The Return of Stars to the Jianghu

When I woke up the next day, the rain outside the window hadn't stopped, it had just lessened a bit.

When Luo Yifei got up, Qi Yuan had already finished washing up.

"Hurry up and get ready. We're going to the Wind Whisper Association later," Qi Yuan said to Luo Yifei, who had just gotten up, and Bi Li, who was washing up.

"Don't we need to wear raincoats?" Luo Yifei asked Qi Yuan and Bi Li after getting ready.

"You mean straw raincoats and bamboo hats?" Bili asked, and after seeing Luo Yifei nod, he said, "They should be available for sale on the road. We'll walk down the arcade, so we won't get wet. Don't worry."

The three of them left the inn room together, and Qi Yuan asked the waiter to cancel the room.

"Won't the three of you have breakfast before you leave?" the waiter asked.

Qi Yuan shook his head, and then the three of them walked to the entrance of the inn. The corridor under the arcade kept them from getting wet in the rain.

Although the rain had lessened considerably, rain still occasionally blew onto the three of them from the wind.

Before long, the three of them arrived at a breakfast shop, which had a wide variety of dishes.

The breakfast shop and the surrounding buildings are connected; in fact, most of the buildings here are connected and are made of stone, featuring a unique local architectural style.

Entering the breakfast shop, Qi Yuan ordered a plate of steamed rice dumplings.

"簸箕炊, what is that?" Luo Yifei asked, puzzled.

“It’s a kind of rice cake, it’s delicious. Haven’t you tried it? Would you like to try some?” Bili replied to Luo Yifei. “Waiter, give me one too.”

"Then I'll have one too." Luo Yifei also ordered one.

Bili ordered radish cake again, Qi Yuan ordered oysters, and Luo Yifei also ordered shrimp cakes without hesitation. After the three of them finished ordering breakfast, Qi Yuan walked to the counter and asked, "Are there any seats left on the third floor?"

The accountant at the counter looked the three of them over and said, "There are still seats available. Please follow me."

The three were then led to a private room on the third floor.

Before long, breakfast was served. The portion was generous. The steamed rice cake was made by grinding rice into a paste and then steaming it. It had a smooth texture and was topped with a secret sauce. It was Luo Yifei's first time eating this kind of food, and he found it very delicious.

Qi Yuan ate his oysters and then invited Bi Li and Luo Yifei to join him. Soon, the three of them finished their breakfast completely.

Qi Yuan walked out of the private room and said to the waiter waiting outside, "We're finished eating, let's leave."

Luo Yifei was about to leave after finishing his meal when Qi Yuan, who had turned back, stopped him.

"Aren't we going to the Wind and Sound Association after breakfast? What? Aren't you coming?" Luo Yifei asked, puzzled.

"We're already here, just wait," Qi Yuan replied to Luo Yifei.

A moment later, an old man entered and closed the door behind him. He bowed to the three men and said, "Gentlemen, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. May I ask where you need information from?"

"Free City," Qi Yuan said to the old man.

"Civilian or military?" the old man continued to sniff.

"We need both: the current situation of the people, and the strength and weakness of the city's defenses," Qi Yuan said.

"Okay, do you need any other information?" the old man continued to ask.

"May I ask about the Tang Clan leader?" Luo Yifei asked Qi Yuan.

"Regarding rumors about people, we categorize them into four levels: A, B, C, and D. I wonder which level you require?" the old man asked Luo Yifei.

“We can’t afford Grade A, and Grade D is useless to us. If you want to know more, choose Grade B; if you want to know less, choose Grade C. You see,” Qi Yuan said to Luo Yifei.

"Grade C, I guess." Luo Yifei naturally understood from Qi Yuan's words that the higher the grade, the more expensive it was. He had already spent money from Bi Li and Ji Mi's families along the way, so he was embarrassed to spend any more money.

The old man nodded and asked Bili, "And you? What information do you need?"

Bili shook his head. Then he looked at Qi Yuan, his eyes asking if Qi Yuan wanted to ask about the enemy.

"Please also send a message to the Cao family, saying that Qi Yuan will be going to Yangcheng to find them soon," Qi Yuan said to the old man.

A moment later, the three of them, carrying the envelope given to them by the old man, continued their journey northward.

……

Let's go back to four years ago, to a certain place in Country C on Earth.

In an office, Zhang, the team leader of the joint operations group, looked tired, but his expression remained resolute. Twenty years of research progress couldn't compare to what had happened in the past three days.

The first day brought news of the Phoenix Team's battle with the Ghost. The second day, Phoenix Team member Ye Yu was killed by the so-called Ghost. The third day, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received an invitation from Country B on the Atlantic coast, so he immediately sent Captain Feng with his men to Country B.

"Captain Zhang, General Ma has sent men over," Chen Xiong, a member of the action team, said to Captain Zhang.

"Let him in." For two consecutive nights, people kept coming to give reports, and Captain Zhang tried to connect these pieces of information.

"Captain Zhang." The soldier saluted. "The situation is urgent, and I'm visiting late at night. I hope you understand, Captain Zhang."

"Speak, what news is it?"

"The exact location of the time tunnel that appeared on the deep seabed of the South China Sea has been determined, and the tunnel is currently in very stable condition."

"This is good news!" Captain Zhang said with a delighted expression.

"Team Leader Zhang, there's one more piece of news," the soldier continued.

"Okay, please continue." Captain Zhang wasn't overly excited; he knew there was still a lot to do.

"Satellite photos in the Pacific Ocean show a fishing boat that looks very much like a treasure ship from the Ming Dynasty in China. According to multiple verifications, a time tunnel and a fishing boat have also appeared in Bermuda, and they were intercepted by people from Country A. According to the investigation, the people on board were severely tortured. The 36 people that Country A brought back from Country B were also subjected to the same interrogation. Because they all spoke Chinese, the people from Country A suspect that we are behind this."

"Hmm, is there anything else?"

"Marine creatures from Planet Z have been coming to the seabed of the South China Sea. Those creatures that also exist on Earth are released after the Animal Protection Bureau tests them and finds them harmless. Those creatures that don't exist on Earth are sent to aquariums. These creatures are all small, but yesterday a whale came through the tunnel. The Animal Protection Bureau is worried that more creatures will come. We hope that Captain Zhang can convene a joint meeting to develop a solution to this problem."

"Okay." Team Leader Zhang nodded.