room, a man approached Chu Shaoqiang, coughed twice, and said, "Sir, could you lend me a light?"

Chu Shaoqiang took out a match and handed it to the man. The man lit a cigarette, took a puff, and returned the match to Chu Shaoqiang, saying in a pleading tone, "You leave me this briefcase, and I'll give you my life. Is that alright?"

Chu Shaoqiang stared at the man for a moment, then asked, "May I ask your name?"

The man laughed and said, "My name is Ye Jianhuang. Anyone who likes to smoke is my friend."

Ye Jianhuang, Smoke Cultivation Grandmaster.

"So it's Senior Ye, my apologies!" Chu Shaoqiang quickly handed the briefcase to Ye Jianhuang.

Ye Jianhuang took the briefcase, glanced at it, and saw that Red Lotus was inside.

How could such a large Red Lotus possibly fit into such a small briefcase?

This is the wonder of the Work Method.

Ye Jianhuang took a puff of his cigarette and said to Chu Shaoqiang, "Logically speaking, given my status, I shouldn't take anything from a junior like you. Why don't you pick something nice from me as compensation?"

Chu Shaoqiang shook his head repeatedly. "I dare not accept this; it is a sincere offering to my senior."

"You're so sensible." Ye Jianhuang smiled, picked up her briefcase, and left the waiting hall.

Chu Shaoqiang sat motionless in the waiting hall.

As soon as 1165 Train arrived at the station, Chu Shaoqiang boarded the train and entered his own carriage, where he remained quietly seated.

Not long after, a new briefcase appeared in his hand.

Ye Jianhuang carried his briefcase into the new land of Sea Eat Ridge. After walking for a while, he suddenly felt that the weight of the briefcase was wrong.

He opened his briefcase and glanced at it again, his brows furrowing.

Red Lotus has disappeared.

"You little brat, you dare to play this trick on me!" Ye Jianhuang threw down his briefcase, his body turning into a wisp of smoke and disappearing.

Upon arriving at the Soda Kiln, Chu Shaoqiang got off the train and hurried into an abandoned factory.

At the Soda Kiln Local Earth God Shi Gongxing was repairing a bearing when Chu Shaoqiang walked up to him, took out two pairs of pliers from his briefcase, and respectfully presented them to Shi Gongxing.

"Master, I have a favor to ask."

Shi Gongxing took the pliers, examined them carefully for a while, and nodded slightly, saying, "Go ahead."

These two pairs of pliers are rare and Spiritual Object in crafts and repairs.

Chu Shaoqiang, carrying his briefcase, walked straight towards the end of the factory.

Upon arriving at the ladder, Chu Shaoqiang saw the pool below it.

Just as he was about to jump into the pool, he suddenly realized that his left foot had turned into a cloud of smoke.

Chu Shaoqiang was shocked, but then he saw Ye Jianhuang's figure appear before his eyes.

"Who gave you the audacity to play such a trick on me?" Ye Jianhuang's eyebrows twitched, and Chu Shaoqiang's right hand turned into smoke, his briefcase falling to the ground.

"Master!" Chu Shaoqiang turned around and looked at Shi Gongxing.

Shi Gongxing held the pliers in his hand and looked at the Ye Jianhuang.

Ye Jianhuang glared at Shi Gongxing and shouted, "What are you looking at? You've completely disgraced your master! I should kill you!"

Shi Gongxing lowered his head and continued repairing the bearing, not daring to look at it again.

Ye Jianhuang opened the briefcase and examined it carefully for a long time.

Red Lotus was in the briefcase; from the outside, it was clearly visible.

But Ye Jianhuang was worried that Chu Shaoqiang had left behind some tricks and could take Red Lotus back again.

"Young man, I originally intended to spare your life, but you dared to play me; you're courting death." Ye Jianhuang's eyebrows twitched again, and Chu Shaoqiang's remaining arm and leg turned into smoke and dissipated into the air.

Smoke was also rising from other parts of his body, but it didn't dissipate immediately.

"You're pretty tough, kid." Ye Jianhuang chuckled, took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it.

He blew a puff of smoke at Chu Shaoqiang, who swayed as if about to turn into dust, but after a moment, the smoke gathered again.

Ye Jianhuang was startled and blew another puff of smoke at Chu Shaoqiang.

Chu Shaoqiang snored softly.

He exhaled puffs of soap bubbles from his mouth, which first blocked the smoke, then spread all over his body. After a little over a minute, Chu Shaoqiang's limbs grew out, enveloped in the soap bubbles.

My arms are a bit short, only about 20 centimeters long.

Its legs aren't long either, only about a foot long.

Looking up from the thigh, the items were much smaller, but still complete.

Ye Jianhuang became more wary and asked, "What kind of tricks are you using?"

Chu Shaoqiang couldn't speak; he was still spitting out bubbles.

A person nearby said, "This is definitely not his doing; he doesn't have that kind of ability."

"Who could possibly have such a thing—" Ye Jianhuang was taken aback and turned to look at the person.

A middle-aged man, arms crossed, squatted obediently on the ground and said to Ye Jianhuang, "You continue fighting him, and I'll take a closer look to see whose tricks this is!"

Ye Jianhuang exhaled a cigarette, pulled out his Smoking Pipe, and nervously stared at the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man laughed and said, "Go ahead and fight him. I'll make my move after you two are done. Isn't that what you did back then?"

PS: It seems they had quite a few grudges back then.