At midnight, the sound of a door opening came from Room B next door. Someone quietly stepped onto the wooden floor in the hallway, left the room, and went downstairs.

Xiaoman, sitting on a small chair, was startled awake. She groggily opened her eyes and saw that Wuyun had, at some point, curled up by Zhang Xia’s pillow, sleeping with its paws tucked in.

Xiaoman felt a surge of annoyance. All this way, no matter how she tried to coax Wuyun, it heartlessly refused to come near her, yet now it was willing to sleep beside Second Miss Zhang. It was truly ungrateful.

She looked up.

Chen Ji was still standing in his original spot, gazing out the window, the Whale Blade held in his arms, his back straight.

Xiaoman thought, “If Young Master were to wear the silver armor and white cloak of the Imperial Guards, with white pheasant feathers on his helmet, he would surely look even more imposing than those guards, wouldn’t he?”

But was this still the same illegitimate son of the Chen family she remembered, who would lower his head and dare not speak when reprimanded by Madam Liang or Wang Gui?

Xiaoman’s eyes darted around. She quietly got up, lifted her skirt, and approached Chen Ji, tentatively saying, “Young Master…”

Chen Ji suddenly interrupted, “Xiaoman, thank you.”

Xiaoman’s eyes widened: “Huh?! Why did Young Master suddenly thank me? Could he have found out about me previously using Taotie to help him vent his anger? When did he find out? Was I seen when I made the hand seals? Or did I eat too much and arouse suspicion?”

Without turning his head, Chen Ji calmly said, “All this way to Guyuan, you haven’t complained of hardship or exhaustion. No matter who we faced, no matter their status, you always stood in front of me and protected me. Thank you.”

A great weight lifted from Xiaoman’s heart, and she immediately breathed a sigh of relief. So, that’s what Young Master meant.

She said, “Young Master, please don’t be so polite. I am your maid; this is simply what I should do…”

Chen Ji spoke again, “Xiaoman, don’t worry about your status.”

Xiaoman’s heart skipped a beat.

Status?

“Could Young Master know about my identity within the ‘Lamp’? Was my conversation with Su Zhou overheard? Or did I accidentally talk in my sleep?”

Chen Ji gently reassured her, “Once we reach the capital, I will ask Madam for your deed of servitude back. Then, whether you wish to leave or stay will be entirely up to you. If you wish to leave, I will give you a dowry. If you wish to stay, I will increase your monthly allowance.”

Xiaoman’s emotions surged, fluctuating between the clouds and the earth, her heart pounding incessantly.

But hearing that she could get her deed of servitude back, she couldn’t suppress her joy: “Young Master, you must keep your word! You yourself said you’d return my deed, so you’re not allowed to regret it.”

Chen Ji hummed in affirmation and whispered, “Go back and rest. I’ll continue to keep watch.”

“Oh.”

Xiaoman, in a daze, returned to her small chair, and only when her bottom touched the seat did she remember: wasn’t she supposed to be testing Young Master?

She looked at Chen Ji’s figure with suspicion, finding him more and more suspicious the more she thought about it!

“Ah! When did Young Master become so cunning… He must have been led astray by Zhang Zheng!”

Thinking this, she secretly extended her leg and kicked the deeply sleeping Zhang Zheng nearby. But Zhang Zheng didn’t even open his eyes; he just rolled over and continued sleeping.

Xiaoman grumbled, “He sleeps so soundly, he wouldn’t even know if someone killed him!”

At that moment, Chen Ji gazed through the window crack at the stable. He wanted to see if the stout man who had entered the stable would come out again, but he had waited for over an hour, and there was still no sign of him.

“Could the secret passage to quietly leave Guyuan Garrison be beneath this stable? And where did the guest from next door go in the middle of the night? Was he also trying to leave Guyuan City?”

But Chen Ji waited until dawn, yet he didn’t see anyone enter or exit the stable again. Only when the rooster crowed did a hotel attendant bring fodder to feed the horses.

He looked out again, and saw that the torches and fire pits on the distant city walls had all been extinguished.

Fortunately, the Jing Dynasty Celestial Strategy Army had not arrived.

Chen Ji thought for a moment, then handed the Whale Blade to Xiaoman, turned, and walked out the door, saying, “Guard the room well.”

Xiaoman sat on the chair, turning to watch Chen Ji’s retreating back. Once the door closed again, she quietly untied the cloth strip on the Whale Blade and drew out a foot of its blade.

The blade was gleamingly bright, reflective enough to show one’s face. Xiaoman clearly saw her own reflection on the blade. She had never seen such a fine blade, not even at her aunt’s place.

Xiaoman thought for a moment, then straightened her hair using the blade as a mirror before nonchalantly sheathing it.

Chen Ji quietly descended the stairs. In the main hall of the inn’s first floor, three attendants were arranging tables and chairs.

Seeing him come down, the attendants all stopped their work and bowed, saying, “May you have ten thousand blessings, honored guest.”

Chen Ji nodded and walked towards the backyard on his own. The innkeeper gave Xiao Wu a look, and Xiao Wu limped along behind Chen Ji.

“Honored guest, do you have any instructions?” Xiao Wu asked with an ingratiating smile.

Chen Ji smiled and said, “I’m going to groom my horse.”

Xiao Wu quickly said, “Honored guest, let this humble one handle such dirty and tiring work? The stable is a filthy place, and it smells very strong.”

Chen Ji explained, “My horse has a temper; it doesn’t let others touch it.”

As he spoke, he walked directly to the stable and extended his hand. Zaozao then came closer and nudged his palm with its head.

Xiao Wu praised, “Honored guest, this horse of yours is truly remarkable. Even the warhorses imported from the north are not as strong and sturdy as this one.”

Chen Ji opened the stable door and led Zaozao out. “Please fetch two catties of roasted soybeans and mix in two eggs for me. Charge it to my room, Heavenly Character A.”

Xiao Wu hesitated for a moment but finally agreed, “Alright!”

As Chen Ji heard the footsteps fade away behind him, he immediately scanned the stable with his peripheral vision.

Inside the stable, over twenty horses were tied to various hitching posts. The ground was covered with thick straw, and perhaps the secret passage was hidden beneath some of it.

At this moment, Chen Ji suddenly noticed a corrugated black gauze cap in the corner of the stable, deformed by a horse’s hoof.

“How did a corrugated black gauze cap end up here? Was it the stout man’s from last night?”

The stout man indeed wore a corrugated black gauze cap, but it was late last night, and the styles of such hats were largely similar, so Chen Ji wasn’t sure if this was the stout man’s cap.

Chen Ji used a wooden comb to brush off Zaozao’s loose hair, waiting for Xiao Wu to return with the soybeans. However, it wasn’t Xiao Wu who returned, but the innkeeper.

The innkeeper brought a wooden basin and offered it to Zaozao, but Zaozao was unmoved.

Chen Ji smiled and said, “I’ll do it.”

He took the wooden basin and offered it to Zaozao. Zaozao snorted and devoured the food.

The innkeeper exclaimed in wonder, “Honored guest, your horse is truly intelligent! Just now, Xiao Wu told me that others couldn’t touch your horse, and I didn’t believe him.”

As he spoke, his gaze swept into the stable, and he also saw the black gauze cap, instantly frowning.

The innkeeper moved a few steps, placing himself between Chen Ji and the black gauze cap, and asked with a smile, “Honored guest, where are you from?”

Chen Ji replied evasively, “Innkeeper, how did that attendant become lame earlier?”

The innkeeper narrowed his eyes slightly. “There’s no need to hide it from you. Several of us used to be border soldiers. Xiao Wu was shot through the ankle by a skilled archer from the Jing Dynasty Celestial Strategy Army from over a hundred paces away, at the foot of Mount Quwu.”

Chen Ji suddenly asked, “Doesn’t our Ning Dynasty have firearms? But last night, when I passed the South City Gate, I didn’t see any border soldiers carrying firearms.”

The innkeeper smiled. “Firearms are military equipment specifically for the Three Grand Barracks; they wouldn’t be provided to our Guyuan Regional Command Office.”

Chen Ji asked, puzzled, “Why? Aren’t they all used to fight the Jing Dynasty bandits?”

The innkeeper slowly said, “The court doesn’t trust us, fearing we might secretly sell firearms to the north… Honored guest, you’re so concerned about the border army’s affairs; you’re probably not a Jing Dynasty spy, are you?”

Chen Ji nonchalantly said, “Innkeeper, I’m looking for a Jing Dynasty spy. Do you believe that?”

The innkeeper scrutinized Chen Ji from head to toe. “Not really. You look more like a top scholar heading to the capital for the imperial examinations.”

“Innkeeper, you certainly know how to flatter,” Chen Ji suddenly turned to face the innkeeper. “May I trouble you to ask, if I wanted to buy some information, where should I go?”

The innkeeper smiled slightly. “Honored guest, you’ve come to the right place. Come back to the main hall during the Chen hour (7-9 AM), and you will find what you are looking for.”

The Chen hour.

Chen Ji led Zhang Zheng, Zhang Xia, and Xiaoman downstairs, intending to have breakfast at the Dragon Gate Inn.

However, as they descended the stairs, they all froze. The inn’s main hall, which had been empty last night, was now almost completely filled with guests.

As Chen Ji came down from upstairs, all the guests in the hall glanced sideways at him, then casually turned their heads back to their small dishes.

Among these guests, some carried knives, some wore swords, some sat alone, and seven or eight others huddled together at a single Eight Immortals table, cracking melon seeds.

The entire main hall had only one empty table left in the very center.

Zhang Xia hesitated, “Why is it so lively?”

Zhang Zheng whispered, “How strange, Guyuan people drinking so early in the morning?”

Chen Ji’s gaze swept around, only to see wine jars on every table, but the jars were still covered with red cloth seals, untouched.

Zhang Xia recalled, “I once heard that Chuan Province has a custom of drinking early in the morning, where even wealthy gentlemen would order a small pot of braised beef and pork intestines on the street, to be eaten with strong liquor. But I’ve never heard that Guyuan has this custom too.”

Chen Ji walked to the empty table, just about to sit down, but was stopped by Xiao Liu.

Xiao Liu smiled apologetically, “Honored guest, this table cannot be occupied.”

Chen Ji looked thoughtful. “Are there any rules here?”

Xiao Liu quickly explained, “It’s not exactly a rule, but this table is reserved specifically for the owner of our Dragon Gate Inn. No one can sit here unless the owner arrives.”

Chen Ji calmly asked, “Who is the owner?”

Xiao Liu smiled and said, “Her venerable identity is inconvenient to disclose. If fate allows, you will see her yourself.”

As he spoke, someone at the next table stood up and left, and the attendant led Chen Ji over. “Honored guest, please sit here.”

When Chen Ji sat down, he noticed that even after the previous guest had left, the wine on the table still had its red cloth and mud seal intact, and the wine had not been taken.

Xiao Liu picked up the wine jar. “Honored guest, what would you like to eat?”

Chen Ji glanced at the wooden sign hanging behind the counter. “Two baskets of steamed buns, four bowls of thin noodles.”

Xiao Liu suddenly asked, “Honored guest, do you want vegetarian buns or meat buns?”

Chen Ji smiled. “Vegetarian.”

“Honored guest, would you like Western Regions Grape Wine or Shaodaozi?”

Chen Ji’s heart stirred. The attendant hadn’t asked if he wanted wine at all, but directly asked what kind of wine he wanted.

He looked around and saw that the wine jars on the neighboring tables were labeled “Grape Wine” and “Shaodaozi,” with nothing unusual about them.

Chen Ji thought for a moment, then calmly asked, “Attendant, what is this jar you’re holding?”

The attendant replied with a smile, “Shaodaozi.”

Chen Ji pointed to the table. “Put it down, I’ll have this jar of Shaodaozi.”

The attendant loudly announced, “Alright, one jar of Shaodaozi!”

As soon as he said this, glances were cast from all around, and whispers began.

The attendant placed the jar of Shaodaozi he had been holding back on the table. “Honored guest, here’s the wine. The buns will be a little while.”

Chen Ji hummed in acknowledgment.

As the attendant turned and left, a man carrying a knife immediately stood up, walked straight to their table, sat down, and asked casually, “Young man, you’re new around here. Do you have any information to sell?”

The surroundings suddenly grew quiet, and several tables of guests pricked up their ears.