Before I could speak, the woman behind me smiled and said: "Mr. Yan, look at what you're saying, if you see injustice on the road, you'll draw your sword to help, but you don't have to always mention Xie's name. From now on, we're all friends anyway. But since we've come all this way in the heat and didn't even get to meet anyone, can we go inside for a drink of water? We won't disturb you, we'll leave right away."

  I smiled and looked at Yan Yuan.

  Tan Jiao's soft words would make any man feel embarrassed. It was hard to say, but he insisted on holding on, shaking his head and saying: "This... is really inconvenient, my home is messy, I'm going to take a bath and sleep, Miss Tan, you'd better go back." After finishing speaking, he wanted to close the door. I pressed the door with one hand. Tan Jiao grabbed the hem of my clothes, probably worried.

  The door was in the middle, and Yan Yuan stared at me. His eyes became somewhat gloomy and sharp, no longer as gentle and polite as before.

  At this time.

  Behind him, a loud noise came from the stairs inside the house, followed by continuous crashing and rolling sounds, as if something heavy had rolled down. His expression changed slightly, taking advantage of his distraction, I pushed open the door with force, pushing him back two steps as well. Then, both Tan Jiao and I clearly saw that the person lying at the bottom of the stairs was tied to a chair with ropes, wasn't it Zhu Zhongling? He had blood all over his head and face, and there was also a towel stuffed in his mouth, when he saw us, he let out a "Wu Wu" cry, his eyes filled with terror and pleading.

  What's going on in this house?

  Zhu Zhongling was also resourceful and daring, willing to risk everything for a glimmer of hope.

  As I spoke, a flash of light caught my eye, and before I could react, Tan Jiao shouted "Be careful!" and pulled out a dagger from behind his back. His eyes gleamed with malice. I swiftly pushed Tan Jiao to the ground behind me, but it was too late. The dagger grazed my waist, leaving a searing pain. I grabbed his arm, and he sneered at me, revealing a cold smile. He had immense strength and agility, completely unlike an ordinary merchant. In that instant, I realized I might not be his match.

  "Tan Jiao, report for duty! Go call someone!" I shouted.

  His eyebrows furrowed, but I wouldn't let him go deal with Tan Jiao. I gritted my teeth and tangled with him, and the two of us moved into the living room.

  Tan Jiao's footsteps faded away instantly. I felt relieved.

  Yan Yuan took a step back, his eyes turned red, and he stared at me firmly: "What kind of person are you? Why do you keep interfering in other people's business?"

  I was on full alert, silent and speechless.

  He doesn't know me.

  Those birds recognize him, but he doesn't recognize them.

  "I said: 'Xu Zifeng's birds, were they given by you? Did you teach him how to use them?'"

  He was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "You even know this? Did Zǐ Fēng tell you? Why?" The last three words were asked with a stern and icy tone.

  Then he raised his hand and blew a whistle of unusual clarity.

  Outside the glass window blocked by the curtains, the sound of birds flapping their wings was faintly heard. He showed a few points of complacent expression.

  I suddenly realized. When Xu Zifeng died, someone at the bottom of the pit shouted "He's dead" and now that I think about it, it seems to be Yan Yuan's voice. The birds immediately flew away, weren't they listening to his command?

  "I said: 'Last June, did you take the 'Dian Mei Ren' ship? After the first day, do you not remember anything at all? Did you only gain the ability to control a flock of birds?'"

  Yan's face turned extremely shocked and he said: "How did you know?" His reaction was surprisingly quick, and he immediately lost his voice and asked: "Were you also on that ship?"