Inside the room on the second floor, Shen Bai had just raised his teacup for a sip of water. Hearing Liu Wufeng’s words, he paused, the cup hovering by his lips.

"Who did you say?"

"Zhou Qing. Your best friend from Shengyun County. He’s with the army this time and will be passing through Fenglin State."

"I see. So he’s also part of the expedition against Marquis Fengjiang."

"That’s right."

Liu Wufeng nodded with certainty.

Shen Bai drank his tea and set the cup aside. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "Will it be dangerous?"

Liu Wufeng said, "There will definitely be danger. It’s a war, after all. How could there not be?"

Shen Bai fell silent.

Liu Wufeng asked, "Are you worried about Zhou Qing?"

Shen Bai didn’t deny it, nodding. "Yes."

Marquis Fengjiang commanded a Capital-level City and a large private army. With countless capable experts under his command, he was on a completely different level from a State-level City like Fenglin State.

In Shen Bai’s view, the Great Zhou Country would win this punitive expedition.

He just didn’t know what the cost would be.

The Emperor needed this war to consolidate his position and show the Dukes that he was still the same fearsome power who sat upon the throne.

There was no possibility of defeat.

But there would certainly be casualties.

And for that reason, Shen Bai worried for Zhou Qing’s safety.

Liu Wufeng lifted the teapot and refilled Shen Bai’s cup. "I only know the gist of what’s between you two. The Yin Walkers arrive tomorrow, but Zhou Qing’s army won’t get here until the day after. They’ll rest for a while, so you two can talk."

Shen Bai nodded. "I understand."

’I’ll figure out the specifics when the time comes.’ Although Shen Bai felt this journey would be dangerous for Zhou Qing, he didn’t know his friend’s own thoughts on the matter.

It would be much easier to talk once they met face-to-face.

"Well then, I’ll be going," Shen Bai said, setting down his teacup.

They had finished discussing what needed to be said, so Shen Bai had no reason to linger.

He needed to get back to grinding his Shadow Walk Skill Level. But first, he would have a late-night meal with Qin Shuang. It was, after all, her farewell dinner.

After setting down his cup, Shen Bai didn’t linger. He turned and left the small, two-story building.

Liu Wufeng watched Shen Bai’s departing figure and said nothing more, lowering his head to continue reading the report in his hands.

...

After leaving the small, two-story building, Shen Bai had just reached the entrance to the Observatory when he saw Qin Shuang standing there. With a mischievous air, she was craning her neck, peeking inside.

The moment she saw Shen Bai, Qin Shuang’s eyes lit up, and she strode over on her long legs.

"Come on, come on, let’s go eat!"

Qin Shuang grabbed Shen Bai’s arm and began tugging him outside.

"Stop pulling! My arm isn’t made of steel, you know."

"You can kill a Meridian Realm expert with a casual punch. It’s not like I’m going to hurt you just by pulling."

"A meal should be enjoyed slowly and deliberately, not rushed."

"If you’re not enthusiastic about food, there’s something wrong with you."

The two bantered back and forth as they walked.

Before long, Qin Shuang had dragged Shen Bai to a nearby late-night food stall.

"No wontons today?" Shen Bai asked, glancing at the large pot nearby.

Qin Shuang grinned, revealing a set of pearly white teeth. "Since this is my farewell dinner, we should eat something good. Their hotchpotch is amazing!"

This so-called "hotchpotch" was a rather famous local dish in Fenglin State.

All sorts of ingredients were thrown together and cooked in a single pot. The portions were generous, and the flavor wasn’t half bad either.

Before Shen Bai could even reply, Qin Shuang had already placed their order.

There were other common folk at the surrounding stalls, but upon seeing the official uniforms on Shen Bai and Qin Shuang, none of them dared to stare.

A few moments later, the owner brought over the hotchpotch.

It was an entire pot, making the corner of Shen Bai’s mouth twitch.

"Let’s eat, let’s eat!" Qin Shuang said, clapping her hands.

Before Shen Bai could even pick up his chopsticks, she had already snatched a portion, placed it in her bowl, and began gobbling it down.

Seeing this, Shen Bai shook his head. "Your table manners aren’t very ladylike."

Qin Shuang looked up, a leaf of vegetable clinging to the corner of her mouth. She flicked it into her mouth with her tongue. "When it comes to food, there are no men or women. It belongs to whoever’s fastest."

Shen Bai chuckled and took a bite himself. "It’s surprisingly good."

Even though it was a jumble of so many ingredients, the overall flavor was quite good.

The owner’s culinary skill was impressive, managing to blend all the ingredients together harmoniously.

After eating for a while, Qin Shuang started to slow down.

In Shen Bai’s opinion, the first bite of anything was always the best and most satisfying.

It wasn’t that the food got worse; it was just that the first experience of anything was always the most gratifying.

Qin Shuang watched Shen Bai eat for a moment, then suddenly remembered something. She slapped her fair forehead and said, "I almost forgot! Shen Bai, you have to be careful when you go for the internal assessment this time."

Shen Bai looked at her, puzzled. "Why? Do I have enemies there or something?"

Qin Shuang shook her head. "No enemies, but a lot of people are unconvinced."

"Unconvinced of what?" Shen Bai asked.

Shen Bai hadn’t expected this topic to come up at all.

As far as he was concerned, he hadn’t offended any of those people; they were all miles away, after all.

So for Qin Shuang to suddenly say people were unconvinced left Shen Bai completely bewildered.

Qin Shuang paused to organize her thoughts, even dabbing her mouth quite gracefully for a change. "There are many people in the Jianghu who never stay in one place for long. They wander across mountains and rivers, lakes and seas, taking in all the world has to offer."

Shen Bai cut in, "To put it less elegantly, they’re vagrants."

Qin Shuang’s face flushed slightly. "Something like that, yes."

"Why are you blushing?"

"It’s the wind."

"But the wind is nice and cool."

"Never mind that! Let’s get back on topic."

Their conversation had drifted slightly, but Qin Shuang pulled it back on track.