I'm just a swineherd, not a beastmaster.

There were bright candlelight in the guest room.

Guo Mingdao held the pen leisurely and wrote slowly on the paper.

His handwriting is vigorous and powerful, and anyone with a discerning eye can tell that he is an expert in calligraphy.

Guo Mingdao had written half of the word "隐" when he suddenly stopped. The tip of his pen rested on the paper, letting the ink spread out. His eyes were not on the paper at all.

"Why is it that the guest came to see Guo at this late hour?"

Guo Mingdao stared at the man in black who suddenly appeared, his eyes as sharp as an eagle.

"Master Guo, I'm here to bring you a gift." The man in black tore off his mask, revealing a resolute face.

Everyone in the Wang family recognized this face. It was Liu Boxing, the head of the Liu family, one of the three major families in Ping'an County.

"Oh? Giving gifts, giving gifts. You look like you are dressed like this. I think I know you. Are you...?"

"Master Guo, I am from the Liu family in Ping'an County."

"Now that you mention it, I remember, Liu E's eldest son, I saw you during the day. Didn't the Liu family send gifts before? Why are you here again?"

Guo Mingdao's eyes swept across Liu Boxing, finally stopping at the half jade pendant on his waist.

Liu Boxing respectfully took out an exquisite little box and said, "I gave it to the governor of nine counties during the day. Now I give it to my own people."

"One of our own? I am also the governor of nine counties. How can I be one of our own with a small family like yours?"

"Master Guo, please speak frankly. I am here on behalf of the Liu family and following the orders of the King of the South to assist Master Guo."

"Don't talk nonsense. I am the governor of nine counties appointed by the current emperor of Yan State. I have nothing to do with the King of the South. You are a scoundrel and you claim that I am a spy. That is a capital crime and you may even have your entire clan executed." Guo Mingdao said sternly.

"Master Guo, please stop pretending. My Liu family has the order from the Southern King. If we were not absolutely sure, we would not have come tonight."

"Oh? King Nan revealed my identity to your Liu family?"

"No, the King of Nan only revealed that a great man would come to Ping'an County today and asked our Liu family to assist that great man in accomplishing his great task."

“Haha, so that’s the case. I thought the King of the South was so careless. However, aren’t you afraid that the big shot you mentioned will delay and fail to enter the city today? Isn’t it possible to recognize the wrong person?”

"I can't be wrong." Liu Boxing took off half of the jade pendant from his waist. "Since I came in, Lord Guo has never taken his eyes off the token given by the Southern King. Lord Guo is not that important person, so he won't stare at this half of the jade pendant."

Only then did Guo Mingdao's expression relax, and he took out the other half of the jade pendant and put it on the table: "Sit down, don't blame me for being cautious. In order to help the King of the South accomplish his great cause, I changed my name and lurked in Dongzhou, and step by step I became the governor of nine counties. Now that I can do a lot for the King of the South, I have to be extremely careful."

"I understand, I understand." Liu Boxing put down the small box he had prepared. "This is a top-grade Baowei brush. I heard that Lord Guo likes to write, so this is a small token of my appreciation."

"Hey, writing is just my boring disguise, why give such a big gift? I heard that the hair of the treasure tail beast is not cheap recently, and the price of this brush may also increase. It's really a waste of money."

Guo Mingdao said that writing was a disguise, but he still accepted it with a smile.

"You are indeed very good. The King of the South has a good eye for selecting people. I can see that you are careful enough. You had murderous intent just now. Have you decided to kill me after finding out that I am not the King of the South's man?" Guo Mingdao pointed at Liu Boxing with sharp eyes.

Liu Boxing was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat: "I dare not!"

"Don't be nervous. I'm not blaming you. This is the right thing to do. If I wasn't the Southern King's man, you would have to kill me to hide your identity."

"Thank you, Master Guo, for your understanding."

"Let's not talk about that. You came to contact me at the perfect time. I just happened to need an assistant."

"Master Guo, please speak." Liu Boxing looked sincere.

"Do you know what I, the governor of nine counties, usually do?" Guo Mingdao asked instead of answering directly.

"do not know."

"I usually travel back and forth between the nine counties. On the surface, I am evaluating the county magistrates, but in fact, the order given to me by the Emperor of Yan is to investigate the hidden spirit stone mines in these nine counties."

"Master Guo, you have worked hard."

"This hard work is worth it. In recent days, I have discovered a medium-sized mineral vein. As a man of the Southern King, I naturally concealed this spiritual stone mine, but it will be leaked one day. As the governor of nine counties, it is obviously impossible for me to send people to open up the land myself. It just so happens that your Liu family is here."

"I will follow Lord Guo's orders."

"Send all the laborers that your Liu family can mobilize, keep your mouth shut, dig up the spiritual stone ore as quickly as possible, and then secretly transport it to the territory of the Southern King. Can you do it?"

"can!"

Liu Boxing must answer yes, but he has to answer no even if he can.

Ever since his second brother disappeared while chasing Yuan Feng, there was no turning back.

His Liu family is destined to have no relationship with the King of Dongzhou, the current Emperor of Yan. The only way out is to surrender to the King of the South.

Liu Boxing still remembers his second brother's voice, appearance and smile before he left. This farewell will be forever.

He also had some hope, thinking that his second brother would just come home a little late, but this hope was washed away as time went by.

He also had to accept the fact that his second brother was dead.

Joining the Southern King is also the only way for the Liu family to avenge their second brother.

"Okay, you should keep this half of the jade pendant and never show it again. I have a map here with the location of the spirit stone mine marked on it. Gather some people and start the work as soon as possible. As for the transportation route, I will arrange it."

"clear."

Liu Boxing put away half of the jade pendant and the map and bowed respectfully.

"I will never let Lord Guo down, nor will I let Prince Nan down!"

"Very good, you can go now. We shouldn't be in contact for too long. This is the Wang family's house after all. It would be bad if someone bumped into us."

"I understand. In order to hide his identity, Lord Guo deliberately showed his favor to the Wang family. His Wang family has been very arrogant recently."

"Let them go wild. I won't give them any benefits anyway."

"Master Guo, I am leaving now."

After saying this, the candlelight flickered and Liu Boxing disappeared from the room.

After he left, Guo Mingdao took out the brush from the box carefully.

"The workmanship and materials are both top-notch. Really nice."

Guo Mingdao continued writing excitedly.

In the corner, Yuan Feng, hiding in the shadows, was sweating profusely.

The amount of information was too much, so he had to take it slow.

This Guo Mingdao is actually the Southern King’s man.

So who offered the bounty for killing Guo Mingdao?

Feng Shaotian's father?

Obviously, it is impossible. If Feng Shaotian's father knew that Guo Mingdao was a traitor, he would have killed Guo Mingdao openly without hiring a killer.

It is even more impossible for the people on the Southern King's side. How could one offer a reward to one's own people?

Other forces? Yuan Feng was not sure about this.

The world is in chaos now, with various warlords fighting for their own interests. He just raises pigs and has no idea of ​​the current situation.

If you don’t understand, just stop thinking about it.

Now there is an urgent issue. As Feng Shaotian's brother, he needs to remind Feng Shaotian about Guo Mingdao's identity.

Following the shadows, Yuan Feng quietly returned to the courtyard where the servants lived.

A cool breeze blew by and he calmed down.

I can't leave now. Guo Mingdao won't be able to escape for a while. There's no need to be so anxious. It's easy to make mistakes in a hurry.

Leaving without saying goodbye late at night can easily arouse suspicion.

The best way to deal with it is to go to sleep first and leave in a swagger tomorrow.

After making the decision, Yuan Feng walked into the big bunk bed.