(A few days ago, inside Jinling City)

On this ordinary day of mild weather, a group of envoys from the state of Chu, escorted by the guards of the state of Wu, successfully entered the gate of Jinling City.

"Jinling Situ, Tongping Zhangshi Xu Jingtong, acting father General Xu Zhihe, led the officials of the Great Wu Rite Department to welcome the visit of the Chu State Mission." On the main street of Jinling, a middle-aged man dressed in a luxurious official uniform led a large Wu State welcome group to salute the Chu State delegation.

"You have a heart, on behalf of my lord, I have thanked His Majesty the Emperor of Great Wu and General Xu for their kindness, and I wish the two countries of Wu and Chu will always form an alliance!" At the forefront of the Chu State delegation, it was Xia Yan, who was dressed as a general, that is, Xiahou Xu, a former Shu general who had participated in framing Meng Yan's family.

After the two sides exchanged greetings in an official tone, the Chu envoy moved in the direction of the palace under the leadership of the officials of the Wu state.

On either side of the path of the mission, some unknown people dressed as civilians with fierce eyes were staring at every face in the procession with grim expressions.

After nightfall, a group of unidentified killers dressed in night clothes jumped onto the roof of the hotel, and the group began to search the hotel in separate ways.

The leading man in black reached the roof of the largest room in the hotel, and then he gently lifted the roof tiles and began to take a closer look at the room.

This room was Xiahou Xu's residence, and a housekeeper-like person walked in front of Xiahou Xu after cautiously closing the door.

"How? Is there any news for the repentant? Xiahou Xu hurriedly asked him.

"Don't worry, sir, according to the news that our people heard in the Firmament Palace, Miss She has already left for Jinling a few days ago, and this day should only arrive in these two days." The butler replied respectfully towards Cheyenne.

"But she's coming alone?" Xiahou Xu then asked.

"It's not clear, but since Miss promised to come to reunite with the master, she shouldn't bring anyone else, and there may be one or two guards to ensure Miss's safety." The butler then continued. And after getting a few words of advice from Xiahou Xu, the housekeeper immediately saluted and left the room.

The conversation between the two was listened to and remembered by the man in black on the roof.

Somehow, after a short period of thought, the man in black seemed to be planning to give up the operation of assassinating Xiahou Xu tonight. Then he turned away with a light step.

"Hall Master Meng, why did you give up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity tonight?" One of the men in black asked, puzzled.

"Wouldn't it be too cheap for him to die without care? Don't worry, I have my own plans! Meng Yan, who had pulled off his mask in a safe place, had a faint sneer on the corner of his mouth.

About a day later, at nightfall, a carriage with two plain yellow lanterns stopped in front of the hotel. Then, a little girl wrapped in a red robe who looked to be about ten years old walked down from the carriage with the support of a person dressed as a maid beside her.

Then, the coachman, who appeared to be a little thin and tall, drove his horse and left the door of the hotel at a uniform speed.

At the same time, Meng Yan, who had received the tip in advance, had already led the men in black who were loyal to him to ambush here, waiting for the moment when Xiahou Xu and the little girl would get together in the hotel.

"Regret, Dad finally looked forward to you!" Xiahou Xu restored his original appearance, and then shouted and walked out of the house to greet Xiahou Xu.

Xiahou Cheng looked at Xiahou Xu silently with indifferent eyes, while her right hand tightly grasped the placket of the maid beside her.

"Child, many things are not as you see, you have to believe that Dad still loves you deeply!" Xiahou Xu could see that Xiahou regret seemed to be alienated from him because of the Chengdu incident, so he tried hard to appease Xiahou regret's emotions.

Just when Xiahou Xu raised his slightly trembling hand and wanted to try to touch Xiahou Xu's cheek, the maid next to Xiahou Cheng seemed to suddenly notice something strange and pulled Xiahou Cheng away from Xiahou Xu's hand. Immediately after, a cold arrow flew from the side of several people, and grazed Xia Hou Xu's fingertips in a millimeter.

Meng Yan, who was dressed in night clothes, immediately led the killers of the Wind Thunder Hall to kill from the surrounding ambush points, and the target was directly aimed at the little girl Xia Hou Regret.

Several of Xiahou Xu's personal guards hurriedly appeared to meet the battle, and the maid beside Xiahou Cheng turned out to be a martial arts master, so the two groups of people had a fierce fight in the courtyard of the hotel.

At this moment, another mysterious person dressed in a night suit also swung his sword from the gate of the courtyard to kill, and when Meng Yan saw this, he personally stepped forward to stop him.

In the ensuing encounter, both men seemed to feel an inexplicable familiarity with each other's swordsmanship moves, and as the fight deepened, this familiarity became stronger and stronger.

Seeing that the killers could not get close to Xiahou Cheng for a while, and the patrolling soldiers around the pavilion were gradually alarmed by the sound here, Meng Yan hurriedly ordered his killers to retreat for the time being, while he continued to fight this mysterious person.

The two fought fiercely from inside the courtyard to the outside of the courtyard, and then both entered a landscaped garden next to the hotel.

After that, the two men fought again in a close position for dozens of rounds, until the two sides were completely determined by each other's identities.

"Okay, okay, it's too gasping to fight with a mask, let me rest for a while!" The mysterious man waved his hand and then walked to the side and squatted on the ground to rest, and at the same time, he naturally took off his mask, "I can't imagine that Brother Meng's martial arts have improved a lot during this time, and it is difficult for me to win against you as easily as I did when I was in Yuzhou." ”

"Brother Ling, don't come to harm's way, I didn't expect you and me to meet again in such a situation." Meng Yan also took off his mask, and then put away the saber in his hand, and slowly walked to the side of the "mysterious man" Ling Rui.

"I don't know what sect Brother Meng has joined recently? I've never seen the martial arts of these people under you! Ling Rui tried to ask Meng Yan in a joking tone, but Meng Yan vaguely confused the question.

"Tonight's incident stems from my personal grudge with Xiahou Xu. This matter has nothing to do with you, since you didn't choose to help me, then please Brother Ling don't embarrass me anymore! Meng Yan sat beside Ling Rui and said in a soothing tone.

"Brother Meng, although I understand your mood very well, with all due respect, Xiahou Xu may not be able to die now. Because, there are some friends who are very important to us, and their lives are currently uncertain in Tanzhou City. And Xia Houxu is the key person for us to understand the ins and outs of the whole thing. With a serious expression, Ling Rui said to Meng Yan earnestly, "What's more, how do I feel that Brother Meng's assassination target tonight is actually someone else?" ”

Meng Yan lowered his head and appeared a little silent, while Ling Rui looked at him patiently with a caring smile.

"That girl, I will kill her with my own hands in front of Xiahou Xu. Only in this way can he feel the pain I have endured. Meng Yan said through gritted teeth as he clenched the scabbard in his hand excitedly.

Ling Rui didn't speak immediately after hearing this, but looked up at the starry sky and sighed, then leaned on the support of the saber and slowly stood up, looking at Meng Yan as if he had something to say but it was difficult to speak.

"Tomorrow afternoon, Yingchun Building in the east of the city, I hope you can come to the appointment." Meng Yan also got up and prepared to leave, but at the same time, he turned his back to Ling Rui and said coldly.

"Hehe, since Brother Meng is going to have a treat, he shouldn't mind if I bring a few more friends, right?" Ling Rui asked with a smile on his face.

"Whatever, except for the surname Gao!" Meng Yan coldly shook off this sentence and left quickly, it seemed that he still had a grudge against Gao Che, who was responsible for escorting him during King Jin's change.

"Alas!" Ling Rui put his hands behind his back and sighed solemnly in the direction Meng Yan had left. For the attention of the friends around him, he is happy and free on weekdays, but at this moment he seems a little lonely and melancholy.

The time soon came to noon the next day, and Ling Rui and Chu Birou, who had been dressed as a maid, came to Yingchun Building to make an appointment.

"Miss Chu, don't come unharmed!" Meng Yan, who had already ordered the meal, stood up and saluted Chu Birou.

"Well, it's been a long time since I've seen Gongzi Meng, and you seem to be in a lot of energy." Chu Birou said to Meng Yan with a smile on her face, but there seemed to be a slightly complicated expression between her eyebrows.

In a short time, the round dining table was filled with all kinds of meals, as rich as when they were in the Yuzhou Food God Building. It's just that when the three of them were eating, although they still chatted happily about some trivial matters of life as before, the overall atmosphere seemed a little depressing to onlookers.

"Hmph, what does it matter to me! Neither has real power but fantasizes about ascending to the sky in one step, and deserves it! When Ling Rui talked about the Tanzhou incident between Liu Yangyang and Tong Kun and others, Meng Yan somehow suddenly became a little emotionally excited, "This is the meaning of the existence of power, whoever wants to live can live, and whoever wants to die must die!" ”

Meng Yan's sudden cold remarks made Ling Rui stunned for a moment, while Chu Birou then poured herself a glass of wine with an expressionless face and drank it all.

"Brother Meng, I'm not trying to deliberately refute you. But in all fairness, in this chaotic era of the change of dynasties in the Central Plains and the constant disputes between countries, there are often things that are more cherished than the struggle for power and profit. After the three of them were silent for a while, Ling Rui persuaded Meng Yan in a soothing tone.

"Hehe, cherished things, yes, Grand Master Ling, you are amazing, you have countless things to cherish slowly. What about me? What do I have? What else do I have? With the strength of the wine, Meng Yan roared and drank several sips of wine in a row, and his emotions became more and more difficult to control, and even Ling Rui didn't know how to continue to persuade him next when he saw this situation.

"Hehehe, Ouyang He, Chu Birou, and the guy surnamed Gao, all the people are revolving around you, all of them love you, support you, care about you, protect you, how can you understand the pain I have endured! Do you know how much I want to end myself straight away when I repeat the scenes of being bullied and humiliated in my dreams every night? With a heavy drunken intent, Meng Yan vented the resentment and pain that had been pent up in his heart for a long time, all in one breath towards Ling Rui and Chu Birou.

"Brother Meng, if I have anything that I can't do with you before, I am willing to do my best to compensate. I just don't want the Meng Yan I know, that brother, to become a ruthless and unscrupulous traitor. Ling Rui did not flinch in the slightest because of the momentum of Meng Yan's stormy speech, "No matter how much pain you have endured in the past, this is by no means to make you a ...... The reason for the kind of people you hate yourself. ”

"Wow, the guests haven't eaten yet, but the two of you are arguing, what's the reason?" Seeing that tension between the two gradually appeared, Chu Birou spoke out in time to properly persuade the two.

Subsequently, under Chu Birou's mediation, the emotions of the two of them calmed down a little.

"Xiahou Xu's daughter, she must die! If anyone dares to stand in my way, no matter who he is, I will not show mercy! Meng Yan got up and walked to the staircase, and after leaving this last cruel sentence in a firm tone, he prepared to go downstairs and leave.

"I have been entrusted with the care of that child, and I will never break my promise for anyone!" After Ling Rui finished speaking, he drank a cup of new wine, and let Meng Yan stop for a moment and gradually go farther and farther.

"You two, do you have to be like this?" Chu Birou, who originally thought that she didn't care about other people's affairs, still couldn't hide her slightly heavy mood because she was affected by it.

"Miss Chu, He'er, I wonder if I can trouble you to go first? Seeing that Meng Yan has become like this now, I am worried about ......" Ling Rui looked at Meng Yan's departing figure and asked Chu Birou worriedly.

"I understand, Miss Ouyang will leave it to me." Chu Birou said to Ling Rui with a faint smile. She is cold on the outside and hot on the inside, but she is cautious and careful, and she is a person worthy of the trust and trust of Ling Rui and others from beginning to end.

However, what Ling Rui and Chu Birou never expected was that the "Meng Yan" who left quickly in Ling Rui's sight just now was actually pretended to be by one of his subordinates in advance. At this time, the real him was silently hiding behind the screen on the second floor, and eavesdropped on all the next conversations between Ling Chu and the two of them word for word.