A Lonely Hero’s Journey 孤舟 Episode 29

After Xiaoye left, Haimo asked Gu Yizhong about Xiaolin's identity. Gu Yizhong confessed everything and revealed the mission. Facing Haimo's doubts about rejecting Xiao Ye, Gu Yizhong explained that he was worried that there was an ulterior purpose behind Xiao Ye's invitation, so he chose to act cautiously rather than easily regard it as a breakthrough.

Gu Yizhong held tightly a book given by Lao Huang, which carried Lao Huang's last wishes and trust. Lao Huang once said that if something unexpected happens to him, Gu Yizhong needs to take this book to Canglang Pavilion on the first day of every month, and if he finds someone who holds the same book, he will be the new contact person. Gu Yizhong went as he was told, but there was no one in Canglang Pavilion, and the person he met was nowhere to be seen.

At the same time, Gao Hu privately revealed to Gu Yizhong that Zhou Zhifei was secretly investigating his identity, and tentatively asked Gu Yizhong whether he was a member of the New Fourth Army. Faced with Gao Hu's inquiry, Gu Yizhong did not answer directly, but responded with hypothetical questions. Gao Hu firmly stated that he would follow Gu Yizhong loyally no matter his identity. After hearing this, Gu Yizhong smiled and denied that he was the New Fourth Army, revealing complex emotions and profound considerations in his words.

Xiao Ruotong, as Teacher Lu, the tutor of Mr. Luo's son, walked into the 33rd Division's station with his luggage. Luo Wuqiang, as the teacher's son, came forward in person and welcomed her arrival with enthusiasm. Previously, he had received an English letter from his son, and Xiao Ruotong, with his keen insight, not only corrected the English fallacies in the letter, but also won Luo Wuqiang's sincere admiration. Noticing that Teacher Lu frequently coughed, Luo Wuqiang immediately ordered his servants to ask a doctor to come for diagnosis and treatment, showing his caring attitude.

At the same time, in the dark, an underground party member disguised as a servant quietly approached Xiao Ruotong and conveyed to her the good news of successful connections with local comrades. On the other side, Captain Zhang reported to Zhou Zhifei the news of Luo Wuqiang’s arrival in Suzhou and mentioned the tutor who was accompanying him. When Zhou Zhifei was looking through the files, he was deeply attracted by a photo. It was Gu Yizhong's girlfriend in his memory. However, there were no photos in Xiao Ruotong's file, which made him realize that the file had been tampered with.

Luo Wuqiang's whereabouts in Suzhou also attracted the attention of the Japanese. Kondo Masao scorned him for his ineffectiveness in suppressing the communists, and even considered disposing of his troops. However, Xiao Lin's men reminded him that both Zhou Fuhai and Mr. Li were eyeing Luo Wuqiang's troops and they needed to be cautious. The next day, Mr. Li awarded Luo Wuqiang the rank of lieutenant general on behalf of Wang Jingwei's government, and privately lobbied him to give up Zhou Fohai's German equipment and instead accept the 30 million in funding he provided. Luo Wuqiang neither explicitly accepted nor directly rejected this, and his attitude was subtle. After the investiture ceremony, Mr. Li revealed to Zhou Zhifei that he was determined to bring the eight thousand soldiers of the 33rd Division under his command.

Xiao Ruotong used his cough as a cover to sneak into a traditional Chinese medicine shop and was surprised to find that the contact person was his sixth brother. She eagerly reported the current situation to Sixth Brother: Luo Wuqiang's attitude was hesitant, and if Mr. Li offered tempting terms, he might be in danger of defecting to the New Fourth Army. Xiao Ruotong wanted to reveal his New Fourth Army identity in advance to stabilize the situation, but Sixth Brother was cautious and believed that this move might be risky.

On the other side, Gu Yizhong revealed to Haimo about Zhou Zhifei’s invitation to the banquet and insisted on taking her with him. Haimo knew that Zhou Zhifei was as cunning as a wolf and was unwilling to get involved in his complicated circle. Faced with Gu Yizhong's persistence, she teased Gu Yizhong's disguise skills with intimate gestures, laughing that Zhou Zhifei could allow him to lurk for two years without revealing any flaws. Hearing this, Gu Yizhong suddenly hugged her into his arms. Haimo was so embarrassed that he fled the scene with a blushing face.