People from Luocheng. A murderous intent, detectable by the sulfur.

Chen Ji fell into deep thought. Why had a group of people, who had traveled all the way from Luocheng, chosen to hide in Taohuai Alley to manufacture firearms?

Old Wu had ties to the Jing Dynasty, and at the same time, he was passing notes to these people from Luocheng… Were these firearms intended to blow open the city gates? No, it couldn’t be that simple.

Chen Ji turned to look out the window. On the distant city walls, figures of the border army moved to and fro.

The hustle on the city walls contrasted sharply with the silence within the city, as if they were two separate worlds. The secret of Guyuan, it seemed, was hidden within Taohuai Alley.

At that moment, Xiaoman took several white flour buns, a dish of pickled vegetables, and a plate of cured meat from a food box and set them on the table. “Everyone, please come eat… Young Master?”

Before she could finish, she looked up and saw Chen Ji turning to leave. “You all eat first,” he said. “I need to go out for a bit.”

Chen Ji picked up the whale blade leaning against the door, considered it for a moment, then set it back down.

Zhang Xia asked curiously, “Are you going to Taohuai Alley to investigate? I suspect there are hidden operatives there…”

She recalled, “When I passed by, at the Baofengzhai pastry shop on the street, everything had clearly been confiscated by the border army, yet the owner was still open for business. He sat right by the entrance, perfectly positioned to observe everyone on East Street. And the proprietress of Wang’s Tailor Shop was wearing ill-fitting clothes… At the time, I only dared to feign being a passerby, but you must be careful.”

“Don’t worry, nothing will happen,” Chen Ji said with a smile. “I truly wish I had a mind like Miss Zhang Er’s.”

Zhang Xia also smiled. “I, on the other hand, wish I were a man.”

Chen Ji pulled open the door. Xiaoman quickly grabbed two buns, wrapped them in a clean white cloth, and hurried to the door, tucking them into his arms. “Young Master, you haven’t eaten all day,” she urged. “Take these two buns to eat on your way!”

Chen Ji pocketed the buns and left. He didn’t ride a horse, instead striding rapidly towards Taohuai Alley, taking large bites of the buns as he walked.

Along the way, there were no hawkers or street vendors. Neighbors stood in groups outside their homes, loudly complaining about the watery porridge the border army was serving and meticulously listing how much grain had been requisitioned from their households.

Chen Ji walked through the crowd, overhearing someone declare loudly, “My family had over ten catties of millet, five catties of corn, and a jar of pickled cabbage seized, and in return, they give us such watery porridge?”

“That’s right, the border army even took a string of cured sausages from my home — I had just finished making those before the New Year festival!”

“Let’s go together and talk to the border army. Is the court truly giving the common people a way to survive?”

“Old Li, are you still hiding grain at your house? I just caught a fragrant smell from your place. Could you lend me a catty?”

Old Li quickly waved his hand. “No, no, my family isn’t hiding any grain! Don’t you dare slander me!”

Chen Ji walked through the commotion, his head bowed as he finished the bun in his hand.

Upon reaching Taohuai Alley, he could smell sulfur from a distance. While sulfur itself is odorless, it produces hydrogen sulfide gas when combined with organic matter, leaving an acrid, rotten-egg smell that was impossible to ignore.

When Chen Ji walked onto Quli Street in Taohuai Alley, the street was eerily calm, as if nothing out of the ordinary had ever occurred.

The owner of Baofengzhai and the proprietress of the tailor shop barely let their eyes linger on him before casually returning to their activities.

The next moment, as Chen Ji deliberately strode towards the gate of Squire Li’s residence…

The owner of Baofengzhai, the tailor shop proprietress, and the elderly night watchman who had been dozing by the wall, all suddenly fixed their gazes on him once more.

Their collective gazes enveloped him like an overwhelming net. With every step he took, their eyes tracked his movement.

The owner of Baofengzhai slowly drew a short knife from his sleeve, while the proprietress of the tailor shop produced a soft sword from her waistband.

Knock, knock, knock.

Chen Ji knocked on the courtyard gate as if completely oblivious to their presence.

The door creaked open, revealing a gap no wider than a hand.

A middle-aged man peered coldly through the narrow opening. “Young man,” he said, “have you come to the wrong place?”

Chen Ji replied with a smile, “I’m here to find someone.”

The middle-aged man’s face remained impassive. “It seems to me,” he stated, “you’re not here to find someone, but to find death…”

Before he finished speaking, Chen Ji pulled his Haidongqing tooth token from his sleeve and held it up to the narrow opening in the door.

The middle-aged man’s eyes widened incrementally. “My Lord?” he whispered.

As expected, these were members of the Secret Service!

Chen Ji put away his token, fixing his gaze on the middle-aged man. “What,” he asked, “are you not going to let me in?”

The middle-aged man hesitated, unable to decide, and could only glance back over his shoulder.

Chen Ji immediately became certain that there was a high-ranking secret agent in the courtyard, either his equal or superior in rank.

He asked calmly, “Who is in charge here?”

However, he then heard a light chuckle from within the courtyard. “Very well,” a voice said. “Let him in.”

At these words, the owner of Baofengzhai and the tailor shop proprietress both sheathed their weapons. The elderly night watchman curled back onto the ground, resuming his nap with his arms crossed.

The man slowly pulled open the door, revealing over a dozen secret agents behind him, each wielding a blade or an axe, their murderous intent palpable.

Among these dozen or so secret agents stood a middle-aged scholar.

Chen Ji’s pupils constricted slightly. He cupped his hands and bowed. “Mr. Feng,” he greeted, “long time no see. I trust you’ve been well.”

“Officer Chen,” the scholar replied, “you and I are both Haidongqing; there’s no need for such formality.”

In the courtyard, the middle-aged scholar, clad in a green robe, held a scroll in his right hand and a freshly peeled orange segment in his left, watching Chen Ji with a knowing, half-smile.

Mr. Feng… White Dragon!

It was indeed White Dragon, in person, at Guyuan!

Mr. Feng waved a dismissive hand at the secret agents. “You may leave,” he instructed. “I wish to speak with Officer Chen alone.”

The secret agents clasped their fists. “Understood,” they responded.

Someone blew a brass whistle, producing three crisp magpie calls. The agents filed out of the courtyard gate, and the sounds of departing footsteps could also be heard from the rooftops.

Once the courtyard gate was closed, Mr. Feng set down his scroll and sat with a smile on a stone stool in the courtyard. “I was truly concerned you might call out ‘Lord White Dragon’,” he confessed. “In that case, I would have had to eliminate every secret agent who heard you. And these are all valuable subordinates; it would be a great waste to kill them.”

Chen Ji, without betraying any emotion, asked, “Why has My Lord resumed the identity of Mr. Feng to come to Guyuan?”

White Dragon replied with a gentle smile, “When did it become your place to question my plans? When I saw you a few days ago, I was actually wondering why you, of all people, had come to Guyuan.”

Chen Ji asked, perplexed, “Didn’t you arrange to remove the Crown Prince’s advisors, thereby prompting him to summon the Chen family?”

White Dragon stated calmly, “His advisors were indeed removed by me. Two were reassigned before I left the capital, two were eliminated after I left, and one has yet to be found—I don’t know where he’s hiding. However, this was all prepared for your return to the capital. I didn’t anticipate it would be put to use so soon, but it works out; it saves trouble.”

Just as I thought!

Chen Ji quietly asked, “Lord White Dragon, why do you wish for me to get close to the Crown Prince?”

White Dragon countered, “And why are you approaching the Crown Prince? I merely instructed you to lie low within the Chen family; I never told you to get close to the Crown Prince.”

Chen Ji remained silent.

White Dragon let out a hearty laugh. “Even if you don’t say it, I can guess,” he said. “You’re approaching the Crown Prince simply because Jingyang Palace, where the princess is confined for spiritual cultivation, is right next to his Zhongcui Palace. The East Six Palaces are merely a street apart, less than six *zhang* away. You ask why I arranged for you to get close to the Crown Prince? Merely to grant your wish.”

Zhongcui Palace and Jingyang Palace, one to the left, one to the right, separated by a single gate.

Chen Ji had painstakingly captured spies and protected the Crown Prince, all simply to acquire the standing to approach that gate and steal a glance into Jingyang Palace.

He knew he couldn’t hide this from White Dragon, but it was certainly not as simple as White Dragon made it out to be. How could the head of the Twelve Zodiacs, who was so quick to kill, be so benevolent as to grant his wish? There wasn’t a single truthful word in White Dragon’s mouth.

If White Dragon was allowing him to approach the Crown Prince, there had to be a far grander scheme at play.

White Dragon scrutinized Chen Ji. “How did you find this place?” he asked. “Old Wu wasn’t privy to what was happening in Taohuai Alley.”

After speaking, he lowered his head in thought. “Could it be that the concentrated smell of sulfur in this alley attracted you?” he mused. “So, you know that sulfur is required for firearms formulas… How did you come to know that?”

Chen Ji’s heart jolted. White Dragon’s mind was far too perceptive.

He quickly explained, “The owner of Baofengzhai and the proprietress of the tailor shop on this street gave themselves away. I observed them for two days before discovering this location.”

White Dragon sighed. “A bunch of fools,” he lamented, “they can’t even hide themselves properly. Once matters in Guyuan are settled, they’ll all be sent back to Wunian Mountain for a few more years of training. As for you, gaining the Crown Prince’s favor is excellent.”

Chen Ji cupped his hands and asked, “My Lord, what would you have me do next?”

White Dragon pondered for a moment. “Keep a close watch on the Crown Prince,” he instructed. “Report to me daily whom he meets and where he goes.”

Chen Ji cautiously probed, “What does My Lord intend to do?”

White Dragon replied with a gentle smile, “If I were to tell you that I intend to eliminate the Crown Prince for Prince Fu, would you believe me?”

Chen Ji didn’t believe him.