Miss Zhang arrived and departed in a whirlwind.

The magnificent horse named Zaozao snorted white plumes of breath, carrying the fiery red figure away as if on wings.

She Denke listened to the receding hoofbeats, then looked around at the astonished faces and asked, “How can she be so overbearing?”

The medical hall was silent; no one answered his question.

After a long silence, Liu Quxing remarked, “Indeed, throughout Luocheng, besides the Liu family and the Jing Prince’s Manor, there’s no one more overbearing than the Zhang family.”

She Denke grumbled, “But the Princess isn’t like her at all. I think the Princess is very kind; she never throws her weight around or puts on airs. Surely the prestige of the Prince’s Manor is greater than the Xu family, her mother’s family, right?”

The Prince’s Heir, leaning an elbow on the counter, suddenly smiled meaningfully. “The prestige of a feudal prince in our Ning Dynasty might not actually surpass that of the Xu family. In this small corner of Luocheng, even the Prince’s Manor has to consult with the Liu family on everything. The three northern aristocratic families—Qi, Chen, and Hu—and the three southern aristocratic families—Liu, Xu, and Yang—though often at odds with each other, always stand united when facing imperial power.”

He continued, “Previously, my father wanted to acquire the cement formula. But the moment Chen Ji said he would take the formula back to the Chen family, my father immediately backed down. Why? Isn’t it because if that cement formula fell into the Chen family’s hands, even the Jing Prince’s Manor wouldn’t be able to reclaim it?”

She Denke’s eyes widened. “No matter how powerful these aristocratic families are, can they really seize things from the imperial court?”

The Prince’s Heir chuckled, “In their eyes, they are the imperial court…”

“Hold on,” Old Man Yao said, glancing sideways at the Prince’s Heir. “Is this something an old man like me should be hearing? Are you perhaps tired of me living to ninety-two, and so you plan to send me off?”

The Prince’s Heir replied sheepishly, “I won’t say any more.”

At this moment, Bai Li walked to the opposite side of the mahogany counter and stared intently at Chen Ji. “Aren’t you angry? She said all those things about you, yet you act as if nothing happened.”

Chen Ji didn’t answer. Instead, he picked up the chessboard and chess piece container and turned to walk towards the backyard.

He had only taken two steps when Bai Li, standing on tiptoes, reached over the counter and pulled Chen Ji’s arm, drawing him back. “I’m talking to you, don’t leave!”

Chen Ji stopped helplessly and asked with a smile, “Is the Princess referring to her looking down on me?”

Bai Li said earnestly, “She hasn’t even bothered to get to know you, so what right does she have to say you’re inferior to Chen Wenzong? Anyway, what she said about you was wrong.”

Chen Ji counter-asked, “Does the Princess want me to prove myself to her?”

Bai Li thought for a moment. “At the very least, she should know that you’re not inferior to Chen Wenzong.”

Chen Ji smiled and asked, “And then what?”

“Huh?”

Chen Ji said, “Then she’ll realize this marriage isn’t so bad after all, and happily agree to it. And by then, Master Zhang will be like those who snatch up grooms from the imperial examinations, forcing me to marry. Once we’re married, we won’t be able to go out drinking together anymore; I’ll have to stay home and learn needlework.”

Bai Li froze. “Ah? Then… then maybe not.”

At this moment, Liu Quxing asked, “Miss Zhang didn’t recognize the Princess and the Prince’s Heir just now. Have you two never met?”

The Prince’s Heir explained, “As I recall, Master Zhang took up his post in Luocheng in the 27th year of Jianing, and he didn’t bring his family with him at the time. It seems he only brought his family over just before the Lantern Festival last year, and by then, Bai Li and I had already gone to Donglin Academy. Have you heard of this Miss Zhang? What kind of person is she?”

Liu Quxing muttered, “I’ve only seen her twice, and each time she was galloping wildly through the city, startling pedestrians who scattered to get out of her way. Her horsemanship seems good, though; I haven’t heard of her ever hitting a passerby while riding.”

Liang Mao’er spoke from the side, “I heard about her when my brother and I went drinking. They say the young master of the Liu family’s main branch fancies her, and the Liu family sent a matchmaker to propose marriage, but Master Zhang politely refused. It’s not just the Liu family; quite a few scholars and literati admire her.”

Bai Li mumbled, “I wonder where these people’s eyes are, and why they admire her?”

The Prince’s Heir chuckled merrily, “Miss Zhang is beautiful, and she’s Master Zhang’s most beloved daughter, so naturally, people flock to her. If a scholar from a humble family were to marry her, he’d save thirty years of detours in his career.”

Bai Li suddenly looked at Chen Ji. “Chen Ji, do you also think she’s beautiful?”

Chen Ji let out a small sound, “I didn’t get a good look.”

Bai Li leaned against the counter, feeling a bit sullen.

The Prince’s Heir asked curiously, “Are you still upset?”

Bai Li said indignantly, “When Zhang Xia was here, she was the only one who angered me, and I didn’t manage to upset her back. Now that I’ve figured out how to retort, she’s already gone!”

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became!

Bai Li turned and walked out.

The Prince’s Heir quickly pulled her back. “Where are you going?”

Bai Li said angrily, “I’m going to find her and have another word!”

The Prince’s Heir didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Don’t be silly, she’s already far away.”

He looked at Chen Ji and said with a smile, “In terms of family background, Miss Zhang isn’t a bad choice either. Perhaps she just heard rumors and, because she doesn’t know you, was eager to set some ground rules. But as the saying goes, ‘a long road tests a horse’s strength, and time reveals a person’s heart.’ She’ll eventually get to know you better… Won’t you reconsider?”

Chen Ji smiled and said, “What isn’t understood now need not be understood later.”

In the quiet of the deep night.

Chen Ji emerged from the Green Mountain Dream and slowly opened his eyes.

He silently counted the snores, ensuring that everyone around him was asleep, before quietly getting up.

However, just as Chen Ji opened his door, he saw Old Man Yao standing under the apricot tree with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the red cloth strips tied to its branches.

“Master? Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

Old Man Yao said blandly, “Why sleep long while alive, when there’s eternal sleep after death? I don’t know why, but recently I just can’t seem to get enough of this world’s scenery.”

Chen Ji paused. “But you’re still hale and hearty.”

Old Man Yao sneered, “What I mean is, I want to see more of this world before you get me killed.”

Chen Ji was speechless.

Old Man Yao turned to him. “Posing as the head of the Jing Dynasty’s Military Intelligence Bureau in front of the Liu family is like walking on a knife’s edge. The slightest mistake could lead to irretrievable ruin.”

“You know all about it?”

Old Man Yao asked, “What are your plans?”

Chen Ji was startled.

The old man and the young man stood under the apricot tree, looking at each other.

Chen Ji recalled when he first arrived in this world, walking slowly behind his master on the bluestone path, desperately wanting to say something, but the old man shunned danger and didn’t want to hear anything.

But now, the old man was asking questions himself.

Chen Ji said with a smile, “You never used to actively ask about these things.”

Old Man Yao was also startled, then said with a hint of annoyance, “If you don’t want to talk, then don’t. Don’t act as if I care so much about you; I’m just worried about being implicated by you!”

Chen Ji deliberated for a moment, then finally said, “It’s better if I don’t tell you.”

Old Man Yao let out a cold laugh. “Fine, don’t tell me then. Just be careful.”

Chen Ji changed the subject. “Master, where’s Uncle Crow? I haven’t seen him in a while.”

“He’s gone out to lie low.”

Chen Ji asked again, “What about Dark Cloud? I haven’t seen him today either.”

“He’s also gone out to lie low.”

Chen Ji blinked in confusion.

Is this whole courtyard full of outlaws?

Chen Ji asked, puzzled, “What did Dark Cloud do that he needs to lie low?”

Old Man Yao turned and slowly walked back to the main house. “If you want to find him, walk east along Anxi Street for about a li, then turn into the alley next to Chai Ji Grain and Oil Shop. He should be there tonight. As for why he needs to lie low, you’ll understand when you see him.”

Chen Ji walked out, following Anxi Street east in the moonlight.

He had only gone halfway when he suddenly heard extremely faint footsteps behind him.

Chen Ji whirled around, only to see the long bluestone path behind him, like a clear tunnel, stretching to the end with not a single figure in sight!

On the long, moonlit street, only the slender Chen Ji stood still, looking back.

Emptiness.

In an instant, the hairs on the back of Chen Ji’s neck stood on end.

He recalled the story of the Mountain Flower Ghost Coin, and remembered the Liu family’s unmanned carriage, its reins moving on their own without any wind…

On the bluestone path, it felt as though an invisible shadow was clinging to his back, like maggots to bone, enveloped in endless black resentment, chilling him to the marrow.

Was he being targeted by that old beggar gang leader named Zhang Guo’er? How did they find their way to Taiping Medical Hall?

No, that’s not right. It shouldn’t be the Mountain Flower Ghost Coin; things controlled by it shouldn’t make footsteps.

Chen Ji turned, lowered his head, and walked quickly. After only a few steps, the faint, hurried footsteps behind him resumed.

This time, he didn’t look back. Instead, he gradually quickened his pace until he was running.

The next moment, Chen Ji suddenly turned into a dark alley.

However, the instant he disappeared into the shadows, he suddenly drew a short knife from his bosom, unsheathing it, and turned to chop downwards.

The short knife sliced from the shadow into the moonlight, as if it had been hidden in the darkness all along, and then suddenly appeared with a fierce flash.

He heard someone cry out in surprise, instinctively raising a long saber to block. But the short knife, slashing from the shadows, struck the long saber squarely in the middle, and with a clang, the saber broke!

After severing the long saber, the short knife continued upwards in a thrust. But Chen Ji, hearing that cry of surprise, realized something was wrong, and the blade stopped just barely at the intruder’s chin.

It was perfectly placed; another fraction of an inch and there would have been blood.

Standing in the shadows, Chen Ji looked at the uninvited guest before him and froze.

The Princess?!

In the moonlight outside the alley, Bai Li stood, holding a broken saber, her fair face etched with horror.

Behind her were the Prince’s Heir, Liang Mao’er, and Liang Gou’er!

Presumably, it was Liang Mao’er and Liang Gou’er who had helped the Prince’s Heir and Bai Li hide themselves just now, which was why Chen Ji hadn’t detected their presence.

At this very moment, the Prince’s Heir and Liang Mao’er stared blankly at Chen Ji.

Only Liang Gou’er’s pupils had slightly contracted, and his expression had grown solemn.

He, who had been casually slinging a long saber over his shoulder, suddenly straightened up.

The Prince’s Heir and Liang Mao’er were stunned because they had been shocked by Chen Ji’s fierce strike. But their astonishment came from how utterly different Chen Ji was at that moment compared to the Chen Ji they usually knew.

Only Liang Gou’er knew that the strike just now had been flawless.

Such exquisite, accurate, and powerful saber skills—even a genius like Liang Gou’er couldn’t execute them at Chen Ji’s age.

These were not the saber skills a medical apprentice should possess!

Chen Ji glanced at Liang Gou’er, then slowly sheathed his short knife and walked out of the alley’s shadows.

He looked at the sabers in the hands of the Prince’s Heir and Bai Li, and said helplessly, “Prince’s Heir, Princess, Brother Mao’er, Brother Gou’er, what are you doing following me?”

Bai Li, still shaken, said, “These past two days, you’ve always gone out at night and only returned in the morning. Everyone thought you must have encountered some trouble but wouldn’t say, so we pooled our money to ask Brother Liang Gou’er to help follow you and see what was happening. Chen Ji, if you’re really in trouble, don’t keep it to yourself! We’ll all help you solve it!”