After midnight

"Yunqi, come with me." Song Hongtian seemed unusually calm.

"Tell me in detail what happened." Two minutes later, in an empty office, Song Hongtian said again.

"Song Yu, he..."

"It's not Song Yu's condition."

Song Hongtian interrupted him sharply. "Tell me in detail everything that happened from the time you discovered the traces of the Son of God to the time when Song Yu was injured and you retreated."

"Stupid!" Song Hongtian became furious after listening to Zhao Yunqi's story.

"When you found the abnormal traces and could infer that there were three people, you should have told me. You said you had your own considerations, and I can accept this reason, but later you received Yin's letter, why didn't you tell me? It was such a straightforward trap, but you actually stepped on it. Curiosity can kill people!"

"Okay! Even if you met with Yin, why didn't you report it to me afterwards? One week! Yunqi! One week! How much can we do? I can definitely send people to find out the truth, to obtain intelligence, to turn passivity into initiative. But you are completely being led by Yin! You abide by the rules, but does he? What credibility are you talking about? Even if it is because of the previous transactions and cooperation, but Yin is personally going to get something, and you actually talk about credibility! Do you trust him so much? You are so soft-hearted and stubborn, and you are holding on to some unfounded morality, which is simply stupid!"

"Second uncle, I admit it's my fault. I'm sorry." Zhao Yunqi bowed and apologized without raising his head.

After a while, Song Hongtian had to adjust his emotions and said, "It's good that you know it. Remember it this time and raise your head."

Zhao Yunqi raised his head.

"You said that before you left, An Yan was seriously injured and unconscious. But there was another person whose power you didn't know who suddenly burst out and also fainted?"

"Yes."

"What are that person's abilities?"

"fire."

Song Hongtian was lost in thought. Zhao Yunqi couldn't guess what he was thinking. After a while, he heard Song Hongtian say, "This matter is very strange. Go tell Shangguan Can and Zhang Dong to continue chasing. They can go and report to you if there is any situation. Remember, the focus this time is intelligence. If it is possible to catch An Yan, make sure to do it later. As for you, come back to Jiudu with me. I have planned a big event recently, which involves a lot of people. Go back and help me."

Zhao Yunqi thought for a moment and asked, "What about Song Yu..."

"Just let him stay here and reflect on himself. What a useless person!"

"Also, after we go back, we can no longer rely on 'Dark Night' to obtain intelligence. Yunqi, we have to build our own intelligence network as soon as possible. To deal with people like Yin, we must gain an information advantage."

"understood."

"Go out."

Zhao Yunqi turned around and went out, closing the door behind him, leaving Song Hongtian alone in the empty room to continue planning. Two days later, Zhao Yunqi followed Song Hongtian back to Jiudu.

"Brother, are you okay?" As soon as he opened the door, his sister Zhao Yunshuang came to meet him.

"It's okay. Why are you home at this time? Didn't you go to gardening class?"

"I heard from Xin'er that you and Song Hongtian came back together, so I waited for you at home. Brother, you haven't been home for a long time."

"Yeah, it's been almost a month. Wait, I'm going to take a shower first."

"Okay, then you take your time washing up, I'll go make you some food. What do you want to eat?"

"Just the simplest noodles will do." Zhao Yunqi shouted before entering the bathroom.

When he came out of the shower, Zhao Yunshuang had already put the meal on the table waiting for him. He took a bite and found that Yunshuang's cooking skills were still as good as ever.

"Brother, I heard that Song Yu was seriously injured. I hope Song Hongtian didn't blame you." Zhao Yunshuang was a little worried.

"No, I can't watch over his life for Song Yu. He was careless this time, and Song Hongtian has no reason to blame me."

"That's good." Zhao Yunshuang felt relieved and smiled sincerely. Zhao Yunqi secretly tightened his chopsticks.

"Yun Shuang, you look good."

"Brother is coming back, so of course I have to cheer up. Take care of yourself, and brother won't worry."

"I'm glad you understand." Zhao Yunqi also smiled unconsciously. Being at home is when he feels most comfortable.

"Yun Shuang, leave these dishes alone and let the servants do it. I'm going to take a nap in the bedroom. If you don't want to go out, you can have a good rest too."

"Okay, I know."

The next morning, Zhao Yunqi went to the Song Mansion to find Song Hongtian.

"Brother Yunqi."

"Ms. Xiner, is there anything I can help you with?" Song Xin was waiting for him on the path he had to pass.

"You can't call me Xin'er anymore, but you should add Miss. Brother Yunqi, you can't change this title."

Zhao Yunqi stood there and forced a smile, not knowing how to answer.

"It's nothing, I just want to tell you that my brother woke up last night." Song Xin continued.

"Thank you, this is good news. If nothing else, I'll go find my second uncle first."

"Oh, okay." Song Xin made way to let him pass smoothly.

"I just want to see you." After Zhao Yunqi walked away, Song Xin stared at his back and murmured, admiration unconcealable in her eyes.

In the Xindu Building, surrounded by stars, Lin Xuanfeng went straight to the 28th floor. It was still the same room, and Fang Hao was waiting for him.

Seeing Lin Xuanfeng coming in, Fang Hao said, "What's the matter? Can you let me postpone the meeting for half an hour to see you?"

"An Yan wrote me a letter saying that... he found the 'Guardian' and will not come to Xindu again in the near future."

"'Guardian'? Who is it? What are its abilities?"

"Su Ziling, the ability is fire that burns everything."

"Fire that burns everything... Water and fire are a perfect combination."

"Su Ziling." Fang Hao repeated the name again, "A name I have never heard of."

"But there is a name you must have heard of. Yin, Su Ziyin, the leader of the Dark Night. He is Su Ziling's biological brother."

"Really? That's really interesting." Fang Hao let out a hearty laugh.

"But this is very strange. What I didn't tell you is that he was the one who made An Yan make the mistake. Su Ziling grew up in a city called Shanghai in the New World. Later, for some reason, he came here inexplicably. An Yan chose not to come to the New Capital temporarily in order to send him back."

"Isn't this very clear?"

"What?" Lin Xuanfeng didn't understand what Fang Hao said.

Fang Hao continued, "Doesn't this explain the purpose of Yin appearing next to An Yan, which confused you at the beginning?"

"Of course I know this, but..." Lin Xuanfeng frowned.

"Okay, I know what you're thinking. If you want to know the truth, just go and ask Yin. I'll give you a chance to meet Yin in a few days. Something interesting must have happened over there these days. As for An Yan not coming to Xindu...you don't have to worry about it. He will come sooner or later. You just worry too much."

"I see. I will tell you the information and won't bother you any more."

"Wait." Fang Hao stopped Lin Xuanfeng who was about to leave. "Since you are here, you can also attend the meeting later. Do you know that the little girl of the Lin family is going to marry the boy of the Lu family?"

"know."

"This marriage will change the political landscape. Recently, the group represented by Song Hongtian has been making a lot of small moves. Something big may happen. We must prepare for it in advance so that we can better seize the opportunity."

"I understand. Do you need me to contact Lin Nuan?"

"Not for now, come on, follow me to the meeting."

Lin Xuanfeng opened the door and followed Fang Hao out.

After An Yan was ordered to rest for two days, they repacked and set out again. Most of the things in the backpack were gone, so Su Ziling and Yin carried the backpack. With no pursuers behind them, the road ahead was bright again. They walked slowly and leisurely, built a boat, and successfully reached the last island two days later.

"Yin, why do you specifically ask me to tell my brother about your relationship with Su Ziling?" An Yan asked after writing a letter to Lin Xuanfeng and boarding the last island.

"Why didn't you ask me before?" Yin raised his eyebrows.

"Didn't you tell me to take a good rest in the first two days?"

What An Yan said seemed to make sense, and Su Ziling smiled secretly. Yin was very surprised by this answer, but he obviously had no way to deal with An Yan. "Because it is more credible when you say it in your tone~ I am the biological brother of the 'Guardian', which is equivalent to being tied to you, and also to being tied to the revolutionary army. In this way, Lin Xuanfeng and Fang Hao will be more confident in me. In fact, Ye has already had contact with them these days. I can tell you that the intention of cooperation has been reached, but there are still some details to be discussed."

An Yan did not comment after listening to this, and Yin continued, "There is nothing wrong with choosing a side and standing firm in the tide of the times."

"Maybe." An Yan responded, seeming to confirm the answer.

"Su Ziling, it's time. I hope we can sign the contract now." An Yan turned to Su Ziling and said.

"Ah?" Su Ziling opened his mouth in surprise. "I'm fine. Are you okay?"

"Well, it's okay."

"Okay, come on. Brother, lend me the dagger." Su Ziling glanced at Yin.

Yin handed it over obediently, with undisguised curiosity in his eyes. Although he knew that the Son of God would establish a contract with the Guardian, he didn't know how the contract was generated or what its purpose was.

Su Ziling took it, holding the dagger in his left hand and facing his right palm. An Yan saw that his left hand was soaked with sweat and he was hesitant to do it, so he said, "Let me do it."

Su Ziling nodded and handed the dagger to An Yan. An Yan slashed his right hand fiercely, and blood immediately dripped down the seam of his hand. Seeing this, Su Ziling quickly stretched his hand forward a little. An Yan held the bloody blade to his right hand and made a small cut.

Su Ziling shuddered and felt a little pain.

Then, the two hands were tightly clasped together, the palms pressed together, and the bloodstains mixed together. The mixed bloodstains dripped down drop by drop, disappeared in the grass, and were absorbed by the earth.

Su Ziling closed his eyes and activated his ability together with An Yan. The senses in his palms were so sensitive that Su Ziling could even feel the light emitted from their clasped hands, and the ability that was moving around was trying to draw a pattern.

During the contract formation process, the leaves sparkled in the sunlight and swayed slowly in the breeze. In this world, Su Ziling was extremely pious. Just like worshiping the creator of nature, he devoutly completed the most important ceremony in his life. Although this ceremony came a little suddenly, it seemed to be like this. Su Ziling used blood as a medium and power as a container to brand him with a complete and eternal mark. From then on, he would share honor and disgrace with another person for the rest of his life. And this person was An Yan.

"The contract is complete."

As An Yan's firm voice sounded, Su Ziling opened his eyes. He lowered his head and saw that the ripples and jumping flames symbolizing the flow of water were simultaneously enclosed in a circle, emitting a faint glow.

He knew that there would be a similar mark in An Yan's palm.

After the light faded, the pattern of the contract also disappeared. Even more miraculous was that the wounds on their palms had healed, and there was no blood, only a shallow scar.

Seeing that the ceremony was finally over, Yin came forward and grabbed Su Ziling's hand, turning it over and over and carefully examining it. Seeing Yin's surprised expression, Su Ziling pulled his hand away. "Brother, isn't it amazing? This scar is nothing at all."

"Yes, so this is how the contract between the Son of God and the Guardian was signed. What is the main purpose of this contract?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's to prevent me from betraying the Son of God." Su Zilingyan smiled.

Yin looked up suddenly when he heard this. He glanced at Anyan, who was standing aside without saying anything.

"Well... it's to prevent me from wanting to kill An Yan. But how is that possible? Right. As far as I remember, if the 'Guardian' wants to kill the 'Son of God', it will be very painful. After completely betraying the 'Son of God', the 'Guardian' will suffer backlash and will not have a good end. But the usual function of the contract seems to be to sense each other. What do you think, An Yan?"

"Yes, if you cooperate well, you can miraculously communicate with each other on the battlefield. In addition, you can also sense whether the other party is in danger."

"Got it, let's continue on our journey." Yin said nothing more. He knew that Su Ziling would not betray An Yan, and An Yan would not put Su Ziling in danger.

"This is the last island, right? So where do we go after we land?" Su Ziling asked.

"This place is very close to a small town called Tingzhong. I plan to leave after landing. There are still more than ten days before you return to the New World. I suggest that you hide there. It can also guarantee your basic living."

"Then let's go there after we land." An Yan said.

"Yeah." Su Ziling strode forward, pretending not to care about Yin's words about leaving.

At this time, Zhang Dong and Shangguan Can, who were left in Xidu, were also about to set off. According to the original plan, their destination was still Shacheng, but on their way from Xidu to Shacheng, they had to pass through a small town called Tingzhong.