Wang Yuxiu hurriedly explained the Nine Towns to him, then remembered something and continued to ask, "Haven't you always thought my father doesn't trust you? The reason lies with these Nine Towns, especially Jiangxia Town, which is closest to our Qinghe Village. They sent many spies to infiltrate Qinghepu, so my father is very cautious with strangers. Over the years, we've caught quite a few of them, but who would have thought they still have so many people lurking in Qinghe Village? With such a big commotion this time, finally the Master has to step in and punish them."

"I see!"

Xiang Liang displayed a look of understanding, nodding as he asked, "You said you came to see me today to talk about this matter. Why?"

Wang Yuxiu bit her lip and said, "Brother Xiang, haven't you always felt that my father doesn't trust you? Taking advantage of this opportunity with Dajue Temple's Buddha's decree, if you actively request to enlist and accept the summon from my father, he will certainly be very pleased. Later, when fighting for Dajue Temple, if you can achieve any merits, he will definitely see you as a part of the family, and by then, the two of us..."

As she spoke to the last part, Wang Yuxiu's face was full of shyness, the implication clear.

Seeing the hesitation on Xiang Liang's face, Wang Yuxiu thought he was afraid of going to the battlefield, and quickly continued, "Don't worry, Brother Xiang, my third brother Wang Yuwen is now the Zen Temple Steward. I'll inform him, and once you're on the battlefield, he'll take care of you. There won't be any danger."

"That's not what I'm afraid of!"

Xiang Liang shook his head immediately, holding Wang Yuxiu's hand a bit tighter as he said, "If I go directly to seek your father's approval, he will surely guess that you're the one who told me about this, and you'll end up getting scolded."

Seeing that Xiang Liang was not afraid but worried about her, Wang Yuxiu's face immediately showed a sweet smile, nodding and saying softly, "You don't have to go to him right now. In the next few days, he should meet with all the Hunting Teams in the village. When it's your turn, just show some enthusiasm; he will definitely notice."

"Yuxiu, thank you. For the future of both of us, I will work hard to integrate into Lower River Village!"

Hearing this, Wang Yuxiu's face flushed deeper, and her eyes were filled with sweetness as she looked at Xiang Liang.

The two young people chatted softly inside the house for a while longer until dawn approached. Reluctantly, Wang Yuxiu left, turning back frequently.

Watching Wang Yuxiu leave, Xiang Liang returned inside and gazed at the bowl of still warm meat soup on the table, his expression turning unusually complex.

Bai Shanqiu walked out from inside, seeing Xiang Liang's expression, he smiled gently and asked, "Are you feeling guilty for deceiving her like this?"

Xiang Liang said nothing, but his expression gave the answer.

"Do you like this Wang Yuxiu?"

Hearing Bai Shanqiu's question, Xiang Liang looked taken aback, then replied in a low voice, "Lower River Village belongs to Dajue Temple. She is from Lower River Village and should be considered an enemy of our Great Xia. How could I like an enemy?"

"Foolish!"

Bai Shanqiu, being older and experienced in matters of love, couldn't be deceived by Xiang Liang's flimsy excuse. He shook his head and chuckled, then continued, "The three villages and eighteen families of Qinghepu are at most bewitched by a deceitful monster. They aren't bad people, so how could they be considered enemies of our Great Xia?

We are gathering intelligence on Dajue Temple here for the sake of Great Xia, to rescue the three villages and eighteen families from Dajue Temple's grasp. Your deception of her is essentially to save her and all the people of Qinghepu, so you shouldn't feel guilty. Once Great Xia exposes Dajue Temple's true nature, she will naturally understand your actions.

Liking her is not a crime. You are taking a great risk by volunteering and staying in Lower River Village. Even Lord Xu knows about this. Should the day come when you both end up together, he will surely stand by you."

Bai Shanqiu's words clearly had a significant impact on Xiang Liang. He stood there pondering for a long time, as his eyes gradually cleared from the complexity and hesitation, and his expression became more lucid. He then looked at Bai Shanqiu with gratitude and cupped his hands, saying, "Thank you for the guidance, Old Bai. I almost got caught up in the illusion!"

Seeing that Xiang Liang understood, Bai Shanqiu also showed a satisfied expression. Although they were not related by blood and hadn't interacted much in Wuyuan in the past, he genuinely admired this daring and meticulous young man from the bottom of his heart.

"Since you've figured it out, good. Now, record all the information Wang Yuxiu just shared. Dajue Temple's Buddha's decree, Wang Yuwen, Wang Yu'an, Nine Towns setting fires in Qinghe Village which angered Dajue Temple... all these are key intelligence. Especially the fact that Dajue Temple is gathering forces to act against Nine Towns—this must be reported back to Xia City quickly. We can't wait for the end of the month. I'll find an opportunity to slip out after it gets light."

Xiang Liang nodded heavily, assisting Bai Shanqiu in organizing the intelligence.

They had been undercover in Lower River Village for over half a year, having set up a way to communicate back to Baiyang ahead of time. If there were no significant developments, they'd send a status report to Xia City at the end of each month. In the event of important developments, they'd send a report early, by placing the letters in the crevice of a marked tree fifteen kilometers west of Lower River Village.

Baiyang Garrison Commander Chen Ying would send someone to check by that tree each day during daylight, ensuring timely communication between the parties.

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