Aoyama

In the dimly lit grain and oil shop.

The wound on Chen Ji's palm healed in an instant, and a crisp sound came from his ribs.

Blood dripped onto the ground, making a soft, pattering sound, before abruptly stopping. Within Chen Ji's body, seven hundred and twenty bright yellow flames roared, burning the blood until it turned to white vapor and vanished into the air before it even touched the ground.

So this is the mountain king.

So this is what immortality is.

Chen Ji once learned from Feng Huai how to be flawless, how to live longer, how to hide, and how to endure, but although those were taught by Feng Huai, they didn't seem to be his path.

Only then did he feel free to act.

Han Tong narrowed his eyes slightly: "What kind of official path have you cultivated? I've never seen it before."

"As long as it works." As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Ji lunged forward again.

Han Tong swung his short sword down to block Chen Ji's path, but when Chen Ji reached Han Tong, he unhesitatingly blocked the sword with his arm again, using his bones and muscles to clamp down on the sword's momentum.

Chen Ji lowered his body and punched Han Tong's wound, which had already been pierced by the sword seed, with his right fist. With just one punch, the wound reopened.

Han Tong also changed to a life-or-death fighting style, ignoring the wound on his leg. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled out the blade and slashed back and forth across Chen Ji's chest and abdomen, leaving two intersecting bloody marks.

Chen Ji gritted his teeth, ignoring his injuries, and was about to strike Han Tong's wounds again when Han Tong had already plunged the dagger into his left chest.

At the critical moment, Chen Ji managed to turn around and avoid his heart, retreating backward. Blood flowed from the wound on his chest, quickly filling his lungs, causing him to cough up blood involuntarily.

He slumped against the wall, unable to breathe.

While bandaging his reopened wound, Han Tong calmly said, "Kid, there's a vast chasm between innate talent and seeking the Dao. This isn't some street wrestling match; it's not something you can win just by being determined and holding your breath. Most things in this world are like this. Some actors endure ten years of being beaten by their masters and still don't become stars, and some people study hard for ten years and still don't pass the imperial examination."

"The same goes for canal transport. When times are good, hundreds of boats compete for passage, and the canal workers can earn ten years' worth of silver in a year. When times are bad, the boat trackers may look across the river until they're exhausted, but they might not even be able to find a decent job to support their families. Kid, working hard doesn't always guarantee results; you have to go with the flow."

Han Tong looked up at Chen Ji: "I still don't know what you're trying to do. If you want to save Bai Li, you have to wait until she gets to Annam and the Annamites relax their guard. If you want to gain a huge reward and promotion, then I advise you to find a different opponent. People are like candles in the wind or lamps in the rain; they can be extinguished if you're not careful."

In the darkness, Han Tong's blood soaked the ground, seeping into the cracks between the bricks.

He tightened his bandage around his wound and looked up again, only to see Chen Ji, who should have been dead, leaning against the beam, slowly tearing off pieces of his clothes and wrapping them around his hands and arms.

The blood from Chen Ji's chest and abdomen flowed down like a stream, but turned into white steam in mid-air, without a single drop falling to the ground, before stopping abruptly again.

A strange light flashed in Han Tong's eyes.

At this moment, Chen Ji coughed up a mouthful of blood that was still in his lungs, letting the white smoke surround him: "By the time the princess is taken to Annam, it will be too late, and there will be no going back."

Han Tong said in a deep voice, "Haste makes waste, and patience brings peace. You can't rush anything. Acting hastily will not only fail to save people, but will also cost you your own life."

Chen Ji sighed, "What's the point of living a long life if you're already suffering so much?"

He stood up again.

Han Tong squinted at the traces in the darkness: "Aren't you afraid of death?"

Chen Ji took a deep breath: "Someone bought my life with six gold melon seeds, and I refuse to die until I repay that life."

Han Tong scoffed, "Six gold melon seeds? Your life isn't worth much either."

"That's enough." Chen Ji lunged forward again.

This time, however, Han Tong did not go forward; instead, he stepped back.

He searched for Chen Ji's weaknesses in the dim light, and then suddenly realized that Chen Ji had exposed his center and lower body, leaving weaknesses everywhere.

However, Han Tong was unwilling to fight Chen Ji to the death again. Even if he could exchange a wound for Chen Ji's life, he would still be at a loss.

In an instant, Han Tong clasped his hands together, and 108 prayer beads appeared out of thin air in his hands. A golden Buddha image suddenly appeared behind him, solemn and dignified.

Ordinary people who practice the art of tattooing pythons only dare to visualize pythons on their bodies; those who dare to tattoo gods or Buddhas are one in ten thousand.

The Buddha statue behind Han Tong had its eyes closed, but it suddenly opened them when Chen Ji came close. Its golden eyes seemed to hold a temple within them.

The Buddha opened his arms and then suddenly brought them together.

when!
The bell tolled! In an instant, the bronze bell rang loudly, shaking the ground and sending dust falling from the roof.

Chen Ji was thrown back by the invisible chime, crashing into the wall and falling to the ground. His entire body shattered in the unstoppable shock, and fine blood seeped from every pore.

Cracks appeared in the walls, and the roof began to tilt. Tiles fell like rain, burying the ruins, and moonlight shone through the holes in the roof onto the rubble.

The image of Buddha slowly faded away. In that instant, Han Tong's once full face became gaunt and sunken, and his eye sockets became much deeper, as if his flesh and blood had been drained away.

He looked at the ruins, but they closed up again. It seemed as if a beast was sealed beneath the ruins, a beast that had died and come back to life time and time again.

Han Tong looked surprised.

He picked up the dagger from the ground and walked towards the ruins: "I wonder if you'll survive if I cut off your head."

Before he could even get close, a flurry of footsteps came from the mule and horse market street outside the grain and oil shop. Jin Zhu pointed at the grain and oil shop and shouted, "Quick, that's the one, surround it!"

Han Tong suddenly looked at the ruins in front of him: "So you really did join forces with the eunuch faction."

He glanced down at the wound on his leg, turned and slipped through the back door into the narrow Guozi Lane, fleeing southeast.

The door of the grain and oil shop was smashed open by Jin Zhu. He looked at the empty shop and the wide-open back door, then turned to look at the pile of tiles and ruins. He hurriedly went forward and dug out the tiles with his bare hands, uncovering the traces of the past.

Jin Zhu wiped the blood off Chen Ji's face: "Don't die, brother! What will I do if you die?"

Chen Ji brushed aside the golden pig's hand: "Han Tong escaped through the back door, stop him."

The golden pig was furious: "What time is it and you're still worrying about these things? What's wrong with you? I had a feeling you were about to die."

Chen Ji looked at the golden pig and saw that it was covered in sweat, its clothes soaked through, as if it had just been pulled out of the water.

He got up, grabbed Jinzhu's wrist, and asked in a deep voice, "This is not the time to talk about this. Has the message from the Gelaohui been delivered?"

Jin Zhu hurriedly replied, "It's delivered! I set off immediately as soon as I saw the message."

"That's good," Chen Ji ran towards the back door. "Hurry up and catch up. If we can't catch Han Tong tonight, we'll never be able to catch him again."

Jin Zhu stared at his retreating figure with suspicion: "He's covered in blood, how come he's acting like nothing happened?"

……

……

There are hundreds of large hutongs in Beijing, and countless small hutongs.

Han Tong emerged from Guozi Lane, darted into Yangrou Hutong, passed the Jade Emperor Temple, and then disappeared into Jia Ge Hutong. Ignoring the wound on his leg pierced by the old marks, he limped wildly through the dark alleys until he could see the golden roof of Chongxing Temple in the distance.

If he escapes another three hundred zhang, he will reach the reed marshes beside the Altar of Mountains and Rivers. Where there is water, there is a way to survive. Once he enters the reed marshes, he can travel by water to bypass the Altar of Mountains and Rivers and the Altar of Heaven, and exit the city through the South Water Gate.

Once inside the canal, no one could find him again. That's why he chose to hide in that grain and oil shop—it was close enough to the reeds.

But as Han Tong passed through the alley in front of Chongxing Temple, he slowly stopped. He stared intently at the end of the alley, not even caring that the wound on his leg had reopened.

A figure in white stood at the end of the alley, with striking eyebrows and bright eyes.

Pegasus.

Han Tong turned around and saw a small, thin figure slowly walk out, blocking the alleyway behind him. The person was wearing a wooden monkey mask, and a cacophony of voices came from beneath the mask.

Precious Monkey.

Han Tong looked into Chongxing Temple and was surprised to see a person standing on the bronze incense burner in front of the temple's main hall. The person was wearing a white dragon-patterned mask and looked calm and composed.

White Dragon.

Looking further up, Yun Yang, dressed in black, stood on the golden eaves of the main hall of Chongxing Temple, while Jiao Tu sat on the edge of the eaves beside him, her legs swinging back and forth in the air.

Jiao Tu's eyes crinkled into crescent moons as she smiled: "Chief Han, it's been months since we last met in Luocheng. I've missed you terribly. This time, I won't let you escape again."

"Including the Golden Pig, six of the twelve zodiac animals have arrived. That's quite a show of respect for me, Han Tong," Han Tong said calmly, withdrawing his gaze. "Chen Ji was stalling for time to wait for you, wasn't he? You underestimated him; he even guessed exactly where I would run." (End of Chapter)