Outside the Asakura Gambling House, Red Clothes Alley was as quiet as a quail after the rain.

In the darkness, the lights of Luocheng were extinguished, with only hundreds of secret agents, torches in hand, blocking Red Clothes Alley and searching for the whereabouts of Jing Dynasty spies.

At this moment, the arrogant and overbearing official was bound with finger-thick iron chains, wrapped around him in coils, and knelt on the ground.

This person possessed astonishing martial arts skills, able to fight for half an hour even when besieged by hundreds of secret agents.

However, as old man Yao said, even the most formidable official in this world fears a military formation. Do not assume you are invincible simply because you are powerful; power is the mightiest force in this world.

Golden Pig lifted his robe, picked up the torn blue cloak from the ground, and draped it over the official. He then squatted down opposite him with a smile. “Zhao Zhong, the hereditary official of the Zhao family from Hezhou, I remember you were once a bodyguard for a young master of the Xu family. How did you end up sacrificing your life for the Jing Dynasty? Or… was the Xu family involved today as well?”

Zhao Zhong’s face was ashen. “Eunuch faction, lackeys, pah…”

He spat towards Golden Pig’s face, but Golden Pig, seemingly prepared, pulled a folding fan from his robes and opened it to block.

Golden Pig didn’t get angry; he just smiled and said, “A dignified hereditary official of the Zhao family, now merely a prisoner. Take him to the inner prison; sooner or later, you will confess your cultivation methods to His Excellency the Inner Minister. Take him away…”

With that, he truly stood up and looked at the secret agents standing quietly with torches. “Today is a great victory. Brothers, after you take him to the inner prison, get some rest. Tomorrow, when you wake up, I’ll treat everyone to the best banquet in Luocheng at the Eight Immortals Pavilion.”

A trusted secret agent beside him whispered a reminder: “Sir, Chen Ji was pursued out and hasn’t been seen since.”

Golden Pig slapped his forehead and exclaimed loudly, “Oh, I almost forgot about him! A mere medical apprentice pursued by a spy, he’s probably dead. His Excellency the Inner Minister just promoted him to the Secret Service, and if he dies under my command the very next day, people will think I’m jealous of the capable. Go find him quickly, and by all means, save his life!”

However, immediately after speaking loudly, Golden Pig turned and whispered to the secret agent beside him, “Although he desperately held onto the spy and fell from the second floor, which isn’t a problem, afterward, he didn’t even try to circle back to the gambling house to meet us. Instead, he ran outside. Now, even if someone says he went to report to the Jing Dynasty’s Military Intelligence Bureau, I’d believe it. You must find him tonight, dead or alive.”

“Sir, what if he’s still alive?”

“Then make him explain clearly what he did tonight and why he didn’t return to meet us.”

“Sir, what if he’s dead?”

“If he’s dead, he’s dead. Give him a proper burial!”

The secret agent was puzzled. “Sir, weren’t you going to invest in him?”

Golden Pig rolled his eyes at his confidant. “Of course, the investment is real. Do you know the value of being personally selected by His Excellency the Inner Minister to join the Secret Service? But I can’t invest in a Jing Dynasty spy or a dead man, can I?”

In the air after the rain, there was a unique scent of earth.

Chen Ji was stealthily moving along the shadows of grey walls and grey tiles.

He was drenched in rain, feeling the wet clothes on him grow colder and colder.

He unfolded the cloth strips bandaging his wound and saw that the skin around the edges of the wound had turned white and blistered from the water. If not treated promptly, he would likely fall seriously ill.

But where was the time to treat his injuries now?

After escaping from the gambling house, no matter how realistic his act, Golden Pig would inevitably grow suspicious.

If he couldn’t explain his whereabouts later, that would be truly fatal.

At this moment, Chen Ji did not return to Taiping Medical Hall. Instead, he needed to go back to the alley where he had killed the Jing Dynasty spy, fake the scene of a struggle, and pretend he had collapsed there after the fight.

Wait…

Chen Ji suddenly stopped. He felt as if he had missed some crucial detail.

This detail could very well lead to his exposure.

What was it?

What exactly?

Chen Ji suddenly lowered his head and glanced at the wound on his chest. It was then that he realized the detail he had missed!

He then picked up the long blade belonging to the Jing Dynasty spy and carefully cut an incision into his right thigh before continuing on his way.

Chen Ji stumbled along, occasionally having to avoid the night watchmen passing by on the street.

He only felt himself growing weaker and weaker, so much so that he could barely keep his eyes open.

At one point, he wondered if it was worth it to sustain so many injuries tonight without being able to resolve the hidden danger.

To him, Wu Hongbiao appeared as if he had sprung from a rock, suddenly emerging and catching him off guard.

Had Wu Hongbiao lied?

Chen Ji was inclined to believe he hadn’t.

As soon as they met, they immediately engaged in a fierce fight. At that time, Wu Hongbiao still had the strength to fight and had no need to feign anything.

But after recognizing Chen Ji, he immediately relaxed, fell to the ground, and even threw away his practice saber, essentially entrusting his life to Chen Ji.

Chen Ji couldn’t bring himself to harm someone who had risked their life to warn him, even if he had never known the person and felt no personal connection.

Those who abide by the law are sorrowful day after day, while the powerful and tyrannical celebrate night after night.

This era was certainly pathological, but he was, after all, not a person of this time.

He saw the alley getting closer and closer.

When he was still one street away from the alley, Chen Ji saw distant torchlight approaching, as if people were carrying torches and searching for something.

He quickly hid in the shadows beneath the wall, rapidly considering his options.

The approaching people must be from the Secret Service. If he simply walked ahead, he would surely run into them.

Should he retreat directly?

No, he had to return to that alley to make sense of what happened tonight.

Chen Ji struggled to climb onto a rooftop, carefully crouching to avoid detection.

Several times, secret agents looked up at the rooftops, and each time he could only lie flat and slowly crawl forward.

Time passed by, second by second, and Chen Ji’s physical strength was nearly exhausted.

Finally, the alley was close at hand.

He clutched the top of the wall and quietly slid down.

But upon landing, his legs gave way, and he fell into a puddle.

Excessive blood loss had caused him to collapse from exhaustion.

Chen Ji struggled to get up, dragged the Jing Dynasty spy out from a pile of debris, and faked the surrounding area to show signs of a struggle.

Then, he manipulated the Jing Dynasty spy’s corpse, arranging both of them back into the positions they were in when he had strangled the spy with the scabbard, lying supine on the ground. He pretended that he had collapsed due to severe injuries after killing the person.

However, his injuries were still not severe enough to dispel Golden Pig’s suspicions.

A flicker of determination crossed Chen Ji’s eyes. He placed the dagger in the Jing Dynasty spy’s hand, then, holding the spy’s hand, fiercely swung the blade towards the cut he had made earlier on his own thigh, plunging the dagger in until it reached the hilt.

In an instant, piercing pain surged through him.

Chen Ji’s body convulsed, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead like beads.

But from beginning to end, he gritted his teeth and didn’t make a sound.

Not only that, Chen Ji also cupped the accumulated water from the ground in his hands and continuously poured it over his wounds, ensuring that the blood seeping from them would not show any difference between before and after the rain.

Chen Ji endured, completing all this until he vaguely saw torchlights moving outside the alley. Only then did he slowly close his eyes, relax his mind, and truly pass out.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when Golden Pig, guided by a secret agent, knelt beside Chen Ji to examine him.

He first pulled open Chen Ji’s eyelids, then brought a torch and waved it in front of Chen Ji’s eyes. “His eyelids aren’t twitching, and his pupils are slow to contract. He really has passed out!”

Golden Pig then touched the wound on the Jing Dynasty spy’s neck. “Strangled with a scabbard, and before dying, he still stabbed this kid in the thigh. I didn’t expect this kid to actually be able to kill a spy alone. I underestimated him!”

Golden Pig’s tone shifted. “But a Jing Dynasty spy’s skill far surpasses that of ordinary people. How did this kid win? Could it be that good fortune truly favors him?! Wait… remove all of Chen Ji’s clothes. I need to examine his wounds. It’s very possible he left midway and then returned to inflict these injuries.”

The next moment, the secret agents tore open Chen Ji’s trousers and shirt, revealing the stab wounds underneath. Both wounds were pale and swollen from prolonged immersion in water.

Fortunately, Chen Ji had already cut a gash on his leg beforehand, allowing it to soak and swell. Otherwise, if Golden Pig had discovered the wound was fresh, he would have been exposed.

This was the detail Chen Ji had almost missed.

The secret agent said to Golden Pig, “Sir, the knife wounds are already old. They’re not faked. With such severe knife wounds on his leg, he wouldn’t be able to move freely. He must have collapsed here after fighting the spy.”

Golden Pig let out a sigh of relief. “It seems there really isn’t a problem. Was I too suspicious?”

“Sir, what should we do now? Should we send him for treatment?”

“No!” Golden Pig shook his head. “Carry him to the inner prison and have a doctor treat him there. If he wakes up, tell me immediately. I still have some things to ask him. When a person is weak, it’s easiest to get information out of them.”

“Understood!”

However, at that moment, a voice came from outside the alley: “Gentlemen, have you seen my apprentice? He’s tall and thin, wearing black clothes.”

Golden Pig narrowed his eyes slightly, looking towards the alley entrance. There stood old man Yao, with his hair and beard all white, questioning the secret agents.

As he was asking, old man Yao turned his head and looked into the alley, frowning. “Master Jin, why are you in Luocheng as well?”

“Good evening, Imperial Physician Yao. Are you looking for your apprentice in the middle of the night?” Golden Pig took a smiling step forward, shielding Chen Ji behind him.

Old man Yao walked closer, step by step, and asked, “Have you seen my apprentice?”

“No!” Golden Pig shook his head. “Imperial Physician Yao, perhaps you should look elsewhere.”

“Who is behind you, Master Jin?” Old man Yao had already approached and looked at Chen Ji lying on the ground. “Isn’t that my apprentice? Why are you lying, Master Jin? Why is he lying here?”

Golden Pig said awkwardly, “Hahahaha, so he’s your apprentice! I didn’t know before. He was injured by a Jing Dynasty ruffian, and I was just about to send him for treatment.”

Old man Yao nodded. “Then I’ll trouble you, Sir, to send two secret agents to carry him back to Taiping Medical Hall!”

Golden Pig subconsciously said, “No.”

Old man Yao was puzzled. “Is there anywhere in Luocheng that treats illnesses better than my Taiping Medical Hall? Or has my apprentice committed a crime?”

Golden Pig hesitated for a moment. “He didn’t commit a crime; on the contrary, he rendered meritorious service.”

Old man Yao let out a sigh of relief, but his tone grew serious. “If he committed a crime, Master Jin, you may deal with him as you see fit. But if he did not, then I will write to His Excellency the Inner Minister and ask him why the Secret Service has detained my apprentice!”

Golden Pig remained silent for a long time before finally waving his hand to the secret agents. “Help Imperial Physician Yao carry Chen Ji back!”

He stood in the alley, frowning as he watched old man Yao’s retreating figure.

A moment later, Golden Pig muttered to himself, “I just feel like something isn’t right!”

In his slumber, Chen Ji swayed in the carriage, as if adrift at sea on a boat.

The sixteen furnace fires near his dantian flickered incessantly, as if they could go out at any moment like lamps running out of oil. The long-dormant icy current within him stirred restlessly.

Chen Ji seemed to be swept by the icy current onto a black sea of clouds again, drifting like a lone boat for an unknown duration, before once again drifting to that ancient battlefield.

The sounds of shouting and killing, the clang of metal, like gods fighting. Chen Ji saw countless ancient birds spiraling in the sky, trailing long, brilliant tail feathers.

On the ground, Chen Ji saw human battle formations constantly advancing, with human cavalry mounted on tall warhorses.

To be precise, they were no longer mere horses.

Below eight feet, they were colts; above eight feet, they were dragons.

On the other side of the human battle formation, countless giant beasts seemed to be circling something, wailing incessantly.

Chen Ji fell from the sea of clouds, landing on a peak at the edge of the battlefield. He saw a towering figure within the battlefield, clad in golden armor, holding a royal banner, and steadily walking step by step amidst ten thousand troops.

Beside him, a green light phantom circled like a shooting star, piercing through wave after wave of attacking enemies.

Much later, Chen Ji finally saw clearly that the brilliant shooting star was actually a hiltless sword.

However, at that very moment, the tall, majestic figure suddenly looked towards Chen Ji on the peak. “Return my divine path.”

“Return my sword seed.”

“Return what is mine.”

“Otherwise, surrender your life.”

The next moment, sword light, vast enough to obscure the sky, spread over like a tide, so oppressive that it was suffocating.

The mountain wind howled, causing Chen Ji’s clothes to flap violently.

But this time, Chen Ji felt no fear. He faced the majestic figure and the overwhelming tide of sword light, calmly asking, “By what right?”

His voice resonated like a giant axe cleaving a mountain, echoing with a rumble.

As his words fell, furnace fires suddenly ignited one by one within Chen Ji’s body.

One, two, three…

Six hundred eighteen.

Seven hundred twenty.

The light of the furnace fires emanated from his body, shining brilliantly like stars.

Before these brilliant lights, the tide of sword light split in two, as if encountering islands.

The majestic figure was silent for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter, the sound swirling into the clouds. “You’re back, you’re actually back.”

“Chen Ji? Chen Ji!”

“Why are you calling him? He’s still unconscious, don’t shout at him.”

“But I saw his eyelids move! Look, look, he’s opened his eyes, Master, Master, Chen Ji’s awake!”

Chen Ji slowly opened his eyes and saw himself lying in the apprentice’s dormitory at the medical hall.

His first instinct was to check his body, only to find that the furnace fires were still sixteen. It had all been just a long dream.

He looked up again and saw a crowd of heads gathered before him.

She Dengke, Liu Quxing, Liang Gou’er, Liang Mao’er, the Young Master, Princess White Carp, the little monk?

Chen Ji couldn’t understand why those last three were also in this dimly lit apprentice’s dormitory.

He tried to push himself up with his arms to sit, but Liu Quxing pressed him back down. “Don’t move, don’t move. Master said not to move.”

Chen Ji looked at the sky outside; it was still dark. He asked in confusion, “How long was I unconscious?”

“A whole day!”

Liu Quxing said, “You scared us all to death.”

Chen Ji’s heart sank. He had been unconscious for an entire day?

He wondered if he had successfully deceived Golden Pig.

What about Wu Hongbiao? Had he escaped, or had the Secret Service or Military Intelligence Bureau found him?

However, at least he wasn’t in the inner prison when he woke up, which was good news.