6. Colleague

"Luocheng City has at least twenty Xuan Paper Shops, each backed by powerful and noble figures. Which one should I go to?" Jiao Tu rolled her eyes.

Chen Ji said, "That's a question for Lord Zhou."

Jiao Tu hopped down from Zhou Chengyi's back, flipping him over, "Lord Zhou?"

"Ah, Lord Zhou?!"

But Zhou Chengyi's complexion was ashen, his eyes bulging, dead.

"Jiao Tu, you killed him by mistake!" Yun Yang cried out in alarm.

Jiao Tu rolled her eyes, "Don't pin this on me; he was poisoned."

Yun Yang, puzzled, said, "But I removed the poison bag from his mouth."

Jiao Tu replied, "He must have hidden more poison elsewhere on his body. Pretending to kill the kid was a feint; secretly retrieving poison from his own stash was the real intention."

"That's still your responsibility; you were in charge of guarding him."

"If you try to pin this on me again, I'll turn on you."

Yun Yang muttered, "Sorry, it was a reflex..."

Jiao Tu looked at Chen Ji, "Searching shop by shop is too slow, and if we drag this out too long, we'll surely lose this big fish. Do you have any ideas?"

Chen Ji slowly stood up and walked to the table, his palm gently tracing the grain of the Xuan paper: "Xuan paper is handmade, and each craftsman has their own habits; some prefer to use more indigo plant bark, others like to add a bit more straw. Some like to grind the pulp very fine while using the stone mill; others are lazy and grind it coarser. The craft of Xuan paper determines its price... By finding the same type of paper, we can find the shop."

Jiao Tu leaned in close, bending down to meticulously examine the texture of the Xuan paper. Before, all Xuan paper had looked the same to her...

...

...

Meanwhile, outside the courtyard, a knocking sounded at the door, with someone rhythmically striking the heavy gate with its bronze ring.

From outside, an old and hoarse voice asked, "Lord Zhou, is Chen Ji at your residence?"

In an instant, Yun Yang, Jiao Tu, all the men in black, and Chen Ji himself looked toward the source of the voice.

Thump, thump, thump.

The knocking resumed, the beast-head door knocker striking the red-lacquered wood in a methodical manner, unhurried but somehow oppressive.

At this silent, deep hour of the night, the sound of knocking seemed unusually jarring.

Inside, the black-clad men slowly drew their waist knives, utterly silent, waiting for Yun Yang's instructions.

These men were the elite of the elite, and Chen Ji remembered that since he had crossed over, not one had uttered a single unnecessary word.

Thump, thump, thump.

The person outside, receiving no answer, asked again, "Is Chen Ji inside?"

Chen Ji was somewhat at a loss.

Who would be looking for him?

He looked at Yun Yang to find the young man's expression flickering, contemplating for a moment before signaling to a man in black, "Move the bodies inside the house."

Jiao Tu looked at Yun Yang, "Who's that outside?"

"No need to worry, I recognize the voice," Yun Yang walked over and lifted the latch.

The gate opened, revealing an old man with a hunched back, standing in the dark night. He wore a gray robe, black cloth shoes with white soles, and his face was lined with wrinkles that resembled gullies on parched land.

The old man's beard reached down to his chest, and his snow-white hair was secured at the top of his head with a blue hairpin, old beyond old.

To Yun Yang's surprise, the old man also seemed taken aback. Yun Yang, however, wore a smile, "Doctor Yao, it's been a while, are you still in good health?"

The old man was silent for a moment, "It's you. Shouldn't you be in the Imperial Capital? What brings you to Luocheng?"

Yun Yang explained, "It was a sudden matter, so I came. Just so happened to visit Lord Zhou tonight and ran into Chen Ji, so I thought to have a chat with him."

The old man inquired, "Is the Prime Minister's leg ailment any better?"

"Much better, much better! He even praised you as a divine doctor; you finally cured the ailment he got years ago at the Firewood Store," Yun Yang spoke cheerfully, "It's too bad you didn't stay in the Imperial Capital, or the Emperor would've summoned you to the palace by now."

"I can't cure the Emperor's ailment," the old man abruptly changed the subject, "Where is Chen Ji? The medicine has been delivered; it's time to return."

After a moment's thought, Yun Yang said, "Chen Ji, you should go back with your master. Look how Doctor Yao cares for you, coming all this way to fetch you at his age."

Chen Ji hadn't expected Yun Yang to let him go... Was it because the old man mentioned the 'Prime Minister'?

He hurriedly walked out, passing by Jiao Tu, who grabbed him, "Don't blabber when you get back, okay? We'll be coming to see you."

Without a word, Chen Ji quickly departed, "Master, let's go back."

"Mm."

Doctor Yao, hands clasped behind his back, hunched over, shuffled down the long street, not asking another question.

Chen Ji felt two gazes hook-like on his back. He turned to see Yun Yang and Jiao Tu standing at the door, smirking at him.

Yun Yang and Jiao Tu, both in black attire, were exceptionally handsome, standing tall and straight – the kind you'd delight in catching a glimpse of on the street.

Yet these were the same two who killed without batting an eye, as if human life was the cheapest commodity in the world.

Vipers – that was Chen Ji's deepest impression of them.

Chen Ji sprinted a few steps to catch up with the old man. With a clang, the gates of Zhou Mansion closed behind them.

Phew, Chen Ji exhaled in relief.

It seemed this was a world where life was cheap as grass.

When he first crossed over, he didn't have much of a survival instinct, merely an observer watching everything transpire, indifferent to whether he lived or died.

But if I could be reborn once, then is there also a chance for my parents to be reborn? This was of crucial importance to him.

He had to survive first.

"Master, thank you for coming to get me," Chen Ji said sincerely, from the heart.

The old man, however, sighed, "If I had known that it was the people from the Spy Department here tonight, I wouldn't have come."

Chen Ji: "..."

What does that mean?

So, just abandon your disciple?

The old man muttered to himself, "Strange, the divination I did before leaving the house was extremely auspicious; I thought I would find a gold ingot... Auspicious my ass."

This left Chen Ji totally confused: "Master, won't you ask about what happened tonight..."

The old man, walking in front of him, raised a hand to ward off the question, "Wait, don't even mention it to me. I want to know nothing about such troublesome matters. Knowing will only bring misfortune. I managed to live to ninety-two by not meddling in other people's business."

Chen Ji: "You do seem quite skilled at courting good fortune and avoiding disaster..."

The old man stopped in his tracks: "I've delivered the medicine. Where is the payment for it?"

Chen Ji was taken aback; he had no idea about any payment for medicine: "I forgot to ask Lord Zhou for it..."

The old man turned back, displeased, "You go back and get it from them."

Chen Ji decisively replied: "I'm not going."

The old man thought it over for a while: "Then you'll have to make up the medicine money yourself."

Chen Ji changed the subject: "...Are you very familiar with them?"

The old man replied, "Years ago when I was in the Imperial Capital, I had dealings with them. That bunch is ruthless and always inclined to do things that enrage both heaven and humans. From now on, if you run into them on the streets, pretend you don't recognize them. Or, you can pretend you don't recognize me if we meet on the streets in the future."

Chen Ji: "..."

The old man talked to himself, "With the big shots from the Spy Department personally coming to Luocheng City, I'm afraid things won't be peaceful."

The long street was quiet, as if Luocheng City had fallen asleep, the usually bustling East Market had quieted down, with many lights extinguished.

The night patrol, bored and carrying a white lantern, passed by them, knocking on the third watch of the night's gong, shouting warnings about the dry weather and being careful with candles and fire.

When they reached a crossroads, Chen Ji suddenly saw his master take out three Copper Coins from his sleeve.

The next second, the old man looked up at the position of the stars, squatted down, and cast the coins six times on the flagstone pavement for divination: "Hmm... take the left path."

"Master, is there danger on the right?" Chen Ji asked curiously.

"Danger? Not really, but the divination suggests that I might run into a beggar. As I've gotten older, I've developed more compassion, and seeing one might compel me to give them money, so it's better to take a detour and not see them," the old man explained indifferently.

Chen Ji: "..."

…

…

Inside Zhou Mansion, Jiao Tu crouched on a Taishi Chair, resting her chin on her hands, gazing at the night sky: "So we just let him leave? Because his master knows the Prime Minister?"

"How could that be, the Lord Prime Minister is ruthless and bears grudges easily. Not to mention Doctor Yao's disciple, if he really got in the way of the Prime Minister, even Doctor Yao would have to die."

Jiao Tu sighed, "Alright, do you think that kid could be a Jing Dynasty spy?"

"He definitely is," Yun Yang said with certainty: "Which ordinary apprentice could withstand my silver needles? They would've passed out from pain long ago. Besides, look at his ability to adapt to the situation; that's not something a Medical Hall apprentice could do."

Jiao Tu, puzzled: "Then we still let him go?"

Yun Yang smiled, "If he is indeed a spy, then he must have come tonight to meet and pass messages to Zhou Chengyi. The Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department must also be aware of this. After Zhou Chengyi disappears tonight, and he remains alive, the Military Intelligence Department will surely assume that he betrayed Zhou Chengyi."

Jiao Tu's eyes brightened: "The Jing Dynasty is always severe with traitors; they will certainly send someone to eliminate him. When that time comes, we can capture the person sent to kill him and gain another merit!"

"Exactly!"

After some time, a man dressed in black returned to report: "Lords, following the pattern on the Xuan paper, we located two corresponding Xuan Paper Shops, whose shopkeepers and workers are currently being taken to the Luocheng City inner prison."

Jiao Tu stood up: "I'll go and interrogate them overnight!"

Yun Yang stretched lazily: "Then I shall take care of the corpses. After that, I will head back to rest early."

"First, let's agree on how to split the merits!"

"Of course, fifty-fifty."

"No way."

Yun Yang raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"

Jiao Tu: "I killed nine people tonight, and you only killed six. I was also the one who captured Zhou Chengyi. It should be split sixty-forty, or else don't invite me for future operations."

Yun Yang sighed, "Interpersonal relationships between colleagues can be even harder to deal with than corpses. Alright, sixty-forty it is."

Jiao Tu jumped down from the Taishi Chair and, leading the men in black, walked away in high spirits, leaving only Yun Yang to take care of the aftermath.

After everyone had left, Yun Yang took out about ten palm-sized... leather shadow play figures from his sleeve.

He used the silver needles to pierce the wrists of each corpse, squeezing out drops of fresh blood.

Immediately after, he applied each drop of blood on a silver needle to bring life to the eyes of the leather figures.

The blood seeped into the eyes of the figures, turning them a deep red, as if the figures came alive.

"Done!"

The next moment, all the dead bodies in the yard stood up one by one, expressionless, and followed Yun Yang out of Zhou Mansion.

The procession marched down the street for an unknown length of time when Yun Yang suddenly saw a small beggar, huddling under a straw mat by the roadside, shivering from the cold.

After staring at the small beggar for a while, Yun Yang took out a string of Copper Coins from his sleeve and tossed it onto the ground before leading the group of corpses into the night.