A huge fire and thick smoke billowing skyward drew everyone in Luocheng to Peony Bridge.

People stopped working, craning their necks and rushing to see the excitement. Even hawkers, carrying their poles, strode quickly.

Chen Ji walked silently towards Anxi Street; while the crowd rushed behind him, only his slender figure moved against the flow.

He wanted to quickly return to the medical clinic, as he had too many questions he wanted to ask.

Upon returning to the front of Taiping Medical Clinic.

From inside the clinic, the aroma of congee and stir-fried oil wafted out, and Chen Ji could even hear the noisy voices of Liu Quxing and She Dengke in the backyard.

He stood outside the door for a long time before taking a deep breath and stepping over the threshold. The moment he crossed it, a wave of exhaustion washed over him, yet it felt as if a heavy stone had been lifted from his heart.

Chen Ji let out a long sigh, as if expelling all the troubles from outside the door. “I’m back!” he announced.

Old Man Yao stood alone behind the counter, his head bowed as he worked the abacus, muttering, “If you’re back, you’re back. Why are you shouting?!”

Wuyun, with its paws tucked in, dozed beside the abacus, opening its eyes only when Chen Ji entered.

Chen Ji stood opposite the counter, gazing at his master, considering how to begin.

Old Man Yao stopped moving the abacus beads, looked up, and squinted at him. “Spit it out,” he said.

“Master, was it you who helped me today?” Chen Ji asked.

Old Man Yao raised an eyebrow. “Helped you with what? What nonsense are you talking?”

Chen Ji frowned, a hint of suspicion in his voice. “No?”

Old Man Yao pointed at Wuyun. “I’ve been with this little creature all night. Ask it if I helped you.”

Chen Ji looked at Wuyun, which meowed, “It seems he really didn’t help.”

Old Man Yao stroked his beard, smiling smugly. “See?”

Wuyun meowed again, “But Master cares about you a lot. He took me to the river to watch you chase after Shopkeeper Yuan and only returned to the clinic in the early morning after confirming you were safe.”

Old Man Yao clicked his tongue. “Who asked you about that?!”

Just then, Liang Mao’er came out holding a steaming bowl of ginger soup and handed it directly to Chen Ji. “Master just asked me to boil this ginger soup; it’s one bowl per person to ward off the chill. You’re back just in time, drink it while it’s hot.”

Chen Ji held the ginger soup silently for a long time before finally drinking it all.

He placed the porcelain bowl on the counter and said calmly, “Master, today Golden Pig asked Dream Rooster to interrogate me, but Dream Rooster told me in the dream that you had instructed him not to cooperate with Golden Pig’s interrogation of me. You don’t have to hide it from me anymore. Thank you for helping me through this ordeal.”

Old Man Yao scoffed, “Still trying to trick an old man like me? When I was tricking people, your father hadn’t even met your mother yet!”

Chen Ji was speechless.

Old Man Yao squinted at him. “To be able to command the Twelve Zodiacs, one must be a powerful figure in the Directorate of Ceremonial with immense influence. If I had such a status, how could I tolerate a Jing Dynasty spy prancing around in front of me?”

Chen Ji fell into deep thought.

When Dream Rooster said a powerful figure favored him, his first reaction was that his master had intervened to help him.

But what his master said now also made sense: one of the Directorate of Ceremonial’s duties was to apprehend Jing Dynasty spies. If his master truly were a powerful figure in the Directorate, how could he allow himself to live?

Chen Ji then asked, “Master, do you know anything about Golden Pig?”

Old Man Yao: “No.”

Wuyun: “Yes!”

Old Man Yao slowly and expressionlessly turned his head to look at Wuyun.

Chen Ji asked curiously, “Today Golden Pig and I made a deal. The moment it was struck, I seemed to notice some changes, but I can’t quite explain what they were. Also, after the deal, he seemed to have truly let down his guard…”

Wuyun said, “Master said that Golden Pig can only cultivate by investing in and betting on others. This is his path to cultivation. Previously, he invested in Heavenly Steed and instantly broke through to the Dao-Seeking Realm. But then he failed two consecutive investments, falling back from the Dao-Seeking Realm to the Innate Realm. Now that he has chosen to bet on you, it is his last chance.”

Chen Ji was startled. A cultivation path this bizarre existed? Could this cultivation path be called “Gambling Dog”?

No wonder Golden Pig said that even if he had to kneel in front of the Xie Fan Tower, he would kneel until he found a cultivation path for himself. It turned out he needed to cultivate through him.

Chen Ji quickly asked, “What kind of connection will I have with Golden Pig? If something happens to him, will it affect me?”

Wuyun looked at Old Man Yao. “Master, you didn’t mention this part.”

Old Man Yao said impatiently, “Of course not. Even if he dies, it has nothing to do with you. It’s just that for every breakthrough in your cultivation realm, he will benefit from it.”

“How much benefit?”

“About fifty percent.”

Chen Ji frowned deeply. “Doesn’t that mean he can know my cultivation progress? Why didn’t you warn me earlier…”

Old Man Yao sneered, “What’s wrong with having an extra Zodiac guardian as a bodyguard? If you encounter danger again, Golden Pig will be more concerned than your parents or siblings.”

Chen Ji was puzzled. “If I die, he would just drop another realm. Why would he care so much?”

Old Man Yao said unhurriedly, “The Dao-Seeking Realm is a great tribulation in life; entering it means a different life. But there are also differences within the Dao-Seeking Realm. If one enters the Dao-Seeking Realm and stabilizes their cultivation before thirty-six, they can be reborn, extend their lifespan, and easily live to a hundred. If one enters the Dao-Seeking Realm after thirty-six, they will age, fall ill, and die just like ordinary people. Golden Pig is now thirty-one, so he doesn’t have much time left. His last hope rests on you.”

“So that’s it,” Chen Ji said, still puzzled. “Then why does he still suspect me so much? Isn’t he offending me to the point of no return?”

“You might not believe this, but even though he suspects and interrogates you, he hopes you’re innocent more than you do yourself.”

The main hall of the clinic fell silent, and Old Man Yao resumed working his abacus.

Chen Ji suddenly said, “Master, you don’t have to hide it. Dream Rooster really told me everything.”

Old Man Yao snapped impatiently, “Get lost!”

Then he looked at Wuyun on the counter. “Liang Gou’er should be awake now, you get lost too!”

Wuyun slunk out, acting as the Nine Heavens Responding to Origin, Universal Transformation, Thunder Sound Heavenly Lord, while Chen Ji also sheepishly returned to his room to change into dry clothes.

Chen Ji sat on his bed in the dim bedroom, lost in thought.

Those in the Jing Dynasty’s Military Intelligence Bureau who knew his spy identity were either dead or gone. Golden Pig, who suspected him in the Ning Dynasty’s Secret Intelligence Bureau, had also lowered his guard.

Life finally seemed to settle down, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.

Chen Ji looked up.

The cobwebs on the rafters needed to be cleared, and the broken tiles on the roof needed replacing.

Several bricks in the courtyard were broken, and rainwater would pool there during rainy days.

He needed to buy some new tiles and bricks. While it wasn’t yet deep winter, he should replace all the tiles and green bricks, laying them on a cement base, so there would be no fear of leaks or puddles.

“Yes, I’ll buy them today!”

Just then, hearty laughter came from outside.

Chen Ji bent down to put on his boots, and when he stepped out, he saw Zhang Zhuo standing under the apricot tree, curiously examining the red ribbons hanging on the branches.

Today, Zhang Zhuo was wearing a red official robe, which complemented the red ribbons on the apricot tree perfectly.

After reading all the wishes on the red ribbons, he turned to Liu Quxing and asked, “Excuse me, young Doctor Liu, I wonder if there are any more red ribbons in the clinic. I’d like to write one and hang it up too.”

Liu Quxing quickly ran to the main hall. “Please wait a moment, there are plenty of red ribbons left.”

When he retrieved the ribbons, he handed out a brush and held a ribbon open with both hands in front of Zhang Zhuo.

Zhang Zhuo took the brush and wrote four characters: “United in Heart and Mind.”

Afterwards, he personally tied the red ribbon to a bare branch.

Liu Quxing’s expression turned odd. “Lord Zhang, what is the meaning behind this?”

Zhang Zhuo laughed heartily. “Isn’t it good to wish you three brothers to be united in heart and mind?”

Liu Quxing muttered softly, “It’s good, but ‘united in heart and mind’ is usually followed by the phrase ‘mutual respect between husband and wife’…”

Just then, Chen Ji spoke up and asked, “Lord Zhang, why are you at Taiping Medical Clinic today?”

Zhang Zhuo turned to Chen Ji and immediately explained patiently, “Young Doctor Chen, I only heard this morning that Xia’er, having heard some rumors from who knows where, actually came to the clinic and caused a scene without permission. I’ve come specifically to apologize to you. She’s been impetuous since she was a child, but her nature isn’t bad. Please don’t hold it against her.”

Chen Ji replied with an “Oh.” “So, what Second Miss Zhang said isn’t true?”

Zhang Zhuo stroked his beard. “Of course. A forced melon isn’t sweet, and I, Zhang Zhuo, am an open-minded man; I would never force anyone to do something against their will! Young Doctor Chen, please rest assured. I appreciate your character and will certainly take everything into full consideration for you.”

This left Chen Ji unsure how to respond.

He thought for a moment. “Lord Zhang, why do you admire me? We’ve only met a few times.”

Zhang Zhuo’s interest was piqued. “I only look at two things when judging a person. First, what they do when they suddenly become rich: are they arrogant and domineering, do they flaunt their wealth? Second, what they don’t do when they are poor: do they maintain their integrity, do they commit crimes…”

Just as he was speaking, footsteps were heard from outside the door again.

Everyone turned to look, to see Prince Jing walking straight into the backyard, followed by his tall companion, Eunuch Feng.

Old Man Yao muttered, “This tiny Taiping Medical Clinic is even livelier than Prince Jing’s estate.”

Prince Jing entered the courtyard and was somewhat surprised to see Zhang Zhuo. “Lord Zhang, didn’t you say you were going to supervise the construction of the refugee camps? Why are you at Taiping Medical Clinic?”

Zhang Zhuo looked slightly awkward. “Just passing by, just passing by.”

Prince Jing didn’t tease him further, turning instead to Chen Ji. “This morning, your father… Master Chen Liqin came to see me.”

Chen Ji calmly asked, “May I ask what Master Chen sought Your Highness for?”

Prince Jing smiled. “For studies.”

“Studies?”

Prince Jing explained, “Chen Wenzong and Chen Wenxiao are both going to the capital to take the imperial examination in early spring. At that time, scholars from all over the country will gather, and the difficulty will be incomparable to the autumn examination. It just so happens that Master Wang has returned to Luocheng for mourning, and during the day he is responsible for teaching Yunxi, Baili, and Lingyun at my estate. So Master Chen wanted Chen Wenzong and Chen Wenxiao to also attend the lectures, to prevent them from idling at home and missing next year’s metropolitan examination.”

Chen Ji remained silent.

Prince Jing said with a smile, “Master Chen also paid your tuition fees, wanting you to also listen to Master Wang’s teachings. I thought about it carefully and also believe that people your age should learn more, so I simply paid the tuition fees for Liu Quxing and She Dengke as well. You can rest assured, Master Wang is different from other academy teachers; even His Majesty holds him in high regard, and he will surely benefit you all greatly.”

Chen Ji thought for a moment and said, “I cannot make this decision; it requires my master’s consent.”

After saying that, he turned to Old Man Yao and blinked forcefully several times.

Old Man Yao said unhurriedly, “I have no objections. If these three little rascals go to lectures, I can have a leisurely half-day every day. That’s quite good.”

Chen Ji was speechless.

However, just then, Zhang Zhuo, who was standing nearby, his eyes slightly flickering, suddenly spoke up, “I still remember how astonishing Wang Daosheng’s ‘Twelve Strategies for Pacifying Wokou’ was during the imperial palace examination back then. It’s a pity that his talent can’t be put to use now. Your Highness, could my daughter Zhang Xia also attend his lectures so he can discipline my daughter’s wild nature?”

Prince Jing chuckled. “Of course.”