Living in this world, mingling in the Jianghu, almost everyone harbors greed. Here they earn a little, there they take a little, then they place it on the gambling table, betting a bit more from it.

As one walks in Jianghu, countless storms pass by in the blink of an eye. In the past, they all survived by gambling, and this time they want to gamble too, whether it’s a small bet or a big one. If they’ve lost before, they must wager even more, for wanting to break even is not truly called greed.

People always have greed,

The poor want to rise to prosperity, the rich want immortality, the hungry want to be fed, the full want debauchery. Therefore, people in Jianghu pay various prices for these desires bit by bit, using them as stakes to push onto the gambling table.

But you never know when everything could be lost in an instant.

The night was like ink, so thick it couldn’t be dissolved, enveloping Dragon Tail City tightly. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

The ominous aura of lockdown during the day fermented in the darkness, permeating a sense of suffocating tension.

The high walls and deep courtyards of the Prince Mansion were like a lurking behemoth. Three shadows, like maggots on the bone, closely followed the figure of Chen Yi, silently passing through corridors and melding into the shadows of the outer courtyard of the Prince Mansion.

They were the three masked individuals who had once confronted Chen Yi at the gambling house. Chen Yi led the way with a measured pace, being well-acquainted with the pavilion layouts, patrol routes, and even the hidden sentries of the Prince Mansion.

The trio emitted a faint, elusive aura that rippled like water waves, cleverly disrupting the alert arrays set throughout the Prince Mansion, momentarily rendering them blind.

"Who goes there? Why are you moving?" A team of patrolling guards emerged from around the corner of the corridor, looking warily at the figures in the shadows.

Chen Yi calmly stepped forward, presenting a token from his chest, "Zige Bureau, acting on orders."

The guard leader carefully examined the token and, under the light of a lantern, scrutinized Chen Yi. After a brief hesitation, he stepped aside, "Please proceed, sir."

The journey was surprisingly smooth. Leveraging Chen Yi’s identity, the team reached the entrance to the Prince Mansion’s dungeon without incident.

The jailers dared not obstruct Chen Yi in the slightest. Lowering their heads, they saw the dim, damp passageway extending downward, with a musty odor permeating the air. The flickering torchlight cast twisted, swaying shadows on the cold stone walls on either side.

Elder Wumeng huddled in the corner of a straw pile, unkempt and filthy. His body appeared hunched and frail. Upon hearing some commotion, he laboriously lifted his head, and when he saw the newcomers, a faint yet intense glimmer burst forth from his cloudy eyes.

Wumeng’s mute point had long been sealed, and he could only produce muffled sounds, seemingly recognizing his fellow brethren and becoming agitated.

With unruffled composure, Chen Yi opened the prison door. One masked man swiftly stepped forward, deftly checking Wumeng’s physical condition, while the other two stood guard at the door vigilantly.

Soon, they dressed Wumeng in a set of ordinary servant clothing they had prepared beforehand and smeared some mud and ash on his face to conceal his distinct features as much as possible.

"Elder, can you still walk?" The leading masked man asked in a low voice.

Wumeng made a croaking sound from his throat, struggling to stand but staggering. Another masked man immediately stepped forward to support him.

Chen Yi stepped out of the dungeon and surveyed the surroundings, ensuring no new movements. He turned back and said, "This place is not safe to linger. The person has been rescued, you must leave the Prince Mansion quickly."

His voice was particularly clear in the dead silence of the dungeon.

The three all nodded, "We’ll leave immediately."

Chen Yi unfastened his Zige Bureau waist plate from his belt and handed it over, "The entire city is under curfew recently, with numerous City Patrol Soldiers. If interrogated by guards, show this plate."

The lead masked man took the waist plate, feeling its cold, heavy weight. He deeply glanced at Chen Yi, his gaze behind the mask complex and inexplicable, before simply murmuring, "Take care, Battalion Commander."

Suddenly, the trio supported the weakened Wumeng, retreating swiftly and silently along their previous path.

Chen Yi remained in place, exhaling a long breath only when their footsteps completely faded at the end of the passageway. He turned and vanished into another branch path, his figure swiftly swallowed by the dungeon’s darkness.

.........

The trio, carrying Wumeng, navigated by memory of their initial path, thrillingly evading several patrol teams, finally scaling the Prince Mansion’s back wall, landing silently into the maze-like dark alleys of Dragon Tail City.

Once clear of the Prince Mansion, their steps grew more urgent instead of relaxing. They needed to leave the city as quickly as possible.

"We’re finally out..."

"If not for Battalion Commander Chen..." another chimed in, "For us, infiltrating to rescue someone so easily would be as hard as climbing to the sky."

"Indeed," the lead masked man murmured as he rubbed the cold Zige Bureau waist plate in his hands, "However... the Supreme’s secret order before departure still needs to be fulfilled..."

Mentioning the Supreme’s secret order brought a moment of hesitance to the atmosphere.

"Does the Supreme really intend to treat him as a disposable pawn, discarded here?"

"Isn’t this burning bridges after crossing..." another interjected, then added, "But then again, he was the one who killed our people first."

The lead masked man said, "Indeed, the Supreme has deeper intentions. Non-my kin, their hearts are inevitably different. Chen Yi, this man, is deep-thinking and ruthless... How can such a person be truly trusted?

The Supreme’s meaning is clear. Since he is at odds with the Prince Mansion and sought by the court, we only need to add fuel to the fire, solidifying his identity and revealing it to the public... Let them bite each other like dogs here, fighting until one side dies. No matter who wins, it’s the same as the clam and crane fighting, with us reaping the benefits as the fisherman."

The trio, carrying Wumeng, moved past the alley entrance, turned several corners, and proceeded forward until they heard some disturbances,