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Liu Qi sat on the dragon throne in the imperial study, listening to the eunuch report intelligence. He knew that his younger brother, the Seventh Prince, was growing impatient. Unfortunately, during that last attempt, the Seventh Prince had only managed to capture a fake Gu Ping. Afterward, the Seventh Prince hurriedly rushed to Nine Houses Village, hoping to find Gu Ping's family, but it turned out to be another dead end. This made Liu Qi feel a sense of satisfaction; anything that displeased the Seventh Prince brought him joy.
Liu Qi flipped through the information in his hands and gestured for the eunuch to leave. Suddenly, he felt that something about this situation was different, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Why was the Seventh Prince so eager to involve himself in something seemingly trivial? Liu Qi pondered.
If it were merely to thwart his plans and prevent the envoy from reaching Mo Ming Academy, why go through such trouble? Why even personally wade into the murky waters of Yi Dong? What was in that box? Liu Qi thought for a moment before calling for Eunuch Afu to bring the county magistrate to him.
The servant complied without hesitation.
Watching Eunuch Afu leave, Liu Qi returned to studying the information while glancing at a map hanging nearby. He couldn't help but wonder where Gu Ping was at that moment.
Gu Ping was completely unaware of what had transpired over the past few days. By now, both he and Liu Lao Jiu had confirmed they were dealing with some supernatural entities. They had encountered a village they had never seen before and an ever-present willow tree that seemed to appear before them repeatedly. They had been wandering for an indeterminate amount of time but still had not found the end of the village or an exit.
They had tried several routes, weaving in and out of houses without success. They turned corners endlessly and even climbed onto rooftops and hid in cellars, all to no avail. The two were lost in a maze of confusion, but Gu Ping's anxiety grew with each passing moment. He worried about when their dog would be exposed; his parents had warned him that once the dog was handed over and it became clear he knew nothing, they wouldn't harm it. But Gu Ping couldn't shake off his unease—what if someone from City God Guard recognized him using the Golden Toad Shedding Technique? Would he be exposed? Even if they just sought out a beggar and investigated recent beggar movements, it would be easy to track him down.
Gu Ping felt an urgent need to act; every day wasted increased their danger. In such circumstances, what could he do? He wasn't a deity nor had he learned any Immortal Techniques—was he just waiting for death? No, Gu Ping firmly believed he would find a way out; it was just a matter of who would get there first.
The dog was covered with a sack and when it opened its eyes, it found itself bound to an iron frame. It thought it might be on a tiger bench and nearly scared itself to death.
With a sudden sound, the dog jolted awake, fearing that a blade was about to fall on its head and that its own head would soon hit the ground. It tightly shut its eyes, convinced it had already died.
A voice suddenly rang in its ears, prompting the dog to open its eyes. The old man who had captured him sat on a stool before him. Liu Jia was seated next to a stone table on his left side, facing a middle-aged man resembling a Cold Noodle Judge. However, this man's features were exceptionally grim, compounded by the dungeon's perpetual darkness and chill. The dog was more inclined to believe it had indeed died and found itself in some hellish realm.
"Where is Gu Ping?" Liu Jia asked.
The dog jolted again and shook its head in response.
What do I know about what's in the box?
The dog could only shake his head. He had never opened the box, and he was confident that he understood where a beggar's pride lay. Perhaps a beggar could only be audacious when robbing another beggar's bread. That was how the dog thought.
Beside him, the Cold Noodle Judge grew impatient, standing up and approaching the dog. He tore a piece from the dog's ornate clothing and held it in his hand.
The dog didn't quite catch what the Cold Noodle Judge said, but he was astonished by what unfolded before his eyes. A fragment of clothing spun through the air, and a mirror appeared in front of him. Soon, two indistinct figures emerged in the mirror, and at that moment, the dog felt a deep sense of despair and fear.
He knew he was out of options; what awaited him from Jie Donglai felt like death. But his death would hold no value because the person before him was seeking knowledge he wanted to know.
Just as the figure in the mirror was about to speak, a flash of cold light cut through the air. A long sword pierced the ground, and the mirror vanished from sight. The dog suddenly exhaled in relief but quickly tensed again, fearing that a group of black-clad men had rushed in to engage Liu Jia in battle.
Liu Jia wondered why there had been no warning before enemies attacked his dungeon. An outsider? I don't deny it. What other method could there be? Liu Jia couldn't help but glance at the chilling sword before him.
The blade was engraved with intricate patterns, perhaps even letters. The emerald sword hilt was delicately carved, resembling a weapon fit for a woman, yet it looked more like an ornamental piece than a functional sword—one that had just shattered Liu Jia's calm demeanor. Liu Jia looked at the middle-aged man with a cold expression; that man was staring intently at the sword, lost in thought.
And what about the dog?
For a moment, the dog felt as if the world around him had fallen silent. The terrifying sounds of battle had ceased; there was no longer any chill in the air. Was it over? It seemed so, yet it wasn't clear. The old man was still fighting against unknown enemies, blood splattering across the ground.
Why was that blood black-red? Why did everything seem to be black-red? Why were they all silent? Was this some kind of silent play? The script must be terrible; it certainly lacked interest compared to what Ping Ge would have provided.
He wondered how Gu Ping was doing. Suddenly feeling hot, it was as if he were being scorched by fire. Should he die like this? Even if he died, would anyone remember him? He was just a dog; there would be no chance for change—who made him a dog anyway?
The middle-aged man watched as an unknown figure turned to ash under blue flames, clenching his fists tightly. He knew that with such leg strength, even without anyone present, bodies could vanish right before him. I don't deny it; he could measure it now. He was merely a struggling foundation builder—a small character who would never advance further in life—yearning for a world beyond reach like those small characters who aspired to transcendence. They wouldn't fare better than this beggar turned to ash before him. And now, they weren't even seeking his life; they merely needed to obstruct him slightly. That thread of connection had snapped unless he wished for death; otherwise, that lead would remain severed.
Gu Ping was unaware that the dog had died; otherwise, he wouldn't have let the dog do that for him. The dog's death not only did not put an end to the matter concerning Dian'er but instead brought forth another group of people, making the entire situation even more perplexing.
Liu Jia looked at the man who had given up chasing the cold noodle vendor, Leng Gucun, who came from the Moon River Sect. Liu Jia had been aware of him for some time now. Two months ago, Liu Jia, an Outer Sect Disciple of the Moon River Sect, received a message from the sect requesting assistance in finding something. At that time, Liu Jia began to pay attention to all the rare treasures in the Liu Xia Dynasty. A month ago, he learned that a county magistrate had received a treasure that fell from the sky and presented it to Liu Qi.
Liu Jia quickly confirmed that the Moon River Sect was indeed searching for something and had sent out a request for help. They dispatched Leng Gucun to Liu Jia's residence. Liu Jia had been waiting for Leng Gucun to arrive so he could finally set his plans in motion. He initially thought he had succeeded, but the appearance of Beggar Dog shattered Liu Jia's hopes.
Now, with the only lead severed by a group of unknown individuals, just as Liu Jia was about to make a move for his sect, his eager expectations were once again extinguished. How could Liu Jia not be furious?
Without hesitation, Liu Jia issued orders to send out everyone from the royal residence and utilize all connections to find the beggar impersonator Gu Ping. This time, Liu Jia was confident he would not miss out again.
Lonely Cunkun expressed some concern about those people.
Leng Gucun shook his head; those people were likely more than capable of handling themselves. He would return for a while, but right now was not the time to relax. There were more than just their small group keeping an eye on that person.
Gu Ping and Liu Lao Jiu were wandering aimlessly in a village they didn’t know how they ended up in. They had lost all sense of time; it felt like they would never leave this village, where time stood still—no sun, no stars or moon, no night—just an endless mist that enveloped everything, leaving one in despair.
Gu Ping felt utterly exhausted. How long had it been? A day? Perhaps fourteen hours? Two days? He couldn’t deny it; it felt like two days and nights. Gu Ping was on the verge of losing consciousness, resting his arm on Liu Lao Jiu's shoulder as he was supported by him.
Liu Lao Jiu kept muttering curses into Gu Ping's ear, saying all sorts of things—was he getting impatient?
Gu Ping glanced at Liu Lao Jiu and saw no impatience in his eyes. Those eyes, which always seemed half-asleep, were now filled with concern. Gu Ping understood that Liu Lao Jiu was afraid he might lose his mental strength and kept talking to keep Gu Ping alert and allow him to rest. Liu Lao Jiu didn’t know how much longer he could hold on either, nor did he know how long Gu Ping could endure; time was running out for both of them.
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