This night seemed particularly long. In places unknown to many citizens immersed in their festivities, a storm of blood and violence was quietly brewing. The secret strongholds that Mo Jingli had secretly relied upon were being uprooted one by one. By the next day, many people would discover that those who had lived beside them had suddenly vanished overnight, their traces forever lost.

At this moment, Mo Xiaobao naturally didn’t know how much his royal father had already accomplished while he was racking his brain thinking of ways to torment Mo Jingli. Currently, Mo Xiaobao was lying on the roof with a smile, peeking through the gaps between the tiles. Being able to climb onto the roof in this heavily guarded place showed that Mo Xiaobao had considerable confidence in his lightness skill. The fact that the hidden guards protecting him allowed him to climb onto Mo Jingli’s roof also proved they had faith in their young Crown Prince’s abilities.

Mo Xiaobao was now watching the enraged man below with a mischievous grin. Everything in the room had been smashed to pieces. Having intended to severely humiliate Mo Xiuyao or even take his life, but instead, becoming a laughingstock himself – how could Mo Jingli not be furious? After violently venting his anger, Mo Jingli finally calmed down somewhat and said in a deep voice, “Bring wine!”

Soon, someone entered with wine and placed it on the table. Mo Jingli glanced irritably at the guard who brought the wine and commanded, “Get out!” Ever since being wounded by Mo Xiuyao in Liyang, Mo Jingli had become very averse to contact with people, preferring to be alone except when necessary. This naturally seemed strange to those around him – while Mo Jingli had never been a complete libertine, he used to keep quite a few women around him. However, since they had been constantly fleeing, his sudden aversion to women hadn’t drawn too much attention.

Mo Jingli sat at the table, poured himself a cup, and took a heavy gulp. The strong alcohol burned, making his eyes bloodshot. The enormous setback tonight and the vague fear lurking in his heart drove him to pour cup after cup down his throat.

On the roof, Mo Xiaobao wrinkled his nose at the pungent smell of alcohol. Smiling, he took out a tiny pill from his clothes, crushed it into powder, and sprinkled it through the gaps in the tiles. The fine powder drifted down – some falling into the wine cup, some landing on Mo Jingli himself. Mo Xiaobao frowned in disappointment and sighed helplessly. If he had dropped the pill directly into Mo Jingli’s wine, it would have been noticed. While the powder form was harder to detect, its effectiveness might be reduced. If Mo Jingli hadn’t been anxiously gulping down strong wine, even this scattered powder might have been noticed. Given the circumstances, Mo Xiaobao had to accept the situation. After watching Mo Jingli for a moment longer, he quietly left the roof.

Soon after, the previously quiet courtyard suddenly became lively. A fire had mysteriously started in the back courtyard. Normally, a fire wouldn’t be a major concern, but at this particularly sensitive time, even the slightest irregularity could attract Prince Ding’s hidden guards. The entire courtyard immediately descended into chaos – except for those guarding the entrance, everyone else busied themselves with extinguishing the fire and searching for clues.

Mo Jingli, who had been drinking, was particularly displeased by the sudden commotion. He yanked open the door and demanded harshly, “What’s happening?!” A guard quickly approached to report, “Your Majesty, there’s suddenly a fire in the back courtyard…”

“Fire in the back courtyard?” Mo Jingli frowned, quickly realizing the implications and rushing toward the room holding Qin Lie. He kicked open the door to find the room empty – Qin Lie was nowhere to be seen.

“Idiots! Go find him immediately!” Mo Jingli turned and slapped the guard behind him, roaring in fury. This was Li City, Prince Ding’s territory. Once they left this small courtyard, catching Mo Yuzhen again would be nearly impossible. After some thought, Mo Jingli decided to quickly leave this place.

Outside the courtyard, Mo Xiaobao and Qin Lie handed the soundly sleeping Nanzhao little prince to Leng Junhan and Xu Zhirui, who had been waiting outside, instructing them to take the little one back to Prince Ding’s manor. Xu Zhirui grabbed Mo Xiaobao as he tried to slip away, asking, “Where else are you going?”

Mo Xiaobao smiled, “To watch the show! We’ve done our part.” He had completed his task by starting the fire to alert Prince Ding’s hidden guards to Mo Jingli’s exact location. Surely his father wouldn’t expect a ten-year-old child to defeat Mo Jingli in some grand display of power.

“If there’s nothing else, let’s return to Prince Ding’s manor together,” Xu Zhirui said seriously.

How could that work?! Mo Xiaobao looked horrified, leaping several zhang away before Xu Zhirui could react. He gave a dry laugh and called out, “Cousin Zhirui, your brother still has business to attend to. You and Cold Dummy take this little one back to Aunt Anxi. That’s an order!” Without waiting for Xu Zhirui’s response, Mo Xiaobao vaulted over the wall and disappeared into the alley. Qin Lie, with a face identical to Mo Xiaobao’s, patted Xu Zhirui and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on him.” Then he too climbed over the wall.

The fair-skinned Cold Dummy, still looking delicate despite his black stealth clothes, carefully glanced at the gloomy-faced Xu Zhirui and asked softly, “What should we do?” Xu Zhirui looked worriedly at the baby in Leng Junhan’s arms and called out gravely, “Come forth!”

A black-clad figure appeared behind Xu Zhirui. “Young Master.”

Xu Zhirui waved his hand, “Take Junhan and the Nanzhao little prince back to Prince Ding’s manor.” Then he too leaped over the wall. Though from a scholarly family, Xu Zhirui’s lightness skill was still quite impressive. In the alley, only the black-clad guard and Leng Junhan were left staring at each other. After a moment, Leng Junhan placed the child in the guard’s arms and said, “Uncle…”

The guard silently rolled his eyes, “I know, take the Nanzhao little prince back to Prince Ding’s manor.”

Leng Junhan nodded satisfactorily and followed the others over the wall. In the dimly lit alley, only the guard holding the infant remained, silently staring at the now-empty wall. It felt somewhat… desolate.

In the darkness, two tall, handsome men stood on a rooftop, watching the scene below with amusement.

Han Mingxi pointed at the guard holding the infant below, laughing heartily, “Brother… our little Crown Prince and these kids are quite interesting.” Beside him, Master Mingyue leaned against the roof edge, the faint moonlight illuminating his handsome features and revealing a slight smile. Looking at Han Mingxi, he said, “The Crown Prince’s lightness skill is quite good – you must have put in considerable effort.”

Han Mingxi’s smile instantly froze as he gave a dry laugh while looking at his brother. He didn’t know how his brother had recognized his influence in the Crown Prince’s lightness skill – there shouldn’t have been any trace of his style. While the Wind Moon Master’s unique lightness skill was indeed unparalleled, the Wind Moon Master’s reputation in those years hadn’t been particularly wholesome. Although no one had mentioned the name Wind Moon Master for many years now, Han Mingxi still didn’t want his reputation to negatively influence Mo Xiaobao. So when Mo Xiaobao came seeking guidance in lightness skills, Han Mingxi had specifically modified his technique considerably. Unfortunately, Han Mingxi didn’t know that years later, someone’s reputation in the jianghu would only be worse than his, never better, completely wasting the Wind Moon Master’s careful efforts.

Han Mingyue shook his head, smiling as he watched the lonely guard below, “You’re right, these youngsters are quite interesting. They will surely become the Crown Prince’s most trusted confidants and brothers in the future.” The children’s friendship easily reminded him of his relationship with Mo Xiuyao in their youth. Although they had met when they were older than these children, they had forged a bond stronger than blood brothers. If only…

Han Mingxi knew what his brother was thinking about and stepped forward to pat Han Mingyue’s shoulder, “Brother, it’s all in the past. Mo Xiuyao has already forgiven you, hasn’t he?” Han Mingyue smiled and nodded, standing up to say, “Let’s go check on them. They’re still children after all – we shouldn’t let anything unexpected happen.”

“Prince Ding said not to interfere unless their lives are in danger.”

“I know, I just want to see… exactly how the Crown Prince plans to torment Mo Jingli.” Something about Mo Xiaobao’s smile, when he left, had seemed a bit sinister – Han Mingyue silently said a prayer for Mo Jingli.

Li City wasn’t particularly large or small. Finding a group of people might be easy, but finding a single person, especially at night while trying not to disturb ordinary citizens, was no simple task. Mo Jingli quickly realized the fire in the courtyard was suspicious, and with Mo Xiaobao and the Nanzhao little prince missing, he immediately understood their location had been exposed. Without further delay, he took only his two most trusted men and left their temporary refuge amid the chaos.

However, they soon discovered something alarming – almost all of Great Chu’s secret strongholds in Li City had been uprooted in less than an hour. Whether they were original Great Chu royal family positions, ones planted by Mo Jingqi after the Mo family army’s independence, or Mo Jingli’s own – all were now under Prince Ding’s control. Moreover, Mo Xiuyao seemed unconcerned about Mo Jingli knowing this – everywhere they went, they found Prince Ding’s troops watching them like tigers eyeing their prey. They had no choice but to flee again, spending nearly an hour running through all of Li City without finding a place to rest, ending up exhausted and panting. By now, it was approaching the third watch of the night.

Finally, Mo Jingli left with no alternative, made the desperate decision to head toward Prince Ding’s manor.

Meanwhile, Mo Xiaobao, Qin Lie, and the others were also running breathlessly through various parts of Li City. Having accidentally lost track of Mo Jingli infuriated the young Crown Prince. “He’s going to die anyway! Why run so fast? What do we do now? Where should we look?”

Leng Junhan, tired after playing all night, said listlessly, “If I were going to die anyway, and had to face your mockery before death, I’d run fast too.”

Mo Xiaobao rolled his eyes and looked back at Qin Lie. Qin Lie shrugged, indicating he also had no idea where Mo Jingli had gone. Mo Xiaobao looked dejected – if he couldn’t torment Mo Jingli, he would die an ugly death.

“My, my, Young Crown Prince, why are you still out so late?” A smiling voice came from the wall top. The four looked up to see Han Mingxi sitting leisurely on the wall, smiling at them. Mo Xiaobao’s eyes brightened, “Uncle Han, do you know where Mo Jingli ran off to?”

Han Mingxi tilted his head, looking at him, “Uncle Han? Is the Young Crown Prince addressing me? I’m truly honored.”

Mo Xiaobao had no psychological barriers when it came to acting cute. He jumped directly onto the wall to sit beside Han Mingxi, smiling, “Uncle Han, you’re the best. Why are you here so late? You must have seen which way Mo Jingli ran, right?”

Han Mingxi smiled at him, “So what if I did?”

Mo Xiaobao looked at him eagerly, his clear big eyes full of “please tell me.” Han Mingyue helplessly raised his hand to ruffle his little head, saying, “He went toward Prince Ding’s manor.”

“Prince Ding’s manor?” Mo Xiaobao frowned, “Isn’t he seeking death by going there now?”

“It’s still night now so it’s fine, but in about an hour, it will be dawn. Then he’ll still have no way out,” Han Mingyue appeared on the wall top, looking at Mo Xiaobao with a faint smile. “Since death is inevitable either way, why not make a final struggle?”

Mo Xiaobao tilted his little head in thought, then nodded, “Alright. I’ll head back first.” He hoped Mo Jingli could hold out until he broke into Prince Ding’s manor again. Nimbly jumping down from the high wall, Mo Xiaobao pulled his young friends along as they rushed toward Prince Ding’s manor, afraid they’d arrive too late and Mo Jingli would already be killed by his father. As they ran, Mo Xiaobao wondered to himself – had his drug worked? Had it lost effectiveness after too long, or was the dose too small to affect Mo Jingli?

Though it was the third watch, Prince Ding’s manor was still brightly lit. In the main hall, guests from various countries were still watching performances and drinking wine, the atmosphere festive with song and dance. Prince Ding’s intention was clear – there would certainly be many incidents in Li City tonight, and if one encountered trouble, it would be their misfortune. Since that was the case, why not stay in Prince Ding’s manor, drinking and making merry without worrying about anything? Prince Ding’s manor would have to ensure their safety.

So except for those too old, too young, or the women, the envoys from various countries were still happily drinking and socializing.

“Father, Mother, Little Bao is back!” In the inner courtyard of Prince Ding’s manor, Mo Xiaobao bounced cheerfully into the flower hall, throwing himself into Ye Li’s arms. Sitting to the side, Mo Xiuyao frowned in displeasure, reaching out to pluck Mo Xiaobao from Ye Li’s embrace, “Don’t you know how big you are now, still jumping into Ali’s arms? What if you hurt your mother?”

Mo Xiaobao struggled unhappily, “I would never hurt Mother. Little Bao loves Mother the most.”

Seeing her son return safely, Ye Li also breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly rescued her son from Mo Xiuyao’s grasp, touching his little face, “Where have you been running wild all day? Were you hurt?” Mo Xiaobao scoffed disdainfully, “That idiot Mo Jingli didn’t even see this Crown Prince’s face. How could I be hurt? But he got away – Han Mingxi said he came to Prince Ding’s manor. Mother, have you already killed him?”

Ye Li sighed helplessly, “He hasn’t arrived yet. You did very well – Mother and Father will handle what comes next, just be good.” Mo Xiaobao shook his head repeatedly, “No way, I must see Mo Jingli.” He had to know if the drug had worked.

Mo Xiuyao sat to the side, looking critically at his son while speaking to Ye Li, “Ali, don’t comfort him – what did he do well? He let Mo Jingli escape when he was right in front of him. If I’d known this would happen, we should have just killed Mo Jingli earlier in the manor. We could be resting peacefully by now.”

Mo Xiaobao was furious, “It was your hidden guards who were too slow! Did you expect this Crown Prince to be able to defeat Mo Jingli and all his guards?” Mo Xiaobao compared his height, then gestured to indicate a taller height as he glared at Mo Xiuyao. Mo Xiuyao sneered dismissively, “If you couldn’t match him in strength, couldn’t you have used strategy? When this prince went to war at fourteen, I wasn’t much taller than you.” This wasn’t a lie – Mo Xiaobao had grown rapidly over the past half year, losing his formerly round dumpling face. Though only eleven, he wasn’t much shorter than ordinary thirteen or fourteen-year-olds.

“Strategy?” Mo Xiaobao frowned, beginning to consider this possibility. It wasn’t that he couldn’t have captured Mo Jingli through strategy, but at the time he had been so caught up in playing that he hadn’t considered there might be easier methods. Carefully glancing at Mo Xiuyao, blinking his big eyes, Mo Xiaobao said shyly, “But… Father… wouldn’t that be less fun?”

Mo Xiuyao gave Mo Xiaobao a frustrated look, saying, “Fool! Why didn’t you…” The Prince then unusually leaned close to whisper in his son’s ear. As Mo Xiaobao listened, his eyes grew brighter and brighter. Beside them, Ye Li watched with twitching eyelids. Just seeing Mo Xiaobao’s evil smile that was painful to look at, she knew Mo Xiuyao hadn’t taught him anything good.

Unable to watch any longer, Ye Li gave a light snort, and both father and son quickly sat properly, looking expectantly at her. Ye Li sighed, saying to Mo Xiuyao, “Don’t teach him disreputable things, he’s still a child.” Mo Xiuyao smiled at Ye Li, “I know, Ali, I’m not teaching him anything disreputable.”

Father and son rarely stood together like this. Mo Xiaobao nodded vigorously, “Yes, yes, Father is teaching me how to deal with bad people! Bad people!” Mo Xiuyao secretly waved at Mo Xiaobao, who immediately understood, “Mother, your son is tired and going to sleep now. Good night, Mother!” With that, Mo Xiaobao rushed out like a gust of wind. Mo Xiuyao smiled at Ye Li, looking particularly innocent, “Little Bao’s lightness skill is quite good, Ali, I didn’t teach him that.”

Seeing his pure, benevolent smile, Ye Li sighed helplessly, “I heard what you told him.” Calling it disreputable was being polite – what father would teach his son to use such underhanded methods against enemies?

Mo Xiuyao smiled amiably, “Methods and techniques are divided by usefulness, not by whether they’re honorable or base. At Mo Xiaobao’s age, he can’t be compared to Mo Jingli. If he can’t defeat Mo Jingli, even the most honorable methods would be useless.” After all, the future heir of Prince Ding’s manor could never be a modest gentleman of high moral character.