In Xuanzhou City, things had returned to normal. People were allowed to come and go freely, and official documents with government seals were posted on the streets, permitting shops to reopen for business. Everything in the city seemed to be back to its usual state. However, as long as the group of people staying in the Militia Mansion hadn’t left, everyone was still scared and anxious.
These days were the most difficult for Old Wei. He wanted to go to the mansion to inquire about the situation of his two brothers, but he didn’t have the courage to stop in front of the gate.
On this day, Old Wei passed by the gate of the mansion several times but didn’t dare to stop. A young eunuch ran out from the gate and headed straight for Old Wei. Instinctively, Old Wei wanted to run.
“Old man,” the young eunuch called out, seeing Old Wei about to flee, “Wait, our Prince wants to see you.”
Upon hearing this, Old Wei really wanted to run away. Our Prince? Who was this Prince that knew him? Was it the madman who had killed people that night?
“Brother Fu wants to see you!” the young eunuch shouted again when he saw Old Wei running away.
The three words “Brother Fu” made Old Wei stop.
The young eunuch caught up to Old Wei and said, “Come with me.”
“Brother Fu wants to see me?” Old Wei asked, “Are you not deceiving me?”
“Why would I lie to an old man like you?” the young eunuch said. “Hurry, come with me.”
“What about Brother Lan?” Old Wei asked as he followed the young eunuch.
“I’m just a servant,” the young eunuch said. “If you have anything to ask, you can ask our master.”
This made Old Wei hesitate again. “Brother Fu is your master?”
“You’ll know when you go in,” the young eunuch grabbed Old Wei, afraid that the old man would run away again.
Old Wei looked at the guards standing in front of the gate, as if they hadn’t seen the two of them.
“Please, old man,” the young eunuch pulled Old Wei towards the mansion gate.
Old Wei made up his mind and followed the young eunuch through the gate. Regardless of whether this Prince was really a Prince or not, if he could see Brother Fu, it would be a relief. Old Wei had never wronged anyone in his life, but what had happened to these two brothers were his own wrongdoing. If he could meet Brother Fu face to face and offer his life, it would be a way to repay his debt.
The young eunuch led Old Wei to the entrance of a small courtyard.
“The old man is here,” Fu Yun stood at the entrance of the courtyard, waiting for Old Wei.
Upon seeing Fu Yun, Old Wei wanted to fight him desperately. This dog of a slave was not a good person!
Fu Yun walked up to Old Wei and waved for the young eunuch to leave. He then said to Old Wei, “When our lord asks you something later, think carefully before you speak. Old man, our Prince is not in good health. If you make him sick again, the lives of you and your family combined won’t be enough to compensate.”
Upon hearing Fu Yun threaten his family’s lives again, Old Wei’s anger surged. He yelled at Fu Yun, “If you’re going to talk like this, then I won’t meet him. This old man has no desire to see your so-called Prince.”
“You old man,” Fu Yun, seeing Old Wei getting angry, also became anxious. He reached out to cover Old Wei’s mouth.
“Mr. Fu,” a eunuch ran out from the courtyard and stood in front of Fu Yun. He said, “His Highness asked the old man to come in for a talk.”
Seeing that Old Wei’s shout had alerted Luo Wei, Fu Yun couldn’t do much else. He glared at Old Wei before letting him enter to see Luo Wei.
Following behind the eunuch, Old Wei entered the small courtyard. Seeing that there was no one else around, he asked the eunuch, “Where is your Prince?”
“Do you expect our Prince to come out to the courtyard to receive you?” the eunuch chuckled. “Come with me to the room.”
“Isn’t Brother Fu supposed to see me?” Old Wei asked.
The eunuch pushed open the closed door and whispered to Old Wei, “Come in with me. The Prince is waiting for you.”
Old Wei followed the eunuch into the main room of the courtyard. The room was dimly lit, making Old Wei, who had just come in from the bright sunlight outside, feel uncomfortable for a moment.
“Your Highness, Old Wei has arrived,” the eunuch said after entering the room, then hurried to Luo Wei’s side to report.
Luo Wei raised his hand in acknowledgment towards the eunuch. The eunuch quickly retreated.
Old Wei looked at the man sitting below the window. He couldn’t see his face clearly, but his stature seemed familiar.
Luo Wei turned around, smiled, and called Old Wei, “Uncle.”
“You…” Old Wei was stunned for a moment when he saw Luo Wei’s face. He quickly walked over to Luo Wei and exclaimed, “Aren’t you Brother Fu?”
Luo Wei laughed and pulled Old Wei to sit beside him, saying, “It’s me.”
“Are you the Prince?” Old Wei didn’t recognize Luo Wei anymore. He looked at Luo Wei from top to bottom. Although he was the same person, dressed in this gorgeous outfit, Old Wei wouldn’t dare to recognize him if they bumped into each other on the street.
“Uncle.”
“Why are you speaking like this?” Old Wei asked hurriedly without letting him speak, noticing Luo Wei’s strange pronunciation.
“My tongue is injured,” Luo Wei said, gesturing to Old Wei to let him speak first.
“Brother Fu, go on,” Old Wei said quickly. “I’m listening.”
“Lan,” Luo Wei asked Old Wei, “What happened after Lan left with you that day?”
Upon hearing Luo Wei’s question, Old Wei slapped himself hard.
Luo Wei quickly grabbed Old Wei’s hand to prevent him from slapping himself again.
“I deserve to die!” Old Wei felt ashamed.
“I know, it wasn’t a stranger who harmed Wei Lan,” Luo Wei said calmly to Old Wei. “It was you who gave him the drug, right?”
Old Wei nodded.
“Tell me about that day,” Luo Wei requested.
Old Wei then explained how, on the way back to the city that day, he had given Wei Lan the water from the flask given to him by Long Xuan. Wei Lan only drank a few sips of the water before suddenly fainting without any warning. Old Wei hurriedly drove the carriage, brought the unconscious Wei Lan into the city, and handed him over to Long Xuan, exchanging one person’s life for the lives of the whole city.
Luo Wei waited until Old Wei finished speaking before he choked up and asked, “Was he just unconscious at that time?”
“He was just unconscious,” Old Wei said hastily. “I checked his body, and his breathing was normal. There was no blood from his mouth or nose. The drug should not be fatal.”
“Long… the man from that night,” Luo Wei said. “What did he do to Lan afterwards?”
“He had someone carry Brother Lan to a room, and then… I never saw Brother Lan again,” Old Wei said.
“Alright,” Luo Wei rubbed his eyes and said to Old Wei, “I understand.”
“Brother Fu,” Old Wei wanted to kneel before Luo Wei.
“Uncle,” Luo Wei held Old Wei’s hand and smiled. “You don’t owe us anything. Don’t think too much. It’s me and Lan who have caused trouble for you.”
“Brother Fu!” Old Wei felt even more ashamed after hearing Luo Wei’s words.
“The lives of the people in the city,” Luo Wei sighed. “Exchanging two lives for the lives of the whole city, it’s worth it.”
Old Wei finally burst into tears. If Luo Wei had scold him and beat him, it would have made him feel better.
“As for those two wooden houses,” Luo Wei wiped away the tears from Old Wei’s face and pleaded, “Lan and I might not be able to come back for a long time. Could you please keep them for us and not let anyone else live there?”
“Where are you and Brother Lan going, Brother Fu?” Old Wei asked tearfully.
Luo Wei shook his head, indicating that he couldn’t say.
“How could Brother Fu be a Prince?” Old Wei asked again.
“Uncle, you don’t need to know these things,” Luo Wei said. “Just remember not to give away our home to others.”
“Alright,” Old Wei nodded. “I will definitely keep it for you.”
“Many thanks,” Luo Wei said gratefully after seeing Old Wei’s nod, feeling relieved as if a burden had been lifted from his heart.
Boundless Dao 
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