Qingshan

Chapter 59 : Chapter 59

Chapter 59: Kill the Division Officer

In the dim apprentice dormitory, only two oil lamps were lit.

I lay on the communal bed, wearing clean clothes with white cloth wrapped around my chest and thigh. The entire apprentice dormitory was filled with the smell of Chinese medicine.

Such a strong medicinal smell was like the breath of dying.

But I had no time to think about these things. I'd been unconscious for a day and night—enough time for too many things to happen.

Before I lost consciousness, Jinzhu's Ning Dynasty Secret Spy Division had already found eyewitnesses and was investigating in the direction of Wu Hongbiao's escape.

Now that I wasn't yet arrested, there were two possibilities: either the Secret Spy Division's investigation was slow, and with few pedestrians on the rainy night, they hadn't found new eyewitnesses and hadn't caught Wu Hongbiao yet; or Wu Hongbiao had already been taken to the Inner Prison but hadn't yet given me up.

If it was the former, I still had room to salvage things. But if it was the latter, I couldn't very well storm the Inner Prison to rescue or silence him, could I?

Moreover, even if Wu Hongbiao hadn't been caught.

I was severely injured, and Wu Hongbiao was severely injured too. I had someone to treat me, but Wu Hongbiao had no one to treat him.

Never mind treatment—he was hiding in the cloth shop's rear courtyard without even a bite to eat...

Just as I was pondering, Princess Baili turned to rinse a towel in the water basin in the room, then wrung it dry and placed it on my forehead, replacing the previous one.

She even rinsed the replaced towel once more, lifted my arm, and wiped my underarm to cool me down.

"Uh, Princess, what are you doing?" I was extremely surprised.

"You still have a fever," Princess Baili glared at She Dakang and Liu Quxing. "Two grown men who can't even do small tasks properly. Your master told them to put towels on you to cool you down, but they don't even know to wring the towels dry—just plastering them on your face. They don't even know to change the cloth wrapped around your wounds."

She Dakang and Liu Quxing hung their heads awkwardly: "We've always done it this way before."

Baili said: "That's still no excuse to be so careless. How can you look after a sick person like this!"

The Prince sighed emotionally: "Baili, you still shouldn't be doing these things..."

Baili glared at him too: "At Donglin Academy, when the teachers didn't let us bring servants and you got sick, didn't I look after you this way?"

"But Chen Ji is an outsider after all," the Prince grew anxious. "If word of this got out, how would you get married?"

"Get married?" Princess Baili furrowed her brows. "I'll just stay by Father and Mother's side. Why do I have to get married? I'm baffled—starting last year, all of you keep talking about marriage, marriage. Why must I get married?"

Liang Gou'er said from the side quietly: "Because everyone should have their own retribution..."

The Prince: "..."

Baili: "..."

Liang Mao'er quickly covered his mouth and pulled him into the courtyard: "Brother, please shut up."

I lay on the bed looking at Baili in white robes. In the middle of the night, she went with her brother to Red Cloth Lane, to gambling dens, befriending martial world people—she acted as if she stood tall and upright, like a heroine who did things decisively without being constrained.

She Dakang, seeing the awkward atmosphere in the room, quickly said: "I'll go make something for Chen Ji to eat. Are you all hungry? I'll make more so everyone can eat together."

Liang Gou'er rushed back into the room and raised his hand: "Cured meat! I saw cured meat in the kitchen."

Liang Mao'er also followed bashfully: "I'll just have some pickles and drink a little porridge."

The Prince said thoughtfully: "Tofu. Pan-fried tofu."

I said: "Hey, wait... You all haven't mentioned a word about what I want to eat."

She Dakang explained with a smile: "Chen Ji, I'm going to cook porridge and steam egg custard for you. Master said after being unconscious so long, you can't eat other things."

After She Dakang left to cook, I looked at the side doubtfully: "Prince and Princess, why are you here?"

The Prince explained cheerfully: "We were planning to go out and play tonight. After climbing in, we didn't see you—only saw Liu Quxing and She Dakang carrying water basins back and forth. Originally, not seeing you could save us the toll fee, but Baili insisted on giving you the toll, so she asked Liu Quxing where you were. Only then did we learn you were severely injured. Then Baili said we wouldn't go out to play and stayed to see if there was anything we could help with."

Baili turned to look at me doubtfully: "Chen Ji, what kind of villain injured you? The criminal is too arrogant—daring to commit violence within Luocheng territory... I thought Luocheng was very peaceful."

She Dakang said sullenly: "Princess, Luocheng isn't peaceful at night, especially West Market. That's where human traffickers hang around—every one of them vicious. You mustn't go there."

Baili frowned: "When Father returns, I must tell him about this. We must make Luocheng bright and clear!"

The Prince said to everyone with a smile: "My sister has had a heart for justice since childhood. She can't stand seeing us do unjust things. We steal two watermelons from someone and she can lecture us for a whole day—won't let it go until we go back and put down twenty copper coins."

Baili rolled her eyes: "People worked hard growing watermelons for months, and you steal them—you're still in the right? Don't talk this nonsense. Chen Ji, do you still remember what the person who injured you looked like, where he is? I'll have General Wang go capture him!"

Liang Mao'er also quickly said: "No need for General Wang. My brother can do it—one slash and he's dead!"

I lay on the bed and shook my head with a smile: "Thank you all, thank you Princess. The person who injured me has already been brought to justice."

Princess Baili nodded: "That's good then."

At this moment, the small apprentice dormitory was packed full of people, looking extremely crowded. Everyone talked over each other chaotically.

However, Taiping Clinic's rear courtyard had never gathered so many people before, and never had so many people cared about me. This chaotic environment actually made me feel a trace of... warmth.

As we talked, Old Man Yao came in with his hands behind his back, face dark.

Seeing the crowded room, he immediately drove everyone out: "Do what you're supposed to do. Prince and Princess, you shouldn't linger here either. Return to the Prince's Manor first. Chen Ji needs rest."

The Prince originally wanted to quickly take Baili away. Hearing this, he immediately stood up to take his leave: "What Physician Yao says is reasonable. We'll head back now... Chen Ji, we'll come see you again tomorrow morning!"

I smiled and replied: "Thank you, Prince and Princess."

Old Man Yao glanced at me, then turned to everyone in the room: "Liang Gou'er, Liang Mao'er, you two wait in the courtyard first. I have something to say to Chen Ji. Liu Quxing, you go help in the kitchen too. Don't come in unless I call you."

......

......

Once the room was empty, Old Man Yao completely stopped giving me a kind face, and I felt too guilty to speak.

The two of us were silent. Even the oil lamp's flame grew shorter.

A long time later, Old Man Yao asked in a grave voice: "Who's that person in the cloth shop? Since you wanted to kill him, why did you spare him?"

My heart tightened. Master actually knew even this!

Old Man Yao said meaningfully: "Still planning to hide it? Why don't you ask whether Jinzhu caught him or not?"

I immediately became honest and looked up asking: "Master, how is he now?"

Old Man Yao stood beside the communal bed with his hands behind his back, sneering: "Early this morning, the Secret Spy Division already found new witnesses and was investigating in this direction. In just a few more hours they would search the cloth shop. While that cloth shop boy was unconscious, I stripped off his bloody clothes and threw them in an alley outside West Market. Spies stationed there discovered the bloody clothes. Now they've surrounded West Market and are investigating house by house inside."

So it was Master who helped me divert the Secret Spy Division!

This Old Man Yao said we needn't have master-disciple affection, but in the end he still acted.

But what made me feel strange was that although we were master and disciple, although Old Man Yao was somewhat cold on the outside but warm inside, the feelings between us hadn't reached the point where he would oppose the Secret Spy Division for my sake, had they?

I always felt something was odd, as if there were other hidden circumstances to this matter.

Seeing I didn't speak, Old Man Yao sneered: "The scene you forged fooled Jinzhu but couldn't fool me. Crow watched you nearly throw your life away and rushed back to call me to save you. If not for it, you'd be a corpse in the Inner Prison right now. Still not planning to talk? This divination shows you're in great danger."

I sighed in my heart. In the end, I still chose to reveal my secret: "Master, I'm not only working for the Ning Dynasty's Secret Spy Division—I'm also working for the Jing Dynasty's Military Intelligence Division."

Old Man Yao raised his eyebrows: "I know this. Tell me something I don't know."

"Huh?" I was stunned. "You know this too?"

Old Man Yao scoffed: "You think you hid it so well? Want me to recite what you discussed with Consort Yun?"

I was completely dumbfounded.

I really couldn't figure out how Master knew about this. There was no crow present at the time...

Wait.

That persimmon tree in Flying Cloud Courtyard... When I was talking with Consort Yun, although there was no one in the courtyard, magpies were pecking at persimmons on the tree, and magpies kept landing and flying away at the gate!

If Dark Cloud could communicate with all cats, then Crow could likewise communicate with all birds.

Did magpies have intelligence? Of course they did. Magpies ranked in the top five for intelligence among birds. Not only could they remember over a thousand food storage locations, they could also clearly categorize food. Their intelligence even exceeded many mammals.

Seeing my eyes flicker, Old Man Yao sneered: "How many years have I been cultivating on the Mountain Lord path? How many days have you been cultivating? You think you can hide from me?"

"Then why didn't you teach me earlier?"

Old Man Yao said painfully: "Did you give me time to teach you? How long has it been since I led you to obtain dragon energy, and you've already stirred up so many problems?!"

I hesitated: "Then as a Ning Dynasty person, after discovering I'm working for the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Division, aren't you angry?"

Old Man Yao shook his head: "I don't want to explain this matter. You'll understand later. First talk about your situation. What's going on with that person in the cloth shop?"

Seeing he didn't seem to care about my spy identity, I simply chose to tell him everything: "The person in the cloth shop is named Wu Hongbiao. He was sent by my uncle from Jing Dynasty. He taught me spy knowledge and was my partner. My uncle is some big figure in Jing Dynasty. Currently he's failed in political struggles, and his opponent 'Lu Guanwu' is secretly eliminating his subordinates. Wu Hongbiao happened to be on the elimination list. He came to the cloth shop to tip me off and warn me to be careful of danger."

Old Man Yao fell into contemplation.

I asked: "Master, what should I do now?"

Old Man Yao said irritably: "Why ask me? How long are you going to make me clean up after your messes?"

"Is Wu Hongbiao still alive?"

"I wouldn't know."

"After you stripped off his bloody clothes in this cold weather, did you give him other clothes to wear?"

"No, that's not my concern."

"Then did you get him some food..."

"None of my business."

I suddenly sat up from the bed: "This is bad!"

Poor Wu Hongbiao!

Old Man Yao scoffed: "Shouldn't you be thanking me? If he just dies like this, you can comfortably put away your woman's kindness. Rest assured—even if he dies, it wasn't you who killed him. It was me."

So Master wanted to drag Wu Hongbiao to death directly.

I said seriously: "Master, this isn't woman's kindness."

Having said that, I struggled to get up wanting to go out, but I quickly calmed down and sat back on the bed: "No, I have to wait until everyone's asleep."

Old Man Yao scoffed and walked out: "At least you're not completely stupid... I advise you not to get too tangled up with that Wu Hongbiao. I read his palm—his lifeline is short and compact, looks quite cute. Getting tangled up with him won't end well."

I: "..."

Master, you stripped off someone else's clothes and even read their palm in passing?

......

......

Late at night, snoring rose and fell in the apprentice dormitory. I quietly got up and struggled to put on my clothes.

With any large movement, the wounds were pulled, causing cold sweat to break out on my forehead, but I didn't dare make a sound.

I carefully limped out the door. In the courtyard, Crow was standing on the apricot tree branch with eyes closed, resting, as if merging with the apricot tree.

Seeing me come out, it opened its eyes and watched quietly.

Under the moonlight, silver radiance fell on its body, actually producing iridescent colors, as if draping it in a divine garment.

I said seriously: "Uncle Crow, thank you."

The old man said Crow had followed him cultivating for fifty-three years. Calling him Uncle Crow was appropriate. But this was the first time Crow had heard someone address him this way, so he examined me somewhat curiously.

I said with a slight smile: "Master said if not for you, I would have died yesterday. I have to go out for a bit now. If you notice anything unusual, please let me know. I'll be right next door in the cloth shop."

Crow was silent for a moment, then waved its wings, indicating I should go ahead without worry.

I took a set of clothes from the wardrobe, grabbed four coarse grain pancakes from the kitchen, filled a bamboo tube with clean water, stuffed some cnidium seeds in my chest, then walked out of the clinic.

My injuries were extremely severe. I could only lean against the wall, pressing against the shadows between buildings, moving forward bit by bit while staggering.

In just one hundred meters, the sweat my body produced from pain felt like I'd just run five kilometers. The wound on my thigh split open again, blood once more soaking through my pants.

I gritted my teeth and climbed over the wall into the cloth shop's rear courtyard. I saw Dark Cloud hiding in the shadows, guarding the main room's door.

Seeing me in this state, Dark Cloud immediately meowed: "What happened to you? Who hurt you?!"

I leaned against the wall panting to rest, smiling bitterly: "Let's not talk about that first. Is Wu Hongbiao still inside?"

Dark Cloud answered: "Still inside. Most of the time he's unconscious. Even when awake, he doesn't plan to escape—seems to have been waiting for you."

I fell silent. At one moment I also hoped Wu Hongbiao had been acting before, so I could kill him without any psychological burden and eliminate future troubles forever.

"Did he eat anything today?" I asked curiously.

Dark Cloud said: "While he was unconscious, I caught a few mice and threw them beside him. He wasn't picky either—when he woke up, he used his knife to skin them and ate the meat from the mouse legs and backs raw."

I looked into the room. The floor was covered in blood, with three skinned mouse corpses thrown to the side.

"How did he drink water?"

Dark Cloud explained: "When he got thirsty, he went to the courtyard and cupped the accumulated water from the ground to drink."

I knew Wu Hongbiao wanted to live. His will to survive exceeded ordinary people—no wonder he could survive until today under pursuit.

"Dark Cloud, has he seen you?"

"He hasn't."

"Good."

I walked into the room. Wu Hongbiao, who had been sleeping, suddenly opened his eyes. Seeing it was me, he relaxed and smiled bitterly: "I thought you'd already met with disaster... Though you don't look much better off than me."

I threw the food, medicine, and clothing to Wu Hongbiao and got straight to the point: "Which one is the Division Officer who wants to kill you?"

"Which one?" Wu Hongbiao was shivering from cold and quickly put on the clothes. "There's only one Division Officer."

I asked: "Is it the one wearing a blue-fanged demon mask, skilled with knives, with patches sewn on the elbows of his clothes?"

"That's right, it's him."

I had already been eighty percent certain in my heart—more than one person was definitely playing the role of Division Officer behind that name.

The shopkeeper of Hundred Deer Pavilion was one, the one with the blue-fanged demon mask was another. Currently, it seemed the one who wanted to kill Wu Hongbiao and me was the knife-wielder...

"How long have you worked with this Division Officer?" I asked.

Wu Hongbiao sat up with difficulty, leaning against the wall and gnawing on a coarse grain pancake: "I worked with him for about four years. I've never seen his true face—only know that in Jing Dynasty he was called Li Xilong. But when I came to Ning Dynasty, I heard your uncle mention this person was his old subordinate and would look after you and me."

"Then why does he still want to kill you?"

Wu Hongbiao was choked by the coarse grain pancake. He took the bamboo tube I handed him and drank a big gulp of water before giving his speculation: "I guess he probably just received news from Jing Dynasty. Before, your uncle was only stripped of his Left Assistant Administrator position in the Central Secretariat but still let him continue as Military Strategy Commissioner. Now even Military Strategy Commissioner has been removed and replaced by his former political enemy Lu Guanwu. So Li Xilong, to keep his Division Officer position, has completely turned toward Lu Guanwu and plans to use you and me as his pledge of allegiance."

I thought to myself that keeping Wu Hongbiao had indeed not disappointed me. His position in the Military Intelligence Division wasn't low—he knew many secrets.

Li Xilong...

I leaned against the main room's door frame, my expression somewhat weary.

I had already sensed danger approaching. Now that they couldn't find Wu Hongbiao, they would definitely seek an opportunity to act against me.

I looked at Wu Hongbiao sitting on the ground: "How's your body?"

Wu Hongbiao patted his chest: "I have a cultivation path—I won't die."

"You don't seem that impressive though..."

"You little punk need another beating," Wu Hongbiao cursed: "Yesterday I was severely injured, plus that son of a bitch Li Xilong stuck me. Though my merit was enough, he never gave me the next level cultivation path."

"What are your plans next?" I asked curiously.

Wu Hongbiao said: "I plan to return to Jing Dynasty. I must hurry back to beg your uncle to save my sister. I must help your uncle make a comeback. I must hurry back..."

The room fell silent. Moonlight from behind cast shadows, stretching my shadow long across the room.

After a long silence, I looked straight at Wu Hongbiao and said: "I'm sorry, but you can't leave yet."

"Stay for what?"

"To kill the Division Officer."

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