The Azure Mountain

Chapter 119: Defection

Inside Hundred Deer Pavilion, the doors and windows were tightly shut, and the ground was a mess.

A strong smell of traditional Chinese medicine drifted in the room. A ray of sunlight penetrated through the crack in the door, illuminating the dust floating in the air.

Chen Ji looked down at the wooden box in his hand. The ginseng roots were hastily stuffed together and entangled, like a ball of worthless tangled hemp. However, the restless Ice Flow within his body proved that these ginseng roots were genuine and authentic.

He looked up at Jin Zhu: "Lord, do all cultivation pathways require ginseng?"

"Not really," Jin Zhu explained patiently: "Half of the cultivation pathways mastered by our Directorate of Ceremonial don't require ginseng, but the one I am requesting for you requires it."

Chen Ji closed the small wooden box, hugged it in his embrace, and asked absentmindedly: "How is Lord so certain that I can step into a cultivation pathway? What if I lack the potential to be a Practitioner, wouldn't that waste Lord's painstaking efforts?"

Jin Zhu chuckled: "After Meng Ji interrogated you the first time, he wrote in his secret report to the Inner Chancellor that you possessed the potential to be a Practitioner; it even required the use of a Grade A dream. Just put your heart back into your stomach, you are naturally cut out to be a Practitioner."

Chen Ji suddenly realized.

So Jin Zhu had already set his eyes on him back then. No wonder, immediately after Yun Yang and Jiao Tu were imprisoned, the other party came to pay a visit to Taiping Medical Clinic.

Right at this moment, a secret spy pushed the door open and entered. The afternoon sunlight abruptly shone into Hundred Deer Pavilion.Jin Zhu's expression changed: "Are you courting death, coming in at this time for what?"

The black-clothed secret spy knelt on one knee: "Lord, news was sent from the Inner Prison. That Jing Dynasty Si Cao has spoken. He said he has intelligence concerning the Liu family and Prince Jing's Estate that he wants to tell You face to face."

Jin Zhu's expression turned solemn: "We shall set out for the Inner Prison right now!"

Chen Ji looked at Jin Zhu: "Lord, You also haven't slept all night, don't You need to rest for a bit?"

Jin Zhu said solemnly to him: "When the Inner Chancellor grants cultivation pathways, he has always given them layer by layer. Only by becoming a Zodiac of the Top Three Ranks can one obtain a complete cultivation pathway. In the days to come, if you eat meat, I'll drink the soup. As long as there is an opportunity to establish merits, we absolutely cannot miss it!"

"Chen Ji, the Liu family and Prince Jing's Estate are your stairway to the heavens to meteorically rise."

...

...

Inside the swaying carriage, a copper stove baked the air warm, as if bathing in warm water.

Chen Ji hadn't slept all night. Now he finally couldn't hold on anymore, leaning against the carriage wall and groggily falling asleep.

He had a dream.

He dreamed that his identity as a Jing Dynasty spy was exposed, fleeing for his life to the ends of the earth.

On the path of absconding, just as he was about to mix in with a merchant caravan to escape through the Azure Dragon Gate of Chongli Pass, his chest was pierced by an arrow from Tian Ma on top of the city wall.

In the twilight, beneath the towering Chongli Pass, Jin Zhu knelt beside his corpse, overwhelmed with grief and sorrow, begging him not to die...

"Wake up, we're almost there."

"Wake up!"

Chen Ji slowly opened his eyes. He subconsciously touched his chest; there was no scar there.

Sitting opposite him, Jin Zhu smiled and asked: "Had a nightmare?"

Chen Ji responded with an "Mm".

Jin Zhu teased: "Having nightmares is not shameful. Back then, when I had just learned how to kill people, I trembled all over from fear. Unlike you, you seem naturally suited for this line of work."

Chen Ji lifted the curtain, letting the cold air from outside pour in, instantly becoming clear-headed: "How old was Lord when you killed someone for the first time?"

"Ten years old." Jin Zhu's eyes were profound: "Orphans like me, Yun Yang, Jiao Tu, Tian Ma, and Qiu Shu, after being taken in by the Inner Chancellor, would all be sent to the same place. Only after learning how to kill people, and learning to never trust anyone again, could we come out and do things."

"What if one couldn't learn?"

"Those who couldn't learn all died inside."

"What is that place called?"

"We call it Wunian Mountain, a great mountain that one would never miss again after coming out."

Chen Ji asked curiously: "Lord, I heard that Jing Dynasty thieves have hard bones. Why is this Si Cao willing to speak, could there be a trick involved?"

Jin Zhu was amused: "The lower the rank of the spy, the harder their bones. But once they become minor Elite Nobility, understanding that they are nothing more than tools in the hands of major Elite Nobility, their bones turn soft and brittle. Therefore, if a minor spy is caught, I am too lazy to even interrogate them. But characters of the Si Cao level... can be negotiated with."

The carriage slowly came to a stop. Xi Feng knocked on the iron door to open it.

Behind the iron door, from beneath that endless corridor of stairs, came the foul stench, along with curses and wails.

Walking down the stone stairs, Chen Ji saw the prison cells full of prisoners. Some wailed that they were merely foot soldiers acting on orders; some angrily cursed the Eunuch Faction, spitting saliva towards Jin Zhu.

Jin Zhu distanced himself a bit, smiling as he looked at the jailers in the corridor: "You guys have the ability of Letting Spittle Dry On One's Face, this seat definitely doesn't."

The jailers' expressions changed. They immediately drew buckets of icy cold underground river water from the bottom of the Inner Prison, splashing them into the prison cells one by one through the iron bars.

With his hands behind his back, Jin Zhu walked through this hell on earth with a face full of smiles.

Walking deep into the Inner Prison, they solely saw Shopkeeper Yuan with his hands nailed to a wooden rack, head drooping. The fingernails of all ten fingers on his hands had been completely pulled out.

Jin Zhu stopped in front of Shopkeeper Yuan, unhurriedly saying: "If you want to say something, say it quickly. The people of your Hundred Deer Pavilion have all been cleanly caught by me. Even if you don't say it, others will."

Shopkeeper Yuan slowly raised his head, revealing a ferocious glint in his eyes: "How could it be possible for them to know as much as I do? If the matters I know are spoken out, I'm afraid they would allow You to establish extraordinary merits again. But if I speak, what can You give me?"

Jin Zhu's smile was amiable: "I can spare your dog life, is that enough?"

"Not enough," Shopkeeper Yuan said ferociously: "I want the identity of Gyrfalcon in your Secret Spy Division. It must be stamped with the Directorate of Ceremonial's Official Seal, and announced to the Twenty-Four Yamen of the Inner Court via the Imperial Gazette!"

Jin Zhu was very interested: "You truly know how to open your lion's maw. But I can completely just call Meng Ji over; at that time, whatever I want to ask won't be troublesome at all."

Shopkeeper Yuan burst into loud laughter: "I guess Meng Ji is also not omnipotent. If he could continuously interrogate me, why didn't he just interrogate me cleanly by the river? That dreamscape of his inevitably has unknown restrictions. Lord Jin Zhu doesn't need to put on an act. Having been in the Military Intelligence Division for twenty years, I am also someone who has seen great winds and waves; You cannot bluff me! If Meng Ji could truly interrogate me clearly and plainly, I would admit defeat!"

Jin Zhu also wasn't angered, changing the topic: "You definitely also know that to become a Gyrfalcon requires the Inner Chancellor's personal red-ink approval. A carrier pigeon taking a round trip to the Capital City would take half a month. If I waited until then, your accomplices would have long since run away."

Shopkeeper Yuan stared at Jin Zhu: "No need for so much trouble, I can give you some sweet taste first. After I finish speaking, you all will naturally know my value."

This Shopkeeper Yuan, nailed to the rack dripping with fresh blood all over, had an exceptionally clear mind.

Jin Zhu pondered for a moment: "Tell me first so I can hear."

Shopkeeper Yuan panted and said: "Your Secret Spy Division has someone from my Military Intelligence Division lurking inside, and he is right here in Luo City, code name Chang Jing! The news of you all surrounding Red Clothe Lane previously was transmitted out by him!"

Chang Jing.

Chen Ji heard this code name again.

Jin Zhu's pupils slightly contracted: "Chang Jing is in Luo City? What is his identity, what is his real name? If you confess and give him up, I will write a letter to request an imperial edict for you right now!"

Shopkeeper Yuan laughed heartily: "So Lord Jin Zhu has heard of the code name Chang Jing. Who gave up this name? Let me guess, Li Baoyu, Wang Chuan, Tian Ji..."

Chen Ji looked at Jin Zhu. Jin Zhu patiently explained: "Chang Jing has been lurking in our Directorate of Ceremonial for at least eight years, and has repeatedly disrupted our plans. If it weren't for him, we would probably have even caught the Department Head. Jinling, Capital City, Yangzhou, Suzhou... it's as if he can clone himself, he is everywhere."

Chen Ji lowered his head and analyzed: "The secret spies in each city have their respective duties. There aren't many secret spies who can frequently transfer between Jinling, Capital City, and other places. His identity should be very easy to investigate and screen."

Jin Zhu nodded: "But after our investigation, we found that everyone's suspicion was eliminated."

Chen Ji suddenly asked: "Have the Fish-Dragon Guards of the Chief Punishment Division been screened?"

Jin Zhu shook his head: "How could we omit the Chief Punishment Division. After screening, everyone was similarly filtered out. Within the entire Directorate of Ceremonial, there isn't anyone who has simultaneously been to so many places. Under the code name Chang Jing, there should be more than one person."

He looked at Shopkeeper Yuan: "If you give up Chang Jing, I guarantee your position as Gyrfalcon."

Shopkeeper Yuan shook his head: "I also don't know. Chang Jing's status is even higher than mine. This time, if it weren't for him proactively revealing the news of you all surrounding Red Clothe Lane, I wouldn't even know he was in Luo City."

"How do you transmit messages?"

"Hundred Deer Pavilion delivers medicinal ingredients to Fangping Medical Clinic every day. The doctor in the clinic is our person, go catch him."

Jin Zhu said loudly: "Xi Feng, catch the person at Fangping Medical Clinic!"

Having said that, he sized up Shopkeeper Yuan: "Just this little bit of clues is probably not enough to catch Chang Jing. To make me request an imperial edict now, you still have to spit something else out."

Shopkeeper Yuan kept his mouth shut and didn't answer.

Jin Zhu's eyes flashed slightly, and he spoke towards outside the door: "Liu Tiao, quickly let Shopkeeper Yuan down, and bandage his wounds for him!"

Two secret spies supported Shopkeeper Yuan to lie down on a table, meticulously using strong liquor to clean his wounds.

As the strong liquor poured over the wounds, Shopkeeper Yuan instantly let out heart-wrenching cries of pain.

In the dim cell, Jin Zhu took the opportunity to lean in close to the other party's ear and said softly: "I know you want to throw out some small bait to prove your value, but if this is all you know, I also cannot help you."

Shopkeeper Yuan's lips trembled slightly: "I have plenty of things in my stomach. In the future you will know how much use I have. Let me tell you another piece of news: the Military Intelligence Division also has a spy in Prince Jing's Estate. He is specifically responsible for transmitting messages between the big shots of the royal estate and the Military Intelligence Division."

A burst of sharp light exploded in Jin Zhu's eyes: "Who is he?"

Shopkeeper Yuan didn't answer.

Jin Zhu asked urgently again: "Who is that big shot in Prince Jing's Estate? Prince Jing? Consort Yun? Consort Jing? Prince Heir? Commandery Princess?"

Shopkeeper Yuan chuckled: "You go request the imperial edict. Wait until I see the red-ink approved Imperial Gazette of the Inner Court's Twenty-Four Yamen, it won't be too late to tell you then."

Jin Zhu's breathing became slightly heavy, his eyes flickering with surprise and uncertainty. This merit was太大了. If he could help the Inner Chancellor eradicate Prince Jing, Chen Ji would definitely be promoted to Gyrfalcon!

However, in this cell, only Chen Ji knew: Shopkeeper Yuan was bluffing.

If the other party knew his identity, he would have long since given him up by the river. Why wait until now.

But what Chen Ji wasn't certain of was, did Shopkeeper Yuan know Consort Yun's identity?

Right now, Consort Yun was the only flaw in the secret of his identity. If Consort Yun was arrested and brought to justice, he wouldn't be able to run away either.

Jin Zhu's laughter interrupted Chen Ji's thoughts: "I don't believe you. If you are only willing to reveal this little bit of news, then you should still just die in the Inner Prison."

Shopkeeper Yuan suddenly spoke up: "Let me gift you a piece of news. I know the Liu family is going to do a major deed tonight. They are going to drive Zhang Zhuo and Chen Liqin completely out of Yuzhou, taking back the positions of Luo City Prefect and Luo City Vice-Prefect."

(End of Chapter)