On hearing the servant say that Tao Yi looked very anxious, Ling Zhang hastened outside to meet him in the belief that something bad had happened.

"What's wrong? Did anything happen?" Ling Zhang directly asked Tao Yi at the sight of him. The two of them were friends with years' acquaintance, which made pleasantries totally unnecessary.

Tao Yi, seeing Ling Zhang walk out, said with a guilty face, "I'm the one to blame for what happened in the Taibai Tavern earlier today."

Ling Zhang was perplexed. "What are you talking about?"

Tao Yi replied, "Someone tried to poison you in the Taibai Tavern, and there's only one explanation for that: one of us disclosed to others that we'd stand you a meal there. I sounded them out and the one who paid the bill today told me in private that one of my schoolmates divulged our bet."

Ling Zhang, whose face remained unchanged, remarked, "None of us had ever said the bet should be kept secret, so it's not really surprising that one of us mentioned it to other people. This is not your fault."

Tao Yi said, "But I feel very upset about this matter, and I wouldn't be able to find peace of mind if I don't come here and inform you of it."

Ling Zhang queried, "Who told others about the bet?"

Tao Yi answered, "Wang Deguang."

Ling Zhang, after a moment's recollection, came to know which one that person was.

"Maybe Brother Wang did that unintentionally. It's best if this stays between me and you. I'll have this matter looked into later. You should pretend this talk never happened in the presence of Wang Deguang. If you don't and it turns out to be a misunderstanding, we'd be in a very awkward situation."

Tao Yi inclined his head. "I understand."

Tao Yi indeed had every reason to feel distressed after what happened earlier this day. If it was really because one of his schoolmates had disclosed their whereabouts that had nearly caused Ling Zhang to be poisoned, he would have a terrible conscience knowing he'd put his friend in danger and would be ashamed to see anybody for the rest of his life.

Ling Zhang said, "Don't overthink it. Let me be honest with you – someone wants me dead, and nothing could prevent them from finding out my whereabouts. Also, that bet was never really confidential."

"Who wants you dead? Is it Jiang Yu?" asked Tao Yi, a grave look on his face.

It had never crossed Ling Zhang's mind that Tao Yi would link it to Jiang Yu. He shook his head. "He and I do have history, but I don't think he has anything to do with this."

Tao Yi persisted, "Then do you know who that person is? Does the Marshal know?"

Ling Zhang responded, "We have a vague guess, but it's inconvenient to talk much about it in these circumstances. I'll tell you when the truth is ascertained."

Seeing Ling Zhang was insistent on keeping it back from him, Tao Yi, though anxious, had no choice but to give up asking for more details. He said, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Ling Zhang said, "We can handle this by ourselves, so stay out of it. It's dangerous. And do not visit me again in the next few days. If by any chance you come to any harm, I wouldn't be able to show my face in front of Lord Tao."

Tao Yi observed, "We're friends."

Ling Zhang responded, "That's the very reason I need you to do this. The knowledge that my friends are safe is the only thing that can help me get rid of the worries behind. If you're dragged into this because of me, I would be bound hands and feet and have to worry about you as well."

Tao Yi widened his eyes. "You might as well directly say that I'm utterly useless!"

Ling Zhang smiled, "It surprises me that you got the undertone."

After glaring at Ling Zhang in annoyance for quite a while, Tao Yi said, "Fine, but you must let me know when you need my help. Although my powers are limited, I have my teacher at my back, so there's got to be something I can be of assistance to you."

Ling Zhang nodded. "All right."

Tao Yi was right about this – his teacher at his back was a big shot keeping a low profile, who could be of help to them in a lot of things, but this was also the very reason why this old lord never exerted his influence unless there was a very good reason for doing it. Otherwise the emperor wouldn't have still been relying heavily on his service till this day.

After seeing Tao Yi off, Ling Zhang told Yuwen Tong about Wang Deguang.

"Currently I'm not quite sure whether or not it had anything to do with him. How about you have him looked into?"

Yuwen Tong said, "Yao Yi has already sent some men to look into the couple of students, and the results should come out by night. I'll have him pay extra attention to Wang Deguang."

...

The news of the unsuccessful attempt to poison Ling Zhang in the Taibai Tavern hadn't spread yet. All those present on the scene that day kept this matter secret of their own free will.

But the sudden suicide of that waiter of the Taibai Tavern had still attracted a lot of people's attention. For the moment, nobody had connected it with Ling Zhang.

At night, people sent to look into the couple of students of the Oriental Rite Academy returned, not empty-handed.

Some of Wang Deguang's family members worked in the Department of Court Artisans. All the horse-drawn carriages and pleasure-ships that the King Hui and Shan Congwen used to go sightseeing a few days ago had been provided by Wang family. The relations between Wang family and the King Hui were not simple. During these years, the former had been offering monetary support to the latter on a regular basis.

It had indeed been Wang Deguang, and Tao Yi had guessed right. Wang Deguang had always been fairly unobtrusive when staying with Tao Yi and the others, and it was not very obvious that he was from a quite wealthy family. The couple of schoolmates of his, however, were more inclined to attract people's attention.

Yuwen Tong instructed, "Dig into Wang family's recent dealings with the King Hui."

Yao Yi answered, "Yes, Marshal."

...

Ling Zhang had an application for leave delivered to the Imperial College and stayed at home on the pretext of nursing his arm injury. Yuwen Tong dispatched almost all his bodyguards to the Ling Mansion to provide security.

Ji Yin, on arrival at the Ling Mansion, was slightly surprised to see that this place was so heavily guarded.

"Grandfather," called Ling Zhang.

A smile broke across Ji Yin's face as he caught sight of his grandson, his mild and loving eyes watching Ling Zhang walking towards him.

But at the thought of the incident in the Taibai Tavern, he went somewhat worried. "I heard what happened in the Taibai Tavern. Did you come into contact with the poison?"

Ling Zhang shook his head. "No. I detected it. Besides, I was carrying the medicinal jade given to me by my mother."

Ling Zhang fished out the blackish green jade pendant around his neck and showed it to Ji Yin, smiling.

A reminiscent look of grief gleamed in Ji Yin's tender eyes as they fell on the jade pendant. "Every member of the Phoenix Clan carries a jade pendant like this. It was the previous clan leader who personally put this pendant around your mother's neck the day she was born. At that time, your grandmother was still alive. Now both of them are gone. So many years have passed but it feels like an instant."

After hearing this, Ling Zhang, in the knowledge that he had unintentionally evoked his grandfather's painful memories, stuffed the pendant back into his clothes and said to Ji Yin, "Grandfather, you still have me keeping you company."

The reminiscent expression of grief on Ji Yin's face was replaced by a happy smile. "Your willingness to call me grandfather is a great gratification to me."

Ling Zhang heaved a sigh in his heart. Those things had happened many years ago, which made it so hard to judge who had been in the right or who had been in the wrong. No matter what, this old man had saved his father's life and also gifted him with a handbook on internal energy. He was his benefactor, so of course he was willing to call him grandfather and spend more time with him.

"Grandfather, the loyalty of all people in this residential compound has withstood strict test, and they won't breathe a word of what they're not supposed to disclose. You may come and stay here for a couple of days whenever it's convenient for you."

On hearing this, Ji Yin bobbed his head with a beam on his face. "Okay."

With his kung fu skills, he could sneak into the Ling Mansion unseen with the greatest ease.

"Let me have a look at your right arm," said Ji Yin.

Ling Zhang stepped closer to him and swiveled aside.

Ji Yin lightly pressed his hand onto Ling Zhang's arm and stroked it all the way down to his wrist, asking Ling Zhang how he felt.

Ling Zhang described his sensations one by one. Ji Yin said, "Your wound worsened somewhat during the couple of rounds of horse race earlier today. You must not use this arm again in the next few days."

Ling Zhang promised he wouldn't. "I won't do anything other than nursing my arm injury before a full recovery."

Yuwen Tong, who had gone out to look into the relations between the King Hui and Shan Congwen, was not in at this moment. Ji Yin, seeing that he was absent, asked, "Where's Marshal Yuwen?"

"He is investigating who tried to poison me."

Ji Yin queried seriously, "You found out who want you dead?"

Ling Zhang inclined his head. "We have some suspects."

Ji Yin inquired, "Who are they?"

Ling Zhang thought for a brief moment and then said, "The King Hui and Shan Congwen from the Wan Kingdom."

Ji Yin knitted his eyebrows and immediately identified the key point. "There's no conflict of interests between you and the Wan Kingdom. It must be because of someone else that Shan Congwen wants you dead. As for Zhou Mingci, he wants to kill you probably to seek revenge for his younger sister's being sent into the imperial temple."

Ling Zhang gave a nod of agreement. This was also what he had speculated. The King Hui's motive was easy to guess, but that of Shan Congwen wasn't. And it surprised him that his grandfather knew so much about this matter as well, so he expressed his confusion. "If it's because of Yuwen Tong's previous deeds that Shan Congwen wants me dead, then his intention would purely be to vent his anger and reduce Yuwen Tong to grief and fury. But it's unmistakably detrimental to him and the Wan Kingdom to infuriate Yuwen Tong merely because of this. Surely he knows better than that?"

Yuwen Tong had once said that Shan Congwen was actually not a fool, that otherwise he wouldn't have been put in charge of the diplomatic corps dispatched to the Great Yue to negotiate. A lot of tricky issues had to be settled first before a peace accord could be achieved by the two sides. As long as the Wan Kingdom had even the faintest idea of struggling for interests, they would never have sent a fool to the Great Yue.

As a result, although Shan Congwen got kicked by Yuwen Tong for his tart words on the day they'd just arrived in the capital city, that had been because Shan Congwen held him in icy disregard and didn't know Yuwen Tong was in that horse-drawn carriage that day. Compared with Yuwen Tong, Shan Congwen was at a disadvantage, though he was smart, which was why he was kept down by Yuwen Tong. Otherwise the Wan Kingdom wouldn't have sustained a defeat that disastrous.

Ji Yin said, "Shan Congwen bears the title of the King Ming'en in the Wan Kingdom. Rumor has it that the emperor of the Wan Kingdom doesn't really think highly of him, but according to some secret intelligence reports of the Millennium Pavilion, Shan Congwen is actually very much in the emperor's confidence. A man like this is by no means a fool."

Ling Zhang was surprised. "Grandfather, hasn't the Millennium Pavilion already decided to stay in seclusion for eternity? How come you still have so much acquaintance with the situation of the outside world?"

Ji Yin smiled and then let out a sigh. "It's true that the Millennium Pavilion will stay secluded, but we cannot be utterly blind to the political situation in the outside world. We do this to better protect ourselves. Otherwise the Millennium Pavilion wouldn't have enjoyed hundreds of years' peaceful life."

Though now was not the right time to change the topic, Ling Zhang still couldn't help but ask, "You said that in the previous dynasty the Millennium Pavilion was under the control of the imperial family, forced to serve the ruler against their will, but to my knowledge, the Millennium Pavilion wielded enormous power in the previous dynasty and were highly revered by the whole country, and even the then emperor was respectful of its authority and trusted its members very much. Why..."

Ji Yin, not surprised by Ling Zhang's curiosity about this, replied, "You said it yourself – the then emperor trusted the Foreseers Agency very much, but it's not easy to gain people's trust, especially that of an emperor, not to mention all previous emperors' great trust in the Foreseers Agency. Although this involved some secrets, the fundamental reason was that the head foreseer himself was under the control of the imperial household. Foreseers, though respected by all, were in fact no more than puppets of the imperial household, which was why when the Xia fell apart, all members of the Foreseers Agency still alive unhesitatingly chose to leave. And they loathed the idea of getting involved in any political strife as well, because none of them wanted to lose their freedom again."

Though unaware of what those secrets were, Ling Zhang could understand what Ji Yin meant. The Foreseers Agency, which had been world-famous in the Xia dynasty, had actually been a tool of the imperial household at that time.

Ling Zhang, who had a sense of propriety, didn't persist with his questioning but said, "Since Shan Congwen is in the emperor of the Wan Kingdom's confidence and not a fool, this suggests that Yuwen Tong was not the reason why he tried to kill me. Even if he did that because of Yuwen Tong, venting his anger was not the purpose. There was some deeper reason, and I was just a springboard for it."

Ji Yin remarked seriously, "This is the tricky part. Given that Shan Congwen has stayed in the Great Yue for such a long time, he must have some ulterior motive. It was undoubtedly to a certain end that he waded in, so he probably would stop at nothing to take your life."

Ling Zhang saw what Ji Yin meant. Shan Congwen had attempted to kill him for a purpose, one he would resort to whatever means necessary to achieve.

Shan Congwen was the King Ming'en of the Wan Kingdom and represented the interests of the Wan Kingdom. What was motivating Shan Congwen to do this was, without doubt, beneficial to the Wan Kingdom and detrimental to the Great Yue.

If only he could ascertain what Shan Congwen's intention was exactly.

The King Hui was in league with the Wan Kingdom... Wasn't it no different from a hen cooperating with a weasel? Was he not afraid that the Great Yue would be put at a disadvantage again? After such a heavy price was paid to bring a turnabout of the situation between the Great Yue and the Wan Kingdom, he intended to hand this advantage to the enemy on a silver platter?!

Ling Zhang's impression of the King Hui worsened even further.

Ji Yin kept nothing back while instructing Ling Zhang in internal energy. Though Ling Zhang was still recovering from arm injury, it was no hindrance to him mobilizing his internal energy. Ji Yin stood right beside him, carefully offering him useful tips. This was different from Ling Zhang cultivating alone. With Ji Yin instructing him, he was getting twice the result with half the effort. Ling Zhang had got a general idea of how far away he was from the third layer.

Ji Yin was the best mentor. He was not only experienced but also capable of identifying at a glance which part Ling Zhang was not doing right. No matter what question Ling Zhang asked, he could always give an answer that struck home.

As a result, during the next two days, with Ji Yin in the Ling Mansion, Ling Zhang made great progress in his cultivation of internal energy, though he couldn't go outside.

Two days later, Yuwen Tong seemed to have found something during the inquiry, but he was still not back.

Ling Zhang guessed that he must be very busy – after all, it was a prince that he was working against. The King Hui couldn't hold a candle to Yuwen Tong, but because he had a great number of followers who formed a very complicated network in the imperial court, bringing him down was not something that could be done in a day or two, though he was not really a formidable opponent.

Ling Zhang patiently waited, but on this day Ji Yin told him that he would teach him martial formations after he finished the cultivation of the second layer and reached the third layer.

Ling Zhang, who could comprehend the many formations his mother had taught him all by himself, was somewhat confused. Were there any formations he needed to reach the third layer of the mental cultivation method first to be ready to learn, by any chance?

Ji Yin didn't answer him directly but took him to the drill ground.

It had come to the knowledge of almost everybody in the Ling Mansion, except for some servants, that Ji Yin was grandfather to their young master. They also knew that their young master's grandfather was a kung fu expert with formidable martial arts prowess, who gained entry into the Ling Mansion unseen by all of them every day.

The first time he'd made his appearance, Yao Yi and the other bodyguards had been reduced to cold sweat.

Now seeing Ji Yin and Ling Zhang walking over, all of them stopped at the same time what they were doing, as if there was some kind of tacit agreement among them. "Young Master, Mr. Ji."

There was a confused look in their eyes. Ling Zhang, who was also perplexed, looked at his grandfather.

Ji Yin didn't utter a word, but all of a sudden he raised his hand and, without moving an inch, transferred a couple of boulders from a side of the drill ground to the middle of it, as if by telekinetic powers. The positions of those boulders didn't seem to follow a particular pattern, but as they landed, both the space and the atmosphere on the drill ground changed. The drill ground, which had been quite spacious a moment ago, instantly made Ling Zhang feel that he had just entered a forest of boulders. Not only were people around him out of sight, even what he saw, heard and sensed was different now. At the same time, he went restless and subdued in spite of himself.

Also, he didn't know when, but gusts of wind accompanied by sand had started howling outside the drill ground. Weirdly enough, the dusty wind was whirling around the drill ground like a gigantic tornado, engulfing the whole place.

Ling Zhang, who had been standing beside his grandfather all along, had a vague idea of what Ji Yin had done to conjure up this tornado, but there were still many details he couldn't comprehend for the moment. More importantly, this formation had been finished in an instant and almost with the greatest ease. In his eyes, it would require concerted efforts of quite some men to finish a formation like this, but Ji Yin had made it happen all by himself.