In the pitch-dark passage, the air was as thick and viscous as unmixed ink.

In the darkness, only Chen Ji’s ragged breaths could be heard. He fumbled along the wall, stumbling forward. Yet, this long passage seemed endless, without any discernible end.

The next moment, he heard the urgent, powerful, and menacing footsteps of pursuers behind him.

In the dark, someone yelled, “He’s an executive official! Watch out for ambushes, clear the way with crossbows!”

A sharp whooshing sound reached his ears. Chen Ji couldn’t see the angle of the crossbow bolts, so he instinctively pressed himself against the wall.

In the narrow passage, four crossbow bolts whizzed past his chest and the tip of his nose, but the last one, unexpectedly, lodged in his left shoulder. Just then, Chen Ji helped Prince Jing out of a room. Prince Jing weakly asked, “Grand Eunuch Feng, what’s happening?”

Grand Eunuch Feng quickly bowed, saying, “Your Highness, your humble servant is here to escort you back to your residence!”

Prince Jing asked curiously, “Grand Eunuch Feng usually appears so calm and composed, why are you in such a hurry today?”

Chen Ji grunted, a piercing pain surged through him, and he found he couldn’t lift his arm.

Ignoring the pain, he seized the moment while his pursuers reloaded their crossbows and quickened his pace towards the end of the passage.

Behind him, someone shouted, “He’s hit! Chase him!” Several guards surged forward, preparing to carry away Physician Yao’s bamboo lounge chair. Liang Mao’er stood up and roared, “Stop!”

Liang Mao’er’s burly figure charged forward, casually shoving a guard, sending him tumbling.

Grand Eunuch Feng, not angered, merely stated lightly, “Physician Yao, perhaps you should tell him to stop. Your humble servant is also concerned for His Highness’s safety; there’s no time to lose.”

Chen Ji, dragging his powerless arm, crawled out of the tunnel and quickly scanned the butcher shop.

He gritted his teeth and, using one hand, pulled a meat-cutting table over, firmly overturning it to block the tunnel exit.

Thump, thump, thump. Grand Eunuch Feng glanced at She Dengke and the others, then turned to Prince Jing and said, “Your Highness, this is not the place to talk!”

Prince Jing smiled, “Speak freely!”

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

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

In the tunnel, the pursuers struggled to push the meat-cutting table, but they couldn’t budge the heavy table open immediately.

Chen Ji took a deep breath and forcefully pulled out the crossbow bolt.

In the winter air, large beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.

He rolled up his sleeve, tore off a piece of his hem, and tied it around his shoulder wound. Then, as if nothing had happened, he walked out of the butcher shop’s front door.

At that moment, troops were passing through Anxi Street.

The Liu family’s soldiers, armed with long halberds, walked past Chen Ji. They had completely surrounded and sealed off Prince Jing’s residence and the Taiping Medical Clinic.

Prince Jing’s guards, holding halberds, stood in confrontation at the gate, with both sides on edge.

Chen Ji walked with his head down under the eaves of the roadside shops, hurrying towards the end of Anxi Street.

After only a few dozen steps, he slowly stopped. Liu Quxing’s face was ashen. “Wasn’t everything peaceful yesterday? How could they rebel today?”

She Dengke grumbled, “What are you afraid of?”

Liu Quxing cursed, “This is a crime punishable by extermination of the nine generations of relatives! And I’m damn well one of those nine generations! You ask if I’m afraid? Son of a bitch. We never get any benefits from the Liu family on normal days, but when trouble comes, we’re dragged down with them.”

She Dengke’s eyes widened. He then realized that if the Liu family’s rebellion failed, Liu Quxing would also be implicated and executed. “Then… what if the Liu family succeeds?”

Ahead, dozens of soldiers stood guard, prohibiting all commoners from entering or exiting Anxi Street.

Chen Ji turned to walk the other way, but saw his pursuers had already emerged from the butcher shop, scanning the crowds on the street with their drawn knives, searching for him.

There was no escape!

Chen Ji frantically searched for a weapon, preparing for a desperate fight.

Before he could find a suitable weapon, a carriage stopped beside him. Someone inside said in a low voice, “Get in, I’ll take you away.”

Chen Ji turned his head and saw Zhang Li from the Huangshan Daoist Temple lifting the carriage curtain and waving him inside. Liu Quxing instinctively glanced at Prince Jing, then quickly pinched She Dengke’s arm and hissed, “What nonsense are you spouting?!”

Grand Eunuch Feng ignored their conversation. Hearing the sound of hooves in the distance, he earnestly pleaded again, “Your Highness, there’s no time to lose. Please return to the residence with your humble servant first. Once someone is sent with the tiger tally to summon the Longevity Army, there might still be a chance to salvage the situation!”

Prince Jing pondered for a moment. “Let’s go. Back to the residence!”

He climbed into the carriage, leaned against the side, and observed Zhang Li with a wary gaze.

Zhang Li patted the young Daoist attendant driving the carriage, signaling him to quickly drive away.

The young attendant said awkwardly, “Senior Disciple Zhang Li, we shouldn’t take him. It will cause trouble.”

Zhang Li cursed and slapped the back of his head. “Why are you Laojun Mountain Daoist Temple disciples so afraid of trouble? How did your master teach you? What should you do when you see someone in distress?”

The young attendant paused. “We should pray to the Three Pure Ones to bless him.”

Zhang Li laughed in exasperation. “Damn it! Is it still time to pray to the Three Pure Ones now? Your senior brother is teaching you now: when you see injustice, draw your sword and help!”

The young attendant hesitated, “Senior Disciple, this isn’t what my master taught me.”

Zhang Li slapped the back of his head again. “Stop your damn nonsense, or I’ll smash your head open if you don’t move! You begged me to bring you to Luocheng to play, and now my words don’t count, do they? See if I ever take you anywhere again.”

The young attendant pouted and could only shake the reins, urging the carriage forward.

Zhang Li lowered the curtain and turned back, smiling at Chen Ji inside the carriage. “Excuse the little display, excuse it.” Just then, Chen Ji suddenly said to Old Man Yao, “Master, the Prince’s illness depends on you. How about we go to the Prince’s residence together?”

Old Man Yao frowned in thought for a moment, then agreed, “Alright!”

With that, the few of them quickly packed their belongings and walked out with Prince Jing.

As they reached the entrance, they looked back and saw a troop of soldiers on horseback approaching, drawing closer.

Chen Ji asked doubtfully, “Daoist Priest Zhang Li, why are you here?”

Zhang Li patiently explained, “You helped my temple greatly at Luhun Mountain Villa before, so of course, I had to pay a visit now that I’m in Luocheng. It was just unfortunate that I ran into this scene on my way here! By the way, the Liu family is really after you, aren’t they?”

Chen Ji replied impassively, “No!”

Zhang Li pointed to his shoulder with a smile. Chen Ji looked down and saw that blood had already soaked through his grey cloth shirt and was seeping outside.

“Don’t be nervous…”

Zhang Li smiled kindly. “My Huangshan Daoist Temple has no ties with the Liu family, and I would never betray you. The Liu family has now sealed off this long street, so I’ll get you out first.”

The carriage drove towards the outskirts of Anxi Street. As it was about to leave, it was blocked by over ten soldiers who declared, “No passage here!”

The young attendant driving the carriage whispered, “Senior Disciple, what do we do?”

Zhang Li, unconcerned, said from inside the carriage, “What do we do? Curse them!”

Without thinking, the young attendant faced the soldiers and said, “You goddamn…”

Zhang Li quickly said, “Wait, don’t use such vulgar language.”

Hearing that, the young attendant cursed at the soldiers, “Are you blind? How dare you block a Daoist Temple’s carriage?”

A soldier outside the carriage said gravely, “Mister Feng has ordered Anxi Street to be sealed. Whether you’re from a Daoist Temple or a Buddhist sect, no one can leave.”

The young attendant angrily retorted, “I am a direct disciple of Immortal Master Dan Qiu Zi from Laojun Mountain Daoist Temple! The person in this carriage is Zhang Li, the head disciple of Huangshan Daoist Temple, who has lectured on Daoist principles to His Majesty in the palace! Get your Liu family’s steward to see me. I want to ask who gave you the audacity to block my carriage?!”

The soldiers exchanged glances. One of them gave a signal, and a soldier immediately slipped away to report.

A moment later, a burly, bearded general in armor slowly approached. She Dengke exclaimed in horror, “Quick, quick! They’re coming for the Prince’s residence!”

However, Chen Ji, as if just remembering something, said, “Master, you all go first, I forgot something I need to get!”

She Dengke looked back as he walked, only to see Chen Ji dart into the Taiping Medical Clinic.

He angrily shouted, “Chen Ji, come with us! What could be so important to get at a time like this? What’s more important than your life?”

He politely said to the young Daoist attendant, “Esteemed young Daoist priest, please understand that we are merely acting under orders to apprehend rebels. We ask for your cooperation.”

The young attendant raised an eyebrow. “Do I look like a rebel to you?”

The bearded general explained, “This humble general is not saying you are a rebel, but we are concerned that a rebel might be hiding in your carriage without your knowledge. How about this: allow me to inspect the inside of the carriage. As soon as we confirm there are no rebels, this humble general will immediately let you pass!”

The young attendant sneered, “What if I refuse? You say search, and we let you search? Where is the dignity of my Daoist Temple?”

The bearded general’s face slowly darkened. “This is a serious matter. If the young Daoist priest refuses, even if the Three Pure Ones themselves were in the carriage, we could not let you leave.”

Inside the carriage, Chen Ji’s brows were tightly furrowed. It seemed this predicament couldn’t be avoided.

He looked at Zhang Li, who took out a dried elm leaf from his left sleeve and a rat’s whisker brush from his right. At the entrance of the Taiping Medical Clinic, Liu family soldiers dismounted, drew their waist knives, and menacingly rushed in, searching everywhere!

The kitchen, the sleeping quarters, the main room—all were empty.

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

As he pondered, his gaze fell upon the bed.

Zhang Li cut his finger, dipped the rat’s whisker brush in blood, and wrote a complex spell on the elm leaf. Then he reached out and pressed the elm leaf onto Chen Ji’s forehead, whispering, “Don’t speak.”

The next moment, he cleared his throat and said in a deep voice, “Zhou Fang, since they want to see inside the carriage, let them look.”

The young attendant responded, “Alright, Senior Disciple.”

With that, he voluntarily lifted the carriage curtain for the bearded general to inspect. “Here, take a look.” She Dengke paused for a few breaths, but he never received a reply from Chen Ji.

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

Before entering the residence, he suddenly realized that the first cavalry troop that had arrived was not heading for the residence, but had instead completely surrounded the Taiping Medical Clinic.

Everyone suddenly realized that these people were actually coming for Chen Ji.

Chen Ji’s heart was in his throat. He watched the bearded general poke his head in, directing a sharp gaze at him.

But the general merely glanced in his direction, then swept his gaze past as if seeing nothing at all.

The bearded general bowed to Zhang Li, saying, “My apologies, Daoist Priest Zhang Li. This humble general is merely acting under orders.”

Zhang Li calmly hummed, then asked in a clear voice, “Are there any rebels in my carriage?”

The bearded general quickly replied, “No!”

“And you’re still not letting us pass?”

The bearded general stepped back and waved his hand to the soldiers. “Move aside, let them pass!”