Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

The security situation in Sword Tower City has been completely transformed, and everything is peaceful and calm. The government's tough stance has not only deterred the audacious thieves, but also scared away those petty people who tried to take advantage of the chaos, who were afraid that if they were caught, they would be dragged to the execution ground and beheaded.

Many outsiders are unruly and often complain about not understanding local customs and the laws of Jianta when problems arise. However, suddenly, these people change drastically, transforming from barbaric, unreasonable, and arrogant individuals into reasonable, law-abiding, humble, polite, kind, and friendly people.

Xiao Hongyun and Ye Tingxiu led a group of Zhenmo Division subordinates as they walked down the street, chatting amongst themselves and casually checking passersby.

Ye Tingxiu said, "Xiao Xiao, do you think the information Jin Wei provided is true or false? It's been eight days, and we still haven't found this group of foreign thieves."

Holding a folding fan and dressed in a black and gold official uniform of the Demon Suppression Division, Xiao Hongyun chuckled and said, "There's no mistake. The source of this information has been verified by Jin Weichao and the local thugs of Sword Tower from multiple sources. There are only sixteen foreign thieves. They all forged their travel documents and disguised themselves to sneak into Sword Tower through the riverbank. They came from the north, but we don't know if they came from Sihai City or the Five Northern Cities."

Holding a bag of frozen chestnuts, Ye Tingxiu squinted at the blazing sun as he ate, saying, "There's something I don't quite understand. Since Old Zhou had already drawn the targets and was just waiting for them to fall into the trap, why go through all this trouble?"

Xiao Hongyun gently shook his folding fan: "This is the biggest difference between you and Lao Zhou. Lao Zhou likes to take the initiative in everything he does. He won't passively wait for others to shoot arrows. Drawing the target and waiting for others to shoot arrows to capture the target in one fell swoop is the last resort. No, maybe Lao Zhou has another trick up his sleeve. This guy likes to keep one trick up his sleeve the most. You can never figure out how many tricks he has up his sleeve."

"If we can wipe out these foreign thieves before the banquet begins, wouldn't the Millennium Dragon Ascension Banquet go much more smoothly and with fewer variables? And are you stupid? If we can accomplish this great feat of capturing foreign thieves, then the credit will be yours and mine."

"Old Zhou didn't hog the benefits; he gave us the chance to make a contribution. If we really couldn't seize it, Old Zhou would cover for us. To be honest, over the years, Old Zhou has been incredibly kind to us brothers. He never says it, but he has never shortchanged us in his actions."

Ye Tingxiu chewed on a frozen chestnut and said calmly, "Well, let's continue the investigation. We can't just wait for the credit to fall into our hands."

Xiao Hongyun said, "Let me briefly review the situation. The intelligence said that there were a total of sixteen people in this group. The leader's alias was Li Xiangsi. He smuggled himself into Jianta under the identity of a medicine merchant and lived on the Lan Gui painted boat on the two and a half riverbanks under the arrangement of the smuggler."

"The Lan Gui pleasure boat has been searched. The boat is empty and there is no trace left. Li Xiangsi is very cautious. Knowing that his whereabouts could not be kept secret, he changed his hiding place after the smuggler left. This shows that Li Xiangsi and his gang are very good at counter-surveillance."

"So here's the question: if you were Li Xiangsi, where would you choose to hide with your accomplices?"

"Huh?" Ye Tingxiu blinked his innocent eyes, a tuft of white hair falling to his lips. He forgot to chew and immediately said, "Look what kind of question you asked. How would I know what Li Xiangsi is thinking? I'm not him."

Xiao Hongyun shook his head: "It's nothing. It was indeed difficult for you to think about such a thing. It was my fault; I asked unnecessary questions."

Ye Tingxiu said, "Xiao Xiao, what you're saying is a bit insulting. Although I'm not very smart, I still have a brain. It's just that my brain is different from yours. When it comes to cultivation and combat, my brain isn't as good at scheming as yours."

Xiao Hongyun lightly waved his folding fan, his brows furrowed slightly, and he replied perfunctorily, "Ah, yes, yes, yes."

Ye Tingxiu: "..." His self-esteem was severely damaged.

Ye Tingxiu immediately retorted, "I refuse to believe that without your help, Xiao Hongyun, I, Ye Tingxiu, am truly useless. You have your wisdom and schemes, and I have my strength and methods. Let's split up, and I will definitely catch the foreign thieves before you do!"

"You lot, come with me!" Ye Tingxiu turned around, pointed to the five Demon Suppression Division subordinates following behind him, and then parted ways with Xiao Hongyun.

Xiao Hongyun was still pondering when he came to his senses and saw that Ye Tingxiu had already walked away with several of his men. He immediately rubbed his forehead and smiled wryly: "That brat!"

He knew Ye Tingxiu well. This brat always had a strong sense of pride, and among the three of them, he seemed to be the most useless. He hadn't considered Ye Tingxiu's feelings when he spoke just now, so Ye Tingxiu would inevitably feel very upset, feeling like he had dragged his brother down.

In reality, Ye Tingxiu only wanted to prove his ability, and he barely managed to keep up with Zhou Hexiao's pace despite his best efforts.

He was also afraid that one day in the future, his brothers would have all become successful while he would still be stuck in the same place.

"Lord Xiao, should we continue the investigation?" A subordinate of the Demon Suppression Division stepped forward, cupped his fists, and asked.

Xiao Hongyun pondered for a moment: "Since Li Xiangsi and her group came with the intention of causing trouble, they will definitely not miss the opportunity of the Millennium Dragon Ascension Banquet. If they have the Dragon Bone Scripture, they can easily infiltrate the Millennium Dragon Ascension Banquet."

"But once you possess the Dragon Bone Scripture, you will come into the sights of the Plum Blossom Spy, which is extremely dangerous. If I were Li Xiangsi, I would definitely not keep the Dragon Bone Scripture in my hands, lest I be surrounded and wiped out by the Plum Blossom Spy before I can carry out my rebellion plan."

"So besides the Dragon Bone Scripture, what other methods do I have to infiltrate the Millennium Dragon Ascension Banquet, or even tamper with it?"

The subordinate of the Demon Suppression Division said cautiously, "Lord Xiao, the Ever-Normal Granary is currently recruiting urgently because the venue for the Millennium Dragon Banquet is under construction and the construction period is very tight, which has caused many people to look for work there."

"What do you mean by that?" Before the words were finished, Xiao Hongyun slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing, "Right, right, right! I can easily bring people to disguise themselves as workers and find jobs on the construction site, then try to tamper with the site. Heh, heh, genius, I'm a genius! Hahaha!!!"

The Demon Suppression Division's subordinates clasped their hands in a gesture of flattery: "Lord Xiao, you are wise and powerful, with divine wisdom and brilliant strategies."

On the other hand, Ye Tingxiu, along with five of his men, was patrolling and searching the streets like headless flies. His sharp eyes were fixed on the passersby, and everyone looked like Li Xiangsi and her gang of foreign thieves. They were indeed putting in effort, but they didn't seem to be using any effective methods.

"Halt!" Ye Tingxiu pointed at a strangely dressed out-of-towner: "Routine check."

The strangely dressed outsider trembled in fright: "Sir, I just came from the other side of the street, and I've already been checked."

Ye Tingxiu pressed down on the knife with one hand: "Stop talking nonsense. It's their business if others are inspecting. I haven't even inspected you yet, so how do I know if you're a good person or a bad person?"

The strangely dressed outsider hurriedly pulled out his travel permit: "Sir, I love Sword Tower, I love the city lord, I am a law-abiding citizen!"

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