“Interrogate him now!”

In the distance, a raging inferno dyed the dawn sky crimson, while nearby, the river flowed as black as ink.

Jin Zhu, his usual jovial expression gone, glared fiercely at Chen Ji in the river and snarled, “Today, the Liu family suddenly ambushed and tried to kill me. If Tian Ma hadn’t arrived, I would probably be dead on that bridge by now. Until I figure out who’s behind this, how can I possibly sleep!”

With that, Jin Zhu, ignoring Manager Yuan’s curses, brutally stomped on his limbs, crushing both his tibiae and radii. Only then did he exhale slowly, a long sigh of relief. Tonight, he had truly believed he was going to die.

Chen Ji stepped on the pebbles beneath his feet and slowly waded ashore. “Lord Jin Zhu, you’re not suspecting me, are you? If I were a spy for the Jing Dynasty, why would I risk my life to chase after him? If I hadn’t stalled for time, I doubt it would have been so easy for you, my lord, to capture him.”

“What if the two of you are collaborating on an act?” Jin Zhu snarled fiercely. “The Liu family set an ambush on the bridge today, and you, coincidentally, swapped masks with someone right before crossing. I have good reason to suspect you. You knew in advance about the danger on Peony Bridge.”

Chen Ji calmly replied, “My Lord, the idea of swapping masks was not mine. Furthermore, if I truly were an accomplice to the Jing Dynasty rebels, or even to the Liu family, I should have gone onto the bridge with you. They were trying to kill you, not me.”

Jin Zhu paused, startled. That’s true, he realized. If Chen Ji were indeed a Jing Dynasty rebel, he would have been safe on the bridge.

However, Jin Zhu steeled his heart. “Today, I trust no one. Don’t blame me for being overly suspicious; anyone who narrowly escapes death would suspect everyone around them. My stance remains: if I’m wrong in my suspicions, I’ll find a way to compensate you!”

With that, he turned to Meng Ji. “Interrogate him. We’ll know what’s going on once it’s done.”

Meng Ji looked at the messy mud and withered grass on the tidal flat, then delicately fanned his nose with a hand, his little finger raised. He said disdainfully, “Does it have to be now? Can’t we find a slightly cleaner spot?”

Jin Zhu didn’t want to wait a moment longer. He took a string of Buddhist talisman beads from his left wrist and handed them over. “Interrogate him.”

Meng Ji took the Buddhist talisman beads, meticulously examining the characters inscribed on them before putting them on his wrist. He grinned broadly, “Tsk, tsk, this price is enough for me to perform a Class A dream. Lord Jin Zhu is certainly generous! It seems managing our Secret Plotting Department’s finances is quite lucrative indeed.”

With that, he lifted his robe, sat cross-legged on the ground, gently bit his finger, and drew a talisman with his blood. He then wrapped Manager Yuan’s hair in a paper charm and swallowed it. Chen Ji watched as the charm, like an egg, slid down Meng Ji’s throat. Then, Meng Ji’s eyes rolled upwards, showing only the whites. Manager Yuan, who was sprawled on the ground, his curses abruptly ceased, his eyes mirroring Meng Ji’s, also showing only the whites.

Jin Zhu got straight to the point, “What is your rank and affiliation?”

Manager Yuan’s eyes were vacant. “I am Xin, the new Sicao under Lu Guanwu, the Jing Dynasty’s military strategist. I have been undercover as the manager of Bailu Pavilion, overseeing all affairs in Luocheng.”

Jin Zhu asked in a deep voice, “When and how did you re-establish contact with the Liu family?”

Manager Yuan replied, “The day before yesterday, Zhang Guo’er of the Liu family visited Bailu Pavilion. He said that someone had secretly infiltrated the Liu family’s mansion, left a note exposing your identities, and instructed Liu Mingxian to verify it directly with me.”

Jin Zhu’s expression changed. He glanced warily at Chen Ji, then solemnly asked, “Did the Liu family say who left the note?”

Manager Yuan calmly replied, “The Liu family doesn’t know either.”

“The Liu family doesn’t know? Their mansion is heavily guarded; how could someone infiltrate it without them knowing?” Jin Zhu exclaimed in astonishment, “Then do you know?”

This time, Manager Yuan hesitated for a moment. “It must be the Directorate Chief. Only the Directorate Chief possesses such incredible abilities.”

Jin Zhu’s expression hardened. The Directorate Chief of the Military Intelligence Bureau had already arrived in Luocheng! He asked in a low voice, “Who is the Directorate Chief? Where are they?”

“I don’t know. The Directorate Chief’s identity is a mystery. They can only contact me; I cannot contact them.”

Jin Zhu looked at Manager Yuan, then at Chen Ji. This medical apprentice certainly wouldn’t have the ability to infiltrate the Liu family. He suddenly asked, “Since you oversee all affairs in Luocheng, you should know all the spies. Let me ask you, do you know Chen Ji?”

Manager Yuan slightly furrowed his brows. “Who is Chen Ji?”

“The young man who just chased you.”

“I don’t know him!”

Jin Zhu was not resigned. “Isn’t he a spy for your Jing Dynasty?”

“No!”

Jin Zhu was speechless. He suspected Chen Ji was a Jing Dynasty spy every day, but if even the Sicao of the Military Intelligence Bureau, who oversaw all affairs in Luocheng, said Chen Ji wasn’t, what point was there in his suspicion?

In the shadow of a willow tree by the river, Old Man Yao held Wuyun in his arms, silently observing the riverbank below.

Wuyun seemed puzzled. “Why did Chen Ji chase Manager Yuan so desperately? They don’t seem to have any grudge!”

Old Man Yao scoffed, “That kid probably had his eyes on the ginseng in their storeroom. What decent person would trick a manager out and kill them just to get ginseng from a pharmacy?”

However, at that moment, Old Man Yao pondered for a moment. “Wait, the note he had you deliver to the Liu family said: ‘The Directorate Chief is an imposter; this can be verified with the manager of Bailu Pavilion’! Actually, he only needed to write ‘The Directorate Chief is an imposter’ to mislead Jin Zhu. Why involve the manager of Bailu Pavilion?”

Wuyun said, “I know about that.”

“Oh?”

“Chen Ji said Jin Zhu is suspicious, and he wanted to find a witness who could prove he wasn’t a Jing Dynasty spy. The best candidate for this witness,” Wuyun explained, “was Manager Yuan of Bailu Pavilion.”

Old Man Yao fell silent. Indeed. What witness could be more convincing than a Sicao from the Jing Dynasty’s Military Intelligence Bureau?

Is Chen Ji a Jing Dynasty spy? Yes!

Does Manager Yuan of Bailu Pavilion know Chen Ji’s identity? “He truly doesn’t.”

No wonder Chen Ji chased Manager Yuan so desperately; he was afraid his witness would escape. Old Man Yao chuckled, “Chen Ji’s calculations are quite clever. But he probably couldn’t imagine just how suspicious Jin Zhu can be. Let’s wait and see.”

At this moment, Jin Zhu paced back and forth around Manager Yuan with his hands behind his back. “How can it not be? Hey, Meng Ji, how reliable is your dream-interrogation?”

Meng Ji slowly opened his eyes and sneered, “If you doubt me, then don’t invite me in the first place. What’s the point of inviting me if you don’t trust me? Not even Lord Prime Minister has ever questioned me. Are you implying you’re more capable than Lord Prime Minister?”

Jin Zhu said irritably, “Never mind that. Interrogate Chen Ji next.”

Meng Ji tidied his sideburns. “Are you sure? I already interrogated this young man once before. That time, it was confirmed he wasn’t a Jing Dynasty spy. I advise you to curb your suspicious nature and stop wasting money.”

Jin Zhu took another string of Buddhist talisman beads from his right wrist. “Interrogate him.”

Meng Ji let out a drawn-out “Ohhh,” “Is there no end to this? To interrogate a mere medical apprentice, you’re practically emptying your entire fortune!”

Chen Ji frowned. “Lord Jin Zhu, even this Jing Dynasty Sicao has said I’m not a spy. Are you still doubting me? Must you pin a crime on me to be satisfied?”

Jin Zhu offered a mirthless smile. “True gold does not fear the fire. If you genuinely have nothing to hide, then cut a strand of your hair and give it to Meng Ji to prove your innocence.” With that, he handed the short blade to Chen Ji.

In the middle of the river, Tian Ma stood at the bow of the boat, coldly observing the riverbank. Chen Ji and Jin Zhu stared at each other for a long time, before Chen Ji finally took the short blade and cut off a strand of his hair. Meng Ji drew another talisman, wrapped Chen Ji’s hair in a paper charm, and swallowed it.

The next moment, Chen Ji felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him. In a haze, Chen Ji found himself back in the study of the Zhou residence. With a rumble, twenty-six internal furnaces ignited within him. Chen Ji remembered this was how he had regained consciousness last time. He could only gamble that it would work again this time.

Wait. Chen Ji suddenly felt strange. He hadn’t lost consciousness at all this time. He remembered being Chen Ji, and he remembered being interrogated; it had clearly not been like this last time.

Within this dream, a grand voice, like a bronze bell piercing the sky, boomed, “Are you a Jing Dynasty spy?”

Chen Ji replied, “No.”

“Was it you who delivered the note to the Liu family?”

“No!”

“Do you know who delivered the note to the Liu family?”

“No!”

“Do you know that the Liu family would set an ambush tonight?”

“No!”

Jin Zhu fell silent, asking no more questions.

Chen Ji was incredibly surprised. This was too strange; he had originally thought all was lost and that he’d have to gamble his life. But the reality was, he wasn’t bound by this dream at all. Was it because he had already broken free from the dream’s hold last time, so Meng Ji could no longer control him? Or was there another hidden reason?

Just then, from outside the dream, Jin Zhu’s voice suddenly asked, “Do you know who used firearms to attack me last time?”

Chen Ji replied, “No!”

Jin Zhu said, “All right, there’s nothing more to interrogate.”

Only then did Meng Ji slowly walk into the study of the Zhou residence, and asked with interest, “Young man, what incredible luck did you have to gain the favor of that esteemed individual?”

Chen Ji frowned, “Who?”

Meng Ji was taken aback. “He really is just lucky, knowing absolutely nothing. How dull.”

The dream suddenly dissolved, and the world of the Zhou residence gradually faded. Chen Ji heard the sound of the Luo River flowing again and saw flickering firelight in the distance. He instinctively looked at Meng Ji, but saw that the other man was not looking at him. Meng Ji simply stood up, dusted himself off, and said unhurriedly, “Alright, all the questions have been asked. I can return to Kaifeng City now, can’t I? The Master of Yunhai Troupe is coming to Kaifeng the day after tomorrow to perform; they say they’re going to sing ‘Conquering the Western Mountains,’ and I wouldn’t want to miss that.”

Jin Zhu was silent for a long time. “Yes, you’ve worked hard.”

Meng Ji said contemptuously, “Our Secret Agents Bureau hasn’t even caught a spy of the Sicao rank yet. You’ve clearly gained enormous merit, yet you still look so gloomy. How boring. I’m leaving.” With that, he cast a meaningful glance at Chen Ji, then turned and walked towards the riverbank.

In the shadow of a distant willow tree, Old Man Yao smiled and patted Wuyun’s head. “The show’s over; let’s go home.”

Wuyun was stunned for a moment. “Master, were we really just watching the show?”

“What else? I thought you’d help him.”

Old Man Yao scoffed, “Why should I help him? An old man like me doesn’t meddle in his ridiculous affairs.”