Inside the Hundred Deer Pavilion, windows and doors were tightly shut, and the place was in disarray. A strong smell of traditional Chinese medicine permeated the room. A ray of sunlight pierced through the door crack, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air.

Chen Ji looked down at the wooden box in his hands. The ginseng roots were hastily stuffed together, tangled like a worthless ball of hemp. Yet, the restless icy current within him proved that these ginseng roots were authentic.

He looked up at Golden Pig. “Sir, do all cultivation paths require ginseng?”

“Not at all!” Golden Pig patiently explained, “Half of the cultivation paths controlled by my Directorate of Ceremonial do not require ginseng. However, the one I sought for you does.”

Chen Ji closed the small wooden box and held it in his arms, asking casually, “How can you be sure I can embark on a cultivation path? What if I don’t have the potential of a ‘Xingguan’? Wouldn’t that waste your painstaking efforts?”

Golden Pig chuckled. “After Dream Rooster first interrogated you, he wrote in his secret report to the Inner Minister that you had ‘Xingguan’ potential, requiring the use of a Class A dream ability. Rest assured, you were born to be a ‘Xingguan’.”

Chen Ji suddenly understood. So Golden Pig had been watching him since then. No wonder, after Cloud Goat and Bright Rabbit were imprisoned, he was the first to visit Taiping Medical Hall.

Just then, a secret agent pushed the door open, and the afternoon sunlight suddenly streamed into the Hundred Deer Pavilion.

Golden Pig’s expression changed. “Are you trying to get yourself killed? Why are you coming in now?”

The black-clad spy knelt on one knee. “Sir, a message has come from the inner prison. That Jing Dynasty Sicao has spoken. He says he has information about the Liu family and Prince Jing’s residence that he wishes to tell you in person.”

Golden Pig’s expression became solemn. “We’ll depart for the inner prison immediately.”

Chen Ji looked at Golden Pig. “Sir, you haven’t slept all night, have you? Don’t you need some rest?”

Golden Pig said to him solemnly, “The Inner Minister always grants cultivation paths layer by layer. Only by becoming one of the top three Zodiac figures can one receive the complete cultivation path. From now on, you’ll eat the meat, and I’ll drink the soup. We must not miss any opportunity to gain merit.”

“Chen Ji, the Liu family and Prince Jing’s residence are your ladder to rapid advancement.”

Inside the rattling carriage, a bronze brazier warmed the air, making it feel as if one were bathing in warm water.

Chen Ji hadn’t slept all night and finally couldn’t hold on any longer. Leaning against the carriage wall, he drifted into a drowsy sleep.

He had a dream. He dreamt that his identity as a Jing Dynasty spy was exposed, and he was fleeing for his life. On the run, just as he was about to blend in with a merchant caravan to escape through Chongli Pass and Green Dragon Gate, he was shot through the chest by an arrow from a Celestial Steed on the city wall. In the twilight, beneath the towering Chongli Pass, Golden Pig knelt beside his corpse, heartbroken, begging him not to die!

“Wake up! We’re almost there!”
“Wake up!”

Chen Ji slowly opened his eyes. He instinctively touched his chest; there was no scar there.

Golden Pig sat opposite him, smiling as he asked, “Had a nightmare?”

Chen Ji grunted in response.

Golden Pig teased, “Having nightmares is nothing to be ashamed of. When I first learned to kill, I used to tremble all over with fear. Unlike you, you seem to be naturally suited for this line of work.”

Chen Ji pulled back the curtain, letting the cold air from outside flood in, instantly clearing his head. “Sir, how old were you when you first killed someone?”

“Ten years old!”

Golden Pig’s eyes deepened. “Orphans like myself, Cloud Goat, Bright Rabbit, Celestial Steed, and Imprisoned Rat, once taken in by the Inner Minister, are all sent to the same place. Only after learning to kill, and learning to trust no one ever again, are we allowed to work.”

“What if they don’t learn?”

“Those who couldn’t learn died inside.”

“What is that place called?”

“We call it Mount Wunian—a mountain you’ll never miss once you’ve left it!”

Chen Ji asked curiously, “Sir, I’ve heard that Jing Dynasty traitors are stubborn. Why is this Sicao willing to speak? Could there be a trick?”

Golden Pig chuckled. “The lower-ranking the spy, the more stubborn they are. But once they become minor officials and realize they are merely tools in the hands of greater powers, their resolve softens. Therefore, if we catch a low-level spy, I don’t even bother interrogating them. But with someone of Sicao’s rank, we can talk.”

The carriage slowly stopped. West Wind knocked open the iron gate. Behind the iron gate, from the long corridor and down the stairs, came foul odors, curses, and wails.

Descending the stone steps, Chen Ji saw the cells were packed with prisoners. Some cursed the eunuch faction, spitting at Golden Pig.

Golden Pig stepped back a little. He smiled at the jailers in the corridor. “You may be able to let spit dry on your face, but I certainly cannot!”

The jailers’ expressions changed. They immediately fetched buckets of cold underground river water from the lower levels of the inner prison and splashed it through the iron bars into cell after cell.

Golden Pig walked with his hands clasped behind his back, passing through this living hell with a smile on his face.

Walking deeper into the inner prison, they saw Shopkeeper Yuan nailed to a wooden rack by his hands. His head hung low, and the nails of all ten fingers had been completely pulled out.

Golden Pig stopped in front of Shopkeeper Yuan. He said unhurriedly, “If you want to speak the truth, then speak quickly. All of your Hundred Deer Pavilion people have been rounded up by me. If you don’t speak, someone else will.”

Shopkeeper Yuan slowly raised his head, his eyes glinting fiercely. “How could they possibly know as much as I do? If I speak of what I know, it would probably allow you to achieve extraordinary merits. But if I speak, what can you give me in return?”

Golden Pig smiled gently. “I can spare your dog’s life. Is that enough?”

“No, it’s not enough!” Shopkeeper Yuan snarled. “I want the status of a Sea East Green agent from your Secret Service. It must bear the official seal of the Directorate of Ceremonial and be announced to the twenty-four yamen of the Inner Court through a court bulletin.”

Golden Pig said with interest, “You certainly know how to ask for a lot. But I can simply call in Dream Rooster. Then, whatever I want to ask will require no trouble at all.”

Shopkeeper Yuan burst into laughter. “I guess Dream Rooster isn’t omnipotent either. If he could interrogate me indefinitely, why didn’t he finish the interrogation by the river? His dream abilities must have unknown limitations, mustn’t they? Lord Golden Pig, there’s no need to put on an act. I’ve been in the Military Intelligence Bureau for twenty years and have seen my share of trials and tribulations. You can’t scare me. If Dream Rooster can truly interrogate me completely, I’ll admit defeat.”

Golden Pig wasn’t annoyed. He changed the subject. “You must also know that to become a Sea East Green, it requires the Inner Minister’s personal endorsement. A messenger pigeon takes half a month to travel to and from the capital. If I wait until then, your accomplices would have long escaped.”

Shopkeeper Yuan stared at Golden Pig. “No need for all that trouble. I can give you a sweetener first. Once I’ve finished speaking, you’ll know my value yourselves.”

Shopkeeper Yuan was nailed to the rack, covered in blood, yet his mind was exceptionally clear.

Golden Pig pondered for a moment. “Go on, let’s hear it.”

Shopkeeper Yuan gasped, saying, “Your Secret Service has someone from my Military Intelligence Bureau infiltrated within it, right here in Luocheng. He’s codenamed Long Whale, and he was the one who relayed the news about your encirclement of Red Cloak Alley.”

Long Whale! Chen Ji heard that codename again!

Golden Pig’s pupils constricted. “Long Whale is in Luocheng? What is his identity? What’s his real name? If you expose him, I will write a letter to request the imperial decree for you right now.”

Shopkeeper Yuan burst out laughing. “So Lord Golden Pig has heard of the codename Long Whale. Who exposed that name? Let me guess: Li Baoyu, Wang Chuan, Tian Ji…”

Chen Ji looked at Golden Pig. Golden Pig patiently explained, “Long Whale has been infiltrating my Directorate of Ceremonial for at least eight years. He has sabotaged our plans numerous times. If it weren’t for him, we would probably have captured even the Director. Jinling, the capital, Yangzhou, Suzhou—he seems to be able to split himself; he’s everywhere.”

Chen Ji lowered his head, analyzing. “Spies in different cities have their own specific duties. There aren’t many who can be frequently deployed between Jinling, the capital, and other places. Their identities should be easy to verify.”

Golden Pig nodded. “But after our investigations, we found that everyone was cleared of suspicion.”

Chen Ji suddenly asked, “Have the Fish Dragon Guards of the Chief Penal Office been investigated?”

Golden Pig shook his head. “How could we overlook the Chief Penal Office? After investigation, everyone there was also cleared. Within the entire Directorate of Ceremonial, no one has been to so many places simultaneously. Under the codename Long Whale, there must be more than one person.”

He looked at Shopkeeper Yuan. “Expose Long Whale, and I’ll guarantee your position as a Sea East Green agent.”

Shopkeeper Yuan shook his head. “I don’t know either. Long Whale’s identity is higher than mine. If he hadn’t voluntarily revealed the news of your Red Cloak Alley encirclement this time, I wouldn’t have known he was in Luocheng.”

“How did you transmit messages?”

“The Hundred Deer Pavilion delivers medicinal ingredients to Fangping Medical Hall every day. The doctor at the medical hall is one of ours. Go arrest him.”

Golden Pig called out loudly, “West Wind, go to Fangping Medical Hall and make the arrest.”

After saying that, he surveyed Shopkeeper Yuan. “This much information probably won’t be enough to catch Long Whale. If you want me to request the imperial decree right now, you’ll have to reveal more.”

Shopkeeper Yuan remained silent.

Golden Pig’s eyes flickered. He said to someone outside the door, “Liu Tiao, quickly take Shopkeeper Yuan down and bandage his wounds.”

Two secret agents helped Shopkeeper Yuan to lie down on a table. They carefully cleaned his wounds with strong liquor.

As the strong liquor was poured onto his wounds, Shopkeeper Yuan immediately cried out in agonizing pain.