The tension at the city gate had vanished. The border soldiers now wore cheerful faces, happily saying, “My apologies for the offense, please hurry into the city to escape the cold.”

Chen Ji cupped his hands and bowed to the lieutenant general before mounting his horse. He pulled up his scarf to cover his mouth and nose, then rode back to the end of the camel caravan to rejoin Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia.

Wang Gui knelt beside the camel, allowing Chen Liqin to step on his back and climb back onto the animal.

As Chen Liqin placed one foot on Wang Gui’s back, he couldn’t help but turn to look at the retreating figure of his illegitimate son.

In the wind and sand, Chen Ji’s scarf around his neck was disheveled, a long red strip fluttering in the wind.

Chen Liqin felt as if he were seeing his illegitimate son for the first time today.

Wang Gui, still kneeling on the ground, dared not urge him. It was a long while before Chen Liqin snapped back to reality and climbed onto the camel.

At the end of the caravan, Xiaoman looked at Chen Ji with concern. “Young Master, you are a scholar who can’t even tie a chicken. Please don’t try to be brave again in the future. What if those soldiers hurt you?”

Chen Ji smiled and assented.

Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia exchanged glances, both with suppressed smiles in their eyes.

Xiaoman then changed her tone, praising him, “But Young Master, you were truly brave just now. You dared to ride forward even with all those long halberds. If you act like that in the Chen family from now on, they certainly won’t dare to bully you!”

Zhang Xia teased, “How do you think your young master compares to the general in silver armor? Is he as valiant?”

Xiaoman whispered, “He’s probably still a bit less impressive than him…”

Chen Ji laughed heartily, “Let’s go, into the city!”

The long camel caravan moved slowly. The jingling of camel bells drifted through the city gate, as if passing through a thousand-year-old Buddhist shrine.

Once inside the gate, the camel bells gradually quieted, and human voices began to swell.

The scenery inside was completely different from outside.

Houses made of yellow mud bricks lined both sides of the road. Cloth awnings and street stalls were set up, squeezing the uneven dirt path so tightly that only three or four people could pass at a time.

Peddlers, porters, and pedestrians moved continuously through the crowd, shoulder to shoulder.

Chen Ji subconsciously looked back at the desolate yellow earth outside the gate, then turned to observe the bustling city of Guyuan. He felt as if he had accidentally triggered some mechanism and entered a paradise hidden from the world.

Inside the city, there was no more wind and sand, and even the temperature seemed to have risen significantly.

Along the roadside, dancers with exposed midriffs, their silver chains sparkling and jiggling, waved to the newly arrived Chen family members. “Sir, come in for a drink!”

The clothing in Guyuan City differed from that in the Central Plains. People here loved to adorn their foreheads, ears, and necks with colorful stones, and their enthusiasm was like a blazing fire.

Chen Wenxiao was captivated, but Chen Wenzong’s cold snort brought him back to his senses.

Chen Ji also turned to look at the dancers. Xiaoman, riding her small pony, hurried forward to try and block his view, but she was too short to succeed.

She reminded him, “Young Master, don’t let those Central Asian dancers bewitch you. You need to protect your reputation before marrying a legitimate daughter from the capital, or else all the legitimate daughters in the capital will avoid you.”

Chen Ji laughed wryly. Xiaoman seemed even more concerned about his marriage than he was, almost as if it were an obsession for her.

Beside them, Zhang Xia said with a smile, “Your young master already has someone in his heart, so don’t worry needlessly.”

Xiaoman exclaimed, “He has someone in his heart? Who is the Young Master’s sweetheart? Which noble family is she from? Is her family status high?”

Zhang Xia did not answer her string of questions.

Xiaoman’s eyes darted around. “Miss Zhang seems to know a lot about my young master?”

Zhang Xia replied casually, “Passably.”

Xiaoman pouted. “Why is everyone so secretive?”

Her gaze shifted between Chen Ji, Zhang Zheng, and Zhang Xia. She felt there were many secrets among the three of them that she didn’t know.

As she pondered, something unexpected occurred.

Ahead of the caravan, a burly man was holding a thin young man by the collar, raging, “You motherf***er, how dare you steal my stuff? Are you tired of living…”

Before he could finish, the thin thief pulled a short knife from his waist and stabbed it into the man’s abdomen.

The man staggered back a few steps. The thief, abandoning his knife, turned and disappeared into the crowd. The man slowly collapsed, his crimson blood mingling with the dirt, turning purple.

A vendor nearby merely muttered “bad luck” and then continued hawking his wares beside the body, “Excellent tea bricks, tea bricks from Yunzhou!”

All of this was like a small pebble dropped into the ocean, creating only a ripple that quickly disappeared, returning everything to normal.

The maids and servants in the camel caravan turned pale. Guyuan seemed to have suddenly torn off its colorful veil, revealing its fangs.

Chen Ji quietly instructed Xiaoman, “Keep a close eye on your belongings. There are many thieves here.”

Xiaoman clutched her purse tightly, cautiously scrutinizing everyone. Her purse contained all her life savings; if anyone targeted it, she would fight with all her might.

At this moment, a group of eight or nine-year-old children gathered near the camel caravan. Holding bamboo baskets, they said to Chen Wenxiao, “Sir, buy some raisins.”

Chen Wenxiao impatiently waved them away, “Go away, go away, I’m not buying!”

No sooner had he spoken than a child reached out, snatched the jade pendant from his waist, and vanished into the crowd.

Chen Wenxiao roared angrily, “Thief, stop right there!”

He jumped off his camel to give chase, but the children selling raisins crowded around him, making it impossible to break free.

More and more children pushed forward, like vultures on the savanna sensing blood. They even snatched Chen Wenxiao’s white jade collar pendant and his gold hairpin, leaving him standing disheveled.

If not for the timely protection of a servant, he might have been stripped of his clothes.

A vendor by the roadside openly mocked him, “Look at this fool from the Central Plains, daring to jump off his camel to chase! If he hadn’t jumped down, the thief wouldn’t have even reached the hairpin on his head!”

“The fat sheep from the Central Plains always have to learn this lesson.”

People lining the street stood with arms crossed, leaning against walls, watching the spectacle. They seemed long accustomed to such sights.

At this moment, near a spice stall by the road, a young man with his face obscured by a scarf spotted the jade pendant at Zhang Xia’s waist and immediately whistled.

The children turned their heads towards the sound of the whistle. The young man gave a knowing wink, and the children immediately understood, surrounding Zhang Xia.

Just as they were about to reach for the jade pendant, Chen Ji drew the whale-bone knife, wrapped in cloth, from his saddle and sharply struck a child’s wrist with it.

“Ah!” The child cried out in pain and withdrew his hand. He looked up at Chen Ji, but Chen Ji was not looking at him; instead, he calmly stared at the young man nearby.

The child paused for a moment, then reached again for the jade pendant. Without a glance, Chen Ji’s scabbard followed like a shadow, striking his wrist once more.

The child felt as if his wrist was about to break and looked back at the young man.

The young man and Chen Ji stared at each other for a long time. Finally, the young man turned and subtly shook his head at the children. The children scattered like a swarm of bees and went to tear at the bundles carried by the servants and maids.

They desperately held onto their bundles, but the thieves used blades to cut them open. Jewelry, silver, and copper coins scattered across the ground, immediately snatched up by others.

Some servants, holding their cudgels, tried to fight the thieves, but their arms were slashed with long cuts, forcing them to retreat in fear.

Chen Wenxiao murmured, “Propriety and music have collapsed! This is a land where propriety and music have collapsed! Father, you must report this to the Crown Prince and have all these unruly people put to death!”

Chen Liqin frowned and snapped, “Silence!”

In just a short li of travel, the servants’ and maids’ bundles were completely plundered, and years of savings vanished.

The maids walked along, weeping, which drew hearty laughter from passersby.

Xiaoman secretly observed Chen Ji from behind. Although she was not worldly, she diligently focused on her own path of cultivation. However, the two strikes Chen Ji had just delivered to the child were definitely not something the Third Young Master Chen she knew could have done.

Something was strange!

As she pondered, Wuyun meowed. The Chen Ji in front suddenly looked back, and Xiaoman quickly averted her gaze.

But Chen Ji was not looking at her; instead, he was looking at the flow of people behind him.

Beside the narrow dirt road, the young man who had incited the children to steal still stood in the shadow of the cloth awning, staring fixedly at him. Only when Chen Ji met his gaze did he turn and leave.

Lord Li led the Chen family’s camel caravan to the Guyuan Post Station, completely ignoring the incidents behind them along the way, as if he had neither heard nor seen anything.

After settling the Chen family members into the post station, he quickly departed with Chen Liqin, who had changed into a red official robe, heading to the Guyuan Military Commissioner’s office.

In the room on the second floor, Chen Ji stood by the window, pushing it open slightly to secretly observe outside.

Outside the post station, people came and went. Spice vendors occasionally stared at the post station gate without calling out their wares. Even when customers approached to ask about prices, they seemed distracted.

Zhang Xia and Zhang Zheng put their belongings away, dusting off sand from their clothes as they came to join Chen Ji.

Chen Ji said in a low voice, “Guyuan is not peaceful. Several people are watching us. I don’t know if they are border army personnel or Jing Dynasty spies… They should be from the border army.”

Zhang Xia asked, puzzled, “Why do you say they’re from the border army?”

Chen Ji explained, “Look at how brazenly they stare; they’re clearly confident. If they were Jing Dynasty spies, they wouldn’t be so arrogant.”

Xiaoman’s eyes flickered, and she murmured, “It’s as if Young Master has seen Jing Dynasty spies before…”

As soon as she finished speaking, there was a knock at the door. Chen Ji immediately closed the window cautiously. “Xiaoman, open the door.”

The door opened to reveal several border soldiers carrying a large silver platter, covered with a silver lid.

Chen Ji asked, puzzled, “What is this?”

The border soldier smiled and said, “General Zhou ordered this. We’ve prepared the finest white lamb for you. As Master Wang’s personal disciple, you are naturally the most honored guest in Guyuan’s frontier! Please have a taste. Lamb is common, but white lamb is rare; ordinary people don’t get to eat it.”

Chen Ji asked, “Are there any for the other rooms?”

The border soldier smiled. “The others are not honored guests of Guyuan. Please enjoy this yourself. Also, General Zhou asked me to tell you… do not meddle in the affairs between the Crown Prince and the border army. It’s very complex, and outsiders cannot understand it.”

Chen Ji thanked him. “Please tell General Zhou for me that I have noted it. Thank him.”

The border soldiers took their leave. Xiaoman exclaimed, “This is a silver platter! After we finish the lamb, can we keep the platter?”

Chen Ji gave a wry smile. “What are you thinking?”

He lifted the lid. The platter contained freshly cooked lamb. He picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. It was delicious, with no spices used and no hint of gamey odor.

Chen Ji called out to Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia, “Come on, everyone, let’s fill our stomachs.”

Xiaoman, while stuffing meat into her mouth, mumbled inquiringly, “Young Master, I have a bit of a headache right now. Could you take my pulse later? You studied medicine at the clinic for two years, but I’ve never seen you use it since you came back.”

Chen Ji glanced at her and said casually, “Studying medicine is a long-term endeavor; you don’t learn much in two years. I was an apprentice for those two years and haven’t reached the stage of treating patients yet, so I haven’t learned to take a pulse.”

Xiaoman asked suspiciously, “Then what did you learn at the clinic?”

Chen Ji pondered for a moment. “I learned some pharmacology, memorized the hot and cold properties of various medicinal herbs and ingredients, and the principles of mutual generation and mutual inhibition.”

Xiaoman paused, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster’s. “What does that mean?”

Chen Ji recalled, “For example, pork and water caltrops shouldn’t be eaten together, or you’ll get a stomachache; potatoes and bananas shouldn’t be eaten together, or you’ll get facial spots; onions and honey shouldn’t be eaten together, or it will harm your eyes; soft-shelled turtles and amaranth shouldn’t be eaten together, or you’ll get poisoned…”

Xiaoman ‘oh’-ed. Her mouth was full, and she asked indistinctly, “So that’s what you learned… Young Master, what shouldn’t this lamb be eaten with?”

Chen Ji looked down at the platter, seeing that half of the large plate of lamb had already gone into Xiaoman’s mouth. He said slowly, “Well, this lamb… shouldn’t be eaten with you…”