In the withered woods, Chen Ji sat cross-legged on the soft, decaying leaves, murmuring to himself.

He recited, “Immortals and Taoists are not gods; they accumulate essence and energy to achieve truth. The wondrous voice of the yellow child is hard to hear; jade scrolls and crimson slips bear crimson script…”

Wuyun, perched on his head, craned his neck to peer at the writing on the scroll, asking curiously, “Just chanting these scriptures can summon help?”

Chen Ji didn’t stop. After chanting for a moment longer, he replied, “It’s not guaranteed to summon anyone; it depends on the saviour’s comprehension…”

Wuyun wondered, “What if the saviour has no comprehension?”

Chen Ji thought for a moment and said, “Then it depends on whether he can endure the pain!”

As long as the pain lasts long enough, the Golden Pig will surely come looking for him. Chen Ji and his companions had not hidden their tracks along the way, and the literary gathering at Luhu Mountain Villa was known to all. As long as the Golden Pig felt enough pain, he would find a way to locate him.

Just then, the Young Master’s voice called from a distance, “Chen Ji, you haven’t been carried off by wolves, have you? What’s taking you so long?”

Chen Ji stood up, gently pulling Wuyun off his head. He whispered, “My master’s divinations are always extremely accurate, and this time will certainly be very dangerous. If I don’t call you, do not take any risks rashly.”

Wuyun meowed, “Got it, got it.”

Chen Ji re-wrapped the wooden box in cloth and tied it to Wuyun’s back. From outside the grove, the Young Master’s calls came again, “Chen Ji?”

Chen Ji glanced at the scroll in his hand again, noted a few phrases, and then called back to the Young Master, “Coming, coming!”

Back on the main road, Chen Ji saw the scholars standing by the ox-cart, quietly listening to Wang Daosheng’s lecture. Wang Daosheng didn’t care who listened or if they paid tuition; he spoke calmly: “Investigate things, extend knowledge, make intentions sincere, rectify the mind, cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world. These are the Eight Objectives. And investigating things and extending knowledge is the cornerstone of these Eight Objectives.”

Seeing Chen Ji arrive, he told the scholars, “We are about to set off.”

The scholars smiled and replied, “Listening to your lecture, Master, is like being enlightened. Since the ox-cart won’t go fast anyway, please continue speaking, and we will follow behind the cart, listening as we walk.”

Another scholar said, “We heard that after the flood in Western Yu, a group of displaced people became bandits at Longwang Village, specializing in robbing homes, burning, killing, and looting. With more people traveling together, they probably wouldn’t dare act recklessly.”

Wang Daosheng nodded, “Very well.”

Chen Ji saw that these people were determined to follow and said nothing further. What he needed to do now was wait for the Golden Pig to arrive.

He hopped onto the ox-cart and sat down. Bai Li handed him a leather waterskin from her left, asking with concern, “Are you alright? Have some water.”

Chen Ji finished reciting the ‘Shielding Cloud’ once, then took the waterskin, whispering, “Princess, if you really encounter the bandits they spoke of, you absolutely must remember to run to my side with the Young Master.”

Bai Li blinked, then nonchalantly replied, “Alright, but if we really encounter bandits, will you only save the two of us?”

Chen Ji thought for a moment and answered quietly, “My capabilities are limited; I might not even be able to save the two of you, let alone anyone else.”

Bai Li let out a soft “Oh” and was silent for a moment. “Chen Ji, if we really encounter bandits—I mean, very fierce bandits—and you can’t save us, then just run. Your own life is important.”

Chen Wenxiao, sitting opposite him, sneered, “You can save people? Princess, don’t let him fool you.”

Bai Li rolled her eyes. “Just don’t wet your pants when the bandits actually show up.”

Chen Ji suddenly looked directly at Chen Wenxiao and said calmly, “After you framed me for your own actions, have you been so guilty that you can’t sleep at night? Is that why you want everyone to hate me, despise me, and scorn me, so that even if I refute you later, no one will believe me?”

Chen Wenxiao’s expression changed. “What are you talking about?”

After saying that, he realized his voice was a bit too loud and quickly lowered it: “Don’t talk nonsense. The evidence, in black and white, points to you. What does it have to do with me?”

He wanted to argue further, but Chen Ji ignored him. Instead, he closed his eyes and silently recited ‘Shielding Cloud’. Whenever he couldn’t remember a part, he secretly pulled out the scroll from his sleeve for a quick glance.

Chen Wenxiao looked at Chen Ji’s calm demeanor and felt a stone pressing on his chest, making it hard to breathe. When he wanted to make another sarcastic remark, he found himself somewhat afraid to speak.

Bai Li gave Chen Ji a curious look. Framed?

At noon, the main road ran parallel to the Yi River outside Luocheng. To the left of the ox-cart was the shimmering, golden Yi River, and to the right were rolling hills and dense woods.

On the Yi River, a boatman was casting his net. Prince Jing, in a good mood, disregarded his role as a cart driver. Pressing down his straw hat, he craned his neck and loudly called out, “Boatman, have you caught any fish today?”

The elderly boatman, wearing a straw cape, shouted back, “The market isn’t good today; I only caught a few grass carp.”

Prince Jing laughed heartily. “Are these fish for sale?”

The boatman slowly steered his covered boat closer. “Of course, they’re for sale! Why wouldn’t they be?”

Prince Jing turned back and smiled at Wang Daosheng, saying, “Master Wang, our journey has been quite smooth today, and we’ll certainly reach Luhu Mountain Villa before sunset. How about we stop here for a while? We could grill some fish. You can’t get fish this fresh in the city!”

Wang Daosheng gently replied, “It’s rare… for the cart driver to have such an elegant interest. Let’s make a brief stop here.”

The Young Master and Bai Li cheered, jumped off the cart, and stretched. “Riding in that ox-cart all morning has made our bottoms sore.”

Zhang Xia also dismounted, smiling as she took Bai Li’s hand. The two huddled together, whispered a few words, and then turned to walk into the woods.

Just then, a few cat meows echoed from the forest, and Chen Ji abruptly tightened his grip on the short dagger in his sleeve. Chen Ji rushed forward a few steps, pulling Bai Li and Zhang Xia back. “Don’t go. It’s dangerous.”

Zhang Xia was startled. “What are you doing?”

Chen Ji, however, didn’t look at her; he simply stared intensely into the depths of the woods, pulling the two back towards the river’s edge. Wuyun had said it saw more than ten unburied bodies in the woods. The slain people were strange; scattered around them were cleavers, hoes, and rakes.

Why were there more than ten bodies here? They were displaced people from Longwang Village who had become bandits. Driven by desperation, they had turned to banditry and were ambushing passing merchants here. But they had been killed by someone else. Who killed them, and why? Chen Ji knew none of this; he only knew there was danger in the woods.

As they retreated, Zhang Xia tried to pull her arm away, wanting to free herself from Chen Ji’s grip, but she heard Bai Li say, “Zhang Xia, listen to him.” Zhang Xia stopped struggling.

Once they had quietly retreated to the riverside, Chen Ji turned to look at the boatman who had just moored his boat. The boatman, carrying a bamboo basket, jumped ashore and said, “Gentlemen, there are eight grass carp in total. You can pay fifty coins per fish.”

Prince Jing was about to step forward to buy fish when Chen Ji, from more than ten paces away, suddenly called out, “Boatman, how much do you usually sell your fish to the fishmongers for per fish?”

The boatman was startled. “Usually, usually I sell them for forty coins per fish.”

Chen Ji asked, “Aren’t they sold by weight?”

The boatman chuckled, “Right, right, by weight. I misspoke.”

The next moment, one of the accompanying scholars suddenly pulled Prince Jing back, whispering, “It’s assassins.” With that, six scholars simultaneously shattered the boxes on their backs. There were no books inside, only two Eight-Slash Blades falling out. The six scholars ignored everyone else and only focused on protecting Prince Jing.

Chen Ji was startled. So these scholars were here to protect Prince Jing. But if these people were here to protect Prince Jing, then who were the boatman and those who killed people in the forest?

The boatman dropped his disguise, placing two fingers on his tongue and blowing a whistle. The six scholars turned sharply. They saw dozens of people charging out from the forest, the sound of their footsteps crushing decaying leaves.

Zhang Xia glanced at Chen Ji in astonishment. If he hadn’t stopped them just now, she and Bai Li would have likely run straight into this group of killers. But the question was, how did Chen Ji know there was an ambush in the woods?

The assassins from the woods charged towards the six scholars. As soon as the two sides clashed, one scholar ducked low and met the charge. The Eight-Slash Blade in the scholar’s hand flashed up and down, delivering more than ten blows in two breaths, targeting tendons, ligaments, femoral arteries, and finally the neck. Each strike was merciless, carving the leading assassin into a bloody mess. The scholar’s green robe was stained with blood. He slowly brought the blade before his eyes in a bow stance, his gaze cold as he looked through the gap between the two blades at the dozens of assassins before him.

A master! He first brutally killed one man with lightning-fast strikes, solely to gain an early advantage and shatter the enemies’ courage.