The prince is very fierce

Under the full moon, lanterns filled the streets and alleys.

On the streets near Hutai Street, all kinds of people walked among women and girls holding lanterns, and there were also street vendors selling handmade scabbards, leggings and other items.

Zhu Manzhi, disguised as a lantern girl, carried a bamboo basket with several lanterns in it, walked and stopped in the bustling crowd, her eyes always stayed on a man in front of her, keeping a sufficient distance.

Zhu Manzhi was a wolf guard after all, and it was impossible for her to hang out with Ning Qingye every day. She still had to go to work. In recent days, the secret agents of the Investigation Department reported that a team of foreign envoys who entered Beijing before the New Year was a little strange.

The team that called themselves "Baisha Kingdom Envoys" were all proficient in elegant language. Although Dayue's national strength made foreign countries scramble to imitate it, it was not to the point where anyone could speak the same language. Only people from the martial arts world who often traveled around would learn these to cover up their accents.

Secondly, except for a few officials who acted like envoys, the other followers were basically a mess. Every night, a few people ran out of the Siyi Pavilion to hang out in gambling houses and brothels. They spoke a lot of jargon and black language, which was more familiar than most people in the underworld.

After the Investigation Department learned about this situation, it sent people to track down Hu Yanjie, the leader of the envoy team. Because Zhu Manzhi looked well-behaved and looked like an ordinary girl, and she was also a wolf guard of the Tianzi Camp, the task of stalking naturally fell on her. Several teams of wolf guards of the Tianzi Camp were ready to support at any time nearby.

After a few days, there was finally some gain. This afternoon, Hu Yanjie suddenly left the Siyi Pavilion alone, saying that he was going out for a walk and didn't let the court officials follow him. After that, he went to an inn, changed into the clothes of the underworld people and came to the vicinity of Hutai Street.

Zhu Manzhi knew that there would be gains today, and followed Hu Yanjie to the vicinity of Renyi Hall.

Renyi Hall is located in a remote and sparsely populated area. It is the place where martial artists gather in Hutai Street. It is considered a public place, and whoever uses it must clear it. Today, the disciples of the Iron Wire Boxing Gym were guarding nearby. It was obvious that something was going on inside, and the security was tight.

Zhu Manzhi didn't dare to follow him in, and after a little thought, he turned around and ran back, looking for a master in the government office to solve the matter...

————

In the afternoon, Xu Buling rode a fast horse back to Chang'an City and went directly to the old courtyard where Ning Qingye lived.

The courtyard located in the deep streets and alleys was originally an idle and deserted courtyard of the owner. Xu Buling placed Ning Qingye here, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble, so he asked Lao Xiao to secretly buy the courtyard early. Because of the sparse population, the alley is not much different from before the New Year, and there are only a few doors with couplets and New Year pictures.

The horse's hooves stepped on the bluestone pavement and stopped outside the old courtyard.

Xu Buling turned over and got off the horse. Before he raised his hand to knock on the door, he heard the sound of "ta ta ta—" from inside. Obviously, he heard the movement of the horse's hooves and ran over to open the door in a hurry.

Xu Buling raised his eyebrows, but did not do anything more. He stood outside the door holding the reins and said with a smile:

"Miss Ning is so anxious, is she missing me?"

"..."

In the old courtyard, the footsteps paused for a moment, and soon resumed as before.

The courtyard door opened with a creaking sound, and Ning Qingye appeared, wearing black clothes and a bamboo hat. Because the martial arts uniform was tight, his legs were straight, and his chest was naturally more eye-catching than when he was wearing a loose fox fur.

Xu Buling glanced up and down naturally and nodded with satisfaction.

Ning Qingye saw this look, his face became colder and he showed some displeasure:

"Mr. Xu, if you continue to be so rude, our friendship will end."

Xu Buling laughed and looked around the yard:

"Where is my Manzhi?"

Ning Qingye walked out and closed the door: "Mr. Xu arranged someone to monitor the two of us, why ask when you know the answer?"

It seems that Ning Qingye has discovered the Seventh and Eighth who were secretly following him.

Xu Buling walked in the alley with his horse, and said casually: "Miss, don't think too much, I'm just worried that something might happen to you. Last time, Manzhi was surrounded and killed outside the city. If I hadn't sent someone to follow, we would have been in big trouble."

Ning Qingye had some experience in the martial arts world, and knew that Xu Buling would not trust others easily, so he didn't care about this. He hesitated for a while with his sword in hand:

"Mr. Xu, I have been in Chang'an for more than two months. I can't protect my enemies if I am not strong enough. I have to go back and practice hard for a few years. I can't stay in Chang'an for long."

Xu Buling knew what she was going to say, and shook his head and sighed: "As the saying goes, 'It takes five hundred glances in the previous life to get a chance to pass by each other in this life'. It's a pity that we finally met and shared life and death together, and now we are separated like this."

The words were a bit corny, but it was a pity that Ning Qingye didn't understand the meaning at all. Frowning and thinking seriously, he tilted his head slightly:

"Is there such a saying? Why did you keep looking back at me in your previous life?"

"?"

Xu Buling blinked: "Well... don't be so absolute, maybe Miss Ning looked back at me in her previous life."

Ning Qingye shook his head: "When walking in the world, it is basic to keep an eye on all directions and listen to all directions. Looking back at people is a taboo, which will attract the other party's attention. How can I make the same mistake five hundred times."

Xu Buling pondered for a moment, and gave up the idea of ​​flirting with this female knight who has nothing to do except her beauty. His tone became more serious:

"When are you leaving?"

"I met an old acquaintance in the world a few days ago. He wanted to make a sale recently and asked me to join him. I agreed and I will leave after I'm done."

Xu Buling raised his eyebrows: "What deal? Do you want my help?"

Ning Qingye shook his head: "The Jianghu has its own rules, and things may not be exposed. You are from the court, so I can't take you there."

Xu Buling spread his hands: "I am from Xiliang, and have nothing to do with the court. I have killed Zhang Xiang with you, and you still don't believe me?"

Ning Qingye was stunned, and after thinking about it for a while, it really made sense.

"I guarantee people, which is related to the reputation of the Jianghu. If it can't be done, we will leave. If you break the rules by relying on your status, I will not be able to travel the Jianghu in the future."

Xu Buling nodded: "If you believe me, I will naturally believe you. I am the most disciplined person. I will follow you to see. If something goes wrong, someone has to protect the girl..."

Ning Qingye took a deep breath and looked away...

As Ning Qingye walked and stopped, he came to the market near Hutai Street.

It was just getting dark, and there were many people on the street. In addition to various street vendors, there were also Jianghu performers, opera troupes, juggling stalls, etc.

Ning Qingye walked around the street twice, but the man still hadn't come. He felt a little embarrassed: "Maybe he will come later, or maybe not. Most people in the martial arts world are cautious and will run away when they sense any disturbance."

Xu Buling tilted his head slightly: "It's okay anyway. If your martial arts friend doesn't come, I'll just accompany you shopping."

Ning Qingye stood there with the sword in hand, and suddenly felt a little strange. From childhood to adulthood, he spent most of his time in the Taoist temple. He used to walk alone in the martial arts world. Suddenly, he followed a man with bad intentions around the street. It felt... It felt like a tryst between a scholar and a lady...

Thinking of this, Ning Qingye subconsciously distanced himself a little, looked around, and didn't know what he was looking at...