The blockade around Nanjiang had been lifted. With Liehong Mountain and Zhao Beidou standing guard, their presence was sufficient. In truth, there was little point in Zhou Yuanjue remaining in Nanjiang. Thus, after receiving Ning Muqing's notification and bidding a simple farewell to Liehong Mountain and Zhao Beidou, he boarded the same fighter jet he had arrived on and returned to Shangjing Prefecture.
Ning Muqing picked him up at the airport. Without stopping, she drove Zhou Yuanjue directly to the restricted area at the foot of Zixiao Mountain.
As usual, when Ning Muqing reached the entrance to the restricted area, she glanced back and found the car's rear seat empty.
By now, however, she was used to it and thought nothing of it. She parked the car, exchanged a few pleasantries with the middle-aged man in charge at the gate, and familiarly made her way to the tea room. There, she began to leisurely sip her tea, looking for all the world like a seasoned veteran.
