Chapter 77

The moonlight tonight was somewhat dim, and the bright moon was not in its full state either; a crescent moon hung in the sky, releasing a faint light.

Behind the Wang Gong, above the lake.

A small boat was moored by the shore of the lake. A figure wearing a straw cloak and a bamboo hat held a fishing rod, fishing in the starry night. Beside him was a wooden bucket; there was water in the bucket, but no fish.

This was, of course, not because the man's fishing technique was too poor and he was always coming up empty-handed. In fact, to say nothing else, the man's fishing technique could be said to be the best in all of Xinzheng.

The fishing line hung slightly, and the man pulled hard. A carp weighing several jin was immediately dragged out of the water. The Straw-Cloaked Man reached out, took the carp off, and casually threw it back into the lake water. Afterward, he re-baited the hook and continued fishing.

"Isn't it boring to fish like this?"

"Clearly the fish has already taken the bait, yet you let it go."

A soft voice rang out. Lady Mingzhu was wearing a purple palace dress, walking gracefully and slowly. There was a subtle, complex look in her eyes.

The Straw-Cloaked Man did not turn around and continued to focus on fishing. A calm voice came from his mouth: "Fishing is about enjoying the process of the fish taking the bait; whether the fish is put into the bucket is actually not important."

"Is that so?"

The Straw-Cloaked Man's tone changed, and he asked Lady Mingzhu: "Speak, why did you invite me here?"

Lady Mingzhu said in a deep voice: "You manage the intelligence agency for Ji Ji Wuye and are the most mysterious person among us, as well as a smart person. You should also know what Ji Ji Wuye's death means for the Night Curtain!"

"Ji Ji Wuye was the master of the Night Curtain. He used the Night Curtain to eliminate dissidents and satisfy his own ambitions to the fullest. The Night Curtain used Ji Ji Wuye's power to expand continuously. In this process, we all gained something. This is a mutually beneficial matter."

"Ji Ji Wuye is dead, which not only means the Night Curtain has lost its master, but we, after losing the support of Ji Ji Wuye's power, will also lose many things."

The Straw-Cloaked Man saw it very clearly. Although previously Ji Ji Wuye was the master of the Night Curtain and his direct superior, after Ji Ji Wuye died, Ji Ji Wuye could no longer give him what he wanted.

In other words, he had lost many things.

"Then, what are you planning to do next?" Lady Mingzhu asked the Straw-Cloaked Man: "The Crown Prince has summoned Ji Ji Wuye's son, Ji Ji Yihu, back to the capital. As expected, Ji Ji Yihu will inherit everything of Ji Ji Wuye's."

"Will the Night Curtain organization continue to serve Ji Ji Yihu as its master, or..." She paused and said four words, "...seek another way out!"

When the Straw-Cloaked Man heard Lady Mingzhu's words, the fishing rod in his hand suddenly paused, and the fishing line swayed slightly, causing many ripples in the water. "Since you chose to invite me here and say such things, it proves that you have already made a decision in your heart?"

Lady Mingzhu did not hide it either, "That's right!"

"Although Ji Ji Wuye sent Ji Ji Yihu into the army and expressed his intention to cultivate him as his successor early on, Ji Ji Wuye died unexpectedly, and Ji Ji Yihu has never been exposed to the affairs of the Night Curtain. Whether in temperament or methods, he cannot be compared with Ji Ji Wuye. Even Zhang Kaidi might not be able to be defeated by him. For the Night Curtain to serve such a greenhorn as its master is not a good thing."

Her words were soft, revealing her disdain for Ji Ji Wuye.

The Straw-Cloaked Man immediately understood Lady Mingzhu's meaning.

"Is this your cousin's intention?"

Lady Mingzhu's cousin, Bai Bai Yifei, was the head of the Four Fierce Generals of the Night Curtain. It could be said that after Ji Ji Wuye died, he was the person with the highest power in the Night Curtain.

During this period, the Straw-Cloaked Man had also tried to find Bai Bai Yifei's whereabouts, especially after the Battle of the Long Street, when Su Xuan used Bai Bai Yifei's sword to kill Ji Ji Wuye; he had some guesses in his heart.

However, without seeing concrete evidence, a guess is always a guess.

Ji Ji Wuye being killed by Su Xuan did not mean Bai Bai Yifei would be too.

He knew that Bai Bai Yifei appeared to be extremely obedient to Ji Ji Wuye, but in reality, he also had his own little thoughts, and the strength he hid was not weak.

Perhaps Ji Ji Wuye's death was itself a conspiracy between Bai Bai Yifei and Su Xuan, who knows.

Lady Mingzhu, as Bai Bai Yifei's cousin, coming here tonight and saying such things, it was somewhat possible that it was at Bai Bai Yifei's instruction.

Hearing the two words "cousin," Lady Mingzhu's expression was suddenly a bit unnatural, but she did not state her position and instead continued to ask the Straw-Cloaked Man: "You haven't said your thoughts yet!"

The Straw-Cloaked Man was silent for a while and said: "I have indeed found a way out for the Night Curtain. Right now, if you are prepared to seek another way out for the Night Curtain, I don't mind contacting them."

Lady Mingzhu's gaze focused, "What is the background of the other party?"

The Straw-Cloaked Man said slowly: "The Net of Heaven and Earth, penetrating everywhere—the Luowang!"

"It's actually them?!"

Lady Mingzhu had obviously heard of the Luowang; after all, the name of the Luowang was too great, and it was backed by Qin Guo, and its power was not something their Night Curtain could compare to.

Even, because they were both killer and intelligence organizations, there had been quite a lot of cooperation between the Luowang and the Night Curtain.

Ji Ji Wuye died, and the Straw-Cloaked Man choosing to defect to the Luowang was indeed a reasonable thing.

"Are you surprised by my choice? Speak, tell me your thoughts?"

The Straw-Cloaked Man noticed Lady Mingzhu's astonishment and asked her.

He really could not think of a better way out than defecting to the Luowang.

It was not just because the Luowang was powerful, but also because the Straw-Cloaked Man saw the future.

Qin Guo was constantly strong, and Han Guo was constantly weak. With Qin Guo's ambition, it would sooner or later take action against Han Guo. Instead of accompanying the weak Han Guo to its demise, it was better to find a way out for himself early.

"Her thought is that the Night Curtain shall serve me as its master!"

A man's voice suddenly rang out beside the Straw-Cloaked Man.

The Straw-Cloaked Man was startled. He was also a master with impressive strength, yet before this, he had not felt the aura of any outsider coming here. Listening to this person's words, this person should have followed along when Lady Mingzhu came here.

For such a long time, he had actually not discovered any clues; this was an extremely incredible thing.

Until the Straw-Cloaked Man turned his head and saw clearly the figure of the person who appeared beside Lady Mingzhu, the fishing rod he used for fishing was thrown out without any hesitation, and the fishing line with the hook extended and coiled toward Su Xuan.

The sound of tearing through the air suddenly echoed!

— Author's Notes —

PS: Thanks to book friend kkz Maple for the reward!!