Ji Xiu and Shen Lang packed the letter and went to the Wang house to bid farewell. Upon entering, they found the house shrouded in gloom. The members of the Wang family sat in the main hall, their eyes red and faces heavy with silence.
"What happened?" Ji Xiu asked, raising an eyebrow.
The adults tried to hide it, but a child blurted out: "Cousin-in-law, Grandpa was taken away by the officials!"
Shen Lang gasped. Ji Xiu frowned, asking for the full story. As it turned out, the fragrant ink recipe Ji Xiu provided—while common in the modern world—was a priceless treasure in this era. A greedy party had approached the Wangs to buy the secret at a low price. When they refused, the party framed Old Grandpa Wang and had him imprisoned.
The Wang family was torn: some wanted to give up the recipe to save the patriarch, while others felt they had no right to give away a gift from Ji Xiu.
Ji Xiu spoke up, calming the room. "Don't panic. If the grandfather was framed, we just need to find the evidence to clear his name."
He decided to head to the county town immediately. Ji Zian, who was training in the courtyard, leaped onto the fence with cat-like agility. "Where are you going?"
Ji Xiu sighed. "Come with us then." He wanted his son to see how the world really worked.
…
In Jixi City, as dusk fell, Ji Xiu left the eldest Wang son at an inn and took Ji Zian to investigate. They didn't enter through the front gate of the government office; they slipped into the backyard to eavesdrop and then visited the prison.
When Old Grandpa Wang described the carriage of the people who framed him—bearing a silver four-leaf flower emblem—Ji Xiu’s expression turned cold.
"What is it?" the old man asked.
"Grandpa, have you forgotten? Twenty years ago, a carriage with that same silver four-leaf emblem came to Jixi and took your daughter, Yu-niang, away."
The realization hit the old man like a thunderbolt. "It’s... it’s the Shen family."
Indeed, it was the Shen family. While Old Master Shen lay dying, his subordinates were out bullying the common folk to squeeze out extra profit. Ji Xiu comforted the old man: "Master Shen has passed away. The Eldest Young Master has been running things for two years. This attempt to steal the recipe likely came from an overzealous manager. I'll pay them a visit tonight."
…
Walking toward the inn where the Shen merchant caravan was staying, Ji Xiu looked at Ji Zian. "Seeing your great-grandfather like this, what do you think?"
Ji Zian’s eyes were cold. "The Shens deserve to die."
Ji Xiu sighed. "The people in charge deserve punishment, yes. But remember, son: punish the guilty, but do not involve the innocent. Not everyone in that caravan agreed with the manager's scheme. 'To capture the thieves, first capture the king; to eliminate evil, first eliminate the head.' Do you understand?"
Ji Zian looked confused but nodded, processing the lesson.
Ji Xiu entered the manager's room alone. Half an hour later, he walked out with a frigid expression. Behind him, the Shen manager followed, trembling with terror. He had seen Ji Xiu effortlessly crush a rosewood table with a single palm. To a common businessman, a martial arts expert was a force of nature they couldn't afford to offend.
…
Downstairs in the lobby, a crash echoed. Ji Xiu found Ji Zian surrounded by several fallen guards.
"They were mocking Great-grandfather’s family," Ji Zian explained coldly.
Ji Xiu smiled and clapped. "Well done!" He turned his cold gaze toward the guards. "How dare you lay a hand on my son?"
The guards scrambled away in fear. Ji Xiu didn't kill them—he didn't want to bring trouble to the Wang family—but he left them with a warning they would never forget.
The next morning, the officials personally escorted Old Grandpa Wang back to the inn where the Wang family was staying. The Shen caravan had fled the city before dawn, terrified that the "martial arts expert" would come back for their lives. The local magistrate, fearing Ji Xiu's power, was eager to wash his hands of the matter.
…
Five days later, Ji Xiu, Shen Lang, and Ji Zian hired a carriage to return to Yangzhou for the funeral.
Unlike their previous trip, they didn't need a caravan for protection. Ji Zian alone could handle a dozen bandits, and Ji Xiu, as a Pre-heaven expert, was practically invincible. They traveled at their own pace, enjoying the freedom.
Six days later, they arrived at the gates of Yangzhou. As they waited in the long queue to enter the city, Ji Zian suddenly pulled Ji Xiu's sleeve, pointing outside.
Ji Xiu looked out and locked eyes with a terrified man in the crowd: the Shen family manager.
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