Green Mountain-Chapter 670 - 527: To Begin Anew

In the chaotic night, the Spy Department, Jiefan Guard, and Five Cities Military Department were coming and going, turning the Imperial Capital upside down.

Chen Ji headed straight to Meihua Ferry Crossing.

At this moment, Brother Pao was pacing back and forth in the pavilion, and upon seeing Chen Ji arriving covered in dust, he immediately greeted him with a bowl of water, "Have some water first."

Chen Ji tilted his head back and drank the clear water from the bowl in one gulp.

Brother Pao inquired, "How is it?"

Chen Ji handed the bowl back to Brother Pao, "Half the job is done."

Brother Pao then handed the bowl to Er Dao behind him, "Why only half?"

Chen Ji explained, "Only by capturing Lin Chaoqing will the task be considered complete."

Brother Pao scratched his scalp with his little finger, "Logically, he couldn't have left the Imperial Capital in time; I have sent out the ruffians to search for him..."

Chen Ji shook his head, "To find Lin Chaoqing, we have to search house by house. If the ruffians break into civilian homes, by the time you find Lin Chaoqing, Meihua Ferry Crossing will have been dealt with by the court. And this time, we don't have to find him ourselves slowly."

Brother Pao was troubled, "Then what should we do?"

Chen Ji pondered for a moment, "Send the ruffians out to find the whereabouts of Yun Yang, Jiao Tu, Jin Zhu, and Heavenly Horse and report back to me."

Brother Pao nodded, "Okay."

Where can we capture Lin Chaoqing?

Chen Ji didn't know either.

The Spy Department and Jiefan Guard knew the Imperial Capital like the back of their hands; if they couldn't find him, then Chen Ji couldn't either.

But Chen Ji wasn't planning to rely on himself this time; he was no longer the impetuous youngster when he first arrived in the Imperial Capital.

After thirty minutes, Brother Pao returned, "Jiao Tu and Yun Yang are searching temples in Xuanbei Square, Jin Zhu and Heavenly Horse have gone to Chongnan Fang to search the Cao Guild."

"Let's go." Chen Ji hurriedly set off for Xuanbei Square again.

...

...

Xuanbei Square is home to many temples, including Great National Gratitude Ci'en Temple, Shanguo Temple, and Changchun Temple, among which Great National Gratitude Ci'en Temple is most prosperous because of its efficacy in granting children.

Upon arrival, Chen Ji found the Spy Department and Jiefan Guard searching house by house. He grabbed a spy and asked, "Where are Yun Yang and Jiao Tu?"

The spy gave him a cold look, "Why are you looking for the two masters?" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Impatient, Chen Ji urged, "Just tell me."

The spy paused to gauge Chen Ji, then turned to point at the exquisite seven-story wooden tower at the center of Ci'en Temple, "The two masters are up there."

Chen Ji looked into the distance and saw Yun Yang standing at the topmost point, arms crossed over his chest, surveying the entire Xuanbei Square like an eagle. Jiao Tu squatted on the wooden railing, holding her chin with one hand.

Both were dressed in black outfits, prepared to kill at any moment.

Chen Ji arrived below the exquisite wooden tower and called out, "Masters, come down for a talk."

Upon hearing the voice, Jiao Tu retracted her gaze from afar and looked down to see Chen Ji downstairs, her eyes lighting up, while Yun Yang's face turned cold.

Jiao Tu said, "Take me down quickly."

Unwillingly, Yun Yang replied, "We're back in the zodiac, why bother with him?"

Jiao Tu raised her eyebrows, "The twenty-four wolf cubs from Wunian Mountain are on their way, reportedly escorted by Prisoner personally into the capital. Can you guarantee we'll never fall on hard times again? Won't we still need his help then?"

Yun Yang thought for a moment, "Alright, I'll listen to you."

The next moment, he grasped Jiao Tu's wrist and leapt down from the seven-story wooden tower, landing gently as if they were paper sheets, without raising any dust.

Jiao Tu smiled, "Mr. Chen is in the limelight today; we have searched for Si Caoding for so long and couldn't find him, yet you pulled him out. We've held a grudge against Lin Chaoqing for a long time; every time we confiscated a house he kept an eye on us, and all the good stuff ended up with Jiefan Guard. Now seeing him as a helpless stray dog, it's really time for a good drink… Why are you looking for us?"

Standing before the two, Chen Ji straightforwardly said, "Masters, the favor of returning to the zodiac must be repaid."

Facing the smoky, battered youth before her, Jiao Tu slowly put away her smile and solemnly said, "Mr. Chen, that's a huge favor, don't waste it on petty matters. As you know, Yun Yang and I may not excel in other areas, but we are fairly proficient at assassination. Perhaps your favor could save the life of an Official in the Seeking Dao Realm."

Chen Ji calmly replied, "I know, but I have something more important."

Jiao Tu twirled her hair nonchalantly, "How does Mr. Chen want us to repay this favor?"

Chen Ji resolutely stated, "Capture Lin Chaoqing and hand him over to me, and then we are even."

Jiao Tu considered for a moment, "Bring them!"

With her command, over twenty spies gathered around, "Master, what are your orders?"

Jiao Tu pointed to the Great Hall, "Zhang Chao, lead a team to pry open behind the statues and see if anyone is hiding. Li Dong, lead a team to pry up the floor of the Linglong Tower and search the secret tunnels."

Chen Ji studied Jiao Tu; she clearly knew where in the temple fugitives could hide, yet earlier she had pretended to waste time.

He questioned, "Capturing Lin Chaoqing is a great merit, why didn't masters search earlier?"

"We have just returned to the zodiac and obtained the official door; even if we achieve great merit, we can't rise to the Top Three," Jiao Tu answered with a hint of a smile, "Besides, Mr. Chen, this is the territory of the Buddhist Sect; there's no telling what might be unearthed in those secret tunnels. Had you not spoken, we wouldn't dare lightly provoke them, they hold grudges."

As she spoke, the abbot of Great National Gratitude Ci'en Temple hurried over, hearing the sound of prying inside the Linglong Tower, and immediately scolded Jiao Tu, "The Twelve Signs are acting recklessly, I will report this to Yuanjue Temple, and see how you end it!"

Jiao Tu pointed innocently at Chen Ji, "Abbot has wrongly accused this young lady, it was Mr. Chen who ordered the search."

Chen Ji raised his eyebrows.

At that moment, a spy ran out of the Exquisite Tower: "Sir, the secret passage has been opened, and apart from twenty-one boxes of gold and silver, there's nothing else of interest."

Jiao Tu looked eagerly at Chen Ji: "Mr. Chen, perhaps these twenty-one boxes of gold and silver are the loot Lin Chaoqing left behind, shall we take them?"

Chen Ji turned around and left: "If Master Jiao Tu desires them, help yourself, it has nothing to do with me. Continue searching Xuanbei Square, and as soon as Lin Chaoqing's whereabouts are discovered, send someone to Chongnan Fang to find me immediately."

"Not even taking the gold, I suppose Mr. Chen must be in quite a hurry," Jiao Tu smiled sweetly behind him and performed a respectful bow: "As you command."

...

...

Chen Ji arrived at Chongnan Fang when it was almost dawn. The gray sky cast a pale mist over the canal.

Jin Zhu and Heavenly Horse led a hundred spies out from the pier and, seeing Chen Ji, curiously asked: "Why are you here?"

Chen Ji asked in a low voice: "Did you find any clues about Lin Chaoqing?"

Jin Zhu shook his head: "No. I searched through all the vessels at the pier and only found a few court-wanted petty criminals. These unlucky guys intended to rely on the Cao Guild to escape to Jinling and lay low, but the Hallmaster of the Cao Guild privately detained them at the pier to extort money from their families."

Chen Ji pondered: "If Lin Chaoqing wants to leave the Imperial Capital, where else could he go?"

Jin Zhu sighed: "He is the Commander of Jiefan Guard, aware of what we would do upon exposure: investigate residences, scour temples, seal sewage channels, search the Cao Guild... There are only so many methods, what we know, he knows too, and spies like him are the hardest to catch; he always stays one step ahead of us. Also, when I left, I asked Jiefan Guard; after leaving the Forbidden City this noon, he has not appeared, I suspect he secretly left the Imperial Capital before sunset."

Chen Ji furrowed his brows... Has he left?

If Lin Chaojing really left, how would he repay the second life owed to the Prime Minister?

Jin Zhu consoled: "I know why you're eager to find Lin Chaoqing, but don't rush, Bai Long has already sent pigeon mail to the Nine Border right away, and along the way, my Ritual Supervision soldiers won't miss any disturbance."

Chen Ji remained unconvinced, having witnessed the Military Intelligence Department's escape tactics; Si Caogui and Wu Hongbiao had successfully returned to the Jing Dynasty back then.

Jin Zhu patted Chen Ji's shoulder: "You've had a long day; go back, take a bath, and change out of those clothes burnt to rags. The moment we have news, I'll immediately send someone to inform you."

Chen Ji replied with a hum, and walked away alone.

As he traveled from Chongnan Fang to Zhengyang Street, suddenly struck by a thought, he turned a corner towards Yangyang Alley.

That was the small house where Wang Daosheng and Mr. Feng, after heading to Korea, took Si Caogui, a place seemingly of special significance to Si Caogui.

Chen Ji knew this journey was risky, but he dared not ask Jin Zhu and Heavenly Horse to accompany him, for he couldn't explain how he came to know of this house.

Relying on vague memories, he wandered through the narrow alleys and found the house's entrance by dawn.

The door was ajar, and the scent of something burning still lingered inside.

Chen Ji felt a chill in his heart as he cautiously pushed open the wooden door. Creaking, he saw no one inside, only in the small yard a broken brazier with some remaining burnt yellow paper.

This yellow paper seemed to have been used for honoring the deceased relatives or friends.

Chen Ji quickly stepped into the yard, reaching out to feel the brazier, still warm; it was Lin Chaoqing!

Lin Chaoqing had just been here, perhaps mourning deceased colleagues, or perhaps mourning Lin Chaojing, burning a thick pile of yellow paper before leaving.

Lin Chaoqing hadn't left the Imperial Capital yet!

Chen Ji frowned as he searched the yard, attempting to find other clues, but the house was devoid of possessions, the yard empty except for a half-person-high broken clay jar with a missing piece from the rim.

Inside, the broken wooden bed with straw covering the frame, next to it, a square table with one leg propped up by a piece of crushed brick.

He first moved aside the jar, finding only solid flooring beneath.

He then overturned the square table; the table was merely an ordinary table.

Chen Ji finally lifted the bed board, only to freeze in place.

Through the light streaming from outside, he saw the back of the bed board, where someone had scribbled numerous characters with black charcoal, diverse in styles suggesting multiple authors.

One large and carefree character declared: "Out of great peril, there must be blessings to follow." Another was crookedly written: "Achieve greatness, bless all beings," with "being" mistakenly written.

Others wrote: "Great wealth and nobility, bestowed titles of nobility!"

"Born in a peaceful world as a dog in the next life!"

Chen Ji continued to read, muttering: "Unify the realm."

These four characters were bold and powerful, with strokes like blades.

Beneath these characters, an elegant small script nearly illegible stated: "May all seas be peaceful, and all children have candy."

Further down were more chaotic handwriting, appearing shakily written: "Mother, son is not filial."

Chen Ji's fingers lightly traced over the script marks, charcoal smudging his fingertips, cold.

He suddenly understood what place this was.

This was the first stop for many Military Intelligence Department spies arriving at the Ning Dynasty, over long periods, one spy after another came here for shelter.

Chen Ji looked closely again, discovering on the bed board a poem: "As a drifting guest, never ashamed to others. Rain and wind soak iron bones, the bright moon shines on the lonely soul."

Beneath the poem were three solitary words: "Await the new start."

Whoever wrote these three words only penned them before stopping.