Old Friends

Ye An and Lin Wanyue set off from Cangwu Prefectural City, dressed in ordinary clothes and not drawing attention.

Once outside the city gates, Lin Wanyue's gaze fell on the cloth-wrapped sword Ye An was carrying. "You practice swordsmanship too? Are you planning to go to the White Tiger Hall after Qi Condensation? Or have you already joined?"

In response to his partner's question, Ye An replied, "It's already in."

Lin Wanyue glanced at him. "Not bad. After I reach the Qi Condensation, I'll have to experience the White Tiger Hall's sword techniques properly."

Ye An didn't hide anything. "Then you might be disappointed, I joined the Black Tortoise Hall."

Lin Wanyue turned around and glanced at him, a hint of surprise in her eyes. "Black Tortoise Hall?"

She smiled, as if she wanted to say something but then didn't.

After a while, he said, "That's fine Four Halls Cultivation Method are equal, so there's still room for improvement."

When the two arrived in Yongning County City, they didn't rush to Falling Stone Village. Instead, they planned to gather some information in the city first.

Yongning County City is a small town with only one main street, and shops are scattered on both sides.

Lin Wanyue sat down at a noodle stall at the street corner and ordered two bowls of noodles, listening to the chatter of the people at the next table as she ate.

Then Ye An noticed a group of about ten people walking along the street towards the city outskirts. They were all carrying bamboo baskets with burlap sacks covering the openings, so he couldn't see what was inside.

The more Ye An looked at one of the figures, the more familiar he became. It turned out to be his childhood playmate, Stone, who had once borrowed money from him!

Stone was wearing a drab gray short jacket with an old cloth draped over his shoulder. He followed at the back of the group, head down, not interacting with anyone around him, just quietly going unnoticed.

Lin Wanyue followed Ye An's gaze and lowered her voice, "What's wrong? Is something the problem?"

Ye An looked away, but was still thinking, "It's nothing. I thought I saw someone I knew, but I must have mistaken them."

Lin Wanyue stared at Ye An's honest face and felt that Ye An was the kind of person who wouldn't lie, so she felt that this teammate seemed a bit unreliable.

Lin Wanyue didn't press further. She took out a small porcelain bottle from her bosom, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards them. "Qi-Concealing Pill. After taking it, it can suppress the fluctuations of one's own Qi and Blood and True Essence for about an hour. Take it before entering the village, so you won't be so easily detected."

"Let's split up and gather information first, then we'll meet up again."

After Ye An received the pills, Lin Wanyue had already left.

Ye An and the others only walked over when they stopped to rest on the side of the street.

The Stone crouched by the wall by the roadside, unnoticed by anyone.

Ye An walked over and squatted down next to him, pretending to be taking a break as well.

Not long after, Stone looked up and recognized Ye An: "Brother An."

Ye An didn't turn around to look at him. "What are you doing here?"

Anping County is so far from Yongning County, why would Stone travel such a long distance? There must be a reason.

Stone Tou glanced down at the meager amount of dry rations he had left. "I used to work for Boss Huang in Anping County. This time he came here, so I came along to help move goods. He said the pay was higher this time, so I joined."

Stone glanced at Ye An, but didn't dare to look closely. Back when Ye An was still in Anping County, he was already the only martial artist among their group of friends, putting them on a completely different level.

Later, I heard that Ye An went to Cangwu Prefecture and joined the Four Symbols Sect. Now, I suddenly run into him here, and the clothes he's wearing are almost identical to mine.

Stone wasn't stupid, so he didn't ask any more questions.

Ye An glanced at the bamboo basket beside him. "What kind of Stone?"

Stone shook his head. "I don't know. The color is dark, and some have red marks on them, like dried blood left behind. We porters don't dare ask so many questions..."

Ye An remembered that Stone had borrowed money to pay for his father's medical treatment, so he asked, "Where is Uncle Shi?"

Stone didn't reply immediately. He lowered his head, crushed a piece of the dry rations in his hand, and his voice seemed to be squeezed out from his throat, forcing a smile, "He's gone. It's been almost a year."

"Sorry, Stone."

Stone waved his hand, pretending not to care.

Where is Boss Huang's shipment going?

"Falling Stone Village".

Ye An stood up without asking any more questions; he already knew what was going on.

"If you need any help in the future, write a letter to the Four Symbols Sect."

Stone Tou nodded and replied, "Brother An, take care."

Ye An didn't turn around. Shi Stone fingers crushing the remaining crumbs of dry food in his hand.

He almost blurted out what was on his mind, but he swallowed the words back.

This is his own business; it has nothing to do with Ye An.

He traveled a long way to Yongning County, but what he was looking for was never wages.

He didn't want to involve Ye An, nor did he want anyone to know what he was thinking before he finished.

Stone brushed the debris off his hands, touched the stone knife he had been carrying on his person for who knows how long, and finally calmed down.

Ye An found Lin Wanyue on the street corner.

"I just saw a group of people resting, and I went over to inquire. The goods they were carrying were destined for Falling Stone Village, and there were dried bloodstains on the surface of the Stone. I suspect something is wrong."

Lin Wanyue didn't reply immediately after hearing this, but instead pondered the information in the sentence: "Then let's go and see what's going on, and make a decision after confirming the situation."

Ye An and Lin Wanyue didn't say anything more and followed the direction the group of people had gone.

The two maintained a distance of about a hundred paces, not getting too close.

After leaving Yongning County City, the group headed southwest along a dirt road at a moderate pace, clearly very familiar with the route.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the group stopped at the entrance of a valley, put their baskets on the ground, and did not enter the village.

A new batch of empty baskets was quickly handed to Stone and the others; there was no extra communication throughout the process.

One of the team leaders did nothing; he didn't participate in the moving, he just stood by and watched.

After the empty baskets were distributed, he followed the group back the way they came.

Ye An and his companion crouched behind the bushes on the low slope.

"What do you mean?" Seeing this, Lin Wanyue wanted to hear what Ye An thought first.

Ye An's gaze remained fixed on the leader. "Follow him, this man is suspicious."

Lin Wanyue agreed, "I think so too."

Without saying anything more, the two followed along the shadows at the edge of the dirt road.

The leader didn't turn back or stop, and continued walking south.

After walking for a short while, we stopped in front of a secluded courtyard, pushed open the gate, and went inside.

Ye An and Lin Wanyue did not approach, but found a secluded spot outside the courtyard and squatted down.

The courtyard was small, surrounded by a low earthen wall. Faint voices could be heard coming from inside, but the content was unclear.

The sky darkened from gloomy to pitch black, the moon was obscured by clouds, and suddenly the lights inside went out.

Immediately afterward, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and two figures emerged one after the other. They paused for a moment at the entrance, and then dashed off in opposite directions.

Seeing this, Lin Wanyue did not hesitate, whispered "One for each of you," and got up to chase after the one on the left.

Ye An didn't say anything and chased after the other person on the right.