Chen Ji was a tenacious person. To achieve his goals, he would stop at nothing, endure severe hardship, and never give up until he hit a wall. He recited “Zheyun” over and over again, determined to produce purple energy within his meridians. However, that brilliant sword qi, like a scorching sun, was even more persistent than he was…

Chen Ji sat cross-legged in the dim apprentice dormitory, reciting for a full hour, a total of twelve times. Without exception, every wisp of purple energy that emerged was mercilessly cut down.

“That’s strange,” Chen Ji muttered to himself. “The Mountain Lord and Sword Seed pathways can coexist peacefully, but Zheyun can’t?” He wondered, “Is it because both Sword Seed and Zheyun are sword techniques, so they can’t coexist?! I’ll try again.”

Just as he was about to recite for the thirteenth time, he heard a rapid bird call from outside the courtyard. Chen Ji recognized it as the copper whistle of the Secret Service. Usually, the bird calls were clear and pleasant, like magpies, but this time, the urgency suggested a bird’s nest was being raided.

He stood up and left the medical hall, seeing Jin Zhu’s carriage parked diagonally across from it. Chen Ji expertly climbed into the carriage. Before he could speak, a sweating Jin Zhu said gruffly, “If you can’t cultivate it, then stop trying to reach the ninth level!”

Chen Ji: “!!!” He feigned confusion: “Lord Jin Zhu, how do you know I can’t cultivate it? Are you perhaps monitoring me?”

Realizing his slip-up, Jin Zhu quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, “I was just worried you might be too eager after just receiving the cultivation method, so I came specifically to remind you. You must know that while cultivation methods can make you extraordinary, you also need to balance intensity with rest when practicing. You absolutely must not blindly rush forward.”

Chen Ji uttered an “Oh” and said, “Thank you for your concern, Lord.”

Jin Zhu’s eyes darted about. “By the way, have you encountered any difficulties while cultivating? Perhaps I can help you with one or two things.”

Chen Ji shook his head. “No…”

Jin Zhu exclaimed, heartbroken, “Think again carefully!”

Chen Ji glanced at him and explained casually, “Lord, when I practice this method, I always feel a surge of energy that is on the verge of emerging but remains intangible, impossible to grasp or find.”

Jin Zhu pondered for a moment, then said with concern, “Perhaps you’ve been too tired these past few days, making it hard to settle down when cultivating. Think about it, you’ve only slept three or four hours total these past few days. How can you cultivate well? Why not get a good night’s sleep first?”

Chen Ji nodded. “You have a point, Lord. I’ll go back and get some good sleep now.”

Jin Zhu immediately felt relieved. “Very good, very good. Go on.”

After Chen Ji got out of the carriage, Jin Zhu leaned back weakly inside. Having twelve ribs seemingly pulled out through the air in an hour—how was that different from torture? He thought it might even be the same fate if he fell into the hands of Jing Dynasty villains.

At this moment, Jin Zhu sat in the dim carriage, enjoying a moment of peace by himself. No excruciating pain, no constant anxiety—just extraordinary relief.

After a short rest, he muttered, “This kid is quite diligent, much more hardworking than Tianma was back then. But what’s going on with his cultivation method? He clearly has A-grade talent, so why can’t he get started? Is it a problem with the cultivation method itself?”

He patted the carriage wall and told Xifeng, who was guarding outside, “Return to the inner prison and continue interrogating that Jing Dynasty villain. …Ouch…”

Jin Zhu’s expression changed dramatically. *Didn’t you just agree to rest properly, kid? Why did you go back and start cultivating again instead of sleeping?*

Xifeng heard his cry and quickly lifted the curtain, poking his head in to ask, “Lord, what’s wrong? Did you eat something bad?”

Jin Zhu gritted his teeth. “Blow the copper whistle, summon Chen Ji.”

As the bird call sounded, a moment later, Chen Ji climbed back into the carriage, asking in confusion, “Lord, we just said goodbye. Why have you summoned me again?”

Jin Zhu asked sternly, “Do you remember my instruction to rest properly?”

Chen Ji replied frankly, “Yes, I remember. I went back and went straight to sleep. I didn’t cultivate again.”

Jin Zhu was speechless. He knew well the allure of cultivation methods to a young man. When he himself first received a cultivation method, didn’t he also rack his brains day and night, thinking how to cross that threshold? He could understand the young man’s feelings, but he himself was truly struggling to endure it.

At this point, Chen Ji clasped his hands and said, “Lord, if there’s nothing else, I’ll return to the medical hall to sleep.”

Jin Zhu tightly seized Chen Ji’s wrist. “No!”

Chen Ji raised an eyebrow. “Hmm?”

Jin Zhu patted the carriage wall and called out loudly, “Xifeng, back to the inner prison! Chen Ji and I need to interrogate that Jing Dynasty villain again.”

Chen Ji, perplexed, asked, “Lord, weren’t you telling me to rest properly?”

Jin Zhu said earnestly, “I just remembered that the Jing Dynasty official must have a lot more intelligence we can extract. If he reveals anything else, you can help me analyze it. If you want to sleep, you can do so in the carriage.” With that, he surprisingly pulled out a copper hand warmer from under his seat, carefully poured in charcoal powder, ignited it with a small tinder stick, and placed it into Chen Ji’s arms. “Hold this and sleep; it’s warm. Overthrowing the Liu family and the Military Intelligence Department is serious business. Back in the day, I stayed awake for three days and three nights straight just to watch a Jing Dynasty villain. Since you’ve joined the Secret Service, you’ll need to get used to it.”

Chen Ji thanked him and slowly leaned against the carriage wall, closing his eyes. He had confirmed that the purple energy he gained during cultivation should immediately affect Jin Zhu. The brilliant sword qi’s act of severing the purple energy must have caused significant harm to Jin Zhu; otherwise, he wouldn’t be so vigilant, even reluctant to let Chen Ji out of his sight. He just wondered if the Mountain Lord and Sword Seed pathways would also immediately affect Jin Zhu. He would have to try again to find out.

The carriage rattled along the cobblestone road. Chen Ji felt as though he was leading a nomadic life, constantly on the move, drifting with the current. Outside the carriage, the cries of street vendors, peddling their wares, and the laughter of children chasing and playing, gradually faded into the distance. The carriage carried him into the afterglow of the setting sun, back into the martial world.

“Wake up!” Jin Zhu patted Chen Ji.

Chen Ji opened his eyes and asked, dazed, “Lord, have we arrived at the inner prison?”

Jin Zhu said with a complicated expression, “It’s tough on you. To live such a dangerous life at such a young age… Don’t worry, once we’ve brought down the Liu family, I’ll make sure you get a long vacation.”

Chen Ji smiled, stood up, and jumped down from the carriage. “Then I’ll thank you in advance, Lord.”

The two bent down and entered through the iron gate, heading deeper into the inner prison.

In the deepest cell of the inner prison, Shopkeeper Yuan had changed into clean, white prison clothes and was sitting by a dark red octagonal table, enjoying a bite of beef and a sip of wine. All ten of his fingers were bloody and missing nails, making his grip on the chopsticks exceptionally strange.

Hearing the prison door open, Shopkeeper Yuan, who seemed to be anticipating them, looked up with a smile at Jin Zhu and Chen Ji. “My Lords, how was your harvest last night? From your expressions, it seems you must have thwarted the Liu family’s scheme.”

Chen Ji leaned against the doorframe, unwilling to get closer to this Jing Dynasty master.

Jin Zhu, however, sat smiling across from Shopkeeper Yuan, picking up a slice of beef and putting it into his mouth. “While we were fighting for our lives outside, you seem to be living quite comfortably.”

Shopkeeper Yuan spread his hands. “Just a prisoner. How could I be comfortable? My Lords, have you caught Liu Mingxian, the mastermind? If so, that’s a great achievement, and I congratulate you both.” With that, he picked up a white porcelain wine cup and drained it.

Jin Zhu said calmly, “Liu Mingxian is dead.”

Shopkeeper Yuan looked confused. “Did Your Lordship kill him?”

Jin Zhu replied, “No, the Liu family killed him.”

Shopkeeper Yuan was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, shaking the oil lamp on the stone wall.

Jin Zhu frowned. “What’s so funny?”

Shopkeeper Yuan gradually reined in his laughter. “Liu Mingxian being killed by the Liu family means that from now on, you two will no longer be dealing with Liu Mingxian, that second-generation fop. Instead, you’ll be facing Grand Secretary Liu, who has stood firm in the imperial court for over thirty years.”

“What about Grand Secretary Liu?”

Shopkeeper Yuan said solemnly, “Emperor Ning hates the Liu family to the core, yet Grand Secretary Liu managed to control the Ministry of Personnel for fifteen years and managed Yuzhou like an impenetrable fortress. Can you two contend with such a formidable figure?”

Jin Zhu picked up another slice of beef and put it into his mouth. “We aren’t fighting alone. Behind me is the entire Directorate of Ceremonial of the Ning Dynasty, and the Grand Minister. Don’t worry, you won’t scare me off. And that Mr. Feng by Grand Secretary Liu’s side won’t scare me either.”

At this moment, Jin Zhu wiped the grease from his fingers on his robe, then changed the subject. “Do you want to get out of the inner prison?”

Shopkeeper Yuan smiled. “Why wouldn’t I? I revealed the Liu family’s plan to you two, wasn’t it to gain my freedom?”

Jin Zhu stared intently at Shopkeeper Yuan. “Then reveal more information. I can then report your merits to the Grand Minister.”

“What if I don’t?”

“Do you have a choice?”

Silence fell in the prison cell. Jin Zhu and Shopkeeper Yuan confronted each other, like two knife points pressed together, neither willing to yield.

After a moment, Shopkeeper Yuan was the first to soften his tone. “I’ve helped you two achieve a great merit, but I haven’t seen any sincerity from the Secret Service yet. If you want me to be completely honest, you have to show me some hope, don’t you?”

Only then did Jin Zhu pull a scroll of documents tied with golden silk from his sleeve. “This is the Grand Minister’s personal order, which just arrived in Luocheng today. You should know that my letter to the Grand Minister should have only reached the capital yesterday, yet his personal order arrived in Luocheng today. Do you know what that means?”

“What does it mean?”

“For this personal order to reach Luocheng within a day, it had to leave the capital before sunset yesterday, passing through six post stations—Baoding, Hengshui, Handan, Hebi, Xinxiang, Zhengxian—changing six warhorses, without a moment’s delay…”

Chen Ji, standing nearby, found it increasingly familiar as he listened. He was somewhat amused and exasperated; Lord Jin Zhu always managed to give him little shocks unintentionally.

Across from Jin Zhu, Shopkeeper Yuan took the document, unfolded it, and read it silently for a long time. His expression changed continuously, as if he were struggling with something. He put down the personal order and looked up at Jin Zhu. “If I truly become a ‘Sea-East Eagle’ of the Secret Service, you will then understand how correct this decision today was.”

Chen Ji was puzzled, wondering what was written in that order that could make Shopkeeper Yuan change his stance on the spot.

Jin Zhu took the personal order, stood up by the stone wall, and, using the flame of the oil lamp, burned it to ashes. “Tell us. What else can you do for us?”

Shopkeeper Yuan silently watched the burning order, then, after a long struggle, said, “I had arranged to meet Chang Jing tonight, and he agreed.”

Jin Zhu suddenly turned his head. “Is that true?” Immediately after, he shook his head. “No, that can’t be right. Bailu Pavilion is destroyed, and the Battle of Peony Bridge is known to everyone. How could Chang Jing possibly keep the appointment?”

Shopkeeper Yuan said, “But during the Battle of Peony Bridge, everyone saw me jump into the river to escape, but no one saw me captured alive on the mudflats. What if he does show up?”

Jin Zhu’s eyes flickered with uncertainty. “Where is the meeting?”

Shopkeeper Yuan calmly replied, “Take me there tonight. I’ll lead the way for you two.”

Jin Zhu chuckled, turned, and walked out, calling loudly, “Xifeng, summon all secret agents! No one is to act alone tonight.”

Once the prison door closed, he turned to Chen Ji. “What do you think?”

After a moment of thought, Chen Ji said, “Lord, you must realize he wants to use this opportunity to escape; otherwise, he wouldn’t need to personally lead us. However, his arrangement with Chang Jing is likely real. If no one helps him create chaos, he won’t be able to escape either.”

Jin Zhu walked out with a cold laugh. “Then let’s go. I was just wondering how to find those Jing Dynasty rats!”