Inside the main house, Liao Zhong was half-sitting, half-leaning against the wall at the head of the *kang*, dozing off. He carefully kept his entire back hidden against the wall.

He was too tired.

From the spring hunt until now, severely injured and sleepless, he hadn’t dared to close his eyes for a moment.

Even now, while sleeping, he still clutched Ping’er’s wrist tightly in his hand. Ping’er, after eating the sorghum candy from his sleeve, had fallen into a deep sleep, neither crying nor fussing.

Outside the main house, the woman’s tears flowed uncontrollably, yet she dared not make a sound.

She tugged at the man’s arm, her eyes pleading, her lips silently forming: Save Ping’er.

The man slowly shook his head.

Liao Zhong was an official in the *Xundao* Realm. Even with severe injuries, how could they possibly handle him? Moreover, Ping’er was right by Liao Zhong’s side; the slightest mistake would cost Ping’er her life.

Suddenly, a muffled groan of pain came from the main house, as if Liao Zhong had touched his wound in his sleep.

The man, deep in thought, retrieved a packet of medicinal powder from the side room and whispered to the woman, “I’ll go treat his wound. We’re all in this together now. The sooner he recovers, the sooner he might leave.”

As if remembering something, the woman pulled a small bottle from her sleeve and said in a very low voice, “Mix this in.”

The man shook his head, “He’ll test the medicine on Ping’er.”

The woman firmly stated, “Then I’ll cut my own arm to test it. The medicine takes two *shichen* to take effect. By then, I’ll die with him, as long as you and Ping’er can live…”

The man sighed, “That’s impossible.”

He took a deep breath and strode into the main house, respectfully saying, “My Lord, this humble subordinate has wound medicine issued by the *Midi Si*, containing *longyacao*, *baimaogen*, and other ingredients…”

Liao Zhong slowly opened his eyes from his slumber.

He was curled up in the corner of the *kang*, his hair damp with sweat, looking extremely weak.

He ignored the medicine in the man’s hand and spoke to himself, “Lord Li, this old man dreamed he returned to sixteen years ago, to the day I first met the Crown Prince. It was the eighth day of the second month of JIa’ning Sixteen, also a time of bitter spring chill. The Crown Prince was only about twelve years old then, wasn’t he?”

“This old man was personally chosen by the Late Emperor as the *Bangyan* in the Jianji Hall. But because my father spoke recklessly about court affairs after drinking, all the men in my family were castrated and exiled to Lingnan, and the women were sent to the *Jiaofang Si*. On the way to Lingnan, the Liao family members died from exhaustion or starvation. By the time I reached Lingnan, only this old man remained. It wasn’t until Jia’ning Sixteen that a general amnesty allowed me to return to the capital. I left as a graceful young man, and returned with temples tinged with white.”

“The day I arrived in the capital, a maid led me through a long corridor, and I saw the Crown Prince draped in a black fox fur cloak, looking as if he had stepped out of a painting. As soon as the Crown Prince saw this old man, he took off his cloak and placed it over my shoulders. Then he ordered someone to flog his own back fifty times with a thorny branch, only stopping when his skin was torn and bleeding.”

“This old man was puzzled, but the Crown Prince asked me, ‘Can this atone for the Late Emperor’s crimes? If I ascend the throne someday, I can clear the Liao family’s name.’ This old man prostrated himself at the Crown Prince’s feet, tears streaming down my face. The Crown Prince then asked me what my wish was. I said, please, Your Highness, have all the women of my Liao family in the *Jiaofang Si* killed, so my Liao family will not continue to be shamed.”

Liao Zhong babbled on, disoriented, but the man holding the medicine packet felt a chill deep in his bones.

Liao Zhong’s lips were pale, but his gaze, like a jackal’s, still fixed on the medicine packet in the man’s hand: “This old man says all this to remind Lord Li, if you and your wife have any other intentions, this old man doesn’t mind killing a child. If you offer this wound medicine, no matter what’s inside, this old man will test it on Ping’er.”

As he spoke, he shook his left hand, and a dagger from his sleeve fell into his grasp, moving to cut Ping’er’s arm.

“My Lord, wait,” the man quickly made a cut on his own arm with a kitchen knife, letting the blood flow freely.

He spoke frankly, “My Lord, this medicine truly has no problem. This humble subordinate is willing to test the medicine on himself. If My Lord doesn’t believe it, you can observe for a day and a night before using it. This humble subordinate has no other intentions, only begging My Lord to recover from your severe injuries quickly and proceed to Datong, giving our family of three a way to live.”

The man untied the medicine packet and poured the powder onto his wound.

Then he knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times with loud thuds.

Liao Zhong looked at the man kneeling before him, unmoved: “This old man has never trusted anyone in his life. I wouldn’t trust you yesterday, I won’t trust you today, and I certainly won’t trust you tomorrow. This old man dares to use the child to control you two because I know how much you care for your child, so I never dare to underestimate your resolve to save your child.”

He stared at the man with a sinister gaze: “This old man is an official in the *Xundao* Realm. Even without medicine, this wound will heal eventually; it’s just a matter of enduring more pain for a while. Step back. Don’t come in again without this old man’s summons, or I will gouge out Ping’er’s eyes. Don’t worry, this old man is only staying here temporarily. Once the *Jiefan Wei* and *Midi Si* disperse, this old man will leave. No one would expect this old man to dare linger here. As long as you two don’t make a sound, everyone can keep their lives.”

At this moment, Ping’er slowly awoke, and Liao Zhong smiled and asked, “Ping’er, how about Uncle carves a pair of wooden eyes for you?”

By the Yongding River, Chen Ji and Lady Lu stood side by side.

Chen Ji looked at the slowly flowing river: “If Su Zhou is clever enough, she’ll realize we actually haven’t gone far, otherwise the small boat wouldn’t have drifted so far downstream… She might even chase us back.”

Lady Lu calmly said, “Don’t worry, she’s not that clever.”

In the heavy fog that night, the moment Lady Lu promised to help Chen Ji capture Liao Zhong, the small boat had quietly turned around, returning to the mine tunnel they had come from.

Chen Ji looked at Lady Lu: “Why did we come back?”

Lady Lu stood on the bank and explained: “I originally intended to trick you into going to Datong. From there, you could advance or retreat, and if things became unfeasible, you could leave Ning Dynasty at any time. But now that I’ve promised to help you capture Liao Zhong, I have to return to Changping to catch him… because Liao Zhong must still be in Changping County.”

Chen Ji was a little surprised: “Why?”

Lady Lu spoke with a hint of arrogance: “Not everyone has the ability to leave Changping County at this moment. I’m betting Liao Zhong can’t leave.”

Chen Ji suddenly understood.

Lady Lu continued to speculate: “Liao Zhong is a treacherous and vicious person, extremely good at enduring. I guess he’ll stay in Changping County until things calm down before leaving, but you can’t wait that long. The *Midi Si* and *Jiefan Wei* have already been drawn away, so we’ll catch him in Changping.”

The Yongding River flowed south, and the midday sun was intense.

Chen Ji recalled the events of yesterday. This Aunt Ping first strolled leisurely through the capital granary, then calmly escaped the encirclement, planning every step with backups.

He decided to trust Aunt Ping.

But…

Chen Ji looked back at the mine tunnel: “Aunt Ping, how do we get back to Changping County?”

Lady Lu also looked back at the mine tunnel, falling into hesitation.

Chen Ji suddenly realized that this Aunt Ping had indeed changed her mind halfway through; otherwise, she wouldn’t have erased all the marks in the mine tunnel…

The two were silent for a long time. This was the first time “Aunt Ping” had made a blunder.

Lady Lu thought for a moment and said, “This time, we’ll go back through the main gate.”

Chen Ji frowned: “Go back through the main gate?”

Lady Lu said with certainty: “Go back through the main gate.”

Dusk.

Chen Ji and Lady Lu walked side by side on the official road. Both used a piece of gray cloth as a scarf to cover their mouths and noses, shielding themselves from the wind and sand of the northern spring.

Before the gate of Changping County.

Inside the city, merchants lined up to leave. Outside the city, only the two of them walked towards the city.

More than ten *miedie* stood in the city gate arch, meticulously checking the travel permits of all passersby, comparing them with wanted posters, and only letting them through after confirming their identities.

Chen Ji looked up and saw dozens of Changping County garrison soldiers standing on the city gate tower, armed with bows and crossbows.

Lady Lu was composed as she approached the city gate. Although Chen Ji was also calm, his body was tense.

Lady Lu glanced at him: “No need to be nervous. No one expected you to dare to come to Changping County.”

As they got closer, a *miedie* glanced at the two: “Travel permits.”

As he spoke, six *miedie* had already surrounded them, enclosing the two. Some silently reached for the hand crossbows at their waists, while others pressed their hands to the hilts of their swords.

This was completely different from what Lady Lu had said. Whether entering or leaving the city, the *miedie* left no opportunity unchecked.

All the *miedie* had only one thing on their minds: earning merit.

From *que*-level to *ge*-level, from *ge*-level to *haidongqing*, from *haidongqing* to *shier shengxiao*—only by becoming a *shier shengxiao* could one gain access to the *Xundao* Realm officials.

Chen Ji slowly breathed, balancing his body, ready to erupt at any moment.

If it came to a fight, he would first subdue one person, then lift the body to shield himself from arrows, and escape north.

Just as he was looking sideways, observing his retreat route, Lady Lu actually pulled out a *haidongqing* identity tablet from her sleeve and held it up to the *miedie*: “By the order of Lord Bailong, I am here for a covert investigation.”

Chen Ji was shocked.

A *haidongqing* identity tablet? He had one too, identical to the one in Lady Lu’s hand.

The *miedie* carefully examined the identity tablet, which bore twelve characters: “Patrol on behalf of Heaven, decide major matters by memorial, resolve minor matters immediately.”

All six *miedie* were startled: “How many strokes in the character ‘chang’? Reply with the command.”

Lady Lu casually replied, “No mountain under the sun.”

It wasn’t over yet. Lady Lu retorted, “How many layers in the rat’s nest? Reply with the command.”

The *miedie* quickly said, “Ten at the bottom of the jar… It really is Lord Haidongqing. My Lord, please forgive us. Lord Bailong did not previously instruct us, so we did not know of your arrival and have offended you.”

Lady Lu calmly said, “No matter. Have you found any trace of Chen Ji and Liao Zhong?”

Inside the city gate arch, the *miedie* bowed their heads in shame: “Reporting, My Lord, not yet.”

Lady Lu’s tone was grim: “Lord Bailong suspects the fugitives are still within Changping County. If there is any news, report it immediately to the Lin Residence in Daoyi Alley, Gongji Ward. Any harboring will result in the extermination of three generations.”

The *miedie* cupped their fists: “Yes!”

Lady Lu led Chen Ji swaggering into the city, passing by the merchants queuing to leave. The merchants all averted their gaze, not daring to make eye contact with the ‘big shots’ from the *Midi Si*.

Chen Ji was still somewhat dazed at this point. They just walked in like that?

Once they had walked further away, he couldn’t help but ask curiously, “How do you have a *haidongqing* identity tablet? Are you a *miedie* of the *Sili Jian*?”

Lady Lu pulled out the identity tablet again: “This? It’s not hard to carve one yourself.”

Chen Ji was still doubtful: “Then how did you know the *Midi Si*’s password?”

Lady Lu glanced at him but didn’t reveal her secret: “I have my ways.”

Chen Ji pressed further, “What if we were exposed?”

Lady Lu said lightly, “Run, of course. Lord Bailong isn’t here, they can’t stop me.”