Time flew by, and several more days passed in the blink of an eye.
While Shi Feixuan was racking her brains, trying to figure out how she could help the Li Clan turn around its disadvantage in Bashu and win the support of the local heroes and factions—including the clearly unwilling Duzun Fortress—so that when the Li Clan swept across the land one day, it could pacify Shu with ease and extend its advantage, Xu Ziling and Hou Xibai finally made their way through countless hardships to Shu. In Chengdu, they found the renowned Shi Qingxuan at one of their meeting spots.
However...
Unlike Xu Ziling, who looked relieved, and Hou Xibai, who was both excited and nervous, Shi Qingxuan was extremely surprised and taken aback by their arrival.
After all, she distinctly remembered that before returning to Chengdu in Shu and announcing her plan, she had only written a letter to Annie—the remarkable master of Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong. And she had only done so because she was on good terms with Annie: she wanted to invite her to spend a few days at her secluded retreat, the Youlin Lodge, in accordance with an old agreement, and perhaps show off how much her "sound-killing" martial arts had improved. When had she ever said she needed help?
And yet, here she was: the person she was waiting for hadn't arrived, but Xu Ziling and Hou Xibai had shown up out of nowhere, both insisting they were there to help her.
Xu Ziling was one thing; she didn't particularly dislike him. But Hou Xibai made her wary and suspicious.
Shi Qingxuan didn't believe for a moment that he had come to help her, no matter how often he said so.
Besides, the only reason she was patiently listening to them