According to the information Wu Jinliang had gathered, Lan Qiaoyan and her family lived within this mountain. It wasn't just their household here; it was said that the area was home to the wealthy and the noble, as evidenced by the protection array in front of them.

They had thought since there was more than one family living here, people coming and going would be the norm, and by waiting, someone would eventually show up.

There are snake paths for snakes, and rat trails for rats; as long as they encountered someone, they would find a way.

But, to their dismay, it seemed like no one ever came home. The road was so extensive, yet not a single soul could be seen, unlike the other busy streets of the capital.

They ended up waiting until late afternoon.

Having waited so long, Shi Chun couldn't help but doubt, "Wu Jinliang, are you sure this place is inhabited?"

Wu Jinliang: "Definitely, I wouldn't just blindly believe it. I even had others confirm it; there are certainly residents here, and they are all either rich or influential."

Seeing his conviction, Shi Chun fell silent for a moment before activating his superpower in his right eye and peering deeper. The protection array revealed nothing of interest, but some anomalies were noted in the mountainous woods behind them.

After comparing what he saw with both eyes, it could be confirmed that there was a small group of people hiding among the trees on a nearby mountain peak. Their circumstances were unclear, but since his left eye could see the canopy where they were hiding, it implied that those in hiding could see their position as well.

Shi Chun immediately whispered the discovery to Wu Jinliang.

Informed, Wu Jinliang glanced in that direction twice, but didn't stare too long to avoid alerting them, whispering softly, "Bad news, we didn't bring any weapons. How many people do they have?"

Shi Chun counted carefully and replied, "Not too many, but not too few either. Looks like eleven."

Wu Jinliang: "Friend or foe?"

Shi Chun: "Don't know. They're clustered in one place, hiding in the treetops. Doesn't seem like local guards, and it's unclear if they were here before us or followed us here."

Wu Jinliang: "Even if they followed us, the fact they haven't made a move after waiting so long means they're either afraid to strike or not here to strike at all. It seems there's no need for excessive worry."

Shi Chun nodded slightly.

As the two continued to wait, they became more vigilant about their surroundings.

As afternoon gave way to evening darkness, the traffic was still scarce, making the two wonder if the people living here were the strange ones, or if it was themselves.

Fortunately, the plants planted along the sides of the road emitted a fluorescence at night, bright enough to illuminate the path, which under the dark sky, appeared like a glowing ribbon.

After dark for a couple of hours, the sounds of a vehicle finally came from the woods. The two, one sitting inside the carriage and the other on top, immediately got up to stand in front of it and wait.

Before long, a carriage rolled up and stopped in front of them, blocking the road, unable to pass without stopping.

A woman peeked out from behind the carriage curtain; it was none other than Lan Qiaoyan.

Upon seeing Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang blocking the way, she expressed her surprise, "What are you doing here?"

Miao Yilan's head also emerged with astonishment, "Shi Chun, big guy?"

Shi Chun and his companion broke into a sweat, having not expected to run into the mother and daughter duo so coincidentally. They quickly instructed the spirit beast pulling the carriage to adjust its direction and make way.

The mother and daughter had already alighted. Lan Qiaoyan inquired, "What's the meaning of this?"

Before them, Shi Chun reverted to his habitually polite and refined demeanor, "Madam Lan, Yilan, we heard you had also come to the capital, so we came to visit. Unable to get in, and not knowing how to contact you, we thought we'd wait for someone to pass by and ask."

Lan Qiaoyan raised an eyebrow slightly, "Blocking the road to ask doesn't quite seem like asking, more like attempting a robbery. That's something the Master has done before, right?"

Shi Chun hurried to explain, "Madam Lan jests, we wouldn't dare to cause trouble in the capital. As you know our origins, we're not used to the big city; not sure whether to place the carriage horizontally or vertically, my apologies for the ignorance."

Wu Jinliang, who was usually pretty straightforward, now seemed meek and extremely respectful in front of Lan Qiaoyan, as if shrinking in her presence.

Just the sight of him gave Lan Qiaoyan the urge to roll her eyes, remembering how he would boisterously call her "mom" when they met, his loud voice and even louder mouth. If it weren't for learning the truth last time, she would have almost believed his nonsense.

She had seen his swaggering image brandishing a large saber in the mirror, and how different he was from the man standing before her now; she wondered if it was all an act, which both amused and annoyed her.

Miao Yilan, observing their reactions, was smiling with lips pursed, her sparkling eyes examining the two men, as if looking at something new. After all, they were the freshly proclaimed first and second place winners of the Sky Rain Meteor Conference, whose grace she had seen in the mirror. There was a sense that she had to reassess these two.

Lan Qiaoyan was not easily fooled. She had only played the fool in front of her husband. With a slightly unfriendly tone, she said, "Knowing we've come here and even where we live, you really don't know how to contact us?"

That remark stung a bit.

Shi Chun pondered for a moment, then said, "When we were begging for food, we almost starved to death, so we're used to snatching meals and causing trouble. We're very grateful to Madam Lan, and we didn't want to bring trouble to you, nor to be misunderstood. Knowing you were here, we wanted to pay a visit without making a spectacle."

Having planned to keep her distance because of her husband's previous words, Lan Qiaoyan found it hard to brush them off after his words. What could she say? She had watched over this man for quite a while in the Land of Exile, and she knew a bit about his character. There were qualities in him that she admired, which was why she had helped him in the first place.

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