People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 470, Han Fei's Thoughts
Outside the granary of Luyang City, Nanyang.

Under the early morning sun, black ash floated in the air, and the air was filled with the smell of burning grain and corpses.

An explosion caused a fire that turned a granary containing two thousand bushels of millet into scorched earth. Many royal guards and soldiers in white armor were clearing away the ruins, and the charred beams were still emitting white smoke.

Covered in dust and with his hair disheveled, Han Fei squatted down and picked up the half-burnt grains from the black ash, then stood up again.

Tian Meng stood not far behind Han Fei, his gaze sweeping calmly over everything before him.

Looking at the devastation after the fire, Han Fei's eyes turned colder than ever before, and he gripped the half-burnt grains tightly.

This grain was his capital for saving Nanyang and the state of Han, but now it had been burned to ashes. Han Fei didn't care how he would face the angry King An of Han after the grain was destroyed; what he cared about was how to face the people of Nanyang.

"Ninth Young Master, according to statistics, less than 100 bushels of millet were salvaged from the 2,000 bushels. The rest..."

The captain of the royal guards swallowed hard, his expression somber, hesitant and unsure how to inform Han Fei of the result.

"I understand. The attack on the granary has nothing to do with you. Did the guards get a clear look at the attackers?" Han Fei asked in a slightly hoarse voice.

"According to the descriptions of the surviving soldiers, there was only one person who attacked the granary. His clothing was exactly the same as that of the person who attacked the granary from the front. However, the person was like a ghost. He could not only climb walls and hang from pillars, but his head could even rotate and he would not die."

“The soldiers were afraid to approach, fearing they would offend the gods, which led to the villains succeeding.”

The Imperial Guard Captain lowered his head, not daring to look at Han Fei, and when he mentioned the Bone Demon, a look of fear appeared in his eyes.

To those ordinary people, surviving a head spin is indeed no different from being a ghost or a god.

"To spin one's head around and not die?"

Han Fei turned to look at the Imperial Guard Captain, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He didn't believe in ghosts or gods.

In Han Fei's view, all the supernatural tricks were just a cover-up by people with ulterior motives. This was the case when the ghost soldiers robbed the grain supplies, and it was also the case when the murderers burned down the granary.

"Not a member of the Nightfall faction. Rumor has it that there is an assassin in the Zhao Kingdom named Bone Demon, whose bone structure is different from that of ordinary people. He has cultivated a unique skill called 'feminine and boneless, capable of tearing apart the liver and intestines.' He used to work as a lone assassin in the Taihang Mountains."

A cold voice rang out, and Wei Zhuang's figure appeared behind Han Fei.

Upon seeing Wei Zhuang suddenly appear, Tian Meng immediately became alert and sized up Wei Zhuang, one of the masters of the Ghost Valley School.

Even though Wei Zhuang's reputation in the seven kingdoms and the martial arts world is not as resounding as Gai Nie's chief swordsmanship instructor to the King of Qin, he still carries the title of successor of the Ghost Valley School of Diplomacy, so others can't help but know about him. It's just that very few people have seen Wei Zhuang's true face.

Wei Zhuang also noticed Tian Meng's gaze. He glanced at the other man out of the corner of his eye, and his gaze lingered for a moment when he saw the five-star pearl grass on the other man's chest.

"A farmer?" Wei Zhuang asked in a cold voice.

"I am Tian Meng, a farmer. I came here last night to assist Young Master Jiu in protecting the grain, in the name of the leader of my Farmer's Clan. You must be one of the legendary masters of the Ghost Valley School. It's a pleasure to meet you," Tian Meng said calmly, cupping his hands in greeting.

Wei Zhuang maintained his aloof demeanor, simply nodding before looking at Han Fei with a hint of doubt in his eyes, as if asking Han Fei if what Tian Meng had said was true.

“Last night, Master Tian Meng was indeed a great help. Otherwise, the Imperial Guards alone might not have been able to stop the assassins sent by Jade Tiger.”

Han Fei nodded slightly, turned to Tian Meng, and said with a light smile.
"Hero Tian Meng, please don't take offense. That's just how Brother Wei Zhuang is."

"I've long heard of Wei Zhuang's reputation, Ninth Young Master. There's no need to worry. Now that things are over here, I should return to report to the Hero Chief." Tian Meng glanced at Wei Zhuang, a peaceful smile on his face, and said.

"Thank you for your help last night. Please convey my gratitude to the chieftain. I will certainly pay him a visit in person another day," Han Fei said, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Don't worry, Ninth Young Master, I will definitely deliver your message."

After Tian Meng returned the greeting with a cupped hand, he turned and left with his disciples from the farming family.

After Tian Meng and the others left, Wei Zhuang's expression turned somewhat grave, and he spoke.

“Last night, Tianze suddenly appeared in the military camp outside the city. He and the Corpse-Driving Demon held me and Liu Sha back, while his accomplices took the opportunity to burn the food in the military camp.”

"You've run into problems too. The Bone Demon was probably an assassin hired by Emerald Tiger, but I don't understand how he knew where the grain was actually hidden."

"And how he escaped the Imperial Guards' encirclement and set the entire granary on fire all by himself—last night's events are worth pondering."

Han Fei said in a deep voice, as if deep in thought.

"Are you doubting him?"

Wei Zhuang looked at the granary, now reduced to scorched earth, and asked in a cold voice. Han Fei naturally knew that the "he" Wei Zhuang was referring to was Xu Qing. In fact, he also suspected that Xu Qing was behind all the events of last night, but according to the intelligence he had received, the Luo Wang had not taken any action, and no forces related to Xu Qing had appeared in Nanyang. In fact, Xu Qing himself was in Xinzheng.

If we were to forcibly link this matter to Xu Qing, there would be neither any clues nor any direct evidence.

However, Han Fei could not completely rule out Xu Qing's suspicion. After all, Xu Qing's arrival in Nanyang was itself suspicious, and after a person with ulterior motives came to Nanyang and left, two major fires broke out in Nanyang.

Han Fei's intuition told him that all of this must be related to Xu Qing.

"My intuition tells me so, but reality tells me that it has nothing to do with him."

Han Fei shook his head, then nodded and said.

“Then it is,” Wei Zhuang said in a deep voice.

Han Fei did not answer, his face showing a thoughtful expression, his brows furrowed as he mentally analyzed the recent situation in Nanyang.

However, after much deliberation, he still couldn't find any evidence to prove that Xu Qing was the mastermind behind the two fires, or even any evidence that the other party was related to the two fires.

"Perhaps we are being paranoid. After all, Brother Xu is a doctor and a Taoist. With his benevolent heart that cares for all living beings, he shouldn't do something that would incur the wrath of heaven and man," Han Fei said softly.

Wei Zhuang glanced at Han Fei but didn't say anything. Unlike Han Fei, he always trusted his intuition.

He just didn't understand how Xu Qing had managed to do it.

“Compared to finding the cause, our most urgent task is to find a way to solve the grain price problem. You only have two days left on your bet with Emerald Tiger,” Wei Zhuang said.

"These grains are just a way to lure the snake out of its hole and to stabilize the situation. As long as Zifang doesn't cause any problems, I won't lose the bet."

Han Fei sighed softly, a relaxed smile appearing on his face, and began to speak.

To truly drive down grain prices, the grain he bought and the military rations in the camps were simply not enough. Therefore, Han Fei's real trump card was always the grain merchants from various countries who gathered in Xinzheng.

"Don't be too optimistic. There's a powerful force behind what happened last night, and things won't go too smoothly for Zifang," Wei Zhuang warned.

“I know, so I’m leaving Nanyang to you. I’m going back to Xinzheng to see Brother Xu and help Zifang out.”

Han Fei sighed softly, then turned and walked away.

After glancing around, Wei Zhuang left with Han Fei.

Xinzheng, Palace of King Han.

The doors of the Hundred Fragrances Palace remained tightly shut. Xin'er carried two portions of food inside and then came out blushing.

Recalling the scene she witnessed in the Hundred Fragrances Palace, Xin'er's face flushed as red as an apple. She lightly spat and thought to herself...

"Pah! What kind of gentleman are you? You're a beast in human clothing!"

Inside the Hundred Fragrances Hall, some water stains remained on the swing hanging inside, dripping down the wooden seat and making a faint sound as they hit the bluestone floor.

Various clothes were scattered on the floor: black stockings, white underwear, long skirts, etc. A pair of black high heels lay on the edge of the bed, and a stocking covered in something was draped over it.

On the bed, Chao Nu Yao looked at Xu Qing with tender affection, feeding him sliced ​​fruit. She looked nothing like the ruthless and scheming one of the Four Fiends of the Night, but rather a virtuous wife and loving mother.

While enjoying the food offered by the Tide Demoness, Xu Qing looked at the intelligence report in his hand.

"The Straw-Clothed Guest is quick with his news. The grain that Han Fei bought and the military rations of Emerald Tiger have both been burned. Brother Han Fei must be feeling terrible." Xu Qing tossed the cloth aside, stroked the Tide Demoness's thigh, and then squeezed it hard twice.

The alluring woman rolled her eyes at Xu Qing, gently removed his hand, and looked at him with a puzzled expression, asking...
"Did you do these? How did you do them?"

The information delivered by the Straw-Clothed Guest was first seen by the Tide Demoness. After seeing the results of the two fires in Nanyang, the Tide Demoness immediately suspected that Xu Qing had ordered them to be done. However, like Han Fei and Wei Zhuang, the Tide Demoness did not know how Xu Qing had done it.

"How did I do that? I simply created a few openings, lured someone to Nanyang, and used them to accomplish everything," Xu Qing said with a light laugh.

No matter what Han Fei thought, Xu Qing was absolutely confident that he could prevent the other party from finding any fault with him. After all, his relationship with the peasant family was known only to a few people. As long as Tian Guang didn't tell anyone, outsiders would never know.

Moreover, he really didn't let Luo Wang take action, nor did he take any action himself; it was all the work of the peasant family, who had "no connection" with him, who did it all behind the scenes.

Moreover, the people who wanted to burn the grain were Xiong Qi and Tian Guang; he simply followed their idea and turned one fire into two.

(End of this chapter)