Night raid on the military camp

Hearing Chen Chen mention his countless romantic entanglements, Tang Feng curled his lip, inwardly cursing Chen Chen as a lecherous old man. However, he had to maintain a respectable facade; after all, Chen Chen had saved his life, and Tang Feng himself was still trying to figure out the situation. He could only smile and say, "Well... Mr. Chen, may I ask... what's wrong with me...?" Chen Chen grabbed Tang Feng's wrist, startling him. Tang Feng tried to back away, but Chen Chen pulled him back. "Why are you dodging? Do you think I'd eat you?" Tang Feng awkwardly opened Chen Chen's hand, smiling slightly embarrassedly. "I... I have... um... someone I like..." Chen Chen was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter. "You little brat, I'm not into men. Would I steal you away? I'm here to take your pulse." He pulled Tang Feng's wrist close and examined it carefully. "Hmm... your pulse is still a little weak. A little medicine will help." Tang Feng awkwardly withdrew his hand. Looking at Chen Chen, the girl who had been hiding behind him glanced at him and said, "Excuse me... um." "Young master, don't be afraid. My husband is just like that, shameless old man. He traveled the world to gather intelligence, visiting Xiling, and met you at the mass grave. He brought you back because you're handsome. My husband is bisexual..." Tang Feng smiled and said it was alright, but inwardly he cursed Chen Chen. Hearing the girl call Chen Chen "husband," he was stunned. "Miss... what... what did you call... old man?" The girl smiled. "He's my husband." Tang Feng looked at the graceful girl before him, wondering if she was even of marriageable age. Looking at Chen Chen beside her, he could easily call him "grandpa," yet she called him "husband." Tang Feng couldn't help but curse the old lecher again. He wanted to ask how he got there, but Chen Chen cut him off before he could speak. "Old man..."

"I know what you're going to ask, it's nothing more than why you're here, right? Did you think you were dead?"

Tang Feng naturally knew that after he and that 'Tang Feng' swapped identities, that 'Tang Feng' would provide this body with breathing and support its circulation, preventing it from decaying and dying. However... "How did you manage to wake up unharmed after three years without eating or drinking?" Chen Chen smiled, stroking his goatee, his eyes narrowing. "When I found you wrapped in a straw mat at the mass grave, you were weak but still breathing. However, I checked your pulse; your heart rate was much slower than normal. And your body, despite being so ill, hadn't died. So I suspect your body couldn't handle the strain and was forced into hibernation... But there's something I don't understand: what illness did you have? It seems your symptoms disappeared after you woke up." Tang Feng was speechless, and after a moment's thought, he could only say, "I had a serious illness when I was young, and my body has always been weak. Doctors all said it was a cough, which got worse and worse... But it's alright; I guess Mr. Chen's miraculous healing powers cured my cough." Chen Chen clearly didn't believe Tang Feng's perfunctory explanation, but he didn't press further, only saying, "Stay here. I want to study your body carefully." Tang Feng was stunned. He immediately declined, saying, "Sir, I have important matters to attend to and cannot stay in Ningluo. I hope you will be lenient and let me leave." Upon hearing this, Chen Chen's face darkened, and he slowly stood up, looking at Tang Feng. "No way! I saved your life, and you not only fail to repay a small favor, but you also want to just leave?" Hearing Chen Chen's words, Tang Feng was worried that he wouldn't let him leave, so he quickly said, "Old sir, I am not an ungrateful person, but I have family matters to attend to and cannot afford to delay. If you trust me, I am willing to come back and give you a thank-you gift. I hope I will not trouble you then." However, Chen Chen was not satisfied with Tang Feng's answer. After thinking for a long time, he said, "No, does this place look like a place lacking money? Regardless of your past, you must stay and let me study you carefully." Tang Feng seemed to think that Chen Chen was being too unreasonable, but he was at a disadvantage and could not easily lash out. He could only calm down and tentatively ask, "Besides this... is there no other choice?"

"Of course not, it's because I saved you."

Tang Feng thought for a moment, then said, "I never said I was begging you to save me... You saved me, so I don't feel obligated to thank you, especially not materially." Hearing Tang Feng's words, Chen Chen became somewhat displeased. "No way! No way! I went through so much trouble to carry you back, and now you're going to run away? What about all the medicinal herbs I've invested in over the past three years?" After a few probing questions, Tang Feng gradually realized that Chen Chen was a research fanatic who didn't care about others' feelings. Playing the emotional card wouldn't work, so he had to take a different approach. Tang Feng looked at Chen Chen and asked, "Besides staying, I can basically meet your requirements." Chen Chen thought for a moment, deciding not to make things difficult for Tang Feng any further, and said, "I've investigated seven thousand..." "Tens of thousands of intelligence reports, ranging from state secrets to what shoes the emperor will wear tomorrow. But lately, nothing major has happened; several countries are coexisting peacefully without war, so naturally, less information is being sold." Tang Feng looked up at the luxurious decorations, then at Chen Chen. "You're short of money?" Chen Chen twirled his fingers at Tang Feng, smiling sheepishly. "I have many shortcomings..." Tang Feng was speechless and wanted to roll his eyes, but Chen Chen pulled him aside and whispered, "I've been itching for some cash lately... I want to go out for a stroll." Tang Feng didn't take Chen Chen's words to heart, simply saying, "I'll sell you one intelligence report; will you let me go?" Chen Chen stood up, looking at Tang Feng with a hint of suspicion in his voice. "What can you give me?"

Tang Feng thought for a moment, then said, "A momentous event... I haven't told anyone, you're the first to know." Chen Chen immediately became interested and quickly sat down on the edge of Tang Feng's bed. "Tell me quickly, what is it? If it's really something big, I might let you go back." Tang Feng was a little annoyed by Chen Chen being so close, so he moved to the side, cleared his throat, and said, "The world has turned upside down, the throne has changed hands." Chen Chen's eyes lit up, and he became even more curious, snuggling closer to Tang Feng again. "Oh? The throne has changed hands? Which one?" Tang Feng pushed Chen Chen aside. "Yan Yun..." Chen Chen paused for a few seconds after hearing this. Ha laughed loudly, "Kid, don't use such despicable methods to fool me. I, Chen Chen, may be old, but I'm still sharp-eyed and quick-witted, and not stupid. Do you really think I don't know? Any country could change hands, and Yan Yun could change hands too. Who doesn't know that Li Linglan played his cards well, and that he could be outmaneuvered by someone else?" Tang Feng rolled his eyes, "Take it or leave it. If you don't want to listen, then forget it. I won't say anything more. Please, go ahead!" Seeing that Tang Feng was angry, Chen Chen could only coax him. He was afraid that if Tang Feng didn't speak, he would miss some information, so he said in a gentle tone, "Tell me, tell me. Young men these days have quite a temper."

Tang Feng, hearing Chen Chen offer him a way out, stopped being coy and said, "Li Linglan will be replaced by his son." Chen Chen pursed his lips, wanting to laugh but not daring to, and asked vaguely, "Kid, you're saying he'll be replaced by his son? Have you ever been to a private school? The change of dynasties refers to the change of the ruling class, isn't it normal for him to be replaced by his son?" Tang Feng rolled his eyes. "Are you going to listen or not? If not, forget it, I'm too lazy to explain."

"Listen, listen, listen..."

Tang Feng explained, "Being replaced by his chosen son is called inheritance; being chosen by a son he didn't choose is called a coup. In about six months... Yan Yun will be taken over by a new ruler." Chen Chen looked at Tang Feng with suspicion. "Who can be sure about what will happen in six months? What if you're lying to me? Wouldn't that be a double loss?" Although Chen Chen was interested in Tang Feng's explanation of the coup, it was still a future event. Since it wasn't known, if he let Tang Feng go, and six months later the event hadn't happened, wouldn't that be a loss? Tang Feng seemed to sense Chen Chen's concerns. "It's okay if you don't believe me, just sign and put your fingerprint on it, okay?"

"A signature? What can a little kid like you possibly pledge to me?" Seeing that Chen Chen still didn't believe him, Tang Feng said again, "A signature... a pledge... I'll pledge the Marquis of Dingbei to you." Chen Chen's eyes widened. "The Marquis of Dingbei? Are you serious?" Tang Feng thought that it wasn't the first time he had sold Zhou Ziliang, so he closed his eyes, confessed a couple of times, and nodded. "Of course. Take the paper to the Marquis of Dingbei's residence, and he'll give you whatever you want." Tang Feng seemed sincere and didn't seem to be lying. Chen Chen glanced at Tang Feng, slowly got up, and said to the girl, "Jiaojiao, go get paper and pen." Then he looked at Tang Feng. "Young master, it's not too late to back out now."

Although he felt somewhat sorry for Zhou Ziliang, he was confident in his return this time. He figured that betting on Zhou Ziliang wouldn't be a loss for him. Tang Feng nodded, picked up a pen, and signed his name. "If I don't receive the information I mentioned in about six months, I can take this to the Marquis's mansion."

Holding the signed guarantee letter, Chen Chen felt much more at ease. He then looked Tang Feng up and down. "Ningluo may be small, but it won't be easy for you to get back to Yanyun." Tang Feng thought for a moment and then asked, "Is this place very close to the northern border?" Chen Chen nodded. "If you follow the mountain road northwest, you can get there in a day and a night on horseback. If you don't know the way, you can ask a caravan. There are many caravans heading to Yanyun from the northern border, so you don't need to worry about getting lost." Then, fearing that Tang Feng might not believe him, Chen Chen asked the girl to lend Tang Feng the horse. "This horse has been with me for many years. It knows the northern border. Let it take you there, and when you get there, just let it come back."

The next morning, Tang Feng left Ningluo, following the route Chen Chen had given him, heading northwest. He encountered many caravans along the way, and thought of his business in Shanghan, wondering how those who had helped him at his shops were doing… Walking through the desert, the dry, hot wind mixed with sand stung his face, making Tang Feng nostalgic for the days he spent passing through the northern border on his way back from Shanghan. Now, everything had changed, and his state of mind was vastly different.

Tang Feng rode for a whole day, and it wasn't until nightfall that he saw the towering city walls of the northern border. He immediately spurred his horse towards them, but as he approached the city gate, a familiar voice stopped him: "Who goes there!"