Green Mountain
Chapter 278 - 220, Daozi

Chapter 278: 220, Daozi

Beside the official road, Chen Ji gazed fixedly at the two unfamiliar figures leading an ox cart, as they joined a large group of travelers and entered the Mengjin City gates, completely unaware of the intense gaze upon them from behind.

Both of the escort masters were robust, one tall and one short. The taller one seemed more relaxed, as if he were an old hand at Jianghu, while the shorter one’s speech was resonant and potent, his actions precise and methodical.

Before today, Chen Ji had never seen the two men, yet he felt an odd sense of familiarity.

To be precise, it was the way one of them spoke that felt extremely familiar to him.

Er Dao, Brother Pao. These were the two men Chen Ji thought he would never see again in his lifetime.

Now that both their appearances had changed, Chen Ji could not be sure if his guess was correct. What if there truly was someone else in the world who spoke in the same manner as Er Dao?

However, the desire to reconvene with past acquaintances in a foreign land made him want to chase after them and ask for clarification right then and there.

But after taking just a few steps, Chen Ji slowly halted his pace again.

He stood in the biting cold, taking several deep breaths, as the freezing wind filled his lungs and helped him regain some clarity.

Tugging Zaozao along, Chen Ji braced against the cold and passed through the city gate to catch up with the two men, inquiring with a smile, "Are you two escort masters from Liang’s Escort Agency?"

The taller escort master turned and politely smiled at Chen Ji, "Indeed, we’re working with Escort Leader Liang."

Chen Ji casually asked, "How may I address the two of you?"

The shorter escort master began to respond but was quickly pulled back by the taller one.

As the taller one continued to guide the ox cart, he introduced, "You can call me Ah Da, esteemed sir, and my brother goes by Ah Si. Among our cousins, I’m ranked the eldest, and he’s the fourth."

Ah Da sized Chen Ji up and down, "May I ask who you are?"

Chen Ji replied with a smile, "I’m the third son of the Chen family. Our family elders have been appointed to positions in the Imperial Capital, so we’re relocating there. By the way, Ah Da, Ah Si, are those your milk names? What are your real names?"

A glint of wariness flashed in Ah Da’s eyes, yet he answered with a smile, "So you are the Third Young Master of the Chen Mansion, my apologies for not recognizing you. We lowborn folks from the slums survive longer using our nicknames. A fortune teller once told our parents that we brothers have cheap lives and that using our real names would jinx us; better left unmentioned."

The more cautious the other party was, the more Chen Ji wanted to dig to the truth.

Walking alongside the two, holding Zaozao’s reins, he casually began to converse, "Being escort masters, you two must have traveled to many places, right? I haven’t traveled far myself. Would you mind sharing some of your experiences from different places to broaden my horizons?"

Ah Da’s fingers suddenly clenched, "What would the young master like to hear about?"

Chen Ji inquired with a laugh, "Let’s start with where you’ve been?"

Ah Da chuckled, "We’ve just returned from Ru Nan. How about I tell you about Ru Nan? It is a beautiful place, surrounded by water on all sides, with the county town sitting like a gourd in a lake..."

Suddenly, Chen Ji asked, "Apart from Ru Nan, where else have you delivered goods as escorts?"

Ah Da and Ah Si exchanged a subconscious glance, but Ah Da kept talking, "Previously, we went to Jin City to escort the Second Young Master of the Qiao Family from Jin Shang. That journey was perilous, with mountains along the way and plenty of bandits; oh, and we’ve also been to Jinling to safeguard the silver of Landlord Yao from Luocheng City..."

Curiosity piqued, Chen Ji said, "I haven’t been to Jinling yet. I’ve heard that the songstresses crowd the Qinhuai River there and that at night, it’s as bright as day with the illumination of fireworks and lanterns. Is that true?"

Ah Da showed interest as well, "Absolutely! Come nightfall, the Qinhuai River is buzzing with excitement, dense smog from the fires lines the banks, and the commerce is bustling; the tiers of gold powder pavilions vary in height. Throughout the night, restaurants and teahouses ring with joyous song, and revelry abounds. Boats traverse the river, the larger ones known as ’large boats’ and the smaller ones called ’bamboo sheds,’ each adorned with Ming Jiao Lanterns, under which women sit playing the lute, clad in light gauze, hardly discernible from a distance... Alas, my brother and I, with our modest means, dared not beckon them to row closer."

Ah Da’s never-ending talk revealed a familiarity with the Qinhuai River as if it were the back of his hand.

Chen Ji fell into contemplation. If Ah Da and Ah Si were truly Er Dao and Brother Pao, then they wouldn’t have personally visited Jinling. Why, then, could he describe it so vividly?

Was it merely a coincidence?

Or perhaps, Brother Pao, with his delicate considerations, had filled the gaps in his identity intentionally to avoid exposure. Hadn’t Chen Ji also reviewed the Official Correspondences at the Spy Department to conceal his identity?

Wait.

In this era, literacy was uncommon, and the majority were illiterate. For professions like escort masters, it would be fortunate to find even one who could read amongst them.

When Ah Da described the Qinhuai River earlier, his words had an educated polish, resembling someone reciting textbook passages—hardly the knowledge of an ordinary escort master.

Ah Da and Ah Si were certainly hiding something!

Chen Ji was tempted to ask outright, "Are you Er Dao?" "Are you Brother Pao?"

But what then, after asking?

Before he died in his previous life, Brother Pao had expressed mutual admiration for him, lamenting that they had met each other too late. However, if Chen Ji were to regard Brother Pao as a good person merely because of that, he would be greatly mistaken.

It was precisely because of Brother Pao’s notorious reputation in the underworld that he chose him as a key part of his plan.

In his early years, this man was an air conditioning installer, later turning to theft to start his career. After accumulating some money, he followed a gang leader in the loan-sharking business, specializing in violent debt collection. Having been in and out of police custody six or seven times, he eventually rose to the rank of a gang leader himself.

If such a person were to find out Chen Ji’s true identity, it was uncertain what consequences that might entail.

As he pondered, he saw the caravan come to a stop at the Mengjin Inn. Liang, the escort leader, waved his arms in the setting sun and shouted, "Don’t just stand there! Get all the carriages into the back yard. Take turns to have a hot meal. Tonight, we’ll stay in the firewood room and the cowshed and keep a close eye on the goods for our employer!"

Seeing this, Ah Da turned to Chen Ji with a smile and said, "Third Young Master, we’ve got to get busy. If you want to hear more, you can look for us once we’re done."

Chen Ji cupped his hands in thanks, "Thank you for your efforts."

Ah Da and Ah Si bowed their heads and entered the back yard; Ah Si asked softly, "Brother, didn’t you say that all officials are bad people? But I think this young master seems quite nice."

Ah Da’s expression darkened, "Anyone who digs to the root of things is not just curious... I’m afraid it might be that our cover has been blown. Strange, where exactly did we slip up?"

Ah Si asked in a low voice, "Should we take him out?"

Ah Da scratched his eyebrows helplessly, "I’ve told you before, stop thinking about fighting and killing every day. We need to keep our tails between our legs for now!"

Ah Si looked back at his own rear, puzzled.

Ah Da sighed, "I’m speaking metaphorically!"

"What do we do now then?" Ah Si asked.

Ah Da did not answer.

He stood in the back yard, looking out, with a deep and solemn gaze.

...

...

All inns within the Ning Dynasty were government-run, constituting one of the largest military organizations, specifically managing inns, postal stations, and lodging.

The so-called "inn" was where guests were received and materials and personnel were transported after their identities were verified with "Post Tokens."

The so-called "postal station" was for transmitting urgent documents and military intelligence after identities were verified with "Ministry of War Fire Tickets" or "Spy Department Fire Cards," exclusively for military use.

The so-called "lodging" referred to the normal transmission of official correspondences, managed by the County Magistrate or the Magistrate.

The scale of the Mengjin Inn exceeded Chen Ji’s expectations, far exceeding any ordinary inn, not even ten inns combined could compare to its size. For instance, the renowned "Jiming Mountain Inn" of the Ning Dynasty was even referred to as Post City, truly a small fortress.

As night fell, Chen Ji settled down Xiao Man in the inn, then immediately went out to the back yard where the cows were parked. However, as he walked through the miasma of cow dung scent among the cow carts, he could no longer find Ah Da and Ah Si.

He called out to Liang, the escort leader, "Liang, where are Ah Da and Ah Si?"

Liang was stunned for a moment, "Third Young Master, who are Ah Da and Ah Si?"

Chen Ji’s heart sank; he spoke in a low voice, "They are from your team of escort masters, always seen together, one tall and one short. One of them speaks and acts with precision; do you remember them now?"

Liang’s expression changed, "What do you want with them two, young master... did they offend you?"

Chen Ji shook his head, "No, it’s just that I enjoyed chatting with them on the road today, and I wanted to hear more about what they have seen in other places."

Liang let out a sigh of relief, "Is that so... then I’ll help you look for them."

Finished speaking, he yelled out, "Daozi? Chongzi?"

He called out for a while, but there was no response.

Liang grabbed an escort master and asked, "Have you seen Daozi and Chongzi?"

The escort master, slurping down a bowl of buckwheat noodles, swallowed a mouthful and gestured with his chopsticks towards the gate, "They said they were going out to buy some wine."

"How long have they been gone?" asked Liang.

The escort pondered, "Well, it must have been an hour; it was still daylight when they left. Why haven’t they come back yet?"

Chen Ji looked out into the night outside the courtyard, hesitating for a long time... Had they run off?!