In the night, a small paper ball was thrown over the high wall of the Chen mansion, landing in the dark alley outside. In the darkness, a hand full of old calluses caught it steadily.

A middle-aged man, carrying a shoulder pole and selling hot bean curd soup in the streets and alleys, put down the pole on his shoulder and carefully unfolded the paper ball. As his callused hands rubbed against the paper, they made a rustling sound. When he saw the contents of the paper clearly, he immediately put down the shoulder pole.

The shoulder pole carried two wooden boxes. The front box held a small pottery stove, the smoldering fire keeping the bean curd soup warm. The back box contained pots, bowls, ladles, and basins – a peddler’s entire livelihood.

The middle-aged man opened the back wooden box, rummaged inside for a long time, and actually took out a gray pigeon.

He tied the paper ball to the pigeon’s leg, suddenly lifted his hand, and released it into the air. The pigeon flapped its wings, flew over the tall buildings, and soared toward the north.

Watching the pigeon disappear into the night air, the middle-aged man picked up his shoulder pole again and swayed toward the outside of the alley.

On a distant rooftop ridge, a black, furry dark cloud rose up, following lightly and quietly, its paw pads stepping silently on the gray tiles.

The middle-aged man was completely unaware.

Only, as he was about to walk out of the alley, he suddenly turned his head. The simplicity and honesty of a peddler were gone from his eyes, replaced by a sharp, eagle-like gaze: “Who is there?”

The dark cloud stopped, shrinking into a ball.

It was doubtful. Could it have been discovered? That was impossible. It was several zhang away. How could the other party have discovered it? Moreover, the direction the other party was looking was not its direction.

The dark cloud pondered. Perhaps this middle-aged man was trying to scare out someone following him in secret, looking for an enemy in the empty air.

The next moment, the middle-aged man’s shoulder shook slightly, and the two wooden boxes on the shoulder pole fell to the ground with a clatter.

Then he grabbed the shoulder pole and threw it with force. The bamboo pole, made of strips, actually shot out into the darkness like a long spear. But the moment it was thrown into the darkness, it was like a stone sinking into the ocean, leaving no trace.

The alley was silent, as if the shoulder pole had escaped into the void.

The dark cloud, overlooking from the distant rooftop ridge, was shocked. It looked left and right… Where did the shoulder pole go? Could there really be other people in that alley?

In an instant, there was a buzzing sound. That shoulder pole returned, just as fast as it had gone.

The middle-aged man’s face changed, and he picked up the wooden box at his side to block.

With a bang, the front end of the shoulder pole stabbed into the wooden box, smashing the pottery stove and iron pot inside. The back end, unable to bear the enormous force, bent and broke into bamboo strips inch by inch, twisting into knots.

The middle-aged man suffered this blow and staggered back five or six steps before stopping.

There really was someone else in the alley!

The dark cloud was confused. Chen Ji had just returned to the Chen mansion and was being watched. Not to mention, who was this other person in the alley?

Who was monitoring Chen Ji, and who, like itself, wanted to find out the identity of the monitor?

The dark cloud was bewildered. Where did these people pop out from!

At this moment, a black shadow, a person tall, walked step by step from the darkness in the alley into the moonlight. The dark cloud’s eyes widened. What walked out was not a person, but a strange-looking black monster.

It had the body of a sheep and a human face, with the face growing on its chest and abdomen. A blood-filled mouth stretched from its left armpit to its right armpit. Its four hooves had curly black hair, like four black auspicious clouds.

Black mist steamed from the monster’s entire body, as if it had walked out of the underworld.

The middle-aged man’s face changed in shock: “Esoteric Mandala Secret Seal!”

With that, he turned and ran.

The black monster lightly leaped onto the roof and followed closely.

The night was deep and quiet. The man weaved through the narrow alleys, but he could not shake off the black monster on the roof. The other side was like an antelope, running on the undulating rooftops as if it were flat ground.

Fierce!

The dark cloud dared not get too close, only following from afar.

The man ran for a long time, already gasping for air. He took out a short knife from his sleeve, took a gasping breath, and turned to face the monster.

The pitch-black monster stood on the roof eaves, quietly examining the man, seemingly thinking about how to deal with him.

A moment later, the monster suddenly pounced down, its chest opening with a blood-filled mouth, swallowing the middle-aged man and the short knife whole.

In Mingquan Garden, Xiao Man, curled up on a small stool, let out a loud burp.

The hearty burp was so solid that it woke her up.

Xiao Man opened her sleepy eyes, then turned to look at the honey three knives on the table, muttering annoyed: “Cannot eat more… Young master said it will cause food stagnation.”

But as she said this, she still tiptoed up, pinched three pieces of honey three knives from the table, and stuffed them into her mouth: “Hehe, I might not get food stagnation.”

Xiao Man’s eyeballs darted around. She puffed out her cheeks and looked at Chen Ji, who was sleeping soundly in bed. She tiptoed to the bedside and waved her palm back and forth over Chen Ji’s face.

Seeing Chen Ji had no reaction, the corners of her mouth curled slightly. She carefully turned to the clothes rack and felt Chen Ji’s clothes. As she felt, she vigilantly turned her head to look.

On the bed, Chen Ji opened his eyes and looked at Xiao Man’s back. When Xiao Man turned her head to look, he closed his eyes again.

A moment later, Xiao Man took out two strings of Buddhist common treasures from Chen Ji’s clothes. One string was the two thousand five hundred taels given by Jing Wang, and the other was given by Chen Wen Zong, the remaining one thousand one hundred taels after Chen Ji finished buying ginseng.

She carefully felt the micro-carved patterns on the common treasures and kissed them once at the corner of her mouth. Then her eyes showed a tangled expression, and she stuffed the Buddhist common treasures back.

Xiao Man sat back on the small stool dejectedly, holding her face in both hands and looking at the suddenly bright, suddenly dark charcoal fire, muttering in a low voice: “May not be tricked away by people again…”

As she spoke, the window moved. The dark cloud, like a stream of liquid, squeezed through the gap.

Xiao Man put a finger to her mouth and shushed: “Keep your voice down, young master is still sleeping.”

The dark cloud glanced at Xiao Man, lightly leaped down from the window, then leaped onto Chen Ji’s bed and lightly meowed.

Xiao Man glared at it: “Didn’t I say not to disturb young master’s sleep? You’re not cute like this!”

Just then, the sound of chickens crowing rang out from outside the room. Immediately after, someone in Cuiyun Alley set off firecrackers. The crackling sounds tore through the night curtain.

Chen Ji got up, saying doubtfully: “Who is setting off firecrackers so early in the morning?”

Xiao Man explained: “Young master, did you forget? Today is the promotion banquet for the Zhang mansion and the Chen mansion. According to the rules, to celebrate a big happy event, a string of firecrackers is set off at mao time, another string at noon, and another string at zi time in the evening. It has the same meaning as setting off firecrackers for the New Year – all for saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new, and for taking up a new official position.”

Chen Ji gave a long “oh.”

At this time, Xiao Man’s eyeballs rolled. She clearly knew but pretended to ask: “Young master, I heard you received two thousand five hundred taels of silver from the Construction Bureau, is that true?”

Chen Ji looked at Xiao Man with a half-smile: “It’s true, why?”

Xiao Man suddenly looked up expectantly at Chen Ji and said: “Then why don’t you hand over this silver to me to manage!”

Chen Ji was startled. He hadn’t expected Xiao Man to be so direct: “What do you need so much silver for?”

Xiao Man lowered her head and looked at her toes: “I’m really afraid your silver will be coaxed away by people again. By the time you want to marry a legitimate daughter from another family, you won’t have enough dowry. Li Momo said that concubine mother originally could have married into a small family as a principal wife, but just to give you a better family background and reliance, she condescended to marry into the Chen family as a concubine.”

Chen Ji was silent. He knew that the Lu family marrying into the Chen family might not have been that simple. That year, the Chen family lost a Minister of Revenue.

Xiao Man counted on her fingers: “If you want to marry a legitimate daughter from a wealthy and influential family, not to mention the ‘ten li red makeup,’ first there is the betrothal silver of six thousand four hundred taels, the welcome and send colored silver of eighty taels, the knocking on the door colored silver of forty taels, the net adding colored silver of sixty taels, the holding the pen ritual of ten taels, and the welcome book colored silver of eight taels. Then there are eight pieces of gold ware, two geese, four chickens and ducks each, two cows and sheep each, twelve bolts of silk… Master and madam will definitely not prepare so much for you. You must save some family fortune yourself.”

Chen Ji stammered: “Stop, stop, why do you need so much?”

Xiao Man looked at him doubtfully: “This is the rule for wealthy and influential families in the capital! This is called ‘face.’ But you can also rest assured, the bride from the other side will bring a dowry no less than your betrothal gift.”

Chen Ji waved his hand: “Don’t talk about it. I have no plans to marry a wife, let alone a legitimate daughter from a wealthy and influential family.”

Xiao Man thought for a moment: “Then it’s okay not to marry a legitimate daughter from a wealthy and influential family. Just marry a small family’s young lady. By that time, I’ll help you manage the silver, buy some good fields and shops, and you can be a rich man for your whole life… Just let me look after your silver. You don’t need much. When you arrive in the capital, just give me five hundred taels of silver. If I can earn money for you, you can hand over the rest to me to manage.”

Chen Ji refused without mercy: “No, give up on that idea. I can manage it myself. Moreover, who knows, I might become a big official someday and take back concubine mother’s businesses.”

Xiao Man was full of anticipation: “Really, those businesses, I feel heartache for you, my chest is blocked and I feel panicked.”

Chen Ji said, “En.”

Xiao Man’s eyeballs rolled again: “Then when you take back the businesses, how about I help you manage them?”

Chen Ji sighed: “Why are you so persistent?”

Xiao Man muttered in a low voice: “I haven’t had good days, and my heart is panicked without silver… Forget it, I’ll go boil water for you to wash your face and comb your hair. Many important figures will be coming today. I heard the Zhang mansion transported several carts of seafood from the East Market yesterday, including shrimp and crabs as big as palms. You’ll take me with you, right?”

Chen Ji laughed: “Okay, I’ll take you with me.”

Xiao Man hummed a tune and hopped out the door. Chen Ji, in the room, watched her back and asked the dark cloud in a low voice: “Sheep body, human face?”

The dark cloud meowed: “Absolutely correct.”

Chen Ji lowered his head and thought for a moment: “Taotie?”

The recorded: The Taotie, its shape is like a sheep’s body with a human face, its face is in its armpit, it has tiger teeth and human claws, and its sound is like that of a baby. This monster, which appeared out of nowhere, is clearly very similar to the description of the Taotie.

But who is driving this Taotie?

He had no relatives left in this world. Who was the first to discover someone monitoring him, and who wanted to investigate the mastermind behind it?

As he thought, Xiao Man’s humming came from the room to the right.

Chen Ji seemed to have some thoughts.