Purple Orchid Pavilion Reunion!

The moon sets and the sun rises; it's a new day.

The drizzle last night didn't come quickly enough.

So it doesn't go very fast.

It was soft and gentle, like Sisi threads, lingering throughout the entire second half of the night.

Aside from Ye Qingcang, who personally handled all of this.

And, as an observer, I witnessed the Startled Salamander of last night.

No one knows what happened that night.

Because everything remains the same.

As the first rays of sunlight pierce through the clouds and fall upon the peddlers and vendors in the streets and alleys, accompanied by shouts from all directions, a new day begins, just like every year.

Ye Qingcang's wording has always been meticulous.

If we broaden the scope to include living organisms...

So, there are indeed many creatures that know what happened that night.

From as small as Faceless Men.

From the Ice Empress and Snow Empress.

They are all witnesses, just like Startled Salamander.

In fact, many of these organisms are participants, or parties involved.

But they are not human!

Therefore, only two people know what really happened that night.

One of them was named Ye Qingcang.

One is called Startled Salamander.

At this moment, they are all sitting in the small courtyard they bought yesterday morning.

Enjoying the tranquility after a summer rain.

That slightly hot, yet undeniably refreshing and comfortable feeling.

One person is flipping through a letter.

One watched as the other flipped through the letter.

Are you hungry?

"Shall I take you out to get something to eat?"

a long time.

After reading the letter three times.

Ye Qingcang broke the silence once he realized that Startled Salamander Ye Qingcang still watching him.

Hold the letter horizontally.

Use your index finger to press against its center and center of gravity.

He casually shook it, as if spinning playing cards, and began to spin the letter.

"Shall we eat at the Zilan Pavilion?"

Startled Salamander was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked.

She is not someone who likes to hide things.

But she had to admit that sometimes it was necessary to be discreet.

At least after seeing what happened last night.

She felt she needed to adjust her attitude, including modifying her tone, to avoid angering Ye Qingcang, even if that was unlikely.

"Of course... if you'd like!"

Ye Qingcang, like many others, disliked hiding things.

But sometimes metaphors are essential.

Metaphors can make harsh words sound pleasant. Even if the essence of the sentence cannot be changed, it is still necessary to put on a good front. Sufficient face-saving can help the speaker and listener reach a consensus in a pleasant atmosphere. Even if a consensus cannot be reached, they can leave peacefully with a polite and tactful apology.

Being able to be considerate of others' feelings during conversations.

It is a rare and precious form of self-cultivation.

However, as mentioned above, Ye Qingcang disliked beating around the bush, so after the metaphor, he chose to be clear: "If you haven't made up your mind yet, you don't have to go... This trip to the Zilan Pavilion is basically aimed at a showdown. I heard that Brother Han Fei obtained the position of Minister of Justice from his father. Although Hong Lian contributed a lot in the process, if we only look at the result and not the process, Brother Han Fei has unconsciously put himself on the table. Next, he'll be playing his cards openly with Ji Wuye... And since he invited me with a letter from the Zilan Pavilion, it means that last night, he..." "I've already broken through the test set by the Zilan Pavilion's Zi Nu Maiden and the Ghost Valley disciple behind her. Although I can't fathom how those two managed to make Han Fei the Minister of Justice overnight, and how it was decided at this morning's court assembly—after all, the Ghost Soldiers Robbery Case hasn't happened yet, Han Fei's opportunity to infiltrate the court is still insufficient—I must admit I underestimated the heroes of the world... Therefore, if you haven't made up your mind yet, it's best not to get involved in this mess, lest I have no choice but to kill you. Even controlling you would go against my original intentions!"

"The Net cannot withstand your encroachment."

"Even if you are not the current leader of Net, you will definitely be the future leader of Net. This is my assertion, and I am absolutely certain of it."

"You can also consider it a prophecy."

Startled Salamander calm.

He was also exceptionally rational.

His tone was resolute.

It doesn't sound like a prophecy at all.

"So?"

Ye Qingcang raised an eyebrow.

Startled Salamander's judgment doesn't prove anything, because it's a fact.

Just like Startled Salamander admitting she couldn't beat him.

It wasn't that they were convinced.

Rather, it means knowing full well that they couldn't win.

But she doesn't lack the courage to admit it.

To put it bluntly, being unable to accept defeat is more contemptible than actually losing.

Therefore, if Startled Salamander surrenders so quickly...

Then it wouldn't be Startled Salamander.

It's worth noting that in the original novel, Startled Salamander remained confused for a long time after having a child before being urged by her awakened maternal love to make up her mind to break free from the Net and live her own life.

At present, Startled Salamander has no maternal love at all, so conquering her is 100% difficult. Trying to make her submit with just a few words is pure fantasy.

However, what happened last night did indeed have a great impact on Startled Salamander.

Even now.

Thinking back on what happened last night.

Startled Salamander still felt a sense of lingering fear.

But this didn't stop her from ignoring Ye Qingcang's words and instead following her own train of thought, "I didn't mean anything by it, it's just that I have nowhere to go... In Xinzheng, all 43 transit points that Net had set up were taken over by you overnight, and all 50-plus Innate Martial Artist of Net's Xinzheng branch were under your control... Perhaps saying that you wiped out all of Net's arrangements in the Han Kingdom overnight is a bit of an exaggeration, but the fact that all of Net's arrangements in the Han Kingdom are paralyzed at this moment is undeniable... As Net's Heaven Ranked Assassin, I should follow you closely, find your weaknesses, and finally eliminate you to restore Net's capabilities in the Han Kingdom. From a personal perspective, I believe you have the ability to replace Net's current leader, so I should stay by your side, constantly obtain evidence to prove my deduction, and provide you with assistance when appropriate... Of course, that's after you become the leader of Net."

"The more you know, the harder it is to leave."

"However, given that you already know a lot..."

"A little more or a little less... it doesn't matter!"

Ye Qingcang shook his head.

The letter spinning between his fingertips suddenly stopped.

It was held between the index finger and thumb.

Then, he stood up and said, "Fine, since you've given your reasons for following me, then follow me. Although I don't have the power to bewitch people and turn Sword Slave into my loyal followers, I'm not afraid of a sword master like you with self-awareness spying on me."

There's a saying that goes something like that.

When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.

Conversely, if you remain indifferent...

That would be truly flawless.

What I'm afraid of isn't your spying.

It's not that you're spying.

Startled Salamander, who clearly did not understand this principle, naturally fell into Ye Qingcang's trap once again. She followed Ye Qingcang to the Zilan Pavilion and met Han Fei and Hong Lian again.

Zilan Pavilion is always brightly lit and bustling at night.

Many high-ranking officials and nobles came to seek pleasure.

Most of the information about the Zilan Pavilion also comes from this source.

To put it bluntly, as everyone knows, when a man can't control his belt, he often can't control his mouth either, and that's how intelligence comes about.

But this has nothing to do with Han Fei.

It has nothing to do with Hong Lian.

When Ye Qingcang and Startled Salamander arrived at the Zilan Pavilion, Zi Nu was chatting with Han Fei in a private room. However, Zi Nu, who was always meticulous in her work, had made relevant preparations for Ye Qingcang and Startled Salamander's arrival, ensuring that she would not neglect any important guests.

So, as soon as Ye Qingcang entered the door...

Several young and beautiful girls gathered around.

Dressed in flamboyant colors.

The Startled Salamander was hidden within.

Then, he half-pushed and half-dragged Ye Qingcang to the second floor.

Then there's a staircase leading from the second floor to the third floor.

Suddenly, they stopped in their tracks as if by unspoken agreement.

They handed Ye Qingcang and Startled Salamander over to a young girl who had been waiting there for a long time.

"Greetings, distinguished guests."

"Sister Zi Nu instructed me to wait here."

"If you two come, I will lead you to the third floor and into the room where Young Master Han Fei is... If you two do not come, you may go to the third floor on your own and play the zither to cover up the conversation of Young Master Han Fei and the others."

"My name is Nong Yu."

"It's Qin Ji from the Zilan Pavilion."

"You two can simply address me as that."

The girl named Nong Yu was wearing a long court dress.

Her appearance isn't the kind that immediately wows people.

Rather, it's the kind of thing that's particularly pleasing to the eye over time.

To put it simply, she's the kind of person who gets better looking the more you look at her.

Having said that, he bowed.

Her refined and elegant demeanor was completely out of place in a brothel like Zilan Pavilion.

But Ye Qingcang was used to it.

He naturally knew the characters from the original work.

In particular, Nong Yu has quite a few scenes.

As Madam Hu's daughter, Hu Meiren's niece, Zi Nu's most trusted confidante, Bai Feng's white moonlight, and a member of the Quicksand organization.

If Nong Yu's martial arts skills were a little higher...

It still has a very promising future.

However, martial arts skills cannot be rushed.

Furthermore, both strength and wisdom are relative. As long as one's strength is not so great as to be invincible, one will still be restrained by wisdom of the same level. However, even the smartest person can only plan from behind the scenes and still needs someone with strength to act as a henchman to solve problems.

Perhaps after Zi Nu retires.

Nong Yu will be a qualified successor.

This already meets the standard.

Having a higher level of martial prowess is like adding icing on the cake.

Anyway, Zi Nu never intended to train Nong Yu to be a top expert; like herself, she was a well-rounded talent.

In terms of martial prowess, he is inferior to Wei Zhuang.

In terms of intelligence, he was inferior to Han Fei.

But as the second-in-command, I can identify and address any shortcomings.

You could also call it a panacea.

They are quite competent and suitable.

Of course, although Ye Qingcang knew Nong Yu, he still had to be polite. This was not only because Nong Yu had treated him with politeness, and they should reciprocate with equal respect, but also because Nong Yu was a very nice girl who had not offended him, and he really couldn't bear to ignore her. "Miss Nong Yu, hello, my name is Ye Qingcang... I'm sorry to trouble you to wait here, and I would also appreciate it if you could lead the way. I'm new here and not very familiar with the surroundings."

"Young Lord Ye is too modest."

Nong Yu smiled slightly.

She felt a little more favorably toward Ye Qingcang.

No one dislikes the feeling of being respected by others.

Especially since her identity is quite special.

Qin Ji.

Even though there is a saying that one sells one's art but not one's body.

But in this place of romance and pleasure, how many people truly sell their art without selling their bodies?

Even though she knew she was innocent.

But others don't know.

Therefore, she had become accustomed to being looked down upon.

It could even be that someone imagines disgusting things about you.

So I stopped expecting to be respected by others.

Now, this Young Lord Ye, who looks to be about the same age as her, not only doesn't look down on her, but his answers don't even seem perfunctory.

The wording was as polite as possible.

It would be hard for her not to develop feelings for him.

However, despite her goodwill, Nong Yu didn't forget her duty. She raised her arm, first gesturing towards the stairs leading from the second to the third floor, then said, "Please follow me!"

"Please."

Ye Qingcang said politely.

He followed behind Nong Yu.

Startled Salamander continued to maintain her golden character, believing that silence is golden, and followed Ye Qingcang. The three of them went up to the private room on the third floor.

"Oh... Brother Ye is here?"

"And Startled Salamander."

"And this one... cough cough, Miss Zi Nu, aren't you going to introduce her?"

Seeing that Ye Qingcang had arrived.

Han Fei immediately raised his wine cup in a gesture.

He was remarkably outgoing and friendly.

However, the four people in the room were no longer Ye Qingcang from the previous night.

If Nong Yu is included, then there are seven people.

Not counting Nong Yu, there are six people.

The two extra people are Zi Nu, the mistress of the Zilan Pavilion.

And, a handsome, aloof-looking man with short white hair, dressed in a black and gold martial arts outfit, holding a uniquely shaped longsword, standing with his arms crossed in front of the window, seemingly posing, with a cold and stern expression.

He looks about the same age as Han Fei.

At this moment, my gaze shifts back.

He met Ye Qingcang's gaze.

She also met the gaze of Startled Salamander Ni behind Ye Qingcang.

"Ninth Young Master has good taste."

Let me introduce myself.

"This is my most trusted younger sister."

Her name is Nong Yu.

"Highly skilled in playing the piano, but not good with words."

"Don't you dare bully her, or I'll help her get punished!"

Zi Nu made a harmless joke.

Then, he gestured to Han Fei with his eyes.

Han Fei understood and put down his wine cup.

I'm planning to start by introducing the people on my side.

However, the white-haired young man standing by the window beat him to it.

The topic was succinctly killed off in just two sentences.

"Wei Zhuang".

"Disciple of the Ghost Valley School".

Without any unnecessary details, he quickly won Ye Qingcang's favor, although for Wei Zhuang, this was just a basic operation.

Because compared to these unimportant little things.

He was more concerned about something else.

"Is it really alright to send this Heaven Ranked Assassin from the Net here?"

The sharp words made Zi Nu frown slightly.

She glanced at Ye Qingcang with concern.

She knew Wei Zhuang's personality.

I can accept Wei Zhuang's speaking style.

This does not mean that Ye Qingcang and Startled Salamander can accept Wei Zhuang's speaking style.

If Ye Qingcang and Startled Salamander take Wei Zhuang's words as a question, even if they reconcile later, their first meeting will inevitably be less than perfect.

It's often said that first impressions are very important.

Should she try to smooth things over?

As far as she knew, Ye Qingcang was no pushover either.

Not the kind of person who is easygoing and amiable.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have gone so far as to use their ultimate move so close to his face the night before last.

Negotiate directly with her and ask for cooperation.

No, what kind of partnership is like yours?

There wasn't even any setup?

They just laid their cards on the table right away?

So, besides sincerity, there are no other tricks?

However, in fact, Zi Nu's worries were completely unnecessary, because Ye Qingcang quite appreciated Wei Zhuang's speaking style.

She smiled and countered, "Would her identity affect her presence here?"

The room fell silent for a moment.

Until Wei Zhuang spoke.

The tense atmosphere finally dissipated.

"Of course it doesn't matter," Wei Zhuang replied truthfully. "It's just out of curiosity!"