Mu Chen rubbed his forehead. The underground waterway was out of the question. Not only did he not remember the route, but the beast pouch was with Liu Fengying. Xiao Xue was sick and unresponsive, she couldn't hold her breath that long. For a long time, he racked his brain but still couldn't come up with a solution.

"Maybe I can slip behind someone when they use the gate?" Mu Chen frowned. He wasn't sure of the feasibility of the plan. "Anyway, let's hide for now..." He looked around and chose the direction where Proprietor Jin and that young master were staying.

But soon after he left the vegetable garden, Mu Chen found his path blocked. The number of guards on patrol had increased. They were on full alert, sweeping everywhere with their divine senses.

Seeing them, Mu Chen hid inside a bush, covering himself with his sword sense. Although there were several guards, none of them were able to detect him.

Two guards walked by the bush near Mu Chen and he was able to hear them talking.

"Did someone really break in?" One of the guards asked, nervous.

"We don't know. The gossip array didn't detect anyone entering," the other guard said. "But someone made a lot of noise outside. Captain suspects that person may have an accomplice—he might have slipped through."

"T-then isn't it dangerous?"

"Haha! Don't worry, the captain is just being cautious. And even if a cultivator did sneak in, he can only hide from us. If he tries to use his cultivation base, he will only expose himself in vain. We can take him down with ease."

"T-that's better."

"Come on, let's hurry and finish the task. And keep quiet―Captain doesn't want to make a scene and bother the royal family and the guests…"

The two of them walked away.

"Damn this captain, making things so difficult for me," Mu Chen cursed. It was gratifying to see people who were so conscientious about their job, but only when they weren't standing against you.

Mu Chen prayed for Su He's escape and continued to move forward. But his progress slowed down to a crawl. Part of the reason was due to the patrols, the other was Xiao Xue.

Xiao Xue had become restless. Her eyes were still closed, but under the eyelids, they kept moving. She kept twisting and squirming around, almost slipping out of Mu Chen's grasp. Mu Chen had to spend a lot of effort to just keep her still. But as if that wasn't enough, Xiao Xue started making all sorts of weird sounds.

"Sssh…Xiao Xue, stay quiet." Mu Chen held Xiao Xue and tried to block her mouth with his hand, but the next moment his eyes watered in regret.

Xiao Xue bit him.

"Little brat," Mu Chen held his breath. He could only endure the pain and frustration. But although he kept quiet, someone else didn't.

"Aooooo!" Xiao Xue howled. In the silent night, the ululating howl was like a sharp whistle that traveled far and wide.

Mu Chen had black lines on his forehead. He was the one who was bitten, why was she howling? But he didn't have time to dwell on it.

"It came from here!" someone shouted.

"He's there...I see him!" another guard shouted.

Following Xiao Xue's howl, guards began to appear in the vicinity.

Mu Chen sensed several divine senses sweeping past him, trying to get a lock on him. His cover was blown, Mu Chen didn't bother to hide his movements and broke into a sprint. Before the guards had the opportunity to complete the encirclement, Mu Chen slipped through an opening.

"He's getting away..."

"Quick! Notify Sir Captain..."

Mu Chen heard the guards screaming behind him. He took a few turns, trying to shake off the pursuer's but soon found several guards coming towards him from the front. Unlike Mu Chen, they were familiar with the terrain and could also communicate with each other.

"Damn!" Mu Chen frowned and changed his direction once again.

Shua! Shua! Shua!

Mu Chen heard several flying swords approach him from behind. "Hmph!" He snorted and used his sword intent, and jumped to the side. The swords flew past him and embedded themselves into the ground. Mu Chen increased his speed and disappeared from the guards' vision. But he didn't stop running.

"Ha...ha…" Escaping the guards' pursuit, Mu Chen found a secluded spot and gasped for breath. "At this rate, I will be exhausted to death." Mu Chen's mood turned sour. Although he found Xiao Xue, it would mean nothing if he couldn't escape from here.

"Where am I?" Mu Chen looked around and when he saw the building in front of him, his jaw almost dropped. "Isn't this the Ming Dynasty's Palace?" Mu Chen's face twitched. He had been so engrossed in trying to avoid his pursuers, he didn't even notice when arrived in front of the palace itself.

Mu Chen looked behind. The sound of the guards was getting closer. He clenched his fist and made a decision. Mu Chen wrapped his sword intent around himself and Xiao Xue. Holding Xiao Xue with one hand, Mu Chen leaped over the wall of the palace.

The moment when he was about to cross over the wall, Mu Chen knew he made a mistake. A strong repulsive force pushed him and Mu Chen was thrown back with a bang, faster than he had jumped.

"Damn!" Mu Chen groaned. He had underestimated the formations. The reason he had an easy time exploring the outer residence was that the majority of the formations he encountered, had been designed to detect and repel cultivators. For a behemoth like the Ming Dynasty, a mortal human was of so little threat they didn't even consider them when arranging the formations, resulting in the oversight.

But the palace was different. It was the core of the Ming Dynasty. The secrets it protected couldn't be leaked to any outsider. So the array surrounding the palace had been carefully arranged. Not even a fly could enter without permission.

"Cough!" Mu Chen stood up feeling a bit dizzy. He felt as if he had been hit with a carriage. He looked down and saw Xiao Xue wasn't hurt and was relieved. But he didn't have the time to waste. His little fiasco had made a noise just now, so guards would be on his tail soon.

But he had barely taken a few steps, he froze. Standing in front of him was a familiar figure. Mu Chen looked at him and was shocked.

"Brother Chen, is that you?" That person said in a familiar voice.

Even with his extraordinary eyesight, Mu Chen had trouble believing he hadn't recognized the wrong person. His voice was full of doubt as he asked, "G-Gao Ren?"

#

The two of them were sitting inside a luxurious and spacious room.

A chandelier hung from the ceiling, with the crystals illuminating the room with a soft light. The side walls were covered with life-size portraits of men and women. At the end of the other side, there was a large shelf, filled with books, jade scrolls, and slips.

On the other side of the was a table, with several parchments rolled on it. A brush and inkstone were placed next to. One of the parchments was half-open. Mu Chen saw several characters drawn in fancy fonts.

Nobles didn't have to struggle for the tiniest amount of resources for cultivation, so they had ample amount of time. Many would pursue fine arts to spend their time. It seemed Gao Ren also had such a hobby. Only, the characters drawn looked like wiggly little scratches made by a child without any aim.

Gao Ren saw Mu Chen staring at his calligraphy and was embarrassed. "Brother Chen?"

Mu Chen moved his eyes away from the writings and looked at Gao Ren. "So you are really..." he gestured and didn't finish his sentence.

Earlier he was almost surrounded by the guards, he ran into Gao Ren who was out for a walk. When the guards saw him, they stopped. With just a few words, Gao Ren was able to diffuse the situation which had caused Mu Chen a headache. Later, Gao Ren brought him into the palace inside one of the rooms. It was trivial for Mu Chen to make a few guesses about his identity.

"You're right. Brother Chen, let me reintroduce myself." Gao Ren straightened his back. "My real surname is Ming, and my first name is Ren. I am the Thirtieth Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty, Ming Ren"

Mu Chen sucked in a breath. He had expected Gao Ren to be related to the Ming Dynasty but didn't think he would turn out to be the crown prince. Thinking about how Li Kun and Xia Ping often tossed Gao Ren around, his face twitched. "So we have been in the presence of royalty, without knowing it."

"It was never my intention to deceive anyone," Gao―no, Ming Ren sighed. "To be honest, I've been considering whether I should reveal my identity to you guys or not. But with your appearance here, I don't have to be conflicted anymore."

"Li Kun and Xia Ping have been searching for you for several days," Mu Chen said. "When are you going to contact them?"

"Before that, Brother Chen...shouldn't you first explain what you are doing here?" Ming Ren's voice was calm, but it had a strong meaning of inquisition. Mu Chen was his friend and he just helped him, but that didn't mean he was cleared of all doubts. This was the Ming Dynasty's residence. How could anyone barge in?

Mu Chen sighed. "Xiao Xue was missing. I tracked her and I discovered she was here..." He briefly explained how he got in.

"You decided to break in, just like that?" Ming Ren was stunned. Rather than his decision, he was more shocked that Mu Chen had managed to accomplish it.

Mu Chen shrugged. "Believe it or not."

Ming Ren looked at Xiao Xue who was snuggled asleep on Mu Chen's lap and sighed. "I believe you," he said. "Is she alright?"

"I don't know what she ate in the medicine garden, but I think she is having a hard time digesting it." Mu Chen caressed Xiao Xue. She still had a fever, but her breath was stable and she didn't seem to have any more nightmares.

"Medicine garden?" Ming Ren frowned. "Some herbs planted there are dangerous to humans if eaten raw, but they shouldn't cause any danger to monster beasts..." As he was speaking Ming Ren seemed to realize something and did a double-take. "Y-you guys, did you ravage the medicine garden?"

"Sort of," Mu Chen's expression turned a bit stiff but he didn't deny it. As Xiao Xue's owner, he had to bear responsibility for what she did. "Will it be troublesome?"

"Troublesome?" Ming Ren looked at Mu Chen with a weird expression. "It's excellent. Haha..." He chuckled, then broke into laughter.

"You don't care?" Mu Chen was puzzled by Ming Ren's reaction. The family property was damaged. As the crown prince, shouldn't he be anxious and angry?

"Ha ha…" Ming Ren laughed so hard, he started panting. His gaze fell on Mu Chen, who was still staring at him, full of doubts. "Cough!" Ming Ren cleared his throat and controlled his laughter, but the corner of his mouth was still twitching. "Brother Chen, don't misunderstand. It's not like I don't care," Ming Ren said, but it didn't sound convincing. "Ahem! Where are my manners? You came to my place for the first time, let me treat you to something."

Ming Ren removed a bottle and two crystal glasses from a cabin. After filling both the glasses with a transparent liquid that looked like water, he handed one to Mu Chen. "This is from my personal collection, it's called Water of Life."

Mu Chen took the glass. When Ming Ren raised his glass, he followed suit and clinked them. But before he drank, he paused and eyed Ming Ren with his brow raised. "You are not going to skimp on the bill this time?"

"Haha," Ming Ren chuckled. "Not this time, I promise."

Mu Chen was thirsty from running around everywhere, so he took a sip without hesitation. The coolness of the liquid diffused through his throat towards his limbs, and Mu Chen felt his fatigue wash away.

"Another one?" Ming Ren offered to fill another serving.

Mu Chen didn't refuse. After downing a few more glasses, the two of them sat quietly for a couple of minutes. Finally, it was Ming Ren who broke the silence.

"Brother Chen, you must have a lot of questions," Ming Ren said. "Some questions I can answer, some questions I can't. But I want you to know that I never had the intention to involve you all in this mess—I just wanted to make some friends."

"Those guards, they were after you?" Mu Chen asked. He had speculated about the motives of the mastermind, but couldn't reach any conclusions. But if Ming Ren's identity as the Crown Prince was considered, it all made sense.

Ming Ren smiled bitterly. "Someone wanted to trap me. Fortunately, I had a feeling something was off and escaped. When I returned, I immediately sent people to investigate." Ming Ren looked at Mu Chen, somewhat apologetic. "But I didn't think they would act so fast. Before I returned, you guys had already disappeared. I found you a few days later, by then you had already controlled the entire situation..."

"So those men who were after Tan Jun," Mu Chen said, "they were sent by you?"

Ming Ren nodded. "I wanted to capture that guy alive for interrogation, but didn't think he would be so determined and commit suicide."

Mu Chen was relieved. The questions that had been bugging him had been answered. But the relief was short-lived because the answers only raised more questions. Someone who could order the guards of the city, someone who was bold enough to make a move against the crown prince, someone who could pull this off in the Ming Dynasty's capital city. How big was this person's background? There was only one answer. "The one behind all this. Is it someone from..."

"Although I'm the crown prince, life is far from easy." Ming Ren sighed and paused for a while. "You guessed it right, there is an internal strife going on in the Ming Dynasty."