After Xu Ziling told Kou Zhong everything that had happened that night, the two of them discussed it and realized how complicated things were in Luoyang. So, as the Dragon Boat Festival drew nearer over the next few days, they grew ever more cautious.
They had no choice!
They still instinctively believed their little master Annie hadn't come to Luoyang. In someone else's city—especially one currently teeming with all sorts of people and forces—they carried two secrets: the Longevity Formula and the Yang Gong Treasure. Keeping a low profile and avoiding drawing attention was obviously the right thing to do.
They even lay low at their hideout for several days, switching to a routine of sleeping by day and moving by night. They kept a close eye on developments in Luoyang while quietly carrying out their plans.
But...
To Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling's surprise, and before they could prepare for it, trouble came looking for them—even though they hadn't gone looking for anyone else.
Just look!
That night, the two had nearly pieced together what was happening in Luoyang. They were about to head out under cover of darkness to search for a possible exit to one of the secret passages leading out of the city from the Yang Gong Treasure, when, quite suddenly, they spotted a familiar figure standing lightly on a branch behind them in the moonlight. Her robes fluttered; her alluring, graceful figure looked like that of a celestial maiden. When had she appeared?
"Who's there?!"
The two were startled. They gripped their weapons and shouted angrily.
But!
It wasn't Shi Feixuan, the immortal-like beauty Xu Ziling had once seen and been awestruck by. Nor was it Shi Qingxuan, the renowned xiao player he'd glimpsed only briefly, like a forest spirit. It was none other than