The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

After dinner, Luo Yifei couldn't fall asleep, repeatedly recalling the scenes from his dream. A large number of past memories surfaced in his mind.

Night had fallen, and in a daze, Luo Yifei mistakenly thought he was in a guesthouse in a scenic area of ​​an ancient Ming and Qing dynasty town. Half-asleep, he took out his flashlight, which he hadn't used in a long time, and stepped out of the room.

The moment the flashlight illuminated the corridor, Luo Yifei felt as if he were seeing the corridor of a guesthouse in Wuzhen. However, when he walked down the stairs to the outhouse in the courtyard, he realized that this was not Wuzhen.

Although it lacks modern facilities, this outhouse is much cleaner than the one in my rural hometown; it's simple but not shabby.

Back in the courtyard, a gust of cold wind blew by, and Luo Yifei, who was dressed rather thinly, couldn't help but shiver.

The cold wind in the courtyard instantly sobered Luo Yifei up, and his senses came to life at that moment. He heard the sound of metal clashing in his ears.

Pushing open the back door of the courtyard, two figures appeared on the left and right sides of the narrow alley outside the house.

Luo Yifei shone his flashlight into the middle of the road, and the two of them looked towards the center.

The man on the left was Qi Yuan. Just as he was about to sheathe his sword, the man on the right rushed towards him.

The man on the right is none other than Song Han, a swordsman from the Tang Clan. Just as he swung his sword down, Qi Yuan, who was about to sheathe his sword, raised it to block Song Han's sudden attack.

Luo Yifei instinctively wanted to draw his sword to help, but found that he didn't have the habit of carrying a sword with him, even though Bi Li had reminded him many times to always carry a sword with him.

Qi Yuan and Song Han clashed again, exchanging blows.

In the blink of an eye, the two arrived at the back gate of the inn courtyard, where Luo Yifei was standing.

Luo Yifei quickly raised the flashlight, pressed the button, and aimed it at Song Han's eyes.

The flashlight's laser mode blinded Song Han, and even Qi Yuan, who was standing next to him, took a step back.

Just as Qi Yuan retreated, Song Han closed his eyes and placed the sword against Luo Yifei's neck.

Luo Yifei pressed the flashlight button again, turning the flashlight towards Song Han's abdomen. The electric current from the flashlight then swept through Song Han's entire body.

At that very moment, Qi Yuan swiftly moved and deflected the sword that was closing in on Luo Yifei's neck.

Song Han was electrocuted and fell to the ground.

Qi Yuan and Luo Yifei exchanged a glance and said, "Come on, help us carry it inside."

The two of them worked together to lift Song Han, who had been knocked unconscious by the multi-functional flashlight, into a chair inside the house. Luo Yifei asked, "Should we find a rope to tie him up?"

"No need. Go wake Bili up, but don't wake Huaxi and Qingwei," Qi Yuan said to Luo Yifei, then sat down, picked up the water glass on the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and drank it.

Across the round table was Song Han, who was unconscious.

This room is different from the previous inn; there is no bed next to the table, but rather curtains, making it more like a suite.

Having withdrawn enough silver from the Taihe Money Exchange on An Island, I no longer need to be as frugal as before.

Qi Yuan had just finished two cups of tea when Song Han across from him woke up, shook his head while holding his neck, and said to Qi Yuan, "Give me a cup, I'll pour you one."

After drinking his tea, Song Han said to Qi Yuan, "Hand them over to our Tang Clan, and then reconsider?"

"No need to think about it, I won't give it to you." Qi Yuan poured himself another cup of tea, but this time it was for himself.

Song Han grabbed the kettle, poured himself a cup, and said, "I spent a fortune at the Wind and Sound Society and still couldn't find him. You probably can't either. But I do have a clue. Do you want to know?"

Just then, Luo Yifei pushed open the door and came in with Bi Li.

Luo Yifei happened to hear the word "clue" outside the door, so he asked, "What clue?" He was not surprised that the person opposite Qi Yuan, who had just been facing him with swords, was now raising a glass to drink with Qi Yuan.

When Song Han saw Luo Yifei, he shut his mouth and stopped talking, leaning back in his chair.

Bili closed the door behind him, pulled up a chair and sat down, gesturing for Luo Yifei to sit down as well.

Luo Yifei sat down and looked at Song Han opposite Qi Yuan. Song Han was looking at Qi Yuan, as was Bi Li.

"Tell me, what do you need for me to reveal the clues?" Qi Yuan said to Song Han.

"How about this, let's compromise and have this guy come with me to the Tang Clan," Song Han said, pointing at Luo Yifei.

Upon hearing Song Han's words, Luo Yifei withdrew his gaze from him and turned to look at Qi Yuan.

"This is Song Han, a swordsman from the Tang Clan. He obtained clues about the people you're looking for from the Wind Whisper Society. Whether you want to go to the Tang Clan or not is up to you," Qi Yuan said to Luo Yifei.

“Okay,” Luo Yifei said to Song Han.

"Of the names you gave me from the Wind Whisper Society—Shen Lixi, Zhao Zhi, Zhang Mei, and Sun Li—we only have leads on Zhao Zhi so far. A porter was seen in Meng Guo, and he matches the portrait you provided. Here's his address in Meng Guo." Song Han finished speaking and handed over a slip of paper.

Luo Yifei took the note and asked, "When do I need to go to the Tang Sect with you?"

“No rush, you can go once a year. Our sect leader wants to see you, but it’s not absolutely necessary,” Song Han replied.

After saying that, Song Han stood up and said, "Alright, nothing else, everyone go to sleep early, I'm leaving now."

Luo Yifei and the other two watched as Song Han opened the door and walked out, as if the previous battle had never happened.

Qi Yuan didn't turn to look at Song Han as he walked out. Instead, after Song Han closed the door, he said to Bi Li and Luo Yifei, "The secret letter I read to you on the ship was sent by Ji Mi through the Wind Whistle Society. This means our location has been exposed. But that doesn't matter. We're already on An Island. The powerful figures I've offended won't come to An Island to cause trouble. I'm more worried about you, Luo Yifei."