Chapter 67

In the early morning light of Luoyang City's alleyways, Black Cloud agilely moved through the narrow passages, neither panicked nor hurried, possessing a certain air of command. Behind it, only the six most nimble calico cats followed. As they passed, some guard dogs rushed out and barked wildly. However, one of the calico cats merely gave a guard dog a single, light glance, and the dog immediately whimpered and retreated back home.

The next moment, a calico cat came running back towards them, dashing madly, meowing: "Not found!"

Black Cloud also meowed: "Scout again, report again!"

The calico cat turned and flew away.

Before long, another scouting calico cat also returned: "Not found!"

Black Cloud: "Scout again, report again!"

It had dispatched six calico cats, each taking a different route to search. It simply refused to believe they couldn't find the person Chen Ji had mentioned.

At this moment, one calico cat ran back: "Found!"

Black Cloud sprang out with a whoosh, its black figure flowing and fierce like a thread of shadow.

Si Cao had already reached Changning Street. The short knife he held was gone, hidden inside his sleeve. He walked among the crowd like the most ordinary tenant farmer, without anything out of the ordinary about him. The pedestrians on Luoyang City's roads were gradually increasing. Every household was carrying out chamber pots to pour the overnight waste into the public latrines built by the officials on the street sides. Dung carriers surrounded the public latrines, and as residents poured, they scooped. In this era, snatching up excrement had already formed a huge industrial chain. Merchants would mix the excrement with hard soil to form it, compost it, and then sell it to farmers. Some dung carriers had accumulated wealth worth tens of thousands of strings of cash from this business, and people even had the unique title of "Qingjiao Tou" (Tilt Foot Head).

Si Cao suddenly stopped. He slightly averted his gaze, his eyes under his bamboo hat sharp as knives, cutting across every pedestrian. But no matter how long he searched, he couldn't find any clues.

Strange, Si Cao always had an inexplicable sense of crisis in his heart, like a needle pricking him between the eyebrows, where it felt numb and itchy. Every time he was being monitored, he had this feeling, but this time, he couldn't find the person monitoring him.

As he scrutinized his surroundings, a calico cat sauntered past his feet with a big swagger. Si Cao only glanced at it lightly, then shifted his gaze elsewhere, without thinking anything further.

Who was tracking him? The Michi Shi (Secret Spy Division)? Or that shopkeeper Yuan, or the Liu family? Thinking of this, Si Cao quickened his steps. He slipped into a dead-end alley. With a light leap, he climbed onto the wall. After reaching the ridge of a roof, he cautiously peeked over, staring at the dead-end alley, wanting to see if anyone would pursue him.

However, Si Cao waited for a full quarter of an hour, but no one followed. And on the roofs of this residential area, there was only a black cat not far away playing and fighting with a calico cat, nothing abnormal.

Si Cao lightly exhaled, feeling as if the string in his mind had been too tight lately, causing him to overthink.

In an unmanned alley, Chen Ji leaned against a gray wall, slowly panting. He wasn't sure if Black Cloud could catch up with Si Cao, but he had to try.

Once upon a time, he had no position between the Ning Dynasty's Michi Shi and the Jing Dynasty's Mibao Si (Military Intelligence Division). He could work for anyone, as long as they paid. But life couldn't be walked on a tightrope every day. At the moment he watched the sunrise at the Drum Tower, Chen Ji looked at the Ning Dynasty friends beside him, and suddenly wanted to have a new beginning. And the identity of a Mibao Si spy was like a chasm on the road to his new beginning. To have a new beginning, he had to end his old identity.

Nowadays, only four people should know his Mibao Si spy identity: his uncle, the two Si Caos, and Master Si. That legendary uncle had already retired, and the other side could no longer control the Mibao Si, naturally they couldn't control him. If this uncle could be completely defeated by political enemies, that would truly be the best outcome, everyone separated by two dynasties, never to meet again. As for the remaining three, as long as he killed them all, he could gradually fade out of the Jing Dynasty Mibao Si's sight.

The Emperor asked him once at the Drum Tower what he wanted to do in the future. At that time, he didn't know, he only said he wanted to live. Now he knew what he wanted to do, he wanted to shake off the Jing Dynasty Mibao Si.

Chen Ji propped himself against the wall and slowly straightened up. The wound that Shopkeeper Yuan had pressed earlier had split open again from the hurried rush. It wasn't until this moment, when he lifted the hem of his clothes, that he discovered his trousers were already soaked with blood. But there was no time to care about that now. He patted the dust off his body and limped along the alley towards the medical hall.

Chen Ji gathered up the hem of his clothes to cover the bloodstain on his trousers. But as he stepped out of the alley, he immediately retreated back. At this moment, Jin Zhu (Golden Pig) was standing at the entrance of Taiping Yiguan (Taiping Medical Hall), saying something across the door. Chen Ji frowned. Jin Zhu had blocked his way back. If Bai Li (White Carp) opened the door for the other side, and after the other side entered the medical hall, they would discover he wasn't inside, they would definitely become suspicious.

"Bai Li, you absolutely must help me delay this," Chen Ji's heart was uneasy as he desperately climbed onto the roof. He didn't even know if Bai Li would help him delay, after all, he hadn't explained the situation to Bai Li.

At the entrance of Taiping Yiguan.

"Are you Chen Ji's friend?" Princess Bai Li asked suspiciously across the door.

"Yes," Jin Zhu smiled, "Please open the door, I've brought him some things to supplement his body."

At this time, Bai Li subconsciously wanted to say that Chen Ji had gone out or that he should come back later. But she turned her head and looked at the empty bamboo chair, recalling the way Chen Ji had quietly slipped out, and suddenly felt she couldn't say that. She thought for a few seconds: "Chen Ji is quite seriously injured, he's still sleeping right now. Wait a moment, I'll go call him."

Jin Zhu muttered outside the door: "This princess from the Wangfu (Princely Estate) doesn't understand human feelings. Even if you go call him awake, at least let me come in and sit and wait. What's the meaning of not even opening the door... eh?" He lightly pulled the door, then pushed it, only then discovering that the large door of Taiping Yiguan had a bolt on it and couldn't be opened at all.

Jin Zhu became even more suspicious. Although a medical hall wasn't like a breakfast shop and didn't need to open so early, no one even came out to fetch water in the early morning? The other side was bolted inside, what were they doing? Thinking of this, Jin Zhu slowly retreated to Anxi Street, his gaze sweeping across the roofs. Just as he was about to climb onto the roof and sneak in to see, he heard Princess Bai Li's voice from inside the Taiping Yiguan door: "Chen Ji is still sleeping, but you can come in and sit and wait for him first. I'll come and open the door for you."

As soon as Jin Zhu heard this, he gave up the idea of sneaking in and waited patiently. But he waited and waited, and the door was late in opening.

Jin Zhu asked in a low voice: "Why haven't you opened the door yet?"

Princess Bai Li said urgently from inside the room: "This bolt, I don't know how it's stuck, I can't pull it out."

The next moment, Jin Zhu exerted force and pulled the door fiercely, hearing the bolt respond with a crack. The princess inside the room was startled and took several steps back. Jin Zhu then directly rushed in with a narrow-eyed smile: "This bolt is perhaps decayed, that's why it couldn't be opened. I'll send people to custom-make a new one this afternoon, guaranteed to be good to use."

The princess was anxious and desperately pulled his arm: "Hey, how can you just intrude into someone's private house like this? That's too improper! You're not that bad person who injured Chen Ji, are you? Don't even think about injuring him again!"

However, the princess's strength was no match for Jin Zhu's. She was actually dragged across the floor by him. The princess shouted loudly: "Brother, Physician Yao, Dog Brother, someone's intruded into the medical hall!"

"What happened? What happened?" The Emperor rushed over first, blocking Jin Zhu's way, reaching out to grab Jin Zhu's clothes. But Jin Zhu was slippery and couldn't be held. He merely turned his body and shook off both the Emperor and the princess, crashing into Liang Gouzi's (Liang Cat Child's) body. He pushed Liang Gouzi, but couldn't move him. Instead, he was pushed back to the main hall entrance by Liang Gouzi's pursed mouth!

"Hey," Jin Zhu didn't believe it and exerted force to wrestle with Liang Gouzi, wanting to use wrestling techniques to flip Liang Gouzi to the ground. But strangely, Liang Gouzi's stance was more stable than his, and he couldn't be flipped at all!

"Eh?" Jin Zhu looked at Liang Gouzi in surprise: "Innate divine strength!"

Liang Gouzi pulled Jin Zhu's clothes and said in a muffled voice: "Why did you intrude into the medical hall?"

Jin Zhu knew he couldn't defeat a strong enemy and immediately, like shedding his skin, took off his outer clothing and drilled out from under Liang Gouzi's armpit, heading straight into the apprentice's bedroom. He was slightly stunned. Inside the dimly lit apprentice's bedroom, Chen Ji was wrapped in a quilt, sleeping soundly on the apprentice's bunk bed, completely different from what he had expected.

The Emperor, the princess, She Dengke, Liu Quxing, and the others all rushed into the apprentice's bedroom at once, wanting to drag Jin Zhu outside the door. But Jin Zhu's feet seemed to have nails growing from them, and no matter how many people dragged him, he didn't move an inch. The princess turned her head to look at Liang Gouzi: "Dog Child brother, help!" But Liang Gouzi swept the floor, pretending not to hear anything.

Liang Gouzi saw the situation and pulled Jin Zhu's arm with force. With a powerful tug, he actually pulled him out of the door! Jin Zhu was pulled off his feet and exclaimed: "F*ck!" Liang Gouzi carried Jin Zhu and placed him in the middle of the courtyard. A group of people surrounded him tightly, blocking him at the kitchen door.

Bai Li stood outside the door with her hands on her hips. She wrinkled her slender, willow-leaf eyebrows and rebuked in a low voice: "You're not Chen Ji's friend at all, are you? Who barges into a friend's home like this?"

Jin Zhu quickly smiled and explained: "I was just worried about Chen Ji! You were late in opening the door, I thought something was wrong inside."

"Even if the sky falls, you can't act like this!" Old man Yao stood with his hands behind his back beside the apricot tree and slowly said: "Lord Jin Zhu, what is the noble errand of your visit today?"

Jin Zhu lifted the pastries and fruits he was carrying: "Earlier, our Michi Shi arrested a Jing Dynasty spy, and we accidentally let the spy escape. That's how Chen Ji was injured while passing by." Saying this, he meant that Chen Ji was injured because of their negligence, so he felt uneasy and specially came to visit.

The Emperor and Bai Li were stunned. This fat man was actually someone from the Michi Shi. No wonder Liang Gouzi was unwilling to make a move just now! The two of them glanced at Liang Gouzi, only to see him still holding a bamboo broom, as if nothing had happened.

Bai Li turned to Jin Zhu and said: "Lord Jin Zhu, you've seen the person and delivered the gifts, please go back."

"In the future, please fulfill your duty to arrest Jing Dynasty spies and don't let spies run away and injure people again... Where is the spy who injured Chen Ji imprisoned now?"

Jin Zhu said with a narrow-eyed smile: "Imprisoned? No, no, no, he was killed by Chen Ji."

The Emperor and Bai Li gasped, subconsciously turning their heads to look at the apprentice's bedroom. Before this, they couldn't connect Chen Ji with killing people at all. Bai Li recalled Chen Ji's actions just now and her expression became complex. This medical hall apprentice seemed not as simple as she thought.

Just when everyone was stunned, Jin Zhu, like a loach, drilled through the gap in the crowd. He drilled into the apprentice's bedroom, grabbed and lifted the quilt covering Chen Ji, revealing half of his body.

He saw Chen Ji wearing an inner lining of night clothes, slowly opening his eyes: "Lord Jin Zhu, why have you come?"

Jin Zhu's tightly furrowed eyebrows slowly relaxed. Before the crowd could surround him again, he quickly cupped his hands and said with a smile: "I won't disturb you today. When Chen Ji is better, I'll come visit again." Having said this, he slipped away and made a hasty escape.

Chen Ji sat on the bed and panted. Jin Zhu was too difficult to deal with. The other side's character, suspicious of every detail and unwilling to let anything go, was undoubtedly what the Michi Shi needed most. But with such a person as an opponent, a slight mistake would lead to eternal damnation.

The crowd wanted to come in and ask Chen Ji what was wrong, but they saw Bai Li standing at the door, softly saying: "You all go busy yourselves, I have something to ask him."

After the crowd left, Bai Li asked: "Where did you go just now?"

Chen Ji was silent for a moment: "Princess, I don't want to deceive you. If you are willing to believe me, just don't ask."

"Then you tell me first, are you following me and my brother because someone arranged it?"

"No, and I won't do anything unfavorable to you all."

"Okay, I won't ask anymore later. Rest assured, I won't tell anyone about what happened just now."

Having said this, she turned and walked out the door, greeting the Emperor: "Brother, let's go back to the Wangfu."

The Emperor was slightly stunned: "Are you in such a hurry to go back? I still want to stay for lunch."

Chen Ji sat on the bed, listening to the sounds of them stepping on the ladder and flipping over the wall to leave, silently and without a word.

The window of the apprentice's bedroom moved a little, and he saw Black Cloud's head squeeze open a gap, drilling in like liquid: "Found the person you were looking for, he's working as a coachman in the Liu family."