Ning Chen's face was grave.

If an ordinary person had told him all this, he'd have sneered and given the charlatan a kick.

But the old Heavenly Master had lived more than two full cycles of sixty years... And prankster though he was, he'd never joke about something like this.

Ning Chen asked quickly, "Old Heavenly Master, is this deadly calamity going to happen here in the capital?"

The old Heavenly Master nodded. "That's why Little Liu and I came."

Ning Chen smiled. "Old Heavenly Master, what exactly is this deadly calamity? A disaster from heaven, or something men do?"

The old Heavenly Master said, "You're young, and you have no illness or ailment. So this deadly calamity can only be something men do."

Ning Chen's eyes narrowed. "Someone wants to kill me? And in the Great Xuan's capital, no less?"

The old Heavenly Master nodded, then reassured him. "Don't worry. With Little Liu and me here, no one will be able to kill you."

Ning Chen was moved. "Why are you two so good to me?"

Liu Baiyi said flatly, "To repay a debt. You got the Emperor Emeritus to grant me the peach grove, and I owe you for that. And there's something more important: the Great Xuan needs you, and so do its people."

The old Heavenly Master studied Ning Chen for a while, smiling a little mysteriously. "My lord prince doesn't belong to this world, yet he's settled into it perfectly and made this world his home.

The Great Xuan is this old Daoist's home too. Naturally this old Daoist will help you."

Liu Baiyi listened, completely lost. What's all this about this world and that world?

But Ning Chen had gone pale. He understood exactly what the old Heavenly Master was saying.

The old Heavenly Master chuckled and went on. "Actually, I noticed it the first time I saw my lord prince.

This old Daoist met one other person like my lord prince, a long time ago.

But he wasn't as easygoing as my lord prince. He didn't know how to make the best of…