Jing Wang, Zhu Youxiao.

His mother, “Li Fei,” passed away very early. The young Jing Wang was adopted by the current Empress Dowager and grew up with the Ning Emperor, as close as siblings.

When the Ning Emperor ascended the throne at age eleven, Zhu Youxiao was fourteen. Empress Dowager Liu controlled the court.

Over six years, Zhu Youxiao traveled extensively, recruiting northern civil officials and supervising censors for the Ning Emperor and weakening the power of external relatives.

The Ning Emperor finally took personal charge of the government at age seventeen and conferred the title of Jing Wang upon Zhu Youxiao at age twenty-one.

Initially, everything was peaceful. However, in recent years, Jing Wang’s efforts outside the palace, such as rectifying officialdom, repairing rivers, providing disaster relief, and preparing grain for border armies, had greatly increased his reputation.

The Eunuch Directorate then began to devise every possible way to make things difficult for Jing Wang’s residence. Many of Jing Wang’s former subordinates were imprisoned, and even the chief eunuch by Jing Wang’s side was replaced by new people sent by the Eunuch Directorate.

Some speculated that the Ning Emperor and Jing Wang had a rift, while others said that Jing Wang was gradually harboring disloyal thoughts.

Even for the Ning Emperor’s forty-second birthday last year, Jing Wang did not return to the capital due to his work repairing rivers and providing disaster relief.

Former brothers had suddenly become strangers.

It was just like in the storytellers’ tales: once people became kings, they all became uninteresting.

Chen Ji thought of his master’s exquisite divination technique, and a deep worry suddenly rose in his heart. If his master truly intended to borrow the dragon energy of Jing Wang’s residence to cultivate disciples, then this calamity facing Jing Wang’s residence would likely be inescapable.

The Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department, the Ning Dynasty Secret Spies Department, and the Liu family were like a huge vortex, threatening to swallow Jing Wang’s residence to the bottom of the sea.

As the saying goes, wealth and honor are sought in danger, and where there are disasters, there are ice floes. His master, in using divination to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, was clearly using it to lead himself directly into big pits!

Wu Yun said goodnight to Chen Ji, flipped over the wall, and returned to the Late Star Garden.

Chen Ji stood alone by the counter, quietly contemplating the current situation.

While he was pondering, he heard sounds from the backyard.

*Dong dong dong.*

Knocking sounds came from outside the door.

Chen Ji furrowed his brows. It was already the *zi* hour, and dawn would break in another two hours. Why were people still coming to the door?

Could it be Golden Pig? He didn’t know what Golden Pig’s intention was in coming to the medical hall at this time.

He went to open the door.

However, when the front door of the medical hall was pulled open instantly, Chen Ji’s heart actually pounded in that moment, and he thumped, thumped, thumped back several steps!

He saw that the person who came was none other than the already dead shopkeeper Yuan of Bai Lu Pavilion!

Shopkeeper Yuan’s face was pale and fair, his smile strange, and his whole body emitted a cold aura.

Chen Ji had seen it with his own eyes: Si Cao had pinched shopkeeper Yuan’s jaw and inserted the knife inch by inch into the other’s heart, twisting the heart until it was completely broken.

But how could a person with a broken heart come back to life after death?!

*Hong long long,* a muffled autumn thunderclap actually sounded in the sky. Black clouds had unknowingly covered Luo City, and cold rain began to drift down.

This was the first rain since Chen Ji had come to Luo City. It wasn’t like the continuous and fine autumn rain; instead, it was heavy and urgent.

Amidst the lightning and thunder, Chen Ji no longer retreated. He drew out a short knife that he didn’t know when he had hidden in his sleeve and thrust it directly towards shopkeeper Yuan’s neck.

But before the knife arrived, he saw shopkeeper Yuan lightly lift his hand, and with two fingers, he pinched the tip of the knife, preventing Chen Ji from advancing an inch.

The tip of the knife stopped just like that, as if time and space had solidified.

Shopkeeper Yuan laughed, “No need to be so tense. It’s not shopkeeper Yuan’s ghost come to find you, it’s me, Si Cao of the Military Intelligence Department.”

Chen Ji was astonished. He examined the shopkeeper Yuan in front of him. His expression was natural, without the slightest strangeness. Who would have thought that this was actually a human skin mask?

A human skin mask?

He had only heard of such things in stories before.

Earlier, he had been wondering who would take over the shopkeeper role after the inexplicable death of shopkeeper Yuan of Bai Lu Pavilion. He hadn’t expected it to be Si Cao himself disguised as shopkeeper Yuan.

Chen Ji slowly loosened his grip on the knife. “Adult Si Cao, I’m sorry, I didn’t know it was you.”

He heard Si Cao laughing and soothing, “Being vigilant is a good thing. Why would I blame you?”

“Adult Si Cao, you arrive this late at night for what matter?”

“To tell you some bad news,” Si Cao said in a low voice. “Earlier, the arrangement to withdraw the spies who knew of your existence back to the north led to the defection of one dove-level spy. We have been searching for him for two days, but his whereabouts are still unknown. I suspect he will defect to the Ning Dynasty Secret Spies Department… or already has.”

Chen Ji’s heart tightened.

A Jing Dynasty spy who knew of your existence had defected? Wasn’t this a death wish for you?

He asked in a low voice, “Which spy? Did the other person see me?”

Si Cao walked into the medical hall, turned around to close the front door, and then slowly said, “He is Zhou Chengyi’s subordinate. He saw you at Zhou Chengyi’s residence.”

Saw me?

Chen Ji’s mind quickly pondered. If the other person saw him at Zhou Chengyi’s residence, then that person certainly also knew his identity as a medical hall apprentice.

At this time, this spy should not have defected yet. If he had truly defected, Golden Pig would probably have already brought people to kill him.

But why would the other person defect?

Chen Ji pretended to be puzzled. “What’s bad about arranging for him to withdraw back to the northern Jing Dynasty? There’s no need to be on tenterhooks in the Ning Dynasty. Why would it lead to his defection?”

Si Cao explained, “This person is one of our Military Intelligence Department’s most excellent spies. He always acts neatly and ruthlessly. I had someone pass a message to him to prepare to leave, but he thought I wanted to silence him, so he killed the messenger and disappeared without a trace.”

No, no, no, it wasn’t that simple.

Chen Ji furrowed his brows.

Given Si Cao’s nature, he probably really did want to kill and silence him. But the person he sent didn’t expect this spy to be so difficult to handle and was killed by the other person instead.

“Adult Si Cao, he knows why you… arranged for him to withdraw?” Chen Ji asked.

“Of course, this matter will not be disclosed to him,” Si Cao answered.

So, the defected spy still didn’t know why he was to be silenced.

However, once the other person truly defected to the Secret Spies Department, he would certainly reveal everything he knew. At that time… he would be in danger!

“Adult Si Cao, may I ask where he might be hiding… hmm?” Chen Ji detected something was wrong and swiftly retreated.

But how could his retreating speed be faster than the other person’s pursuit speed?

In just a single breath, Chen Ji was grabbed by the throat with one hand and lifted into the air.

Adult Si Cao sighed, “Don’t make a sound, otherwise I’ll have to kill an entire courtyard of people.”

Chen Ji struggled with all his strength, his face flushed red from being choked.

However, in front of Si Cao, an official who had practiced for many years, he, a novice who had just entered the path, had no room to resist at all.

Chen Ji wanted to shout loudly, to call out to the sleeping Liang Doger to take action, but his throat simply could not emit any sound.

He could only struggle to use his fingers to write on the back of the other person’s hand: Why kill me?

Si Cao didn’t answer, just quietly gazed at Chen Ji’s pupils, like gazing at a dead specimen.

Thoughts flashed through Chen Ji’s mind. Si Cao’s reason for killing him was because the other person wanted to thoroughly clean the intelligence line that the defected spy might reveal.

This was the habitual cleaning policy of all intelligence agencies. Intelligence work was not ordinary. Once a flaw appeared, then the entire group of personnel needed to either withdraw or be cleaned.

If the defected spy revealed Chen Ji, Chen Ji might reveal Bai Lu Pavilion.

Bai Lu Pavilion, as one of the biggest financial sources for the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department in Ning Dynasty territory, could not suffer a loss!

Chen Ji was greatly anxious in his heart. He quickly looked around, assessing ways to save himself, but the gunpowder had not yet been completed. Even if it was completed, at this distance now, it would at most be a mutual destruction with Si Cao.

The two most weighty words in this world were nothing more than power and strength.

Chen Ji fantasized about living peacefully in the medical hall as an imperial physician, and he also fantasized about wandering the rivers and lakes to detach himself from the Secret Spies Department and the Military Intelligence Department. But all these fantasies, without the support of strength and power, were delusions.

Cultivation!

Cultivation was the most important thing!

But what to do now?

Just at this moment, knocking sounds actually came from the medical hall again!

*Dong dong dong.*

The sound seemed somewhat muffled in the rain curtain, yet it was exceptionally abrupt.

Si Cao’s pupils suddenly contracted. He quickly lifted Chen Ji to the corner of the main hall, his eyes flickering between bright and dark, seeming to ponder whether to kill Chen Ji directly and then rush out.

He looked at Chen Ji, and Chen Ji quickly used his fingers to write on the back of his hand: I’ll handle it!

The inside of the medical hall quieted down, leaving only the sounds of the rain curtain outside.

After a moment, Si Cao said in a low voice, “You know what to do. If you seek help, you must first die.”

Chen Ji struggled to nod.

Si Cao put down Chen Ji and slowly loosened his hand.

Chen Ji rubbed his neck and asked in a calm tone, “Who is it?”

The person outside the door calmly said, “Golden Pig. Open the door. I have something to find you for. The same as the agreement with Cloud Sheep and Bright Rabbit, fifty taels of silver for one job.”

Si Cao and Chen Ji exchanged glances. Chen Ji quickly lowered his voice and said, “He certainly hasn’t caught the defected spy yet, otherwise he wouldn’t be speaking so politely.”

“Then what has he come for?”

Chen Ji said urgently, “It’s certainly because your actions of searching for the defected spy have alarmed the Secret Spies Department. They probably want to find this person before you do. This is a golden opportunity, and I can use the Secret Spies Department’s hand to go find him and see what clues they have.”

Si Cao’s face was steady, showing no emotion. Urgent sounds came from outside the door again: “Boy, open the door quickly.”

Chen Ji said again, “Adult Si Cao, although Cloud Sheep and Bright Rabbit are already imprisoned, I have already gained Golden Pig’s trust and can also approach the inner minister. I know you care about Bai Lu Pavilion, and I care about it just as much as you do. This is my loyalty to the Jing Dynasty. Rest assured, I will certainly find this defected spy and find a way to eliminate him!”

Si Cao slightly narrowed his eyes. “Think carefully about the consequences before you act. If you seek help from Golden Pig, you will certainly expose your identity as a Jing Dynasty spy. At that time, even if you surrender, Golden Pig will certainly not let you go. You know how much they hate us.”

“Understood!”

Si Cao slowly retreated behind the counter and squatted down, perking up his ears to listen.

Chen Ji then, while tidying his collar to cover the pinch marks, walked towards the door and pulled open the large door.

Outside the door, Golden Pig wore a raincoat and hat, standing in the pouring rain curtain: “Why are you dawdling for so long?”

Behind Golden Pig were more than ten spies wearing raincoats and standing solemnly.

Chen Ji lowered his voice and said, “Just now someone got up to urinate, so I was delayed… Adult Golden Pig, what matter brings you here?”

Golden Pig said, “Follow me. We caught a Military Intelligence Department spy in Red Clothes Alley. They seem to be capturing a defected spy, and we must find this person first. This person is very important!”

Saying that, Golden Pig had people throw a set of rain gear to Chen Ji.

Chen Ji put on the raincoat while casually glancing at the medical hall counter.

He ultimately did not point out Si Cao, but simply put on the raincoat properly, turned around, and walked into the heavy rain.