Inside a secluded manor outside Zhaoge City, Bi Gan slowly opened his eyes. The pain throughout his body had not yet faded, but his chest was no longer bleeding.
Before him stood an Immortal in flowing red robes, her features obscured and indistinct, her aura tranquil and pure like celestial dawn clouds.
Bi Gan hurriedly pushed himself upright and solemnly bowed. "Thank you, Immortal, for saving my life. Bi Gan will never forget this kindness."
Golden Phoenix said nothing, merely nodded faintly. Sensing someone approaching outside, she flickered and vanished in a streak of red light.
The next moment, the door was gently pushed open.
Bi Gan looked up and was startled once more. "Prime Minister?"
The person entering was none other than Shang Rong, the old prime minister who had supposedly knelt to death before King Zhou's palace.
The old man's beard and hair were still gray, yet his spirit had not diminished in the slightest. Seeing Bi Gan covered in dried blood and looking utterly miserable, he laughed heartily.
"Bi Gan, it has been a long time. You looked far more frightening in death than this old man did!"
Bi Gan looked at the very much alive Shang Rong, then at the bloodstains covering himself, and could not help giving an awkward smile.
"Prime Minister, you flatter me... Could it be that you, too, were arranged by His Majesty?"
Shang Rong slowly nodded, his expression turning solemn as he lowered his voice.
"That is right. This was all part of His Majesty's plan.
"Now that you have safely arrived here, remain hidden here with this old man for the time being and wait patiently for the right opportunity."
As long as veteran ministers like them still remained, no matter how fiercely the winds and clouds churned over Zhaoge