Ding Liu suddenly realized: "Li Jin'ao?" Chang Dong stood up, walked briskly to the courtyard, and the others followed him. Li Jin'ao was being held by two Yulin guards, his arms pinned, flushed and agitated, his neck and throat reddening with urgency. The guard behind him was holding one chicken in each hand, upside down. Zhen Sihai was more lively than usual, while Zhen Shanhe still maintained his "I just want to be quiet" demeanor. Li Jin'ao twisted his neck and caught sight of Chang Dong: "Oh, uh, Gao Dong, could you please help me say a few words? Why did you just grab me the moment I arrived?" He had always heard people call Chang Dong "Dongge," but didn't know his given name, and often confused him with Gao Shen. So he simply called him "Gao Dong" upon opening his mouth. Chang Dong felt both exasperated and amused. He paused and said to Zhao Guanshou: "This man's suspicion isn't that strong. If you're still uneasy, we can just assign someone to watch him outside the courtyard." Ding Liu hesitated slightly: "But Dongge, really, this "Chang Dong said, 'Don't forget—besides that first time at Honghuashu night club when we happened to meet by chance, the other two times, we were the ones who waited for him to pick us up.' 'What about the chickens?' Ding Liu was anxious, questioning everything as she went along. 'Zhen Shanhe either fainted from fright or from the smoke. In Xiao Yangzhou, they indirectly saved us—otherwise, we would have been taken down by Qi Jiang's herbs long before now. Zhen Sihai is always tied up like a dumpling, only once freed, and then he chased Li Jin'ao for several miles. What qualities of theirs do you see that make you think they could serve as inside sources?' After speaking, he turned to Zhao Guanshou and said, 'I can vouch for him.' Zhao Guanshou frowned, as if he found Chang Dong overly involved, but after a pause, he still gave him the benefit of the doubt and waved his hand, instructing someone to untie Li Jin'ao. After Zhao Guanshou and his party had departed, Li Jin'ao expressed his deep gratitude to Chang Dong: 'Thank you so much — The affairs of Fei Tang have left everyone preoccupied. After taking a shower, Ye Liuxi returned to her room and lay down, but couldn’t fall asleep. Suddenly, she remembered when, at Bailongdui, Fei Tang had come to her with a humble demeanor, seeking her help. — "West Sister, could you please help me? I don’t want to die." The envelope was addressed to "To Ye Liuxi." Was Fei Tang, then, a fish caught in the ripple of this disturbance? Suddenly, there was a sound at the door. Ye Liuxi snapped awake, threw back the blanket, even forgot to put on her shoes, and rushed over. When the door opened, she was gasping for breath. Chang Dong looked at her. Ye Liuxi explained, "I didn’t mean to lock the door—I simply forgot." Chang Dong’s gaze settled on her legs. "Did you sleep without your pants on?" She was wearing only a shirt—the same plaid one she'd first worn when they first met on the Hui Min Street—its hem slightly long, reaching just to the edge of her thighs. Her legs were exceptionally well-proportioned: leg beauty wasn't just about length, but about the harmony between upper and lower leg, the firmness and evenness of muscle, and the shape of her knees and ankles. She excelled in all these aspects—and she had the added advantage of being long. Chang Dong felt his luck was quite good. Ye Liuxi sighed, "What are you talking about? I'm wearing underwear!" She had almost lifted it to demonstrate. Chang Dong asked, "Don't you wear pajamas to bed?" "Isn't it enough for the poor to just have a blanket? Do I really need to buy a full set of pajamas just for sleeping?" That was her style. They fell silent. After a while, Ye Liuxi said, "You came to see me?" Chang Dong replied, "Not really anything special—just wanted to let you know to get some rest." Ah, now it made sense. Fei Tang's fate remained uncertain. If he Ye Liuxi nodded, "Then so are you." She closed the door, but as she did, Chang Dong reached out to brace it—eventually deciding against it. He didn't want to risk losing control once he stepped inside. The guards at the entrance must have thought it a hazardous item—they didn’t dare move it lightly. Only later, when they heard the sound of knocking inside, did they approach cautiously and with heightened alertness to pry open the lid. Inside, there stood Ahuo himself. Ye Liuxi asked, “Where’s Fei Tang? He wasn’t inside, was he?” Ding Liu nearly wanted to deliver all her thoughts at once: “No—he only had room for one person. Ahuo wasn’t dead; he’s still knocking on the barrel from inside! Then he was taken away. When I went out, I heard many Yulin guards discussing this incident. They said Xie Yan had been particularly assertive, openly confronting them—definitely at Jiang Zhan’s initiative. Without his approval, none of the subordinates would have dared act so boldly.” Li Jinao, listening by the side, stared wide-eyed, repeatedly murmuring, “Jiang Zhan? Oh no, oh no. Isn’t Ahuo the young lady who used to deliver meals to us? Oh no, oh no…” Ye Liuxi grew impatient with his repeated exclamations: “What’s so bad?” Li Jinao said Jiang Zhan resents the Yulin Guard most of all. Whenever the Yulin Guard falls into his hands, they either die or are left with serious injuries—so let me tell you: under his control, ordinary civilians and scholars often escape unscathed, but the Yulin Guard never do. Anyone who passes through the Yulin Guard’s grasp is certain to come out with wounds. Ding Liu was puzzled: "Why? Did the Yulin Guard dig up his ancestral tomb?" Li Jin'ao didn't know either, though he suspected it was all coming to a head. As they were speaking, a sudden commotion came from outside. Looking up, they saw Zhao Guanshou at the head of the group, his face grim, followed by several Mengqin Guards. At the heart of the Mengqin Guards, protected by them, was Ahu. She had clearly been freshly groomed—her hair neatly coiffed, wearing a crisp black uniform, with a delicate white dove feather pinned to her shoulder. Yet both her eyes were swollen from crying, still weeping steadily, and her neck bore the marks of being choked. Zhao Guanshou approached Ye Liuxi and hesitated: "It's this—this morning, the gates of Yulin City just opened..." Ye Liuxi interrupted: "We already know. Wasn't Ahu placed inside a barrel of wine? You've been asking her for so long—what have you learned?" Zhao Guanshou replied: "I didn't learn much. Ahu's tongue was cut." Ye Liuxi felt her scalp tighten, as though something had exploded behind her ears, crackling and snapping. She hoped she had misheard, but seeing Zhao Guanshou's expression and Ahu's condition, she knew it wasn't staged. Her chest grew heavy with pressure. She asked, "Then what did you bring her here for?" Zhao Guanshou looked a bit helpless: "Let's go inside and sit down." — Once inside, the door closed, they gathered around the table. Ding Liu felt deeply uneasy, offering a tissue to Ahu, but Ahu didn't take it. She withdrew her hand, and after a while, her eyes glistened, and she reached for one herself. Ahé was only a few years older than her, so young and graceful. Just two days ago, she had lingered, delighted to watch Ahé and Fei Tang argue, imagining they might become a pair of mutual adversaries—she even speculated that if Fei Tang truly fell for Ahé, the household would surely be in turmoil. How could things have turned out this way? Ding Liu dabbed her eyes with a tissue. Zhao Guanshou cleared his throat and said loudly, "Ye Liuxi is right here. Now, what would you like to say?" Ahé, still wiping away her tears, suddenly spoke, her voice identical to Zhao Guanshou's: "Ye Liuxi is right here. Now, what would you like to say?" Ye Liuxi was caught off guard, his heart leaping as he fixed his gaze on Zhao Guanshou, asking, "What's going on?" Zhao Guanshou lowered his voice: "The scorpion's eye is a spirit phenomenon—this is 'substitution of speech,' similar to the water eye. Jiang Zhan can communicate with you through it. I couldn't learn anything about Fei Tang because Jiang Zhan specifically mentioned he would only speak to you." A while later, Ahuo spoke again. Her eyes were glazed over, yet she kept emitting voices—voices that were clearly male. The scene was deeply unsettling. "Jiang Zhan laughed loudly: 'Black Stone City—I will take it myself. Zhao Guanshou's head—I will chop it myself. These two points, I won't let anyone else do them for me...'" Chang Dong noticed Zhao Guanshou. When Jiang Zhan said it, or when Ah He repeated it, Zhao Guanshou's hand, resting on the table, unconsciously clenched, his fingers turning pale, his brows lowering, his eyes slightly narrowed, and one side of his mouth naturally lifting. A clear display of anger, disgust, and contempt. The rivalry between the Yulin Guards and Xie Yan truly existed. Jiang Zhan continued: "I heard you have a jade pendant shaped like a beast's head?" Ye Liuxi understood immediately: "You want to trade the wealthy Tang for that beast-head jade?" Jiang Zhan said: "I understand if you're unwilling to trade—it's such a precious item after all..." Ye Liuxi interrupted: "Then you simply don't know me. That thing? I've never taken it seriously." "She's telling the truth: outside the pass, the jade stag is a vital clue she's used to reclaim her past—it won't be sold; inside the pass, it's an ill omen coveted by the rebels—it can't be sold. Once she's unable to part with it, it's just an object. She's simply tucked it into her bag, then later tossed it onto the Changdong truck, never bothering to open it up. Her casual attitude has only deepened Jiang Zhan's suspicion: 'Is the jade stag in your hands perhaps a fake?' Ye Liuxi sneered, 'That's dull of you. Don't you think I'm suspicious of your well-fed Tang being a fake? Your hesitation, your constant second-guessing—don't you think you'll ever accomplish anything significant?' Jiang Zhan paused, momentarily at a loss, then asked, 'How do we exchange?' Ye Liux西 replied, 'This should have been arranged by you and notified to me, right? But first, let me make clear: it's a full exchange—complete, whole. The Tang must be undamaged, no missing limbs, no hidden, slow-acting poison. Otherwise, I can't guarantee that the jade stag you receive "Jiang Zhan paused silently: "Do you not value this jade with the beast's head at all?" "Since I've decided to give it to you, it's yours now. Do I really have to hold onto it with special care just because I'm full?" Jiang Zhan actually smiled. "Very well. You keep that woman. Let me know how you plan to exchange for it. But next time, I won't have an old dog sitting by listening to the whole thing." Zhao Guanshou's face turned stern, and he said nothing. Ye Liuxi glanced at him. "Mr. Zhao, as for that young woman—Hé—well, I'll be keeping her for now." She then gestured to Ding Liu. "Liu, take Hé back to her room. You needn't worry about anything else—just stay with her and take good care of her." She was afraid Hé might lose her resolve. Ding Liu had sensed this. She approached Hé, helped her up, and spoke softly: "Come with me." Her tone was gentle, like that of a young sister. Zhao Guanshou watched Ding Liu and Hé go back to their room You know the origin of the jade stag amulet—it's certain that Jiang Zhan will never obtain it. Ye Liuxi glanced at him. "As for how to use my own belongings, isn't that entirely up to me?" Zhao Guanshou was momentarily stumped. In silence, Chang Dong smiled gently. "Mr. Zhao, you arranged for Liuxi's return, sent people to monitor him in the remote village, made a grand reception, and even hired someone to interpret his 'unwritten celestial decree'—in short, what's your real intention? If you keep it all hidden, it begins to seem deliberately strategic." Zhao Guanshou pressed his lips tightly and remained silent for a while before speaking. "The southern constellation shattered the jade gate—yet clearly, Ye Liuxi is the rightful owner of the jade stag amulet. So why has Jiang Zhan suddenly emerged, gaining strength so swiftly?" "Between two evils, the lesser one is chosen. The Jiang Zhan and the Yulin Guard have long been at odds—our hope is that Lady Liuxi will kill Jiang Zhan and take over the Xieyan Corps. This would be mutually beneficial: first, Xieyan would cease to be a source of unrest, and second, we could later integrate the Xieyan Corps into the Yulin Guard, thus eliminating a potential threat without any visible upheaval. What do you think, Lady Liuxi?" "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Scorpion Eye seeks to deal with you, while the Feathers of the Forest stands by you. Thus, we are friends—mutually beneficial—what could be better?"