One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Meanwhile, in another corner of the city, on the top floor of the imposing "Southwest Research Center" building, in a luxurious office, Qu Tong, dressed in a white suit skirt, stood before a huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the city's myriad lights. She held a glass of red wine in her hand, gently swirling it; her gaze behind her glasses was deep and cold, as if she were deep in thought.

On her desk lay a newly received, encrypted briefing. The title read: "The 'Sanctuary' node in Luodong Village has lost contact; the purification reaction is violent, suspected of being eliminated by external force. Executors: Target 'Qilin' (Nie Lingfeng), and 'Phoenix Carrier' (Chen Duo)."

Below the briefing was a line of handwritten, delicate yet indifferent handwriting: "'Seed' successfully planted. 'Nursery' cleanup plan stalled. Activate backup plan B. Increase observation and... 'guidance' of the 'Qilin' and 'Phoenix'. The game is getting more and more interesting."

She took a sip of red wine, a cold and playful smile curving her lips. Her gaze seemed to pierce through the city's neon lights and buildings, landing on a gray-haired youth and a green-eyed girl who were searching for food on the street.

"Nie Lingfeng, Chen Duo...we'll meet soon. I hope...you won't disappoint me."

The nights in Guiyang belong to food. As Nie Lingfeng led Chen Duo out of the quiet old neighborhood and turned two street corners, the noise, heat, and the complex and tempting aromas of chili peppers, oil, spices, fermented substances, and other flavors rushed towards them like a tide, instantly engulfing them.

Before him stretched a long, brightly lit night market street. Stalls lined both sides, steam rising and flames leaping beneath red, blue, and white plastic canopies. At the barbecue stalls, skewers of meat, vegetables, and tofu sizzled on iron racks, brushed with bright red chili oil and spices, releasing an irresistible aroma. At the hot pot stalls, pork intestines, pork belly, potatoes, and konjac glistened in a special black clay pot. At the "silk doll" stall, dozens of small dishes held colorful shredded cold dishes; the paper-thin noodles were quickly spread out, wrapped with vegetables, and drizzled with a spicy and sour dipping sauce by a skilled auntie. There were also stalls selling various kinds of snacks, both familiar and unfamiliar to Nie Lingfeng, such as Changwang noodles, "love tofu," Danjia crispy duck, and rice porridge… a dense, crowded street filled with them all. The place was bustling with noise, and diners thronged together. The sounds of conversations in various accents, the shouts of the vendors, the clatter of pots and pans, and the sizzling of food in the oil blended together to create a vibrant and lively urban symphony.

Chen Duo's eyes widened the moment she stepped onto the street, her emerald green pupils reflecting the countless leaping flames and flashing neon signs. Her small mouth was slightly open, seemingly stunned by the unprecedented, almost "violent" feast of food. She sniffed hard, the complex and intense aroma in the air making her unconsciously swallow, and instinctively tightened her grip on Nie Lingfeng's hand. (☆▽☆)

Nie Lingfeng was also caught up in the lively scene, and his tense nerves relaxed a little. He looked down at Chen Duo's adorable, bewildered expression, like a mouse falling into a rice jar, and couldn't help but laugh: "What do you want to eat? Shall we eat our way from one end of the street to the other?"

Chen Duo nodded vigorously, but her gaze was quickly drawn to the nearest Changwang Noodles stall. A large pot of broth, bubbling with red oil and soy sauce, sat nearby. On the cutting board, a small mountain of glistening, tempting braised pork intestines and blood tofu piled up. The air was filled with the domineering aroma of pork bones, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and braising spices—an irresistible temptation for Chen Duo, who loved spicy food and meat.

"That one!" She pointed to the Changwang Noodles stall without hesitation, her voice not loud, but full of determination.

"Okay, let's start with a bowl of Changwang noodles." Nie Lingfeng pulled her to sit on the only two empty plastic stools in front of the stall. "Boss, two bowls of Changwang noodles, extra blood tofu, less chili."

"Alright! Two bowls of Changwang noodles, extra blood tofu, less chili!" The owner was a middle-aged man with a greasy apron and a shiny bald head. He had a loud voice and quick, efficient hands. He grabbed a strainer and started cooking. His wife was in charge of slicing the intestines and blood tofu. Her knife skills were swift and even.

While waiting, Nie Lingfeng casually observed the bustling diners and busy stall owners around him, but his senses had already spread like an invisible spider web, covering an area of ​​several dozen meters around him. This was a habit he had cultivated over many years: the more relaxed the environment, the more vigilant he needed to be. Especially now that he had just dealt with the Luodong Village incident and was about to investigate the Yaoxing Society, he didn't believe that the other party would be completely unaware.

The feedback from the senses was "normal." Diners were enjoying their meals, chatting and laughing, their spirits high; vendors were focused on their business, calling out to customers and collecting money; occasionally, a drunk diner would make a loud noise, or a couple would walk by laughing and joking... everything fit the scene of a bustling night market. There were no abnormal energy fluctuations, no deliberately concealed "qi" energy, and no obviously hostile gazes.

But Nie Lingfeng's unease hadn't completely subsided. He felt that something... wasn't quite right. It wasn't a specific threat, but a faint, almost imperceptible, awkward feeling, as if he were being watched through frosted glass. The feeling was extremely subtle, perhaps even an illusion, but he trusted his intuition.

Is it someone from the Shining Star Society? Or is it some kind of "mark" left by the entity behind the "Blood Moon" taking effect? ​​Or perhaps... a spy from another force?

"The noodles are here! Enjoy!" The owner's booming voice interrupted Nie Lingfeng's thoughts. Two large bowls of steaming hot, spicy red sauce noodles, piled high with pork intestines, blood tofu, crispy pork cracklings, and bright green scallions, were placed in front of them. The rich, overpowering aroma filled their nostrils, making their mouths water.

Chen Duo couldn't wait any longer. She picked up her chopsticks, carefully blew on them, and then picked up a trembling piece of blood tofu coated in chili oil, putting it in her mouth. The blood tofu was tender and flavorful, with a unique texture and rich braised aroma. Combined with the mellow bone broth, the spiciness of the chili, and the numbing sensation of the Sichuan peppercorns, it exploded in her mouth. She squinted her eyes in satisfaction, a faint blush rising to her face, and mumbled, "So...delicious!"

Nie Lingfeng also took a bite, and the taste was indeed authentic. The pork intestines were cleaned thoroughly and braised until soft, chewy, and tender; the blood tofu was smooth and tender; the noodles were springy; the broth was rich and flavorful, with just the right amount of spiciness and a refreshing numbing sensation. After days of fighting and running around, he had mostly eaten dry rations or simple meals, so this bowl of hot, spicy, and fragrant pork intestine noodles was truly comforting.

He temporarily put aside his doubts and focused on the food in front of him. Together with Chen Duo, they ate noodles in small bites, occasionally sipping soup, enjoying the rare peace and comfort of ordinary life.

However, just as Chen Duo was finishing her bowl of noodles and trying to pick up the last few crispy pork cracklings hidden at the bottom of the bowl with her chopsticks, Nie Lingfeng seemed to catch a glimpse of a man wearing a gray jacket and a baseball cap, who had been looking down at his phone, behind a stall selling "Dan Family Crispy Duck" across the street. He seemed to... slightly raise his head and glance in their direction very quickly.

The movement was natural, as if he had been disturbed by the noise of the diners next to him and had just glanced up casually. But Nie Lingfeng's senses caught that fleeting, extremely subtle, sharp glint in the other person's eyes, like a precision instrument scanning a target, devoid of any emotion.

It wasn't the curiosity of an ordinary diner, nor the sizing up of a potential customer by a street vendor. It was a... professional, observant, and evaluative gaze.

Nie Lingfeng remained calm, continuing to eat his noodles with his head down. He even picked up the vinegar bottle on the table and poured a little more into his bowl, as if he hadn't noticed anything. But his senses, like invisible probes, had already locked onto the man in the gray jacket.

The man quickly lowered his head again, continuing to play on his phone, his fingers rapidly swiping across the screen, seemingly sending messages or playing games. His Qi aura was very weak, almost indistinguishable from that of an ordinary person, clearly indicating special training and an expertise in concealment and disguise. However, under Nie Lingfeng's current perception, the faint but unusually condensed energy fluctuations within him, their trajectory different from that of ordinary martial artists, still gave him away. This wasn't an extraordinary person, but definitely a professional who had undergone rigorous training, was proficient in combat, tracking, and might even possess knowledge of certain unorthodox techniques.

A spy for Yaoxing Society? Or someone from another faction within the company? Or perhaps... some other force?

Nie Lingfeng sneered inwardly. It seemed his and Chen Duo's whereabouts weren't as "safe" as he'd imagined. However, the other side seemed to be merely monitoring them, showing no immediate intention to attack. Were they trying to pinpoint their location? Or assess their condition and strength?

Just then, Nie Lingfeng suddenly felt Chen Duo, sitting opposite him, stiffen almost imperceptibly, her fingers tightening slightly on her chopsticks. She looked up, her emerald eyes meeting Nie Lingfeng's, a hint of confusion and… wariness in them. She didn't look at the man in the gray jacket, but instead tilted her head slightly, silently mouthing two words to Nie Lingfeng:

"The soup is... weird."

Nie Lingfeng's heart skipped a beat! Chen Duo's perception of "poison" and "abnormal energy" stemmed from the primal Gu poison and Phoenix True Fire within her body, making her extremely sensitive. If she said the soup was "strange," then it was definitely not as simple as too much chili or a matter of taste!

He immediately stopped eating, channeling the fused, dark-gold Qilin True Fire within his body—a fire with powerful purifying and decomposing properties—through the food he had just consumed. Sure enough! Deep within the broth, amidst the seemingly ordinary red oil and bone broth, lay extremely subtle, colorless, and odorless particles—particles that seemed to dissolve in oil and evaporate silently with the heat, minuscule, pale pink, and carrying a strange, sweet-smelling odor!

This is no ordinary poison; it's more like a... extremely sophisticated, specially crafted "tracking agent" or "marker" that blends biotechnology, energy science, and possibly even the spiritual realm! It doesn't appear to have direct lethality, but once absorbed by the body, it clings to the body like a leech, attaching itself to the blood and meridians, extremely difficult to remove by conventional means. It continuously emits a unique, weak, and stable energy signal that can only be detected by specific instruments or sensing methods! This is equivalent to installing an invisible, long-term positioning beacon on the marked individual!

What an insidious method! What a brilliant way to poison (or rather, "mark")! To be able to mix this marker into this piping hot, strongly flavored noodle soup, a dish that diners are so focused on enjoying, without anyone noticing! If Chen Duo hadn't had an extraordinary ability to sense unusual energy, even he would have almost fallen for it!

Who did it? The man in the gray jacket? Or the owner of this noodle stall? Or... is there a more sophisticated lurking agent on this street that they don't know about?

Nie Lingfeng's eyes instantly turned icy. He calmly put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a tissue, and at the same time, the energy within his body, which combined the immortality of the Phoenix Blood and the purifying power of the Qilin True Fire, acted like the most precise nanomachines, instantly enveloping, decomposing, and completely annihilating the pale pink particles that had invaded his body! The entire process was silent and lightning fast; he didn't even use much internal energy, completing the purification solely through his meticulous control over his own power.

Then, he looked up at Chen Duo, who seemed somewhat uneasy, gave her a reassuring smile, and mouthed, "It's okay, it's resolved."

Chen Duo seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but the wariness in her eyes had not completely disappeared. She took small bites of the last bit of crispy scallion, her pace noticeably slowing down. Her ears twitched slightly, clearly indicating that she was also trying to sense her surroundings in her own way.

Nie Lingfeng pretended nothing was wrong and waved to the owner to pay the bill. While paying, he casually chatted with the bald owner: "Boss, your Changwang noodles are really authentic, the broth is especially fragrant, do you make it yourself?"

As the bald shopkeeper collected the money and gave change, he grinned and said, "Absolutely! Our soup is a family secret recipe. We use fresh pork bones and chicken carcasses every day, along with dozens of spices, and simmer it over low heat for seven or eight hours! You won't find another place like it in all of Guiyang with this aroma and flavor!"

His tone was proud, his eyes were open and honest, and there were no unusual energy fluctuations on his body. Nie Lingfeng's senses swept over him, and he was indeed just an ordinary stall owner with some skills who made a living from his craft, not someone who could create such a high-tech tracking agent.

So, someone else must have marked it. And it's very likely that they were nearby, "watching" them eat the noodles.