Green Mountain
Chapter 207 - 162, Cliff

Chapter 207: 162, Cliff

Dawn broke with the crowing of the rooster.

In the dimly lit apprentice dormitory, Chen Ji slowly sat up from his bed.

He turned to glance at his friends next to him: She Dengke and Liu Quxing had wrapped themselves tightly in their blankets, and Liang Gou’er, who had returned at some unknown time, reeking of alcohol, was sound asleep with his head resting on Liang Mao’er’s stomach.

Treading lightly, Chen Ji dressed and went out the door, standing underneath the apricot tree as he exhaled a faint breath of mist, silently looking up at a red cloth strip tied to the highest branch of the tree before turning to head toward his master’s main house.

He quietly lifted the heavy cotton door curtain and peeked inside.

Prince Jing was deeply asleep on the bed, while Old Yao, sitting in a recliner, rested with his eyes closed, the room’s stove emanating a gentle warmth.

Chen Ji squeezed through the gap in the door curtain and carefully walked to the side of the bed, reaching out to check Prince Jing’s pulse.

But before he could touch him, Old Yao grabbed his wrist from the side.

Chen Ji was startled, nearly crying out, "Master, when did you get up without making a sound?!"

Old Yao, expressionless, asked, "What are you doing?"

Chen Ji quickly explained, "I just wanted to see if Prince Jing is really sick or not."

Old Yao scoffed coldly, "You, with your half-baked skills, what could you possibly find by checking his pulse? Prince just fell asleep not long ago, I was only worried you’d bumble in and wake him."

Chen Ji thought for a moment and then said, "Master, last night Prince Jing took me to Lin Mansion on Tongji Street. We attended a hall meeting where Master Meng sang a performance of ’White Boat Record.’ In the play, the young general spends half his life toiling away, only to end up without a good outcome, as the person he raced three thousand miles to save ultimately turned into an enemy."

Chen Ji asked curiously, "Master, is Prince Jing the young general from the play?"

Old Yao raised an eyebrow, "What nonsense are you spouting? ’White Boat Record’ is a story from over a hundred years ago, how could it be about Prince Jing?"

Chen Ji looked at his own master, "Master, you know what I mean. It’s just a metaphor. Does Prince Jing share the same experiences as the young general from ’White Boat Record’?"

"Why do you have so many questions," Old Yao pulled at Chen Ji’s wrist, forcibly dragging him out of the main house and tossing him outside, "The water tank is empty, go and fetch water."

With that, Old Yao turned to go back inside, closing the door curtain tightly behind him.

Chen Ji stood outside the door, turning to look at the thick cotton door curtain. He was somewhat puzzled; was Prince Jing really sick, so much so that even his pulse could not be checked?

If Prince Jing wasn’t ill, why would Master need to hide his pulse? The more Master covered it up, the more it indicated there was a problem.

If Prince Jing was sick, what illness did he have that allowed him to faint at times and not hear people talking nearby, yet at other times be lively enough to walk an hour to watch a play?

At that moment, the sound of magpies chirping came from outside the Medical Hall.

Magpies are resident birds; with the advent of winter, they would change into their winter plumage early, build nests, and once winter arrived, they wouldn’t leave their nests or call out without good reason.

Chen Ji realized this was the signal from the Spy Department’s copper whistle!

He bent down to pick up the carrying pole and buckets and swayed toward the gate. As he reached the door, the Royal Mansion Guards brought by Feng Daban crossed their long spears, blocking the way.

Chen Ji said with a smile, "Guys, I need to fetch water; the water tank inside is empty. If it’s not convenient to let me out, you can help bring the water back too. About eight trips should fill the tank."

The two guards looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and then silently retracted their long spears.

Chen Ji passed through the mist over the cobblestone path and when he reached the well, there was already a plump figure cranking the well’s wooden windlass.

Jin Zhu!

Without any change in expression, Chen Ji walked over to the well. Without turning his head, Jin Zhu spoke in a voice as fine as a mosquito’s, "Is Prince Jing really sick or faking it?"

Chen Ji spoke quietly, "My master told Princess Consort Jing that Prince Jing’s days are numbered."

Jin Zhu cursed softly, "The timing of this illness is just too opportune."

Chen Ji asked with confusion, "What’s wrong?"

Jin Zhu explained, "The Liu Family in Henan Province is crazily mobilizing more than ten squads of private soldiers. The vast Henan no longer allows entry or exit. The Liu Family is planning a rebellion, and we can’t send out the news!"

Chen Ji asked, "Not even the Heavenly Horse can break through?"

Jin Zhu complained bitterly, "The Liu Family has long been conspiring, and all the official roads that lead in and out of Luocheng City are heavily guarded by troops. In the mountains, scouts are everywhere as well. No matter how powerful the Heavenly Horse is, it is only at the Seeking Dao Realm. How can an official of the Seeking Dao Realm dare to clash with a fully formed military formation?"

Chen Ji said, "What if the Heavenly Horse could break into the Divine Realm?"

Jin Zhu placed a rolled-up bucket he had carried over onto the well’s edge. "If someone at the Divine Realm is determined to leave, not even military formations can stop them. But here’s the issue, in the entire Ning Dynasty, there are no more than three at the Divine Realm. It’s exceedingly difficult for the Heavenly Horse to break through. Right now, over a hundred Death Soldiers from the Liu Family are carrying portraits of me and the Heavenly Horse, scouring the city for us. We’d be lucky to survive this calamity unscathed."

Chen Ji felt a sinking feeling in his heart, "Aren’t we just going to watch helplessly as the Liu Family rebels?"

Jin Zhu lowered the empty bucket into the well, "What else can we do? Unless we sneak into the Liu Mansion right now, kill Official Liu first, then imprison all the Liu Family’s relatives. With their tens of thousands of private soldiers headless, we could then break their scheme."

Chen Ji couldn’t help but laugh and cry, "Maybe we should just consider a different way to die... Sir, if the Liu Family is truly ready, why haven’t they made their move yet? What are they waiting for?"

Jin Zhu replied, "The Liu Family is waiting for a justified cause. They want to rally under Prince Jing’s banner, but just at this time, Prince Jing has fallen ill. With his illness, the whole of Luocheng City is thrown into disarray. Last night, we discovered that Princess Consort Jing hurried to Liu Mansion, and only half an hour ago did she return to Prince Mansion; Consort Yun rushed to East Market and lost her tracks under the protection of the Cao Guild, and she still hasn’t returned."

Jin Zhu continued, "You must keep a close watch in the Medical Hall, who sees Prince Jing, what they ask, and what they say, all of these are crucial. If the Cao Guild joins forces with the Liu Family, things will become even more tricky."

Chen Ji questioned, "The Cao Guild? What’s the relationship between the Cao Guild and Consort Yun?"

Jin Zhu paused, "Don’t you know? The Luotian Sect is behind the Cao Guild, and Consort Yun is the only daughter of the previous sect leader. Why else do you think Prince Jing took her as his consort? When His Majesty was young and the political situation unstable, the Luotian Sect took advantage of the chaos to control the Sanhe grain transport. All north-south cargo and grain transport had to go through them. The awkward situation only began to improve gradually after Prince Jing married Consort Yun."

The Luotian Sect!

Before, when Consort Yun dealt firearms with the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department, she had told them to go to the Hongyi Lane Gold Workshop and utter the words "Luotian."

Chen Ji suddenly asked, "Who is the current leader of the Luotian Sect?"

Jin Zhu explained, "The current sect leader is named Han Tong, the direct disciple of the previous leader and grew up with Consort Yun."

Chen Ji’s pupils narrowed, "Does he have a Buddha tattoo on his wrist?"

Jin Zhu was puzzled, "Have you seen him?"

Chen Ji casually explained, "No, I’ve just heard about it."

At this moment, Jin Zhu wrapped up the second water bucket and placed it at the edge of the well with a sigh, "This man moves in mysterious ways, always hiding among the Cao Guild’s strong men, eluding capture. If you see him, you must report to me immediately."

Chen Ji helplessly said, "Sir, you’re wandering about without a fixed place, I don’t even know how to find you, how can I report to you immediately?"

Jin Zhu lamented, "That’s true... Dammit, to be reduced to this, where does the Spy Department even begin to seek justice? I hope Prince Jing wakes up soon. If he remains ill, who knows which direction Henan Province will head."

"Can Prince Jing restore peace by waking up?"

"If he wishes, maybe he can. Given Prince Jing’s prestige in the Central Plains, if he’s willing to step forward and call for order, many of the Liu Family’s schemes will collapse. The tens of thousands of private soldiers of the Liu Family do not all desire rebellion, and not every one of them is starving to death. If the common people still have food to eat, who would willingly commit a crime punishable by execution and the extermination of their nine tribes?"

"But what if Prince Jing himself wants to rebel?"

"Then it’s all over."

Chen Ji surmised that Prince Jing probably wasn’t involved in the rebellion.

He was very clear that if Prince Jing wanted to rebel, they wouldn’t have gone to the gathering last night, but to Liu Mansion!

Jin Zhu instructed, "I must be off, take care of yourself. Don’t go out unless it is absolutely necessary these days; the Liu Family is out to exterminate everyone from the Spy Department in Luocheng City."

Chen Ji acknowledged, "Understood, I’ll be careful."

At that moment, Jin Zhu took out a small cloth package from his bosom and stuffed it into Chen Ji’s hand, "This is for you, cultivate well."

Chen Ji was momentarily stunned as he unwrapped the layers of gray cloth, revealing five strands of old ginseng, "Sir, these are...?"

Jin Zhu said with hurt in his voice, "I bought these with my own salary. You have a great talent for cultivation; don’t waste it!"

With that, he picked up the shoulder pole and staggered into the mist.

Suddenly, Chen Ji felt as if the entire Luocheng City was like a runaway carriage, with Prince Jing as the coachman. For the past decade or more, he had been diligently holding the reins taut, steering the carriage on the official road.

And now, the coachman had let go, allowing the runaway carriage, with all its passengers, to head towards the cliff’s edge.