Chen Ji knew that from now on, he was on his own.

In the heavy snow, he drifted further and further from the gazes of Yu Dengke, the Heir, Liang Gou’er, and Liang Mao’er, until the night held only him. It was as if he had run from a dazzling stage into the darkness beyond it.

Chen Ji felt as if he had returned to a midnight shortly after he first arrived in this world, standing alone behind the counter of Taiping Medical Clinic, poring over the General Principles of Medicine. Then he had written ten characters: “Life in this world is like a sudden journey for a distant traveler.”

The moment Chen Ji emerged from the Inner Prison, many things finally became clear to him:

His arrival in this world was no accident; Prince Jing, his master, and Li Qingniao had orchestrated everything, intending to use him as their most crucial pawn.

Prince Jing, knowing his own end was near, had sacrificed his entire estate to give him the Ice Current martial art, and provided him with money under the guise of the cement business, all to ensure his rapid growth.

They seemed to have arranged an exceptionally difficult destiny for him, which was why they had apologized to him twice.

It was precisely because this destiny was too bitter that his master, feeling pity, had urged him to leave when he wanted to depart Jing Dynasty with Wu Hongbiao and Sicao Gui.

At that moment, his master had wished for him to simply leave.

If he had left that day, perhaps he would have escaped the chessboard. From this, it could be inferred that Prince Jing did not know he had this fallback option with Jing Dynasty, nor did they know about his relationship with Lu Jin, so they had never exploited that connection… His master had helped him keep it a secret.

That sharp-tongued, cold-blooded yet warm-hearted old man had, in the end, helped him.

So, what exactly did Prince Jing want him to do? Chen Ji only knew it involved the unification of the Jing and Ning Dynasties, and something about the immortals of the Forty-Nine Heavens. They needed him to bear the path of the Mountain Lord and grow increasingly powerful; the rest he could not yet guess.

Both Prince Jing and Emperor Ning were cold and powerful political beings, whose true intentions ordinary people could never fully fathom. But what about Bai Li? Why did Prince Jing want White Dragon to take her away?

How was he supposed to rescue Bai Li? Raid the prison again? Seize her from White Dragon?

White Dragon was a high-ranking official at the peak of the Seeking Dao realm. Chen Ji, a minor official who had just entered the Innate realm, could absolutely not kill him. Without help now, Chen Ji couldn’t possibly raid the prison again.

A dead end.

Chen Ji suddenly recalled his master’s words: If he were smart enough, he should just leave.

He carried the Sword Seed path, and he also had a high-ranking uncle in Jing Dynasty who looked after him. As long as he went to Jing Dynasty, he would have ample time to wait until he became as powerful as Lu Yang, the Head of the Martial Temple, strong enough to look down upon the world.

Ten years. Twenty years.

He was still young; he could afford to wait… but he didn’t want to.

At that moment, on the long street in the dark, a Xie Fan Guard galloped towards him, iron hooves kicking up waves of snow.

The moment the Xie Fan Guard saw Chen Ji, he decisively drew the long saber from his waist, crouching low as he attacked.

Chen Ji didn’t retreat but advanced. The moment they crossed paths, the mounted Xie Fan Guard swung his saber from the left. Chen Ji, however, precisely grabbed the warhorse’s reins, flipped himself up, and kicked the opponent off from the right side, landing himself on the saddle.

He had no desire to fight. He merely tugged the reins, and the swift horse reared on its hind legs, turning around.

By the time the Xie Fan Guard struggled to get up from the snow, Chen Ji had already galloped far away. Time waited for no one!

Half an hour later, Chen Ji gazed at the dim Huanjing Alley before him.

This was originally the yamen of Luocheng’s Secret Affairs Bureau, but the spies always preferred to conduct their business in the sunless depths of the Inner Prison. Thus, the proper yamen had been left unused… until White Dragon appeared, when this office was reactivated.

Chen Ji reined in his horse in front of the yamen, took a deep breath, and dismounted.

He strode briskly into the yamen. Snow had already covered the empty courtyard. Faintly, the scent of traditional medicine, like sandalwood or musk, wafted through the air.

In the depths of the yamen, a single lamp burned. White Dragon, wearing his mask, sat upright behind a redwood desk, seemingly reviewing documents.

In the vast darkness of the night, only this one light remained.

In the main hall, White Dragon heard footsteps, looked up at Chen Ji briefly, then lowered his head again, nonchalantly saying while reviewing documents, “Why are you at the Secret Affairs Bureau yamen so late?”

Chen Ji walked through the courtyard, stepping over the snow, climbing one step at a time: “Mr. Feng, is our agreement still valid?”

In the main hall of the yamen, the vermilion brush in White Dragon’s hand suddenly paused, as if the heavy snow outside the yamen had also frozen in mid-air.

After a moment of stillness, the vermilion brush in White Dragon’s hand began to move again. Sitting behind the desk, he marked the documents with vermilion ink, then said casually, “How could I be Mr. Feng?”

At this moment, Chen Ji scanned the main hall. He saw two teacups on the desk, both still steaming and half-full… indicating that White Dragon had a guest who had just left, a guest who could make White Dragon remove his mask to drink tea.

Chen Ji’s gaze returned, and he replied, “Ever since White Dragon appeared, Mr. Feng has been gone.”

White Dragon, without raising his head, said slowly, “I must attend the imperial court in the inner palace, while Mr. Feng must always remain at the Liu family. How can two of us be in two places?”

Chen Ji replied, “Whoever wears the mask is White Dragon. I suppose Jiang Yan is merely your puppet, and you are the high-ranking official who practices the art of Yansheng.” White Dragon seemed amused by Chen Ji: “Young man, you must have had too much to drink. Who gave you the audacity to speak such nonsense in front of me?”

Chen Ji thought for a moment and said, “I took Prince Jing’s blood letter to the Thousand-Year Army to conspire a prison break, yet I returned unharmed, and the Thousand-Year Army didn’t pursue me. After much thought, I concluded that only Mr. Feng would have intervened to protect me. Thank you, Mr. Feng.”

White Dragon said casually, “Coming to speak nonsense before me in the middle of the night, be careful your head doesn’t roll.”

Chen Ji calmly said, “Mr. Feng, the Prince has already told me your identity.” White Dragon paused slightly, then realized, “Are you trying to trick me, boy?”

Chen Ji shook his head, sincerely saying, “No trick. Before his death, the Prince revealed his entire plan and asked me to assist you…”

Before he could finish, White Dragon burst into laughter, as if he had heard the most preposterous joke: “To trick me, you dare to weave such a monstrous lie? Aren’t you truly afraid I’ll kill you right now? What brazen audacity!”

Chen Ji suddenly said, “Mr. Feng, my master told me that if I encountered a great difficulty, I should come to you.”

White Dragon smiled as he placed the vermilion brush on its stand. He took off his mask, revealing Mr. Feng’s appearance: “I’m tired of listening to your fabrications. If I listen any longer, I’m afraid I won’t be able to resist killing you.”

Chen Ji remained silent.

White Dragon smiled and said, “I repeatedly asked you if you wanted to work for me, and you always refused. Why the change of heart now?”

Chen Ji replied, “Naturally, I plan to abandon darkness and embrace light.”

White Dragon lazily waved his hand: “I know why you’ve come, and I know what you’re thinking. But things are different now. What you seek, I cannot do. Please return.”

Chen Ji stood opposite the desk and asked, “Does Mr. Feng know what I seek?”

White Dragon picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and said nonchalantly, “There aren’t many things in this world that make people willing to sacrifice their lives, so it’s not hard to guess. However, the Princess is now implicated in a major treason case, and this matter was decided directly by the Emperor. No one else dares to speak up. Not even I, or the Grand Chancellor, or Master Wu Xiu, would dare to plead for her.”

Chen Ji remained silent for a long time, then finally bowed deeply, clasping his hands together: “If Mr. Feng does not abandon me, this humble subordinate is willing to go through fire and water for you. Mr. Feng’s ambitions are vast; you need someone to act for you.”

White Dragon stood up, looking down at Chen Ji’s back with a half-smile: “If you bend your back for such a small matter, how can you accomplish great things?”

Chen Ji did not rise, and said again, “I hope Mr. Feng will grant my wish. This humble subordinate is willing to serve you diligently.”

White Dragon casually said, “As you can see, I have a strong army and countless followers. Why would I lack a mere young man like you to help me?”

Chen Ji straightened up and looked directly at White Dragon: “If Mr. Feng has countless followers, then why is no one by your side right now?”

White Dragon’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

Chen Ji said, “Because I led them away.”

White Dragon exclaimed, “You truly have a death wish, daring to speak such words. But do you really think you can manipulate the other spies so easily? If someone hadn’t come here to delay me for an hour for you, do you think you would have had the chance to get the Heir out of the Inner Prison?”

Chen Ji instinctively glanced at the teacups on the desk… So, someone had come to the Secret Affairs Bureau yamen just now and delayed White Dragon for an hour?

He turned his gaze back and said, “That was still my skill.”

White Dragon paused, then gave a wry smile: “I never realized you were so thick-skinned before. Very well, even if that was your skill, do you think you can get the Heir out of Luocheng? How about we make a bet? The deadline will be midnight tonight. If you can truly prevent me from catching the Heir and Liang Gou’er, then I will consider you to have won, and you will be qualified to work for me. But if you lose…”

Chen Ji stated with certainty, “I won’t lose.”

***

East Market, Shipping Dock.

In the past, even with heavy snow, porters and stevedores would be busy at night, with goods from north and south gathering and dispersing here, making it one of the world’s major hubs.

It was said that goods piled up like mountains, masts stood like forests, thousands bowed during the day, and ten thousand lights glowed at night, a truly bustling sight.

But now, the entire dock was silent. Many large ships had dropped anchor, stopped on the dark river surface, hesitant to approach the shore, waiting for the unrest in Luocheng to subside.

Heavy snow fell on the lake surface. Han Tong, wearing a bamboo hat, moved and leaped between the decks of the ships as if on flat ground. On some decks, night watchmen merely nodded slightly upon seeing him, making no sound, allowing him to pass through like a ghost, as if entering an unmanned territory.

Han Tong arrived at the outermost ship, took a small fire-stick from his sleeve, pulled off its wooden cap, and phosphorus fire emitted red sparks.

He held up the fire-stick and waved it three times in the air, paused for three breaths, then waved it five more times. A moment later, a two-masted fast boat in the middle of the river silently raised its anchor and approached the dock.

When the boat was securely docked, someone leaped down from the high gunwale: “Sect Master, why did you suddenly dispatch this ship? This one is bound for Yangzhou.”

Han Tong said gravely, “Don’t ask what you shouldn’t. Don’t drop anchor; be ready to leave the dock at any moment. Tonight, I need you to smuggle a few people. The secret compartment is empty, right?”

The middle-aged man said, “There’s a jianghu wanderer hiding inside. I heard he slept with a young lady from an aristocratic family in the capital, and her family hired Lantern assassins to pursue him. Without our Cao Gang’s protection, he’d surely die…”

“I didn’t ask you about that,” Han Tong interrupted. “Don’t leave anyone else in this ship’s secret compartment. The people I put on board absolutely must not be harmed. Remember, even if something happens to you, nothing must happen to them.”

The middle-aged man chuckled good-naturedly, “Alright, I’ll go kill that jianghu wanderer later. He should have two small gold bars on him.”

However, at this very moment, a sail on the outermost ship at the dock suddenly rose halfway. Han Tong abruptly turned his head to look—this was a secret signal among the Cao Gang!

The middle-aged man behind him lowered his voice: “Sect Master, the court’s hounds are here! Quick, leave!”

Han Tong’s eyes narrowed slightly. How could the Eunuch Faction have tracked them here?

“Sect Master, has someone sold you out? Please leave with me quickly; this place is not safe to stay.”

As the middle-aged man spoke, he prepared to reboard the ship, calling the crew to sail away. But Han Tong grabbed his wrist and said solemnly, “I’ll draw the Eunuch Faction away for you. You stay here and receive the people!”

The middle-aged man was startled: “Who exactly are you trying to transport? Are they that important?” Han Tong glanced at him: “More important than my own life.”

The middle-aged man was silent for a long time: “Understood… Have you still not found Ah Yun?”

Han Tong shook his head: “No, she’s hidden herself. I don’t know where she’s gone; she doesn’t trust anyone.”

As they spoke, footsteps echoed from a distance. Someone was treading on the wooden planks of the dock, approaching with heavy thuds. There were many of them.

Han Tong no longer hesitated. He turned and leaped onto the deck of another ship, gripping a rope on a mast like an ape and swinging away into the distance. The ropes of mast after mast became his leverage points.

The Grand Canal was nearby; if true danger arose, he could immediately dive into the water. With his swimming ability, no matter how many Xie Fan Guards came, they wouldn’t be able to catch him in the water.

However, just as Han Tong was about to escape, he saw a group of people approaching in the distance, carrying torches.

He stood atop a mast, squinting to see. When he recognized the approaching figures, his expression changed!

At the dock, Yun Yang stood in the heavy snow, dressed in black. In his left hand, he held a torch, and with his right, he pushed Bai Li, whose hands were bound behind her back.

Yun Yang raised his torch and waved at Han Tong, then called out with a smile, “Sect Master Han, surrender. Otherwise, the Princess will perish tonight.”