The Entrustment.

The deepest trust between men.

One person solemnly entrusts the person they hold dearest in their life into another’s hands.

From that moment on, regardless of war, illness, poverty, or wealth, the other person would wade through a thousand dangers, without a second thought.

Is it worth it? Is it reasonable?

No one had ever considered whether it was worth it or reasonable.

Before the Eight Immortals table, Chen Ji and Prince Jing looked at each other in silence.

It was not until the waiter from Fulou Teahouse placed tea, preserved fruits, and melon seeds between them that the heavy atmosphere finally eased.

After the waiter left, Chen Ji picked up the teapot and poured Prince Jing a cup of tea. “Your Highness, why me?” he asked.

Prince Jing picked up his teacup and took a shallow sip. “In terms of strength, you haven’t even reached the Xiantian realm; I have many people under my command who are more powerful than you. As for intelligence, while your mind is quick, you are not someone who can strategize for a thousand miles.”

Prince Jing continued, “But you seem different from others. The cement you painstakingly produced, you simply gave away the profits. A popular uprising that others would avoid, you jumped right into. In Longwang Village, a place where death was almost certain, you didn’t abandon anyone and flee alone. Sometimes, I’m not even sure if you’re truly intelligent or just stubborn.”

Chen Ji remained silent.

Prince Jing stared at the remaining tea in his cup, then cast a sidelong glance at Chen Ji. “Leaving so much wealth to Bai Li might not be good for her. Although I really don’t want to praise you, and I’m even a bit annoyed with you right now, I have to admit that if it were anyone else protecting her, I wouldn’t feel at ease. If it’s you, however, it’s acceptable.”

“Your Highness, why are you annoyed with me?” Chen Ji wondered.

Prince Jing grabbed a handful of melon seeds, glancing at Chen Ji. “Figure it out yourself.”

Chen Ji didn’t dwell on the question. Instead, he asked casually, “Your Highness, haven’t you made any plans for your heir? You haven’t mentioned him at all.”

Prince Jing was silent for a moment. “He has his own path to walk,” he replied.

Chen Ji pondered for a long time before finally mustering his courage to ask, “What exactly are you preparing to do, Your Highness? Why this entrustment? What role are you playing in this sudden change concerning the Liu family? Are you suppressing a rebellion or instigating one?”

Prince Jing did not answer the question. He merely said calmly, “The storyteller is here. Let’s listen to the narrative.”

At that moment, a middle-aged man with graying hair was seen below the stage, taking a deep puff from his pipe before tapping out all the ashes from the bowl with the sole of his shoe.

He slowly walked to the table, slammed his gavel loudly, and recited his opening lines sonorously:

“Life in this world, day after day, day after day. Months and years fly by, year after year, year after year. For the wealthy, abundance, abundance, abundance. For the poor, only cold, cold, cold. Rise in rank, grow rich, gain, gain, gain. But when two legs stretch out, it’s all over, over, over!”

“Storytelling and opera teach us ways, the three great paths run true. Good and evil will find their due, the world’s true path is vicissitude!”

“It is said that in the thirty-first winter of Jianing, during a debate between Buddhist and Taoist scholars at Luhun Manor, a young man emerged, seemingly out of nowhere. Sitting amidst the Yin-Yang symbol, he challenged the Buddhist master, asking: ‘If there is no self, who then is reborn, and who needs liberation?'”

Chen Ji was astonished. This narrative, right from the start, placed him directly in opposition to Buddhism, giving him no room to maneuver.

Prince Jing, cracking melon seeds, gloated, “Surprised? On Anle Street today, nineteen out of twenty-one teahouses will be telling this story. The script was written by a master, and any storyteller who performs it once earns a hundred copper coins.”

Chen Ji’s heart jolted. Someone was using his debate to ruin the reputation of Buddhism. “Who did this… no need to ask, it must be the work of the Taoist Court.”

“You guessed right,” Prince Jing chuckled. “After the debate, Zhang Li led a group of young Taoist priests from Lao Jun Mountain Taoist Court to Luocheng. They stayed at Yingxian Inn and wrote the script overnight. They not only paid storytellers to tell the tale but also found a publishing house to print the script.”

Chen Ji frowned.

Prince Jing tossed aside a melon seed husk, chuckling merrily. “I reckon that within two months at the latest, storytellers across the land will be telling the story of your debate every day. By then, the Buddhists will get a headache just hearing the name ‘Chen Ji’… Huh, you don’t seem flustered at all?”

Chen Ji lowered his head, feeling the ‘furnace fire’ within him, which was clearly pulsating wildly.

The Taoist Court was using him to suppress the influence of Buddhism, but he was also benefiting from it. If it was truly as Prince Jing said, and this story spread across the entire land in the future, his ‘furnace fire’ would likely transform into a bright yellow.

“Boy, what are you thinking?” Prince Jing asked. “Aren’t you afraid the Buddhists will cause trouble for you?”

Chen Ji looked up and said, “Your Highness, I’d rather focus on surviving this current tribulation first. The Liu family already sees me as a thorn in their side; it’s not yet the Buddhists’ turn to dislike me.”

Prince Jing sighed, “You certainly aren’t weighed down by your many troubles.”

As his words fell, the sound of rhythmic military footsteps echoed from outside Fulou Teahouse. The patrons inside looked out, only to see a troop of light-armored infantry, holding long halberds, passing by the entrance.

Chen Ji’s pupils constricted slightly. The Liu family’s army had entered the city!

He turned to look at Prince Jing. “Your Highness?”

“Once the Liu family no longer conceals their private army, it means they are bringing everything into the open,” Prince Jing said, standing up and walking towards the exit. “Come, it’s time to return.”

Before leaving, Prince Jing turned back to look at the storyteller in the teahouse. Light from outside streamed in behind him, making it seem as if he stood within his own shadow. “Young man,” he said, “how do you think future narratives will speak of me?”

It was midday, and the winter sun was shining brightly.

Old Man Yao sat covered with a blanket in a bamboo reclining chair in front of the door, gently rocking and resting with his eyes closed.

She Dengke, Liu Quxing, and Liang Mao’er sat on small stools in the courtyard, using a chaff cutter to slice whole medicinal herbs into small pieces.

The next moment, Chief Eunuch Feng rushed into the medical clinic, leading the Prince’s guards in a flurry, finally stopping in front of Old Man Yao’s reclining chair.

He looked down at Old Man Yao and asked in a low voice, “Physician Yao, where is His Highness?”

Old Man Yao slowly lifted his eyelids and cast a glance at him. “His Highness is currently taking his midday nap; it’s best not to disturb him,” he said. “She Dengke, be perceptive, bring a chair for Chief Eunuch Feng.”

Chief Eunuch Feng furrowed his brows. “Is His Highness not inside?” he pressed.

Old Man Yao remained unmoving in his reclining chair by the door, a surprised expression on his face. “If His Highness isn’t inside, where else could he be?” he asked. “You’ve already sent soldiers to surround Taiping Medical Clinic; can His Highness simply fly away? I confirmed it yesterday when I gave him acupuncture; His Highness doesn’t have wings.”

Chief Eunuch Feng glanced at the thick cotton curtain covering the doorway, still feeling something was amiss. “Physician Yao, pardon my intrusion,” he said.

With that, he waved a hand at his guards. “Kindly move Physician Yao aside!”

Several guards rushed forward, intending to carry away Old Man Yao’s bamboo chair, but Liang Mao’er stood up and roared, “Stop!”

Liang Mao’er’s burly figure rushed forward, and with a casual swipe, he sent a guard tumbling.

Chief Eunuch Feng didn’t get angry; he merely said nonchalantly, “Physician Yao, please tell him to stop. I am merely concerned for His Highness’s safety, and there’s no time to lose.”

However, at that very moment, Chen Ji helped Prince Jing walk out from inside the building. Prince Jing said weakly, “Chief Eunuch Feng, what’s wrong?”

Chief Eunuch Feng quickly bowed. “Your Highness, I’ve come to escort you back to your residence.”

Prince Jing asked curiously, “Chief Eunuch Feng, you usually appear so calm and composed. Why are you so frantic today?”

Chief Eunuch Feng glanced at She Dengke and the others, then turned to Prince Jing and said, “Your Highness, this is not the place to speak.”

Prince Jing smiled. “Speak freely,” he said.

Chief Eunuch Feng took a deep breath. “Your Highness, the Liu family’s private army from Yan Shi Camp has already entered the city! They just surrounded the Luocheng Prefecture Office, and now they’re heading towards Anxi Street! It seems the Liu family is rebelling!”

Inside the courtyard, She Dengke, Liu Quxing, and Liang Mao’er exchanged glances.

Liu Quxing’s face turned ashen. “Wasn’t everything peaceful yesterday? How could they rebel today?” he whispered.

She Dengke grumbled, “What’s there to be afraid of?!”

Liu Quxing cursed, “This is a grave crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations! And I’m bloody well part of those nine generations! You tell me if I’m scared! Son of a bitch, I never get any benefits from the Liu family, but when something goes wrong, I’m dragged down with them!”

She Dengke was dumbfounded. Only then did he realize that if the Liu family’s rebellion failed, Liu Quxing would also be implicated and beheaded. “Then… what if the Liu family succeeds?” he stammered.

Liu Quxing subconsciously glanced at Prince Jing, then quickly twisted She Dengke’s arm and hissed, “What nonsense are you talking about…”

Chief Eunuch Feng ignored their conversation. He heard horse hooves in the distance and urged earnestly again, “Your Highness, there’s no time to delay. Please return to your residence with me first. Once we send someone with the tiger tally to summon the Qian Sui Army, perhaps there’s still a chance to salvage the situation!”

Prince Jing pondered for a moment. “Let’s go, back to the residence,” he said.

At that moment, Chen Ji suddenly said to Old Man Yao, “Master, His Highness’s illness requires your constant care. How about we go to the Prince’s residence together?”

Old Man Yao frowned in thought for a moment, then agreed. “All right,” he said.

With that, the group quickly and efficiently packed their things and walked out with Prince Jing.

Just as they exited the medical clinic, everyone looked back, only to see a troop of soldiers on horseback approaching rapidly, getting closer and closer.

“Hurry, hurry!” She Dengke exclaimed in horror. “They’re coming for the Prince’s residence!”

However, Chen Ji acted as if he had just remembered something. “Master, you all go ahead,” he said. “I forgot something I need to get.”

She Dengke walked on, looking back, only to see Chen Ji dart into Taiping Medical Clinic.

He yelled furiously, “Chen Ji, hurry and come with us! What are you getting at a time like this? What could possibly be more important than your life?!”

She Dengke stopped and waited for a few breaths, but he never received a reply from Chen Ji.

A moment later, he gritted his teeth, intending to go look for Chen Ji, but Physician Yao grabbed his wrist and forcibly pulled him into Prince Jing’s residence.

Just before entering the Prince’s residence, he suddenly realized that the first troop of cavalry leading the charge was not heading towards the residence, but had instead surrounded Taiping Medical Clinic.

Everyone suddenly realized that these people were actually after Chen Ji!

In front of Taiping Medical Clinic, Liu family soldiers dismounted, drew their sabers, and rushed in menacingly, searching everywhere. The kitchen, bedrooms, and main hall—all were empty.

A soldier stood in the main hall, frowning as he looked around. He had clearly seen Chen Ji return to the clinic just moments ago; how could he have vanished into thin air?

As he pondered, his gaze fell upon the bed…

The next moment, the soldier pulled the bed aside, revealing a dark, gaping tunnel beneath.

“He ran? Pursue!”