Knock, knock, knock.

Chen Ji stood in front of the door, took a large gulp of wine, and then knocked on the main gate of the Chen Residence.

He knocked on the beast-head knocker on the vermilion lacquered gate, the sound echoing with a thud.

With a creak, the servant looked out from the crack in the door. “Third Young Master?” he asked.

Chen Ji exhaled a breath of wine. “Open the door,” he said.

The servant smelled the alcohol and exclaimed in surprise, “Third Young Master, how much have you had to drink?”

Chen Ji pushed the servant aside and squeezed through the gap in the door. “Not much,” he replied.

He had been drinking to conceal his whereabouts, ensuring he’d have an explanation if anyone asked about his evening.

Just as the servant was about to close the main gate, he heard the dense thundering of hooves approaching from outside Cuiyun Alley. He quietly peeked out and saw the Jie Fan Guards, wearing bamboo hats and straw cloaks, riding past.

The servant panicked. “Third Young Master, is Luocheng going to be ravaged by war again? Did you see anything when you just returned?”

Chen Ji listened to the commotion outside the residence without turning his head. “I don’t know,” he said. “Go quickly and inform the Master and Madam.”

With that, he swayed towards Mingquan Garden. Before he even reached it, the Chen Residence was already bustling with noise.

Maids from various courtyards hurried out, dressed in their clothes, while servants held torches and guarded various parts of the residence to prevent any intruders from scaling the walls.

Chen Ji walked slowly, as various people scurried past him, a scene of chaos and panic, like startled birds.

Chen Ji knew clearly that the death of a fifth-rank General of Martial Integrity was a colossal matter; the Military Affairs Bureau, the Jie Fan Guards, and the Secret Intelligence Agency would surely turn Luocheng upside down.

Returning to the front of Mingquan Garden, before he even knocked, the door opened.

Xiao Man pulled Chen Ji inside and said in a hushed voice, “Young Master, where have you been? Sister Liqiu said there’s trouble outside again. Quickly, sit inside the room; the brazier is already lit. I’ll pour you some tea to sober up.”

Chen Ji recalled the Taotie that had suddenly appeared and then fled earlier tonight. Carelessly, with a hint of drunkenness, he said, “Trouble… Is someone rebelling again? Then let’s hurry and run, quick, pack our things!”

Xiao Man, however, pulled him back. “Young Master, what’s the rush? What if nothing happens?”

Chen Ji instantly sobered up a little. Previously, during the Liu family rebellion, countless families wanted to flee the city; the ox carts and carriages attempting to escape could clog all the city gates.

Having experienced the Liu family rebellion, it was normal for ordinary people to want to pack up and flee. Those who didn’t want to escape were abnormal, unless… they knew all along that this was not a rebellion.

Chen Ji continued to probe, “What if nothing happens? There aren’t that many ‘what ifs’. Lord Chen is the Luocheng Deputy Prefect; if anyone rebels, they certainly won’t spare the Chen family. We must leave the Chen Residence first; I’ll take you to hide in an inn.”

Xiao Man became anxious. “Lord Chen is destined to be a high-ranking official in the Eastern Palace’s office in the future. Who would dare do anything to him?”

Chen Ji asked suspiciously, “Xiao Man, are you hiding something from me?”

Xiao Man froze for a moment and hurriedly explained, “No, no, what could I possibly be hiding from you!”

Chen Ji hummed in acknowledgment. “Alright then,” he said, “let’s hurry and run.”

Xiao Man bit her lip, watching Chen Ji stumble drunkenly into the room to pack his things, apparently about to take her with him to escape Luocheng.

She thought it over carefully, then walked behind Chen Ji, raised her hand like a knife, and struck him on the neck.

“Sleep well, Young Master. Everything will be fine when you wake up.”

One breath.
Two breaths.
Three breaths.

Chen Ji slowly turned around, covered his neck, and asked in surprise, “Xiao Man, why did you hit me?”

Xiao Man was speechless.

She gasped and said in a panic, “Young Master, there was a bug on you just now. I wanted to help you kill it.”

Chen Ji was startled and quickly shook his body. “Did you kill it? Where’s the bug?” he asked.

Xiao Man pretended to grab something from Chen Ji’s shoulder, feigning to have caught the bug in her palm, and then fled in a hurry. “Got it, got it!” she exclaimed. “You sit in the room for now. I’ll go boil some water for you!”

Inside the room, Chen Ji’s gaze became calm. The Taotie must be connected to Xiao Man.

Even if Xiao Man didn’t control it, she must know who did, and she must know what happened tonight.

What should he do now? Quietly distance himself from Xiao Man, or pretend not to know and keep her by his side?

If Xiao Man was an operative, then who taught her her cultivation methods? And who arranged for her to be by his side? What was her mission?

Chen Ji’s head was spinning with questions.

As he pondered, footsteps approached from outside the door.

Chen Ji pushed open the door and went out, only to hear the faint rustle of armor around the Chen Residence, along with the heavy, synchronized footsteps of hundreds of soldiers.

It seemed as if troops had completely surrounded the Chen Residence!

Chen Ji was startled. He clearly hadn’t left any traces; how had they found him?

Torches flickered in the distance, and a troop of people was coming from the direction of Tingquan Garden… They weren’t Chen Residence’s servants, but personnel from the Luocheng Military Affairs Bureau!

Chen Ji calmly went to meet them. In the flickering light of the torches, he saw Chen Liqin leading a troop of Military Affairs Bureau soldiers approaching.

He cupped his hands in greeting and casually asked, “Lord Chen, what’s going on?”

Chen Liqin explained, “There’s been some trouble in the city. General Wang Chongli, who publicly made things difficult for you today, was assassinated on his way back to camp.”

Chen Ji feigned surprise. “He was assassinated? By whom?”

Chen Liqin sighed. “It’s a petty scoundrel from the pugilistic world,” he said. “The Jie Fan Guards said this person is an assassin from ‘Lantern,’ and they’ve been tracking them for a long time.”

Chen Ji asked, puzzled, “What is ‘Lantern’?”

Chen Liqin said with disdain, “It’s a Jianghu gang that gathers many assassins, taking people’s money, buying lives, and committing all sorts of illegal acts.”

Chen Ji was even more puzzled. “So someone paid to have General Wang killed?”

Chen Liqin shook his head. “No,” he said. “According to the Jie Fan Guards, this assassin once had a very close relationship with Prince Jing. She was Prince Jing’s confidante in Jinling. Now that Prince Jing is gone, and Jianghu rumors say he was betrayed by General Wang, she must be here for revenge.”

Chen Ji looked at the soldiers behind him. “So Lord Chen, leading this group of soldiers, is…”

Chen Liqin said “Oh” and looked back at the torch-bearing Military Affairs Bureau soldiers behind him. “They are here at my call to guard the residence,” he explained. “Don’t be afraid. With them guarding the Chen family, you can sleep soundly.”

One of the soldiers respectfully said, “Third Young Master, I will leave six soldiers here for you. If you need anything, just call them.”

Chen Ji felt relieved and politely replied, “Thank you for your trouble, gentlemen.”

Chen Liqin waved his hand. “Go back and rest,” he said. “Tomorrow, pack your things and prepare to return to the capital. Leave this troublesome place as soon as possible.”

“Yes,” Chen Ji replied, slowly retreating into Mingquan Garden. He firmly closed the courtyard gate and dropped the bolt.

As he turned to go back to the room, he gradually stopped. When he had gone out earlier, the main room’s door had been open, but now it was not only closed, but the chattering Xiao Man was also nowhere to be seen.

Chen Ji became even more certain that the Taotie must have been controlled by Xiao Man. She, seeing so many Military Affairs Bureau soldiers, had guiltily hidden inside the room.

He pushed open the door and entered the room, but stopped dead in his tracks, a fine layer of cold sweat suddenly breaking out on his back. His drunkenness vanished!

Su Zhou!

In the dim candlelight, Su Zhou was covered in blood, sitting weakly on the edge of the bed, holding Xiao Man hostage with an Emei dagger. The sharp blade was pressed against Xiao Man’s jaw as she coldly stared at Chen Ji.

Xiao Man sat weakly on the edge of the bed, looking pleadingly at Chen Ji. “Young Master,” she whimpered.

Chen Ji paused.

Su Zhou said coldly, “Don’t make a loud noise…”

Before she finished speaking, with a creak, Chen Ji closed the door and went out.

Su Zhou opened her mouth. She looked at the closed door, then down at the slumped Xiao Man, and for a long time couldn’t say a word.

“He just ran off like that?”

Su Zhou sneered, “Your Young Master is quite righteous, isn’t he?”

Xiao Man frowned. “He must have gone to get help! Quickly, let me go! It was only because I was careless and you ambushed me; otherwise, I would never have let you succeed! If you have the guts, take away your weapon and see how I’ll flatten you!”

Su Zhou heard Xiao Man’s words and couldn’t help but laugh.

But she had only laughed twice when it pulled at her wounds, making her cough violently. She vomited a mouthful of blood, which landed on Xiao Man’s shoulder.

Xiao Man glanced sideways and let out a sound of disgust.

The door was pushed open again, then closed. Chen Ji, looking shaken, leaned against the door. “Are the officials outside here to arrest you?” he whispered.

Su Zhou carefully scrutinized Chen Ji in front of her. “Why did you come back?” she asked. “I thought you went to get help. Why didn’t you call anyone?”

Chen Ji explained, “If I brought help, this maid would surely not survive.”

Su Zhou froze for a moment.

Chen Ji continued to ask in a low voice, “Who exactly are you?”

Su Zhou did not answer.

Chen Ji asked again, “I just heard that someone killed General Wang to avenge Prince Jing. Was it you?”

Su Zhou pondered for a moment, and a faint smile touched her lips. “It was me,” she said. “Handing me over to the eunuch faction now would be a great service.”

Chen Ji was silent for a long time. “Release Xiao Man,” he finally said. “I’ll have her bring hot water to clean your wounds. Don’t worry, I will never report you to the authorities.”

Su Zhou scrutinized him. “Why wouldn’t you report me to the authorities?”

Chen Ji explained, “I have a very close relationship with the Prince’s heir and the Princess. You avenged the Prince, so how could I report you to the authorities? But why did you seek me out here?”

Su Zhou’s eyes flickered. “Before the Prince died, he entrusted someone to send a message, saying that if I encountered danger, I could trust you. Now I am severely wounded, and Luocheng is blockaded by the eunuch faction. I need you to get me out of the city. Do you dare?”

Chen Ji certainly didn’t believe the woman’s story; she had said she would kill him too an hour ago.

But if she wanted to kill him, she shouldn’t have held Xiao Man hostage when she snuck in; she should have directly seized the opportunity to kill him. Presumably, the reason she didn’t kill him was also because she was suspicious of the slander against General Wang and didn’t want to mistakenly kill a good person.

Looked at this way, she wasn’t completely insane and harbored a testing intent.

Thinking of this, Chen Ji said seriously, “Rest assured, since it was the Prince’s trust, I will certainly find a way to get you out of the city. First, release Xiao Man, and let her tend to your wounds.”

Su Zhou pondered for a long time, gradually retracted her Emei dagger, and stared straight at Chen Ji.

Xiao Man felt the coldness at her neck recede, quickly got up, and ran behind Chen Ji. Holding his arm, she poked her head out. “Young Master,” she urged, “let’s quickly report her to the authorities and have her arrested!”

Chen Ji patted Xiao Man’s arm. “Don’t panic,” he said. “Go boil some water, and whatever you do, don’t alert the Military Affairs Bureau outside the courtyard.”

“Huh?” Xiao Man’s eyes widened. “Young Master, I feel like she wants to kill us!”

Chen Ji comforted her, “It’s fine, go quickly.”

Su Zhou tensed up, her grip on the Emei dagger in her hand tightening, but a look of interest appeared on her face as she probed, “I’ve already released your little maid. Are you really not going to report me to the authorities?”

Chen Ji said seriously, “I told you. Since it was the Prince’s trust, I will certainly not betray it. Wait in the room for a moment; I’ll be right back.”

Su Zhou subtly agreed, “Go.”