When Chang Geng followed Monk Liao Ran out of the city, it was already dark and everything was silent. The sound of the wooden cart in the city was also faintly fading away. So he stopped and called out to the person in front of him: "Master Liao Ran, please walk slowly."

He paused for a moment.

Chang Geng spoke slowly and calmly, without any anger in his attitude, but was gentle and polite, just like when he drank bitter medicine silently in the Zen room in the past.

Only his palm had moved to the hilt of the sword, and he could draw the sword from the sheath at any time and skewer the monk into pieces.

Chang Geng: "I have benefited a lot from talking with you these days. I also know that you care about the world and are not the kind of person who stays in a Zen temple to talk about Buddhism. You may have heard of my origins. The Marquis has traveled thousands of miles and is a famous general. But no matter what position the country puts him in, to me, he is just a relative who depends on me for survival. I am just a small person with no ability. I can barely make a living with the iron in my hand. I can't worry about big things. I only have a palm-sized Marquis Mansion and a few people in my heart. I hope you can understand."

Clearly: “…”

He didn't know how Chang Geng usually talked to Gu Yun, but to outsiders, he was always "three points of words, ten points of subtlety". Liang Ran thought he had experienced it, but he still never expected that there would be someone in the world who could say such murderous words as "Friendship is friendship, if you dare to touch Gu Yun, I will stab you to death with a sword" so gently.

Liao Ran looked down at his monk's shoes, which had become tarnished after running all day, and said tentatively, "Your Highness is a descendant of a noble family, and you have a kind heart. You should have a chance to succeed. There is no need to belittle yourself."

Chang Geng looked calm and unmoved: "A man is born into this world. If he can't even take care of his own little piece of land, why would he need to look so far ahead?"

Liao Ran gave a bitter smile, knowing that he was not easy to fool, so he could only swear and gesture: "General Gu is the pillar of the country. If he moves a hair, the whole body will be affected. How dare a monk have the slightest evil intention?"

Chang Geng's palm was still on the hilt of the sword: "But the master did intend to lead my foster father here."

Le Ran said seriously: "Your Highness, please follow me."

Chang Geng stared at him for a moment, picked up his sword again, and said with a smile: "Then I'll have to trouble you to lead the way and solve my doubts."

If you can't solve it well, I will still stab you to death.

Monk Liangran took off his monk's robe and turned it inside out. He saw that the white robe, which looked like a mourning robe, actually had two sides and was black inside. He put it on his body and covered his head, and the monk blended into the darkness.

Chang Geng: “…”

A question involuntarily emerged in his mind - on the way from the capital to the south of the Yangtze River, it seemed that Ran had never changed his clothes. So was there originally a piece of black cloth under his monk's robe, or did he never wash it, and just turned it over and continued to wear it when it turned black?

Thinking of this, Chang Geng became obsessed with mysophobia and it was almost impossible for him to walk side by side with the monk!

Wearing a "nightgown", Liaoran took Changgeng through the winding bridges and streams of Jiangnan and soon arrived at the Inner Canal Pier.

The route between Daliang's sea transport and the inland canal was opened as early as ten years ago. The two lines run in parallel, and the ships travel very conveniently. It once made the riverside a prosperous place, but in recent years it seems a bit depressed due to heavy taxes.

However, a lean camel is bigger than a horse. It was already late at night, but there were still merchant ships and boatmen busy at the dock.

Liao Ran waved his hand to stop Chang Geng's steps, and said, "There are spies from the Black Iron Camp ahead, don't get any closer."

Chang Geng glanced at him, took out a telescope and looked at the water.

The dock was calm, with boatmen and porters coming and going. On the shore, some soldiers transferred from the Jiangnan garrison were checking the cargo. He could neither see anyone from the Black Iron Camp nor anything unusual on the water.

Chang Geng didn't quite trust Lan Ran at this time, and didn't ask directly, but observed silently - the boatmen were loading the goods, all packed in thin wooden boxes. Before loading the goods on board, the lids of the boxes had to be opened and placed on a transmission strip rotated by gears for the guards to check before being transported to the other end, where several boatmen were waiting, sealing the boxes one by one and carrying them onto the boat.

When I passed by a few days ago, I heard local people chatting about how the sea and river ports generally don't check merchant ships so strictly. It's because Jiangnan has recently started to promote farming puppets, and the court has issued a large amount of purple gold, so they are nervous to prevent unscrupulous people from reselling it privately.

As soon as the inspection box was opened, Chang Geng couldn't help but wrinkled his nose even though he was a hundred feet away: "What's that smell?"

Liaoran wrote on the tree next to him: "Xiang Ning."

Chang Geng was stunned: "What?"

"Your Highness has lived in the Anding Marquis' Mansion for a long time. The incense he uses must have been granted by the emperor. He has never seen the cheap ones used by ordinary people. This is a pile of spice scraps pressed into oil or paste. The smell is very strong. You have to put it in three layers of sealed jars to prevent it from losing its smell. You only need to take out a little each time and dissolve it in warm water, and it can be used for several months. A grain of fragrant paste is only the size of a thumb, and it can be used for ten or eight years without any problem. It only costs one hundred yuan."

The suppressed incense was too strong, and at a certain level, it was completely stench. Chang Geng's head hurt from the smell, and he didn't bother to correct the monk's misunderstanding - the Marquis' Mansion never used incense, and the clothes after washing only smelled of soapberries.

Chang Geng raised his clairvoyance and suddenly saw a man flash by on the merchant ship. His hairstyle and clothing were different from those of the people in the Central Plains. He remembered what Ran had told him about overseas and asked, "I seem to have seen the Japanese people mentioned by a master. So this is a merchant ship bound for Japan... What do the Japanese want so much Xiang Ning for? Take it home and cook it?"

He looked at him with appreciation.

The wooden boxes filled with fragrant juice were winding like a long dragon. Four or five large ships hidden in the dark night were waiting there, which was even more spectacular than the merchant ships transporting fresh seafood next to them.

If one capsule of fragrance gel can be used for eight or ten years, why would anyone buy so many?

Not to mention the palm-sized Japanese Islands, even the common people in Daliang might not be able to buy all these ships.

The soldiers stationed at the dock were so smoked that their eyes were filled with tears. They covered their noses with handkerchiefs and desperately urged the boatmen to pass the cargo boxes faster. There was a dog nearby that was supposed to assist with the inspection, but it had already been smoked so much that it lay motionless on the side.

Chang Geng asked in a low voice: "Master, what are the dogs around the garrison checking for?"

"That's the 'Dog Inspector'," Liaoran said, "Purple gold has a faint bitter smell that humans can't smell, but dogs are very sensitive to it. Purple gold is of great importance. During the reign of Emperor Wu, when the death order was issued to rectify the purple gold black market, the Dog Inspector made great contributions and is still in use today."

The dog inspector rolled his eyes at the low-quality perfume. He couldn't even smell the purple gold, let alone meat bones.

Chang Geng: "So Master suspected that this Japanese team had some ulterior motives when they boarded the ship, and brought my foster father here to investigate this?"

Before Liaoran could nod, Chang Geng pressed him, "Master, how did you know that my Lord would come here in person? Moreover, this should be a matter between Yingtian Prefecture and the Jiangnan garrison, and he is deserting his post, so how can you be sure that he will intervene? Why don't you go to the Yingtian Governor, or the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, and have to go to great lengths to lure him here from the northwest?"

Clearly: “…”

He originally thought that since this young man had encountered such a huge conspiracy on his first trip alone, he would be easily shocked and ignore other things - but he didn't expect that Chang Geng was not that shocked at all. He just frowned from beginning to end and insisted on digging deeper.

The monk couldn't help but think of the rumor that Gu Yun brought the child back from Yanhui Town. Some people said that the barbarian rebellion in Yanhui Town was instigated by the Fourth Prince's adoptive mother. The Fourth Prince sacrificed his own family for the sake of justice and prepared the Black Iron Camp to capture all the barbarians in one fell swoop.

But how old was Chang Geng at that time? Twelve or thirteen at most...

Liaoran suddenly wanted to ask, "Did you kill anyone during the Yanhui Rebellion?" But after a moment, he swallowed the question back because he felt there was no need to ask.

Chang Geng looked at him quietly. Under the moonlight, he could clearly see two faint black shadows in his eyes.

He had long known that Chang Geng had a special kind of precocity and maturity, and thought that it was due to the sudden change in his identity when he was young and the sensitivity that came from living under someone else's roof in the capital. It was not until this moment that the monk suddenly realized that this young man might have seen dark things in his eyes that no one else knew about.

He even suspected that even Gu Yun didn't know.

Liangran's attitude became more cautious. After pondering for a moment, he slowly gestured, "I knew he would come. I also knew that once he came, he would definitely intervene. This matter involves a lot of people, and it is not something that a small Yingtian Prefecture can handle. There are some things that the Marquis should know tacitly with us."

Chang Geng narrowed his eyes and keenly noticed that he said "we".

At this moment, there was a sudden sound of wind behind him. Before Lan Ran could react, the decorative sword on Chang Geng's waist had already been unsheathed with a sharp sound. This was his instinctive reaction after countless battles with the Iron Golem.

The sharp sword hit the black iron wind-cutting blade. Chang Geng recognized the man as Xuan Ying, and they both drew their weapons and retreated.

Xuan Ying knelt down on one knee and said, "I am sorry for disturbing Your Highness. The Marquis asked me to take Your Highness and the Master back."

Chang Geng's brows, which had just been lowered, slightly raised. How did Gu Yun know that he and Liao Ran sneaked here?

What does Monk Liaoran mean by “tacit understanding”?

Liaoran was not surprised, and took off his ridiculous turban readily. Baoxiang bowed his head solemnly, expressing his apology silently and eloquently: "I'm sorry to bother you so much."

Early the next morning, a black eagle knocked on the door.

The black eagle said, "Master Liaoran wants to continue his travels, and the commander-in-chief also wants to return to the northwest. I ask you to escort Your Highness back to the Marquis' Mansion. Please let Your Highness know when it is convenient to set off."

If Chang Geng had not witnessed the strange Japanese merchant ships at the canal ferry the night before, he would have believed it.

But before he could say anything, someone on the opposite side knocked gently on the wooden handrail of the corridor.

Xuan Ying turned around and saw the mysterious mute monk standing there. He said "wait a moment" to Chang Geng, straightened his clothes, and directly reached out and opened Gu Yun's door.

Xuan Ying and Chang Geng were both stunned - the monk didn't even knock on the door!

If the entire Marquis' Mansion didn't know that Gu Yun hated bald men, Chang Geng would almost suspect that the two of them had a close relationship.

Perhaps because he was afraid of being beaten out, Liangran pushed open the door and did not go directly into the house, but just bowed to the people in the house.

Gu Yun didn't get impatient with him. A slightly impatient voice came from the room: "Master, what do you have to say?"

"General, young eagles don't grow up in golden cages. You are in need of a few attendants to avoid being seen. Why don't you take His Highness with you? The late emperor reserved the title of Prince of Yanbei for His Highness. In a year or two, he should be able to attend the imperial court."

Gu Yun replied coldly: "Master, you are meddling too much."

At this moment, Liang Ran took a step forward and suddenly crossed the threshold. In a place where no one else could see, he seemed to make a gesture to Gu Yun.

Gu Yun in the room suddenly fell silent.

Chang Geng heard Madam Cao whisper behind him, "What do you mean? Where is the Marshal taking us?"

His heart suddenly started beating wildly. With Gu Yun's personality, he would never take him with him. Chang Geng knew this. He thought he would have to choose between "following secretly and acting on his own" and "returning to the capital honestly and not letting him worry". He never expected that Gu Yun would be willing to take him with him.

This suddenly ignited my anticipation and made my palms sweat.

He had never been so nervous even when confronting the barbarians.

After a long while, he heard Gu Yun sigh: "Come along if you want to, but don't leave my side. Do as I said before."

Fatty Ge and Madam Cao, who had no idea what they were going to do, cheered loudly. Chang Geng lowered his head and coughed lightly to suppress the silly smile on his face. At the same time, another question popped up in his mind - what did Liang Ran say to Gu Yun?

Is there anyone in the world who can convince his adoptive father?

Soon, a tattered carriage headed towards the outskirts of the city.

The driver was a monk, and in the carriage was a "weak" young man with two servants and a maid. The several black eagles that Gu Yun brought with him were nowhere to be seen.

Chang Geng could not help but look at Gu Yun again. He had taken off all his armor and changed into a wide-sleeved, high-collared robe that covered the wound on his neck. His hair was not tied up, but draped down in an unrestrained manner, as if mocking the coachman's bald head. His eyes were covered with a black cloth.

Unable to see the upper half of his face, Chang Geng was annoyed to find that his attention was always involuntarily wandering around his little godfather's pale lips. He had no choice but to look away from his nose and mouth.

Fatty Ge couldn't help but ask, "My Lord, why are you pretending like this?"

Gu Yun tilted his head slightly in his direction, pointed at his ears, and said seriously: "I'm deaf, don't talk to me."

Fatty Ge: "..."

Being deaf is really awesome.

No one knows who came up with the bad idea, but Gu Yun planned to sneak onto those perfume ships as a perfume maker. Some perfume merchants in the folk believe that the five senses will hinder the sense of smell, so they blind and deafen people from a young age and let them make a living by their sense of smell. The perfumers trained in this way are the best, and are respectfully called "Mr. Fragrance" by the folks. Once they become masters, they are worth a fortune.

Gu Yun covered his eyes and pretended to be deaf. He acted like this from the moment he left the house. He also asked others not to talk to him and acted very devotedly.

When they arrived at the dock, someone was already there to meet them. Chang Geng lifted the curtain of the carriage and saw a chubby middle-aged man with a friendly smile facing the carriage road: "Mr. Zhang, you are a little late. Was there something that delayed you on the road?"

Gu Yun didn't know whose name he had used without anyone noticing. Chang Geng thought that the real incense master was probably kidnapped by Xuan Ying on the way. He remained calm and said, "I'm sorry, my master is not able to see clearly."

The middle-aged man was stunned. Gu Yun patted Chang Geng's arm and offered his hand for him to support.

Chang Geng hurriedly caught him, wondering in his heart, "Even if he is pretending, he is blindfolded, so how come he doesn't seem to have any inconvenience in moving?"

He didn't even grope before he stretched out his hand to pat Chang Geng, and the spot was accurate, as if he was used to it.

However, this doubt only flashed by. When Gu Yun got out of the car, he bent down slightly and almost leaned into Chang Geng's arms. He suddenly took off his armor and looked a little thin. Chang Geng had the illusion that he could just reach out and hug him.

This made his mouth suddenly dry. When he questioned Le Ran, the clarity of his words disappeared. He just managed to maintain his composure on the surface, while his mind was distracted. He supported Gu Yun like a walking corpse and walked to the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man's face flashed with doubt and vigilance, and he bowed and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were Mr. Xiang. We are a small business, selling a few coins a bottle of Xiang gel, how can we afford to hire someone like you..."

Before he finished speaking, several men dressed as boatmen turned around, their eyes shining, their temples slightly bulging. One glance showed that these men were not boatmen at all.

Chang Geng lowered his head slightly, pretending not to see it, and took a step forward, subtly blocking Gu Yun behind him, and wrote on Gu Yun's palm: "Sir, someone asked us where we came from."