After midnight

Yehu is a natural lake. Beizhong has planted osmanthus trees and ginkgo trees on the lakeside, and developed a Yehu Park together with the surrounding hills. It is a good place for Beizhong residents to enjoy the scenery throughout the autumn. Therefore, early in the morning, Beizhong residents with free time rush to this open park in an endless stream.

The news of the floating corpse found on the wild lake spread quickly among the crowd. Because Li Yanyi had been paying special attention to such incidents recently, he sent people over within half an hour.

It’s Mr. Li, that’s right.

When the news came, Li Yanyi immediately fell to the ground. He strictly persuaded himself to accept the worst result, but he always had a glimmer of hope in his heart. Now, the cruelest fact was in front of him.

He could hardly suppress the grief and anger in his heart. He suddenly remembered something and his eyes were bloodshot. He grabbed something nearby and threw it down. With a clang, the teacup broke into pieces.

"Master, what's wrong with you?" The butler immediately pushed the door open and asked tremblingly.

"Go, beat that bastard Wang Shan for me!"

"Yes!" The butler turned and left.

"Wait, you know what day it is, keep your hands clean."

"Understood." The butler closed the door and left. He knew what he should do.

Today is September 9th, the day to kill Lin Changxing, but now even the emperor has to bury his son with him. Li Yanyi shook his suit jacket with red eyes, wiped his face and opened the door. He was going to take his son home.

Li Yanyi stood in the cemetery with a solemn expression. He looked at the hour hand on his watch, and when it pointed to eleven o'clock, he walked out of the cemetery alone. After all the lights in the city went out, it was time for them to take action, because September 9 was also the anniversary of the death of Lin Changxing's parents. He would definitely take the only path to come here on this night, and then accompany his parents through the early morning.

Li Yanyi is a businessman with no ability, so he doesn't need to participate in tonight's action. But now, his presence here is obviously reasonable. He obviously has this plan, since his son has been sleeping forever under the land behind him, so he also wants to wait and see the companion who will accompany his son.

At 11:05 at night, he walked out of the cemetery and down the mountain. After turning the winding path on the hillside, he suddenly saw something and trotted over.

"What...what happened?" The person lying on the ground was not Lin Changxing but Wang Shan? He pretended to be panicked and said, "Wang Mi, this...this, this, Mr. Song?"

Song Yu stood aside with a cold face and said nothing. Wang Mi seemed to be hit hard. He knelt on the ground with lifeless eyes. After seeing Li Yanyi, he suddenly stood up and said excitedly: "Mr. Song, it must be Lin Changxing who killed him. It's not enough for him to kill Li Yanyi's son, but he also wants to kill my son. You must kill that beast Lin Changxing."

Li Yan clenched his fists and watched Song Yu make a promise to Wang Mi with cold eyes. "Uncle Wang, please take care of yourself. Don't worry, I will never let Lin Changxing go."

"Uncle Li, you too. It's all thanks to Lin Changxing that your son can be buried now." Song Yu said and suddenly turned to him. Li Yan's face froze for a moment and he didn't say anything.

Seeing that things had come to this point, Song Yu reluctantly responded to Wang Mi's two sentences and turned away. Li Yanyi's eyes followed his back. He glanced coldly at the heartbroken man who was holding his son again. He wanted to leave, but suddenly noticed a figure passing by.

Who is it? Li Yanyi's heart trembled. When he thought of another pair of eyes spying in the dark night, Li Yanyi shuddered. But it couldn't be anyone else, because until now, there was no news of anyone else around Song Yu, and Lin Changxing was even less likely. At this time, there were ways to pester Lin Changxing and make him unable to get away.

Thinking of this, Li Yan tried to calm himself down and left quickly.

Li Yanyi walked forward quickly in the long dark night, he was determined, resolute and fierce. At this moment, he had just avenged his great hatred and could not imagine what kind of changes he would personally bring to Beizhong.

Song Yu walked from the cemetery into Beizhong City. As expected, Li Yanyi and Wang Mi were both useless. He was planning how to use his people to deal with An Yan, but he never thought that this was a trap. From the moment he stepped into Beizhong, he stepped into the trap that An Yan had set for him.

Compared to the turbulent situation in North Central, North City has seen an unusual change. After Zhao Yunqi secretly left North City, Zhang Dong also found Shangguan Can. He stopped Shangguan Can in the corridor of the inn as he was about to take food back to his room.

"Shangguan Can."

"what's up?"

"I'm just telling you that I'm going to be away for two days. I have relatives in Beicheng, and I haven't visited them yet, so if Song Yu has anything to do, please let me know in time."

"no problem."

"Thank you."

Shangguan Can pushed the door open and walked in. He never liked to meddle in other people's affairs. If Zhao Yunqi knew about this, he would inevitably think about it. But in Shangguan Can's opinion, this was not a problem at all. Therefore, he would not take it to heart, and naturally did not inform Zhao Yunqi specifically.

After all, Shangguan Can had never expected that the man who he always thought was honest and dull would lie. He had never expected Zhang Dong to be hypocritical this time, and he had never expected that Zhang Dong's destination this time was the same as Zhao Yunqi's.

They returned to Jiudu one after another. Compared with Zhao Yunqi's thoughts on returning to Jiudu, Zhang Dong's thoughts were more romantic and tender.

"Didn't I tell you not to come back? I'm fine now." Song Xin muttered to herself, but she couldn't help but feel happy in her heart.

"I'm worried about you, take the medicine quickly." Jiudu has been raining for the past two days, and Song Xin was worried and caught a cold. Hearing this, Zhang Dong came back in a hurry.

"When are you going back?" Zhang Dong's hand was still on Song Xin's forehead to test the temperature, which made her a little shy.

"North City is pretty stable right now, I'm not in a hurry."

"Oh, I see." Song Xin suddenly didn't know what to say and just stared at him.

"Well, after you finish your medicine, shall we go out for a walk?"

"Okay." Song Xin finished drinking the medicine, and the two stood up together and walked out of the Song Mansion side by side.

They were fine when they left the Song residence, but when they returned home, Song Xin was obviously a little depressed. Zhang Dong couldn't understand her, and was even more afraid that he had not done well enough, so he hesitated to speak. "What's wrong? Are you unhappy?"

"Ah, no, I'm very happy." Song Xin replied.

But she didn't look happy at all. What was she thinking just now? Zhang Dong couldn't stop thinking. Song Xin was the first person he liked. He wanted to know her every move. He wanted to be nice to her, wanted to see her smile, and wanted her to tell him everything. He wanted to know everything about her, but he didn't dare to ask.

The two of them walked to the gate of Song Mansion, each with their own thoughts.

"Zhang Dong, thank you for today."

"It's okay, go back now."

"tomorrow……"

"tomorrow……"

"Are you free tomorrow morning? Let's meet in Central Park. I don't want to stay at home, I want to go out for a walk." After the two of them smiled at each other in unison, Song Xin said quickly.

"Okay, let's meet at eight tomorrow morning. There's a delicious breakfast nearby, I'd like to take you there."

"Okay, then you should go back early and be safe."

"Bye." Zhang Dong walked away, and Song Xin couldn't help but turn back and wave again.

Song Xin didn't go home until Zhang Dong was completely out of sight. She leaned against the door and sighed, not knowing if she was doing the right thing. Not long ago, she agreed to date Zhang Dong. She wanted to know if she could grab this last straw and stop sinking.

But... Zhang Dong was so nice, he cared about her in every way, which made Song Xin feel that she was too selfish. She couldn't even respond to his feelings sincerely. She sighed again, looked at the dark house, and walked in expressionlessly.

After Song Xin went in, Zhang Dong turned back and walked back and forth on the street across the wall. He didn't want to turn around and leave, but he didn't want to just stand there. He wasn't sure why he wanted to do this, but he just wanted to do it. After the relationship was confirmed, he met Song Xin for the first time. He was very happy and excited, but also mixed with a sense of melancholy. He didn't know why he was like this.

At this moment, a letter suddenly landed in front of him. Shangguan Can said that the situation in Beizhong was not good, and Song Yu might summon them to Beizhong in the next two days. Other than that, there was nothing else in the letter, but Zhang Dong understood that this was Shangguan Can's reminder to him to go back as soon as possible.

He should go back, but he just met the person he likes, and he has a date tomorrow that he is looking forward to. After making up his mind, Zhang Dong stared at the dark high wall again and finally left.

At 7:30 the next morning, Zhang Dong was waiting there. The September roses in Jiudu’s Central Park were extremely gorgeous.

Zhang Dong waited happily. In his nervously pounding heart, the danger floating in the distance could not compare to the tenderness and sweetness that was immediately soaking in front of him. When today was over, he would still have time to rush back.

It didn't take long for Song Xin to arrive. She had dressed up specially today, but she was still wearing some old clothes. After all, she hadn't bought new clothes since her father passed away.

"You're here already? I'm not late."

"No, are you hungry?"

"a little bit."

"Then let's go quickly, the store is not far from here."

That breakfast shop is very famous, and eight o'clock is when it is crowded. Because there are not many good seats on the first floor, Zhang Dong took Song Xin to the second floor. In order to have a better view, Zhang Dong deliberately chose a seat by the window, and the window was half open to let in fresh air from outside.

It was neither cold nor hot today. The sun was out but there was no wind. Song Xin sat down, tilted her head, and squinted comfortably.

"Do you like sweet or salty porridge? The seafood porridge here is delicious."

"Then try the seafood porridge."

Song Xin rarely eats out, let alone breakfast. Her father... her family didn't take her out on purpose to try the famous dishes and meals outside, and the servants cooked at home.

"I want to eat shrimp dumplings, what do you want to eat?"

"I'd like some corn soup and a beef patty." Zhang Dong closed the menu.

"Can you cook?" Song Xin asked him.

"I know a little." Zhang Dong was a little shy.

"I only know a little bit, maybe we can learn together in the future."

"Okay, okay." Zhang Dong's eyes lit up.

They finished breakfast together smoothly and when they were about to get up and leave, Zhang Dong glanced out the window and inadvertently saw a man in black clothes hiding himself and walking quickly away from passers-by.

"what happened?"

"It's okay, let's go."

Zhang Dong was about to leave when he heard Song Xin exclaim, "Brother Yunqi?"

Zhao Yunqi? Zhang Dong quickly climbed up to the window and spotted Zhao Yunqi in the crowd. It seemed that he was tracking the suspicious person. However, Zhang Dong couldn't help but look at Song Xin. Zhao Yunqi was not noticeable among the pedestrians. How could Song Xin recognize Zhao Yunqi from his back in the crowd? Could it be that she...

Song Xin avoided Zhang Dong's gaze, her face red with regret and embarrassment.

"Zhao Yunqi may need help. I'll go take a look."

"Zhang Dong!" Song Xin called him hurriedly, but did not call him back.

When Zhang Dong rushed out, he could still barely distinguish Zhao Yunqi's shadow from the crowd, and he followed him silently. He followed Zhao Yunqi all the way out of Jiudu and headed northwest where there were few people. The further northwest he went, the more open the area became, and he could see several connected green mountains in the distance.

Who was Zhao Yunqi following and why did he come here? Zhang Dong hesitated for a few times but still continued to follow him.

After following Zhao Yunqi from the open area into the dense jungle and making many detours, Zhang Dong finally realized that Zhao Yunqi had already spotted him. His strong curiosity forced him to continue following until he reached a small hill and found Zhao Yunqi facing him.

"Zhang Dong, why are you in Jiudu?"

"What about you?" Zhang Dong asked bravely.

"Task."

"Me too."

"Since we are on the same mission, it's best if we have nothing to do with each other and pretend we have never met."

Zhang Dong looked at Zhao Yunqi's eyes and knew that he couldn't go any further. He turned around and walked back in silence, then suddenly remembered something and quickened his pace.

When Zhang Dong was no longer visible, Zhao Yunqi turned around and signaled the people waiting for him behind the rocks to continue moving forward. Tracking was acting, and trading was the real deal. Yin and he had planned for such a long time just to wait for this day, but they didn't expect to be bumped into by Zhang Dong by chance.

But right now, it was most important to find the entrance that he had frequently entered and exited ten years ago. This entrance was the key to unlocking the ten years that An Yan had been secretly imprisoned. After walking around for nearly forty minutes, Yang Rong signaled Zhao Yunqi to wait where he was.

Yang Rong was the best result that Yin had found after a lot of hard work in the deal with Lu Lang. He was young, a genius in biochemistry, and had been missing for nearly fifteen years in the files Lu Lang had given him.

Yang Rong walked two or three meters forward and stepped into the knee-high weeds. At the end of the weeds was a small hill that extended diagonally upwards. The hill was covered with creeping grass, nightshade grass, and other grasses. In short, no matter from which angle you look at it, this place is very ordinary, a place that passers-by would dismiss at a glance.

Zhao Yunqi hid not far away and watched, not realizing that he had been here many times before. He saw Yang Rong stretch out his right hand and press a certain spot, and a secret door slowly opened. The grass growing on the secret door shook its head, still fresh and alive.

Yang Rong looked back, then he walked in and disappeared.

After the secret door was closed, Zhao Yunqi took two or three steps to move forward and imitated Yang Rong's way of feeling around carefully, only to find an inconspicuous little stone in a place where a few rocks protruded. This was it.

However, Zhao Yunqi looked up at the sky and the surroundings. This place was completely blocked by tree trunks and branches. The complex trees in the hinterland of the mountain forest looked the same everywhere. He could not find any special features here, and he did not dare to mark it even a little bit.

So he had to write a letter to Yin.

"I got the mail," Night said to the couple huddled together on the stool.

"Your son Yang Rong has already brought our people here. We at Dark Night will never go back on our word, so you know what to do."

Yang Rong's parents looked at each other and nodded desperately. After finding the right idea, things went incredibly smoothly. Yang Ziwen, Yang Rong's father, was a mediocre man. Under the protection of the Song family, he stayed in a position that was neither high nor low nor critical for nearly fifteen years. This was incredible no matter how you think about it. Because Yang Ziwen's various relationships were too clean, and public information showed that Yang Ziwen had no children.

As for Yang Rong, according to the information given by Lu Lang, the year he disappeared was exactly the year An Yan disappeared, and that year was also the first year when his father was promoted and transformed from a farmer.

Ye looked at them, straightened his clothes and left calmly.