In the dark of night, a small paper ball was tossed over the high wall of the Chen manor, landing in a dimly lit alley outside. In the darkness, a calloused hand steadily caught it.

A middle-aged man, who sold hot douhua (tofu pudding) from a shoulder pole as he walked the streets, lowered his pole and cautiously unfolded the paper ball. His calloused hands rustled against the paper. As soon as he deciphered the contents, he immediately set down his shoulder pole.

Two wooden boxes hung from the pole: the front one contained a small clay stove, which held a low fire to keep the douhua warm, while the back one held pots, bowls, and other utensils. This was the entirety of the vendor’s livelihood.

The middle-aged man opened the back wooden box and rummaged inside for a long time, eventually pulling out a grey homing pigeon.

He tied the paper ball to the pigeon’s leg, then abruptly raised his hand and released it into the air. The pigeon flapped its wings, flying over numerous buildings and heading north.

Watching the pigeon disappear into the night sky, the middle-aged man picked up his shoulder pole again and swayed unsteadily out of the alley.

On a distant rooftop, the dark, furry Cloud got up and stealthily followed, its padded paws making no sound on the grey tiles.

The middle-aged man remained oblivious.

However, just as he was about to exit the alley, he suddenly turned back, his eyes no longer displaying the simple honesty of a vendor, but the piercing sharpness of a hawk. “Who’s there?” he demanded.

Cloud stopped, shrinking into a ball.

It wondered if it had been discovered. Impossible, it thought; it was several yards away, how could the man have noticed it? Moreover, the direction the man was looking in was not towards Cloud.

Cloud pondered that perhaps the man was trying to trick a hidden follower into revealing themselves, essentially searching for an enemy in the void.

The next moment, the middle-aged man’s shoulder twitched slightly, and the two wooden boxes on his pole clattered to the ground.

He then gripped the shoulder pole and hurled it with all his might. The bamboo pole shot into the darkness like a spear, but once it entered the shadows, it vanished as if a stone had dropped into the sea.

The alley fell silent, as if the pole had disappeared into thin air.

From its vantage point on a distant rooftop, Cloud watched, startled. It looked left and right… where had the pole gone? Was there truly someone else in that alley?

In an instant, with a buzzing sound, the pole returned just as swiftly as it had departed.

The middle-aged man’s expression changed. He quickly grabbed a wooden box nearby to block it.

With a loud thud, the front end of the pole pierced the wooden box, shattering the clay stove and iron pot inside. The back end, unable to withstand the immense force, bent and splintered inch by inch into twisted bamboo strips.

Struck by the impact, the middle-aged man staggered back five or six steps before regaining his balance.

There truly was someone else in the alley!

Cloud was bewildered. Not only was Chen Ji being watched immediately after returning to the Chen manor, but who was this other person in the alley?

Who was monitoring Chen Ji? And who, like itself, wanted to uncover the identity of the monitor?

Cloud was confused; where were all these people coming from?

At that moment, a man-sized black shadow emerged step by step from the darkness into the moonlight. Cloud’s eyes widened; what walked out was not a human, but a bizarre-looking black spirit monster.

It had the body of a sheep and the face of a human, with the face located on its chest and abdomen. A gaping maw stretched from its left armpit to its right. The black fur curled around its four hooves like four auspicious dark clouds.

Black mist emanated from the spirit monster’s entire body, as if it had emerged from the underworld.

The middle-aged man’s face stiffened. “Vajrayana Mandala Secret Seal?”

With that, he turned and ran.

The black spirit monster lightly leaped onto the rooftops, following closely.

Deep into the quiet night, the man weaved through alley after alley, yet he could not shake off the black spirit monster on the rooftops. The creature moved like an antelope, effortlessly traversing the undulating ridges.

Relentlessly!

Cloud dared not get too close, only following from a distance.

The man ran for a long time, finally out of breath. He drew a short knife from his sleeve and, panting, turned to face the spirit monster.

The dark spirit monster stood on the eaves, quietly observing the man, as if contemplating how to deal with him.

A moment later, the spirit monster suddenly lunged downwards, its chest opening into a gaping maw, and it swallowed the middle-aged man whole, along with his short knife.

In Mingquan Garden, Xiaoman, nestled on a small stool, let out a burp.

It was a hearty, robust burp that startled her awake.

Xiaoman opened her drowsy eyes, then turned to look at the “Honey Three Knives” pastries on the table. She muttered in annoyance, “I can’t eat any more… Young Master said I’d get indigestion.”

Despite her words, she tiptoed up, pinched three Honey Three Knives from the table, and popped them into her mouth. “Hehe, *I* won’t get indigestion,” she chuckled.

Xiaoman’s eyes darted around. With puffed cheeks, she looked at Chen Ji, who was sleeping soundly on the bed. Tiptoeing to the bedside, she waved her palm back and forth in front of Chen Ji’s face.

Seeing no reaction from Chen Ji, a faint smile played on her lips. She cautiously moved to the clothes rack and began rummaging through Chen Ji’s clothes, glancing back warily as she did so.

On the bed, Chen Ji opened his eyes and watched Xiaoman’s back. When Xiaoman turned to look, he closed his eyes again.

A moment later, Xiaoman retrieved two strings of Buddhist coins from Chen Ji’s clothes. One string was the two thousand five hundred taels given by Prince Jing, and the other was the one thousand one hundred taels Chen Wenzong had given, which was the remainder after Chen Ji purchased ginseng.

She carefully traced the micro-carved patterns on the coins, then kissed them. After a moment of conflicted expression, she put the Buddhist coins back.

Xiaoman dejectedly sat back on her small stool, cupping her face in her hands as she watched the flickering charcoal fire. She whispered, “Please don’t let it get swindled away again…”

As she spoke, the window moved slightly, and Cloud seeped through the gap like liquid.

Xiaoman put a finger to her lips and shushed, “Quiet now, Young Master is still sleeping.”

Cloud glanced at Xiaoman, then lightly leaped down from the window and onto Chen Ji’s bed, letting out a soft meow.

Xiaoman glared at it. “Didn’t I tell you not to disturb Young Master’s sleep? You’re not cute when you do that!”

Just then, a rooster crowed outside. Immediately afterward, firecrackers began popping in Cuiyun Alley, their crackling sounds tearing through the night.

Chen Ji sat up, confused. “Who’s setting off firecrackers this early in the morning?”

“Did Young Master forget?” Xiaoman explained. “Today is the promotion banquet for the Zhang and Chen manors. According to custom, for joyous occasions, firecrackers are set off at *maoshi* (5-7 AM), *wushi* (11 AM-1 PM), and *zishi* (11 PM-1 AM). It’s like the New Year’s Day firecrackers, symbolizing the old making way for the new, as they’re taking on new official positions.”

Chen Ji let out a long “Oh.”

At this point, Xiaoman’s eyes darted around, and she asked knowingly, “Young Master, I heard you received two thousand five hundred taels of silver from the Construction Bureau. Is that true?”

Chen Ji looked at Xiaoman with a half-smile. “It’s true. Why do you ask?”

Xiaoman suddenly looked up at Chen Ji expectantly and said, “How about you let me manage this silver for you!”

Chen Ji was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Xiaoman to be so direct. “What would you do with so much silver?”

Xiaoman looked down at her toes. “I’m really afraid your silver will be tricked away again. Then, when you want to marry a legitimate daughter from another family, you won’t have enough for the betrothal gifts. Nanny Li said that Auntie could have married into a humble family as a main wife, but she humbled herself to marry into the Chen family as a concubine, all so you could have a better family background and support.”

Chen Ji remained silent. He knew that Lady Lu’s marriage into the Chen family was far from simple. Back then, a Minister of Revenue from the Chen family had died.

Xiaoman counted on her fingers. “If you want to marry a legitimate daughter from a prominent family, not to mention the extensive trousseau, first there’s the ritual silver of six thousand four hundred taels, then eighty taels for welcoming and sending off, forty taels for knocking on the door, sixty taels for pure increase, ten taels for the letter writer’s fee, and eight taels for welcoming the marriage certificate. After that, there are eight gold artifacts, two geese, four chickens and four ducks, two oxen and two sheep, and twelve bolts of silk… Master and Madam certainly won’t prepare this much for you. You’ll need to save up some family wealth yourself.”

Chen Ji was dumbfounded. “Stop, stop! Why does it need so much?”

Xiaoman looked at him confusedly. “That’s the custom for prominent families in the capital; it’s called ‘proper etiquette.’ But don’t worry, the bride’s dowry won’t be any less than your betrothal gifts.”

Chen Ji waved his hand. “Enough about that. I have no plans to marry, and certainly no plans to marry a legitimate daughter from a prominent family.”

Xiaoman thought for a moment. “Well, even if you don’t marry a legitimate daughter from a prominent family, you could marry a gentle, beautiful girl from a humble family. Then I can help you manage your silver, acquire some fertile land and shops, and you can live your whole life as a wealthy man… Will you let me look after your silver? Not much, just five hundred taels when we get to the capital. If I can make money for you, then you can give me the rest to manage.”

Chen Ji mercilessly refused. “No, give up on that idea. I can manage it myself. Besides, maybe one day I’ll become a high official and reclaim Auntie’s properties.”

Xiaoman’s eyes filled with anticipation. “Really? Those properties, I feel so bad for you about them; it’s like a tightness in my chest.”

Chen Ji grunted in affirmation.

Xiaoman’s eyes darted around again. “Then, when you reclaim the properties, how about Xiaoman helps you manage them?”

Chen Ji sighed. “Why are you so insistent?”

Xiaoman mumbled, “I’ve been suffering for days; I get so anxious without silver in my hand… Anyway, I’ll go heat water for you to wash your face and comb your hair. Many important people are coming today. I heard the Zhang manor brought back several cartloads of seafood from the East Market yesterday, including palm-sized shrimp and crabs. You’ll take me with you, right?”

Chen Ji smiled. “Alright, I’ll take you.”

Xiaoman hummed a tune and skipped out of the room. Chen Ji watched her retreating figure from inside and quietly asked Cloud, “Sheep’s body, human face?”

Cloud meowed. “Absolutely.”

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

The *Classic of Mountains and Seas* records that the Taotie has the body of a sheep and the face of a human, with its face located under its armpits, tiger teeth, human claws, and a cry like that of a baby. The spirit monster that appeared from nowhere clearly bears a striking resemblance to this description of a Taotie.

But who was controlling this Taotie?

He had no relatives left in this world. Who was it that first discovered he was being watched and sought to identify the mastermind?

As he pondered, the sound of Xiaoman humming a tune drifted in from the right wing room.

Chen Ji looked thoughtful.