"The Land of Exiles is someone else's turf, after all. Back in Night Spirit City, I could still get information through the Dawn Blade, and the Captain and the others could help..."
"Here, I'm on my own."
"The other party has clearly lived here for years and knows the terrain and rules inside out. That puts me at a disadvantage. I'd be better off dragging the Heart of the Order Keeper into this and letting them investigate."
Xu Ye settled on a plan.
"Anyone who plays dirty has a rotten heart," the Bandit Lord scoffed.
Xu Ye smiled. "Bandit Lord, aren't you my heart?"
The Bandit Lord fell silent.
Xu Ye waited beside the street until the sky began to brighten. Only then did he see a haggard middle-aged man in a plaid shirt shuffling back with an urn in his arms.
After a few steps, the man seemed to lose his balance and bumped into Zhang Qing, whom Xu Ye was controlling, nearly falling over.
"Sorry."
With his head bowed, the man clutched the urn tightly and apologized without looking up. He sank onto the steps by the road, leaning against a fire hydrant. Hoarse sobs rose from his throat, as though someone had torn his windpipe open.
He could barely catch his breath.
"Sir, what's wrong?" Xu Ye put on his gentleman's hat to make himself look like someone of standing, then approached and offered him a tissue with a show of concern.
The man was Zhou Meifang's husband, Li Wan.
"Thank you." Li Wan choked back a sob, but he seemed wary of this unfamiliar young man and was unwilling to say more.
That was common in the Lower Three Districts of the Land of Exiles.
The man even had a pistol at his waist. He deliberately