127 Seems like an old friend

◎She just doesn't believe that the truth can be hidden◎

Dusk was falling, a last glimmer of orange-red sunset glow lingering on the horizon, casting a dark silhouette against the towering eaves and corners of the capital. Lanterns were already lighting up the shops lining the streets, their warm yellow glow spreading against the deepening blue-purple sky.

Song Jinyi was walking towards Mingyue Inn.

This morning, Ah Qi sent someone to deliver a letter, saying that he had something to tell her and asked her to meet him at 11:00 PM.

Thinking about the two previous misunderstandings, Song Jinyi didn't want to go, but this matter was on her mind. She tossed and turned several times all night. Looking at the dim moonlight, she thought it would be better to take this opportunity to make things clear.

Going from Juxing Tower to Mingyue Inn, she had to pass by Zhaixing Tower. She glanced at the long queue of people and continued walking. When she passed by a deep alley, she heard low conversations and rustling noises from the entrance of the alley.

She looked over and saw only a lantern hanging at the entrance of the alley. It was dim and could only barely illuminate a figure. She didn't think too much about it and was about to leave when she heard Huang Yan's voice.

"Be careful, don't break anything."

Song Jinyi took another look, then turned back to look at Zhaixing Tower, which was only a few dozen steps away. She immediately became suspicious. Something? What? If it was a legitimate ingredient, why wasn't it displayed openly near Zhaixing Tower?

She wanted to see what it was, so she bent down, quietly hid in the shadow of a pile of debris deep in the alley, and looked out.

Besides Huang Yan, there were three or four other servants, talking quietly with a man in foreign clothing. At the feet of the foreign man were three heavy-looking sacks.

From this distance, she couldn't hear what the people inside were saying. She only saw Huang Yan handing a bag of silver to the foreigner and asking someone to carry the sack. The sack was obviously heavy, and the man's movements seemed a bit laborious.

After a few more whispers, they went deeper into the alley together and disappeared for a long time.

Seeing that they had been gone for a long time and had not returned, Song Jinyi confirmed that they had gone far away before quickly walking to the place where they had just traded.

The candlelight was dim, and the dim yellow light seemed to be trapped by the darkness. She looked around and for a moment, nothing seemed suspicious. Just as she was about to leave, she heard a slight "click".

She squatted down and found a few extremely tiny, dark brown seeds in the dust between the bluestone slabs.

Pick it up and bring it to your nose and smell it carefully. It has a very unique smell, sweet with a slightly bitter taste.

Sure enough, it was this thing that Zhaixing Tower used to make everyone addicted.

She suddenly looked up, gazing towards the alleyway where Huang Yan and his group had disappeared. The alley was deep and dark, and no one knew where the place ahead lay.

If we follow them, we will definitely find more clues, but what about Ah Qi?

She hesitated for a moment, then stood up and walked into the alley.

Don’t miss this opportunity!

Song Jinyi walked slowly along the cold and damp wall. After about a quarter of an hour, she saw a little light in the distance. When she got closer, she found that it was the back door of a house with two lanterns hanging on the door.

Huang Yan and his three assistants were waiting at the door. After a while, a man came out and said something to them.

Huang Yan called the other three people and carried the sacks into the door. The last guy carrying the sack stumbled, and the heavy sack hit the protruding stone bricks in the corner of the wall with a "bang"!

Huang Yan immediately turned around and said, "Idiot! Be careful!" His frightened and angry growl was particularly clear in the silent alley.

His sudden shout made Song Jinyi, who was hiding in the dark, sway involuntarily. She immediately wanted to find a place to hide, but unfortunately the alley was clean and there was nothing to hide.

"Who?! Come out!" Huang Yan spotted her with his sharp eyes.

"Someone is following us?"

The heavy sack was dropped to the ground with a thud, and they said, "Catch her! Don't let her get away!"

Song Jinyi turned around and ran in the direction she came from! Behind her was the sound of hurried and heavy footsteps.

"Stop!" A guy caught up with her in a few steps at a very fast speed. Seeing that she didn't stop, he kicked her leg. She lost her balance and rolled forward several times.

Her palms were scratched by the rough ground, leaving bleeding marks, and she sat in front of them in a mess.

"It's Shopkeeper Song. Why are you coming to our place instead of staying in your Juxing Tower?" Huang Yan recognized her.

"I just want to learn from a teacher. There's no need to make such a big fuss." Song Jinyi said with a dry smile.

"It's a good thing to be studious, but Madam Song isn't here just to learn from a teacher, right?" Huang Yan stared at her intently. "Since you've discovered everything, there's no way I'm going to let you get out alive."

Huang Yan waved his hand, signaling the waiter to arrest Song Jinyi.

In a flash, a shadow passed by, and with a "clang!", the sound of iron clashing suddenly exploded in front of Song Jinyi.

She opened her eyes wide in astonishment, staring at the man standing in front of her - a tall and straight figure like a pine tree, dressed in dark tights. In his hand was a scimitar, the blade was as sharp as snow, and it shone with a cold light in the moonlight.

The golden hair fluttered slightly in the night breeze, emitting light in the darkness.

——Aqi!

Then she looked at the two people who were trying to catch her. They flew out and fell to the ground, groaning.

Huang Yan's face suddenly changed when he saw another person suddenly rushing out, and he called on everyone else to come forward together.

Ah Qi took Song Jinyi's arm and lifted her up. Without a word, he said, "Run!"

After an unknown amount of time, Song Jinyi was exhausted, and Huang Yan and the others were right behind her, chasing her relentlessly.

Ah Qi turned his head to take a look, then pulled her into a nearby alley. They made many turns and used the complex terrain and shadows to temporarily shake off Huang Yan behind them.

After finding a corner where the wood was placed and making sure it was temporarily safe, she sat on the ground, breathing heavily. Ah Qi let go of her hand and listened carefully to the movement outside.

Moonlight filtered through the cracks in the wood, casting mottled shadows on his sharply defined profile, making it appear even more profound and stern. He said, "They'll be chasing us soon. You hide here first. I'll lead them away."

Just as he was about to leave, he felt a weight on his sleeve. He lowered his head and saw Song Jinyi grabbing his sleeve and shouting loudly, "Thank you for being safe!"

Ah Qi's body stiffened slightly, but he didn't say anything.

Song Jinyi's breathing was still unstable, and she stared at his face seriously. When she saw him trying to turn his head to avoid her sight, she immediately reached out to hold his face, and bursts of white air exhaled rapidly hit his face.

"If you weren't my old friend, if you weren't Xie Wuyang—

"Why did you save me? I don't believe a random Western merchant could have such deep affection for me."

In the darkness, her face could not be seen clearly, but he could feel her eyes staring at him intently. Ah Qi put away the nonchalant smile on his face.

The deep alley was so quiet for a moment that only the breathing of the two people could be heard.

After a moment, a heavy sigh was heard, which was particularly clear in this dark alley. Ah Qi opened his lips slightly as if in compromise, but before he could speak, he heard the faint sound of voices and footsteps coming from deep in the alley.

"Now's not the time to talk about this!" Ah Qi stood up and looked around. "I'll go distract them later. You act according to the situation and find a way back to the restaurant."

"Wait!" Song Jinyi refused to let go and locked him stubbornly, "Tell me! Who are you?!"

His Adam's apple rolled, and he finally chose to compromise. "What do you want to ask..." He turned his back to her, his voice suppressed to the extreme, with a barely noticeable hoarseness, "I'll tell you everything tomorrow!"

"Okay, I'll wait for you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure shot out like an arrow from a bow, running towards the other end of the alley. In an instant, he disappeared at the end of the darkness without looking back, leaving only the faint sound of his clothes being ripped by the wind.

*****

Song Jinyi stayed in the alley for a few breaths. Only the dim moonlight leaked into the alley, casting silver-like spots on the bluestone slabs. It was so quiet that she could hear her own heartbeat.

She waited for a long time, but there was no movement outside, so she bent down and went to the theater instead of going home.

The bustling crowd in the theater made her look like she had returned from another dark, damp, and terrifying world.

She passed through the crowd, went backstage, found Huo Changqing, and asked someone to call Zhang Yao over and told her about the matter.

Huo Changqing frowned: "Then we have to report it to the authorities immediately! Let the authorities send people to chase them, and transfer more people to guard them——"

"It's too late—" Song Jinyi interrupted him, "A Qi is still being hunted. If we go to the government, report the case and explain the situation, the time it takes to go back and forth... Moreover, these people dare to steal and use banned items in the imperial city. They have the Pei family behind them. As long as we report to the government, they will definitely get the news—"

She paused at this point, then suddenly realized, "--Maybe they're moving right now! Without further ado, give me three people right now!"

It only takes the time of a stick of incense.

Suddenly, a little orange light appeared in the depths of the alley not far from the Zhaixing Tower. Then, the light suddenly exploded - with a muffled "bang", the flames instantly licked the eaves of the house, and thick smoke rose into the sky like a black dragon.

The wind seemed to be ignited, blowing towards me with scorching air waves.

First there was the pungent smell of oil smoke mixed with the burnt smell of burning wood, and soon a strange sweet and greasy smell spread along with the thick smoke.

The smell was very light, but it had an indescribable weirdness, like the decayed fragrance of a flower that had bloomed to its fullest, and also had the bitterness of burning grass and wood.

Song Jinyi's nose twitched slightly, and she immediately asked the waiter to cover her nose with cotton cloth.

Once the smell got out, she didn't believe that the truth could be hidden.

The flames grew brighter and brighter, already illuminating half the night sky. Sparks drifted all over the sky with the thick smoke, like a scorching rain.

Song Jinyi returned to the theater with his servants.

The group of people who were chasing Ah Qi would definitely turn back after seeing the fire. At that time, Ah Qi - maybe you could call him Xie Wuyang - would definitely keep his promise and come back.

The fire continued to burn until the second half of the night, until the sky turned pale. Song Jinyi waited for the flames that shot up into the sky to gradually weaken, but Xie Wuyang never showed up.

The theater closed, and she walked slowly back to her courtyard, exhausted.

She waited for a long time, and thought a lot. Perhaps Xie Wuyang was being harassed by Huang Yan's men? Perhaps he was hiding somewhere? Or perhaps he was waiting for the restaurant to open before looking for her?

When the sky turned crab-shell blue, she finally couldn't hold on any longer and hunched over the desk. After an unknown amount of time, the sparrows under the eaves woke her up. She looked outside - it was clearly noon!

"Ah He, Ah Yao." She hurriedly straightened her clothes and rushed out of the room, her hair half loose. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

Two people were huddled together in the yard, whispering, and were startled by the sound.

Li He still had half a Hu pancake in his hand. Thinking she was anxious to know what had happened at Zhaixing Tower, he replied, "Master, you didn't see it! There's been a commotion at Zhaixing Tower since midnight. They say they're surrounded by soldiers!"

Zhang Yao continued, "This morning, Jingzhao Prefecture posted a notice stating that Zhaixing Lou was using banned substances and ordered it to close. The managers were all arrested and questioned..."

Song Jinyi responded softly and asked, "Did anyone come to deliver a note this morning? Or leave a message?"

The two shook their heads in confusion.

Song Jinyi calmed herself down, re-combed her hair, and went to Mingyue Inn.

When we arrived at the inn, we found out that Suiyun's caravan had left overnight after some unknown incident.