When Du Hangwu first arrived in the capital, all he wanted was a job to make ends meet. However, after staying in the capital for a while and witnessing so much, his mindset started to change. In a place as prosperous as the capital, who wouldn’t want to climb the ladder of success?

But in a city full of high-ranking officials, someone like him—without background or wealth—would never see his achievements recognized. If he wanted to rise in rank, he would have to find opportunities even in the toughest jobs.

A colleague of his had once escorted a criminal and, upon returning, had been promoted, creating an unbridgeable gap between them. This was why Du Hangwu had volunteered to escort the prisoner this time, hoping that his skills would protect him on the journey and that this dangerous mission might pave the way to a better future.

However, upon learning that the two assassination attempts during the trip were orchestrated by the Emperor’s close confidant, the Commander of the Imperial Guards, Du Hangwu was crushed. How could he bear such knowledge?

Forget about career advancement—he feared that even if he made it back to the capital alive, his life would still be forfeit. After all, if the Emperor wanted someone dead, not only would the prisoner perish, but everyone escorting them would be killed as well.

The only way out seemed to be killing the person the Emperor wanted dead before the Emperor’s men could. If he did this, he might win the Emperor’s favor and return to the capital, possibly rising to great heights.

But the Emperor wanted to kill not only Princess Shunyu but also members of the Lu family. The Lu family was immensely powerful, and killing dozens of people to them was as easy as squashing ants. Was Du Hangwu suicidal enough to provoke them?

Pleasing the Emperor and opposing the Lu family meant certain death.

Pleasing the Lu family and offending the Emperor would also lead to death upon returning to the capital.

Du Hangwu couldn’t sleep, his wound aching so much that he constantly frowned. Both of his escape routes were sealed.

Meanwhile, Gu Xingzhao had been watching Du Hangwu closely. The old saying goes, “When the ruler wants the minister to die, the minister must die.” Could this young man, Du, be that rigid?

If Du Hangwu decided to oppose the Lu family, he couldn’t be allowed to live. After all, a visible threat is easier to handle than a hidden one. However, the remaining officers would only listen to Du Hangwu. Without him, chaos would ensue. Gu Xingzhao couldn’t eliminate all the officers, or before they even reached their exile destination, the Lu family would be accused of rebellion, giving the corrupt Emperor an excuse to suppress them.

Besides, not all the prisoners in the group were as cooperative as the Lu family. Many were dangerous criminals, and without the officers keeping them in check, they would escape and wreak havoc on innocent civilians.

With this in mind, she purchased a bottle of painkillers from the system store, wrote a note explaining how to use them, and sent it over to Du Hangwu.

The bottle had cost 10,000 credits—cold, hard cash—gone in a single gulp. Gu Xingzhao could only hope he was smart enough to appreciate the gesture.

Du Hangwu was still agonizing over his predicament when something cold and smooth suddenly appeared in his hand. Startled, he immediately threw it away!

“What the heck?!”

The round, plump bottle made a rolling sound as it hit the ground, eventually stopping when it was blocked by a rock.

Gu Xingzhao’s face darkened. A 10,000-credit bottle, thrown away like that. If this guy had been a member of the Lu family, she might have died of rage.

Du Hangwu’s heart raced, and he slowly realized that only the Lu family’s deity could have silently slipped something into his hand!

Realizing this, his face turned pale. He had just thrown away something gifted by a god?!

Panicking, he jumped up and scrambled toward where the bottle had rolled. His steps were clumsy in his haste.

Fortunately, the bottle hadn’t rolled far, stopped by a rock. Trembling, he picked it up, inspecting it with extreme caution, his heart in his throat.

To his relief, the bottle was intact. Under the moonlight, he finally noticed that this was no ordinary bottle.

The bottle was as clear as water. Even though Du Hangwu had never seen anything like it, he could guess that no ordinary person—no matter how wealthy or powerful—would possess such an item, not even the most influential figures in the capital.

He then looked at the note that had fallen along with the bottle. It wasn’t writing; it was a drawing!

The note depicted a simple figure holding the bottle and pouring its contents into their mouth.

Du Hangwu guessed that it must be medicine for his wounds.

Not only had this deity saved his life, but now they were giving him medicine. And yet, just moments ago, he had been considering whether to kill the Lu family to curry favor with the Emperor…

He felt ashamed.

And the note wasn’t even written—it was drawn.

Du Hangwu realized how thoughtful and considerate this deity had been, knowing he was illiterate. Embarrassed and feeling the heat rise to his face, he immediately opened the bottle and gulped down the medicine.

He drank so quickly that he almost choked. Warm liquid flowed down his throat, spreading through his body. He stared in disbelief at his wound, which had been causing him intense pain, now completely numb, with no bleeding!

He inspected his body, unable to believe such miraculous medicine existed. His breathing quickened in his astonishment, and his heart pounded as though it would leap out of his chest.

What a strange, wonderful sensation!

Did such medicine exist in the capital?

Could the Emperor’s palace have such a remedy?

Would the Emperor even have access to this kind of medicine?

No! Absolutely not!

Du Hangwu clutched the bottle tightly, taking a deep breath. His body trembled slightly, but his gaze was now clear and determined. There was no longer any hesitation.

Compared to a god, what was a mere mortal Emperor?!

With such a powerful deity aiding the Lu family, how could they ever fall into ruin? If he aligned himself with the Lu family, even if he never returned to the capital, he would surely reap the benefits in the future.

At that moment, Du Hangwu decided: he would not oppose the Lu family.

Gu Xingzhao, observing his change of heart, smiled slightly. Good. She liked people who could recognize the situation and adapt.

The exile party soon suffered another ambush, losing dozens of prisoners. Fewer than a hundred remained.

Those who had previously held grudges against the Lu family now kept their mouths shut, knowing they were under the protection of the Lu family’s deity. After the life-and-death experience of the previous night, the officers no longer dared to voice any complaints either.

The Lu family now held the upper hand within the exile group.

The Liu family, having formed an alliance with the Lu family, also received protection from the officers.

Lu Qing secretly observed all of this, knowing it was thanks to the ancestors’ blessings. When the family’s situation improved, he vowed to restore the ancestral shrine and have the entire clan offer daily prayers to repay their gratitude.

The next morning, Gu Xingzhao awoke to find that her worship points had increased by over a hundred during the night—enough to restore more artifacts.

However, since she had recently sold a batch and had enough money for the time being, she decided to save the worship points for any emergencies that might arise later.

As she finished delivering Lin Ting and returned home for lunch, she suddenly heard a loud banging on the supermarket door downstairs!

“Bang, bang, bang!”

“Boom!”

Amidst the furious door-pounding, a voice shouted up:

“Gu Xingzhao! Get out here!”