That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

Thinking about this, Jiang Jingming became even more certain that he could find many of the answers he was looking for at Tingpu Villa.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Just as I was about to force myself to take a nap, I heard a thunderclap from afar.

Then came the patter of rain; the long-awaited spring rain had finally fallen.

Jiang Jingming tucked Wujiu behind his head and listened quietly to the sound of rain hitting the eaves.

The young lady wanted to see the misty, windy city, and he actually wanted to see it too.

In places like Mangya, it's rare to see rain all year round.

Even when it rains, there's no poetic or picturesque feeling of misty rain; only a hazy yellow sky mixed with the smell of damp dust.

Even so, he still wanted to go back to Mangya.

The farther I go, the more I miss it.

The outside world is bustling, but it always keeps me awake.

Zhige City is also a place with little rain, but the snow on the mountains in winter does not melt for a long time, making it so cold that it makes people feel lonely.

Fortunately, he has always been a person who can tolerate loneliness very well.

If he has never experienced what it feels like to not be lonely.

In the early mornings of Mangya, there is the noise of people making candy, dates, and buns. When he goes out, Aqing will quietly put an outer robe on him.

He Quan was advising Gu Tinghan not to be too strict when teaching him swordsmanship. Madam Song was holding a pot of flowers and said she wanted to send it to Jiang Wuwang's tomb. Master Han was glaring at him because he had skipped class again yesterday. Uncle Du slyly handed him a box of expensive pastries that Shen Zhuo had just brought back.

Jiang Jingming closed his eyes, and at that moment he suddenly felt a deep longing for all of them.

At this moment, I thought of the poem that Lady Song sang softly. The myriad thoughts hidden in the poem could only be truly understood when one was there in person.

Amidst the vast expanse of layered clouds and the twilight snow covering a thousand mountains, to whom does this solitary figure turn?

Jiang Jingming was lost in thought when sleepiness gradually crept over him.

The rain outside the window was getting heavier and heavier, and the sound of rain hitting the tiles on the eaves was continuous.

There was a rustling sound, like frogs and insects moving among the grass.

"..."

Jiang Jingming suddenly opened his eyes.

No, there are other sounds.

It's footsteps.

The thick-soled official boots moved with practiced, orderly steps through the water.

"Open the door!"

As if in response to his guess, a loud banging on the wooden door soon came from outside.

Jiang Jingming quickly got out of bed and nudged Lu Zhao, who was still snoring beside him.

Lu Zhao groggily opened his eyes, and just as he was about to ask what was wrong, he heard Old Zhou and his aunt, who were sleeping in the woodshed, come out.

"They're here! What are they doing so late at night? Are they here to kill us?"

The old woman complained as she hurried towards the door, getting soaked in the rain.

"This rain is really killing me."

She waded through the puddles in the yard toward the door.

Jiang Jingming and Lu Zhao exchanged a glance, immediately drew their swords, lowered their feet, and peered out through the crack in the door.

As soon as the wooden planks at the entrance were removed, a large group of people rushed in, each carrying an oilcloth torch. Despite the relentless rain, the small courtyard was illuminated exceptionally brightly.

"The Divine Capital Guard!"

Lu Zhao suppressed his voice and gasped.

"The Imperial Guards are investigating the case. Have they seen any suspicious individuals tonight?"

The leader of the Divine Capital Guards stood upright with his sword drawn, his gaze sharp as knives, which frightened the old woman so much that she retreated to a corner helplessly.

Old Zhou coughed and came out of the woodshed.

He held up a tattered oil-paper umbrella to shield her from the rain and also from her cold inquiries.

"My lords, my wife and I have been at home all night and have not seen anyone suspicious."

"I'll ask you one more time, do you have it?"

The sword in the hands of the Divine Capital Guard was drawn half an inch from its sheath, and raindrops hit the blade, splashing water.

"My lord! There really isn't any."

Old Zhou shook his head, insisting on his claim.

He could vaguely guess that the young people who stayed overnight were all from extraordinary backgrounds, but they were his saviors, and he could not betray them even if it cost him his life.

"it is good."

The guards glanced at him coldly and pointed to the locked door of the main room.

"You guys are something else. You have a house to sleep in, but you insist on sleeping in the woodshed? Open the door."

"..."

As soon as Lao Zhou showed a hesitant expression, the Divine Capital Guard sneered.

His men immediately rushed forward and kicked open the already rickety wooden door.

The old woman pushed aside Old Zhou's umbrella and stumbled after them.

She vaguely sensed that the group of people in official robes had ill intentions and knew who they were after, but she was powerless to stop them.

The old woman mustered all her strength, ready to shout for them to escape, but in the instant the door collapsed, she and the guards saw the same scene.

The main room was empty except for a dining table placed in the center. The bedding in the inner room was perfectly smooth, with the blankets folded neatly, and there was not a trace of anyone having been there.

Chapter Ninety-Three: The Traitor

Thunder rumbles as the insects awaken, and rain falls like a curtain.

A flash of lightning illuminated the scene, making it as bright as day.

Jiang Jingming quietly squatted on a tree, watching as the Shen Du Guards, having searched the Zhou family's courtyard thoroughly, still found nothing.

Old Zhou and his wife had no choice but to follow behind them meekly, fearing that the officials might suddenly cause trouble.

After the third round of thunder, the Divine Capital Guards finally retreated in formation.

Old Zhou closed the door again, then stood in the rain for a while and looked around before slowly making his way back into the house.

Jiang Jingming felt relieved and looked away.

The reason he didn't go far but stayed here to wait was because he wanted to keep an eye on the actions of the Divine Capital Guard.

If they refuse to give up and try to harm Lao Zhou and his group, he will immediately abandon his escape plan and take action right here.

Although they had only just met, neither Lao Zhou nor the old lady betrayed them.

That alone was enough to make him abandon a more comprehensive plan in exchange for theirs.

The others clearly agreed with his decision, although they didn't exchange any words after slipping away through the back window.

Lu Zhao's face paled slightly in the flashes of lightning. He lowered his head and whispered:

"Fortunately."

Perhaps they were relieved that their colleagues still had some principles and did not use torture to extract confessions from innocent civilians.

"What a joke! If they actually dared to lay a hand on them, I'd chop off their heads and use them as table legs!"

Xie Yunqi also had a cold face and said in a deep voice:

"The Divine Capital Guard takes it upon themselves to uphold justice and protect the common people. Yet they act so arrogantly and domineeringly that anyone who doesn't know better would think we are the demons and monsters of the evil cult!"

On the other side, Fang Zhiyi had somehow managed to pluck a huge banana leaf and was using it to shield herself from the rain.

She still looked a little sleepy and had been silently following the group's actions without saying a word.

Aqing stood with her head bowed in the rain, her blue dress soaked through, like a simple and elegant painting of a lady.

"Jingming! What do we do now?"

Xie Yunqi looked up at Jiang Jingming in the tree:

"You're standing so high, be careful you don't get struck by lightning!"

She actually wanted to climb the tree, but her lightness skill wasn't good enough, and she was afraid of slipping and falling.

That would be very embarrassing.

"Let's wait for them to leave. The Divine Capital Guards haven't withdrawn yet, and they'll probably kick open every house in Xinghua Village tonight."

Jiang Jingming lowered his head, brushed the rainwater off his face, and his wet bangs fell in front of his eyes, slightly obscuring his vision.

The Shen Du Guard left people to keep watch near Old Zhou's house, so he probably won't be able to let them know he's safe before he leaves.

"With such heavy rain, it seems we can't travel along the mountain road. To get to Cuiwei Mountain, we'll have to go through Xinghua Village."

Fang Zhiyi waved the banana leaf in her hand and winked at Jiang Jingming, as if inviting him to come in and hide away for a while.

"Need not."

Jiang Jingming shook his head and looked at Lu Zhao.

"Brother Lu Zhao, what is the usual investigation procedure of the Divine Capital Guard in cases like this?"

“Normally, they would leave someone to guard the village entrance. Several team leaders would split up and lead teams to check all the villagers, and then regroup at the village entrance.”

Lu Zhao pondered for a long time, then shook his head and continued:

“We are indeed in a dilemma. We definitely can’t go into the mountains; with such heavy rain, if we encounter a landslide, we’re finished. But we can’t go into the village either; once someone discovers us, they can launch a lightning bolt and we won’t be able to escape.”

"The question is, how did they know we were in Xinghua Village?"

Detective Xie Yunqi cautiously stroked his chin, feeling that he had grasped the key to the problem.

Finally, her eyes sharpened, and she clapped her hands and shouted:

"Hey, you're not a traitor, are you?! You seem to have defected to the enemy, but you've actually been secretly leaving them intelligence all along!!!"

Xie Yunqi pointed at Lu Zhao with an air of certainty that he had seen through the truth.

"Young Miss, I beg you, let me go! We've never disguised ourselves on our way into the village; we've been more aboveboard than the Imperial Guards. Isn't it normal for them to catch us red-handed?"

Lu Zhao wiped the mud off his face in a disheveled state, completely losing the strength to argue.

He was in such a hurry when he ran away from Old Zhou's house that he slipped and fell flat on his face. He didn't utter a sound and ran all the way here.

Now he's covered in mud and has lost all the air of a chivalrous hero.

But the fellow in the tree, dressed in white and carrying a black sword, stood in the rain, looking just like a lone, peerless young swordsman.

"Besides, why are you only suspecting me? So, good-looking people can't be traitors, huh?"

Lu Zhao angrily waved his arms and loudly defended himself:

"Doesn't Ah Qing seem like a cold-blooded spy? Couldn't Miss Fang be a smiling tiger with a black heart, a double agent?!"

The two people he named seemed not to hear him and remained silent.

The other pretended to have been exposed, looking around, but still smiled nonchalantly.

"Keep your voice down."

Jiang Jingming leaped down from the tree and pointed into the distance:

“From where I was standing, I could see the movement of the torches of the Divine Capital Guard. They did indeed split into several groups and searched house to house. Our only way out now is probably to follow them.”

"Following?"

Lu Zhao was taken aback.

During my years of service in the Divine Capital Guard, I have never heard of any criminal daring to follow me. Generally speaking, they would run as far away as mice would when they see a cat.

Therefore, his colleagues must think so too.