Li Changge.

This was originally a fictional name that spread throughout Jingcheng with a fictional storybook.

But the moment Chen Ji wrote the three characters “Li Changge” on the book cover, he seemed to form a connection with this name. From then on, he was Li Changge, and Li Changge was him.

Chen Ji suddenly grunted, taking a small step back, as if he had suffered a heavy blow from an invisible force.

Xiaoman quickly supported Chen Ji, exclaiming in surprise, “This book has a problem! You rogue Daoist, you’ve harmed my young master!”

Zhang Li lazily said, “How can it be harm? This is clearly a good thing. Don’t worry, your young master will be fine in a moment.”

Xiaoman was skeptical, “How so?”

Zhang Li tapped the Anagrammatic Heavenly Book in his palm and said, “This is the most prized treasure of our Huangshan Dao Court, the Anagrammatic Heavenly Book. Now that Li Changge is famous and has many followers, your young master, by merging with him and receiving the power of the believers’ vows, will naturally have a long life and be immune to all diseases. You can think of it as establishing a living shrine for your young master on the Anagrammatic Heavenly Book. How many high-ranking officials and nobles desire a living shrine but cannot obtain one? This is a rare opportunity.”

Xiaoman’s expression was startled, “A living shrine?”

Zhang Li chuckled, “If my storybook can spread throughout the land, not only will he live a long life, but it’s even possible for your young master to achieve sainthood through incense offerings.”

At this moment, Chen Ji remained silent.

He heard faint voices flying in from all directions, male and female, old and young.

The voices called out repeatedly, “Li Changge…”

“Li Changge…”

“Li Changge!”

The voices of the believers were like a mountain roar and a tsunami, and the joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness intertwined within them almost overwhelmed his consciousness.

He suddenly felt as if his spirit had wandered outside his body, looking down at the backyard of the Chenghuang Temple from above the sky. In the backyard, Zhang Li sat on the stone steps, Xiaoman supported him, and the young monk lowered his head and chanted scriptures.

Chen Ji closed his eyes tightly, wanting to move but unable to, wanting to open his eyes but unable to.

Zhang Li glanced at the young monk, “The young monk’s skills are not refined enough to bring him back; it’s better for this humble Daoist to do it.”

The next moment, he looked up at him, formed the Santai Seal with his hand, and chanted, “Santai gave me birth, Santai nurtured me, Santai protects me, as urgent as the law dictates.”

Then he heard Zhang Li sternly shout, “Return!”

Everything became silent!

Chen Ji fell from the air, back into his body. He lowered his head and clenched his hands, feeling as if he had been reborn.

Xiaoman asked worriedly, “Young master, are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” he looked up at Zhang Li, “Daoist priest, what happened just now?”

Zhang Li smiled, “The incense offerings accumulated by the believers in this Anagrammatic Heavenly Book were too much, momentarily startling your three souls and seven spirits. Now you are fine. Don’t worry, although you can’t feel the physical changes, the benefits of the living shrine will eventually become apparent.”

Zhang Li was wrong; perhaps others couldn’t feel the physical changes, but Chen Ji could.

The furnace fire within him, which had not changed for a long time, gently flickered. The crimson furnace fire actually turned light yellow.

It didn’t stop there; it continued until his furnace fire changed from light yellow to bright yellow, then it slowly ceased.

As early as in Luocheng, when the Dao Court wrote about his debate with Wuzhai for the storytellers, the furnace fire within him gradually changed from light red to crimson, and subsequent changes, though present, were slow.

Chen Ji knew in his heart that each time the color of the furnace fire changed, his healing speed would increase by a few points, which was a tangible benefit.

He cupped his hands to Zhang Li and said, “Xiaoman and Luozhuisajia are entrusted to the Daoist priest’s care.”

“Entrusting a monk to a Daoist priest’s care, you are one of a kind,” Zhang Li mused, “How about my Dao Court helps you find someone with the surname Wang? You just owe my Dao Court another favor.”

Chen Ji turned and walked out, “Thank you for your kind offer, Daoist priest, but there’s no need to help me find someone. The Dao Court is skilled at calculations; I fear I might incur a favor I can’t repay.”

Zhang Li asked curiously, “The outer city is a mixed bag of dragons and fish; merchants and porters from all directions gather here. Finding someone is like searching for a needle in a haystack…”

Chen Ji replied without looking back, “It’s no trouble; I have some connections in the outer city.”

He walked out of the Chenghuang Temple, brushing past the devout men and women entering the temple.

He saw the figure of Sicao Gui hiding in the distance out of the corner of his eye, but he acted as if he saw nothing and got into the carriage, “To Meihuadu.”

Baoji Alley.

In a household, Wang Gui opened the lid of the rice jar; it was empty.

He muttered “unlucky” to himself and searched other corners of the kitchen, finding nothing.

Wang Gui returned to the room, lying on the bare bed board, staring blankly, his eyes sunken from hunger.

In the main room, there was a large wooden box filled with gold, silver, and valuables he had embezzled from the Chen family, but now he dared not go out, unable to exchange them for a single grain of rice.

This house was a place he had bought years ago to secretly keep concubines. Later, he had to go to Luocheng with Chen Liqin, so he sold the concubines back to the brothel.

A few days ago, he had guessed that the second branch of the Chen family intended to silence him, so he immediately fled here.

Fortunately, the Chen family did not know he had another house here, and fortunately, the second branch of the Chen family had lost the assistance of the Wucheng Bingmasi and the “Heji,” so they could no longer be as influential as before.

The second branch of the Chen family had kept the Heji fighting gang in the outer city, not originally for those businesses: whoever controlled the fighting gangs in the outer city also managed the various trades and professions, thus having informants all over the city.

Wang Gui got up from the bed board; he slowly opened the door a crack and quietly looked outside… Yesterday, there were still Chen family servants patrolling outside, but today they were gone.

He pondered, perhaps the court found nothing and simply gave up?

Or perhaps the second branch of the Chen family had already confessed and accepted their punishment?

Wang Gui paced back and forth in the courtyard, anxious.

Just then, footsteps came from Baoji Alley; they were a man’s footsteps, heavy and strong.

His heart was in his throat; could it be that the Chen family was still pursuing him?

In his panic, he heard the man knock on the neighbor’s door, “Du Niang, open the door.”

The door opened.

A woman’s voice said lazily, “Why haven’t you come for several days? Did you forget about me?”

The man explained in a low voice, “My wife at home keeps a tight leash…”

Du Niang scoffed, “It seems your wife at home is more important.”

The man said impatiently, “Why talk about that? You have more than just me. Let me in first.”

Du Niang, however, stood in front of the door and extended her hand to the man, “Where’s the money?”

The man pulled out a string of copper coins from his怀里, “Just this much.”

Du Niang turned and walked into the house, “If you only bring this much next time, I won’t entertain you.”

Wang Gui leaned against the courtyard wall and listened for a while; the man and Du Niang started panting as soon as they entered the room, making his eyes widen.

In less than half an incense stick of time, the man tied his clothes and walked out, “I have things to do today; I’m leaving first.”

The man pushed the door open and hurried away.

Du Niang spat in the courtyard, “Useless thing!”

Wang Gui’s eyes darted around; this Du Niang was a secret prostitute, one of the people with the least background in Jingcheng. Even if he asked her something, it shouldn’t alarm the Chen family.

He went back to his room, dug out a golden hairpin from his box, squeezed through the door crack, and came to Du Niang’s door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Du Niang’s impatient voice came from the courtyard, “Why are you back again? Aren’t you afraid of your wife… Who are you?”

She vigilantly looked at Wang Gui, just about to close the courtyard door again, but saw Wang Gui take out the golden hairpin and wave it in front of her.

Before Du Niang could react, Wang Gui squeezed through the door and closed it.

He went straight to the kitchen, scooped himself a bowl of cold porridge from the pot, and gulped it down.

Du Niang leaned inexplicably on the kitchen doorframe, tugged at her clothes, revealing half of her shoulder, “Customer, what are you doing?”

Wang Gui drank another bowl of cold porridge, then asked, “I have a few questions for you, sir. If you answer them well, the hairpin is yours.”

Du Niang’s eyes lit up, “Sir, please ask.”

Wang Gui asked, “Has anything big happened in Jingcheng these past few days?”

“Big event?” Du Niang thought for a moment and replied, “Young Master Chen came back from Xiangshan, and Prince Fu was leading his horse for him at Anding Gate.”

Wang Gui was startled; Chen Ji actually returned alive?

He calmly said, “What happened next?”

Du Niang leaned on the doorframe, smiling as she replied, “Later, I heard he entered the palace and was even granted a noble title by His Majesty. Today, the entire city is talking about his engagement with the Qi family. Many people snuck into the inner city to collect rewards in front of the Chen family mansion on Fuyou Street.”

Wang Gui secretly pondered.

A marriage meant that the second branch of the Chen family was safe. Otherwise, with the charges of treason against the second branch of the Chen family, they would be too busy with a funeral to even think about a wedding.

It seemed the matter had been covered up by the Chen family… But he still couldn’t stay in Jingcheng; as long as he was alive, Chen Lizhi would not sleep soundly.

However, Chen Lizhi also dared not publicize it, nor could he openly arrest him.

While he was pondering, Du Niang leaned closer, “What else does sir want to ask?”

Wang Gui felt a hot flush, but he pushed Du Niang away, “Are there heavy guards at Yongding Gate recently?”

Du Niang was getting impatient, “How would I know? What’s wrong with you, asking me all these strange questions, and drinking two bowls of my porridge? Do you even know what kind of place this is?”

Wang Gui’s face darkened. He picked up a cleaver from the stove, split the hairpin in half, and tossed one half to Du Niang, “Go to Yongding Gate, tell me everything you see and hear, and I’ll give you the other half.”

Du Niang bit the half-hairpin, saw the teeth marks on the gold, and smiled brightly, “Sir is truly generous.”

She slowly leaned closer, “Is that all sir wants to do?”

Wang Gui frowned and pushed her away, “Get lost, is sir someone you can touch?”

Du Niang raised her eyebrows, and her hand suddenly reached into Wang Gui’s crotch, “Sir, you’re not impotent, are you… You really are impotent!”

Wang Gui cried out in pain, bending over and gasping, “What the hell are you talking about!”

Du Niang leaned against the stove and sneered, “Did I say something wrong?”

Wang Gui was furious, “Just you wait!”

He turned and went back to his own courtyard, dug out a phoenix coronet with blue floral ornaments from a box, and returned to Du Niang’s room, “Put it on!”

Du Niang’s eyes widened, “Sir, this is a headpiece only worn by ladies from wealthy families when they get married.”

Wang Gui urged, “Stop with the nonsense, put it on quickly.”

Du Niang went to the main room, put on the headpiece in front of the mirror, and turned her head left and right, admiring herself in the mirror.

Wang Gui pressed her firmly against the mirror.

Du Niang tried to look back at Wang Gui, but Wang Gui twisted her face away, “Don’t look at me.”

Half an hour later, Du Niang adjusted her clothes and left the courtyard, leaving Wang Gui alone in the room, quietly panting.

He got up and went to the kitchen, found two steamed buns and a plate of pickled vegetables, and sat by the stove, eating quietly, pondering how to escape Jingcheng.

Another stick of incense passed, and then he heard Du Niang’s voice from outside, “Sir, he’s inside!”

Wang Gui was startled and got up to run, but as soon as he ran out of the kitchen, he saw Chen Ji squatting on the courtyard wall, smiling at him.

He ran towards the door, but saw Paoge leading Erdao guarding the entrance, looking menacing.

Wang Gui retreated step by step back into the courtyard, then plopped down on his knees, “Young Master, spare my life!”

Chen Ji was a bit puzzled, “You don’t seem like a spy from the Military Intelligence Bureau, and the Military Intelligence Bureau doesn’t have such a useless spy… How did you become a spy for Jing Dynasty?”

Wang Gui burst into tears, “I am not a spy for Jing Dynasty! Someone earlier sought me out to buy information about you, asking me to record what you did and who you met. They gave me one hundred taels of silver each time! Later, that Jing Dynasty rogue said that since I took money from Jing Dynasty, I had to work for them, otherwise they would report me to the Secret Police Bureau… I was forced into it!”

Chen Ji was stunned.

From Luocheng to Jingcheng, had it always been the Military Intelligence Bureau buying information about him?