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

Ye Tingxiu handed the autopsy report to Xiao Hongyun and said, "Di Xinjian may be a spy sent by Maine, one of the five northern cities, because the origins of Li Xiangsi and her group have been investigated and they all come from Maine."

Xiao Hongyun took the autopsy report and nodded slightly: "Understood."

Ye Tingxiu asked, "Has Di Xinjian made any gains?"

Xiao Hongyun said, "There have been gains, great gains."

Ye Tingxiu said, "Oh? So fast?"

Outside the Di residence, in a teahouse, Xiao Hongyun personally oversaw the work of his subordinates. Ye Tingxiu sat down beside him, ready to listen to any questions he might have. Xiao Hongyun did not hide anything and told Ye Tingxiu the results of his surveillance.

"On the first day of his release, Di Xinjian went home, took a shower, changed into new clothes, and without resting, hosted a banquet for his friends at Tianxi Restaurant at noon to apologize for breaking his promise the day before. Among those who came were Duanmu, Jiang Hongla, and Wang Dafu, all of whom were powerful, wealthy, and influential people."

Upon hearing this, Ye Tingxiu said, "That's normal. Di Xinjian is just a businessman, so he certainly wouldn't dare to offend them."

Xiao Hongyun frowned and said, "Well, Di Xinjian mentioned doing business with the three of them at the banquet. It's clear that the four of them are in cahoots, colluding with each other as officials and businessmen, and have done some shady behind-the-scenes deals. This is the result of monitoring Di Xinjian for less than a day."

Ye Tingxiu said, "Isn't this something to be happy about? Why are you looking so gloomy? Keep investigating and see what kind of shady business Duanmu, Jiang Hongla, Wang Dafu and Di Xinjian are doing. This is an unexpected bonus and a great achievement."

Xiao Hongyun picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked at the gate of the Di residence. He said with a solemn expression, "Di Xinjian probably already knows that we have people monitoring him. In order to dispel our suspicions, he tried to muddy the waters and dragged people into the mess."

At this point, Xiao Hongyun paused: "This matter seems like a great achievement, but if we really start investigating, things will probably get more and more complicated and involve a wider range of people. First, Duanmu is a member of the first family, and we should absolutely not provoke him unless necessary."

"Jiang Hongla is the chief official of the Ever-Normal Granary, and she is backed by the Jiang family. To touch her is to start a war with the Jiang family, and there will be a lot of trouble."

"Don't underestimate Wang Dafu just because he's a wealthy money shop owner and a lowly merchant. He has a lot of money and countless powerful figures in secret. His network of relationships is incredibly complex, and you never know which connection might reach the highest levels. He's not someone to mess with."

“Any one of these three would be enough to give us a headache. If we were to provoke them all at once, we wouldn’t be able to get anything done. Just the counterattacks from the three of them would exhaust us and leave us too tired to deal with them. We wouldn’t have the energy to care about Di Xinjian, this little shrimp.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Tingxiu pondered, "I understand now. Di Xinjian is trying to save himself. Only when the water is murky enough can he, a mere shrimp, be overlooked, allowing him to fish in troubled waters and survive in the midst of death. Wow, this guy is so clever, he's not simple at all."

Xiao Hongyun held a folding fan and tapped his palm lightly: "The more complicated he is, the more it proves that he has something to hide."

Ye Tingxiu asked, "What do you plan to do?"

Xiao Hongyun pondered for a moment: "I've seen Old Zhou use a trick called 'using a counter-strategy,' which is specifically designed to deal with clever people like this!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Tingxiu's eyes lit up.

Seeing this, Xiao Hongyun smiled and said, "You've made progress, Ye Zi. It seems you understand now."

In the evening, in the study of the Di family mansion, Di Xinjian was practicing calligraphy with a brush in his hand. He was calm and composed, showing no signs of anxiety or impatience. Even though he had become a caged beast, he had to remain calm and struggle with all his might to find a way out, otherwise he would only die faster.

The steward of the Di family stood in front of the desk, clutching his stomach, and said, "Master, this old servant is unsure whether I should tell you something."

Di Xinjian responded calmly, "Speak."

The official of the Di family said, "Today, several unfamiliar people have appeared outside the mansion. They are wandering back and forth outside the mansion, hawking their wares. They seem to be just ordinary small vendors, but they seem to have other purposes. This old servant guesses that the government may have sent people to monitor them. Moreover, today, when we were recruiting low-ranking servants, several people came to apply. Judging from their appearance and demeanor, they are not ordinary people and they seem very suspicious. This old servant guesses that they are also government people."

"This old servant wanted to stop them, but doing so would only make our Di family seem guilty, so I didn't stop them. Instead, I hired them. I think these people will leave after failing to monitor us. After all, Master is innocent; he was just implicated by these villains."

"But just a short while ago, those unfamiliar government spies outside the mansion left, and the four servants we just hired also suddenly left without saying goodbye. This behavior is very strange. This old servant is uneasy and feels that something big is about to happen."

Upon hearing this, Di Xinjian looked up at the old steward, casually placed the brush on the inkstone, put his hands behind his back, and smiled slightly: "You've been with me for eight years. You're meticulous and loyal, and that's what I admire most about you. Your premonition was right; something big is indeed about to happen."

The steward of the Di family bowed his head and said, "Then should this old servant make some preparations?"

Di Xinjian waved his hand and smiled, "No need, all of this is within my expectations. Alright, go and get to work."

Upon hearing this, the Di family steward bowed and stepped back, then turned and left the study, closing the door behind him.

Seeing that no one was around, Di Xinjian finally showed a happy expression, clenching his fists and stamping his feet, his excitement overflowing.

Things are moving in a positive direction. Now that the government has withdrawn the spies monitoring the mansion, they will inevitably focus their attention on the three men: First Duanmu, Jiang Hongla, and Wang Dafu. Let them investigate. As long as the government is distracted, they won't be able to target us.

I could take advantage of this lull, travel light, disguise my identity, and escape quietly by tomorrow morning.

By the time the authorities realized what was happening, he had already left Sword Tower City.

With a way out right in front of him, how could Di Xinjian not be happy? He knew that he had entered the government's sights, and it was almost impossible to continue to lie low unscathed. Being able to withdraw and save his life was already the limit.

As for the properties under my name, in this life-or-death situation, I really can't care about anything else. I'll take as much money as I can with me, and if I can't take it, I'll just have to accept it. Forget about selling the assets. Even if I had to do an emergency fire sale, it would take three to five days to sell nearly three hundred shops and residences.

If we wait three to five days, we might not be able to leave even if we wanted to.

The government officials aren't really stupid. Although most of them are fools, there are some quick-witted and intelligent people who will realize what's happening soon enough.

"Let's go! Tomorrow morning, the city gates will be wide open. We must leave as soon as possible!" Di Xinjian walked to the bookshelf, dragged a book, and the bookshelf slowly moved to reveal a secret room. Inside the secret room were the escape permits he needed, four escape routes, and the money he had accumulated over the past eight years.

Working as an undercover agent in another city for a long time carries the risk of being exposed and arrested. Di Xinjian had already thought of this, so he prepared several backup identities. These identities could be used for escape in case of emergency. There were secret safe houses set up along the escape route for temporary rest.

Once he leaves Sword Tower City, Di Xinjian is confident that he can disappear without a trace and vanish into thin air.