Chapter 53

In the deep, dark night, with heavy rain pouring down, more than ten secret spies hurried silently along the road, letting the curtain of rain drench their raincoats and bamboo hats.

Turning the corner onto Anxi Street, secret spies led out more than ten war horses. Everyone mounted their horses and galloped towards the East Market.

The horse hooves struck the accumulated water, making a drumming sound like waves blooming one after another on the ground.

Having survived the robbery, Chen Ji's heart was still pounding involuntarily at this moment. He could only tightly pull the reins to adapt to the war horse's galloping rhythm, barely staying on the horse.

The pain in his neck almost made him think that the Si Cao was still pinching him.

However, Chen Ji still had many doubts in his heart...

Jin Zhu, riding on his horse, turned his head to look at him: "You seem a bit different today than in the past, your mind is heavy. What happened at Taiping Medical Hall?"

Chen Ji's heart sank. This Jin Zhu was skilled at observing words and expressions; he wouldn't even miss the slightest hint.

He gathered all his wits to respond: "Reporting to Master Jin Zhu, I was scolded by my master later, telling me not to run outside often and to focus on my studies."

Jin Zhu knew Chen Ji was hinting 'don't come find me unless necessary,' yet he pretended not to know and smiled: "Ah, Yao Taiyi, I often saw him in the capital many years ago. When he was in the capital, he cured the inner minister's leg disease. Everyone in our secret spies department treats him with great respect. No harm, you can frankly tell the old man your secret spy identity, he will understand you."

Seeing Chen Ji not speaking, he softly comforted him: "Are you worried that capturing Jing Chao spies is too dangerous? Rest assured, our secret spies department has elite soldiers and strong generals. Bai Long and Xuan She in the capital beat the Jing Chao military affairs department's Si Zhu so he dares not show his head, and Shi Gou and Bao Hou in Jinling are pressing them breathless. These rivers and mountains are still our Ning Chao's rivers and mountains; there is no room for them to act wantonly."

When Chen Ji heard these words, he suddenly fell into thought.

The Ning Chao secret spies department has twelve zodiacs in charge. Could the Jing Chao military affairs department be supported by only one Si Cao?

You know, in the Jing Chao military affairs department's system, above Si Cao is Si Zhu. Just these two people supporting the huge military affairs department seems weak and thin no matter how you look at it.

However, it was precisely this matter that made Chen Ji suspicious: The Si Cao he saw today also seemed different from the one he saw last time.

At Bailu Pavilion, that Si Cao deliberately avoided the eyes of the dead when killing people, but tonight, the other party stared at his own eyes as if he enjoyed watching the deceased's gaze gradually lose vitality.

At Bailu Pavilion, that Si Cao liked to use a knife. Even against himself, a small fry, he would definitely take out a short knife. But tonight, this Si Cao did not take out a knife.

At Bailu Pavilion, that Si Cao mentioned his uncle several times, but the other party tonight didn't mention a word.

The more Chen Ji thought about it, the stranger he felt. Was the person under that Si Cao's mask the same person? If it was indeed the same person, the daily affairs of Bailu Pavilion were already busy enough, where would this Si Cao still have the energy to manage the entire military affairs department's intelligence network?

Chen Ji suddenly asked: "Master Jin Zhu, is that military affairs department Si Zhu hiding in our Ning Chao capital?"

Jin Zhu nodded: "Yes, at least the intelligence obtained is like this, but the level of spies we have captured is still too low; no one has seen his true appearance so far."

Chen Ji asked again: "Then on the Jinling side, who from the military affairs department is lurking there?"

"Naturally it is the military affairs department's Si Cao, but I don't know who came to Luocheng this time."

Chen Ji fell into thought.

......

......

Jin Zhu looked at Chen Ji and asked with a smile: "Why are you asking about their Si Cao and Si Zhu, do you want to catch them? Ambitious! If you really catch them, perhaps you can really be promoted to the twelve zodiacs. At that time, you won't lack cultivation methods, and the inner minister will protect you all the way up."

"Oh? Cultivation methods?" Chen Ji doubted: "Does the inner minister have many cultivation methods?"

Jin Zhu laughed heartily: "What kind of person is the inner minister? Ten years ago, he flattened the Jianghu and collected many good things. Otherwise, why do you think Yun Yang and Jiao Tu want to make achievements? Their cultivation is still stuck at the innate realm. To break through to the seek Dao realm, they must make great achievements to do so."

Chen Ji thought to himself, so that's it. No wonder the inner minister can control a crowd of officials.

He asked again: "Master Jin Zhu, since you have already caught the Jing Chao spies, the other party should know who to capture and what they look like. Why do you still need to find me?"

Jin Zhu chuckled: "This seat has its own arrangements."

Chen Ji frowned; he didn't understand Jin Zhu's intention.

Jin Zhu was clearly different from Yun Yang and Jiao Tu. Although there was a smile on his face, he was like a bottomless abyss, impossible to see through or guess.

Everyone passed through the curtain of rain and finally arrived at Hongyi Alley.

Hongyi Alley was the most lively place in Luocheng at night. Brothels, gambling houses, and restaurants stood in great numbers. If any family wanted to become famous and prosperous in Luocheng, they had to open in Hongyi Alley.

At this time, above those buildings with brilliant, staggered lights, the rain curtain washed the roofs, and then hung down from the eaves to form rain curtains.

Countless girls in bright clothes waved and flirted with passing guests downstairs. Even the heavy rain could not block the heat of Hongyi Alley.

However, when more than ten riders from the secret spies department arrived, all the girls and guests saw the solemn bamboo hats and raincoats and hurried into the buildings. Some even hastily blew out the candles in their rooms.

In just a few breaths, the figures of the secret spies department were like a basin of ice water poured down. The huge Hongyi Alley was as silent as cicadas in winter; all sounds ceased.

Jin Zhu laughed heartily and looked at Chen Ji: "Do you see? What is the secret spies department? This is the secret spies department!"

Everyone dismounted from their horses at a gambling house called "Zhaocang" and went directly inside.

Upon entering, they saw that the gambling house had been controlled by dozens of secret spies at some point. Gamblers and croupiers were all squatting to the side. The so-called croupiers were the dealers in this era, also called recorders.

Jin Zhu lowered his voice and asked: "Where is that defected spy?"

A secret spy cupped his hands and bowed: "Master, he is upstairs. He is willing to confess, but he must tell you personally. He said he has conditions to discuss with you."

"Lead the way!"

Chen Ji stood to the side, inexplicably shocked in his heart: The secret spies department has already caught that defected spy?!

If he just followed them upstairs like this, wouldn't he be recognized on the spot by the other party?

What to do? Fight his way out?

There were so many secret spies here. Relying on his newly gained official identity, he could deal with one or two secret spies, but how could he fight his way out?

Jin Zhu walked up the stairs, turned back, and looked at Chen Ji puzzled: "Eh, why aren't you coming up? There are still many things to do, don't delay time."

Chen Ji said: "Master, your subordinate wants to check downstairs to see if there are other spies hiding among the gamblers."

Jin Zhu smiled and waved his hand: "No need, no need, come up quickly."

Chen Ji was helpless and could only press down his bamboo hat, bracing himself to go upstairs.

Arriving on the second floor, Jin Zhu pushed open a side room door. He saw a person hanging from the ceiling, his hands tied with hemp rope and suspended from the beam. Four secret spies stood around, their hands on their waist knives, guarding him.

Chen Ji carefully and cautiously raised his head to look, but was shocked to discover that the hanged person's face was already black and blue, with blood bleeding from his seven orifices. He was deader than dead.

A dead person naturally could not identify him!

Chen Ji's palm felt somewhat numb due to tension, but he pretended to be calm and asked: "Master Jin Zhu, since he is a defected spy, he can be said to be extremely important. Why must he be killed?"

"This person is not that defected spy, but the spy responsible for capturing that defected spy... Really a tongue twister! Haha, after we caught this person, he bit poison to commit suicide," Jin Zhu said with a smile.

Chen Ji's heart rose again; that defected spy was still alive!

He saw Jin Zhu circling around the hanged spy and praising: "The Jing Chao spies are all dead soldiers. They are ruthless to others and even more ruthless to themselves. In these years, it has been very difficult for our secret spies department to catch a live one. Do you know why?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "I don't know."

"On the one hand, because they clean up fast enough themselves. As long as they discover that someone is exposed, they immediately clean up the entire intelligence line from top to bottom, abandoning the cart to protect the commander. Killing a few to protect the overall situation is a wise move. As the saying goes, righteous people don't do business, and benevolent people don't command armies. That military affairs department Si Zhu is a fierce character."

"On the other hand, they specifically choose spies with families to lurk. Once a spy defects, they will capture his entire family in Jing Chao. The young ones and males become slaves, the females become prostitutes; the old ones are executed directly."

Chen Ji's heart was stern; the struggle between the two dynasties' spies was unexpectedly so cruel.

He asked: "May I know Master Jin Zhu's next plan? Do you need your subordinate to seek the traces of that defected spy?"

"No hurry, no hurry. We only know that the spy is injured. Originally, we could follow the bloody smell to find him, but we didn't expect that the traces were washed away by a heavy rain. It is not easy to find him now, but it doesn't matter..." Jin Zhu looked at a secret spy nearby: "After we came in, did someone go to tip off?"

The secret spy softly said: "It was exactly the secret spy you suspected, who quietly went to the latrine."

"Let him go. We will just wait here for the Jing Chao spies to come kill and silence!"

Chen Ji suddenly understood. Jin Zhu did not catch the defected spy tonight, nor did he plan to catch that defected spy.

The other party sealed the entire gambling house, sealed the news, and directly claimed to the outside that they had caught the defected spy, luring the military affairs department Si Cao to come and kill!

Jin Zhu was betting that the Jing Chao military affairs department also did not catch the defected spy and would have to come to kill and silence... What fierce adaptability!

This kind of person was much harder to deal with than Yun Yang and Jiao Tu!

Chen Ji was silent for a moment: "Master Jin Zhu, why are you laying everything out for me?"

Jin Zhu smiled and clasped his hands: "You don't know, I am different from Jiao Tu and Yun Yang. They like to snatch功劳 (achievements/merits), I like to give功劳!"

"Oh?" Chen Ji doubted.

Jin Zhu patted his hand back: "Those two killers are single-mindedly cultivating. They want to exchange their 功劳 for further advancement in cultivation. I, however, do not have that ambition, nor do I seek longevity. It is not easy to sit in the position of the twelve zodiacs. Any higher, I fear I can only purify my body and enter the palace to replace Master Wu Xiu. I don't care about upper three or lower nine. Lower nine is pretty good. When the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up!"

Chen Ji was speechless; this Master Jin Zhu was indeed proficient in the way of mediocrity.

Jin Zhu continued: "I like to make friends. The inner minister personally decreed to promote you into the secret spies department, so I knew you had entered his good graces. The last time someone was specially approved into the secret spies department like this was Tian Ma..."

"Oh?"

Jin Zhu laughed: "Do you know under whose hand Tian Ma was when he first became a secret spy? Under my hand. At that time, I helped him make merits step by step, practically giving them to him until he reached the position of Tian Ma. Now that he has achieved upper three, he naturally remembers my kindness. Rest assured, I am not afraid that your status will be higher than mine in the future. It's better for all of you to sit in higher positions... Just don't forget me, that's fine."

"So tonight, Master called me here..."

"Tonight, if we catch the Jing Chao spies, the 功劳 will be half yours and half mine."

......

One chapter today.