Start from the thief

The Imperial Master felt that he had overestimated Zhao Yushu as much as possible, but he still underestimated him.

I even sent an insider over just in case.

Now Zhao Yushu openly killed Nong Shouguang, who was frightened and collapsed, at the city gate, which means that the people who went inside with Nong Shouguang were also in great danger.

Why can he kill Nei Jing?

Is there anyone helping him?

The wolf girl was seriously injured after waking up. If they didn't want her to die, at least one of the great master on the grassland and the old immortal had to go back. And once they returned to the academy, the person who sent her back would never be able to leave.

Then there should be only one inner scene left on the grassland. Is he with Zhao Yushu?

If that was true, why didn't he see Zhao Yushu when he appeared outside the city?

The three monks were scared back by Zhao Yushu, but then Zhao Yushu disappeared under everyone's eyes, but they knew that he had entered the city.

"Order, thoroughly check all the inns in the city. Make sure everyone is a Tang person. All Tang men should be arrested! If there is any monk who resists, blow the horn immediately."

"Yes! Sir, but how can we be sure that he is a Tang?"

"Ask, use our words to ask, do you still need me to teach you the details?"

Zhao Yushu did enter the city. There was no place that could not be reached with the Shadow Step. If there was, it meant that the Assassin was not strong enough and he just needed more spiritual power.

He didn't even bother to dress up too much. He just changed into a common grey cotton robe, put on a hat to cover his hair that was burnt by the fire, bought an iron sword and stuffed it into Avalon, then walked out on the street in such a swagger.

Although Linhuang Prefecture was the capital of the Liao Kingdom, its scale was still far behind Chang'an and Dongdu. However, it was the capital of Liao after all, and it had developed for hundreds of years with a population of nearly one million. It was not easy to find Zhao Yushu, who could disguise his spiritual power at will, in such a big city.

Teams of officers with bows and arrows on their waists rushed into the inns. Rough questioning and scolding were heard immediately. From time to time, low horn sounds came from all corners of the city. Then Zhao Yushu saw monks rushing to the place where the horn sounds were heard.

After just a moment's observation, Zhao Yushu immediately understood the imperial master's simple yet effective strategy.

If I try to hide in the same way as before, it will be difficult to hide when caught off guard.

Unfortunately, Lan Ling had already arrived.

It is impossible for Lan Ling to just find an inn and wait there. She will definitely find a way to hide that the National Master will never expect. He has a blind faith in Lan Ling's wisdom, even comparable to that of Wei Lao San.

So he had been looking for the mark left by Lan Ling. This mark would never arouse the suspicion of others, but it would definitely attract his attention.

Linhuang Prefecture is divided into two cities, north and south. The north city is smaller and mainly houses the imperial palace and officials' residences, while the south city is where the people gather.

The South City has three walls and three gates, which is far smaller than the nine gates of the Eastern Capital and the twelve gates of Chang'an, but it is not too small either. The East City Gate has three gates and is very long. If Zhao Yushu comes from the direction of Liaoyang Prefecture, he will most likely go through the East Gate. This is Lan Ling's idea.

Similarly, even if Zhao Yushu came in from the other two doors for other reasons, he would definitely take a look at the East Gate. This was a tacit understanding between the two.

This kind of tacit understanding had been fully demonstrated in Chang'an. Despite being thousands of miles apart, the two of them completed an excellent cooperation with very little information exchange and finally rescued Zhao Yushu from Kunlun Mountain.

So this time, Zhao Yushu felt that he would not be wrong.

He did not stay at the East Gate for too long, but passed by it three times in three different ways after entering the city.

The first time he hired a carriage to go to a temple he had randomly seen on the roadside and passed through the east gate.

The second time, he pretended to be an idle warrior walking by normally.

The third time, he disguised himself as a porter, carrying a load of goods and ran quickly through the east gate.

After three times, Zhao Yushu's nose kept twitching, because he smelled an unusual smell every time. The smell was very faint, and if someone smelled it, they would not pay much attention to it, but Zhao Yushu cared a lot.

It was the smell of wine.

Zhao Yushu looked carefully at the source of the wine aroma, but there was nothing there.

Yes, there was nothing, just ordinary land, no piled up wine jars, and no one was allowed to set up a wine stall next to the east gate. But there was a faint but real aroma of wine.

It's as if someone just poured a bottle of wine here.

There were very few strong liquors in this era, and even fewer that could emit an aroma that lasted so long. But Zhao Yushu knew who had it.

Zhao Yushu smiled, found a restaurant to sit down at random, and began to stare at the corner near the east gate.

Dusk was approaching, and a carriage passed by the east gate. Then a hand stretched out from the window, pretending to accidentally tilt the wine bag in its hand, and transparent liquid fell to the ground.

That was naturally not Lan Ling's hand.

But it's a clue.

Zhao Yushu followed decisively and watched the carriage stop in front of a wine shop. Then a sturdy maid got out, knocked on the door happily and went in. Soon, she put a small silver ingot in her sleeve and ran away.

Zhao Yushu walked up. Night had fallen and the curfew in Linhuang Prefecture had begun. Except for a few entertainment areas, pedestrians were no longer allowed to walk on the streets.

The person who could come knocking on the door at this time could either be someone from the government or him.

With almost no hesitation, Lan Ling opened the gate of the winery, looked at the dusty Zhao Yushu outside, and reached out her hand to gently wipe his face, which was obviously a little thinner.

"have you eaten?"

"not yet."

"It just so happens that I still have some food left."

Zhao Yushu felt that he had not felt so at ease for a long time since he left Dongdu.

The small winery was bought by Lan Ling, and she hired a sturdy servant whose daily task was to pour a pot of wine at the three doors in the east, south and west. If anyone asked about it, she would say it was a promotional measure for her employer, and no one would be suspicious.

Now, this winery only a few miles away from the imperial city has become the base of the two. With the investigative means of today's era, the imperial master may not be able to reach this place even if he spends a year.

"Thank goodness for you."

Zhao Yushu expressed his sincere gratitude.

"of course."

Lan Ling accepted it without hesitation.

"I used the things my senior gave me and got in touch with the academy."

Lan Ling took out a few letters: "But this is the capital of Liao after all. The power of the academy is very weak, and the help it provides is very limited. Letters cannot be too frequent. Now it is confirmed that the second sister is in the hands of the national teacher."

Zhao Yushu didn't read the letter first: "I know, but Second Senior Sister should be safe now. I have a more urgent task."

"what?"

Zhao Yushu's face suddenly fell: "Do something I have never been good at in my two lifetimes."

“Learn a foreign language…”