Notes on Longevity

Chapter 87 The night deepened, and no one remained at the ferry crossing.
Li Chengru watched Zhang Erhe shake his head and leave, then turned and went back into the house. He looked at Zhang Ze'an, who was slumped over the table, his body trembling slightly, and he was sobbing softly. He went to Zhang Ze'an's side, patted his back to comfort him, and then immediately asked, "Do you know that it was the Second Prince's men who went there that night?"

Zhang Ze'an didn't raise his head, but just shook it. "Okay. I understand. Leave this to me. You just stay home and don't go anywhere. Otherwise, I won't be able to protect you."

"What are you going to do?" Zhang Ze'an looked up, puzzled, upon hearing Li Chengru's words. His reddened eyes proved that he was crying.

"It's nothing. Just killing a few people." Li Chengru smiled faintly, then turned to leave.

Zhang Ze'an stood up and grabbed Li Chengru's arm, "Do you want to kill the Second Prince? I'll go too."

Li Chengru looked at his reddened eyes and still smiled: "You shouldn't go. If I kill the prince, I might not even be able to protect myself, let alone you."

"It's alright! I'm not afraid of any of this!" Zhang Ze'an had already confirmed what Li Chengru was planning. He coughed a few times and said to Li Chengru, "My Zhang family's wealth is truly comparable to that of a nation. I don't believe the emperor would dare to kill me. If he kills me, all of Dayan's trade routes will be cut off. He wouldn't dare trade the fate of an entire nation for my life."

If the incident from over a decade ago still caused Zhang Ze'an lingering pain, then Yang You'an's situation was even more heart-wrenching. He said all this to prove that he wasn't truly afraid back then.

"Aren't you just fooling yourself?" Li Chengru saw through his thoughts. He knew how skilled Zhang Ze'an was. He told himself he'd been knocked unconscious by the Second Prince, but how could that be? Could the Second Prince, with his frail body, possibly knock him out? He didn't believe it. The only thing that could have knocked him out was that little-known secret from over a decade ago.

That night.

Li Chengru and Zhang Ze'an sat on a tall building near the ferry crossing, their eyes fixed on the people carrying torches and moving things at the crossing.

"This is a gang run by one of the Second Prince's retainers. On ordinary days, they are ferrymen and porters who carry loads on their shoulders and in their hands. When trouble comes, they become swordsmen who kill and set fires. They are all notorious people in the martial arts world, with no means of remedy. When they are being chased or ordered to be arrested and have nowhere to escape, they come here through introductions."

Li Chengru looked at the flickering firelight and said to Zhang Ze'an.

"Is it Liangguantang?" Zhang Ze'an wasn't exactly a figure in the martial arts world, but he was still familiar with the major powers in the capital.

“Yes, Liangguantang. Paying two strings of cash will guarantee your safety.” Li Chengru smiled, then turned to a young man lying behind them, asleep with his eyes closed, and said, “Brother Murong, then we’ll have to trouble you and the brothers.”

"No trouble at all." The man called Murong replied lazily and listlessly, "But speaking of which, do you really intend to kill the prince?"

“It’s not killing, it’s paying with one’s life.” Li Chengru’s expression immediately changed. He turned around and stared coldly at the people at the ferry. “They killed people, so they have to pay with their lives.”

"This is really exciting. It's worth knowing you. You're capable of anything, but you'd better not say you're killing me to silence me." Murong's voice was still lazy, with a hint of drowsiness as he teased Li Chengru.

"Brother Murong, we've known each other for many years. You wouldn't have always thought of me as this kind of person, would you?" Li Chengru chuckled self-deprecatingly.

Murong chuckled, "Who told me that when I first met you, I happened to witness you committing murder to cover it up? If I hadn't run away quickly, I might have been dead by your blade long ago."

"Alright, Brother Murong, let's get started," Li Chengru said, pursing his lips.

Murong also stood up and stretched his limbs, then looked towards the ferry crossing not far from the high-rise building. "We won't get involved in killing the prince; after all, we're different from you. You might survive."

"This is troublesome," Li Chengru said with a smile.

Murong felt around in his robes, then took out a small wooden bucket with a thin hemp rope at the bottom. He raised it to the sky, then pulled it, and a burst of multicolored fireworks shot out.

"The fireworks were colorful, but the color of blood was a bit too heavy," Zhang Ze'an said softly, looking at the small, brighter firework in the sky.

The instant the fireworks went off, hundreds of people seemed to emerge from all directions of the ferry crossing. They were dressed in hemp clothing and carried all sorts of weapons—knives, swords, hammers, guns—and there was blood splattered everywhere. At the same time, someone knocked on the door of Liangguantang.

"Who is it? It's so late!" someone asked from inside the door.

"A touch of red on the cold blade, two strings of cash exchanged for a safe life."

The door opened, and blood was seen.

A group of people carrying knives rushed into the hall, stepping over the corpse. The sounds of chaotic footsteps, clashing blades, and screams filled the air.

The capital city is in turmoil tonight; swords clash and the sounds of battle echo in many places. But how could the imperial palace possibly be at peace?

The Second Prince's Bedchamber.

Two figures rustled as they jumped off the roof.

One of them went to the main entrance and kicked it open.

The Second Prince, who was fast asleep, was awakened by the loud noise. He gasped for breath, then turned his head to look at the tightly closed vermilion door before slowly sitting up.

He had just had a dream in which someone kicked open the door to his bedchamber. The person was holding a knife, a knife that looked very familiar to him. He only recognized it when the person approached and pointed it at him. It was his father's knife, and the person holding it was Zhang Ze'an.

cold.

My neck feels cold.

In addition, he felt a slight pain, as if an extremely sharp knife was held to his neck.

He looked down in terror and, sure enough, a knife was pressed tightly against his neck, slowly cutting into his flesh. Soon, a trace of bright red blood appeared on the blade.

"Li Chengru." He dared not move, for the knife was held diagonally against his neck. To turn his neck would be tantamount to suicide; he could only glance at it from the corner of his eye.

Seeing him turn his eyes, Li Chengru held a knife tightly against his neck and then slowly walked up to him.

"Your Highness, it's been many years. How are you?" The voice was full of emotion, as warm as that of a long-lost friend.

But the second prince didn't think so. He found the voice terrifying and devoid of any emotion.

"Li Chengru, what do you want to do?" The Second Prince knew why as soon as he saw Li Chengru. "Let me tell you, I am a prince. If you kill me, Father will not forgive you."

"When you said those words, why didn't you think about today?" Zhang Ze'an stepped out from behind Li Chengru upon hearing the voice, his eyes filled with murderous intent as he glared at the Second Prince through gritted teeth.

After the two sneaked into the bedchamber, Li Chengru originally did not want Zhang Ze'an to appear, but when he heard the Second Prince say this, he immediately thought of what he had said to him that night: "Aren't you afraid that Li Chengru will come back and kill you?"

(End of this chapter)