Go and capture those thirty-six fierce villains.

October 3rd.

It is auspicious to offer sacrifices and pray for blessings, but inauspicious to bury or trade.

5:00 AM (卯时).

Qin Ning appeared outside the Crown Prince's study.

Today he changed into a neat black outfit, and his medium-length hair was still covered by a crown.

As the weather gets colder, the little black cat's usual spot has moved from its shoulder to its chest.

"Qin Xingzhen" (秦行针).

The deputy physician stepped forward and greeted him. Behind him, two strongmen carried out a reclining chair from the doorway of the study. The prince was fast asleep on the chair, covered with a thick brocade quilt with dragon patterns.

Several attendants followed him, along with two unfamiliar faces whose eyes were gleaming, whose steps were steady and powerful, and who carried long knives and swords at their waists.

These two are likely the prince's personal guards during this blessing ceremony.

"The carriages and horses are ready outside the mansion gate. We will be riding with the young master in a moment. These two are the first-class retainers of the mansion, responsible for protecting the young master and our safety," the deputy physician said softly, gesturing with his hand.

It seems I don't have to make the choice myself... Qin Ning stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "Qin Ning, healer, thank you both for your help this time."

"Dong Qi and Xue Liu, martial artists and Mohists."

The one with the thick beard introduced himself and his companion.

Having met, the two silently walked out of the Prince's residence.

Upon arriving at the prepared carriage, two strongmen carefully lifted the prince from the recliner and placed him inside.

Qin Ning glanced at the hundreds of armored soldiers standing silently in the distance, like ghosts, and his unease lessened slightly.

After the two guards got into the car, the deputy doctor beside him urged them softly.

Qin Ning withdrew his gaze, lifted his robe, and stepped onto the carriage frame using a wooden stool.

The carriage has a very spacious interior, comfortably seating eight people. It is pulled by twelve fine horses, making it both fast and stable.

Behind them, the sound of soldiers' neat and steady footsteps followed closely.

In the still dim light, it disturbed the sweet dreams of countless people.

After leaving the south gate, we traveled along the official road for about an hour.

The group arrived at the location of Zhenji Ridge.

Qin Ning, who was sitting by the window, lifted the sedan curtain and looked out through the gap. The weather wasn't very good today, and it was already this late.

The sky remained dark and gloomy, without a ray of sunlight.

The three hundred armored soldiers who came on foot seemed to be only responsible for the safety of the carriages on the road. After arriving at the foot of the town's sacrificial mountain, they changed shifts with the soldiers who had been stationed there for a long time.

In addition, Qin Ning noticed that at this time, a number of ordinary-looking Suzhou residents had gathered at the foot of the mountain.

"The Crown Prince's prayers are for the benefit of the people of Suzhou. Every time the ceremony is held, many people gather to watch. Afterwards, the items used for the prayers are distributed, and those who receive them consider it a blessing."

The deputy physician, who was also peeking through the curtain, explained softly to Qin Ning.

This move is very popular with the people... Qin Ning's gaze swept over the sleeping face of the prince.

Suddenly, I felt a little more understanding for why he insisted on holding the blessing ceremony despite his serious illness.

Besides the general public, rumors about his strange illness must have spread among the people of Bei'an or Suzhou.

At times like these, simply showing up in public and having the word spread among the people is probably far more effective than any method of debunking rumors.

However... the more people gather, the greater the security challenges will be, and the more likely things will go wrong.

The soldiers who were handing over the duties temporarily cleared the area, and twelve strongmen carried a large sedan chair to the side of the carriage.

"The mountain road is rugged, let's get out of the car and into the sedan chair."

So the group changed their mode of transportation again and slowly made their way to the top of the mountain, swaying slightly.

She timed the acupuncture for the crown prince perfectly.

With a quarter of an hour left until noon, Li Qingyan slowly woke up.

"Thank you all for your trouble," he said politely, and then, with the help of his attendants, began to change into the robes needed for the sacrificial ceremony and prayers.

Qin Ning and the others alighted from the sedan chair to avoid any awkwardness.

He stepped onto the bluestone ground, inhaled the rich scent of grass and trees in the mountains, and looked around.

Not far from the sedan chair, there are wide, straight steps leading up to the site of this prayer and sacrificial ceremony.

Due to the height difference, Qin Ning was not very clear about the layout above, but could vaguely see some command flags waving and some large ceremonial musical instruments such as bells and chimes.

Looking up at the sky, the sun, which should be shining brightly, is still covered by dark clouds. This phenomenon does not seem to be a good omen for those who are praying for blessings.

Looking a few dozen feet away, one could see a slightly noisy crowd of civilians, with armored soldiers doing their best to maintain order.

"The number of people observing this year's sacrificial ceremony is significantly higher than last year."

The deputy doctor was stretching his limbs, looking relaxed, and sighing softly.

Clearly, he had complete confidence in the security arrangements for this grand ceremony.

Qin Ning remained silent, scratched the chin of the little black cat that had poked its head out, and quietly retreated to the side of the sedan chair, finding a corner that would not attract attention as much as possible.

......

in the crowd.

A thin man, dressed plainly and with an even more ordinary appearance, silently retreated to the back of the crowd after seeing Qin Ning get out of the sedan chair.

He had only taken a few steps when a pair of large hands pressed down on his shoulders.

The thin man was startled. After recognizing the person's appearance, he took his hand out of his pocket, which he had somehow managed to slip inside.

"A brilliant idea?"

"The water's shallow here, let's move somewhere else," the thin man whispered in response, and the two of them squeezed out of the crowd together.

Soon, two more men and a woman joined the two companions, all of whom were the kind of people who would be completely inconspicuous in a crowd.

The five people stopped beside a donkey cart; some went to get dry rations, while others went to get water bags.

This town of Jiling is not very close to either Bei'an or other prefectures and counties.

Therefore, most of the people who came to watch the ceremony arrived by donkey cart or oxcart, bringing their own dry food.

Therefore, the actions of these people were not surprising to the patrolling soldiers.

"This place is heavily fortified; not even a whisper can get through." The thin man tilted his head back and gulped down a large mouthful of well water, speaking softly as the patrolling soldiers moved away.

"Even if there's no loophole, you'll find one when you have to deal with a ten-thousand-tael silver."

Like an ordinary village woman, she took a big bite of the coarse bread in her hand, her cheeks bulging.

"But you have to be alive to enjoy it." The tallest man took a handful of hay and fed it to the donkey.

"Once the tide turns back to the old gatehouse, it'll be even harder to secure the stakes. You guys are getting nervous, but I've got the guts!"

"Let's scout things out first. The boss said there are 5,000 pieces of white goods for the gourd, 4,000 pieces of white goods for the horizontal and vertical bones, and 1,000 pieces of white goods for the cavity. With such tight security, if you want to make money in this business, you'll probably have to risk your life." The elder in charge set the tone.

The group chatted in slang for a while, then squeezed back into the crowd and dispersed.

......

Meanwhile, at the back of Zhenji Ridge.

The four men, draped in robes that completely concealed their heads and faces, walked among the weeds and decaying trees.

After walking for a while, the last man glanced around at the desolate landscape and, hearing the sounds of ceremonial music rising from not far away, couldn't help but ask, "Uncle-Master, why did you change the trading location to here? The Prince of Su's heir is praying for blessings on the front mountain. What if something goes wrong on this trip..."

The person in front of him suddenly stopped, turned around, and tapped him hard on the head with his knuckles.

The sound was exceptionally clear and loud.

"Shut your mouth, you jinx."

The man dared not speak further, and a small bump instantly bulged on his round head, which was covered by the cloak.

After walking for a while, the man who had just hit someone explained in a low voice: "The other party said that the most dangerous place is the safest. Besides, we are here to ask for their help. Although the emperor supports our Tantric sect, the Chan sect's henchmen in the court are still very powerful."

"We need a momentous achievement to rightfully occupy important positions in the court. Besides... choosing this location isn't all bad. If the deal falls through, we can go to the foot of the mountain, take the Prince Su's heir hostage, and cross the Chengchuan River smoothly."

As the man spoke, his gaze fell upon the thin, bony figure before him, his eyes filled with reassurance.

The person at the back of the procession seemed to understand but not quite. Although he had entered the Tantric sect, he was a native of the Great Xia region and had lived for more than twenty years without ever setting foot in the Great Spirit Realm.

They had no idea how intense the struggle between the Chan and Tantric schools had become.

However, his senior uncle promised that once this matter was settled, he would take him back to Daling.

No longer need to be stationed in Bei'an, risking death at any moment, as a secret spy.

He even shaved his head beforehand for this purpose.

......

At this point, various forces gathered to hold the town's sacrificial ceremony.

It's noon; let's begin the prayers.