Only fifteen minutes. It was very brief.

Chen Ji wasted no more time. He quickly scanned the study, his gaze lingering on the scattered scrolls and rice paper, then swiftly flipping through the books on the shelves.

“The rice papers are all blank, and the books are common ones found on the market; there’s nothing hidden inside,” Jiao Tu reminded him.

Chen Ji turned and walked into the courtyard.

It was a two-section siheyuan courtyard. He meticulously observed every detail of the grounds, trying to find any clues. Chen Ji knew deep down that he had no real certainty of finding a clue. His earlier words were merely a facade, spoken because facing a group of ruthless scorpions, failing to assert confidence would likely mean instant death.

As time ticked by, Yun Yang gradually lost patience. “Too slow, too slow,” he said. “We need to add a game. See that phoenix tree in the courtyard? While you’re looking for clues, for every leaf that falls, I’ll stab you once.”

No sooner had he spoken than a leaf detached itself from a branch and fell.

Yun Yang raised his hand, caught the withered yellow leaf in the air, and mused, “Your luck really isn’t great, is it?”

With that, he walked up to Chen Ji and plunged a needle into the boy’s web of thumb.

Chen Ji’s face instantly flushed crimson. He doubled over from the intense pain, and despite it being late autumn, large beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.

He cursed Yun Yang as a pervert in his heart, but it did nothing to alleviate the pain.

Yun Yang stated unhurriedly, “Any time lost due to pain also counts towards those fifteen minutes.”

Chen Ji slowly straightened up, leaning on the phoenix tree, and shuffled step by step into the kitchen. He had to find a clue before the second leaf fell!

Inside the kitchen, there was nothing but a stove made of blue bricks and a collection of jars and bottles holding seasonings.

The room was clean and tidy, with nothing out of place.

After checking all the jars and bottles, Chen Ji emerged from the kitchen. However, upon stepping out, he stood motionless.

He muttered to himself, “Something feels off. I seem to have missed a detail.”

Yun Yang leaned against the kitchen doorframe, yawning and idly playing with the silver needle at his fingertips. “You’re running out of time. Looks like I wasted fifteen minutes.”

Chen Ji remained rooted to the spot, desperately trying to recall what detail he had missed.

Just as he pondered, another leaf fell from the phoenix tree, and Yun Yang plunged a needle behind his ear again.

In an instant, Chen Ji bent and squatted to the ground, curling up like a shrimp, unable to move, nearly going into shock.

But this time, without waiting for Yun Yang’s prompting, he straightened up and returned to the kitchen, bringing out two jars filled with fine white crystalline powder.

Yun Yang glanced at them curiously. “Two jars of salt. Is there a problem?”

“Why would a kitchen have two jars of salt?” Chen Ji asked, as he pinched a bit of the fine white powder from one of the clay jars and rubbed it between his fingers. “This isn’t salt.”

“Not salt?” Yun Yang was intrigued. He and Jiao Tu excelled at killing, cleaning up, deflecting blame, and taking credit; finding clues was indeed their weakness.

Chen Ji offered his finger to Yun Yang. “Taste it and see.”

Yun Yang retorted grumpily, “You’re quite cautious, aren’t you? What if it’s poisonous? I’m not tasting it.”

Jiao Tu let out a laugh.

Were it not for the bodies strewn across the floor, this scorpion-like girl’s laughter might have sounded quite charming.

Yun Yang’s face hardened. “Just taste it.”

Chen Ji took a pinch of the white powder and put it in his mouth. “It’s extremely astringent on the tongue, with no distinct flavor.”

He fell into deep thought.

What could this substance be?

Chen Ji rapidly searched his memory, trying to find an answer from books he had read.

Wait, this is alum!

Some books on military intelligence and general science mentioned that alum was one of the primary materials used for writing secret messages in espionage.

Writing with alum water made the characters disappear once dry. This spy technique originated in the 13th century and was frequently used by spies through World War I and II.

Chen Ji pondered for a long time, then became certain he had found the answer: Jing Dynasty spies used alum to write secret messages. Zhou Chengyi hid this substance at home, mixing it with salt to deceive observers. Placing it so close and conveniently implied frequent secret correspondence. Therefore… there must be secret messages from Zhou Chengyi to other spies in his house.

He immediately retrieved a vinegar jar from the kitchen and returned to the study. He spread out sheet after sheet of white rice paper on the table, tore a piece of cloth from his own clothing, dipped it in vinegar, and gently wiped every part of the paper.

He wiped five or six sheets of rice paper consecutively but found no answers. Time continued to tick by, and in the chill of autumn, fine beads of sweat formed on Chen Ji’s forehead.

He turned to look at Zhou Chengyi, whose expression remained calm, showing no signs of panic.

Had he guessed wrong?

No, absolutely not!

Just then, a cold wind blew, and the withered yellow leaves on the phoenix tree fell like rain. Yun Yang smiled. “Your luck isn’t good enough…”

“I found it!”

“Hm?” Yun Yang’s gaze was drawn over.

As Chen Ji wiped the twelfth sheet of rice paper, a line of red characters appeared where the pale yellow vinegar solution had passed: “Li Ji Sweet Water Shop, Lijing Lane, East City. If in danger, proceed there immediately.”

Seeing the characters, Yun Yang’s eyes immediately lit up. “The Jing Dynasty spies have established a new stronghold! There’s a good chance a high-ranking official from the Jing Dynasty’s Military Intelligence Bureau has arrived in Luocheng!”

With that, he looked at Jiao Tu. “This is a great achievement!”

Jiao Tu thought for a moment. “Let’s kill this boy; the credit will be ours.”

“No, I promised not to kill him. Anyway, he’s not one of ours from the Secret Intelligence Agency, so the credit will still fall to us.”

“There are at least twenty shops selling rice paper in Luocheng, and they’re all backed by influential officials. Which one should I go to?” Jiao Tu rolled her eyes.

Chen Ji said, “Then you’ll have to ask Lord Zhou.”

Jiao Tu hopped off Zhou Chengyi’s back and flipped him over. “Lord Zhou?”

“Oh, Lord Zhou?!”

They saw Zhou Chengyi’s face was bruised and his eyes wide open; he was dead.

“Jiao Tu, you accidentally killed him!” Yun Yang shrieked.

Jiao Tu rolled her eyes. “Stop trying to pin it on me. He was poisoned.”

Yun Yang was surprised. “But I removed the poison sac from his mouth.”

Jiao Tu replied, “He must have had poison hidden elsewhere on his person. His attempt to kill this boy just now was fake; secretly taking the poison was the real intention.”

“That’s still your responsibility. You were in charge of guarding him.”

“If you try to shift the blame to me again, I’ll get nasty.”

Yun Yang said, “My apologies, it was just a reflex…”

Jiao Tu looked at Chen Ji. “Searching shop by shop is too slow. If we drag this out, we’ll definitely lose this big fish. Do you have any ideas?”

Chen Ji slowly rose and walked to the table, his palm gently tracing the texture of the rice paper. “Rice paper is handmade, and every artisan has different habits. Some prefer to add more qingtan bark, others more straw. Some like to grind the pulp finely with a stone mill, while others are lazy and grind it coarser. The craftsmanship of the rice paper determines its price… By finding the same type of paper, you can find the shop.”

Jiao Tu leaned in, bending down to meticulously examine the paper’s texture. Before this, all rice paper had looked the same to her…

At that moment, a knocking sound came from outside the courtyard. Someone had picked up the brass knocker on the main gate of the Zhou Residence and was striking the door rhythmically.

Outside, a weathered, hoarse voice asked, “Lord Zhou, is Chen Ji at your residence?”

In an instant, Yun Yang, Jiao Tu, all the black-clad men in the courtyard, and Chen Ji himself, all turned their gazes towards the source of the voice.

Thump, thump, thump.

The knocking sounded again, the beast-head knocker striking the red-lacquered door slowly and deliberately, yet with an inexplicable sense of pressure.

In the dead of night, the knocking seemed particularly jarring.

The black-clad men in the courtyard slowly drew their waist-knives, making no sound, awaiting Yun Yang’s instructions.

These were the elite of the elite. Chen Ji recalled that since he had crossed over, not a single one of them had spoken an unnecessary word.

Thump, thump, thump.

Receiving no answer, the person outside repeated in that weathered voice, “Chen Ji, are you in there?”

Chen Ji felt a little bewildered.

Who would be looking for him?

He looked at Yun Yang, whose expression flickered with uncertainty. After a moment of thought, Yun Yang signaled to one of the black-clad men, “Take all the bodies inside.”

Jiao Tu looked at Yun Yang. “Who is it?”

“Don’t worry, I recognize the voice,” Yun Yang said, walking over to lift the door bolt.

The door opened to reveal an old man standing in the darkness outside. He was hunched over, dressed in a gray long gown, with black cloth shoes with white soles. His face was a roadmap of wrinkles, like furrows in parched earth.

The old man’s beard reached his chest, and his hair, secured by a green hairpin on top of his head, was completely white. He was as old as could be.

The old man seemed surprised to see Yun Yang, who, in turn, put on a smiling face. “Physician Yao, it’s been a long time. Are you still hale and hearty?”

The old man was silent for a moment. “It’s you. Shouldn’t you be in the capital? What brings you to Luocheng?”

Yun Yang explained, “I came on urgent business. I happened to run into Chen Ji when I was visiting Lord Zhou tonight, so I invited him to stay and chat.”

The old man asked, “Has the Grand Chancellor’s leg ailment improved?”

“Much, much better. He even praised you as a divine physician, saying the old cold-related ailments he got from the Timber Bureau years ago are finally cured,” Yun Yang said with a smile. “It’s a pity you didn’t stay in the capital; otherwise, His Majesty would have summoned you to the palace long ago.”

“I cannot cure His Majesty’s illness,” the old man changed the subject. “As for Chen Ji, the medicine has been delivered, so it’s time to go back.”

Yun Yang thought for a moment. “Chen Ji, hurry and go back with your master. See how concerned Physician Yao is for you, coming all this way at his age just to pick you up.”

Chen Ji hadn’t expected Yun Yang to be willing to let him go… Was it because the old man mentioned the ‘Grand Chancellor’?

He quickly started to walk out, but as he passed Jiao Tu, she grabbed him. “Don’t say anything reckless when you go back, or we’ll come for you.”

Chen Ji said nothing, quickly stepping out the door. “Master, let’s go back.”

“Hm.”

Physician Yao walked unsteadily into the depths of the long street, his hands clasped behind his hunched back, without asking another word.

Chen Ji felt two gazes like hooks fixed on his back. He turned to look, and Yun Yang and Jiao Tu stood at the doorway, looking at him with faint smiles.

Yun Yang and Jiao Tu, both dressed in black, were strikingly handsome and stood tall and upright. They were the kind of people who were pleasing to behold even with a passing glance on the street.

Yet these two could kill without batting an eye, as if human lives were the cheapest things in the world.

Scorpions – that was Chen Ji’s most profound impression of the pair.

Chen Ji jogged two steps to keep up with the old man. With a clang, the gate of the Zhou Residence closed behind them.

Phew, Chen Ji breathed a sigh of relief.

This seemed to be a world where human lives were as cheap as grass.

At the beginning of his transmigration, he hadn’t had much desire to survive. He had merely observed everything like a bystander, feeling that his own life or death wasn’t particularly important.

But if he could be reborn once, might his parents also have a chance to be reborn? That was crucial to him.

He had to survive first.

“Master, thank you for coming to pick me up,” Chen Ji said sincerely, from the bottom of his heart.

The old man, however, lamented, “Had I known the Secret Intelligence Agency was here tonight, I wouldn’t have come.”

Chen Ji: “…”

What did that mean?

So, he just didn’t want his apprentice anymore?