"Brother Chen, please follow me."

Changsun He stepped out of the cave first, and after Chen Tang came out, he pointed to the sky.

Chen Tang looked up.

He saw a black dot the size of a fingernail hovering above the sky, weaving in and out of the deep clouds, barely visible. Without concentrating, one wouldn’t notice it at all.

Chen Tang suddenly understood.

Initially, when Changsun Ming approached him in Qingzhou, he mentioned that the Changsun family had business dealings with Wusun Country.

The people of Wusun Country were skilled in training eagles and had once sent him a hawk.

Chen Tang asked, "Is it Brother Changsun’s hawk?"

Changsun He nodded and said, "Young Master Ming was worried about you, so he sent this hawk over. It can be used to track someone and also serve as an early warning."

Chen Tang felt a warmth in his heart and asked, "How has Changsun been in these past two years?"

Changsun He replied, "Young Master Ming is well. However, his family has kept him away from the court. He has been diligently cultivating under General Murong these past two years and has made considerable progress. He is now in the Fourth Grade Awakening Realm."

Chen Tang was silent for a moment and then asked, "How is the court situation in Beiqian? Is Heigou... oh, how are Yuan Qingmo and the Eldest Princess?"

"Alas."

Changsun He sighed and shook his head, "The political situation in Qian Country is hard to describe. It is currently unstable and everyone is restless. Perhaps it’s because the current Emperor is young and inexperienced in governance, leading to complaints from the court and the public."

"Fortunately, Prince Wei is in charge of the Qilin Bureau. He is fair and just, truly a pillar of Beiqian, earning the title ’Ink Qilin’. Nowadays, anyone in Qian Country who mentions Prince Wei would praise him as a virtuous scholar and the cornerstone of the nation."

"As for the Eldest Princess... she stays deep within the palace, and I haven’t heard any news about her."

Chen Tang nodded.

No news at least meant nothing had gone wrong.

As for the current political situation in Beiqian, Chen Tang wasn’t surprised.

Back then, he had had a few encounters with Yuan Taiping and felt there was something peculiar about the child.

Now, with Yuan Qingshan and his wife committing self-immolation as a sacrifice to heaven, no one could suppress him. Ascending the throne at a young age and wielding supreme power, he would certainly act recklessly and without restraint.

Chen Tang recalled Yuan Qingmo’s somewhat forlorn and dejected face.

Heigou had never been willing to engage in court affairs.

Returning to the capital to take charge of the Qilin Bureau back then was due to the incident at Mist Rain Village, coupled with Yuan Qingshan’s sincere invitation.

Now, hearing Changsun He speak of him as the cornerstone statesman and Ink Qilin with a high reputation in Beiqian, Chen Tang could roughly guess that Heigou must be feeling unhappy.

But he might be increasingly trapped and unable to extricate himself.

Changsun He said, "Brother Chen, things are tense outside now. Why not hide with me for a while?"

"Alright."

Chen Tang nodded.

He currently had nowhere to go, so it was a good idea to settle down somewhere.

In the morning light, Changsun He glanced at Chen Tang a few more times, marveling, "Brother Chen, your disguise technique is truly remarkable, it saves a lot of trouble."

"In Nanxia, we use the ’Sun’ surname; I go by the alias Sun He. Brother Chen, you’d best think of an alias too. I’ll have you temporarily become my personal guard, but it’s just a title—no need for Brother Chen to take on any duties."

"Let’s go with Chen Jing."

Chen Tang thought for a moment and provided a name.

The alias Murong Haitang was certainly inconvenient to use now.

Many in Nanxia already knew of his background. Using that name would certainly attract attention.

He had once been accepted by the Zen Sect as a lay disciple and given the dharma name ’Ming Jing’, which inspired this alias.

Changsun He took Chen Tang to the official road, leading to a ferry at the riverbank.

Docked beside the ferry was a cargo ship from the Sun Family Trading House.

After the two boarded, Changsun He briefly introduced him as a personal guard invited from Jianghu, then led Chen Tang to a private room.

Due to Chen Tang’s unique identity, Changsun He did not intend to let others know about him.

"Brother Chen, please rest here."

Changsun He said, "I’ll instruct the servants not to disturb you."

"Much appreciated."

Chen Tang cupped his hands in thanks.

The merchant ship sailed upstream along the Xiajiang River for nearly a month, departing from the Yuezhou ferry, passing through Jingzhou, and finally reaching Great Xia Yizhou.

The Sun Family Trading House was relatively small, merely trading in silks and teas, and conducting some North-South trade, with several shops in Yizhou.

After a month, Chen Tang’s injuries were already healed.

He spent most of his time in the room cultivating a technique, aiming to achieve a breakthrough and open the Seventh Aperture.

However, haste makes waste.

The more anxious he was, the harder it became to breakthrough, lacking just the right opportunity.

Upon reaching the Yizhou ferry, the merchant ship docked. Changsun He disembarked with Chen Tang and others, resting over at the Teahouse Gate, while the steward began directing the servants to unload the cargo from the ship.

By now, the weather had turned cooler, and the autumn wind was bleak. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The Teahouse Gate’s business was unusually bustling.

At the riverside ferry, people were coming and going, a mixed multitude of all sorts, most choosing to rest at the Teahouse Gate.

After a month aboard the merchant ship, they were unaware of what had transpired in the Jianghu community.

The intelligence at the Teahouse Gate was the most well-informed.

Chen Tang was eager to inquire.

Shen Zhiyuan and others should have escaped danger by now, and news of the Drunken Eight Immortals would surely spread.

He wondered how the Drunken Immortal Tower would react.

At the Teahouse Gate, with a pot of tea ordered, before Chen Tang and his companions could ask questions, they heard the nearby tables filled with Jianghu guests discussing the matter.

"Do you think the thing about the Drunken Eight Immortals is true or not?"

"I reckon it’s fake. The bigwigs of so many sects in the Jianghu have drunk the Drunken Eight Immortals. If there was a problem with the wine, wouldn’t someone have stood up by now? We haven’t heard of any notable figures stepping forward."

"What kind of person is the Drunken Elder? How could he do such a deranged thing?"

"I’ve heard that Elder Sun, the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley, vouched that there’s no problem with the Drunken Eight Immortals."

Chen Tang’s expression remained calm.

The Drunken Immortal Tower’s influence is immense, and the Drunken Elder is a martial arts leader; it truly would be hard to shake his standing with just this piece of news.

However, despite the conversation among these people, there was no mention of Medical Master Mo Ming.

He wondered if Song Wu safely escorted him to Peach Blossom Valley.

"It’s all just rumors. I’ve heard that this incident is related to Chen Tang, and Shen Zhiyuan, too trusting of him, said such absurd things."

"Indeed, it’s said that Chen Tang is a Beiqian person, possibly even a Beiqian Dark Scout, with ulterior motives, coming here to sow chaos in our Great Xia Martial World."

Someone at another table frowned, "No way, I heard he was being hunted down by Beiqian, with no escape route he fled here."

The person on this side sneered, "It’s all a bitter ruse, you’re too easily fooled. This person is valued by the Emperor of Beiqian, even conferred the title ’Lion-Tiger Arhat.’"

"Is Sword Pavilion also fooled, as they hold him in such high regard?"

The various groups engaged in heated exchanges over this matter.

An elderly man sternly said, "Stop arguing, there’s no need for everyone to hurt relationships over a dead man. I heard he was targeted by the Dongyi Race and ended up buried at the river’s bottom."

The conversation proved unproductive, and the groups traded cold laughs and ceased their discussion.

At this moment, someone suddenly said, "The Jade Flute Fairy has emerged, have you heard?"