Chapter 241: Black Eats Black

"Guest officer, you wish to open an altar?"

Upon hearing the words "open altar," the shopkeeper, wearing a crossed-front black cloth shirt and standing behind the counter, examined Chen Ji up and down. Xiao Liu's eyeballs darted around, and even Xiao Wu, who was lying on the beam, poked out half his head.

After a moment, the shopkeeper slowly and methodically said, "Guest officer, it has been some time since anyone opened an altar at my Longmen Inn. Do you know the rules for opening an altar?"

Chen Ji, while brushing dust off his clothes, smiled and said, "Earlier the waiter mentioned that after opening an altar, the fragrance spreads ten *li*, meaning there must be news of great significance. Besides this, I don't know of any other rules."

The shopkeeper pondered for a moment and said, "Guest officer, opening an altar is the biggest rule at my Longmen Inn. Once the altar is opened, people will rush to spread the word, and guests from all directions will swarm here. At that time, if you can produce news of great significance, it's good. If you cannot, it will also damage my inn's reputation."

Chen Ji asked curiously, "If I cannot produce it, what will happen?"

The shopkeeper stared at Chen Ji for a long time: "Your skin will be peeled and tendons drawn, and you'll be hung on the archway at the front of Kuche Street as a warning to others… But my inn operates with an emphasis on harmony and prosperity, so beforehand I must ask the guest officer a few questions."

"Ask away."

"Do the key figures in the news include anyone from the Ning and Jing dynasties who holds a position of Positive Second Rank or above? From Second Rank doesn't count."

"Yes."

"Does it concern the safety of a city?"

"Yes."

"Was it personally experienced?"

Chen Ji paused for a moment, hesitated for two breaths, then replied, "Yes."

Something unusual showed in the shopkeeper's eyes: "Since the guest officer is so certain, then my Longmen Inn may be lively tomorrow. Oh, there is one more rule I should inform the guest officer of beforehand."

Chen Ji asked, "What rule?"

The shopkeeper's fingers subconsciously rubbed the abacus beads: "For all guests who open an altar at my inn, my inn can provide a secret passage to send the guest and their companions away from Guyuan, to prevent their person, along with several thousand taels of silver, from being coveted by strongmen."

Chen Ji's eyes narrowed: "Where is the secret passage?"

The shopkeeper raised a hand and pointed downwards: "Right here within my Longmen Inn."

Chen Ji casually said, "Where does it lead?"

The shopkeeper laughed heartily: "This secret passage of mine has two exits. One leads to Taiyuan Fu in the interior of the Ning Dynasty, and one leads to Fengsheng Prefecture on the West Capital Road of the Jing Dynasty. I wonder where the guest officer wishes to go?"

Chen Ji said without changing his expression, "I haven't decided yet. I'll tell the shopkeeper once I've thought it over."

The shopkeeper cupped his fists: "Alright, tomorrow I will prepare good wine and good dishes for the guest officer. I wish you a wide source of wealth and a prosperous business in advance!"

"Thank you, shopkeeper," Chen Ji turned and went upstairs.

Xiao Liu listened sneakily to the sound of footsteps all the way up to the third floor. Only then did he hurriedly turn his head to look at the shopkeeper: "What do you think he wants to sell as news?"

The shopkeeper mused: "I heard that both the border army and the Yulin Army have made big moves tonight. Perhaps it's related to this matter. The only people in this Guyuan city who are of Second Rank or above are General Hu and the Crown Prince."

Xiao Liu made an "oh" sound: "What is this guest officer's identity exactly? I heard the entire Shache Street was sealed by the border army tonight. How did he get the news?"

The shopkeeper's eyes shone: "I said earlier, he's a dragon crossing the river… He should have just arrived in Guyuan, walking the official road. Go now and find your acquaintances in the border army to ask. Someone must have seen his travel document. Remember, you must find out his details. If you can't, then you don't need to come back."

Xiao Liu's eyes lit up: "There's still such a good thing?"

"Go!"

"Got it," Xiao Liu threw off the white cloth on his shoulder, took out a raincoat and a bamboo hat from the cabinet behind the counter, pressed down the brim of his hat, and went out of the inn against the wind and frost.

On the third floor of the inn, Chen Ji stood in front of the door to room Tianzi Jia and rubbed his cheeks. After his nervous expression relaxed, he quietly pushed the door.

The wooden door was not bolted from the inside and opened with a light push.

He walked in lightly and carefully, to avoid disturbing Zhang Zheng and the others' sweet dreams.

But when he turned back to close the door, and then turned around, he saw that Zhang Zheng and Zhang Xia had sat up from their mats at some point and were staring straight at him.

Xiao Man, who had been sitting by the charcoal basin on a small stool, had also already stood up.

Chen Ji said with a slight apology, "Did I wake you all up?"

Zhang Xia, holding Wu Yun, said, "We weren't asleep yet."

"If you don't come back, how can we sleep soundly?" Zhang Zheng drilled out from the quilt, picked up a red lacquer food box from beside the charcoal basin: "You haven't eaten yet. I saved you some food, always placed by the charcoal basin to keep warm. Xiao Man, give it to your young master."

Xiao Man got up, wiped the Eight Immortals table and chairs in the room with her sleeve, opened the food box, and nimbly arranged the plates: scallion braised mutton, pot-collapsed tofu, and a large bowl of white rice.

Chen Ji looked at the dishes on the table and was slightly startled: "Did Brother Zhang save these for me?"

Zhang Zheng said proudly: "Of course, I guessed you were busy all night and definitely had no time to eat, so I specially instructed the inn to make it for you."

Xiao Man pouted and grumbled: "He really takes credit, as if he did a big thing. Even if you didn't prepare it, I would have prepared it..."

Zhang Zheng laughed happily: "No need to be unconvinced. This time I beat you, little girl!"

"Brother Zhang is rough on the outside but fine on the inside. Many thanks," Chen Ji sat in front of the Eight Immortals table, picked up a piece of tofu and put it in his mouth, silently pointing to the next door with his chopsticks.

Zhang Xia responded: "The guest next door went out last night and hasn't come back. I don't know where he went."

Chen Ji felt relieved.

Zhang Zheng pulled up a chair and sat beside him, asking with great interest: "Where did you go tonight? The other buyers in the inn saw you leave in such a hurry and all went to find that lame guy to buy news, which made that lame guy crazy with happiness. At first, he was selling news for just a few hundred cash, but later he opened his mouth and wanted five taels of silver. The buyers were anxious and unbearable, so they had no choice but to hold their noses and agree. But everyone was still completely confused after buying his news, having no idea what use this news was."

Chen Ji swallowed the tofu in his mouth and explained: "Those collecting gold juice should be Jing Dynasty spies. They wanted to use gold juice to contaminate the well water of the entire city as preparation for the siege."

Zhang Zheng's face showed shock: "So vicious? Then this Guyuan city..."

Chen Ji hummed: "No need to worry, the border army has already killed all those spies."

Zhang Xia was quick-witted. Standing behind Zhang Zheng, she doubted: "All killed... None left alive? Is there a problem with the border army?"

Chen Ji looked at her: "I caught a border army soldier who tipped off the Jing Dynasty spies. Currently, it seems that a part of the border army is just using the banner of avenging King Jing to mislead people and incite mutiny."

Zhang Xia frowned: "Is it Zhou You? He has a history of inciting mutiny."

Chen Ji shook his head: "Not confirmed yet..."

Just then, Wu Yun, standing on the window lattice, meowed.

Someone had come to the backyard.

Chen Ji's eyes moved, but he did not get up urgently: If he only reacted when Wu Yun called out, it might be seen as a clue after a long time.

He pondered for a moment and said to Zhang Zheng: "Brother Zhang, do you have acquaintances in the Eight Great Alleys?"

Zhang Zheng became spirited: "Yes, of course I do! Li Hang Head of Guihua Fang, Zhou Dajia of Chunzhi Lou..."

Xiao Man said disdainfully: "And you still say you don't have a belly full of flowery intestines?"

Zhang Zheng retorted: "I said I know them, not that I'm their inside guest or skirt minister. Someone just invited me to drink, I just happened to be there, and after coming and going, we became familiar..."

Zhang Xia helplessly: "You two have been arguing all evening, can't you stop?"

Amidst the arguing sounds, Chen Ji saw that no one was paying attention to him anymore. He silently carried the rice bowl to the window, eating rice while looking through the gap towards the backyard.

Under the bright moonlight, Xiao Wu was tiptoeing, limping, leading two people quietly towards the stable. Xiao Wu looked left and right in front of the stable, and after confirming no one was there, he drilled his head into the stable.

Chen Ji lowered his head and gave Wu Yun a signal with his eyes. Wu Yun squeezed out through the window seam and sneaked along the eaves towards the stable. The secret passage was the Longmen Inn's biggest secret, and he had to investigate it.

Currently, Guyuan city is precarious. If the Jing Dynasty breaks through and enters, he must use this secret passage to bring Zhang Zheng, Zhang Xia, and Xiao Man to leave.

As for the Crown Prince, the Chen family, and the Yulin Army, they were not part of his plan.

Chen Ji did indeed have a plan to approach the Crown Prince. This plan had nothing to do with the White Dragon, and nothing to do with the future, yet it was extremely important… But this did not mean he was prepared to die with the Crown Prince in Guyuan.

If this Crown Prince dies, the Ning Emperor will still establish a new Crown Prince, and it will be the same for him to approach the next one.

But before that, he had to confirm that this secret passage actually existed.

After two hours, Zhang Xia and the others were already in deep sleep. Only Chen Ji was still guarding the window gap. Xiao Wu had not come back all along, perhaps he was taking the 'smugglers' through the secret passage, or perhaps…

The next moment, the sound of stepping on straw came from the stable. Xiao Wu had changed into a black cotton jacket, rubbing his frozen hands and shrinking his neck, limping back to the inn.

Wu Yun quietly squeezed back into the room along the window seam and meowed softly: "Freezing to death. The inn waiter led two people into the secret passage under the stable. The secret passage is hidden under the straw and covered with a wooden board. After the inn waiter went in, faint wails could be heard from inside the secret passage. The wails continued for a very long time and just stopped. There is a smell of blood."

Chen Ji was shocked in his heart. That place under the stable was not a secret passage for leaving at all; it was clearly this black shop's slaughterhouse!

The shopkeeper said that one of the rules for opening an altar is that the inn provides a secret passage for guests to leave Guyuan, to prevent guests with great wealth from being coveted by strongmen.

Extremely considerate.

Unknowing guests follow the waiter into the secret passage, yet they do not know that Longmen Inn is the biggest strongman and the blackest black shop in this Guyuan city.

These past years, the news passed by word of mouth that Longmen Inn could secretly send people to the Jing Dynasty. Those famous 'smugglers' who came might all have suffered poisonous hands and become white bones under this inn.

Wait, could the news that "people can be sent to the Jing Dynasty" have been spread by the inn itself to lure people? 'Smugglers' who want to leave are bound to be carrying their entire family's wealth…

This Longmen Inn has played the game of black eating black to the extreme!

Wu Yun looked up at Chen Ji: "Are you worried?"

Chen Ji hummed. He was worried. Now there was no secret passage for leaving. If the Jing Dynasty really broke through and entered, how could he bring Zhang Zheng and the others back completely safe?