Chapter 162: The Cliff

The morning roosters crowed as dawn broke. In the dimly lit apprentice dormitory, Chen Ji slowly sat up from his bed. He turned his head to look at his companions beside him: She Dengke and Liu Quxing were wrapped tightly in their quilts, while Liang Gou'er, who had returned at some unknown hour smelling of alcohol, was snoring with his head on Liang Ma'er's belly.

Chen Ji carefully and quietly dressed and went outside, standing beneath the apricot tree and exhaling faint mist. He silently gazed up at the red cloth strip tied to the highest branch for a long time before turning and heading towards his master's main room. He gently lifted the heavy cotton cloth door curtain, peering inside. Jing Wang was lying on the bed, fast asleep. Old Man Yao leaned on his recliner with his eyes closed, conserving his energy, while the small stove in the room emitted a warm, sluggish heat.

Chen Ji slipped into the room through the gap in the door curtain, carefully walked to the side of the bed, and reached out to touch Jing Wang's pulse. However, before he could touch it, his wrist was grabbed by Old Man Yao from the side. Chen Ji was startled and almost cried out, "Master, when did you get up? You didn't make a sound at all!"

Old Man Yao said expressionlessly, "What are you doing?"

Chen Ji quickly explained, "I just wanted to see if Wangye is really sick!"

Old Man Yao let out a cold laugh. "With your half-baked skills, what can you feel by taking his pulse? Wangye just fell asleep not long ago. I was afraid you would rashly wake him up."

Chen Ji thought for a moment and said, "Master, last night Wangye took me to a meeting at the Lin residence on Tongji Street. At the meeting, Head Meng sang a play called 'White Boat Record'. In the play, the young general was busy for half his life but didn't have a good ending. He rushed three thousand *li* to save people but ended up turning against them." Chen Ji asked curiously, "Master, is Wangye the young general in the play?"

Old Man Yao's eyebrows jumped. "What nonsense are you spouting? 'White Boat Record' is a storybook from over a hundred years ago. How could it be Wangye!"

Chen Ji looked at his master. "Master, you know what I mean!"

"Where do you get so many questions..." Old Man Yao pulled Chen Ji's wrist, forcibly dragged him out of the main room, and threw him outside. "The water jar is empty. Go fetch water!" With that, Old Man Yao turned back into the room and tightly closed the door curtain.

Chen Ji stood outside the door, looking back at the thick cotton cloth door curtain. He was a little puzzled. Was Jing Wang truly sick or not? He wasn't even allowed to touch his pulse! If Jing Wang wasn't sick, why would his master need to block him from taking his pulse? The more the master blocked him, the more it proved there was a problem. If Jing Wang was sick, what kind of illness did he have? He could be so sick he fainted and couldn't hear people talking beside him, yet when he wasn't sick, he could be lively and walk for an hour to listen to a play?

At this moment, the sound of magpies calling came from outside the medical hall. Magpies are resident birds. When winter arrives, they change their feathers early and build nests. Once winter comes, they don't casually leave their nests, nor do they casually call. Chen Ji realized this was the signal from the secret spy department's copper whistle. He bent down, picked up the shoulder pole and wooden buckets, and walked out the door, swaying slightly.

When he reached the door, the guards from the Prince's Mansion brought by Feng accompanied him, their long halberds crossed, blocking the way. Chen Ji said with a smile, "Two guard brothers, I'm going to fetch water. The water jar in the courtyard is empty. If it's inconvenient for me to go out, you two can help fetch the water back. It will probably take eight trips to fill the jar." The two guards looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and silently put away their long halberds.

Chen Ji walked through the thin fog on the bluestone road and arrived at the well. A plump figure was already shaking the wooden winch at the wellhead. Golden Pig! Chen Ji walked to the well without stopping. Without turning his head, Golden Pig said in a voice as fine as a mosquito's, "Is Jing Wang genuinely sick or pretending to be sick?"

Chen Ji said in a low voice, "My master told Princess Jing that Jing Wang's time is not much."

Golden Pig cursed in a low voice, "This sickness came too timely."

Chen Ji was puzzled. "What happened?"

Golden Pig said metallic voice, "More than ten branches of the Liu family's private soldiers in Yuzhou are mobilizing frantically. The vast Yuzhou now only allows entry, no exit. The Liu family wants to rebel, but we can't even send out our news."

Chen Ji asked, "Even Tianma can't break out?"

Golden Pig said bitterly, "The Liu family has been plotting for a long time. There are only a few ways to enter and exit Luocheng, and they are all heavily guarded. The mountains are also full of scouts. No matter how fierce Tianma is, he is only at the *Xun Dao* realm. How can an official at the *Xun Dao* realm dare to fight against an entire organized army?"

Chen Ji said, "If Tianma breaks through to the *Shen Dao* realm, can he do it?"

Golden Pig lifted the rolled-up wooden bucket placed on the edge of the well. "If someone at the *Shen Dao* realm is determined to go, even an army cannot stop them. But the problem is, looking at the entire Ning Dynasty, there are only three *Shen Dao* realms. It is extremely difficult for Tianma to break through. More than a hundred Liu family dead men are currently holding portraits of me and Tianma, searching for us all over the city. It's already lucky to have survived this catastrophe by dodging them."

Chen Ji's heart sank. "Are we just going to watch the Liu family rebel?"

Golden Pig put the empty wooden bucket into the well. "Otherwise, what can we do? Should we now secretly go to the Liu family, first kill Old Liu, and then imprison all the Liu family's relatives? Wait for the Liu family's tens of thousands of private soldiers to be leaderless, and then we can break the situation."

Chen Ji didn't know whether to cry or laugh. "Or we could find another way to die. Sir, if the Liu family is truly prepared, why haven't they acted yet? What are they waiting for?"

Golden Pig replied, "The Liu family is waiting for a just reason. They want to raise Jing Wang's banner, but at this very moment, Jing Wang is sick. As soon as he is sick, the whole of Luocheng is in chaos. Last night, we discovered that Princess Jing rushed to the Liu family mansion. She only returned to the Prince's Mansion half an hour ago. Concubine Yun hurried to the East Market and lost track of her under the cover of the *Cao Bang*. She hasn't returned yet."

Golden Pig continued, "You must watch carefully in the medical hall. Who saw Jing Wang, what they asked, what they said, all of this is crucial. If the *Cao Bang* and the Liu family join forces, things will be even more troublesome."

Chen Ji was puzzled. "The *Cao Bang*? What is the relationship between the *Cao Bang* and Concubine Yun?"

Golden Pig was slightly startled. "You don't know? Behind the *Cao Bang* is the Luo Tian Sect. Concubine Yun is the only daughter of the previous Sect Master. Otherwise, why do you think Jing Wang married her? When His Majesty was young, the court situation was turbulent, and the Luo Tian Sect took advantage of the chaos to control the water transport of the three rivers. The transportation of goods and grain from the south to the north had to be controlled by them. This predicament only gradually improved after Jing Wang married Concubine Yun."

Luo Tian Sect! Before, Concubine Yun and the Jing Chao military intelligence department traded firearms. Then they were told to go to the old madam in the gold shop in Red Clothes Alley and report the two characters 'Luo Tian'.

Chen Ji suddenly asked, "Who is the current Sect Master of the Luo Tian Sect?"

Golden Pig explained, "The current Sect Master is named Han Tong. He is the direct eldest disciple of the previous Sect Master and was childhood sweethearts with Concubine Yun."

Chen Ji's pupils shrank. "Does he have a Buddha tattoo on his wrist?"

Golden Pig was puzzled. "Have you seen him?"

Chen Ji casually explained, "No. I just heard."

At this point, Golden Pig lifted the second wooden bucket, placed it on the well edge, and sighed. "This person is mysterious and always hides among the *Cao Bang* coolies. He is impossible to catch. If you see him, you must report to me immediately."

Chen Ji said helplessly, "Sir, you are now homeless and drifting everywhere. I don't even know how to find you. How can I report to you immediately?"

Golden Pig sighed. "That's true... Damn it... The dignified secret spy department has been reduced to this state. Where is the justice? ...Jing Wang, wake up quickly. If he keeps being sick like this, who knows where the world will go!"

"If Jing Wang wakes up, can he suppress the rebellion?"

"If he wants to, perhaps he can! With Jing Wang's prestige in the Central Plains, as long as he is willing to stand up, wave his arm, and shout to suppress the civil unrest, all the plots of the Liu family will collapse. Not every one of the Liu family's tens of thousands of private soldiers wants to rebel. They are not so poor they can't live. As long as the common people still have a mouthful to eat, who is willing to commit the great crime of losing their head and exterminating their nine clans?"

"But what if Jing Wang also wants to rebel?"

"Then it's all over!"

Chen Ji guessed that Jing Wang should not have participated in the rebellion. He was most clear that if Jing Wang wanted to rebel, he should not have gone to the meeting last night, but to the Liu family mansion.

Golden Pig instructed, "I'm leaving. Be careful yourself. In these few days, do not go out unless there are particularly important matters. The Liu family now wants to kill all the secret spies inside Luocheng."

Chen Ji replied, "Understood. I will be careful."

At this moment, Golden Pig took out a small cloth bundle from his bosom and stuffed it into Chen Ji's hand. "This is for you. Cultivate well!" Chen Ji was slightly startled. He unwrapped the gray cloth layer by layer and saw five old ginseng roots squeezed inside. "Sir... This is..."

Golden Pig said painfully, "I bought this with my own salary. Your cultivation talent is extremely high. Don't waste it." With that, he picked up the shoulder pole and walked swaying into the thin fog.

Chen Ji suddenly felt that the entire Luocheng was like a speeding carriage, and Jing Wang was like the coachman. For the past ten years, he had diligently pulled the reins tight, turning the carriage in the direction of the official road. And now, this coachman had let go. He let this out-of-control carriage, with the people inside, rush towards the edge of a cliff.

***

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