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"What's your surname?" Mo Xibei nodded to himself, then couldn't help but ask the child again in a low voice.

"Tch!" the child replied softly.

"Qi Jiguang?" Mo Xibei's original guess was confirmed, and he couldn't help but be stunned.

"Sister Mo, how did you know my name?" A-Guang was surprised that Mo Xibei called out his name so easily. Of course, he was also very happy. His eyes narrowed into slits with laughter, but his mouth couldn't close.

“Ah Guang,” Mo Xibei was also very excited, “you must study military strategy books well. In the future, whether we can completely wipe out the Japanese pirates will depend on you.” “I must kill all these damned Japanese pirates.” When Ah Guang heard Mo Xibei say this, his eyes shone even brighter.

“Alright!” Mo Xibei nodded. The Japanese pirates who had fled from the city had already run over. She whispered in A Guang’s ear, “To celebrate that you have such an ideal at such a young age, let’s start a killing spree today and wipe them out without leaving a single one alive.”

As they spoke, the little red flags fluttered, and the Japanese pirate in the middle screamed as he tripped over the horse rope and was instantly riddled with holes by the rushing civilians.

The Japanese pirates at the front heard something amiss from behind and ran even faster.

There was only one road from Tongxian to the beach. The Japanese pirates at the front never expected that the quiet, deserted road they had come on would now be filled with explosives.

Volume 3, Chapter 15: Confusion (Part 2)

Amidst the continuous explosions, Chu Junfeng led the people of Tongxian, brandishing spears and daggers and shouting as they charged from behind, joining the group that had been lying in ambush on the path.

With no way forward and pursuers behind, the remaining small group of Japanese pirates, driven by their instinct for survival, resisted even more fiercely. Several strong men who rushed forward were actually cleaved in two by the pirates with their knives.

The ruthless gazes and the rain of blood sent chills down the spines of those following behind who still wanted to rush forward. In the brief moment their steps faltered, the Japanese pirates had already quickly gathered. Judging from the situation, they seemed to have accepted their fate and decided not to flee, but to fight to the death right there.

The two sides remained locked in a stalemate for a long while. No one uttered a sound, and even their breathing unconsciously slowed. All their attention was focused on the weapons in each other's hands. Every subtle movement of those weapons seemed poised to breach a dam that had been rising steadily but remained silent, unleashing a torrent of waves that would sweep away and flatten the waters.

"Kill the Japanese pirates and avenge our family!" A young man whose name Mo Xibei couldn't recall suddenly roared and charged forward with his sword. His young flesh and blood were instantly intertwined in the bright light of the blade. By the time Mo Xibei and Chu Junfeng, who were only a few steps away, arrived with their swords, he was left only as a mangled mess.

"Kill these beasts!" This blood finally ignited the fire in people's hearts, and more people roared and rushed forward, engaging in a fierce battle with the Japanese pirates.

During this time, Mo Xibei moved constantly through the battle, either blocking the deadly blades of the Japanese pirates or covering the retreat of the wounded civilians. In fact, after cutting down several pirates, her anger had subsided considerably; killing was not something she enjoyed. Never had, so she began to find the smell of blood pungent. However, the remaining small groups of pirates were all exceptionally skilled. Although surrounded and with no way to retreat, they remained organized and efficient, working in groups of three, back to back, wielding their Japanese swords. In no time, they had shredded the makeshift weapons held by the civilians to pieces. Many were unable to dodge in time and were injured, some lightly, some seriously. Under these circumstances, she had no choice but to charge forward with her sword, blocking most of the attacks.

The battle raged until sunrise. The boy, A-Guang, who had been perched in the tree, pulled down his small bow and arrows, which he always carried on his back, and surprisingly, his arrows never missed, hitting several Japanese pirates in succession. Mo Xibei and Chu Junfeng also took advantage of the dim light of sunset, each launching a series of hidden weapons, finally breaking up the Japanese pirates' three-by-three formation. During the battle, the people of Tongxian also captured three Japanese pirates.

There were no victory drums. Nor was anyone in the mood to sing triumphant songs.

While clearing the battlefield, the people of Tongxian killed 46 Japanese pirates, but 15 of them also died in the melee. Most of them were men in their early twenties, with elderly parents and young children to support. Tongxian was a small town, and the people there saw each other all the time. Now, seeing familiar faces lying on the ground covered in blood, the joy of victory was quickly replaced by unspeakable grief.

Some people spontaneously found planks to lift the wounded, while others rushed back to the city to deliver messages and report the casualties. The lingering smell of gunpowder from the explosion still permeated the air, and wisps of smoke occasionally rose around people.

"Sister Mo, why are we fighting?" A-Guang, who had been so energetic just moments before, silently approached Mo Xibei, tears glistening in his eyes. The neighbor's brother who had brought him here to ambush them had just been brutally killed by the Japanese pirates. Born into a military family, although he hadn't been on the battlefield in recent years, he was no stranger to killing, and his mental fortitude was far stronger than that of other children his age. Yet, standing beside the neighbor's brother who had been smiling and whittling a wooden knife for him just yesterday, he felt an overwhelming sense of dread.

“We fight wars so that more people can live and work in peace and contentment, without having to fight.” Mo Xibei raised her hand, preparing to pat A Guang’s head to comfort him, but just as her palm was about to touch the top of his head, she thought of something, so she suddenly turned her wrist and gently patted A Guang’s shoulder.

"But how can we defeat the Japanese pirates without losing anyone?" A-Guang remained silent for a long time, and just when Mo Xibei thought he must have understood, he suddenly asked.

“Then you need to study military texts carefully. There will definitely be methods; it just depends on whether you can use them flexibly. In short, remember what happened today. So many of our men died because we used the most foolish methods to fight the enemy to the death. In a battle where we killed a thousand but lost five hundred of our own, we didn’t win.” Mo Xibei sighed, patted A Guang’s shoulder, and then slowly walked to Chu Junfeng’s side.

"What did you go to do? You left in such a hurry so early in the morning?" Chu Junfeng kept his eyes on the battlefield and didn't turn his head to look at her. He just asked softly.

"Let's verify something," Mo Xibei said, his gaze unwavering. "I find it very strange. There are many things I can't understand, but I always feel that everything that happened here is not accidental. You saw the martial arts skills of these people; most of them are not real Japanese samurai. Tongxian is located in a remote area. Although its products are good, transportation is inconvenient. The lives of the people here are many years behind those of other coastal areas. It doesn't make sense that Japanese pirates would repeatedly come to harass such a place with such great resources."

"I only find one thing strange: the Japanese pirates' two raids both coincided with your departure." Chu Junfeng suddenly smiled. "It seems the person playing this game with us is not only brilliant but also understands us very well." "Scared?" Mo Xibei tilted his head to look at him, his eyes sparkling with a smile. Chu Junfeng hadn't seen Mo Xibei smile like that in a long time, and his heart fluttered slightly. He looked away a few inches, avoiding the dazzling starlight, before saying, "Xibei, I said that after I finish what I need to do, I'll travel the world with you. Since we're partners, wherever you go, I'll go too. If you're not afraid, why should I be?" "If you're afraid, just say so. Why drag me into it?" Mo Xibei casually pushed him away, not thinking about the meaning behind his words, and quickly walked away. She believed that after this battle, the Japanese pirates would definitely be weakened and would not come ashore to cause trouble in the short term. She also needed time to deal with the aftermath and think about some seemingly complicated but actually interconnected problems.

Of course, the first thing to do is to find the person who has been hiding behind the scenes and playing this game with them.

And... find Mu Feinan. Mo Xibei thought she had to ask him why he fabricated such a heartbreaking lie, and what his relationship was with the person behind the scenes.

Volume 3, Chapter 16: Settlement

Upon returning to Tongxian, the first thing Mo Xibei did was to secretly check on San'er. The little girl was sleeping peacefully in bed, and the maids who were with her said that San'er had been well-behaved all day, just like usual.

"This child is quite remarkable. She's so young, yet she can sleep so soundly," Chu Junfeng said.

"Yes, the sounds of battle are deafening outside, and even the maids are restless, but she's sleeping soundly. She's really heartless." Mo Xibei agreed, but remained calm and turned to go to the main hall.

The second thing she did was to summon Xiu Wen and, together with the wealthy households in the city, have them each contribute some silver to help settle the families left behind by the victims. In fact, there weren't many wealthy households in Tongxian County, and Mo Xibei also instructed Xiu Wen to persuade the other wealthy households to do their best, and not to expect large sums of money.

"These people all died for Tongxian, so why should we be the ones to pay such a large sum of money? Since we are the ones paying, why drag other families into it instead of letting the people simply be grateful to us?" Xiu Wen said very little. After hearing Mo Xibei's instructions, he turned around and left. Mei'er, on the other hand, was very puzzled.

"Mei'er, you have so many questions. You must have been a question mark girl before." Mo Xibei smiled, just drinking his tea and not wanting to say anything more.

"Hero Chu?" Although Mei'er hadn't known Mo Xibei for long, she understood that there were some things Mo Xibei didn't want to say, and asking would be pointless. But if she didn't ask, she felt restless, as if something was scratching at her heart.

“I think Northwest doesn’t want to be too conspicuous and cause trouble in the future. After all, a lot of people died this time, and it’s inevitable that some people will use this as an excuse to cause trouble. The local militia was originally organized by us. If we are to step in and provide relief on our own, some people might say that the Japanese pirates were originally after us. They are just taking the blame for us.” Seeing that Mo Northwest seemed indifferent to the situation, Chu Junfeng had no choice but to reply.

“We’ve only been here a few days. The Japanese pirates have been harassing us for years, how can you blame us?” Mei’er’s eyes widened in disbelief. “We’re helping them? How come, from what you’re saying, it seems like we’re the ones who made the mistake?”

Chu Junfeng remained silent, but Mo Xibei couldn't help but laugh. "My dear young lady, there are many unscrupulous people these days. I'm just used to doing business and always want to be on guard. You don't need to think too much. There are only a few unkind people. Most people outside are still good people."

“I know. Everyone I’ve met, including you and Master Chu, are good people.” Mei’er nodded. She never overthought many things. Because Xiu Wen said he would think of everything for her. So, as long as she stayed by Xiu Wen’s side, that would be enough. What he did was always right, and the friends he trusted were always trustworthy. Thinking of this, she shook her head, shaking off the questions that had gathered in her mind. “It’s enough for me to know that you are all good people. You’ve been busy all day, and it’s already this late. You must not have eaten yet. I’ll go to the kitchen and prepare some for you.”

"Good Mei'er, that's what I've been waiting for you to say." Mo Xibei patted his belly, which had been empty for a long time, and nodded repeatedly.

After Mei'er walked away, Chu Junfeng sighed and said, "Although Xiuwen is not talkative, he used to seem melancholy, as if he had a lot on his mind. But now, unexpectedly, he has married such a carefree wife. I see that he has become cheerful. Listening to his zither music, there is a warm and pleasant feeling, like the clouds have cleared away. The twists and turns of life are truly wonderful."

"When I was a child, I heard a very common yet most reasonable analogy: 'One key opens one lock.' That's probably how it is for them. The Old Man Under the Moon ties their feet together with a red thread, and no matter how far apart they are or how different their social statuses are, they will always be together." Mo Xibei sighed, his thoughts drifting far away.

"And what about you? Where is your destined partner?" Chu Junfeng asked in his heart, but seeing Mo Xibei gradually becoming absent-minded, he could only smile bitterly. He originally had a chance, but... never mind, let yesterday be yesterday. Only by thinking like this can one face today and tomorrow with equanimity. "What are your plans for the future?" he asked after a while.

"I haven't thought about it yet. Maybe I should just wander around and see what's around." Mo Xibei came back to his senses and shrugged lightly. "I don't like staying in one place for too long. I always feel the urge to change places. It's probably a bad habit."

"It's nice to travel around. You can eat lots of delicious food. I also want to travel around." Chu Junfeng nodded. "Have you decided which direction you want to go? Maybe we can travel together and be travel companions."

"The capital city, ah, the capital city is a great place, I really haven't had enough fun yet." Mo Xibei blinked, speaking casually.

"You... I thought you weren't going back to the capital." Chu Junfeng was taken aback, but then guessed, "You think this Japanese pirate attack is related to the capital?" "Maybe. I just feel like someone deliberately created a lot of trouble around me, trying to keep me here." Mo Xibei lightly patted his face with his fingers and said, "I really can't understand what I've done to deserve such a lot of effort from someone. But if they're going to put on such a show, I have no reason not to watch. However, the seats here are too out of the way. After thinking it over, the capital is still the best—it's lively, crowded, and the seats are good." "Xibei, you used to give the impression of being indifferent to everything, like you didn't want to get involved in other people's business..." Chu Junfeng frowned. The capital, the capital... that person now...