After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Time marches on, bit by bit.

At midnight, the bright moon in the sky was like a jade plate, its silvery light pouring down and casting a layer of silvery radiance over the village.

Qian Sijin, an ordinary captain in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, lay on the roof of a house not far from the Ning family, staring intently at the Ning family's courtyard by the dim moonlight.

He wasn't the only one keeping watch; several other brothers, whose whereabouts were unknown, were also watching the courtyard from all directions with him.

The night was deep and it was late, but after a good night's sleep during the day, I didn't feel sleepy at all.

They would keep watch until around dawn, when the sky would begin to lighten, before someone would come to hand over the duties.

Qian Sijin was twenty-three years old and had only been in his father's position for a few years, but he was already considered a qualified veteran captain.

He was also quite skilled, his martial arts were passed down in his family, and he had been trained by several uncles and instructors in the Commandant's Mansion. He was proficient in using a large spear.

This mission came suddenly. They were originally in a lucrative position guarding the granary, but the Commandant's Office was short-handed, so they transferred their banner over.

The specific details of the mission are unknown. Some secrets are only kept at the level of the General Banner. He is about ten years away from becoming a General Banner, or maybe twenty.

The centurion didn't care anymore; he just wanted to be able to hold the position of captain when he died of old age, which would be a great honor for the Qian family.

His task was to keep an eye on the only man in the Ning family at night; to be precise, to protect him.

The boy was a few years younger than me and had a very beautiful fiancée... Well, that's about all I know.

I didn't ask any more questions.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard was an agency that specialized in uncovering secrets, but these secrets were only heard once and then forgotten after being handed over. My father had said that if you wanted to live longer, you had to do this... But my father didn't seem to live long either, as he was beheaded in the Northern Dynasty.

During summer nights, mosquitoes would bite. The Imperial Guards had a special potion that could repel mosquitoes, supposedly made by soaking chrysanthemums and mint. Even though he had applied it all over his body, he still got bitten quite a few times. He felt somewhat helpless.

At this very moment of anxiety and frustration.

The door to the main room of the Ning family suddenly opened, and a young man dressed in a loose-fitting robe and looking like a scholar walked out.

The other person looked up at the sky, then gently closed the bolt on the main room door.

He narrowed his eyes, gripped the edge of the roof with both hands, and the itching on his neck and wrists instantly stopped.

The bright moon shines.

The other person's figure cast a long, faint shadow in the moonlight.

The shadow walked down the long slope and headed east along Lijia Village.

Qian Sijin was already crouching on the roof of the house to the east. He waited until the other person's shadow gradually disappeared into the distance before slowly climbing down from the roof.

I've received training, and although I don't have any superhuman lightness skills like walking on water without leaving a trace, I can still get off the roof without making a sound.

Looking at the wall sideways, the figure continued walking forward at a leisurely pace.

He then used the walls of the houses as cover to follow at a distance.

After walking less than two miles, the other person turned and fell into a small path.

Qian Sijin walked a few steps silently, crouched down behind a wall, and peered into the distance.

The scholar walked into a bamboo forest.

The moonlight shone down.

The shadows of bamboo leaves cast on the ground were indistinct and dappled.

The rustling of the scholar's footsteps on the fallen leaves mingled with the chirping of insects.

Tracking people in the woods is a great art. You have to walk silently and be careful not to step on leaves.

In addition, to prevent losing sight of the target, you need to get closer to it.

He covered himself with a cloth to prevent his breathing from being too loud.

Then, he first touched the ground with his heels, then with his toes, trying his best to hide behind the drooping bamboo leaves and trees, following not far behind the man in the wide, deep robe.

He didn't step on any bamboo leaves, and he didn't make a sound even after the other person walked out of the bamboo forest and into the woods behind the mountain.

Seeing the other person's figure disappear into the woods behind the mountain, Qian Sijin sighed silently and followed them in.

The woods on a summer night, bathed in moonlight, appeared tranquil and secluded.

But upon closer listening, the sounds of insects chirping, mosquitoes buzzing, frogs croaking, and the occasional roar of wild animals from afar make the forest quite noisy.

After walking into the woods for about fifteen minutes...

The figure ahead walked steadily behind a rather thick elm tree, which was wider than his body.

The tree blocked his view, so Qian Sijin took a small step to the left. At that moment, he saw the figure suddenly squat down, doing something, and in short, not going any further.

He frowned, waiting patiently, hoping the man would go home soon.

After a while, the man stood up and continued walking forward.

Qian Sijin had no choice but to follow.

After walking another hundred steps or so, the figure suddenly darted behind a thick tree!

Bang bang bang bang!

The sound of footsteps grew ever more distant!

Qian Sijin's pupils contracted: "They ran away?"

He lifted his legs and hurried forward to chase after it.

As he approached the thick tree, his eyes widened in surprise. Looking ahead, he found that the figure had vanished without a trace.

Qian Sijin was stunned. Just as he was about to run after him, everything went white in front of him. A gleaming sharp knife emerged from the tree branch and was placed against his neck with lightning speed!

Qian Sijin's pupils contracted sharply as he looked up from the dagger. The other person had wrapped the dagger and his hand together with a white cloth, seemingly to prevent the dagger from slipping from their grasp.

"Uh... just saying hello." The figure's voice wasn't loud. "My name is Ning Nan."

Ning Nan covered his forehead, looking at the young man in front of him with a headache.

I wonder if he gets tired after following me for so long.

"Well, that's how it is," he said carefully, "I know you want to follow me, or protect me..."

As he spoke, he sheathed his knife and emerged from behind the tree.

"But actually, I really don't need it, you understand? You don't need to follow me... You can go and talk to your supervisor, they'll understand... Oh, I'll talk to Supervisor Qin tomorrow too, anyway—"

Ning Nan smiled warmly: "No one will deduct your salary... well, deduct your pay or anything like that."

Manager Qin couldn't be so incompetent as to allow the bandits to keep an eye on his sentry.

The young man in front of her must be one of her people, sent to monitor or protect her or something... It's a bit annoying, but I'm also genuinely grateful.

Qian Sijin blinked, and after understanding what the other person meant, he remained silent for a moment before nodding.

"That's good." Ning Nan smiled gently and began to untie the strip of cloth on his right hand. "Go back to sleep early." He turned around and walked along another path into the depths of the forest.

Qian Sijin struggled for a long time, but ultimately did not chase after the other person who had left.

He slumped his shoulders, let out a long breath, and then frowned.

He wanted to know how the scholar had managed to create that series of footsteps.

After walking a dozen or so steps forward, he squinted and saw a round ball lying next to the tree.

Qian Sijin's heart skipped a beat. He picked it up and touched it. His pupils contracted slightly. It was a ball made of pig's belly that he could grab with one hand.

He let go.

The pig's belly ball fell to the ground and bounced up with a "thud," making a "thud-thud" sound.

He stared at the pig's belly ball on the ground, his lips dry, and quietly took a breath.

……

……

The next morning.

Zhu Cuiwei got up and pushed open the door to take a look.

Then they saw Ning Nan squatting by the well, washing his hands with soap powder. His palms were dark, as if he had been holding charcoal for a long time.

"Dinner is ready." Ning Nan smiled and waved his dark palm.

Cui Cui frowned: "Why are your hands so dark?"

Ning Nan's arms ached, and he said helplessly, "Da Hei needs to forge iron, go help him break some charcoal..." He then stood up and swayed his aching back.