The streets of Star City.
Su Mo and Ye Qingyi walked side by side, chatting as they took in the scenery around them.
Their trip to Star City wasn’t just about rescuing their brothers from the Black Tiger Gang—no, the Green Rain Society—but also about a task Yang Jie had assigned them.
To be precise, the mission was for Su Mo alone, but he trusted Ye Qingyi completely and decided to bring her along. Otherwise, given her current standing in the North Star organization, she wouldn’t have been privy to such information.
“You’re treating me like your assistant, piling task after task on me,” Ye Qingyi grumbled on the surface, though inwardly, she was delighted.
“That just shows how much I trust you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have done this.”
Though secretly overjoyed, she still had some concerns. “Bi Yue Wu is your identity, yet you’ve lent it to me. Doesn’t that break the rules?”
“Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. In a way, we’ve already merged into one. Besides, who says the Twenty-Eight Mansions can’t recruit their own helpers? Even the elders have personal secretaries.”
“You and your nonsense logic…” Ye Qingyi chided.
Just then, Su Mo suddenly sensed someone following them. When he warned Ye Qingyi, he realized she had already noticed.
“Did I expose myself during the rendezvous?” she asked nervously.
“Not sure yet. Let’s not tip them off—just keep walking normally.”
“Okay.”
It was mid-lunar December, less than half a month from the Spring Festival. The streets were already adorned with red lanterns, and shops selling New Year goods had opened early, filling Star City with a festive atmosphere even before the holiday arrived.
As they chatted, the two entered a New Year goods store, pretending to browse. When Su Mo casually turned around, his gaze met that of a woman in red outside.
Both calmly averted their eyes as if it were nothing more than a coincidence.
After browsing for a while, they moved to another shop. Su Mo noticed the red-clad woman was still outside—and once again, their eyes met.
This made him suspect she was the one tailing them.
Unexpectedly, the woman suddenly approached, stopping right in front of Su Mo and Ye Qingyi.
The two exchanged glances—neither recognized her.
“Hello, I’m Li Xiaomou. Are you two Su Mo and Ye Qingyi?” the woman asked politely, removing her mask.
Li Xiaomou?
The name sounded vaguely familiar to Su Mo. Before he could recall where he’d heard it, Ye Qingyi spoke up. “I remember—you’re Luo Xiu’s… wife, right?”
With that reminder, Su Mo placed her.
The wedding invitation Luo Xiu had sent did indeed bear this name.
“Yes, that’s us.”
Su Mo studied the woman in red. She was undeniably beautiful, with a charm in her movements that most men would find hard to resist.
Huh… why does she seem so familiar? Like I’ve seen her somewhere before…
From their conversation, they learned she was in Star City for work. Luo Xiu was supposed to accompany her, but he’d been sent on a mission, leaving her to travel alone.
Being forced to rush around for work right after getting married was undoubtedly frustrating.
After a brief exchange, the three parted ways.
Ye Qingyi shared her thoughts: “She’s just an ordinary person. Logically, it’s hard to see how she and Luo Xiu ended up together. I don’t get what their parents were thinking.”
“Let’s not meddle in other people’s family matters.”
“But something feels off. And she gives me a sense of familiarity, like I’ve met her before.” Ye Qingyi racked her brain but couldn’t place where.
“I feel the same way,” Su Mo agreed.
Ye Qingyi smirked. “In the eyes of you men, do all beautiful women look familiar?”
Su Mo: “……”
They were now certain the person following them earlier had been Li Xiaomou. However, her motives remained unclear. It was possible she had simply recognized Luo Xiu’s friends and followed them out of curiosity, only approaching once she was sure.
“Hopefully, I’m overthinking it.” Ye Qingyi rubbed her temples. “Where to next?”
“The hotel.”
At the hotel, they sorted through the information Ye Qingyi had gathered and reached a conclusion: the force behind the Black Dragon Gang was the Hundred Immortals Sect.
Currently, the North Star organization and the Hundred Immortals Sect were locked in an irreconcilable conflict. As a result, the sect didn’t dare act openly and instead operated through smaller groups like the Black Dragon Gang to expand their influence.
Yang Jie’s assignment was for Su Mo to investigate the Black Dragon Gang’s background and confirm the identity of the mastermind behind them.
“Who do you think is backing the Black Dragon Gang from the Hundred Immortals Sect?”
“Hmm… the Temptation Immortal.”
“Why?” Su Mo wanted to hear her reasoning.
“Intuition.” Ye Qingyi said it as if it were obvious. “I only know of three—the Soul Immortal, the Elegance Immortal, and the Temptation Immortal. One was killed by you, another was outsmarted by you, so that leaves the Temptation Immortal, right?”
“Uh… I don’t quite follow your logic.”
“I told you, it’s intuition. If you’re looking for reasoning, of course it won’t make sense.” She rolled her eyes.
Su Mo stared at her for a full ten seconds before sighing. “What happened to the sweet girl from before? Now you’re just full of comebacks.”
“As the ancients said, ‘Keep good men company and—’”
“Stop right there. I only want to hear the first half.”
“Tch.” She tossed him another eye-roll.
Dropping the banter, Su Mo turned serious. “Do you think it’s possible—just hypothetically—that Li Xiaomou is from the Hundred Immortals Sect and married Luo Xiu to gather intel?”
Ye Qingyi nearly retorted with “Have you been reading too many novels?” But after a moment’s thought, she realized his theory wasn’t entirely baseless.
After all, the marriage had been shockingly abrupt—two people who hadn’t seen each other in over a decade, last meeting as kids, suddenly getting married upon reuniting?
While it wasn’t their place to speculate about the couple’s happiness, the whole situation was undeniably strange.
“If she really is, what rank do you think she holds in the sect?”
Su Mo considered it. Li Xiaomou showed no traces of spiritual energy. Either she was an ordinary person with particular skills, or she was a true expert capable of concealing her aura.
Either way, she wasn’t simple.
“I’d say an Earth Immortal. The Celestial Immortals hold too high a status to sacrifice their happiness for a mission.”
“Fair point.” Ye Qingyi murmured.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
“Who is it?”
“Hello, room inspection.”
Room inspection?
Su Mo opened the door to find several public security officers outside. “We’re from the Star City Public Security Bureau. Routine check.”
One of them flashed his badge as he spoke.
Su Mo stepped aside to let them in. The officers glanced between the two, and one immediately stiffened. “What’s your relationship?”
“She’s my girlfriend,” Ye Qingyi answered.
The officer stared into her eyes. “Look at me and tell me—what is your relationship?”
Caught between awkwardness and exasperation, Ye Qingyi replied, “We’re a couple. She’s my girlfriend, and I’m her boyfriend.”
“ID cards.”
They handed over their IDs. The lead officer scrutinized their faces before suddenly asking Su Mo, “What’s her name? Birthday? Hometown?”
“Ye Qingyi. Birthday, February 6th. From Jiangcheng, Chuzhou Province.”
“And him?” He turned to Ye Qingyi.
“Su Mo. Birthday, May 19th. From Tianyu City, Longzhou Province.”
The officer grilled them with several more questions before finally relenting. Still, he issued a warning: “The girl is seven days shy of adulthood. Better not do anything stupid, or you could end up behind bars.”
The remark was clearly directed at “Su Mo.” In recent years, such incidents had become increasingly common, and many had faced legal consequences. “Su Mo” nodded obediently. “Understood.”
Once the officers left, Su Mo and Ye Qingyi locked eyes, their expressions grave.
Su Mo: “I usually don’t laugh.”
Ye Qingyi: “Same.”
In unison, they burst out: “Unless I can’t help it—HAHAHAHA!”