The galloping horses and black-clad figures at night resembled characters from the storytellers' tales, all wanderers of Jianghu with no intent to return.
A crow, flapping its wings, alighted on the rooftop of a tavern in front of them, standing quietly at the eaves, watching Chen Ji and Yun Yang race by, motionless as if it were an ornamental beast gracing the ridge of the building itself.
The crow's feathers reflected a gloss under the moonlight, as if draped in a silken layer of silver, serene and mysterious.
Huh, a crow?
Chen Ji looked back at the eave, only to find that the crow had already taken flight, vanishing into the unknown.
He was certain he had seen this crow before in the backyard of the Medical Hall, its scrutinizing gaze seemed like an appraisal from someone superior.
When he first saw this crow, he had thought it was a hallucination induced by his heightened nerves, but now, seeing it again, Chen Ji no longer thought so; the mysteries of this world far exceeded his imagination.
After a moment of thought, he asked Yun Yang, "Lord Yun Yang, as someone from the Spy Department who has seen much of the world, have you ever seen anyone who can control animals?"
"No," Yun Yang replied casually.
"What about cultivators? I've heard storytellers mention some tales of the supernatural – are they real?" Chen Ji asked.
"Not at all."
Chen Ji fell into deep thought. He was already on the path of cultivation and was sure that there were other cultivators in this world, but why had he never heard of them?
What could be the reason these cultivators remained hidden among the common folk and nobility?
With a ripping sound,
Yun Yang turned to look and saw Chen Ji tearing off the hem of his robe and then tying it around his face.
"What's this for? Working for the Spy Department is an honorable task, no need for deception," Yun Yang said disdainfully.
Chen Ji replied casually, "Lord Yun Yang, I am just a small fry, it never hurts to be cautious. Besides, you need to protect my identity too. If the Liu Family seeks revenge, you'll no longer have someone to help you earn merits."
Yun Yang thought for a moment and realized it made sense, "Then cover your face well...ugh!"
He abruptly tightened the reins, bringing the horses to an abrupt stop in the dimly lit street.
Chen Ji's gaze swept across, and facing them stood dozens of people on their horses.
This procession was cloaked in straw raincoats and bamboo hats, with each person carrying a long knife at their waist, exuding an aura of deadly intent.
The leader lifted his head to look at Chen Ji, and beneath the shadow of the bamboo hat, the middle-aged man's gaze was sharp, cutting into one's cheeks.
"Who are these people?" Chen Ji whispered atop his horse.
"The 'Criminal Justice Department''s men," Yun Yang replied, then called out loudly while pulling the reins, "Commander Lin must have been traveling day and night, hurriedly coming from Jinling, accompanied by the Fish-Dragon Guards."
The middle-aged man spoke calmly, "You and Jiao Tu have stirred up quite a mess. I've come to escort the two of you back to the Imperial Capital, to await the Lord Prime Minister's judgment."
"Stirred up a mess?" Yun Yang sneered, "Jiao Tu and I came to Luocheng City to capture a Jing Dynasty spy, how's that wrong?"
The middle-aged man's expression turned solemn, "You captured one of the Liu Family but fail to provide conclusive evidence to charge them. Now Old Master Liu's life hangs by a thread, this matter won't be easily dismissed."
Yun Yang remained composed, "Jiao Tu and I have already found the evidence, but kept it hidden to catch a bigger fish without startling the others. Lin Chaoqing, with just a little whisper of a rumor you come to arrest us and obstruct our investigation, are you perhaps the Jing Dynasty's spy embedded in the Criminal Justice Department?"
"Your words are irresponsible," Lin Chaoqing replied, unimpressed, "The Criminal Justice Department holds the duty of monitoring all officials; your Spy Department is very much within my purview. I advise you to cease your futile struggling and come back to the capital with me!"
Yun Yang spoke firmly, "Lin Chaoqing, if you want to arrest me, at least wait until Old Master Liu is dead."
Lin Chaoqing, typically a man of few words, had no more to say, "Arrest them."
With that command, the dozens of Fish-Dragon Guards behind him charged forward.
The sound of horse hooves on cobblestone echoed, striking fear into one's very soul.
In that moment, the sky was obscured by a cloud, and the street turned as dark as ink.
The faces of the Fish-Dragon Guards were hidden beneath their bamboo hats, their eyes veiled in ominous shadows, and just as they were about to confront Yun Yang, every one of them drew their long knives in unison with impeccable coordination!
Yun Yang said in a deep voice to Chen Ji, "Hold on tight!"
Immediately after, he leaped from the horse and swiftly poked the horse's hindquarters with a silver needle, thunderously quick. The horse neighed in panic, carrying Chen Ji away in a wild dash towards another direction!
Chen Ji wasn't skilled in equestrianism, so he could only hunch low and cling tightly to the horse's neck. Looking back, he saw Yun Yang, clothed in black, advancing rather than retreating, striding towards the encroaching Fish-Dragon Guards!
Boom!
The moment he confronted the first Fish-Dragon Guard, the guard swung his knife to strike, but before the blade could fall, Yun Yang had already lowered his hips and twisted, punching the horse's head!
The horse let out a mournful whinny, and the huge warhorse shook from the impact of the slender fist, tumbling to the street like a collapsed mountain.
"Defying arrest and resisting makes your crime worse!" Lin Chaoqing's figure suddenly exerted force; he stepped on the saddle and drew his knife in mid-air, swinging it down – his blade was longer and heavier than the rest!
As he put weight on the horse's back to give power to his strike, the mighty steed couldn't withstand the force and bent its knees.
On the other side, Yun Yang also leaped into the air, and the collision between them in mid-air stirred up a violent gust, so swift that no one saw what happened before the two parted ways.
Lin Chaoqing fell from the sky and landed steadily on the back of his horse. Where the two collided, the bluestone pavement bore a scar, several meters long, from the slash of a blade!
Looking over at the other side, Yun Yang took advantage of the collision's force to leap onto the eaves, moving like a ghostly shadow as he caught up to the fleeing horse. With a bound, he leapt onto its back and escaped.
Down the long street, Lin Chaoqing did not rush to pursue. He settled back onto his horse, pressed down on his straw hat, and calmly asked, "Who was the person sitting behind him?"
"I have never seen them before; they must not be from the Spy Department."
Lin Chaoqing's words, strong as the clash of metal, commanded, "Investigate."
...
...
Chen Ji, heart still pounding, said, "You said before that you had not seen a cultivator…?"
Yun Yang was about to reply when he spat out a mouthful of blood. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, he said, "How can the matters of cultivators be announced to the world? What you cultivate and what realm you've reached must not be told to others."
"Why?"
Yun Yang's answer was laden with meaning, "Seeking immortality through cultivation may sound lovely, but that's just a story from the novels. On this path, there is only life and death. I think you have potential and you might indeed gain the favor of some significant figure in the future. But remember, if you truly set foot on this path, never tell anyone what you cultivate."
Chen Ji shivered inwardly. Yun Yang's words hid a deep warning, surely based on experiences he had encountered in life.
While pondering, Yun Yang coughed up another mouthful of blood, "Kid, if you can't find evidence to convict the Liu Family youths tonight, I'm afraid we'll die together."
Chen Ji said, "So the reason you said we had to find evidence tonight is because you were worried about the Criminal Justice Department holding us accountable. I thought your Spy Department was the most formidable."
"Save your sarcastic remarks. The Criminal Justice Department controls the imperial guards; of course those martial artists are fierce," Yun Yang retorted coldly. "However, we all serve under the Prime Minister. Our Spy Department risks its neck fighting the Military Intelligence Department day after day, while they spend their time checking up on their own people. What kind of skills are those?"
They had arrived in front of Zhou Mansion. Yun Yang jumped down from the horse first, pushing open the grand red-lacquered gates forcefully; the grating sound resonated under the night sky, making one's teeth ache.
Zhou Mansion had been cleaned up: tables realigned, chairs set upright, as if no more than ten people had ever died here.
Yun Yang turned in the courtyard to face Chen Ji, his voice serious, "We don't have much time. I'm betting on you. I hope you won't disappoint me. Tell me, what did you find earlier in Zhou Mansion?"
Chen Ji walked straight to the main house, "Where have Zhou Chengyi's books been collected?"
"They are all here, not one missing."
Chen Ji stood before the bookshelf, quickly pulling down and flipping through the books one by one.
Seeing him absorbed in the task, Yun Yang stepped out of the main house to a secluded spot and took out a paper shadow puppet. Biting his own finger, he used the fresh blood to dot its eyes.
The paper shadow puppet came to life, its face revealing a strange smile as it tottered up onto the wall and ran eastward.
Returning to the main house, Yun Yang found Chen Ji had settled on two particular books, "The clues should be in these two books."
Taking the books from Chen Ji, Yun Yang flipped through them only to find that the contents of both books were identical, "Both are from the 'Four Books with Chapter Notes,' chapter eight 'Governance Second.' One of them must have been copied by Zhou Chengyi himself; I've seen his handwriting."
In this era, the mainstream methods of book distribution included buying, borrowing, copying, as well as plundering and stealing.
The monopoly of book printing by great families made them expensive, so borrowing and copying was a common practice.
But here lay the problem; Zhou Chengyi was not short of money.
Pointing to the collection of several hundred books on the wall, Chen Ji said, "Zhou Chengyi, though a County Chief and seemingly incorruptible, secretly kept a woman in his external residence, with over a dozen servants. Why would he copy books himself? My guess is that his borrowing and returning books was how he transmitted intelligence. This freshly copied book hasn't been returned yet. It must contain the secrets he wanted to send out."
Yun Yang looked at Chen Ji with an odd expression, "The first thing you checked last time were these books. You already knew this clue, so why didn't you speak up to save your life, but kept looking for other evidence?"
Chen Ji replied, "It's always right to have more information that can save one's life. Besides, with only fifteen minutes, I knew there was a problem, but I couldn't be sure if I could decode the Military Intelligence Department's code in that time."
That night, although fearful, Chen Ji never panicked. His trump card was like the shard of porcelain he held in his hand, never once released.
Yun Yang settled wearily into a chair, "Do you have confidence now?"
"If I have four hours, I should be able to," Chen Ji said with certainty.
Before he finished speaking, the sound of hooves came from outside Zhou Mansion. Both men looked up to see Jiao Tu leading a dozen spies as they dismounted. Handing the reins to a spy, she hustled toward the mansion, "Close the gates! On my way back, I saw the Liu Family marching here in force, with a large number!"
Yun Yang was puzzled, "What do they want?"
Jiao Tu said gravely, "Old Master Liu is dead."
Yun Yang stared at Jiao Tu in shock, "Old Master Liu is dead?! Chen Ji, wasn't your master there? Isn't he a skilled healer?"
Inside the house, Jiao Tu's tone was somber, "He died an hour ago. The Liu Family is in a frenzy."
"Dammit," Yun Yang rubbed his hands over his face in frustration, "We're so cursed; how can they blame us for his own failing health? How did this pile of crap end up dumped on our heads?!"
Jiao Tu reported, "Two of my spies are missing, perhaps already killed in the chaos. Among the group, there are 'Executive Officers' raised by the Liu Family."
As her voice faded, more intense hoofbeats and footsteps—Liu Family was approaching fast and urgently!
Someone shouted loudly, "They locked up our young scholar in the Imperial Prison without any evidence, and his death enraged Old Master Liu to his grave. Today, you must give us an explanation!"
"Yes, an explanation is due!"
In the midst of the tumultuous clamor and the unsettling glow of the fire, Yun Yang looked at Chen Ji with a wry expression, "Now, you probably only have fifteen minutes."