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Lin Mingchang nodded, "Not only to eradicate the Gui Xu Society, this cult organization, but also to uncover the truth behind my father's disappearance."
"I'll go with you," Shen Tong said calmly, lowering her eyelids. "I am the last contract holder of the Rakshasa Bird. The Gui Xu Society has been after my power, right? With me around, they won't be able to sit still. I am the best bait to draw them out for you."
"But..." Lin Mingchang began urgently.
"But what?" Shen Tong looked up, meeting Lin Mingchang's gaze directly. "You'll protect me, won't you?"
Lin Mingchang gazed into Shen Tong's calm eyes, feeling a mix of concern and surprise. Although he didn't want Shen Tong to take risks, he certainly wished for her to be by his side.
Xiaoshuang glanced between Shen Tong and Lin Mingchang, unable to contain herself any longer as she broke the delicate atmosphere. "What about me? What about Zigui and me?"
Lin Mingchang chuckled, patting Zigui on the shoulder. "Shen Tong and I will set off first to scout ahead. Zigui has his medical clinic; we can't just leave him behind without proper arrangements..."
Fang Zigui nodded, picking up the conversation. "To destroy the Gui Xu Society, none of us can be left out. Once I make the necessary arrangements, I'll come find you. Xiaoshuang and I should catch up with you within a month."
The four exchanged smiles and raised their cups in a toast with tea instead of wine, drinking deeply. The tea was bitter yet left a sweet aftertaste.
In early summer, Yangzhou was enveloped in a humid warmth that hung over this historic southern city.
After leaving Spring City, Lin Mingchang and Shen Tong tracked the Gui Xu Society and made their first stop in Yangzhou. This city bore distinct characteristics of the Jiangnan water towns—everything felt gentle and rich in charm.
The two first stopped at an inn to rest briefly before taking a rickshaw straight to downtown Yangzhou.
As Lin Mingchang watched the streets pass by—the mottled old shops and familiar buildings—he murmured, "Yangzhou hasn't changed much."
This was his first return to the city after many years. Years ago, due to his father's work, he had lived here for a few years during his teenage years when he was full of youthful energy and mischief.
Time flowed on, and landscapes transformed. Most of the friends he had once spent every day with had lost contact over time.
The only one he still kept in touch with was Chen Jiu'an, his best friend from childhood.
The rickshaw stopped at the mouth of a narrow alley; Chen Jiu'an's home was nearby in his memories.
"We're here." Lin Mingchang jumped down from the rickshaw and turned to help Shen Tong down.
They walked slowly along the alley, each step awakening Lin Mingchang's memories: the narrow bluestone path, low houses on either side, the mottled ivy climbing the walls, bamboo poles set up in the middle of the alley, and distant calls of vendors selling green rice cakes... A sense of nostalgia washed over him as if he had stepped into another world.
Turning out of the alley, they arrived at an old street. A small river ran through the middle of the street, bustling with people along its banks as cargo boats occasionally passed by.
Although the old street still retained the shadows of the past, it had undergone significant changes. A new row of buildings had been constructed along the old street, featuring garden-style houses that clashed awkwardly with the original Jiangnan-style architecture of the old street.
It was around eleven in the morning when Lin Mingchang arrived at the entrance of a small courtyard by the river, relying on his memory. He gently knocked on the door.
At first, there was no response, so he knocked three or four more times.
Yet, there was still no answer, indicating that no one was home. Lin Mingchang began to wonder if he had remembered the location incorrectly or if Chen Jiu'an had already moved away.
Just as Lin Mingchang and Shen Tong were about to turn and leave, a sudden flurry of footsteps erupted from within the courtyard.
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