---
The stone door of the dark prison slowly opened, and several footsteps approached.
LinHuaichu lay on the bed, back to the cell door, tensely listening to every subtle sound. At the same time, the black-clad man who had just delivered the food was sitting at the table, also with his back to the door.
The footsteps stopped at the cell door; it was the sound of two people.
"Hey, you were sent to deliver food to Lin's second son. What are you doing eating it yourself? Tired of living?" one voice said, kicking open the cell door and shoving the person sitting in the chair.
The person in the chair, limp and powerless, was pushed aside. Startled, the newcomer barely had time to react before he felt a kick to his face, stumbling and falling unconscious.
Seeing one person dealt with, LinHuaichu turned to attack the masked man standing in the doorway.
The masked man, hands initially behind his back, showed no intention of moving as LinHuaichu rushed at him, countering with just one hand.
LinHuaichu aimed a side kick at the man's head but could only reach his shoulder due to his height. After being easily blocked, he tried a backhanded chop at the man's face, but the man simply stepped back to evade. Frustrated, LinHuaichu launched a few more moves, all effortlessly countered. Every time his leg made contact with the man's arm or waist, the man didn't dodge, seeming indifferent. Instead, LinHuaichu's leg felt like it was hitting an iron bar, causing sharp pain.
After several exchanges, the masked man remained still at the cell door, while LinHuaichu was out of breath, his leg trembling from the impact and unable to bear weight.
"This guy is tough," LinHuaichu thought, adjusting his stance.
"Is this all you've learned from the Lin family army?" The man's voice was deep and raspy, tinged with mockery.
"None of your business!" LinHuaichu retorted, launching another punch at the man.
As before, the man easily dodged, but this time countered with a palm strike.
The blow sent LinHuaichu crashing into the wall and collapsing onto the bed, coughing up blood.
"Pathetic. Is this how LinMuchuan has been teaching you?" The man's voice was filled with anger.
"Bah! Who do you think you are to mention my brother? You'd better release me now, or you'll face my brother's wrath!" LinHuaichu, defiant, wiped the blood from his mouth, struggling to sit up. The man's strike had broken one of his ribs.
"Haha, kid, you've got guts. Let's see how long it takes for your brother to find you." The man laughed, turning to leave.
LinHuaichu sat there, tense. Hearing the stone door close again, he slowly raised his hand and pulled out the hairpin from his hair. With a gentle push of his thumb, the embedded gemstone slid out, releasing a faint fragrance.
At the Lin residence, ShangGuanCY and LinMuchuan were planning the search for LinHuaichu when MuJinling burst in, looking anxious.
"CY, MuChuan," MuJinling's voice was tense.
Rarely seeing MuJinling so flustered, ShangGuanCY asked, "XB, what's happened?"
"Master's identity has been exposed. The emperor is mobilizing the entire city's troops to search for him," MuJinling explained.
ShangGuanCY frowned deeply, "Only a few of us knew Li Taifu's identity. How could it be exposed so easily?"
"It was ChengSangMo. He revealed Master's identity in court today," MuJinling continued.
"ChengSangMo? How did he find out?" ShangGuanCY was surprised.
MuJinling shook his head, "We're not sure yet. The Moon-Chasing Pavilion reported that a few days ago, he went to an abandoned temple in the western suburbs alone and met someone. The Northern Desert faction leader, BeiYuye, was present."
"Could it be that ChengSangMo discovered something and plans to act ahead of time?" LinMuchuan speculated.
The three fell silent, realizing they had been caught off guard by ChengSangMo's move. With the emperor mobilizing the troops to search for Li Taifu, they were not too worried about him being found. However, LiLuoning's presence in the palace and by ChengSangJY's side had been reassuring. Now, with LinHuaichu's whereabouts unknown and LiLuoning unable to show himself, the situation seemed dire.
MuJinling sniffed the air, following a scent around the room.
"XB, what is it?" LinMuchuan asked, seeing him search the room.
MuJinling's steps led him to an old bookshelf. "MuChuan, does the Lin residence have any secret rooms?"
LinMuchuan thought for a moment and shook his head, "This study was originally my father's. I rarely entered it when he was alive. But I redecorated the room. If there were any secret compartments, I would have discovered them."
"XB, did you find something?" ShangGuanCY asked.
MuJinling nodded seriously, "The hairpin I gave Huaichu contains a special incense only detectable by the Moon-Chasing Pavilion's trained scouts. I can smell it coming from behind this bookshelf."
Without a word, LinMuchuan pushed the bookshelf aside, revealing only a solid wall. ShangGuanCY tapped around but found nothing unusual, "There's no hidden compartment. The sound is consistent with the rest of the walls. XB, are you sure you're not mistaken? Neither of us can smell anything."
MuJinling was certain, "I'm not wrong. The scent is coming from behind this wall." He raised his hand, channeled his inner strength, and struck the wall.
With a crash, the wall crumbled, revealing a dark passage behind it. MuJinling picked up a bit of soil, sniffing it, "The Lin family has lived here for three generations. The soil in the walls should be old. This is new soil, from recent years."
MuJinling closed his eyes, listening intently. He heard the faint sound of wind through the brick cracks. Pressing his palm against a brick, he pushed, and the wall slowly fell, revealing a dark tunnel.
"There really is a secret room!" LinMuchuan exclaimed, grabbing two torches from the bookshelf, lighting them, and handing one to ShangGuanCY.
In the secret room, LinHuaichu, having just sent out a signal, heard the stone door move.
Soon, he heard a muffled whimper, like someone's mouth was covered. LinHuaichu's sharp senses picked up the sound, which an ordinary person would have missed. He also heard quick, light footsteps approaching.
Guessing it was the Moon-Chasing Pavilion's scouts responding to his signal, LinHuaichu cautiously retreated to a dark corner, watching.
Sure enough, a shadow appeared at the cell door, slicing through the chains with a swift movement.
"Second Young Master Lin, please follow me," the scout whispered to LinHuaichu.
---
"The scouts of the Moon-Chasing Pavilion are indeed impressive. I was hiding so well, yet you still found me," LinHuaichu remarked.
"This place is not safe. Please follow me," the scout replied. But before he could finish, he heard unfamiliar footsteps approaching. Quickly, he grabbed LinHuaichu's waistband and leaped onto the beams above.
"Hey, I was going to ask—" LinHuaichu began, only to be shushed by the scout.
By the dim light, three shadows could be seen moving, apparently searching for something. As they passed the stone door, LinMuchuan and ShangGuanCY exchanged a glance, with LinMuchuan heading outside while ShangGuanCY followed MuJinling deeper inside.
Not far from the cell, MuJinling sensed something, signaling ShangGuanCY to stop. He then spoke in a serious, low tone, "Come out."
The scout brought LinHuaichu down, quickly stepping forward and kneeling, "Greetings, Master."
MuJinling nodded slightly, asking, "Did you leave anyone alive?"
The scout replied, "The guard outside is still breathing."
"CY! XB!" LinHuaichu called out happily, moving toward them.
"Huaichu, are you alright?" ShangGuanCY pulled LinHuaichu over, inspecting him under the faint light.
Though LinHuaichu's hair was slightly disheveled, his face smudged with dirt, and blood still visible at the corners of his mouth, he smiled and shook his head. "How did you find me? Where's my brother?"
"He's outside," ShangGuanCY gestured towards the stone door.
MuJinling waved the scout away and turned to LinHuaichu, discerning from his breathing that something was amiss. Smiling, he quickly pressed and manipulated LinHuaichu's ribs.
"Ah! XB, what are you doing?" LinHuaichu exclaimed, feeling a sudden but relieving shift in his ribcage.
"Now you're alright," MuJinling said, turning to walk towards the stone door.
Outside the stone door, they found themselves in a civilian's woodshed. Stepping out, they saw LinMuchuan holding a tied-up guard.
"Brother!" LinHuaichu exclaimed, running up to him.
LinMuchuan dropped the guard and caught LinHuaichu, asking with concern, "Are you alright? Let me see."
LinHuaichu patted himself down and reassured, "I'm fine. If it wasn't for that masked man being so skilled, I would've escaped to find you all sooner."
"A masked man?" LinMuchuan asked, puzzled.
LinHuaichu nodded, "Yes, his skills were impressive. He even broke two of my ribs."
Hearing this, LinMuchuan's eyes filled with worry. "Broke your ribs? Why did you have to confront him head-on if you knew you couldn't win?"
ShangGuanCY and MuJinling stood by, amused, as LinHuaichu dismissed his brother's concern. "It's alright now. XB already fixed me up inside. Look, I'm perfectly fine." He tried to jump to demonstrate but winced as pain shot through his ribs.
MuJinling shook his head with a wry smile. "I did realign your ribs, but you'll need to rest to fully recover. That jump likely misaligned them again. We'll need to fix them once more when we get back."
LinHuaichu's spirits fell, dreading another round of pain. "No need to trouble XB again. I can just see a regular doctor."
ShangGuanCY, knowing LinHuaichu well, added fuel to the fire. "Why go to an ordinary doctor when you have XB here?"
LinHuaichu was about to retort when he saw the guard trying to escape. "Hey, he's getting away!"
MuJinling swiftly threw the grass stem he had been playing with, piercing the guard's legs.
At the decrepit Xiao mansion, ChengSangJY, in disguise, looked around before slipping inside.
"Greetings, Your Highness," LiuRuichen, dressed in simple clothing, knelt with several attendants behind him.
ChengSangJY turned, his expression uncharacteristically stern. "Liu, your loyalty to the Xiao family is commendable. But can I count on your service?"
"Your Highness, we owe our lives to you. We are at your command," LiuRuichen declared.
ChengSangJY scoffed, "You promised the same to the Xiao family, didn't you?"
LiuRuichen's demeanor faltered, his fingers nervously brushing his palms. "We were blind to Xiao's true intentions. Your Highness saved us, and we are eternally grateful. We pledge our loyalty to you."
"Your loyalty is to be proven," ChengSangJY said, walking up to LiuRuichen. "Remember, betrayal will cost you and your family dearly."
LiuRuichen, stunned by ChengSangJY's threatening tone, quickly agreed. "I understand, Your Highness."
"Good. With the new year approaching, prepare a gift for the court," ChengSangJY ordered.
Back at the Lin residence, LinMuchuan marveled at the secret passage. "I never knew Father's study had a hidden exit."
"It seems this group might be remnants of the old Lin army," ShangGuanCY speculated.
MuJinling disagreed, shaking his head. "Even if they were old soldiers, General Lin wouldn't reveal such secrets. And if MuChuan didn't know, how could they?"
ShangGuanCY nodded, looking serious. "Our situation is precarious. The emperor approved the military exchange request this morning. If I'm right, ChengSangMo will use this chance to mix his private soldiers in."
MuJinling pondered, "I'm more curious about who revealed Master's identity."
"Right now, I'm more worried about JY. The prince has shut his doors for days, refusing to see anyone, even Huaichu," ShangGuanCY said. He was interrupted by LinHuaichu entering, holding an apple and a letter.
"What's up?" LinMuchuan asked.
LinHuaichu handed the letter to LinMuchuan, explaining, "CuiYi sent this. He's inviting me to his birthday party."
"Just you?" MuJinling asked.
LinHuaichu shook his head. "He also sent word to the palace, but I don't know if JY will come. And Zhiyue has been at his place these days."
"Huazhiyue? How do you know?" ShangGuanCY asked.
LinHuaichu casually waved the letter under his nose. "The scent of the powder I gave her."
MuJinling took the letter and sniffed it, confirming the faint fragrance.
"JY seems fond of CuiYi. He'll probably attend. You should go and check on him," ShangGuanCY advised.
LinHuaichu glanced around at his brothers. "Anything you want me to say?"
LinMuchuan and MuJinling looked at ShangGuanCY.
"Why are you looking at me? He's not listening to anything I say," ShangGuanCY said innocently.
At the Cui residence, the steward led LinHuaichu to the backyard, where he saw ChengSangJY sitting on straw, gently petting a small red-furred lamb.
"JY," LinHuaichu called, approaching.
ChengSangJY turned, seeing LinHuaichu, and stood up, brushing off the straw. "Huaichu."
Full of energy, LinHuaichu patted ChengSangJY's arm. "You came. I knew you wouldn't miss CuiYi's party."
ChengSangJY forced a smile and nodded.
Noticing ChengSangJY's downcast expression, LinHuaichu leaned in. "Still upset about Master?"
ChengSangJY nodded slightly. "Aren't you?"
"Of course, I am. A good teacher is hard to find. The emperor's reaction seems excessive," LinHuaichu replied.
"Deceiving the emperor is a grave offense," ChengSangJY said gloomily.
LinHuaichu disagreed. "Everyone has secrets. Must we all be completely open before the royal family? As long as it harms no one, why should it matter?"
"Does everyone have secrets?" ChengSangJY murmured. "Do you have any secrets, Huaichu?"
Taken aback, LinHuaichu paused before laughing. "We grew up together. What secrets could I have? You know all my secrets. Even if I had any, they'd be trivial."
LinHuaichu draped an arm over ChengSangJY's shoulder. "Maybe Master just didn't want his past known. Don't worry too much. With his skills, he won't be easily caught."
ChengSangJY nodded absently.
"By the way, where's Zhiyue?" LinHuaichu asked, looking around.
ChengSangJY's eyes brightened. "Is she here?"
LinHuaichu looked around. "I thought she...," he trailed off as CuiYi emerged.