Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Wu Tao almost did not sleep all night, the words of the swordsman in black echoed in her mind. Who was he? Why did he help them? With a lot of questions in their minds, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui arrived at Qingyun Temple outside the city on time at noon the next day. The temple was not very popular and seemed particularly quiet. The two walked through the main hall and came to a secluded Zen room in the backyard.

The door was ajar. Wu Tao knocked gently, and an old but loud voice rang out: "Come in."

When he pushed the door open, he saw an old man sitting cross-legged on a cushion, with kind eyes and a celestial bearing. He was the black-clad swordsman from last night. The difference was that he was now dressed in plain clothes, holding a string of Buddhist beads in his hand, like a high-level monk.

"Old man..." Wu Tao just opened his mouth when he was interrupted by the old man.

"You don't have to worry too much. My name is Zhiyuan. I don't intend to hide my identity. It's just that the world is dangerous and we have to be cautious." Master Zhiyuan said slowly, "I already know what happened last night. You are brave and wise, but it's a pity..."

"Master, are you trying to say that we underestimated the enemy and fell into the trap of the treacherous enemy?" Hu Bugui continued, with a hint of bitterness in his tone.

Master Zhiyuan nodded slightly, "That's right. Your biggest failure is that you don't know enough about the enemy and overestimate your own strength. The mysterious organization is complicated and powerful. How can it be easily shaken?"

"So what should we do now?" Wu Tao asked anxiously, "Are we just going to watch the emperor being deceived by the traitors and Brother Hu being wrongly accused?"

"Of course not." Master Zhiyuan said firmly, "Since I promised to help you, I will not break my promise. However, it will take time to bring down this mysterious organization. We need to plan for the long term."

"Master, please give us some advice!" Hu Bugui and Wu Tao said in unison.

Master Zhiyuan pondered for a moment and said slowly: "First of all, what you need to do is to find out the reason for your failure and make up for it before it's too late, so as to avoid repeating the same mistake."

Hu Bugui and Wu Tao looked at each other and fell into deep thought. Indeed, they were too eager to succeed and ignored many details, so they fell into the enemy's trap.

"Do you still remember how your whereabouts were exposed and how you were captured?" Master Zhiyuan asked.

After Master Zhiyuan reminded them, Hu Bugui and Wu Tao suddenly remembered that their plan was originally flawless, but it failed at the last moment, and all this started when they contacted the inner accomplice in the palace...

"The place where we met with the insider was very secretive and the message was passed on very cautiously. How could it be..." Hu Bugui was puzzled.

"The problem lies in your 'caution'." Master Zhiyuan pointed out sharply, "You think you are flawless, but you don't know that the enemy has already laid a net. Your whereabouts have been exposed under their noses from the beginning."

Wu Tao suddenly realized that they were only concerned with guarding against the enemies in the open, but ignored the threats in the dark. "Is there a traitor among us?"

"This is what you need to find out." Master Zhiyuan said, "The mysterious organization is huge and pervasive. The people around you may not be trustworthy."

Hu Bugui clenched his fists, a cold light flashed in his eyes, "If I really find out who betrayed us, I will never let it go easily!"

"Finding the traitor is important, but more importantly, you need to build your own intelligence network." Wu Tao suddenly said.

"Intelligence network?" Hu Bugui looked at Wu Tao in confusion.

"That's right." Wu Tao explained, "The reason why we failed is because we knew nothing about the enemy, but the enemy knew us very well. Only by establishing our own intelligence network can we seize the initiative and turn defeat into victory."

"But we are unfamiliar with the place. How can we establish an intelligence network?" asked Hu Bugui.

"I have a way." A sly light flashed in Wu Tao's eyes. "I come from a technologically advanced world, where there is something called 'Internet', which can..."

Wu Tao briefly explained the way information is transmitted in modern society, leaving Hu Bugui and Master Zhiyuan dumbfounded.

"Incredible, really incredible!" Master Zhiyuan exclaimed, "I have lived for most of my life and have never heard of such a miraculous thing."

"If it's true as you said, then we can use this 'Internet' to transmit messages and establish an intelligence network covering the entire Chang'an City!" Hu Bugui said excitedly.

"That's right!" Wu Tao nodded, "We can recruit some agile and smart young people, train them to use the 'Internet', and let them become our 'eyes' and 'ears'."

"Good idea!" Master Zhiyuan clapped his hands in praise, "This way, we can play with the enemy at our fingertips."

"In addition," Wu Tao continued, "we also need an elite armed force that can respond quickly at critical moments and deal a fatal blow to the enemy."

"Leave it to me." Hu Bugui said confidently, "I used to be a general in the military camp, and training soldiers is my strong point."

"Come to think of it, I still don't know how to address the young lady?" Master Zhiyuan asked with a smile, stroking his beard. Wu Tao then remembered that she had never introduced herself, so she replied, "My surname is Wu, and my given name is Tao. You can just call me Taotao." Master Zhiyuan nodded slightly, then looked at Hu Bugui and joked, "Hu boy, it's not right for you to address a young lady like that." Hu Bugui blushed and explained, "You are joking, Master. Taotao and I are like siblings, and there is nothing wrong with addressing me like that."

When Wu Tao heard this, his heart moved slightly, but he didn't say much.

"Okay, let's get back to the point." Master Zhiyuan brought the topic back on track. "Although I am not familiar with worldly affairs, I have made many friends during my travels over the years, many of whom are well-informed. I will write a letter and ask them to pay more attention to the movements of the mysterious organization."

"Thank you, Master!" Hu Bugui and Wu Tao said in unison.

"You're welcome. I'm just doing this to help the people." Master Zhiyuan waved his hand and said, "You two don't have to worry too much. When you reach the mountain, there will always be a way out. When you reach the bridge, you will find a way out. Everything will be fine."

Hu Bugui and Wu Tao smiled at each other, their hearts filled with hope.

With the help of Master Zhiyuan, they quickly got in touch with those well-informed people. These people came from all walks of life, some were chivalrous knights, some were wealthy businessmen, and some were officials. They each had different information channels, but they were all willing to help Hu Bugui and Wu Tao.

With the help of these people, an intelligence network covering the entire Chang'an City was quickly established. They were like an invisible giant net, covering every move of the mysterious organization. Any movement could not escape their eyes.

Hu Bugui and Wu Tao made their next plan based on this information. They were like playing a game of chess, taking every step carefully and cautiously, not daring to relax at all.

During this period, the relationship between Hu Bugui and Wu Tao continued to heat up. They fought side by side, supported each other, and experienced countless ups and downs together.

"Taotao, thank you." One night, Hu Bugui looked at Wu Tao with gratitude in his eyes.

"Thank me for what?" Wu Tao asked puzzledly.

"Thank you for appearing in my life, and thank you for everything you have done for me." Hu Bugui said affectionately, "If it weren't for you, I really don't know what I would be like now."

Wu Tao looked at Hu Bugui's sincere eyes and felt a warm feeling in her heart.

"Brother Hu, you don't have to thank me. Everything I did was for myself." Wu Tao said, "I want to return to my own world. I want to live a peaceful life, and you are my only hope."

Hu Bugui grabbed Wu Tao's hand and said firmly: "Taotao, don't worry, I will definitely help you realize your wish. No matter what the cost, I will not let you down."

Wu Tao looked at Hu Bugui's determined eyes and was deeply moved. She knew that she had fallen in love with this man, a man of integrity.

Hu Bugui and Wu Tao carefully analyzed the intelligence they had collected, trying to find the flaws of the mysterious organization. It was late at night, the candlelight was flickering, Wu Tao rubbed his sore eyes, and was about to persuade Hu Bugui to rest, when suddenly, there was a slight noise outside the yard.

The two looked at each other and saw vigilance in each other's eyes. Hu Bugui signaled Wu Tao not to make a sound, and he walked to the door quietly and opened it suddenly.

There was a person standing outside the door. In the moonlight, they could vaguely identify him as the new ally who had helped them establish an intelligence network.

"Why are you here so late?" Hu Bugui asked in a low voice, while stepping aside to let the new ally into the room.

The new ally looked hurried and said in a hurried tone: "I got a piece of news. It's very important. I must tell you right away!"

"What news?" Wu Tao also came over and asked anxiously.

The new ally took a deep breath, as if trying to organize his words, and then slowly said, "I accidentally learned that the leader of the mysterious organization... is actually the current emperor!"

"What?!" Hu Bugui and Wu Tao exclaimed at the same time and looked at their new ally in disbelief.

"Impossible!" Hu Bugui was the first to react and flatly denied it, "The emperor works hard to govern the country and loves the people like his own children. How could he be the leader of a mysterious organization?"

"It's absolutely true!" the new ally said with certainty, "I heard him contacting people in the organization with my own ears, and he also..."

The new ally suddenly stopped talking here, with a hesitant look on his face.

"What else does he have?" Wu Tao asked.

The new ally looked at Hu Bugui, then at Wu Tao, and finally gritted his teeth and said, "He also mentioned you, saying that you are..."

"What is it?" Hu Bugui and Wu Tao's hearts were in their throats.

"He said you are...the key to unlocking the treasure!"

The new ally's words exploded in the room like thunder, leaving behind endless doubts and fear.