In the small courtyard, the crow flapped its wings, looking left and right at Hei Yun.

Hei Yun, full and content, wanted to pounce on it, but each time the crow easily dodged, its calls full of mischief.

For some reason, Chen Ji suddenly felt that the crow and the cat, the youth and the old man, appeared especially harmonious and peaceful in this courtyard.

And tonight was one of the few peaceful nights he had experienced since coming to this world.

No one was plotting, no one was fighting or killing.

The world’s mysterious veil was finally slowly lifting before him.

“Master,” Chen Ji asked his most puzzling question, “Do all practitioners need to kill like us…?”

Old Man Yao looked doubtful: “Kill what? Kill patients?”

“Huh?” Chen Ji was even more puzzled: “Master, how do you cultivate?”

Old Man Yao said lightly: “Cure patients, and their illness energy can be used by me.”

Chen Ji was surprised. The cultivation path was the same, but even the method of cultivation was different?

However, just as he thought of this, the crow landed on the apricot tree, its wings like fingers pointing at Chen Ji, cawing and laughing until it almost fell off the branch.

Chen Ji: “…Master, lying is just pointless!”

Old Man Yao laughed coldly: “Still inexperienced after all. You have a brain, but not much. And remember, this jianghu and the world are more treacherous than you imagine. Except for yourself and that fox servant, you can’t trust anyone.”

“You can’t be trusted either?”

“That’s right, I can’t be trusted either,” Old Man Yao shook the pastry crumbs Hei Yun had eaten into his mouth, not wasting anything: “Our cultivation path is the most secretive under heaven. Once people know, the Secret Service wants to kill you, the Major Crimes Division wants to kill you, Jing Wang wants to kill you, the Emperor wants to kill you, all officials under heaven want to kill you. This path cannot be cultivated successfully without a brain.”

“Master, are other practitioners cultivating this path of ours?” Chen Ji asked curiously.

Old Man Yao recalled: “Killed several, but I don’t know if I’ve killed them all.”

Chen Ji: “…”

He finished chewing the biscuit, feeling a bit choked, and went to the kitchen to pour a cup of water before continuing to ask: “Master, what is our cultivation path called?”

Old Man Yao stroked his beard: “I’ve answered enough questions already, I don’t want to answer any more…”

Before he could finish, Hei Yun had already arched into his embrace, rubbing against him messily.

Old Man Yao thought for a moment before answering: “Some people say it’s called ‘Shan Zhu’.”

Chen Ji thoughtfully: “Shan Zhu?”

“Some people also call it ‘Yan Long’.”

Chen Ji suddenly looked serious. The meaning of Shan Zhu was obscure, but Yan Long seemed more direct!

He asked curiously: “Master, if you killed me, could you advance your cultivation?”

“No,” Old Man Yao glanced at him: “Instead, if you killed me, it could make your cultivation speed a bit faster. Why don’t you try?”

Chen Ji: “…Master, you don’t need to be so polite.”

Old Man Yao continued to explain: “If you were the only person in this world cultivating ‘Shan Zhu’, then your cultivation speed would be ten percent. If there were two people cultivating, then your cultivation speed would be five percent. How about that, does saying it like this make you more tempted?”

Chen Ji frowned and said honestly: “I think many people would be tempted.”

“So, all practitioners under heaven, unless absolutely necessary, will not take disciples.”

“What counts as absolutely necessary?”

“Either heavily injured and near death, or about to grow old and weak, or knowing oneself has no hope of exploring the Dao any further,” Old Man Yao sighed: “I’ve seen masters teach disciples only for the disciples to want to kill the master. I’ve seen fathers pass it on to sons only for the sons to want to harm their fathers.”

Chen Ji noticed the desolation in the old man’s tone: “Master, besides She Dengke and Liu Quxing, do I have other senior brothers?”

Old Man Yao laughed mockingly: “Yes, they’re dead. I killed them.”

Chen Ji hesitated for a moment: “Do you have children?”

Old Man Yao was silent for a long time: “I already answered that just now. When you live a long time, you will understand a truth: don’t easily form bonds with people. Those are all destined for farewells, for disappointment.”

At this moment, Chen Ji finally understood why Old Man Yao wasn’t close to people. The story behind that indifference was certainly not something that could be explained in one or two sentences.

Old Man Yao should have truly intended to teach his son, otherwise, he could have waited until he was near death to pass on the cultivation path. But Old Man Yao’s son seemed to have malicious intentions.

No wonder the number of practitioners in this world was dwindling. It was only because all people who cultivated this path would absolutely not spread it easily and would also suppress each other. Not all sons under heaven would harm their fathers, but there was no lack of sons who wanted to harm their fathers.

Chen Ji was puzzled: “Why did you still choose to take disciples, and three at once?”

Old Man Yao glanced at him, then looked at the crow still teasing Hei Yun: “I have no master-disciple affection for you. I just don’t want this cultivation path to be broken in my hands, so you don’t need to have too much hope for me. You paid the tuition money, I teach the skills, that’s all.”

Chen Ji felt that the reason Old Man Yao gave was insufficient, but he didn’t press the issue, only saying sincerely: “Although you might not believe me, I will definitely not harm you…”

“Don’t speak too soon,” Old Man Yao sneered: “What should be told to you has all been told to you. Telling you this is so you don’t die without knowing why. What cannot be told to you, perhaps I’ll tell you some later when I’m in a good mood.”

Chen Ji: “…When are you in a good mood?”

“When you return my ginseng, I can be in a better mood.”

Chen Ji quickly said: “I’ll go to the medicine merchant when I wake up tomorrow…”

Old Man Yao hunched his back and stopped at the door of the main room, the crow flapping its wings to land on his shoulder: “No need to think too much. Since you’ve already helped the Secret Service with things, then you’ve stepped into this jianghu. After this, life and death are determined by fate. Just don’t regret it.”

Chen Ji asked: “Master, what is jianghu?”

Old Man Yao said plainly: “Jianghu, ah, is a place where day after day, there’s nothing new.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because human nature is also like that, day after day, nothing new.”

Chen Ji suddenly asked: “Master, what kind of person is the minister who manages the Secret Service?”

“The most vicious person under heaven, otherwise why would everyone privately call him ‘Poison Minister’?” Old Man Yao pushed the door open and entered the room: “In the future, you will miss these times now when you still don’t know him well.”

Chen Ji looked at the old man and the crow on the old man’s shoulder, suddenly feeling like he saw that night, the black cloud and himself on the long street in Luo City.

Yet, he heard Old Man Yao in the room suddenly humming a strangely rhythmic song: “Obey the law, worry every morning; the strong bully, sing every night; harm others to benefit oneself, ride horses and mules; upright and fair, starve. Build bridges and repair roads, blindness; kill people and set fires, many. I ask my Buddha in the West Heaven, Buddha says I also have no way…”

Chen Ji returned to the room, lay flat on the communal bed with his arm as a pillow, the song his master had just hummed echoing in his mind, and Hei Yun lay on his chest.

“Hei Yun, don’t lie on my chest, I can’t sleep like this.”

Hei Yun lifted its head and glanced at him: “If it wasn’t for me, could your master talk so much to you? You’ve earned such a great merit, it’s very reasonable for me to sleep on your head, isn’t it?”

Chen Ji was silent for a moment: “That makes sense!”

……

……

Early in the morning, before the chickens crowed, Hei Yun was already gone.

Chen Ji carried the shoulder pole and filled the water jar, then swept the courtyard clean.

He saw the crow perched on the apricot tree branch looking at him, then smiled and greeted it. The crow only squinted at him, continuing to sleep on the branch.

When everything was in order, Chen Ji put the Buddhist bead bracelet on his wrist, stuffed all his silver ingots, and went out the door.

The medicine merchants were in the East Market. Merchants from the south and north stayed here, scholars going to the exams stopped here, and officials going to their posts socialized here. It should have been a hub under heaven.

However, they were all just passers-by in Luo City, leaving after the noise subsided.

Starting from Heping Yiguan, Chen Ji walked for about an hour before he could barely hear the lively noise of the East Market. The brothels were already closed, the fishermen had just returned from the river, carrying basket after basket of fish ashore, while the boatmen carried ropes towards the canal.

Chen Ji raised his head, his gaze searching for signboard after signboard, finally stopping at “Bailu Ting”. This was the largest medicine merchant in Luo City. Sixty percent of the herbs in the city were wholesaled and transported by them from the herb markets in the south and north.

This was also the usual place where Heping Yiguan purchased medicine. All three senior brothers had been here before.

Chen Ji stepped across the threshold, and a rich shopkeeper with squinting eyes smiled and greeted him: “Yo, Little Doctor Chen, how come you’re visiting today? Didn’t my men just deliver goods to Heping Yiguan yesterday?”

Chen Ji smiled and replied: “Master sent me to look for some old ginseng. Prince Mansion needs it. I wonder if Bailu Ting has any in stock at this time?”

The shopkeeper said with difficulty: “To tell you the truth, Little Doctor Chen, the price of high-year-old ginseng is not cheap. We purchase it according to the order quantity. Your master orders one per month, and we don’t have any extra to give to Heping Yiguan.”

Chen Ji turned around and walked away: “Then I’ll go elsewhere to ask.”

But the shopkeeper quickly pulled him back, smiling widely: “Little Doctor Chen, don’t be in a hurry. Why don’t you let me finish? By coincidence, the Fangping Yaodian ordered several ginsengs yesterday that haven’t been delivered yet. We and Imperial Doctor Yao are old friends. If Prince Mansion needs it, we can allocate it to you first.”

Chen Ji did not comment: “Then take it out for a look.”

“This way, please. The precious medicines are all kept in the backyard.”

The shopkeeper led Chen Ji towards the backyard of Bailu Ting, pushed open the wooden door of a storeroom: “Please.”

After Chen Ji went in, he looked around at the more than ten boxes of medicine, but then he heard the sound of the door closing behind him.

Strange, just looking at ginseng, why close the door?!

Something wasn’t right!

Chen Ji crouched forward and rolled, and when he stood up, he saw the shopkeeper waving a dagger and stabbing straight at him, his face fiercely abnormal.

However, Chen Ji moved first. He kicked the shopkeeper’s fat belly with one foot.

The shopkeeper didn’t expect Chen Ji to be faster than him, not only dodging the attack but also being able to counterattack instantly. After taking the kick, he fell backward, shouting in a low voice: “Save me!”

Chen Ji still wanted to take advantage of the situation to chase and kill the shopkeeper, but he was caught off guard by the sound of wind coming from behind again. Someone flashed out from behind the medicine boxes and pressed a dagger against his neck from behind.

This time, the opponent’s speed was so fast that Chen Ji had only seen it on Lin Chaoqing, Yun Yang, and Jiao Tu. He simply didn’t have time to react.

He felt the coldness of the dagger, and the hairs on his neck instantly stood on end, but he only calmly countered: “What is this for?”

The person behind him said calmly: “You have betrayed your surname, your identity, defected and sold out Zhou Chengyi. Why don’t you deserve to die?”

Chen Ji was speechless… What he feared most had indeed come!