Chapter 26: Parade

"To capture spies, one must first learn to think like them."

"If I were the Director of the Jing Chao Military Intelligence Department, whom in the Prince's Manor would I seek to cultivate as my spy?"

Chen Ji, perched on the edge of his bunk, propped his chin and silently pondered:

"Not the guards; they cannot access the inner residence."

"...The imperial physicians and apprentices of the Taiping Medical Hall. Not only can they communicate with the outside world, they also possess the privilege of entering the inner residence."

A sudden jolt ran through Chen Ji. "Could I truly be a spy for the Jing Chao?!"

He meticulously analyzed this possibility:

He had appeared at Zhou Chengyi's residence in the dead of night. The first time he met the steward there, the steward knew he was a medical hall apprentice, indicating that the original owner had visited the Zhou Manor more than once.

Alum is frequently used in medicine, and the Taiping Medical Hall possessed it. If he were a Jing Chao spy, the alum in Zhou Chengyi's mansion would also have a source...

*Hiss!*

Chen Ji drew in a sharp breath.

No, wait, that's not right.

According to the intelligence transmitted by Zhou Chengyi, the spy should have already met the influential figure within the Prince's Manor and confirmed sincerity. Only then would the Director of the Military Intelligence Department plan his journey south.

Moreover, when he had previously gone to Wanxing Garden for a consultation, Chunrong had wanted to beat him to death, Yunfei had been prepared to leave, and Jingfei had silently acquiesced. If he hadn't actively fought for his survival, he would likely have perished in Wanxing Garden that day.

If he were a Jing Chao spy, at least one of these important figures should have protected him.

Chen Ji rose lightly and carefully, quietly opening the shared wardrobe of the three. He felt through each person's clothing, leaving no collar or cuff untouched, searching for hidden items.

Yet, he found no clues.

Chen Ji then squatted down, his fingers tracing the bricks laid on the floor in the dim light, meticulously examining each one.

*Eh?*

He actually felt a brick that protruded slightly, by about two millimeters, and the surrounding clay was loose.

Using the nails of his index fingers and thumbs, Chen Ji pinched the edge of the brick and slowly pulled it out. He saw that the back of the brick had been hollowed out by an unknown hand, concealing five ingots of silver!

*Ah?!*

Each ingot of silver weighed ten taels – a sum far exceeding what a medical hall apprentice should possess, unless funded by the Jing Chao Military Intelligence Department.

Earlier, Chen Ji had suspected spies within the medical hall, even mocking his own over-suspicion. But upon seeing this evidence, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Were these silver ingots She Dengke's? Or Liu Quxing's?

...Or his own?

Chen Ji replaced the silver ingots and the brick, leaving no trace of his actions, and returned to his bed to sleep.

...

...

In the early morning, before the rooster crowed, old man Yao, asleep in his bed, was awakened by the sounds from the courtyard.

He put on his white-soled black cloth shoes, his hands behind his back, and leisurely walked towards the door. In the courtyard, Chen Ji was gently pouring the water he had just fetched into the water jar.

Old man Yao glanced at Liu Quxing, who was sleeping on the stove in the kitchen, then looked at the energetic Chen Ji, frowning as he spoke: "...Did you boil him to death?"

Chen Ji replied: "...No, Senior Brother Liu is just sleeping."

Old man Yao pursed his lips: "The rooster hasn't crowed yet, and you're already making enough noise to wake me. You might as well not let the rooster crow later, and you can do the crowing."

Chen Ji smiled, not taking his master's words to heart. He had gradually grown accustomed to the old man's sharp tongue: "Master, I'm going to fetch water. I'll have it full before the rooster crows, so it won't delay you teaching us our morning lesson."

With that, he rolled up his sleeves to his wrists, shouldered the carrying pole, and walked towards the outside.

But before Chen Ji reached the door, a faint sound of a copper bell drifted from afar. The bell was crisp and pleasant, approaching from the distance.

Old man Yao's brow furrowed slightly. He actually moved quickly, pulling Chen Ji back into the room before he could step out.

Chen Ji was pulled back involuntarily, staggering two steps, his carrying pole and wooden buckets shaking continuously.

The next moment, a procession carrying a solemn and precious Buddha statue passed through Anxi Street in the predawn light.

Thirty-two monks in gray robes, their left shoulders bare, steadily carried the massive Sumeru pedestal.

Beside the Sumeru pedestal, other monks held a copper bell in their left hand and burning incense in their right. Occasionally, their left and right hands would meet, creating dazzling sparks and crisp sounds from the collision of the incense and the copper bell.

The incense fire burned unceasingly, the sparks rising to the sky like fiery trees and silver flowers, like fish and dragons dancing.

Chen Ji whispered: "Master, you pulled me back..."

Old man Yao replied expressionlessly: "Do not ask."

Chen Ji and old man Yao stood side by side, silently watching this procession of monks slowly pass in front of the Taiping Medical Hall.

As he watched, he suddenly took a step back.

In that instant, the Buddha statue seemed to look at him, its gaze indifferent yet holding a hint of compassion.

At this moment, Liu Quxing, awakened by the sound of the copper bell, also hurried over. He looked at the procession outside the door: "It's the monks from Tuoluosi Temple in the south of the city. Which family is so generous as to spend money during the Chongyang Festival to invite Buddha Bodhisattva to patrol Lu City?"

Chen Ji hesitated for a moment and asked: "Master, are there truly gods and Buddhas in this world?"

Liu Quxing eagerly answered: "Of course there are. Last year, a person from Liu Family Village outside the suburbs had a seriously ill mother. During the Buddha Bodhisattva patrol, he knelt before the statue and prayed. As a result, his mother's illness was cured on the spot!"

Chen Ji was half-believing, half-doubting. He knew that many religions used the display of miracles to attract believers.

Yet, he heard Liu Quxing continue: "Also, I remember three years ago, in the west of Lu City, there was a filial son whose parents both died of the plague. He went to Tuoluosi Temple in the south of the city to seek the Buddha, donated all his family property, land deeds, and ancestral possessions, and invited Abbot Yun to hold a Water Land Dharma Assembly to provide for the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions."

"What was the result?"

"His parents were resurrected! The plague also disappeared. They just lay in bed, unable to move," Liu Quxing replied.

Chen Ji frowned and turned to look at old man Yao: "Master, are the things Senior Brother Liu said true?"

Old man Yao, hands behind his back, lightly hummed in affirmation: "At first, his parents were already near death when they were brought to me. I told him to carry them away, so they wouldn't die in the medical hall and damage my reputation."

Liu Quxing quietly muttered: "Master, at that time you said that people were already beyond saving, and it would be better to save some money for the living..."

Old man Yao ignored him and continued: "His parents breathed their last before me, so when the news of their resurrection came, I personally went to verify. The old couple were indeed alive, just lying in their sickbed without consciousness, but their pulse, heartbeat, and breathing were all present."

Chen Ji was startled. Could his own parents...

Yet, he heard old man Yao sneer: "But what is the meaning of living like that? It would be better to let them go peacefully."

Chen Ji suddenly asked: "Master, are there matters where people who have passed away can be completely brought back to life?"

Old man Yao glanced at him: "Rumor has it in the streets that the only son of the current dynasty's Chief Minister Xu Gong died due to an accident. Xu Gong then spent a large sum of money to invite the abbot of Yuanjue Temple to take action, using the seven treasures lotus lamp to mold a flesh body for his son and give him another life."

"Is his son still alive now?"

"Alive. He is the present Vice Supervisor of the Qintianjian, Xu Shu."

Chen Ji's mind was like a giant axe cleaving through the mist and chaos, instantly clearing.

He had already lived another life. If there were truly people in this world who could revive the deceased, then couldn't he one day find a way home and also revive his own parents?

Earn money.

Cultivate.

Chen Ji's heart burned with fervor.

To cultivate, he could no longer avoid the ice flow. He had to figure out exactly what the ice flow was, how it was produced, and how to obtain it!

After the procession of monks disappeared at the end of Anxi Street, the sky had gradually brightened.

The neighbors on the street were no longer sleepy. They had already removed their door planks early, greeted each other happily, and set up their stalls on the street.

Chen Ji did not return to the backyard. He carried the pole towards the water well.

A young man carrying dry firewood approached, selling. As they brushed past, Chen Ji stopped and pulled him back: "Tell Master Yun Yang that I need to go to the inner prison."

The young man showed astonishment: "What are you saying, Little Doctor Chen? I don't understand?"

Chen Ji said calmly: "Firewood sellers walk the streets and alleys. They are exposed to the wind and sun, so their faces won't be as fair and clean as secret agents. Moreover, firewood sellers don't just wander on this one street. If someone can't sell a load of firewood from morning to evening, and they are a Jing Chao spy, their expression won't be arrogant; they should be cautious. Go tell Master Yun Yang that I want to go to the inner prison to look at the prisoners and their files. Perhaps I can help him find new merits."

Saying that, he turned and walked away, carrying the water without looking back.

Chen Ji hadn't just discovered the abnormality of this firewood selling young man today. He had sat at the entrance of the medical hall for a day while his parents sent their school money, and he had known then.

And the reason he wanted to go to the inner prison, a place others avoided like the plague, was only because...

Where were the most wrongful deaths?

The inner prison of the secret agents department.

The firewood selling young man slowly suppressed his smile, gazing at Chen Ji's departing back. He had originally thought his disguise was flawless, but now it seemed the other party had discovered his problem early on, merely watching his clumsy performance in silence.

The next moment, the firewood selling young man threw down his dry firewood and carrying pole, turned, and strode away.