Infinite Mask Game.

Chapter 354 Stalking
Xie Jingming was full of confidence. He believed that with his eldest brother's martial prowess and experience, his second brother's intelligence and wisdom, and his own bravery, there was no mountain in the world that they couldn't overcome.

There is a saying: "When brothers are of one mind, their strength can break metal."

Unfortunately, these three were not of one mind.

Xie Yinyao simply said, "Go and take a look at the southwest corner. The epidemic started from the southwest corner, and so did the epidemic in Fu'an."

There were poor people everywhere, and ordinary people everywhere.

Xie Jingming had a wild idea: "Could it be that the man wants to start a peasant uprising?"

Although they are the easiest group to incite, why let the rebels get sick first?

Xie Yinyao smiled and shook his head, remaining silent.

Xie Jingming then asked his elder brother, "What exactly happened that night? I heard that all seven sects with names and surnames showed up. It must have been a huge battle, right?"

Xie Zhaohui: "On the contrary, both sides were very restrained."

He paused for a moment: "However, it is rumored in the martial arts world that the Grand Master of the Secret Ritual has not long since broken through to the Seven Sects, but Pei Wenwei's performance in that bloody battle that night definitely surprised most people."

Xie Jingming inquired curiously, "I heard he's very strong?"

Xie Zhaohui said cautiously, "Very strong, unbelievably strong."

Xie Jingming's eyes widened slightly, as if he had seen a ghost: "Stronger than you?"

Xie Zhaohui: "I don't understand illusion magic, but I do understand swordsmanship. I didn't understand that strike, so I couldn't use it."

He either understood or he didn't. He was proficient in all kinds of martial arts and had exhausted all his martial arts experience, yet he couldn't understand that one strike.

If he could face that knife head-on, perhaps he would understand.

"You actually admit that a villain is better than you?" Xie Jingming said indignantly. "A scourge lives on for a thousand years."

Xie Yinyao didn't say anything, but put some food into his bowl: "Eat your food."

Xie Jingming paused for a moment, then said again, "Sigh, Second Brother, can't you really resign from your post? There are so many rules and regulations to follow. When it comes to saving people, you might have to ask your superiors for permission."

The other two did not respond.

"On my way to the capital, I made several friends. One of them is a girl named Lu Sha. Her adoptive father had a blood feud with an official of the imperial court and killed him. It was clearly a matter of personal vendetta in the martial arts world, which they could have settled themselves, but the imperial court insisted on interfering."

Xie Yinyao remained silent. If court officials could die so easily in vendettas, the dynasty was not far from its demise.

"Gu Fuhui, the director of the Imperial Observatory, killed her adoptive father. Fortunately, Lu Sha was highly skilled and managed to escape from the jaws of death."

Even Xie Zhaohui glanced at him sideways.

"My other two friends, Zhou Fan and Cao Hai, were also persecuted by the imperial court."

Xie Yinyao said, "Why don't you let us meet your friends? If we meet in the future, we can look after each other."

"You're right!" Xie Jingming clapped his hands and got up to go upstairs.

Just then, a flurry of footsteps came downstairs.

Zhou Fan, Lu Sha, and Cao Hai appeared together, all dressed neatly.

Cao Hai's face was a little pale. As he walked down the stairs, he suddenly slipped on the last four steps.

He suddenly lost his balance, and due to the excessive strain on his body yesterday, he was unable to regain his footing for a moment.

Fortunately, Zhou Fan reacted quickly and pulled him back.

Upon seeing this, the two Xie brothers were quite surprised.

This is the first time I've ever seen a martial artist almost tumble down the stairs.

"Hey, you're here! I was just about to look for you." Xie Jingming stepped forward and warmly introduced his brother to his companions.

The group politely greeted the two men and sat down at the shared table.

The waiter, quick to notice, came over and asked with a smile what he would like to add.

The group ordered a bowl of congee and side dishes, chatting and laughing. Cao Hai picked up a leaf of vegetable, and as he took a bite, he felt some juice splash onto his lips.

My tongue touched a soft, wriggling little thing.

He pulled out the vegetable leaves and his face turned green.

There was half a dead caterpillar under the vegetable leaf, and the other half was in his mouth.

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey..." Cao Hai got goosebumps all over his body and quickly spat out the "protein" in his mouth.

Xie Jingming noticed the strange expressions on his two brothers' faces, coughed softly, and explained, "There's nothing I can do, he's just having a bad day."

After exchanging a few words with Zhou Fan and the others, the Xie brothers did not linger.

They were able to sit together entirely thanks to Xie Jingming's introduction. During their conversation, it became clear that each of them harbored their own secrets and avoided discussing their family's lineage and martial arts techniques.

Cultivation techniques and statues of deities are considered the privacy of martial artists, and even acquaintances would not easily inquire about them.

Regarding the recent major events in the capital, the group remained cautious in their words and actions.

Therefore, they left hastily.

Outside the inn, Xie Yinyao and Xie Zhaohui did not immediately part ways, but walked side by side for a while.

“There are informants from the Imperial Secret Service inside the inn, though I don’t know who they are, perhaps it’s that servant,” Xie Zhaohui said. “That’s why you didn’t dare say anything while you were in the inn. You’ve already left the inn.”

Xie Yinyao met his gaze, knowing that he still held expectations for him.

He hoped that he had no choice but to conceal the information.

However, he really had nothing to say.

Why don't you believe it?

Xie Yinyao maintained his friendly smile: "Whether I'm at the inn or not, my answer is always the same, it never has been."

Xie Zhaohui said coldly, "Turning back is the right path."

"You all think I'm in the sea while you stand on the shore. But from other people's perspective, isn't that the same way?" Xie Yinyao said, then turned and left.

They each have their own reasons and their own obsessions. Since that's the case, why can't they each live in peace?
They were all officials, so why get hung up on a single dynasty? At least in his view, under Lu Shaoqing's rule, the court officials could still serve the people.

In the martial arts world, one person's influence is too limited.

Xie Zhaohui stood there, watching his departing figure.

A premonition lingered in my mind. At this moment, they were truly going their separate ways.

The waiter, having a moment of free time, got up to go into the back room when he saw a large gray rat scurrying through the hall.

He glanced at it again, his expression suddenly becoming somewhat dazed, yet he couldn't sense that anything had happened to him.

Behind Yichun Hall, Wei Miao and Wu Fushu sat on either side of the tea table.

She couldn't call the god by his name directly, so the Five Lucky Rats gave him a title: "Rat Lord".

Wei Miao prefers to call him "Shopkeeper Rat".

The Five Lucky Rat had no choice; it couldn't force Wei Miao to comply.

Wei Miao asked, "Was that big rat that passed by the inn? I saw it hiding in the corner for a long time."

She made a casual trick, but she didn't expect the Five Lucky Rats to react so strongly.

"Are you that waiter?" Five Fortune Rat took a deep drag on his pipe, slightly startled.

But He could see the corruption in Lin's character through his fortune.

He knew Wei Miao had similar tricks; he had greeted her directly when they first met. But he couldn't see through the trick.

"Such a well-concealed form of pollution." Five Lucky Rats thought for a moment, "If she really came from outside the realm, it makes sense. Pei Wenwei's martial arts style wasn't this strange before, so he was probably possessed and there's nothing unusual about it."