Ning Yao awoke leisurely, having slept in profound, blissful tranquility. Upon opening her eyes, she found herself seated on a stool, momentarily dazed. After a brief pause, she rose and pushed open the door, only to see, seated silently in the corridor outside, an elderly man and a young boy—both inscrutable and mute. Hearing Ning Yao's footsteps, Chen Ping'an turned his head with a smile and said, "You're awake. You were sleeping so soundly I didn't want to disturb you." Ning Yao nodded absently, unconcerned, and inquired, "Senior Yang?"
The old man retorted gruffly, "What, afraid Chen Ping'an might take advantage of you while you slept? Don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on him. That boy's got a thief's heart, but no thief's courage." Chen Ping'an hurriedly explained, "Miss Ning, don't listen to Grandpa Yang's nonsense. I swear, there's no thieving intent in me!" Ning Yao placed her hands low on her abdomen in a calm, centering gesture, silently telling herself, "One must keep a magnanimous heart." The old man glanced sideways at the straw-shod youth and chuckled with glee, "Six of your seven orifices open, and one still blocked."
The rain had eased considerably, and the elder spoke bluntly, "Later, bring over that bag of offering money, and settle the debts for this little girl's medicine and your subsequent prescriptions all at once." Ning Yao frowned, "The Yang family shop's herbs are so expensive?" The old man replied calmly, "When a man is starving to death, how much is the steamed bun in his hand worth?" Ning Yao's tone turned cold, "You're profiteering in the midst of disaster!" The old man puffed fiercely on his dry pipe, shrouding his upper body in a thin haze of smoke. From within the 'cloud sea' came his hoarse and indifferent voice: "Charging the sky's price but paying like a pauper—that's the scheme of a cheap merchant. That's not how I operate. Here, the rule is ironclad: one fixed price. Take it or leave it." Ning Yao was about to retort but noticed Chen Ping'an tugging her sleeve and signaling discreetly; she swallowed her anger. The medicinal herbs produced by this little cave heaven were indeed of excellent quality, but this famed Lizhu Little Cave Heaven of Dongbaoping Continent was never renowned for rare treasures or divine herbs—its fame rested on porcelain and serendipitous treasures. So, no matter how vast the stockpile of herbs in the Yang family shop, their worth barely equated to a handful of refined copper coins. The elder shook his pipe, "The rain's stopped. You two, quit exchanging glances here—aren't you ashamed?" Chen Ping'an took Ning Yao's arm and led her down the steps, through the shop's main hall and out onto the street, grinning as he asked, "Confused? It's alright, Grandpa Yang's like that—doesn't care for sentimentality. Everything he does is... fair. Yes, just fair." Ning Yao sneered, "Fair? Everyone has their own scale of justice. Why should he alone claim fairness? Just because he's old?" Chen Ping'an shook his head, "I don't think spending a sack of copper coins makes me a fool." Ning Yao glanced at the boy, "If you can last ten years out there and still swear by that, then maybe you win." Chen Ping'an laughed, "Then we'll see." Ning Yao sighed in resignation, truly at a loss with him, and asked, "Where to next?" Chen Ping'an pondered, "Let's check on Liu Xianyang at the shop and retrieve your knife from underground." Ning Yao was decisive, "Lead the way." Suddenly she asked, "Are you fully recovered?" Chen Ping'an grinned crookedly, "No major issues. But besides martial training, I'll have to boil herbs like you every day. Grandpa Yang said if the effect's poor, it might cost more." Ning Yao doubted, "You actually believe that?" Chen Ping'an just shook his head, clearly uninterested in debating.
Once beyond the town, he rolled up his sleeves, removed the garment-pressing knife, and handed it back to her. She stashed it away, then retrieved the narrow blade pressed into the earth by the Mountain-Moving Ape. As for the sword sheath he had lent out, Chen Ping'an entrusted it to Ning Yao, who hung it at her waist. Thus, the flying sword finally had a resting place. Upon reaching the southern end of the covered bridge, they saw a blue-clad young girl with a ponytail sitting atop the steps, propping her cheeks on her hands as she gazed distantly, presenting only her back to them.
— In the Yang family shop's backyard, the solitary old man put away his pipe, waved his hand to disperse the smoke around him, and said, "Rest assured, once the matter is done, I promise you an immortal body of the River Maiden. As to whether you can truly ascend to a divine state and be appointed a local river deity—that depends on your own destiny." The elder lightly tapped his pipe on the ground, then looked toward the old locust tree in town, clicking his tongue, "When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter."
— Three carriages made their way toward Niping Alley. The Li Kingdom prince could not fathom why his nephew insisted on clashing with a humble alley boy, even harboring a grudge. Song Changjing smiled, "Since I've already intervened once in this muddled business between you and Chen Ping'an, I won't meddle further. Handle it yourself." He warned, "You may have private ties with Zhengyang Mountain, but don't get too entangled." Song Jixin chuckled, "Private ties? You mean that little girl? Ha, just fun, not friendship." Song Changjing grinned, "Just fun, yet you casually gifted her a sword gourd?" Song Jixin fell silent in shame. Unable to enter the alley, Song Changjing refused to dismount, while Song Jixin hurried inside. It was raining, still spring drizzle, faint and misty, but intensifying. He hurried to his courtyard and found Zhigui sitting on the main house's doorstep, lost in thought. Song Jixin called out with a smile, "Come on, young lady, I'll take you to the capital of Da Li to broaden your horizons!" Zhigui snapped back to reality, "Huh? Leaving so soon?" Song Jixin nodded, "Everything's packed. Two big trunks in my room, plus your small box. Whatever we can carry is ready. No difference leaving early or late." Zhigui rested her chin on her knees, melancholy, "Yeah, this was our home." Song Jixin sighed and sat beside her, brushing rain from her brow gently. "What's wrong? Don't want to leave? If so, we can delay. No problem—I'll notify them." Zhigui suddenly smiled, shaking her little fist firmly, "No need! Let's go—no fear!" Song Jixin warned, "Don't forget that four-legged lizard." Zhigui was instantly furious, "That cursed fool sneaked under my box yesterday, made me search for ages. When I finally found him, several rouge boxes under the trunk were filthy! Absolutely unforgivable, deserves death!" Song Jixin worried about the lizard's fate, cautiously asked, "You didn't… kill it, right?" Zhigui shook her head, "Not yet. I'm sparing its life until we reach the capital, then we'll settle accounts. Oh, by the way, young master, once we're there, let's raise a few old hens, okay? At least five!" Song Jixin puzzled, "We already have enough eggs. Besides, you always complain our old hen's too noisy." Zhigui answered seriously, "Then I'll tie a string to each hen's leg and connect them to the lizard's four legs and head. Whenever I'm upset, I can send the hens after it. That lizard may be dumb, but it runs fast. Every time before, chasing it exhausted me, making me angrier…" Listening to his maid's muttering, Song Jixin pictured the scene vividly, muttering, "Sounds like five horses tearing apart… no, five hens tearing apart." He laughed heartily. Zhigui, accustomed to his wild imagination, was unbothered and asked, "Young master, the trunks are so heavy. How will the two of us carry them? Plus, some valuable things haven't been thrown away." Song Jixin stood, snapped his fingers, "Come out, I know you're nearby. Help carry the trunks to the carriage." No response followed. He remained silent for a long moment, then scowled, "Come out! Or I'll have uncle move them myself!" Moments later, several shadowy figures descended quietly from rooftops opposite Niping Alley, or appeared in side lanes nearby. Five black-clad assassins, led by a hesitant man who bowed and whispered, "Duty prevented me from appearing earlier. Please forgive me, Your Highness." Song Jixin expressionless, "Do your business." The man kept his head lowered, "I humbly ask Your Highness to help explain to the prince." Song Jixin impatient, "Such trivial matters, do you think my uncle will mind?" The five stood unmoving in the rain, refusing to budge. Song Jixin relented, "Fine, I'll explain." Only then did they enter the house. Three bore the trunks with ease, the two flanking them unarmed, escorting cautiously. Once in Niping Alley's back courtyard, Song Jixin ordered, "Put the trunks down. Prepare to leave at once." The five assailants exchanged glances, then the hesitant leader looked up at the sky, speaking softly, "Your Highness, in the capital, we'll continue to protect you, but here we must lay low." Song Jixin nodded and called out, "Open the gates." As the gates swung open, Song Jixin looked back, watching those five figures vanish into the rainy night, like fleeting shadows beneath the locust tree—silent and vigilant.