The Azure Mountain

Chapter 71: Farewell

The morning sun was warm and bright. Chen Ji asked Liang Mao'er and She Dengke to carry him and his bamboo chair into the clinic's main hall.

Old Yao was examining patients, She Dengke and Liang Mao'er were measuring out medicines, and Chen Ji simply sat there watching — as though trying to engrave the sunlight streaming through the doorway and the everyday bustle of Anxi Street into his memory.

If he went to the Jing Dynasty, it would be nearly impossible to return until both his Sword Seed Path and Mountain Lord Path reached the Path-Seeking Realm.

Liu Quxing came back to the clinic in high spirits, carrying pork, lamb, fish, a basket of vegetables, and a jug of osmanthus rice wine from Old Xue's tavern.

Old Yao was sitting behind the counter taking a patient's pulse. Seeing Liu Quxing come in loaded with supplies, he muttered: "Did you sell your brain? Since when are you this flush?"

Liu Quxing: "...Master, what are you saying? Chen Ji gave me money to go buy all this. He says he wants to cook a meal for everyone at noon."

Old Yao paused, then turned to look at Chen Ji with a puzzled expression.

Liu Quxing set everything down in front of Chen Ji and rattled off the prices like beans from a bamboo tube: "Pork was forty-one wen per half kilo today, lamb thirty-four wen per half kilo, the fish was fifty-two wen a piece..."

Then he pulled a string of copper coins from his sleeve: "And here's your change. I didn't pocket a single wen."

Chen Ji took the coins with a smile: "Thanks for doing the shopping, Senior Brother."Liu Quxing was all grins: "I'll haul everything to the kitchen and start prepping the vegetables."

She Dengke asked curiously: "Chen Ji, how come you suddenly want to treat everyone to a meal? Something good happen?"

"Nothing special," Chen Ji answered with a smile. "While I've been laid up these past few days, everyone's been taking such good care of me. You and Senior Brother Liu changed my bandages, Brother Mao'er carried me everywhere, and Master examined me and prescribed medicine. Treating everyone to dinner is the least I can do."

In truth, if he could have, Chen Ji would have loved to buy Liu Quxing one of those tasseled corrugated hats from Li's shop, She Dengke a silk outfit, Liang Mao'er a box of pastries from Zhengxin Studio, and Old Yao a brand-new bamboo chair.

But he was leaving tomorrow evening — heading to the distant Jing Dynasty. There was no time.

Chen Ji suddenly said: "Oh, by the way — some of the clinic's roof tiles have been pushed up by grass growing through them. Probably bird droppings landed on the roof and undigested seeds sprouted into willow saplings. Those saplings are really bad for the roof. If they're not pulled out soon, we'll have leaks come springtime."

"Our windows need fresh paper too, otherwise they'll be drafty in winter. And you two, your cotton quilts should be taken out and refluffed, or they won't keep you warm."

Old Yao eyed him suspiciously: "Why are you suddenly fussing about all this, like you're settling your affairs? Relax — that little scratch of yours isn't going to kill you."

Chen Ji smiled and said nothing more. He was afraid that if he kept going, someone would catch on.

Just then, Old Yao picked up a prescription: "Someone needs to take these two doses of medicine to Squire Wang on Guangle Street. Any volunteers?"

She Dengke raised his hand: "I'll go, Master. Guangle Street's a bit far, and I've got the legs for it."

"Go on, then."

Chen Ji braced himself on the armrests of his bamboo chair and slowly rose. He rolled his sleeves up to his forearms and shuffled into the kitchen, where he sat beside Liu Quxing to help clean vegetables.

Liu Quxing grinned: "It's only natural for fellow disciples to look after each other. You really didn't have to spend all this. Where did you get the money, anyway — from your family?"

"The princess gave it to me."

Liu Quxing smacked his lips: "The princess really is a good person. Nothing like the usual nobles."

"What are nobles usually like?" Chen Ji asked.

"They look at you from way up high, like you're an ant," Liu Quxing said with feeling. "Years ago, my parents and I attended Old Master Liu's birthday banquet. Officials and dignitaries packed the place — some had come all the way from the capital, from Jinling, from the Hu region. You should have seen it — the carriages lined up outside the Liu family compound stretched for several kilometers."

Liu Quxing went on: "My father was just a minor clerk in Mengjin county. He got some respect there, but at the Liu compound, nobody even looked at him. They seated us at the servants' table. And you know what? Even the servants of those nobles wouldn't give us a proper glance. You don't truly understand that people are divided into tiers until you've stood in a place like that."

"Never thought about sitting for the imperial examinations? You're so diligent with medicine -- surely you could handle the Confucian classics."

Liu Quxing laughed: "The examination path isn't for small families. Those tutors at the academies serve food to match your station. If you only pay the base tuition, you get the most basic lessons. But if you regularly bring gifts of rice, flour, and cash, then you get invited to the tutor's private home for the real instruction!"

Chen Ji fell silent.

Liu Quxing shook his head with a smile: "Rather than hand those people dozens of silver taels, I'd rather cling to Master's coattails and earn my way to becoming a court physician. Then when I run into those academy tutors again, I'll 'accidentally' stick them with a few extra acupuncture needles!"

Chen Ji laughed.

Perhaps the reason he'd grown reluctant to leave was precisely because of people like Liu Quxing — a bit streetwise, a bit endearing.

Chen Ji looked at Liu Quxing, head bent over the vegetables, and said: "Senior Brother Liu, I'm sure you'll become a great court physician someday. Things will really look up for you."

"I'll take those good wishes," Liu Quxing said. "...So what are you making for lunch?"

"Pork stew with vermicelli, steamed sea bass, braised mutton with scallions, and braised eggplant. Plus a big pot of steamed white rice. How does that sound?"

Liu Quxing gulped: "Sounds incredible!"

......

......

Just then, She Dengke came running back into the clinic, shouting: "Master, Master! Help me, quick — a pickpocket on the street slashed my arm open with a blade!"

Everyone looked and saw She Dengke's sleeve sliced clean apart — a long cut running from wrist to elbow, the fabric in tatters, blood streaming down.

Old Yao tore the clothing open around the wound, revealing a deep gash of parted flesh. His face darkened instantly: "What kind of pickpocket is this vicious? Stealing is one thing, but mangling someone like this?!"

As he spoke, a carriage pulled up outside the clinic. Shopkeeper Yuan hopped down and strolled in with his usual smile, carrying two bags of pastries.

Shopkeeper Yuan was dressed in bright red satin, wearing a golden-crested cap, radiating wealth.

He set the pastries on the counter, clasped his hands with a grin, and said: "Physician Yao, I've come to visit Chen Ji again. Is he doing any better today?"

Physician Yao gave him an icy glance and responded flatly: "Chen Ji's in the courtyard. Go see for yourself."

Shopkeeper Yuan walked straight through to the rear courtyard, lifted the hem of his robe, and sat down on a stool facing Chen Ji.

Chen Ji was peeling the outer layer from a scallion. Without looking up, he asked calmly: "She Dengke's wound — your doing?"

Shopkeeper Yuan smiled: "I told you to contact that person in the estate, but yesterday you didn't so much as step outside or send me a message. I said you had one day. Since you've decided to test my patience, I had to show you what happens when you do."

Chen Ji tossed the scallion to the ground and looked Shopkeeper Yuan dead in the eye: "What if I still refuse to make contact?"

Shopkeeper Yuan picked up the discarded scallion, peeled it layer by layer down to the innermost core, then gently snapped it in two: "Starting today, for every day you don't make contact, one person in Taiping Medical Clinic dies. When they're all dead and you still haven't done it — you die too."

Chen Ji said nothing.

As things stood, Liang Gou'er refused to go up against the Secret Spy Division. Liang Mao'er, for all his innate divine strength, couldn't guard against a spy's covert attack.

If Shopkeeper Yuan truly committed to pressuring him, making Taiping Medical Clinic lose one person per day was no idle threat.

Moreover, the instant Shopkeeper Yuan detected any sign that Chen Ji was defecting or leaking information to the Secret Spy Division, those three operatives watching the clinic would immediately move to silence everyone.

Chen Ji spoke firmly: "I told you — I'm severely wounded. I can barely move. How am I supposed to contact that person in the estate?"

Shopkeeper Yuan lowered his voice and spoke with intensity: "Do you have any idea how many of our Jing Dynasty border soldiers have been killed by the Ning Dynasty's firearms? How many Military Intelligence Division agents have given their lives, one after another, to obtain these blueprints and formulas? We're one final step away — how can it all be delayed because of one person?"

A sudden realization struck Chen Ji. That rainy night when Shopkeeper Yuan had visited the clinic and Jin Zhu had stumbled in on them —

Shopkeeper Yuan could have killed him right then and there. The reason he hadn't wasn't out of mercy — it was because he feared that if Chen Ji died, the second delivery of goods would be jeopardized!

The moment all the goods were delivered, Shopkeeper Yuan would absolutely kill him!

Shopkeeper Yuan stared at Chen Ji, dropped the broken scallion halves on the ground, and said: "I've said what needs to be said. The sooner we get this shipment, the sooner our Jing Dynasty can begin manufacturing these Ning Dynasty firearms. Our brave border soldiers die heroic deaths on the frontier — and we who serve in the Ning Dynasty must be willing to lay down our lives just the same."

After a moment of silence, Chen Ji replied: "Understood. I'll contact that person in the estate as soon as possible. I'll have the time and location for the second delivery by midnight tomorrow."

Shopkeeper Yuan smiled with satisfaction. He stood and patted Chen Ji on the shoulder: "That's more like it. By the way, I left some Zhengxin Studio pastries on the counter — don't forget to eat them. Once this is done, I'll promote you to Pigeon rank. Our dynasty never shortchanges those who serve with distinction."

With that, he swaggered out of the clinic. Chen Ji sat alone in the courtyard, sinking into bottomless silence.

It was no longer just a question of when and where to make the delivery. Once he left, Shopkeeper Yuan would certainly not spare the people around him either.

Shopkeeper Yuan wouldn't show mercy, and neither would Jin Zhu. The intelligence agencies of both dynasties had been locked in a bloody struggle for years — their hearts had long since hardened to iron. The lives of ordinary people meant nothing to them.

In their eyes, human life was as worthless as weeds.

So — to leave, or not to leave?

If he didn't leave, everyone would die together.

Chen Ji got to his feet and methodically cooked the meal. When the dishes were served, everyone raved. Even She Dengke, his arm freshly bandaged, polished off three bowls of white rice.

Amid the laughter and chatter, only Chen Ji remained quiet.

This meal wasn't supposed to feel like this.

Midway through, Chen Ji tentatively asked: "Master, She Dengke got slashed by a pickpocket. Are we really going to just let that go?"

Old Yao glanced at him: "Those street pickpockets are all organized. You go after one, and you'll have the whole gang coming for you. What kind of life is that?"

"Oh."

Old Yao added, his tone laden with meaning: "Go where you need to go, do what you need to do. Don't let other people's actions control yours."

Chen Ji froze for a moment. He suddenly wondered — had Master already guessed something?

What did those words mean? Was the old man telling him to hurry up and leave?

She Dengke cheerfully waved it off: "Chen Ji, stop worrying about it. Don't go getting yourself hurt over something that happened to me."

After the meal, Chen Ji lay back down on his bamboo chair. He slowly closed his eyes and returned to that ancient battlefield, picking up the long blade called "Whale."

......

......

Night fell. Chen Ji slowly opened his eyes and came out to the courtyard.

Liang Gou'er still hadn't returned. The Prince Heir, the Commandery Princess, and the little monk hadn't climbed the wall either. There hadn't even been a proper goodbye.

Guided by Uncle Crow, Chen Ji slipped over the wall into the fabric shop's back courtyard. There he found Wu Hongbiao — who had somehow gotten hold of a broom and a wooden bucket — sweeping and scrubbing the yard in the middle of the night.

He asked curiously: "With all your injuries, why are you cleaning in the dead of night?"

Wu Hongbiao smiled: "There were rat bones scattered around and some bloodstains. If someone comes to look at the shop and gets a fright, it might cause unnecessary trouble for the owner."

"You seem to be in a good mood," Chen Ji observed.

Wu Hongbiao grinned: "Good news — I met the Si Cao today, and it wasn't him who wanted us dead. And he's arranged for someone to take us out. Tomorrow evening, we can go back to the Jing Dynasty!"

Chen Ji gave a quiet "mm." "Can we trust it? Could it be a trick to lure us out and kill us?"

Wu Hongbiao rested on his broom and thought for a moment: "It should be reliable. When he dragged me into that alley today, I'd already made my peace with dying — but he didn't strike... If he wanted us dead, he wouldn't go through this kind of trouble."

Chen Ji leaned against the doorframe and slowly eased himself down onto the threshold. He said softly: "Do you miss home?"

Wu Hongbiao stood in the courtyard leaning on his broom, gazing up at the moon, his voice full of longing: "Of course I do. I was dragged off to the harsh training camps when I was twelve and never got a chance to go home or see my parents again. This time, heading back... I should finally get the chance."

"When I was little, in the village, come autumn, everyone would pick pears from the fruit trees — the good ones got sold in town, and the bad ones were saved to make frozen pears. The variety we used was so sour and astringent that my grandmother called them 'choke-a-dog' pears. But leave them outside to freeze, and suddenly they were delicious... Funny how that works, isn't it?"

"In winter, the men would strap on stiff bows, take four or five hunting dogs, and head up the mountain after bears. We kids would wait at home, hoping and hoping. When they dragged a bear back, Grandma would strip the fat off its hide and fry up crackling for us. A lot of people say it's gamey, but I thought it was the tastiest thing in the world."

"When we get back to the Jing Dynasty, I'll definitely take you to see my hometown. I'll treat you to frozen pears and bear crackling, and we can go up the mountain and hunt bears ourselves."

Chen Ji listened in silence. Perhaps Wu Hongbiao had suffered too much during this time and had grown sentimental, or perhaps he had been longing for the northern homeland all along during his years in the Ning Dynasty. Now that he was finally heading back, the words came spilling out tonight.

From fragments he'd overheard from traveling merchants, Chen Ji knew that the Jing Dynasty seemed to have ten provinces, and Wu Hongbiao's homeland was in the northeasternmost one — the "Upper Capital Circuit."

Chen Ji sat on the threshold, gazing at the moon alongside Wu Hongbiao: "Brother Biao, you were badly hurt at the time. Why did you still come to warn me? What if I'd sold you out?"

Wu Hongbiao smiled: "Honestly, I was a bit scared on the way over too — what if you really did sell me out? But... if I hadn't come, I was afraid I'd spend the rest of my life regretting it."

"Mm."

After that, the two of them — one sitting, one standing — fell silent at the same time.

Though their circumstances were different, both had been longing to leave this hornet's nest, to stop spending every day looking over their shoulders. Yet now that departure was actually at hand, their feelings were complicated.

Chen Ji suddenly spoke: "Brother Biao, you go on back. I'm not leaving."

"Huh?" Wu Hongbiao blinked. "You're not leaving? If you stay in Luo City, you'll die!"

Chen Ji smiled: "Did you forget? My father is the Vice Prefect of Luo City. I have plenty of options."

"Then I'll stay too!" Wu Hongbiao declared firmly.

Chen Ji met Wu Hongbiao's eyes: "What about your sister?"

Wu Hongbiao froze.

Just now, Chen Ji had genuinely wanted to keep Wu Hongbiao here to help him kill Shopkeeper Yuan. But he couldn't do that.

He smiled: "Go on, don't worry about me. Tomorrow I'll move back to the Chen Estate. I don't believe Shopkeeper Yuan would dare sneak into the Vice Prefect's home to kill me. Do you?"

Wu Hongbiao scratched his head: "Good point. If he actually tried to assassinate someone in the Vice Prefect's household — forget Luo City, the entire Ning Dynasty wouldn't have room for him... So you're really not coming?"

"Nope. I'm staying to keep serving the Jing Dynasty!"

"...Alright."

Chen Ji stood and brushed the dust from his seat: "I probably won't be able to see you off tomorrow. Take care of yourself on the way back to the Jing Dynasty, and don't come back to the Ning Dynasty."

Wu Hongbiao laughed: "I don't want to come back to this nerve-racking life either. I'll be waiting for you in the Jing Dynasty."

Then he opened his arms wide.

Chen Ji hesitated for a moment, but then opened his arms too. The two men embraced briefly before Chen Ji climbed back over the wall and left the fabric shop.

Once outside, Wu Yun was perched on the neighboring courtyard wall. She asked curiously: "So we're really not going?"

Chen Ji smiled: "We're not going. I'm afraid I'd regret it. Go give Bai Banruo a good beating — I need to have a word with her owner."