Early in the morning, Old Man Yao got out of bed and slowly walked into the courtyard.

The water vat was already filled, and the courtyard ground swept clean, but Chen Ji was nowhere to be seen.

Old Man Yao looked up at the crow on the apricot tree, and the crow pointed its wing towards the door.

His gaze went past the corridor and out towards the clinic, where he saw Chen Ji holding a long bamboo broom, sweeping the flagstone path in front of the clinic.

Yesterday was the Double Ninth Festival. Anxi Street was littered with dogwood berries and trash, yet only the area in front of Taiping Clinic was spotless.

He asked in puzzlement, “What time did this kid get up?”

The crow cawed.

“‘Three quarters past Yin Shi?’ He really did get up earlier than the chickens,” Old Man Yao muttered, looking around. “He’s so efficient with his work, I can’t even find an excuse to give him a hard time.”

The crow cawed again.

Old Man Yao nodded. “He is indeed sensible… you don’t need to find different ways to praise him; I’m well aware.”

He walked to the doorway, eyeing Chen Ji askance. “Your diligence is making me a little uneasy, kid. It wasn’t even your turn to do chores today, so why did you do everything?”

Chen Ji leaned on the large bamboo broom and smiled, “I was just idle anyway. It’s our own home, after all, and it feels better when it’s clean.”

Old Man Yao looked at Chen Ji with suspicion. “Yesterday, you were so polite with me, kid. Why are you suddenly trying to get chummy today?”

Chen Ji replied, “There always have to be some new changes.”

Old Man Yao was silent for a long time. “What do you plan to do about She Dengke?”

Chen Ji swept the ground as he replied, “I can’t really just kill him, can I? …Master, do you think Senior Brother She is a bad person?”

“No.”

“Exactly, you don’t think he’s a bad person either,” Chen Ji sighed. “Of course, I’ll keep this matter in mind, but to actually kill him… I might not be able to bring myself to do it.”

Old Man Yao said calmly, “You are neither a good person nor a bad person. Someone like you might not live long in the jianghu. The legacy of Shanjun might end with you.”

Just as he spoke, hoofbeats echoed from the end of Anxi Street.

Old Man Yao and Chen Ji turned their heads, seeing a carriage rapidly approaching.

The carriage arrived at the clinic entrance. Princess Baili, the young monk, and the Prince Heir successively jumped off. The Prince Heir still had several rouge marks on his face and reeked of alcohol.

The three rushed into Taiping Clinic with their heads down, not forgetting to greet Old Man Yao as they ran: “Good morning, Imperial Physician Yao!”

“Good morning, Imperial Physician Yao!”

Halfway there, Princess Baili surprisingly turned back and shoved an oiled paper package into Chen Ji’s hand. “Here, as promised. Gotta go!”

The three rushed frantically and stumbled into the back courtyard. The Prince Heir shouted, “Young monk, this time it’s your turn to step on me to climb up… Oh, never mind!” The Prince Heir saw a wooden ladder set up against the wall, though he didn’t know when it had appeared.

He muttered softly, “The toll wasn’t paid for nothing. This kid is quite reliable; looks like he’s one of us jianghu folk!”

Princess Baili glanced back at Chen Ji on the street, then turned and climbed the ladder, flipping over into the Prince’s Manor. “Hurry, hurry! Master Wang’s morning lesson is about to begin.”

Imperial Physician Yao watched in a daze as the three climbed into the Prince’s Manor, then turned to Chen Ji. “You put the ladder there?”

Chen Ji nodded. “I took their money to provide some convenience.”

Imperial Physician Yao said expressionlessly, “With you here, Taiping Clinic is becoming less and less peaceful.”

At that moment, drunken curses drifted from the end of Anxi Street: “Red Robe Lane is full of ungrateful wretches! When I had money, they called me ‘Lord Dog,’ but when I had none, they called me ‘Liang Dog.’ They kicked me out just because I didn’t pay three times! Now that I’m with the Prince Heir, aren’t they all bowing and scraping?”

Another voice mumbled, “Brother, your name is Liang Gou’er. They weren’t wrong.”

“And the Prince Heir, really, they came back in a carriage but didn’t bother to give us a ride. And they didn’t even arrange a place for me to stay.”

Liang Mao’er grumbled, “Brother, why can’t you just work steadily for the Liu family? They pay very well.”

“No way… I have three rules for who I don’t help: I don’t help drunkards who cheat and scheme, I don’t help the eunuch faction, and I don’t help those who oppose the eunuch faction… Those old guys are black-hearted, and their methods are even darker. I can’t deal with them.”

Chen Ji turned to look, and there was the stout Liang Mao’er carrying Liang Gou’er on his back.

“Master, do you know Liang Gou’er?” Chen Ji asked curiously.

“I do,” Old Man Yao scoffed. “He’s known in the jianghu as the Autumn Wind Swordsman, that Liang Gou’er.”

“Autumn Wind Swordsman? Is it because he practices the Autumn Wind Blade Art?”

“No, it’s because he likes to scrounge around everywhere.”

Chen Ji: “Huh?”

“Master, is Liang Gou’er an official cultivator?” Chen Ji asked curiously. “Why does he rely on the Liu family?”

“Cultivation emphasizes wealth, companions, techniques, and location. Just as your cultivation requires ginseng, martial artists also need medicine to temper their bodies,” Old Man Yao said calmly. “Most cultivation paths in the world are the same: they burn through money like water. Without support, one cannot achieve power on their own.”

“Liang Gou’er is already so powerful, why doesn’t he just rob the Liu family?” Chen Ji asked.

Old Man Yao scoffed, “All the resources in the world are in the hands of the imperial court, aristocratic families, Daoists, and Buddhists, with a small portion scattered among sects like Luotian Sect. No matter how powerful Liang Gou’er is, he can’t withstand a single charge from three thousand elite cavalry. The Liu family maintains over forty thousand elites in Yuzhou Grand Camp, who only obey Elder Liu Ge’s command… How many heads does Liang Gou’er have to dare to rob the Liu family?”

Liang Mao’er, still carrying Liang Gou’er, had drawn closer.

Liang Gou’er drunkenly opened his eyes, pointed at Taiping Clinic, and declared, “We’re staying here! It’s close to the Prince Heir, so he’ll definitely take me with him when he goes out to play!”

Liang Mao’er looked awkwardly at Old Man Yao. “My apologies, my brother is talking nonsense.”

“I’m not talking nonsense!” The dishevelled Liang Gou’er jumped off Liang Mao’er’s back and boldly tried to barge into the clinic.

Old Man Yao raised a hand to stop him. “Hold on.”

Liang Gou’er opened his eyes, swayed, and scrutinized Old Man Yao. After a long moment, he exclaimed in surprise, “Imperial Physician Yao… an old acquaintance! Even better, we’ll stay at Imperial Physician Yao’s place!”

Old Man Yao remained silent.

Chen Ji felt a little nervous. He had seen Liang Gou’er draw his blade; that strike had perfectly sliced through Lin Chaoqing’s bamboo hat, not an inch too much or too little.

He was worried that such a martial artist might cause trouble if his master refused, and it would be bad if his master got hurt.

However, before he could figure out what to do, Old Man Yao glanced at Chen Ji, then slowly said to Liang Gou’er, “Staying at the clinic isn’t impossible, but you’ll have to teach my apprentice how to wield a blade. If you teach him well, Taiping Clinic will not only provide you lodging but also food.”

Chen Ji was stunned.

Was this still his stingy master?

Liang Gou’er chuckled mockingly, “Imperial Physician Yao, you run a clinic. Why would your apprentice learn the blade? Is business bad lately, and you’re trying to create some patients?”

Old Man Yao said unhurriedly, “Just teach him; don’t worry about anything else.”

Liang Gou’er suddenly became serious. “Old man, I’m just drunk, not stupid. My Liang family’s blade dao is not to be taught to outsiders.”

Imperial Physician Yao calmly stated, “I’m asking you to teach blade techniques, not your family’s blade dao.”

Liang Gou’er looked thoughtful, then burst into laughter. “Deal! Let’s go, Liang Mao’er, we have a place to stay! Let’s go in and find some food first! It’s just teaching some blade techniques; there’s no blade in this world that Liang Gou’er can’t teach!”