Ning Chen handed the silver notes to Xiao Yanxi.

Xiao Yanxi paused, then took them with a radiant smile and put them away.

Ning Chen looked at Pan Yucheng. "Old Pan, did you get anything out of that clerk from the Misheng shop?"

Pan Yucheng shook his head. "Small fry, did the job for the money. He doesn't know a thing."

Ning Chen wasn't disappointed. Jiang Zhengyang had already questioned the man once, with about the same result as Old Pan... Small fry like that were cannon fodder, plain and simple. What could he possibly know?

Half a month went by in a flash.

That morning the sky was overcast and gloomy, and a cold wind howled.

Ning Chen came out of his tent with Lone Stride.

He bent down, picked up a stick and threw it. "Lone Stride, fetch!"

Lone Stride gazed up at him with her amber eyes, looking none too bright.

Ning Chen paused, then patted her big head. "I keep forgetting you're the King of Beasts."

He walked Lone Stride around for a while, then took her to the edge of the forest. He sat down on a rock, rubbed her head and said reluctantly, "Lone Stride, you're the King of Beasts. You shouldn't be cooped up in that tiny back courtyard at the residence."

He pointed at the forest. "Go on. The great wide forest is your home... From now on, keep away from people, understand? There's no animal in this world worse than people."

He'd raised her himself, and she was very friendly with people... He worried that from now on she wouldn't be able to stop herself from going up to them.

To people, that would be a threat. To Lone Stride, it would be danger.

She turned to look at the forest, then looked back at Ning Chen.

Ning Chen smiled. "Lone Stride, go on!"

Lone Stride seemed to understand what he meant. She burrowed her big head into his arms.

Ning Chen patted her head and gave her a good hard rubbing. He stood up. "Lone Stride, go back to the…