Chapter 50: Hush Money

In the thin veil of pre-dawn mist, as the first rooster crowed the coming of morn, a carriage drew to a halt before the medical hall's entrance.

Bai Li, lifting the curtain, leapt lightly from the conveyance, stretching with a languid grace. Her gaze swept the surroundings, yet the usual sight of that lean, sweeping figure was absent. Strange. Only yesterday at this very hour, he had been at the entrance, broom in hand. Where had he gone this morning? Still abed, perhaps?

At that moment, Liang Mao, bearing Liang Gou upon his back, descended slowly from the carriage and made his way towards the medical hall's interior. Despite Liang Gou's considerable stature, upon Liang Mao's frame he seemed weightless; indeed, Liang Mao could carry him for ten *li* and more without breaking a sweat.

Liang Mao, with an honest smile, bid farewell to the Prince and Bai Li: "Your Highness, County Princess, thank you for your hospitality. I shall take my brother back to rest now."

The Prince, with a wave of his hand and a smile, responded, "Go, go."

Once Liang Mao had returned to the apprentice dormitory, Bai Li tiptoed to peer within, yet still found no sign of Chen Ji. "Odd," she mused aloud, "where did that black-hearted fellow disappear to?"

Chen Ji, however, was not within the medical hall's walls. He was traversing the green flagstones of the East Market road. Below, he walked, while above, Hei Yun bounded lightly along the eaves beside him. One person, one cat, moving in tandem; the black cat on the rooftops a silent, vigilant spirit guardian.

The East Market was already a hive of activity. Goods from north and south converged here, borne by laborers with corded muscles, their movements a ceaseless ebb and flow. Chen Ji found a breakfast stall and seated himself at a small wooden table outside. Hei Yun, with a soft leap, settled into his embrace, disappearing beneath his robes, only his head emerging from the collar.

"Chen Ji, steamed buns!"

Chen Ji smiled and beckoned to the waiter. "Waiter, two cages of steamed buns with sauced meat, and a bowl of hot soybean milk!"

"Coming right up! Guest, please wait a moment, the steamed buns will be here shortly!"

When the steamed buns arrived, Chen Ji, with his right hand, grasped a bun and took a large bite. With his left hand, he held another bun to his chest, allowing Hei Yun to partake, mouth by mouth. He ate slowly, patiently waiting.

Just as he finished his second steamed bun, a middle-aged customer from the neighboring general store inquired, "Boss, how much is saltpeter?"

The proprietor, seated cross-legged within his shop, replied, "Three hundred *wen* per *dou*. We can even deliver within three *li*... Guest, what do you need saltpeter for?"

The customer responded with a smile, "My family makes firecrackers. We can't go a day without saltpeter. Usually, we buy from Old Li, but for some reason, his shop wasn't open this morning. Boss, three hundred *wen* per *dou* is a bit steep. Can it be cheaper?"

However, the boss, cracking melon seeds, simply said, "Buy if you want, don't buy if you don't."

The customer's face darkened. He flicked his sleeve and departed. "How do you run a business like this? Can't you even talk properly? There are plenty of places selling saltpeter in the East Market; I don't have to buy from you!"

The boss, still cracking melon seeds with crossed legs, remained utterly indifferent. "Then go buy elsewhere."

Chen Ji watched as the customer left. Immediately, a young man dressed as a 'coolie' from within the breakfast stall, without even finishing his meal, put down his chopsticks and rose to follow behind the customer. A distance of over ten paces separated them, the trailing coolie lost amidst the crowd, his gaze fixed upon the customer.

As he passed Chen Ji, the coolie's right hand caught his eye. The tiger's mouth area bore thick calluses, the tell-tale sign of someone who gripped weapons year-round.

Chen Ji understood in his heart: Jin Zhu had already made his move.

This Jin Zhu was far more cunning and discreet than imagined. Anticipating that the Jing Dynasty's greatest desire was firearms, he had quietly laid out his plans after arriving in Lu City. He had closed shops, arranged for secret agents to pose as merchants, and investigated every individual seeking to purchase saltpeter! Jin Zhu lurked in the shadows of Lu City, like a spider, taking advantage of the Jing Dynasty military intelligence department's relaxed vigilance to weave a vast web.

The weapons provided by Yun Fei were likely stolen from the Craftsmen Supervision's inventory through collusion from within and without. If Jin Zhu was truly astute, he had probably already begun to audit the inventory and pursue the stolen goods... One could only wonder if Yun Fei and the Liu family could withstand Jin Zhu's investigation.

The Jing Dynasty military intelligence department and the Liu family were finally facing a true adversary.

Chen Ji, without a flicker of outward reaction, lowered his head and continued eating his steamed buns. He and Hei Yun ate their fill of two cages before rising to leave. One person, one cat, simultaneously let out a satisfied burp. "Truly fulfilling!"

Chen Ji strolled through the East Market. Passing by a sugar shop, he quickly scanned his surroundings with his peripheral vision. The owner was diligently selling red sugar and white sugar. Officials and noble servants were purchasing red sugar and white sugar, and there was no one following or monitoring. After observing for a long time, he walked to the stall and inquired, "Boss, how much are red sugar and white sugar respectively?"

The boss replied with a smile, "Guest, red sugar is eighty *wen* per *jin*. This white sugar frost, however, is ten taels of silver per *jin*."

Chen Ji's eyes widened. This white sugar was simply exorbitantly expensive! But he quickly realized why. In this era, most households still used red sugar. The method for making white sugar was each family's closely guarded secret, absolutely not to be transmitted. Nowadays, only officials and nobles could partake of the white, 'refined' sugar frost, a true luxury.

Chen Ji mused to himself. Should he try to make some white sugar himself? He couldn't. The *Tiangong Kaiwu* recorded the method of decolorization using yellow mud water – that is, using yellow mud water to leach the red sugar, thereby producing white sugar. But in reality, in the era Chen Ji inhabited, no one had successfully replicated the "yellow mud water leaching decolorization method." This technique was already lost.

Chen Ji took out a piece of broken silver. "Boss, I'll buy one tael of sugar frost. Just one tael."

He carried the cowhide paper package, then bought a bamboo tube of burning knife liquor. Thus, the materials for making gunpowder were complete.

Chen Ji walked among the crowd. He no longer felt like an outsider but more like a native of Lu City, a young man who had come to the market.

...

...

Night fell.

The Prince and Bai Li County Princess were perhaps tired from their exploits; they did not scale the wall again that night. Chen Ji waited until everyone was asleep before taking out the bamboo tube containing saltpeter and making his way to the main hall.

However, the first step in making gunpowder was not simply mixing saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal in the correct proportions, but purifying the materials. This was why Chen Ji firmly believed his gunpowder would be more potent than that of the Ning Dynasty. The Ning Dynasty's chemical knowledge was not sufficiently developed; they likely had no fundamental understanding of how to purify these materials and could only rely on crude methods.

Chen Ji took a slightly larger clay bowl and carefully placed it above an oil lamp. Hei Yun squatted on the counter, head tilted, meowing curiously, "Chen Ji, what are you doing?"

Chen Ji, while preparing the materials, replied, "Before I truly become an official, I need to create some means of self-protection... Hei Yun, your hearing is excellent. If you hear anyone approaching the main hall, tell me immediately." He knew that in this world, there likely existed grand officials who were not afraid of gunpowder, such as Jin Zhu's mentioned White Dragon, Heavenly Horse, and Sick Tiger. If their speed was sufficient, they could evade his gunpowder before it even exploded. But he didn't need to deal with such individuals; gunpowder would suffice for his purposes.

Just as he was about to pour the saltpeter from the bamboo tube into the clay bowl... a crow suddenly flew into the medical hall's main hall!

Chen Ji and Hei Yun both froze. One person, one cat, exchanged startled glances, neither understanding the other's confusion. Hei Yun meowed, "Will it tell your master about this?"

Chen Ji, silently closing the bamboo tube, quickly devised countermeasures in his heart. He was currently making gunpowder, a secret the Ning Dynasty Craftsmen Supervision guarded with two thousand elite soldiers. Even if someone discovered him secretly collecting saltpeter, it would likely bring immense trouble.

Hei Yun looked at Chen Ji. "Or should I catch it? Kill the bird to silence!"

The next moment, the crow, using a wing tip, pointed at Hei Yun and cackled, its mockery palpable. Hei Yun, unconvinced, leapt to catch it, but while Hei Yun was fast, the crow was faster.

Two black blurs maneuvered up and down within the medical hall's main hall. Chen Ji's spiritual flames were already burning sixteen furnaces. Hei Yun's figure darted through the hall, almost invisible. But even with such incredible speed, he couldn't touch a single feather of the crow! This crow had clearly cultivated with Old Yao for who knew how long, becoming a spirit!

Just as Chen Ji was about to shout for Hei Yun to stop, an ancient voice rang out, "Enough! Not sleeping late at night, what's all this noise about?"

Chen Ji stiffened. He slowly turned to look at Old Yao. "Master..."

Old Yao glanced at Chen Ji, then slowly walked towards the counter, curiously examining the oil lamp, the bamboo tube, and the clay bowl. Something felt distinctly odd. But even with his extensive experience and knowledge, he couldn't fathom what Chen Ji was doing... He frowned and asked, "Why did you bring the kitchen's clay bowl here?"

Chen Ji replied, "Nothing, Master. I just used this clay bowl to hold water to drink."

"Oh, is that so..."

Just as Chen Ji breathed a sigh of relief, he saw Old Yao reach into his sleeve and take out six copper coins, which he tossed onto the counter. Clang, clang, the six copper coins fell.

Chen Ji's heart jolted. Although Old Yao couldn't see what he was doing, he could divine! Old Yao mumbled his divination, while Chen Ji's heart ached with anxiety, like someone awaiting judgment, unsure what the old man could divine.

Moments later, Old Yao shook his head. "Strange, why can't I see anything?" Saying this, he actually walked to the window, pushed it open, grasped the window frame, and craned his head towards the night sky, muttering, "Great is Qian Yuan, all things begin, thus unifies heaven..."

The next moment.

Old Yao suddenly turned back to look at Chen Ji. "What thing is so rigid, strong, and overbearing!"

Chen Ji: "Huh?" No, old man, do you actually have cheat codes?!

Chen Ji didn't understand the meaning of this divination, but Old Yao had said "rigid, strong, and overbearing." Could it be more than just the characteristics of gunpowder?

Old Yao stared intently at Chen Ji. "I didn't expect you to have this ability, to actually be able to make this. Why are you making this? Do you want to rebel?"

Chen Ji quickly said, "No, no!"

He then heard Old Yao say, "Do you know that if this matter is leaked, you will die without a burial place? Don't say I didn't protect you; even this world of the Ning Dynasty cannot tolerate you."

Chen Ji remained silent. He couldn't ascertain Old Yao's exact stance. If the old man truly intended to report him, then he could only flee. What a pity. He had just gained a foothold in this medical hall and thought he could finally settle down here.

Chen Ji raised his head and said, "Master, I didn't think..."

Old Yao interrupted, "Sealing fee, six taels."

Chen Ji: "?"

...

...

The medical hall's main hall was dim. The cool breeze of the autumn night drifted in through the window, causing the oil lamp's flame to flicker, casting dancing shadows on Chen Ji's face.

"So, all that you said, old man, was just for the sealing fee?" Chen Ji said, his voice low.

"Not entirely," Old Yao said leisurely. "I'm not doing it for money; I'm doing it to save your life."

Chen Ji's heart ached. "Do you know how much six taels of silver can buy?"

Old Yao stroked his beard. "I know. It can buy the ladder you set up for Bai Li County Princess."

Chen Ji: "..." It turned out the old man knew everything. No wonder the amount was the same as the two times the passage fee!

Old Yao sneered, "The medical hall is my medical hall. The Prince and County Princess passed through here. What's wrong with giving me the passage fee?"

Chen Ji argued, "But I also put in labor! I moved the ladder for them!"

Old Yao, without a word, turned back towards the main room. He actually carried out a large bamboo recliner, placing it in the corridor between the main hall and the backyard. "I'll watch for you here. I'm also putting in labor. Pay me six taels, and you can safely do whatever you want. With me guarding, no one will discover you."

The large bamboo recliner, in the hands of the ninety-two-year-old elder, was light as a toy.

Chen Ji: "...You can still do this?!"

Old Yao, however, paid him no mind. He simply extended his hand firmly. "Silver peanuts."

Chen Ji, with a heavy heart, took out the six silver peanuts from his sleeve and slapped them into Old Yao's hand. Old Yao happily put them into his sleeve, humming a tune as he lay on the bamboo recliner, closing his eyes to rest. "The law-abiding are worried every day, the strong bullies sing happily every night..."

Chen Ji watched the old man in silence for a while, truly at a loss as to how to handle him. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Master, don't say I didn't warn you. You've taken the money, so from now on, you're an accomplice!"

Old Yao lightly "hmph"ed. "Threatening me? You're still green. I want to see what you can make."

Chen Ji said no more. He added clear water to the clay bowl and placed it above the oil lamp, slowly heating it until the water temperature reached about seventy-five degrees. In this era, there was no formal method of temperature measurement. Chen Ji only knew that water boiled at eighty degrees and that bubbles would start to appear at the bottom of the bowl. Once bubbles began to form, he would move the oil lamp away and wait for the water temperature to cool for five minutes, reaching the temperature he desired.

Chen Ji then added saltpeter and plant ash to the bowl in an 8:1 ratio. With a bamboo stick, he stirred slowly for a quarter of an hour, then filtered it with rice paper.

Old Yao, at some point, had gotten up and was standing beside him, watching intently. Chen Ji paid him no mind, simply boiling the saltpeter water again until only one-third of the water remained in the bowl. He moved the oil lamp away, focusing on the thick liquid in the bowl as it slowly cooled.

When the liquid in the clay bowl dropped below human body temperature, Chen Ji took a drop of the liquid with the bamboo stick and lightly dotted it onto the counter. The drop of liquid, meeting the cool counter, instantly condensed into a transparent crystal, like water turning to ice!

Old Yao's eyes suddenly widened.

Chen Ji exhaled a long breath: Success!

...

Today's chapter ends here.