Green Mountain

Chapter 809 - 656: Yao An

The sky was turning dark.

Chen Ji was wearing a bamboo hat, with his head down, leaning against the eaves on Xuanwu Gate Street, quietly watching the pedestrians come and go.

The sunlight sank behind the ridge beasts of the Xuanwu Gate tower, the last bit of light leaking through the crenels, painting half of his body in pale gold, while the other half was shadowed in black.

Until the darkness engulfed him, the evening drum sounded from the gate tower.

A peddler carrying a pole walked over from the north, the wooden box on the pole already empty, hurrying to leave the inner city before the drumming ceased. In the alley, a woman shouted the name of a child, summoning them home to eat, as the child clutched a little stone they’d picked up from somewhere and ran home.

The street was filled with people returning home, but Chen Ji had a home he couldn’t return to.

Across from the Zhang Mansion, disguised Jiefan Guards were sitting inside the grain and oil shop, and even the small alley next to the Zhang Mansion was guarded by Jiefan Guards.

Suddenly, Chen Ji lowered his head, pressing the bamboo hat even lower, until a few people returning home passed by, when he slightly lifted his head.

The stories of the Mountain Lord Sect’s Scripture spread throughout the Imperial Capital in a single day, the Spy Department searched the inns and taverns city-wide looking for Military Intelligence Department spies, while the Jiefan Guards changed into civilian clothes to secretly capture him throughout the city.

Li Dongyan’s reaction was more intense than Chen Ji had imagined. Facing an Official Gateway capable of swallowing the Dynasty’s fortune, the Jiefan Guards would rather make a mistaken kill than let it go.

Chen Ji looked at the distant Zhang family’s doorway, where Nuanchun was on tiptoe under the Zhang Mansion’s plaque, looking left and right, yet not seeing anyone coming home.

He suddenly realized that this might be the result his senior brother Yao An wanted.

To resolve this matter now, he must find his senior brother... But where could he be? To guess where he might be, he must first guess his intentions.

Chen Ji closed his eyes, pondering where his senior brother had disappeared to for so many years.

Jing Dynasty.

To advance to the Seeking Dao Realm, one must be close to the power center; if he’s not in the Ning Dynasty Capital City, he must be in the Jing Dynasty Shangjing City.

His senior brother’s return to the capital undoubtedly came upon hearing news of the impending deaths of Mr. Qi and Official Xu. Such a person with greed in his heart would never miss the Dynastic fortune carried by the two First-Rank Ministers, which is only a line away from Prince Jing and the Empress.

But as a veteran of the Military Intelligence Department, he certainly has other targets in the Ning Dynasty. What could these targets be?

Scenes flashed chaotically in Chen Ji’s mind: three letters, a box of gunpowder, the corpse of the Hospital Director, a discarded brush on the ground, Zhang Qian’s appearance... All clues related to his senior brother’s appearance and departure.

Suddenly, the scenes in Chen Ji’s mind freeze on a wooden box, inside which is stuffed a worn cloth tiger.

Chen Ji suddenly opened his eyes, guessing where his senior brother might go.

Just then, a Zhang family carriage passed in front, and Xiao Man complained while driving the carriage: "The young master truly is something, insisting he would return soon, yet leaving us waiting in the teahouse all day."

At this point, Xiao Man turned, sighing: "I wonder if the young master had lunch; it’s bad for one’s health to skip meals when busy. And those damned rumors, I wonder if they’ll affect the young master, damn the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department, why are they against the young master, the young master hasn’t even had a child with Sister Axia yet."

Chen Ji listened to Xiao Man’s complaints, watching as the carriage stopped in front of the Zhang Mansion.

Once the little monk and Xiao Man entered the mansion, he saw Treasure Monkey climb out of the carriage and walk towards the north.

Almost passing by Chen Ji’s side, a voice came from under the mask, belonging to Changsheng: "Why rush back to the Eagle House Office? Let’s go for a drink."

Qi Xiao said quietly: "Not impossible. Let’s find an alley to remove the mask and go to the Outer City; wearing this mask every day is suffocating. I heard a new tavern opened east of the Glass Factory, called Liuquan Inn, which uses sweet water from under willow trees to brew outstanding rice wine."

Yu Yuan objected: "Nannan is still young; she shouldn’t touch wine. It’s bad for her."

Treasure Monkey calmly replied: "Business is important, and during these days, Jing Dynasty traitors wreak havoc in the capital, and Lord Bai Long is short of hands."

Changsheng: "Oh."

Qi Xiao: "Oh."

Chen Ji listened to the chatter from under Treasure Monkey’s mask, and when they passed by, he whispered, "Follow me."

Upon hearing this, Treasure Monkey paused before following Chen Ji into the alley.

Yu Yuan curiously asked: "Where has Lord Binghu gone today? We waited in the teahouse for a long time."

Changsheng whispered: "Why are we being so secretive, where are we going?"

Chen Ji didn’t answer, cautiously avoiding the main roads, twisting and turning through the alleys, arriving at Nianzi Alley behind Chessboard Street. Suddenly, a cat meowed from the rooftop, and he stopped at the alley entrance, retreating step by step into the shadows under the eaves.

Moments later, two strong men passed through the alley entrance, dressed in coarse linen but with foot-long short knives hidden in their sleeves.

Jiefan Guard.

After they had been gone for some time, Chen Ji continued forward.

Treasure Monkey had stayed in the teahouse all day, unaware of what occurred: "Lord, is the Jiefan Guard capturing you? What happened today?"

Chen Ji said calmly: "Mr. Qi has passed."

Changsheng exclaimed in surprise, "You did the killing?"

Chen Ji glanced back at him sidelong, "It was the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department that assassinated."

Changsheng responded with an ’oh’, "Then why is Jiefan Guard taking you?"

Chen Ji continued on his way, "They slandered me publicly, claiming it’s my senior brother. Moreover, Li Dongyan wants to imprison me in the inner prison to investigate the Mountain Lord Sect’s Scripture."

Changsheng’s voice was sharp and thin, "Li Dongyan is not someone to mess with. When I was promoted to Jiefan Guard Thousand Households, he had just been promoted to Common Households, and he managed to subdue all the various factions in the capital, leaving them with no head to lift. The Beggar Guild was exterminated by him, and some southern chieftains of the Outer City were forced to flee south."

Changsheng continued, "Speaking of which, the rule for out-of-town wanderers entering the capital to pay respects to the Three Mountains Association was initially set by him. I intervened at that time, asking if he had taken silver from the Three Mountains Association. He said Jianghu matters end in Jianghu, he had no time to deal with small fry, as long as the Three Mountains Association was handled. At the time, the capital was surprisingly peaceful for quite a while, and both Heji and Furui Xiang remained at peace until he left for Taiyuan, then trouble returned."

Qi Xiao sneered, "Always boasting about your Jiefan Guard Thousand Households, but in the end, weren’t you climbed over? When you were Thousand Households, he was Common Households; he’s now promoted to Commander, and you’re still Thousand Households."

Changsheng, enraged, retorted, "What is a defeatist like you saying?"

"Quiet," Treasure Monkey looked at Chen Ji, "Sir, where are we headed now?"

At that moment, Chen Ji stopped at the entrance of an alley, "Here we are."

Treasure Monkey looked around and suddenly realized they had arrived at Shaojiu Alley.

Chen Ji walked to the residence door that Emperor Ning had given him, a house reclaimed by the Inner Court, originally thought to be empty, yet Treasure Monkey clearly heard the sound of cooking oil frying within.

The courtyard gate was not tightly closed, and the aroma of food leaked from the gaps.

Changsheng whispered, "Vinegar Sautéed Cabbage, Pot-stewed Tofu."

Dishes that Old Yao loved to cook in a courtyard that he lived in for decades were also where Senior Yao An spent over ten years of his life.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Ji slowly pushed open the courtyard door.

Gripping the Whale Blade, he quietly watched inside, where a middle-aged scholar-like man sat beside a stone table, reading a medical book in dim light.

The middle-aged scholar, with gray at his temples, did not appear old.

His cheekbones were slightly high, jaw slender, wearing a plain silver hairpin, and dressed in a faded old Daoist robe.

His fingers holding the book were long, nails trimmed neatly, not a speck of dust in the finger gaps, unlike a Military Intelligence Department Chief, more like a teaching master.

Only the few old scars on his wrist, dense like a spider web, extend into the sleeve shadows.

The middle-aged scholar looked up with a smile, "Junior Brother is indeed wise, how did you think of finding here?"

As their eyes met, Chen Ji’s heart suddenly skipped a beat, as if stalked by a tiger.

Heart palpitations?

That feeling, identical to the first time they locked eyes with Old Yao, but Chen Ji’s heart suddenly shocked.

No, that’s wrong!

He already experienced a palpitating moment on the main street that day, why does he feel palpitations again seeing this Senior Brother?

Could it be because he saw Chang Ghost earlier and since they are human, gazing at Chang Ghost would cause heart palpitations?

While pondering, a young man carried dishes out from the kitchen, like a servant, placing two plates on the table.

The young man, wearing a cross-collar long robe, had a faint knife scar visible below the neck extending into the collar, similar to the scar on Zhang Qian’s chest.

This young man, could he also be a Chang Ghost?

How many Chang Ghosts can this Senior Brother employ?

The young man glanced at Chen Ji, turned and went back into the kitchen to serve rice. That glance did not cause palpitations.

Chen Ji felt insecure; if this was his first time meeting Senior Brother today, then who was he meeting on the main street?

Not good!

Yao An put down his book, glanced at the Treasure Monkey behind Chen Ji, smiled and said, "Why is Junior Brother hesitating at the door? Inviting Treasure Monkey as a helper should lend some confidence. Come in and eat together."

Chen Ji pondered for a moment, then sat opposite Yao An, gripping the Whale Blade.

Yao An asked curiously, "How did Junior Brother find this place?"

Chen Ji remained expressionless, "The cloth tiger. If Senior Brother kept an old item for twenty years, he must be sentimental. Returning to one’s homeland, he would want to revisit."

Yao An clapped and praised, "Though not difficult to guess, this foolish brother still looks at you with admiration."