Devour: Can you also draw entries from clone projection worlds?

Six months later, Wei Wen had become quite familiar with Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling. The two boys had basically come to regard him as their older brother and would confide in him about their worries.

Kou Zhong said he would become a great general and be ennobled as a marquis and prime minister, while Xu Ziling said he would find a sparsely populated place to live in seclusion, farm, and read books.

Wei Wen just smiled and didn't say anything. Perhaps... only he knew how turbulent the future of these two boys would be, and... sometimes they really had no choice in their own lives, and fate played tricks on them.

"Brother Wei, why don't you leave?" Kou Zhong suddenly asked him one day.

"Go? Where to?"

"Yangzhou is so chaotic, aren't you afraid to stay here?"

Wei Wen thought for a moment and said, "I'm waiting for someone."

"Waiting for whom?"

"Wait until those two little rascals grow up."

Kou Zhong paused for a moment, then laughed. He thought he understood, but actually… he still didn't understand Wei Wen's meaning.

[The Legend of the Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty has been running for a full year. Entry extraction in progress... Congratulations, host, for extracting the white entry "The Heart of a Prodigal Son".]

Effect of this entry: Makes it easier to gain favor with others in interactions and increases the success rate of gathering information.

Looking at this entry, Wei Wen felt very calm. A white entry is fine, he was in a really good state of mind.

In the main world of Swallowing the Stars, everything was normal for Xu Xin. Atkin's people were still keeping an eye on things, but there was no further action.

To put it simply, it could take half a day, a day, or even two or three days.

The following spring, a heavy rain fell in Yangzhou.

Wei Wen sat by the window on the second floor of the inn, watching the street flooded and rainwater pouring down from the eaves, splashing into a white mist on the bluestone slabs.

The streets were sparsely populated, with only a few figures carrying oil-paper umbrellas hurrying by, splashing water everywhere.

He has been in this world for over a year. During this time, besides cultivating to recover his strength, the thing he has done most is "wait".

As Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling grow up, as the plot unfolds, he will wait for the opportunities he desires to come to him.

He can't rush things, and he really shouldn't. He can't compete with them for now; there's no way he can win in this situation.

The world of martial arts in The Legend of the Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty is too complex, with far too many people stronger than him.

Whether it's the three grandmasters, the eight masters of the Demonic Sect, the head of Cihang Jingzhai, or the abbot of Jingnian Zen Temple, each of them is someone who can easily defeat him.

So he chose the safest approach: to be an observer, not to participate or interfere, but only to give a push at crucial moments. Of course, all of this was temporary.

Suddenly a commotion came from downstairs. Wei Wen looked down and saw two teenagers running through the rain and rushing into the inn's porch one after the other.

The one in front was tall and imposing, while the one behind was refined and elegant.

The two were soaked to the bone, their clothes clinging to their bodies, their hair dripping wet, looking like two drowned rats.

"Manager, two rooms, please!" Kou Zhong slapped a few pieces of silver on the counter, his voice loud and clear.

The innkeeper glanced at them, then at the silver, and put on a smile: "Yes, yes, yes, gentlemen, please come upstairs."

Wei Wen didn't say anything, but just watched the waiter lead the two boys upstairs and pass by his room.

As Kou Zhong walked past, he suddenly stopped and glanced at Wei Wen's room. The door was closed, and he couldn't see anything.

He frowned, seemingly hesitant about whether to knock on the door, but was eventually pulled away by Xu Ziling.

Wei Wen stood behind the door, his "breath control" skill fully activated, his heartbeat steady and his breathing even.

However, he was truly increasingly surprised. Kou Zhong's intuition was becoming more and more acute; if he didn't pay close attention, he feared he would be discovered in an instant.

That night, the rain stopped.

Wei Wen pushed open the window, and the night wind blew in, carrying the earthy and grassy smell.

The window in the next room was also open, and the voices of two boys could be faintly heard coming from inside.

"Young Master Zhong, do you think that Doctor Wei is being too nice to us?" Xu Ziling's voice was clear and gentle.

"What's so good about it? It's just a few taels of silver and a few meals, isn't it?" Kou Zhong said casually.

"That's not all. He taught us to read, told us about the ways of the martial arts world, and even taught us how to distinguish medicinal herbs... And that's not all. Do you remember last winter? You had a high fever and were delirious. He braved the snow overnight to get you the medicine."

Kou Zhong was silent for a moment, then said something that surprised Wei Wen: "I know, that's why I believe him."

Wei Wen stood by the window, looking at the moon in the sky, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"It seems that my kindness to them during this period wasn't in vain, even though I had a little bit of ulterior motive..."

The next morning, Wei Wen went downstairs for breakfast. Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were already sitting in the lobby, each with a bowl of porridge, two fried dough sticks, and a plate of pickled vegetables in front of them.

Seeing Wei Wen come downstairs, Kou Zhong waved to him: "Brother Wei, over here!"

Wei Wen walked over and sat down opposite them. The waiter brought over porridge and fried dough sticks. Wei Wen picked up his chopsticks and ate slowly.

"Why are you at the inn? Aren't you staying in the west of the city?" Wei Wen asked.

Kou Zhong took a bite of a fried dough stick and mumbled, "Things haven't been peaceful in the west of the city lately; there are always people loitering around. We're people of status now; we can't keep living in this run-down place."

Xu Ziling whispered from the side, "Actually, someone was following us yesterday, and Young Master Zhong felt unsafe."

Wei Wen nodded without asking any further questions. Of course he knew who was following them. Who else could it be but Yuwen Huaji's men?

Shi Long is dead, and the Longevity Formula has disappeared. Yuwen Huaji casts a suspicious glance at everyone near Shi Long's dojo.

Although Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were just two petty thugs, the fact that they had appeared near the Shilong Dojo was enough.

"Brother Wei, what have you been busy with lately?" Xu Ziling asked.

"Nothing much, just seeing doctors and earning some money."

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling exchanged a glance and asked no further questions.

In the days that followed, the two boys left early and returned late every day.

Wei Wen didn't know what they were busy with, nor did he ask.

The innkeeper would occasionally chat with them, talking about what was happening outside: which rebel armies had won battles, which government troops had massacred villages, which city gates had been closed, and which places had seen grain prices rise.

Kou Zhong listened attentively, occasionally asking a few questions, while Xu Ziling sat quietly beside him, listening while lost in his own thoughts.

Wei Wen knew what they were doing; they were also waiting, waiting for an opportunity, an opportunity that could change their fate.

This opportunity will come very soon.

That evening, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling rushed back to the inn in a panic. Their clothes were disheveled and there were several bloodstains on their faces.

Wei Wen was drinking tea in the lobby when he saw their expressions. He put down his teacup and frowned.

"What's wrong?"

Kou Zhong pulled him to sit down in a corner and said in a low voice, "Brother Wei, we're leaving."

"Where to?"

"I don't know, but I can't stay in Yangzhou any longer."

Xu Ziling added from the side, "Yuwen Huaji's men have discovered us. They think the Longevity Formula is in our hands and want to capture us for questioning."