Chapter 27: Inner Prison

In the hushed dawn of Luocheng, a tide of *qi* vitality surged, mingling with the clamor of the waking city. Ox-carts bound for the East Market, laden with goods, clogged the narrow lanes, their drivers, biscuits clenched between their teeth, cursed and bellowed for passage. Laughter, angry shouts, and the cries of vendors wove an endless tapestry of sound, as if the city had never tasted centuries of decline, clinging still to its most glorious hour.

Within the tranquil confines of the Taiping Medical Hall, Chen Ji stood behind the counter, sleeves rolled up, a serene smile gracing his lips as he weighed out herbs on the copper scale. His demeanor was so pure, so utterly devoid of worldly taint, that no one would ever suspect him of being involved in the clandestine art of "spy hunting."

Across the hall, Old Man Yao, the venerable master of the hall, was conducting a test of his disciples' medical knowledge. She Dengke sat erect, fingers resting on a patient's wrist, eyes closed in concentration. Old Man Yao, a bamboo strip held loosely in his hand, his voice low and resonant, prompted, "Quickly, what is this pulse?"

She Dengke's three fingers danced lightly on the patient's wrist. Tentatively, he ventured, "Flood pulse?"

*Slap!* The bamboo strip cracked against She Dengke's back, startling the middle-aged man across the counter.

Old Man Yao gestured for the patient to remain calm, his gaze fixed on She Dengke. "What pulse?"

She Dengke winced, "Real pulse!"

*Slap!* Another blow landed!

She Dengke, desperation creeping into his voice, stammered, "Sinking pulse!"

*Slap!* Another one!

The patient, unable to bear it any longer, sprang up to restrain Old Man Yao. "Master Yao, don't hit the boy! Please, calm yourself. It can be a sinking pulse, it truly can!"

Old Man Yao slowly turned his head to regard the patient, a long silence stretching between them before he finally spoke, his voice devoid of emotion, "…If he divined a joyous pulse, would you accept that too?!"

With that, he swept his gaze across Chen Ji and Liu Qu Xing, pondering who would be the next recipient of his disciplinary methods. His eyes lingered, however, and then abruptly stopped at the doorway.

Just then, a small black cat weaved through the throng outside the medical hall, a creature of shadows, dodging and darting, its small head constantly tilted upwards, observing the human footsteps, then deftly avoiding them. It reached the medical hall's entrance, its paw tentatively exploring the threshold, peering inside. Its gaze met Old Man Yao's directly.

Old Man Yao regarded it with an unreadable expression. Chen Ji's heart tightened. His master wasn't known for his fondness for small creatures; he hoped he wouldn't chase Black Cloud away.

Yet, Black Cloud, undeterred by Old Man Yao's intense gaze, merely lowered its head, then, with a surge of courage, vaulted over the threshold, inching closer.

The small cat then leaped onto the counter, landing directly in front of Old Man Yao, and to everyone's astonishment, settled itself in his outstretched hand!

Old Man Yao stared for a long moment, his stern expression slowly softening, crinkling into a smile. She Dengke and the other three disciples were stunned. This was the first time they had ever seen their master so… amiable! *So this old man can smile after all!*

Old Man Yao, perhaps realizing his uncharacteristic display of warmth, immediately resumed his stern demeanor. He spoke in a measured tone, neither warm nor cold, "This little creature… quite amiable."

Liu Qu Xing stepped forward, eager to pet Black Cloud, but Old Man Yao immediately slapped his hand away. "To the side!"

Liu Qu Xing recoiled, a look of bewildered frustration on his face.

The next moment, Black Cloud rubbed its head against Old Man Yao's hand. The old man was silent for a moment, then turned to She Dengke. "Fetch the purple wood box from my room."

Old Man Yao's other hand lightly tapped Black Cloud's head. "You're called Black Cloud, yes?"

Chen Ji's pupils contracted, his heart seizing as if gripped by an unseen force. The name "Black Cloud" was a secret shared only between him and the cat. How could Old Man Yao possibly know? Had he already discovered everything?

Chen Ji's mind raced, recalling Old Man Yao's journey to the Zhou Manor to retrieve him, the procession of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas where he pulled him back to the medical hall, the consultation at the Late Star Garden. Each event seemed to be imbued with a hidden meaning.

Lost in his thoughts, Chen Ji felt Old Man Yao's gaze upon him, a silent, penetrating look that seemed to see straight through his soul. Old Man Yao held his gaze for a moment, then turned back to Black Cloud. She Dengke arrived with the purple wood box. He opened the drawer, revealing a collection of exquisite pastries.

Liu Qu Xing exclaimed, "Pastries from Zheng Xin Zhai!"

Old Man Yao placed a pastry in his palm and offered it to Black Cloud. "Eat."

Black Cloud devoured the pastry in a few bites, its eyes fixed on the box. Old Man Yao, uncharacteristically generous, offered another. "It's good to eat pastries. A foolish raccoon only knows how to eat meat. Only a clever raccoon knows the benefits of pastries."

After consuming two pastries, Black Cloud, without a backward glance, trotted over to Chen Ji and settled down beside him, its previous affection for Old Man Yao seemingly forgotten. Seeing this, Old Man Yao merely brushed the pastry crumbs from his hand into his own mouth, without a trace of anger. He looked at Chen Ji, and said casually, "It seems to like you quite a bit."

With that, he returned to testing She Dengke's medical knowledge.

Seizing the opportunity while everyone's attention was elsewhere, Chen Ji whispered to Black Cloud, "How did you come in during the daytime?"

Black Cloud replied, "Jing Fei left the Jing Wang Manor, I don't know where she went. Now the Late Star Garden is unmanaged, the maids are all slacking off. I just came out to find you to play!"

Chen Ji chuckled. "Then just stay here at the medical hall. I'll go dispense medicine for this patient."

As he spoke, a richly dressed middle-aged man entered the hall, holding a prescription. "Master Yao, I've come for medicine, but I left too hastily this morning and forgot to bring enough money. Could you let me take the medicine for my mother first? I'll send a young apprentice back with me to fetch the money. I'll give the apprentice twenty *cash* for his trouble."

Old Man Yao examined the prescription. "These medicines are not cheap. Are you sure you have money at home?"

The middle-aged man nodded. "Absolutely!"

Liu Qu Xing immediately volunteered, "Master, I'll go!"

Old Man Yao smiled sardonically. "So you don't want me to test your medical knowledge, eh? Chen Ji, you go!"

Liu Qu Xing's face turned ashen, his eyes wide with disbelief as he watched Chen Ji follow the man out!

Upon reaching the doorway, the middle-aged man led Chen Ji to a waiting carriage. After the curtain was drawn, the middle-aged man slowly and deliberately peeled off the beard and wrinkles from his face, revealing the familiar features of Yun Yang. "You sent word to me, wanting to go to the inner prison?"

"That's right," Chen Ji nodded. "I believe the Liu Shi Yu case is not as simple as it seems. It doesn't feel like Liu Shi Yu's personal action; there are bigger fish behind him."

"Eh, you're actually taking the initiative to help me earn merit? Are you short of money?" Yun Yang's suspicion grew. "Logically, you just earned fifty taels of silver. Even if you went to Red Clothes Alley, you wouldn't spend it all in a month. Could it be you went to White Clothes Alley? Let me offer you a word of advice: those Yangzhou 'slim horses' are cultivated from a young age in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Their every movement is filled with charm. They are not something a young apprentice like you can handle."

Chen Ji smiled. "Master Yun Yang, shouldn't you be happy that I want to help you earn merit? If one day you achieve a high position, perhaps you can help me obtain an official position within the Secret Spy Agency."

Yun Yang was noncommittal. "Do you believe the remaining members of the Liu family also have problems?"

"Only by seeing can I know."

Yun Yang ceased his idle chatter. He produced a black blindfold. "Close your eyes. The location of the inner prison is a secret; you cannot know it. You must also plug your ears."

With his eyes covered and ears plugged, Chen Ji's world fell silent. The vibrant life of Luocheng seemed to fade away.

Yun Yang lifted the curtain and drove the carriage. It moved slowly along the bluestone road. Unnoticed by anyone, a small black cat had appeared on the carriage's roof at some point, swaying along with the carriage as it headed south.

Old Man Yao stopped his examination, his hands clasped behind his back, standing at the medical hall's entrance, gazing at the departing carriage, lost in thought.

…

…

"We've arrived!"

Yun Yang removed the cotton from Chen Ji's ears and helped him alight from the carriage. He watched as Chen Ji produced a piece of gray cloth from his bosom and covered his mouth and nose, a slight curl to his lips. "You are quite cautious."

Chen Ji smiled. "This inner prison in Luocheng must have been infiltrated like a sieve by the Liu family. Otherwise, how would they know of Liu Shi Yu's death so quickly? To investigate the Liu family's case in such a place, one naturally needs to be cautious. Speaking of which… the Secret Spy Agency's inner prison being infiltrated to this extent, Master Yun Yang, aren't you angry?"

Yun Yang laughed coldly. "That batch of jailers in Luocheng were all sent to Lingnan last night. Those here now have been transferred from elsewhere."

With his eyes still covered, Chen Ji stumbled along, guided by Yun Yang's hand. He heard silence around him, devoid of people, save for the occasional bird call.

They reached an iron door. Yun Yang knocked quickly three times, then slowly twice. The iron door slowly creaked open inwards. The heavy, rusted door grated on its hinges, emitting an ear-piercing sound that set one's teeth on edge.

Inside the doorway, a young secret spy waited.

Once inside the inner prison, Yun Yang said, "You can remove the blindfold."

Chen Ji opened his eyes, his right hand slightly shielding them from the dim light, squinting to take in his surroundings. A narrow staircase slanted downwards, descending into the depths of the earth. Along the walls of the staircase, a residual oil lamp hung every fifteen steps, like the soul-guiding lamps of the underworld.

Strangely, beneath each oil lamp, there was a yin-engraved eight trigrams pattern on the base. Chen Ji, intrigued, asked, "What are these eight trigrams for?"

Yun Yang recalled, "They say that seven years ago, the imperial eunuch found an 'official' skilled in strange doors and esoteric arts who painted these in every inner prison. Legend has it… one lamp is one prison, and with the eight trigrams, as long as the lamp isn't extinguished, the person won't die."

Chen Ji frowned. "What does that mean?"

Yun Yang shrugged. "I don't know."

The young secret spy led Yun Yang and Chen Ji downwards. Upon reaching level ground, a stone-walled tunnel stretched into the distant darkness. Along both sides of the tunnel were rows of dim cells, "embedded" within the stone wall.

As the two figures appeared, immediately someone clung to the iron bars, crying out, "My lord, I am wronged! I have absolutely no connection to the Jing Dynasty spies. My old mother is over sixty, and I have two children to feed. Please, release me!"

Cries of injustice echoed continuously, but Yun Yang acted as if he didn't hear them. "Let's go, the files are inside."

However, Chen Ji, who was following behind him, froze in place. In the dim light of the inner prison, from the cell directly in front of him, two grey-white streams of icy energy flew out, piercing his brow and entering his body.

Yun Yang turned back. "What's wrong?"

Chen Ji's expression remained unchanged. "Nothing. It's my first time in the inner prison, seeing these emaciated prisoners is a little unsettling."

Yun Yang smiled. "I was also scared at first. You'll get used to it slowly."

Chen Ji took another step. As he and Yun Yang walked deeper into the inner prison, grey-white streams of icy energy flew out from each cell they passed. They seemed to sense Chen Ji's presence, surging and swirling like flood dragons tumbling in the air.

Chen Ji watched this spectacle with a sense of shock. Over a hundred streams of icy energy pierced his brow and entered his body, finally converging and coiling in his *dantian*. The momentum of the icy streams was immense. Vaguely, they seemed to threaten to extinguish the furnace fire within him!