Inside a dark and damp prison cell, a man sat with his back to the wall.

The place was pitch-black, suffused with cold and gloom — filthy bedding, withered straw crawling with insects and ants, and a heavy iron door secured with a large lock.

The man sat perfectly still, like a stone statue, until the sound of footsteps drifted in from outside. Only then did his brow twitch almost imperceptibly — but he did not turn around. He remained in the same posture, eyes closed, as if resting.

Shortly after, the door swung open. Shoes crunched across the dried straw, making a harsh scraping sound.

The footsteps came to a stop just behind him, and then silence.

After a long while, he finally turned slowly around. In the fitful, flickering light, he made out the face of the visitor, and for the first time, the surface of that still, deathlike expression showed the faintest ripple.

“Second Young Master?!”

Shi Guang looked down at Zuo Liang, a trace of a smile in his eyes. “Zuo Liang.”

Zuo Liang struggled with considerable difficulty to his feet, his body swaying visibly. “Second Young Master, what brings you here?”

“I came to see you.” Shi Guang surveyed the surroundings. “You have suffered.”

Zuo Liang’s lips twitched. He could not quite bring himself to meet Shi Guang’s gaze. “My life belongs to the Second Young Master. A little suffering is nothing.”

Shi Guang nodded. “What about the two maps?”

Zuo Liang had known this question was unavoidable. Shi Guang had come for the maps — of that he was certain.

When Zuo Liang did not answer right away, Shi Guang said, “Are you blaming me for not coming to rescue you sooner? After you were arrested, Shi Ting locked you up somewhere. I sent many men, but none of them could find where you were being held.”

“I know,” Zuo Liang said quickly. “I knew the Second Young Master would look for me and save me.”

“Good that you know.” Shi Guang sat down on the cot nearby, turning a dry stalk of straw over in his fingers. “Shun Cheng is in chaos now. Shi Ting’s men have had their hands full, which is why I finally had the chance to find you.”

Zuo Liang lowered his head, his eyes filled with guilt.

“You still have not told me. Where are the maps?” Shi Guang’s voice remained perfectly calm.

“Second Young Master.” Zuo Liang clenched his jaw, and with a heavy thud, dropped to his knees before Shi Guang. He kept his head bowed, not daring to look up at Shi Guang’s face. “Second Young Master… I am sorry. Please grant me death.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I gave the maps to Seventh Young Master.”

Shi Guang’s brow furrowed. “You gave them to him?”

It was Zuo Liang who had repeatedly assured Shi Guang that he would gather all three maps before turning them over together, giving Shi Guang access to a considerable fortune.

Shi Guang had trusted Zuo Liang completely — so much so that even after he had secured two of the maps, Shi Guang had not pressed him to hand them over immediately.

On the surface, Shi Guang showed no reaction, but the stalk of straw he had been holding was silently crushed to dust between his fingers. “Why would you do this? Zuo Liang, I have always treated you well. I have never wronged you. I trusted you as a confidant, as a brother. You were locked up in the Military Police Bureau by Shi Ting, and I tried to rescue you at all costs. And this is how you repay me?”

“How the Second Young Master has treated Zuo Liang, Zuo Liang knows full well. Zuo Liang has failed the Second Young Master. Zuo Liang deserves to die.” Zuo Liang’s forehead struck the ground with a heavy crack, leaving a spreading red stain. “It was the Seventh Young Master who told me that he could find my mother and younger brother — and the condition was that I exchange those two maps for them.”

“So you agreed?”

“All these years, I never once gave up searching for them. I wanted to know whether they were still alive and well in this world. I wanted to know whether my younger brother had grown up — whether he had become a strong young man, whether he had married, whether he had children. My mother — whether her health was still good… I have been tormented by these thoughts every waking moment.”

Shi Guang’s gaze grew steadily colder. “Were you not afraid that Shi Ting was deceiving you?”

“I may have been the Second Young Master’s man, but I have followed you long enough to know the Seventh Young Master’s character.”

“Ha.” Shi Guang gave a cold laugh. “You sound more like his man.”

Knowing he had no right to excuse himself, Zuo Liang said, “I never intended for the Second Young Master to come and rescue me. I was willing to stay here and wait for death. I know I have no face to show you — but I have no regrets in dying.”

“Did you see your family?”

Zuo Liang gave a nod. “Yes. The Seventh Young Master kept his word. He found my mother and younger brother. After so many years apart, I still recognized my mother the moment I saw her. My brother has grown so much — he looks nothing like the child I remember — but he was just as affectionate toward me as he had always been, just like when we were small.”

Zuo Liang recalled the scene of being reunited with his family. His eyes were full of tenderness. For twenty years, alongside his relentless desire for vengeance, the deepest longing in his heart had been to find his family again.

Now, his vengeance was nearly fulfilled, and he had found his family as well. It had been only a brief meeting — they had barely exchanged more than a few words — but for him, this lifetime was already more than enough.

The only thing weighing on him was the guilt he felt for having betrayed Shi Guang’s cultivation and trust.

Shi Guang stared at the top of his bowed head. A trace of killing intent slowly gathered in his eyes. After a long silence, he said, “I had intended to have you help me build something great. I came here today to rescue you. But you… you have disappointed me greatly.”

“Second Young Master, I handed the two maps to the Seventh Young Master, but I suspect he will return them to the Qiao family. So the Second Young Master need only go to the Qiao family and take all three maps.” Zuo Liang raised his head, eyes glistening with tears as he looked toward Shi Guang. “Zuo Liang knows he has wronged the Second Young Master and will atone for it with his death.”

“You think Shi Ting will give the maps to the Qiao family?” Shi Guang twisted the now-misshapen stalk of straw between his fingers, deep in thought. “In that case, go to the Qiao family and retrieve all three maps.”

“Second Young Master…” Zuo Liang looked at him in disbelief. “The Second Young Master is still willing to trust me?”

Shi Guang clapped him on the shoulder with a weighty hand. “This is your one chance to redeem yourself.”

Zuo Liang, with unshakeable conviction, said, “Second Young Master, rest easy. I will bring back the complete maps and help the Second Young Master achieve great things.”

Zuo Liang stepped back and withdrew, and Shi Guang watched his retreating figure with eyes that held not one trace of trust.

For those who had betrayed him, he would not choose forgiveness or faith again. As for Zuo Liang now — he was nothing more than a tool to be used.

“Second Young Master.” A report came from outside. “We have just received word that the Young Commander has withdrawn with the Commander-in-Chief’s body toward the direction of Tai Shan.”

“Tai Shan?” Tai Shan was in the completely opposite direction from Shun Cheng.

Shi Guang’s brow creased. “He should have already received word that the Shi Mansion is under siege. He did not come back — and instead went to Tai Shan?”

From what he knew of Shi Ting, if his wife and mother were trapped, Shi Ting would stop at nothing to turn back and fight his way to them. And Lei Li’s forces would intercept him on the way. With their greatly superior strength, Shi Ting would have no chance of making it back to Shun Cheng alive.

But the reality was nothing like what he had anticipated. Shi Ting had not chosen to return to Shun Cheng — he had gone to Tai Shan to take refuge.

Li Yongqi was in Tai Shan. Going there was undoubtedly Shi Ting’s wisest choice.

“Second Young Master, what do we do now?” his subordinate asked urgently.

“What do we do?” Even Shi Guang was stumped by the question.

He rose from the crumbling earthen bed. “Leave him for now. How are things progressing on our side?”

“The forces Shi Ting left behind here are too strong. Although we have managed to win over some of the neutral factions, the struggle against them is still far from smooth. For now, we can only try to press our advantage while they are leaderless.”

“What is the situation at the city gates?”

“Both sides are still at a standstill.”

“Move quickly.”

“Yes, Second Young Master.”

After his subordinate left, Shi Guang turned back to Zuo Liang. “This prison is under my control for the time being. You are free to come and go as you please. Remember — this is your one and only chance to make amends.”

“Second Young Master, rest assured. I will return the complete maps and help the Second Young Master accomplish great things.”

Zuo Liang finished speaking and withdrew. Shi Guang watched his retreating back, his eyes entirely devoid of trust.

Zuo Liang walked out through the prison gates. All the way through, the passage was unobstructed. Shun Cheng was now in utter chaos — like a pot of porridge boiling over — and the two opposing forces were evenly matched. A place like the prison could easily be taken.

Zuo Liang looked up at the sky. It was nearly evening. He was in no hurry to go to the Qiao family. Instead, he found a roadside stall and sat down.

He ordered a bowl of noodles and added a few pieces of meat, then began eating at a slow and unhurried pace.

As he ate, the vendor kept glancing at him. Zuo Liang’s clothes were ragged and his appearance disheveled — he looked very much like a beggar from the streets — but the way he spoke carried a confidence that did not match that image at all.

When Zuo Liang finished, the vendor stepped forward with a smile and said, “Two copper coins — I’ll give you a good deal.”

Zuo Liang wiped his mouth with his sleeve and glanced over at the quiet, deserted street. “Is the street not supposed to be lively? Why is there no one around?”

“Of course it is because war is coming. When princes vie for the throne, the common people suffer. In times like these, who would dare wander the streets at random? Even my little noodle shop can barely stay afloat.”

The vendor continued to eye Zuo Liang with a maintained smile. “My friend, two copper coins.”

“Why is your noodle so expensive?”

“Times are this chaotic. There are not many bold enough to come out and do business like me — naturally the price goes up a bit.” The vendor’s expression was gradually souring. “I told you the price before you started eating. Do not tell me you are having second thoughts now that you have finished.”

The vendor looked Zuo Liang up and down, with a look of disdain. “Or perhaps you have no money at all and just came looking for a free meal?”

Zuo Liang rose slowly to his feet, and his gaze fell on a cleaver lying on the noodle board.

Right before the vendor’s astonished eyes, Zuo Liang picked it up. Before the vendor could react, the tip of the blade was already pressed against his throat.

The cold edge of the steel carried with it a wave of killing intent. The vendor was so frightened that he immediately wet himself, and after a long moment managed to stammer out, “No charge. No charge.”

Zuo Liang tucked the cleaver into his waistband, turned around, and walked off without looking back.

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