Green Mountain
Chapter 81 - 67, Born with Divine Power

Chapter 81: 67, Born with Divine Power

In the quiet alleys of Luocheng City during the early morning, Wu Yun glided through the lanes with a general’s composure, unhurried and dignified.

Only the six most agile Li Hua cats remained in pursuit behind it.

As they passed by, a watchdog rushed out barking furiously. But one of the Li Hua cats simply gave the watchdog a casual glance, and the dog immediately whined and scurried back into its home.

A Li Hua cat came running headlong back the next moment, meowing: "Not found!"

Wu Yun also meowed: "Search again, report back!"

The Li Hua cat turned and sped off.

Before long, another scouting Li Hua cat also returned: "Not found!"

Wu Yun: "Search again, report back!"

It had sent out six Li Hua cats, each taking a different route in pursuit. Wu Yun refused to believe that it would not find the person Chen Ji had spoken of.

Then, a Li Hua cat came back: "Found him!"

Wu Yun zipped out in an instant, its black silhouette as smooth and fierce as a flowing shadow.

Si Cao had reached Changning Street, his short knife now out of sight, concealed in his sleeve. As he walked among the crowd, he appeared as plain as any tenant farmer, attracting no attention.

The streets of Luocheng were gradually becoming bustling with pedestrians, every household carrying chamber pots, emptying last night’s waste into the street-side public toilets provided by the government.

Workers surrounded the toilets, scooping as residents poured.

In this era, manure collection had become a vast industry; businessmen mixed the waste into hard soil to shape it and then sold it as compost to farmers.

Some had amassed fortunes through this business, giving the workers a unique nickname, "Feet Tilters."

Si Cao suddenly halted, his eyes under the bamboo hat sharp as knives, slicing across every passerby.

Yet despite searching, he discovered nothing amiss.

How odd, Si Cao felt an inexplicable sense of crisis, as if a needle was pressing against his brow, causing a tickling sensation.

He always had this feeling when he was under surveillance, but this time, he couldn’t find who was watching him.

While scrutinizing, a Li Hua cat sauntered past his feet.

Si Cao merely glanced at it lightly, then shifted his gaze elsewhere, without a second thought.

Who was following him?

The Spy Department?

Or that Manager Yuan? Or perhaps the Liu Family?

At that thought, Si Cao quickened his pace, ducking into a dead-end alley and lightly leaping onto a wall’s eaves.

Crouching behind the roof ridge, he cautiously peeked his head out to watch the dead-end alley to see who would follow.

However, after waiting a full quarter of an hour, Si Cao saw no one coming. And on the rooftops of the nearby residences, only a black cat was playing with a Li Hua cat, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Si Cao quietly exhaled, convinced that he had been overtaxing his mind lately and had imagined the threat.

...

...

In the deserted alley, Chen Ji leaned against the grey wall beside him and took slow, deep breaths, unsure if Wu Yun could catch up with Si Cao, but it was worth a try.

Once, he had no allegiance between the Ning Dynasty Secret Spy Department and the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department; he worked for whoever paid in silver.

But one cannot tightrope walk every day... At the moment of watching the sunrise from the drum tower, surrounded by Ning Dynasty friends, Chen Ji suddenly yearned for a new beginning.

And the identity of a Jing Dynasty spy was like a chasm on his path to a new start.

To have a new start, he had to end his old identity.

Now, as far as he knew, only four people were aware of his role as a Military Intelligence Department spy: his uncle, two Si Caos, and the Division Head.

That legendary uncle had already been ousted from power and could no longer control the Military Intelligence Department, and therefore him. If this uncle could be utterly defeated by his political enemies, it would be the best outcome—forever separated by dynasties, never to meet again...

And for the remaining three... if he killed them all, he could gradually fade from the sight of the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department.

The Princely Heir had once asked him atop the drum tower what he wished to do in the future; at the time, he didn’t know and simply said he wanted to survive.

Now he knew what he wanted; he wished to break free from the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department.

Chen Ji propped himself up against the wall and gradually stood up straight. His wound, having been pressed by Manager Yuan and aggravated by the hurried journey, had reopened. It was only now, lifting his clothing, that he discovered his trousers soaked with blood.

But he couldn’t dwell on it now. Dusting himself off, he limped along the alleyway toward the Medical Hall.

Chen Ji clutched at his clothes, covering the bloodstains on his trousers, but he had barely left the alley when he retreated back.

At that moment, Lord Jin Zhu stood at the entrance of Taiping Medical Hall, saying something through the door.

Chen Ji furrowed his brows; Jin Zhu was blocking his way back. If Princess Bai Li opened the door for him, and he entered the hall to find Chen Ji not there, suspicions would surely arise.

"Princess Bai Li, I really hope you can stall for me," a worried Chen Ji thought as he laboriously climbed onto the rooftop, unsure if Bai Li would even delay for him since he had never briefed her on the matter.

...

...

Outside the Taiping Medical Hall.

"Are you a friend of Chen Ji?" Princess Bai Li asked through the door with curiosity.

"Yes," Jin Zhu chuckled, "Could you please open the door? I’ve brought some tonics for him to boost his health."

At that moment, Princess Bai Li instinctively wanted to say that Chen Ji had gone out and to come back later.

But as she glanced back at the empty bamboo chair, recalling how Chen Ji had slipped away quietly, she suddenly decided she shouldn’t say that.

She pondered a few seconds: "Chen Ji’s injuries are quite severe, and he’s still sleeping right now. Please wait a moment, I’ll go wake him."

Jin Zhu muttered outside the door, "A Prince Mansion’s Commandery Princess with no understanding of human relations... Even if you woke him up for me, you could at least let me in to sit and wait. Not opening the door, what does that mean... Huh?"

He gently pulled at the door, then pushed it, only to find that the Taiping Medical Hall’s front door had been bolted shut and couldn’t be opened at all.

Jin Zhu grew even more puzzled. Although a medical hall needn’t open as early as a breakfast joint, shouldn’t someone be up to fetch water in the early morning? What were they doing inside with the door bolted?

With this thought in mind, Jin Zhu slowly backed away onto Anxi Street, his gaze sweeping over the rooftops.

Just as he prepared to climb up onto the roof to sneak a peek inside, he heard the voice of Princess Bai Li from within the Taiping Medical Hall, "Chen Ji is still asleep, but you can come in and wait for him. I’ll open the door for you, haha."

Upon hearing this, Jin Zhu gave up the idea of sneaking in and calmly waited instead.

But as he waited, left and right, the door still didn’t open.

Jin Zhu asked in a firm tone, "Why isn’t the door open yet?"

Princess Bai Li inside replied hastily, "I don’t know why, but the bolt is stuck and just won’t come out."

The next moment, Jin Zhu exerted his strength and gave the door a fierce pull, only to hear the sound of the door bolt snapping off.

The Commandery Princess inside was so frightened that she stumbled back several steps, while Jin Zhu simply walked in with a smile, "Seems like the door bolt has rotted, making it impossible to open. I’ll have someone come and make a new one this afternoon, and it’ll work just fine."

The Commandery Princess grew anxious and desperately grabbed at his arm, "Hey, how can you just barge into someone’s home like that, it’s outrageous! What if you’re the villain who hurt Chen Ji? Don’t think you can harm him again!"

But the Commandery Princess had nowhere near the strength of Jin Zhu and ended up being dragged across the floor by him.

The Commandery Princess shouted loudly, "Brother, Doctor Yao, Gou’er, someone’s breaking into the Medical Hall!"

"What’s happening?" The Princely Heir was the first to rush over, blocking Jin Zhu’s path and grabbing hold of his clothes.

But Jin Zhu was slick as an eel, with just a twist of his body he shook off both the Princely Heir and the Commandery Princess, crashing into Liang Mao’er.

He pushed at Liang Mao’er but couldn’t move her; instead, she pushed him all the way back to the entrance of the main hall with a pursed mouth!

"Hey," Jin Zhu, with disbelief, grappled with Liang Mao’er, trying to use wrestling techniques to flip her over.

But oddly enough, Liang Mao’er’s stance was even more stable than his, completely immovable!

"Hey?" Jin Zhu looked at Liang Mao’er in surprise, "Born with superhuman strength?!"

Liang Mao’er, clutching Jin Zhu’s clothes, asked in a gruff voice, "Why are you breaking into the Medical Hall?"

Jin Zhu knew he couldn’t overpower her and immediately slid out of his jacket like shedding skin, slipping out from under Liang Mao’er’s armpit and diving into the apprentice’s sleeping quarters.

He paused, dumbfounded. In the dim apprentice’s dormitory, Chen Ji was wrapped up in a blanket, sound asleep on the common bed – completely unlike what he had imagined.

The Princely Heir, along with the Commandery Princess, She Dengke, Liu Quxing, and others, charged into the apprentice’s dormitory, trying to drag Jin Zhu back outside.

But Jin Zhu’s feet were as if nailed to the floor, and no matter how much they pulled, he wouldn’t budge an inch.

The Commandery Princess looked back at Liang Gou’er, "Gou’er, help out, please."

But Liang Gou’er was just sweeping the floor, pretending he hadn’t heard anything.

Seeing this, Liang Mao’er grabbed Jin Zhu’s arm and gave a mighty tug, actually yanking him out the door.

Jin Zhu was pulled off his feet and exclaimed in shock, "What the heck?!"

Liang Mao’er carried the ornamental Jin Zhu pig into the courtyard, where a group of people surrounded it, blocking the kitchen doorway.

Princess Bai Li stood outside the door with her hands on her hips. She furrowed her fine, willow-leaf-shaped brows and scolded in a lowered voice, "You’re not really a friend of Chen Ji, are you? Who barges into a friend’s home like this?"

Jin Zhu hurriedly explained with a smile, "I was just worried about Chen Ji. When you didn’t open the door for so long, I thought something had happened inside."

"Even if the sky were falling, you still shouldn’t act like this!"

Old Yao, with his hands clasped behind his back, slowly said beside the apricot tree, "Lord Jin Zhu, what brings you to our door today?"

With hands lifted, holding pastries and fruits, Jin Zhu said, "Earlier, our Spy Department was apprehending a Jing Dynasty spy and accidentally let the spy escape. In the process, Chen Ji who happened to pass by got hurt. It was due to our oversight that he got injured like this, so feeling guilty, I came to visit."

The Princely Heir and Princess Bai Li were taken aback. This chubby fellow was actually from the Spy Department, no wonder Liang Gou’er was reluctant to make a move just now!

The two of them glanced at Liang Gou’er, only to see he was still holding a bamboo broom, looking as if nothing had happened.

Turning to Jin Zhu, Princess Bai Li said, "Lord Jin Zhu, you’ve seen him, and the gifts have been delivered, please go back. From now on, please diligently catch Jing Dynasty spies without letting any escape and harming people again... The spy who injured Chen Ji, where is he detained now?"

Jin Zhu said with a smile, "Detained? No, no, no. He was killed by Chen Ji."

The Princely Heir and Princess Bai Li gasped, instinctively turning their heads to look at the apprentice dormitory. Before this, they had never connected Chen Ji with the act of killing.

Bai Li thought back to Chen Ji’s recent actions, her expression growing complex. This Medical Hall apprentice seemed to be not as simple as she had thought...

While everyone was stunned, Jin Zhu slipped through the crowd like a loach and darted into the apprentice dormitory, lifting the blanket off Chen Ji and exposing half of his body.

They then saw Chen Ji wearing an inner nightgown, slowly opening his eyes, "Lord Jin Zhu, what brings you here?"

Jin Zhu’s furrowed brow gradually relaxed. Before the crowd could gather around again, he quickly bowed with hands cupped before him and said with a smile, "I won’t disturb you any further today. Once Chen Ji feels better, I’ll visit again."

Having said that, he took his leave swiftly.

Chen Ji sat up on the bed, catching his breath. Jin Zhu was too difficult to deal with. His suspicious nature, unwilling to overlook any detail, was undoubtedly what the Spy Department needed most.

But having such a person as an adversary meant the slightest error could lead to catastrophic consequences.

As everyone was about to enter and ask Chen Ji what had happened, they saw Princess Bai Li standing by the door, softly saying, "Go on with your tasks, I have something to ask him."

After the others had gone, Bai Li asked, "Where did you just go?"

Chen Ji remained silent for a moment, "Commandery Princess, I don’t want to deceive you. If you’re willing to trust me, then please don’t ask."

"Then tell me first, are you following me and my brother because someone arranged it?"

"No, and I would not do anything to harm you."

"Alright, I’ll never ask again. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone else about just now."

Having said that, she turned and left the room, waving to the Princely Heir, "Brother, let’s go back to the Prince Mansion."

Caught off guard, the Princely Heir replied, "Are we hurrying back so soon? I wanted to stay for lunch."

Chen Ji sat on the bed, listening to their sound as they climbed the ladder and left over the wall, silently wordless.

Then the window of the apprentice dormitory moved slightly, only for Wu Yun’s head to squeeze open a crack and pour in like a liquid, "I’ve found the person you were looking for; he’s working as a coachman at the Liu Family."