Certainly, Li He intercepted the family letter from He Muxian but missed the one addressed to the Fourth Martial Sister. Upon receiving the letter, Xiao Wen arrived early in the morning at Beici County, thus gaining some knowledge of the current situation at the prefectural prefect's mansion.

　　Spotting someone unusual entering the mansion today, she vaguely guessed the situation and hence came to lend a helping hand to the Family of the Sixth Uncle.

　　An hour later, footsteps were heard outside.

　　The gate creaked open, and three people entered, two in front and one behind.

　　Zhou Ge took a few steps forward and said, "Shen, the person I mentioned is her. See if she's the one you're looking for?"

　　Shen Huan recognized Xiao Wen and quickly approached, bowing respectfully. "Miss Xiao, it's always a pleasure to see you."

　　He Muyu averted her gaze and then lowered her head as she walked closer. "Fourth Martial Sister, you're here..."

　　Xiao Wen stood up and greeted her old acquaintances before they all took their seats.

　　Zhou Ge introduced himself as usual, claiming to be from Huajun County.

　　Having known him for many days, the Second Young Lady understood his true intentions. Since they had gotten along well during this time, she saw no need to expose his lie, especially since he had helped investigate Fangding Mountain.

　　Shen Huan had his own plans and intentions to recruit Zhou Ge, so he naturally didn't expose the truth either. So far, everyone who was unaware of the truth believed that Zhou Ge came from Huajun County.

　　After the introductions, they discussed the situation within the prefecture. Shen Huan provided a detailed account of the situation at the prefectural prefect's mansion, while Xiao Wen shared her travel experiences. The atmosphere was quite harmonious.

　　As they conversed, Ji Yanshi arrived and greeted the Fourth Martial Sister. He then shared an important piece of news: the bandits from Fangding Mountain were gradually descending the mountain and heading straight for the Sour Jujube Forest.

　　"Are they preparing ahead of time...?" He Muyu pondered for a moment before asking anxiously, "Fourth Martial Sister, did you bring the wind-stirring herb with you?"

　　Xiao Wen nodded. "I brought a few plants. The usage is the same as last time, and you all know it. Today, I also brought another type of grass."

　　She opened her medicine chest and took out a wooden box.

　　Inside the wooden box was a pottery basin containing a six-inch tall orange-red grass. The grass leaves were slender, somewhat resembling Shandan grass, with needle-like tips as thin as guitar strings.

　　Everyone shook their heads after seeing it, indicating that they had never seen it before.

　　"What is this?" Shen Huan asked.

　　"This is the Muxian grass that the Sixth Martial Sister has always wanted to see. I found it last winter in a graveyard. There were three plants in total. The locals rumored that this grass was very ominous, claiming that it consumed rot and decay, as well as souls and essences. Those who touched it would suffer from weakened health at best and become ill at worst. If the Muxian Grass could bloom, it would become a demonic being. If it couldn't bloom, it needed to be uprooted, otherwise, it would eventually harm human lives."

　　Zhou Ge couldn't help but think, "Is that really the case? If it were true, how could you be sitting here unharmed?"

　　"Is that true or false?" He asked with a skeptical tone.

　　"I've been taking care of it for several months, and I haven't felt anything unusual. However, it does hurt when pricked."

　　"Fourth Martial Sister, what do you intend to do with it?" He Muyu asked.

　　"This plant is a gift for your sister. As for the other two plants, I made them into Muxian powder after some experimentation. They greatly complement the wind-stirring herb."

　　Ji Yanshi was overjoyed. "That's wonderful! It will definitely help us overcome the Third Brother's deploy a smokescreen maze"

　　Shen Huan furrowed his brows. "With Miss Xiao here, we don't need to worry about the deploy a smokescreen maze. However, how should we deal with Huang Yan's spells?"

　　Zhou Ge quickly added, "We may also have to face the five-legged sorcery."

　　Almost everyone present was hearing about the five-legged sorcery for the first time, and their gazes swiftly shifted to Zhou Ge.

　　"Zhou Ge, please elaborate," Shen Huan said.

　　Seeing this, Zhou Ge briefly explained the case of apprehending the previous the water robbery sickle master and his thoughts upon meeting Dang Liaoze, although he changed the location to Huajun County and limited his suspicions about Dang Liaoze to the gu charms. He claimed that an anonymous person had apprehended the water robbery sickle master using a restraining technique, and he had only witnessed it.

　　Ji Yanshi understood that only three parts of Zhou Ge's story were true, while the rest was fabricated. However, since the Second Young Lady and Shen Huan didn't expose him, he naturally didn't either.

　　After Zhou Ge finished speaking, everyone fell into deep thought.

　　The dispel weapons talismans was already giving them a headache, and with Dang Liaoze's the five-legged sorcery added to the mix, it became even more complicated.

　　"Fourth Martial Sister, do you have any solutions?" Ji Yanshi asked.

　　Xiao Wen remained silent for a moment before saying, "If you get injured, I can prescribe medicine for you."

　　Her words caused the atmosphere to freeze for a moment.

　　After a long while, Zhou Ge stood up and said, "Everyone, I'll go out for a walk to clear my mind. You can continue your discussion." Ji Yanshi saw this and quickly took the Second Young Lady away, leaving the rest to catch up on old times.

　　In front of the He Family's mansion, the three of them parted ways.

　　Zhou Ge initially walked leisurely, but when he saw that the other two hadn't emerged from the mansion after a few minutes, he picked up his pace.

　　He asked as he walked, making his way directly to the Sour Jujube Forest.

　　As he exited the city and headed eastward, the number of people became scarcer, and the road became more deserted.

　　After walking for about 17 km, he arrived at his destination.

　　Under the setting sun, the green leaves of the sour jujube trees shimmered with a dazzling radiance, reflecting the colorful rays of the sunset.

　　The northern part of the forest was dense, while the southern part was sparse. In the northern forest, there were constant movements of people, seemingly setting up temporary shelters. Hidden among them, some seemed to be scouting for information. Zhou Ge guessed that they were probably scouts sent by Prefect He, the prefectural prefect.

　　The southern part of the sparse forest was quiet, and from afar, he could see two plumes of smoke rising.

　　He didn't dare to enter the northern forest directly, so he turned and made his way into the southern sparse forest.

　　After walking for a while, he came across a household. It was a small courtyard enclosed by a wooden fence. Outside the courtyard, there was a half-mu field and two shady trees. Inside the courtyard, there were two rows of adobe huts, with a total of six rooms arranged horizontally and vertically. In one corner, there was a donkey tied up, and in another corner, there was a chicken coop.

　　He knocked gently on the wooden door, and after a moment, the chickens clucked and the donkey brayed. Soon, an elderly man emerged.

　　The old man looked up and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

　　Zhou Ge bowed slightly and said, "Sir, I would like to ask for lodging and some food and drink."

　　The old man continued to ask, "Where are you from? How did you end up here?"

　　"I'm from Huajun County. I came to visit a friend, but they had moved. I intended to rest in the city, but I'm not sure how far it is. I saw smoke rising from here, so I came over to ask for lodging."

　　The old man examined him closely and indeed, he didn't seem like a malicious person.

　　"A meal or two is no big deal. But there's one thing..."

　　"Please speak frankly."

　　"You see, today, a group of powerful people settled in the forest opposite us. I heard they came down from Fangding Mountain. Even prefect He, the prefectural prefect, couldn't do anything about them. Staying here isn't very safe. If something happens to you, we can't be held responsible..."

　　When he heard about moving tomorrow, Zhou Ge thought that his timing was perfect. After they left, he could stay here for a while and use it as a base. During this time, if he could learn something from Dang Liaoze, it would be worth the effort.

　　"If I really encounter them, I'll consider it my own misfortune." He said firmly.

　　The old man was delighted to hear this. "That's great! If you're not afraid, then come in."

　　He said that he would bring Zhou Ge into the hospital, arrange a side room for him, and then ask his wife to cook more good meals.

　　Zhou Ge entered the house to check, the bed board was very strong, rocking the chair, one did not make any sound, the other squeaked, knocked on the wall, did not drop wood slag, clods, that is, the door cracked, air leakage at night, overall, acceptable.

　　After eating, he was given two silver coins, and the old man gladly accepted them.

　　Early the next morning, Zhou Ge helped the old couple pack their luggage and watched them stay away.