Chapter 123 Encountering Injustice on the Road...

"Fourth Master, Madam sent me to ask... Huh?"

The riverbank was overgrown with weeds, and there was a small path. A servant boy came along, but before he could finish speaking, he hurried along the path in a panic, only to find no one in sight. His face gradually turned pale with fright. "Fourth Master? Fourth Master... don't frighten me!"

He gritted his teeth and looked at the water, fear creeping onto his face. After two unsuccessful attempts, he could only stagger back to call for help: "Something's wrong! Fourth Master is missing!"

Qi Chengming looked up and squinted.

In the distance, where the sunlight blurred his vision, he could vaguely see half a carriage shaft; a passing carriage had stopped on that side of the road. He looked down at the calm water, at the faintly rising bubbles, and felt a sense of unease and uncertainty, vaguely realizing something.

Someone in the nearby woods noticed something amiss, and immediately a young boy—the same Wu'er from last time—ran over, panting, and asked, "Your Highness, what happened?"

Qi Chengming looked back and saw the figures of the boys and girls who had been riding the scooter with him, now that they had circled the hilltop.

He waved his hand, having made up his mind: "You decide what to do later. Hide back first, and let me handle it."

After saying that, Qi Chengming took off his boots and outer shirt and jumped into the water without hesitation.

With a "splash!" the water surged.

Before he transmigrated, he was a good swimmer, but after transmigrating, due to his noble status, he no longer had the opportunity to swim. At this moment, the weather was hot, and the instant he jumped into the warm water, he felt refreshed and the heat disappeared.

It was a little uncomfortable to have the clothes sticking to my body, but there were no other discomforts.

Qi Chengming breathed a comfortable, silent sigh, then took a deep breath before falling.

"Oh no! Master!" Wu'er cried out in surprise, then quickly covered his mouth, his brows furrowed tightly, staring intently at the river as he retreated into the bushes, not daring to disobey orders.

Qi Chengming was still sinking in the water. He calmly adjusted for a moment, then instead of swimming upwards, he used the momentum to turn around and look for that person.

The river was surging, and the sound of water was all around. The underwater light was dim, and the riverbed and a dark expanse could be vaguely seen.

Before Qi Chengming could see clearly, the dark figure suddenly moved, rushing towards him. Its strong arm grabbed Qi Chengming's shoulder, trying to pull him up.

Qi Chengming: "?"

In the blink of an eye, two people surfaced.

After wiping the water droplets from their faces, the two looked at each other, and saw that they were staring at each other.

Across from Qi Chengming was a boy who still looked very young, about eleven or twelve years old. His wet hair was messily plastered to his neck and clothes, making him look disheveled. However, the boy's eyes were dark and sent chills down one's spine when he looked at him.

This is not the look that people of the same age—or normal people—should have.

Qi Chengming's heart skipped a beat, but before he could think about it, the young man had already noticed the boots and clothes scattered haphazardly on the riverbank. His gaze swept around and landed back on Qi Chengming, and he suddenly realized.

He spoke, but his tone was not as difficult as Qi Chengming had expected. There was no coldness or ruthlessness in his expression; instead, it was gentle, kind, and even somewhat weak: "Thank you, brother, for wanting to save me."

"No... I'm ashamed to say you can swim." Qi Chengming didn't intend to accept the thanks and said politely.

They both made a blunder, actually trying to save each other.

Just then, the servant boy from the path came running over again, followed by several strong men dressed as guards. Upon seeing them, he shouted excitedly, "Quickly, bring Fourth Master up! Hurry, hurry!"

Around the same time, the boys and girls who were chasing Qi Chengming in the distance also slid down. They were initially confused by the scooter lying overturned in the pavilion, but when they heard the commotion below, Huang Lan and Zhang Ji, who were at the front, changed their expressions and jumped down to help rescue the people.

"What happened?" Huang Lan asked, looking at the chaos. "My donkey cart is waiting nearby. Go to the cart and change into some of my clothes. They're not nice, but at least they'll be dry."

"Thank you, Brother Huang Lan." Qi Chengming said, then turned to look at the servant approaching. The servant knelt down respectfully and kowtowed.

"Thank you so much for saving my fourth master! Please come to my carriage for a rest. My master is the newly appointed magistrate of Nanliu County, Yulin. I must express my gratitude."

Qi Chengming was surprised and wanted to say something, but when he turned to look at the young man, he saw that the young man was also staring at his mouth, the meaning of which was self-evident.

“…Alright.” Qi Chengming’s heart stirred. He smiled at Brother Huang Lan and then walked along the path with the unfamiliar servant’s family. Surprisingly, the young men and women followed behind.

Qi Chengming was still somewhat puzzled, but after rounding the road, he suddenly realized that his view had opened up. There was a natural cliff on the mountainside that blocked the scorching sun. Seven or eight cars were parked there, passersby were resting, and a tea stall was also open.

No wonder there was no one at the pavilion!

Qi Chengming and the "Fourth Master" were invited into a carriage. The young man whispered something, and a maid came in and hung a curtain in the middle. She then brought clothes to help them change, but Qi Chengming waved his hand, saying he wasn't used to it: "You can go out, I'll do it myself."

The boy said in a serious tone, "You go out too."

In the blink of an eye, only two people remained in the carriage. Having just experienced a series of events, Qi Chengming sorted out his thoughts and vaguely understood something. He looked at the other person: "What do you want to say to me? 'I'm your savior?' Hmm?"

"Brother, I'm so sorry. I accidentally fell into the river while washing up. Please use the same explanation as before; it will be a great help to me." The young man spoke sincerely, his voice very low.

His current appearance is so unremarkable that Qi Chengming would not have noticed anything unusual about this ordinary young man if he had seen him like this before.

Qi Chengming was silent for a moment, then asked with concern, "What are you planning to do next?"

"What...?" A look of confusion flashed across the boy's face before Qi Chengming interrupted him coldly, "—You threw yourself into the water just now."

First, he dismissed his servants in the desolate wilderness and then jumped into the water himself. If Qi Chengming hadn't happened to pass by, he probably would have been dead by the time the servant returned.

When Qi Chengming jumped into the water to save him, Wu'er let out a cry of surprise. The boy must have heard it, or perhaps his conscience intervened, so he abandoned his original plan and pulled the heavy, unstruggling Qi Chengming out of the water. Only after surfacing did he realize he had misunderstood; the person who jumped in really was trying to save him.

Qi Chengming clearly saw the astonishment and frustration in that instant.

Not to mention the chilling aura that emanated from the young man's dark eyes the moment their expressions met. Later, when the servants and students arrived, the young man had concealed that expression, but Qi Chengming repeatedly recalled it, finally understanding what that expression truly meant—

Those were clearly the gloomy looks of someone who had reached a dead end.

Half of it was the weariness of utter despair, and half the madness of struggling to destroy something. This young man seemed to be reaching his limit, about to snap in his wavering.

If Qi Chengming's guess is correct...

His suicide attempt was coincidentally interrupted by himself, so what happened next...?

If they're going to make a scene, how will they make a scene, and where will it go?

Qi Chengming thought it over and over, but he was still uneasy and couldn't put his mind at ease.

The young man remained silent for a moment, rendered speechless by Qi Chengming's keen speculation. He seemed unsure how to organize his chaotic thoughts, and his entire demeanor slumped. The once vibrant young man's back hunched, and he even appeared somewhat aged.

He said quietly, "Brother, are you trying to meddle in other people's business?"

“No ordinary person would be able to ignore you in this situation,” Qi Chengming said frankly.

Moreover, there was something else he was concerned about—the servant had just mentioned that the master of this house was a new official going to Yulin Prefecture to take up his post. That would be related to Qi Chengming, and he needed to find out the details.

“Ordinary people believe in ‘everyone sweeps the snow from their own doorstep.’ Besides, this is my family matter, and outsiders have no right to interfere.” The young man couldn’t help but retort, then softened his tone, still harboring some goodwill towards the person who had tried to jump down to save him.

“Brother, you didn’t say anything, which is a great help to me. I will remember your kindness.”

Qi Chengming was about to say something when a soft knock came from outside the window: "Young Masters?"

"Alright!" the young man named Zhang Ting called out. Qi Chengming had no chance to persuade him any further. He frowned slightly and could only get off the carriage.

Looking closely at the area, apart from the carriages brought by the young men who came to ride the chariots, all the other carriages belonged to the Zhang family. A maid led them to a carriage where a kind-looking woman was sitting. Before Qi Chengming could even speak, she launched into a tirade of enthusiastic praise and gratitude, her words extremely sincere.

After praising him, she engaged in casual conversation, inadvertently uncovering Qi Chengming's background. Finally, she had a maid bring over a package: "I really don't know how to thank you, my good child... This is a small token of my appreciation. If you don't accept it, it would be disrespectful to our family."

He insisted on this, and shoved the whole package at Qi Chengming. Qi Chengming weighed it in his hand; it was probably silk fabrics and other valuables.

That concludes our meeting.

Qi Chengming held the tea freshly brewed by the maid, knowing that she was about to see the guest off. He didn't say much throughout the meal, as the woman controlled the conversation, creating a harmonious atmosphere. The maids also joined in praising Qi Chengming's heroic act of saving people. With all this praise and the "gift" he received, if Qi Chengming were truly the son of a merchant, he would have been completely flattered and smitten.

Qi Chengming glanced quickly at Zhang Ting from the angle of drinking tea.

The boy stood quietly the whole time, like a statue, obediently listening to them talk. Now that tea was served, he lowered his eyelids as he drank, but it concealed a fleeting sneer.

"..." Qi Chengming seemed to be deep in thought.

So, is it a family feud? How bad must the feud be to escalate to the point of someone dying?

After much thought, Qi Chengming finally had an idea when he saw where the road led.

After finishing his tea, he took his leave without making a sound, as if he had no further connection with the Zhang family. But Qi Chengming didn't immediately go to find his companions. Instead, he waved goodbye from afar and ran to the tea shop, where he ordered a plate of snails to take away.

Qi Chengming touched his clothes; the vouchers he carried were all wet. But he didn't need change; someone sitting next to him had already discreetly slipped two small vouchers onto the table. It was the Imperial Guard who had been secretly following him.

"Keep an eye on this family and find out their background." Qi Chengming lowered his voice and instructed while the shopkeeper was processing the snails, "...They should be staying in Liuzhou City tonight. Try to detain them for a few days and make sure nothing happens to them."

...Once he finds out the whole story, he wants to see what else he, as a prince, can't handle.

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Author's note: Qi Chengming has no intention of revealing his identity yet, because he wants to avoid being used as a pawn, so he'll investigate first—but his curiosity has been piqued.