Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

After a moment's thought.

Ye Ci leaped onto the wall and followed the Shen family's carriage all the way.

In the secluded alley, using the Moon Chasing Steps, the speed was extremely fast.

In no time, they found a courtyard with blue bricks and gray tiles.

A wooden plaque hangs at the entrance of the courtyard, bearing the three characters "Wenyuantang" in regular script. On either side are an elegant couplet, and the faint sound of reading can be heard from inside.

In the courtyard, several young Confucian scholars were chatting under a tree.

The carriage stopped at the entrance of "Wenyuantang". Shen Yixi then lifted her skirt, stepped out of the carriage, and entered the house inside.

After about half an incense stick's time, a scholar in a blue robe escorted Shen Yixi out, and the two bowed to each other at the door.

Afterwards, Shen Yixi boarded the carriage and left.

Ye Ci looked around and decided to go straight to the door, so he climbed down the wall and entered through the main gate.

This move could be described as stirring up trouble or as sending a warning shot.

The voices of three Confucian scholars talking under the tree reached my ears.

"The Tiger, Leopard, and Wolf tribes suffered heavy losses this time, ultimately forcing the use of Marquis Shenwu's troops. The Censorate severely impeached Marquis Jianwu, accusing him of nepotism, which deserved the repeated defeats. If the Holy Martial Army had been in the southern border back then, how could the Great Qian have been in such a passive position..."

When Ye Ci was exiled, the Shengwu Army was already gone; it was the predecessor of the Jianwu Army.

"..."

"This southern region is already uninhabited territory for the barbarians. In my opinion, we should mobilize the entire nation's resources to achieve victory in one battle."

"Brother, you are mistaken. We should prioritize appeasement," said a man with a white face and a square scarf. "Exhausting the nation through war is the path to its destruction. Instead of depleting the national treasury, we should send envoys to establish friendly relations and, with the support of education, ensure lasting peace and stability."

"Currently, border defense is depleting our supplies, weakening our nation, causing hardship for the people, and leading to widespread rebellions. This situation will inevitably become unsustainable!"

"..."

Ye Ci had no interest in listening to their theoretical discussions. He glanced at the three of them indifferently and walked straight past them without stopping.

Who are you?

A scholar dressed in a dark blue robe called out to him.

Ye Ci stopped in her tracks, and instead of answering, asked, "Who's in charge here?"

"In charge?"

A tall, upright scholar stepped forward, his face showing disdain: "This is a place for scholars to discuss principles, where everyone is in charge. Do you think this is a gang's headquarters?"

Clang!

Ye Ci drew his knife, its cold light flashing.

The scholar shrank back, took two steps, and shouted, "You uncouth brute, all you do is fight! You are an insult to scholarship! We scholars discuss the ways of the sages, and you, brandishing swords and spears, are you worthy to set foot here?"

"I see you're just a country bumpkin who's never seen the refined atmosphere of a scholar's quarters, that's why you dare to be so presumptuous! Even a marquis in the imperial court would show us some respect..."

Before he finished speaking, Ye Ci had already moved, so fast that only a blur remained, the blade whistling softly.

The scholar froze in fright, feeling a blinding glint of cold light and a slight chill on his neck.

The blade stopped just an inch from his throat. The scholar's legs went weak, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud, his face ashen.

Ye Ci looked down at him, her tone calm:

"Now, tell me, who's in charge?"

Hearing the commotion, dozens of people ran out of the house, including several young men and a dozen children, all dressed in patched hemp clothes. They stood under the eaves, their faces filled with panic.

"Junior Brother Ye!"

Unexpectedly, someone saw Ye Ci, lifted his robe, and rushed over.

Ye Ci was taken aback and recognized that the person in front of him was actually Meng Zhaoting.

"Senior Brother Meng, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, now that I'm not practicing martial arts, I've simply settled down and come here occasionally to chat with everyone. It's quite enjoyable."

As they were talking, a middle-aged man in a blue robe stepped forward and bowed, asking, "May I ask what brings you here, martial arts master?"

Ye Ci sized up the man; he was the scholar who had escorted Shen Yixi out earlier.

Meng Zhaoting introduced, "Wei Ting is a learned man..."

Before he could finish speaking, the middle-aged man bowed again: "My name is Wei Ting. I have failed the imperial examinations many times and can only teach here. I cannot be considered learned."

After saying that, he bowed again: "I just heard that you were looking for someone to take charge of this private school. I am indeed in charge of it, but I don't know why I offended the martial arts master..."

"Have you ever seen a short, stocky man wearing a long blue robe with sleeves about this long...?"

Ye Ci gestured.

Regardless of whether this private school was related to that person or not, he had already achieved his goal of making an example of someone.

After he finished speaking, the group shook their heads blankly.

Suddenly, a child said, "Mr. Wei, a short, stocky man used the outhouse before, but he's gone now."

"Gone?" Ye Ci pondered for a moment, then asked, "When did you leave?"

The child answered honestly, "I saw the gentleman standing at the door when he saw the guest off, but as soon as I turned around, he disappeared."

Could they be kidnappers who want to harm Miss Shen?

Ye Ci mentally deduced the situation.

Just now in the arena, the short, stocky man was probably watching Shen Yixi, and only followed her after he noticed she had left.

Ye Ci only followed after seeing the short, stocky man leave.

Although I don't know when Shen Yixi and Shen Xin left, I can deduce from their walking speed that Shen Yixi left a little while earlier than me.

In other words, this is highly likely.

With this assessment, Ye Ci's subsequent pursuit became much simpler.

I had heard the two of them mention that they wanted to look at clothes. The Shen family owns a silk shop, and as a prominent family in the county, their shops are located in the city center.

This area is more bustling and can be considered an affluent neighborhood.

Just head towards the most bustling streets in the city and find the Shen family's carriage.

He walked through several streets, where the atmosphere grew increasingly lively. On both sides were rows of shops, their signs swaying gently in the breeze, red and blue, making the whole street come alive.

The streets were bustling with people, mostly well-dressed young men and women, as well as many small vendors carrying loads and hawking their wares along the street.

Most of the vehicles coming and going were elegantly decorated horse-drawn carriages. The wheels rolled over the bluestone slabs, making a "gurgling" sound. The drivers held the reins tightly and carefully avoided pedestrians.

Ye Ci suddenly saw the Shen family's carriage, which was parked in front of a cosmetics shop. Inside, several women were gathered together, selecting cosmetics, and their clear laughter drifted over.

Then, he found the short, stocky man, who was leaning against the wall of the alleyway with his arms crossed.

Ye Ci pulled down his straw hat. His attire was completely out of place on this street, as was the short, stocky man.

At the same time, the short, stocky man suddenly looked up and gazed in Ye Ci's direction.

Their eyes met.

The man was clearly startled for a moment, then slowly lowered his arms.

"So you do recognize me!" Ye Ci thought to himself.

At the same time, Ye Ci sensed that something was amiss.

If they were kidnappers, the perfect opportunity to make their move would have been at Wenyuan Hall.

The place was secluded and deserted, and inside were a group of scholars who couldn't even kill a chicken, so the two young ladies didn't bring any guards.

Why didn't he take action?