In the afternoon, the autumn sun poured over the Prince Wei’s Mansion. The weather in September was still quite hot, and besides the servants, no one was willing to expose themselves to the sunlight. A gentle breeze swept through, bringing a refreshing autumn coolness to the mansion.

In the rear courtyard of Xia Zhiqing’s chamber, the doors and windows were tightly shut, but the room was brightly lit.

There was no incense burning in the room, yet a fragrant aroma lingered.

On the soft couch, although in a metaphorical battlefield it was her sister Zhi Ning, Xia Zhiqing felt her own delicate body heating up and becoming weak.

It was because every time the young man launched an offensive against Zhi Ning, Xia Zhiqing could clearly feel it and could hear the crisp sound of bamboo breaking behind her.

Chen Mo could sense the changes in Zhiqing’s delicate body, and measuring Zhi Ning’s... hand, he placed it on her jade-like back, then flipped his palm over. In an instant, he felt... Having given birth to a pair of dragon and phoenix twins, Zhiqing was not someone her sister could compare to.

Xia Zhiqing let out a soft whimper, her entire body like a boneless lump of flesh, embracing Zhi Ning, which left Xia Zhining unable to restrain her emotions, letting out a cry from her mouth.

Upon hearing this sound, Xia Zhiqing’s already luscious face became burning hot, like someone intoxicated, bright and vivid.

Unfortunately, she was facing away from Chen Mo, denying him the chance to witness her captivating appearance.

Fortunately, at this moment, Chen Mo felt the effort of holding the two of them in his arms becoming a bit taxing, so he turned Zhiqing’s body over, changing her from lying face down to lying flat.

However, this sleeping position left Zhiqing unable to find balance, requiring her to lift her arms to steady herself on Chen Mo’s body.

Chen Mo glanced downward, seeing a dazzling full moon that made his eyes spin.

"Husband." Xia Zhiqing’s delicate eyes brimmed with shyness, and the burning-hot face was so tempting that with a light pinch, it seemed water would seep out.

Chen Mo’s throat rolled as he considered taking care of Zhiqing.

Yet as Chen Mo left, Zhi Ning naturally became aware, turning to embrace Chen Mo’s legs, turning back, first glaring at Chen Mo, then showing a hint of infatuation in her autumn-like eyes:

"Husband..."

Zhi Ning’s following words were so soft they were nearly inaudible, but with Chen Mo’s prowess, he heard them clearly and precisely.

It was known that Xia Zhining loved to bicker with Chen Mo and disliked calling him husband, let alone showing infatuation in her gaze.

This current display was like a huge rock dropping into a calm lake, stirring Chen Mo’s heart directly, causing an indescribable palpitation. He spoke no further, tightly gripping Zhi Ning’s soft shoulders and hastened his pace.

Xia Zhiqing slightly furrowed her elegant, long Liu Mei brows, feeling a bit displeased in her heart, after all, her sister’s words were possessive. Yet thinking of her own children, the displeasure quickly vanished like smoke, and she sat up, wrapping her lotus-like arms around Chen Mo’s neck, pressing against the young man’s warm lips, the masculine fiery breath continuously overflowing.

Joyful moments always pass particularly quickly.

In a blink, it was the next day.

The matter of Chen Mo heading to the Western Regions was quite secret, known by few, as people only knew Chen Mo was leaving the capital today.

Chen Mo, Nalan Yiren, Liang Mu, and Si Song, dressed in casual clothes, rode fast horses straight towards Xiliang.

...

Xiliang, around Yangtian Pass.

This is the border pass of Great Song leading to the Western Regions, a trade route opened by the Grand Ancestor Emperor that must pass through here.

Chen Mo and the others rode fast horses, traveling lightly, even changing horses midway, and their speed was several times faster than marching.

Early October.

In about seven days, Chen Mo and his party reached the vicinity of Yangtian Pass.

Because it is the gateway to the Western Regions, with caravans coming and going for business, the movement of people created opportunities for profit, gradually forming a marketplace in the pass area.

At dusk, in a teahouse within the marketplace.

"How many guests?" the teahouse attendant approached with a smile.

"Four, just bring us four bowls of cold tea," Chen Mo said as he walked into the teahouse.

"Alright, please wait a moment."

The teahouse was small, with only three sets of tables and chairs, being a small business, with only one attendant and a shopkeeper.

Inside, it was quite empty. Chen Mo let Nalan Yiren and the others sit down first, while he approached the counter and relayed the Inspector’s code to the shopkeeper.

After matching the code, the shopkeeper immediately led Chen Mo to the rest area at the back of the teahouse, then respectfully bowed to Chen Mo, "Black Crow of Inspector Section A Team 3, greets the lord."

Xiliang is a thousand miles away from the capital, and Yangtian Pass is the "border" of Xiliang. The yellow sand was in sight, except for the caravans and escort agencies, few people would come this way.

Not everyone had seen Chen Mo or knew what he looked like, so Black Crow did not recognize Chen Mo, assuming he was a lord from the capital.

Black Crow would never have imagined that in front of him was King Wei, for in his view, how could such a noble figure as King Wei come to this godforsaken place?

Chen Mo knew that the Inspector was divided into four departments: A, B, C, and D, with each department having five teams responsible for intelligence gathering and other tasks.

Chen Mo did not reveal his identity but inquired about the current situation in Xiliang from Black Crow.

Through Black Crow’s account, currently Xiliang was temporarily under the court’s control.

After Lu Sheng conquered Xiliang, he indeed left thousands of "Lu Army" to guard Xiliang. After his family fled to Xiliang, they intended to rely on these Lu Army to settle in Xiliang.

But soon, the news of Lu Sheng’s downfall reached Xiliang.

The Lu Army, not being foolish, knew that with Lu Sheng dead, those associated with him had lost power, including his family. Naturally, they were unwilling to follow Lu Sheng’s family to oppose Chen Mo.

However, fearing Chen Mo might hold them accountable, they did not capture Lu Sheng’s family but dispersed and fled on their own.

Once the Lu Army dispersed, Xiliang fell into a leaderless state. As those pursuing Lu Sheng’s family arrived, they began to stabilize the situation in Xiliang.

According to Black Crow, Lu Sheng’s family had escaped to the Yelang Kingdom in the Western Regions. The Inspector had already sent people to the Yelang Kingdom to negotiate with the Xing Clan, hoping that the Yelang Kingdom would hand over the fugitives.

"Why is the teahouse so quiet?" Having learned the general situation of Xiliang, Chen Mo curiously asked about the pass.

Black Crow, speaking without reservation, began explaining slowly.

It turned out that since the Grand Ancestor Emperor opened the trade route to the Western Regions, with the decline of the Great Song’s power, the maintenance and governance of this trade route also diminished.

Later, as chaos arose everywhere, bandits sprang up. In the desert, many "sand bandits" appeared, robbing and murdering trading caravans.

While the Qiang Race thrived, the pass brought significant revenue to them, and they would strictly combat sand bandits, which made bandits somewhat restrained, not daring to act openly. However, after the Qiang Race was overthrown by Lu Sheng, they became utterly rampant.