There was no moonlight, nor starlight. Suddenly, strange torches lit up under the east gate of Ye City.
The city gate opened silently.
Following closely, Cao soldiers waiting outside the city streamed in. The guards remained taciturn, as if they had anticipated this. However, soon, the area fell silent again, leaving only the chirping of insects and croaking of frogs, as if the east gate had never opened at all.
The night was deep...
A Yuan Dynasty guard led a man wearing a bamboo hat into the official residence atop the west city gate. The man was over fifty, cloaked and hooded. Upon seeing Shen Pei in the residence, he finally lowered his cloak and cupped his hands.
"Zheng Nan, it has been a long time!"
Shen Pei raised his eyes. Who else could it be but Tian Feng standing before him?
"Yuan Hao..." Although he knew the identity of the visitor in advance, Shen Pei was still visibly excited. The weariness vanished from his face, and he sprang up, grabbing Tian Feng's hand. "I heard that Yuan Gong ordered your death, and then heard you had escaped. I was both shocked and overjoyed. Finally... finally, I see you again."
Shen Pei and Tian Feng were very close friends. In fact, they were both considered prominent scholars from Jizhou, and compared to those "outsiders" from Nanyang, they were true "locals."
There was a sense of superiority.
And naturally, their camaraderie was deeper.
"Hahaha, after three full months, today is the day I, Shen Pei, am happiest! Ah, hahaha..."