"Yan Ning".
Fukang'an pulled the excited Yan Ning back, handed the white lotus in his hand to her, and said with a gentle expression, "Come on, I'll take you somewhere."
Yan Ning looked at the white lotus in her hand and was secretly pleased. It turned out that even a military general like Fukang'an would do something like giving flowers.
Her face flushed slightly as she allowed Fukang'an to lead her into a theater. Fukang'an looked at Yan Ning, who was intently admiring the white lotus in her hand, her eyes pure and clear. He thought to himself, if he could ascertain her innocent identity, he would treat her even better in the future!
Inside the theater, the lights were blocked off by black cloth, except for a large white cloth hanging on the stage, from which the lights poured down. The audience seats were almost full. Fukang'an gave the shop assistant a silver ingot, and the assistant immediately beamed and bowed as he led the two to two empty seats in the front row.
Yan Ning sat down with Fu Kang'an, looking puzzled, and the performance began with the sound of gongs and drums.
"It's a shadow puppet show." Yan Ning looked at the lifelike little figures in amazement.
After a moment, Fukang'an tucked a strand of Yan Ning's loose hair behind his ear and said, "I have something to do and need to leave for a while."
Yan Ning snapped out of her reverie from the shadow puppet show and glanced helplessly at Fukang'an. "Go on, I knew you must have something to do to come out of the military camp."
Watching Fukang'an's tall figure disappear, she felt herself becoming more and more dependent on him. As soon as he left, she felt lost and adrift.
Yan Ning shook her head, feeling that she couldn't waste this ancient journey, and then immersed herself in the shadow puppet show.
"Are you sure this shadow puppet theater is a secret gathering place for the White Lotus sect?" Fukang'an asked the person kneeling beside him, sitting in a room of the inn with one hand behind his back.
"I have been secretly following this branch of the White Lotus Sect for a month. They gather here using the presence of white lotus items as a signal, so there is no mistake," the person kneeling on the ground replied.
Fukang'an got up and walked to the window, his brows furrowed, his hands clasped behind his back as he gazed into the distance.
"Go down and make the deployment!" These few words sounded more like a sigh.
"Yes, I'll take my leave." The man stood up, bowed, and left through the door.
As soon as You Yuan entered the theater, he spotted the white lotus, untouched by the chaos of the world, amidst the turmoil. He sat down next to Yan Ning and whispered to her, "The mud originates from chaos, the white lotus's appearance heralds a golden age. Darkness will soon pass, and light will arrive."
Yan Ning didn't understand what You Yuanzhi was saying. She glanced at the white lotus in her hand, gave You Yuanzhi a faint smile, and continued watching the shadow puppet show.
You Yuanzhi received no reply from Yan Ning to her coded message. He stared in surprise at her, holding the white lotus, his eyes narrowing slightly. She wasn't a member of the sect, so how did she come here holding a white lotus?
As he pondered, a threatening voice rang out, drowning out the shadow puppet show on the stage.
"Surround this place and don't let a single person escape, especially those carrying the White Lotus token!" A large group of soldiers rushed into the theater, and the leading soldier gave the order.
Some people in the audience had already drawn their knives and resisted. Yan Ning looked at the chaotic scene in front of her and was so frightened that she didn't know what to do.
Looking at the panicked Yan Ning, You Yuanzhi knew that it was an unintentional mistake, but she would definitely be arrested as a member of the White Lotus Sect.
He pulled Yan Ning up, kicked away the oncoming soldiers, knocked out the soldiers rushing towards him with his other hand, and, under the cover of the other knife-wielding men, ran out of the theater with Yan Ning.
Ancient buildings and shops flashed by in her eyes as Yan Ning was pulled along by You Yuanzhi, running hurriedly, with the sounds of soldiers chasing them coming from behind.
She could tell that this person was very familiar with the terrain, and after turning a few streets, he left the soldiers behind somewhere.
You Yuanzhi stopped and said to Yan Ning, "Alright, everything will be fine here!"
Yan Ning pulled her hand away from his and breathed a sigh of relief as she looked at the white lotus in her hand. "Fortunately, it's not damaged."
This white lotus was personally handed to her by Fukang'an. Her mind was racing, wondering if it was an ancient token of love. She cherished it greatly.
You Yuanzhi looked at Yan Ning, who was wearing a pale yellow satin cheongsam embroidered with plum blossoms, holding a white lotus in her hand. Her hair had been scattered during the run, and her eyebrows and white teeth were flushed from the run. His gaze seemed fixed and could not move an inch.
Yan Ning noticed the way You Yuanzhi was looking at her, turned her face away, and simply braided her hair with a handkerchief. She nodded and thanked him, "Thank you for saving me. I'm going back to find my friend now. Goodbye!" With that, she turned to leave.
You Yuanzhi strode forward, blocking Yan Ning's path, and said with a roguish smile, "Who would bid farewell to their benefactor in such a hurry without asking their name or telling them their own?"
Yan Ning looked at You Yuanzhi, who was dressed in a dark green robe and whose appearance was no less handsome than Fukang'an's, but who had a roguish air about him. Her dependence on Fukang'an grew even stronger.
"What's your name?" Yan Ning asked coldly.
"Keep it far downstream!"
Yan Ning saw the teasing and amusement in his eyes, and her expression turned even colder. "My name is Yan Ning. Thank you for saving me. I'll take my leave now." She walked past You Yuanzhi and returned the way she came.
The ancient streets here are all the same, and there are many mountains and stone steps. As Yan Ning was trying to figure out where You Yuanzhi had dragged her from, his voice drifted from behind her.
"If you don't like to hold and admire white lotuses, why would you appear with a white lotus in hand where soldiers are lying in ambush? You should think about this carefully when you get back."
Yan Ning froze on the spot. When she turned around, You Yuanzhi was already gone. She thought about it for a while, but then shook her head. "I must believe in Fukang'an!"
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