Dream Awakens in Your Land Chapter Seven: Master Ji Rescues Jia Outside the city gate, Oberming Road pointed toward Jiangnan.

The men in black dragged a sack toward the city gate. "Leaving the city in the dead of night? That is suspicious to the twelfth degree!" Ji Shi pondered for a moment before deciding to follow them.

At the gate, Ji Shi watched the leader of the men show something to the guards, who then opened the gate to let them pass. "What am I to do? How can I get out? If I'm not mistaken, that sack contains the fat man called Master Jia. He must know something, which is why Zhu Shengzhiyin wants him silenced!"

Seeing the men moving away, Ji Shi devised a plan. He walked slowly toward the guards, clutching a forged secret letter, his expression feigned with anxiety. "Officers, this is an urgent military dispatch that must be delivered to Jiangnan immediately!" The soldier suspiciously took the letter and inspected it under the dim firelight, while Ji Shi discreetly slipped a small bag of silver to the soldier’s feet. The soldier’s eyes flickered; he quickly returned the letter and whispered, "Go!" Ji Shi bowed and scraped, but as he turned, a flash of cunning crossed his eyes. He strode away with a sense of composure, disappearing into the night.

After leaving the city, Ji Shi trailed the men into a dense forest. He watched as they opened the sack. "Damn it, that fat pig. If it weren't for the Master wanting to maintain a good public image, we would have finished you off back at the manor. Why wait until we left the city?" "What a pain. Let's just kill him and get out of here!" Master Jia had awakened by then; looking around and seeing the men, he began to tremble violently.

"No, don't kill me! Kind sirs, please, spare me! I have elderly parents and young children at home. I have ten taels of gold—I'll tell you where it is, just please, don't kill me!" "Shut your mouth!" one of the men slapped him, pulling out a dagger. "Die, you fat pig!" "No! Ah... stop, don't!"

"Stop!" Both Master Jia and the men were startled. "So it is Young Master Ji. I advise you not to meddle in affairs that don't concern you, or you'll regret it once our master finds out!" "Noisy!" Ji Shi struck with his sword five times in quick succession. In an instant, all five men fell dead.

Ji Shi walked up to the still-trembling Master Jia and asked, "Are you, by any chance, a Sakura?" Master Jia hurriedly replied, "Oh, honorable sir, yes! I am a Sakura, please save me!"

"So you are a Sakura. But I am a citizen of the Dragon Kingdom, so, you can die now!" "No, I misspoke! I am actually a citizen of the Dragon Kingdom too! I have no regrets in this life for being Chinese, and in the next life, I shall return to the land of flowers! What I said before was only to save my life!"

Ji Shi glanced at him. "Go strip the clothes off two of those men." "Clothes? Could it be..." Master Jia looked at Ji Shi with a bizarre expression. "What are you thinking? I need them to get back into the city!" "Oh, right, understood!" He began to undress the corpses.

After changing, they cleaned up the scene and headed back to the gate. "Why are only the two of you back? Where are the others?" the guard asked suspiciously. "Don't ask about things you shouldn't," Ji Shi said, lowering his voice. "Yes, my apologies. Please, proceed!" the guard quickly excused them.

Back home, Ji Shi pointed to the woodshed. "Sleep here tonight. Tomorrow, tell me everything you know." He then entered his own room, ignoring the resentment in Master Jia’s eyes.

The night passed in silence.

Early the next morning, Ji Shi kicked the snoring Master Jia awake. "Tell me everything!" Master Jia detailed the treatment Chila had received. "Do you know why Zhu Shengzhiyin would treat Chila like that?" "Young Master Ji, I have no idea. I only handle the ingredients—or rather, Master Chi. Haha," Master Jia laughed awkwardly.

Ji Shi ignored him and asked again, "Are you a transmigrator too?" "Yes, I have been in this Kun Realm for two and a half years. Since I was a chef before, I worked at the Ziying Restaurant. Later, Zhu Shengzhiyin took a liking to me, so I became the head chef at the Zhu Manor. He even named the kitchen the 'Imperial Kitchen'; he definitely has ulterior motives!..."

Ji Shi interrupted him. "Since you are a chef, you must know how to cook many Dragon Kingdom dishes?" "Naturally, I am..." "Fine, fine. In that case, you will be my chef. To be honest, I cannot get used to the food here. When I become King, I will crown you the world's greatest chef!" Looking at the adolescent youth before him, Master Jia touched his face, feeling he had followed the wrong person. "Forget it, I'll just take it one step at a time."

Ji Shi tossed a bag of silver to Master Jia. "Go buy some supplies. We leave for Donggang Mountain this afternoon!" "Ah, very well..."

On the twenty-second day of the eleventh month, at the hour of the monkey, the two left through the south gate toward Donggang Mountain.

They did not realize that everything was under the surveillance of Zhu Shengzhiyin. After hearing the report, Zhu Shengzhiyin looked at his strategist, Ji Fanwei. "The two are likely heading to Donggang Mountain, perhaps seeking help from someone." "They are likely looking for Old Man Ou. He is a Master-level expert!" Thinking of how he, a peak Yuan-realm expert, had been sent flying with a light tap, he shivered. "My beautiful Ji Shi must have sensed something. Alas, you do not understand my heart," Zhu Shengzhiyin mused, looking at the map of Ruzhou.

After two and a half days of arduous travel, Ji Shi arrived at the foot of Donggang Mountain for the second time. It was dusk; the setting sun bled across the sky, casting long shadows over the winding path and lending an air of mystery to the secluded forest. The ancient trees stood tall, and the occasional birdcall from the woods only deepened the silence. Looking at the towering Donggang Mountain and the Kun Saint Temple hidden in the clouds, Ji Shi was filled with emotion.

They rested at the foot of the mountain for the night, and the next day, Ji Shi began the ascent, with Master Jia trailing behind. The path remained the same, but the people who once walked it were gone. Ji Shi would stop every few steps to sigh, leaving Master Jia utterly bewildered, though he dared not interrupt.

Despite the frequent stops, they reached the summit in half an hour. Standing before the Kun Saint Temple, Ji Shi began to lament again, leaving Master Jia to scratch his head, wondering if his master was quite right in the head.

After a moment, Ji Shi walked into the temple, desperate to find Old Man Ou and recount Chila’s tragedy.

He found Old Man Ou, who was sweeping the floor just as before. Upon seeing them, the old man said calmly, "In the end, you could not escape this fate. Yet, there seems to be a glimmer of hope, which is very strange." He looked at Ji Shi. "I know why you have come, but I can only tell you that I cannot help."

Ji Shi was shocked. "How did you know?"

"Regardless, given your deep bond with Chila, I shall explain. In the Kun Realm, ordinary people are the majority, followed by a few martial artists. However, there are many other paths in the world—Qimen Dunjia, witchcraft, Taoist arts, and so on. I practice both martial arts and Taoism. My specialty, however, is divination."

He sighed, looking at the stunned pair. "You want me to avenge Chila. Killing Zhu Shengzhiyin would be easy for me, but what about the power behind him? I have spent many years in the Jiangnan Prince's Manor and know many secrets. There are four great hidden families: the Zhu family of Ruzhou, the Sima family of Yangzhou, the Tang family of Shu, and a fourth—even I do not know who they are."

"So, Zhu Shengzhiyin is from the Ruzhou Zhu family?"

"Indeed. They are third among the hidden families. They have five Master-level experts, and their ancestor, Zhu Peide, has touched the realm beyond a Master. Zhu Shengzhiyin is the son of the current head, Zhu Ziyin, born to a concubine. Lacking talent, he sought to conquer the world for the family to prove his worth. His father cannot ignore him."

"Will the Prince of Jiangnan not intervene? Chila was his godson!"

"The Prince does not shield his own. He has many godsons and sons. He warned us, the elders of the manor, never to help them. I warned Chila, but he did not listen."

"Must the murderer live on? He ate Chila!"

"If you wish to kill him legitimately, it is possible. The Prince once said hidden families cannot use martial force to interfere in the world. Zhu Shengzhiyin only took Ruzhou with his army. If you slay him on the battlefield, the Zhu family can say nothing."

"But where am I to get an army? To start from scratch? How long would that take?"

"Do not lose heart, Young Master. This servant will work hard with you," Master Jia chimed in.

"Here is a way. Take this to the Jiangnan Prince's Manor in Yuhang. Tell the Prince I sent you. With your talent, he will surely value you. Then, you can seek your revenge!" He handed Ji Shi a jade pendant.

"Go, young man. It is a pity the Prince's orders forbid me from helping." He sighed repeatedly.

Ji Shi looked at him, then at the statue of the Kun Saint Emperor, and turned to leave.

"I foresee that Chila still has a sliver of hope! The hope lies in the stars..." Hearing this, Ji Shi shuddered but kept walking.

"What did the old man say? What hope?" Master Jia asked. "Stop asking and do your duty!" Ji Shi replied, his voice tinged with anger.

"Oh, I'm sorry! My apologies..."

Ji Shi stood at the summit, looking toward the east. "Jiangnan, I, Ji Shi, am coming!"