Chapter 27: The Inner Prison

Luocheng was brimming with vitality in the early morning, the streets bustling with pedestrians.

Ox carts headed to the Eastern Market for the fair, occasionally causing congestion in the narrow alleys. The drivers, chewing on flatbreads, shouted curses at passersby to make way.

The sounds of laughter, angry scolding, and street cries were incessant.

One could hardly detect the city's decline over the past few centuries; it felt as though the city remained frozen in its moment of greatest glory.

Inside the Taiping Medical Clinic, Chen Ji stood behind the counter with his sleeves rolled up. With a bright smile, he lifted a copper scale to dispense medicine for patients. His smile was clean and honest; no one would ever associate him with something like "capturing spies."

On the other side, Old Man Yao was testing academic knowledge.

She Dengke sat upright behind the counter, eyes closed as he felt a patient's pulse. Old Man Yao stood beside him, holding a bamboo strip, and asked in a heavy voice, "Speak quickly, what kind of pulse is this?"

She Dengke placed three fingers on the patient's wrist and ventured, "A surging pulse?"

*Slap!* The bamboo strip struck She Dengke's back, startling the middle-aged male patient across the counter.

Old Man Yao gestured for the patient to remain calm and continued questioning She Dengke, "What pulse?"

She Dengke grimaced, "A full pulse!"

*Slap!* Another one!

She Dengke hurriedly said, "A deep pulse!"

*Slap!* Another one!

The patient hurriedly stood up and pulled at Old Man Yao, "Stop hitting the boy! Imperial Physician Yao, please calm your anger. It can be a deep pulse, let it be a deep pulse!"

Old Man Yao slowly turned his head toward the patient, unable to find words for a long moment. "...And if I felt a pregnancy pulse, would you accept that too?!"

Having said that, he turned his gaze toward Chen Ji and Liu Quxing, contemplating who to beat up next. As his gaze swept past, it suddenly stopped at the doorway.

At that moment, a small black cat was darting left and right through the crowd outside the clinic. It cautiously tilted its head to observe the human footsteps, then dodged them.

Arriving at the clinic door, Wuyun the cat crouched at the threshold, peeking inside stealthily, only to meet Old Man Yao's gaze.

Old Man Yao stared at it expressionlessly. Chen Ji's heart tightened; his master didn't seem like the type to like small animals, and he feared he might drive Wuyun away.

However, meeting Old Man Yao's gaze, Wuyun merely tucked its neck in, then summoned the courage to scramble over the threshold, inching closer bit by bit.

To everyone's surprise, Wuyun leaped onto the counter, approached Old Man Yao, and lay directly upon his hand!

Old Man Yao froze for a long time. His stern expression slowly shifted, eventually breaking into a smile so deep it created wrinkles. She Dengke and the other two fellow disciples were stunned; it was the first time they had seen their master look so amiable!

So the old man actually knew how to smile!

Realizing something was amiss, Old Man Yao immediately regained his gravity and said indifferently, "This little thing... is quite likable."

Liu Quxing leaned in, wanting to pet Wuyun, but Old Man Yao immediately swatted his hand away. "Get lost!"

Liu Quxing: "..."

The next moment, Wuyun nuzzled its head against Old Man Yao's hand. After a moment of silence, Old Man Yao turned to She Dengke and said, "Go get the purple wooden box from my room."

With his other hand, Old Man Yao gently tapped Wuyun's head and said nonchalantly, "Your name is Wuyun, isn't it?"

Chen Ji's pupils suddenly contracted, his heart tightening as if gripped by an invisible hand.

Only he and Wuyun knew that he had named the cat. How did Old Man Yao find out? Did the man already know everything?

Recalling how Old Man Yao had gone to the Zhou residence to pick him up, how he had pulled him back to the clinic during the procession of the Buddha, and how he had gone to the Wanxing Garden for a house call—every single incident seemed to hide a deeper meaning.

As Chen Ji was lost in thought, he saw Old Man Yao cast a silent glance at him, a look that felt as if it could see right through him.

Old Man Yao merely glanced at him before turning his attention back to Wuyun. She Dengke leaned in and asked, "Master, is this the cat from Wanxing Garden? I remember you haven't visited the Prince's manor in a long time. How did you know its name was Wuyun?"

Old Man Yao gave him a sidelong glance. "I calculated it through divination. Is that not allowed?"

Liu Quxing was stunned. "You can calculate that too? Then calculate what my childhood nickname was."

Old Man Yao pulled six copper coins from his sleeve, scattered them calmly onto the counter, and said to Liu Quxing with a deadpan expression, "Your nickname was 'Moron'."

Chen Ji: "..." Liu Quxing: "..."

She Dengke brought the purple wooden box over and opened a drawer, revealing exquisite pastries inside.

Liu Quxing gasped, "Pastries from Zhengxin Hall!"

Old Man Yao placed a piece of pastry in his palm and held it before Wuyun. "Eat."

Wuyun devoured it in a few bites and then set its sights on the box.

Old Man Yao was not stingy; he took out another piece and said, "Being able to eat pastries is a good thing. A foolish cat only knows how to eat meat, but only a clever cat knows the benefits of pastries."

After finishing two pastries, Wuyun ran to Chen Ji without looking back and curled up in front of him, showing no attachment to the food.

Seeing this, Old Man Yao simply brushed the pastry crumbs from his palm into his own mouth, unbothered.

He looked at Chen Ji and said casually, "It seems to like you quite a bit."

With that, he returned to testing She Dengke's studies.

Seeing that everyone's attention had shifted, Chen Ji whispered, "Why did you come during the day?"

Wuyun replied, "Consort Jing left the Jing Prince's manor and went somewhere unknown. Now that no one is managing Wanxing Garden, the maids are all slacking off, so I came out to play with you!"

Chen Ji smiled. "Then stay here at the clinic. I need to weigh medicine for a patient first."

As they spoke, a richly dressed middle-aged man entered, holding a prescription. "Imperial Physician Yao, I've come for medicine, but I left in such a hurry this morning that I forgot to bring enough money. Could you let me take the medicine first to treat my mother, and then send an apprentice to my home to collect the payment? I won't let the apprentice work for nothing; I'll give him twenty wen for the trip."

Old Man Yao glanced at the prescription. "These medicines aren't cheap. Are you sure you have the money at home?"

The man nodded. "I am certain!"

Liu Quxing hurriedly said, "Master, I'll go!"

Old Man Yao gave a chilling smile. "You don't want me to test your studies, do you, boy? Chen Ji, you go!"

Liu Quxing's face instantly turned ashen as he watched helplessly as Chen Ji left with the man.

At the entrance, the middle-aged man led Chen Ji into a carriage.

After lowering the curtain, the man slowly peeled away the fake beard and wrinkles from his face, revealing Yun Yang's true appearance. "You sent word to me because you want to visit the Inner Prison?"

"That's right," Chen Ji nodded. "I feel the Liu Shiyu case is not simple. It doesn't seem like Liu Shiyu's individual action; there is a big fish behind it."

"Oh? You're actually volunteering to help me earn merit? Are you short on money?" Yun Yang grew suspicious. "By my count, you just earned fifty taels of silver. Even if you went to Hongyi Alley, you wouldn't spend it all in a month. Don't tell me you went to Baiyi Alley? Take my advice: those Yangzhou courtesans are trained from childhood in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Their every movement is designed to be seductive. They aren't something a mere apprentice like you can handle."

Chen Ji smiled. "Lord Yun Yang, am I not helping you earn merit? If one day you ascend to a high position, perhaps you can help me secure a minor official post in the Bureau of Secret Intelligence."

Yun Yang remained noncommittal. "Do you think the remaining members of the Liu family are also problematic?"

"I'll only know once I've seen them."

Yun Yang stopped wasting words and produced a black blindfold. "Close your eyes. The location of the Inner Prison is a secret; you cannot know it, and your ears must be plugged as well."

Closing his eyes and plugging his ears, Chen Ji's world fell silent. The bustle of Luocheng seemed to have nothing to do with him anymore.

Yun Yang stepped out to drive the carriage. The carriage rolled slowly along the bluestone road. No one noticed that at some point, a small black cat had perched atop the roof, swaying along with the carriage as it traveled south.

Old Man Yao stopped his testing and stood at the clinic entrance with his hands behind his back, watching the carriage depart, lost in thought.

...

...

"We're here!"

Yun Yang removed the cotton from Chen Ji's ears and pulled him from the carriage. Seeing Chen Ji pull a piece of gray cloth from his robes to cover his nose and mouth, he curled his lip. "You are quite cautious."

Chen Ji smiled. "The Inner Prison of Luocheng must have been infiltrated by the Liu family like a sieve; otherwise, how could they have learned of Liu Shiyu's death so quickly? When investigating the Liu family in a place like this, one must naturally be cautious. Speaking of which... if the Inner Prison of the Bureau of Secret Intelligence is this heavily infiltrated, aren't you angry, Lord Yun Yang?"

Yun Yang sneered. "The batch of jailers in Luocheng was all exiled to Lingnan last night. The personnel here now are all transferred from elsewhere."

With his eyes covered, Chen Ji stumbled along as Yun Yang led him. He heard nothing but the silence of the surroundings, save for the occasional birdcall.

Arriving at an iron gate, Yun Yang knocked three times quickly and twice slowly. Only then did the iron gate slowly creak open.

As the heavy, decaying door opened, it emitted a piercing, grating sound of rusting metal that set one's teeth on edge.

Inside the prison, a young secret agent was waiting.

Once they entered, Yun Yang said, "You can take off the blindfold."

Chen Ji opened his eyes and used his right hand to slightly shield the light, squinting as he surveyed the surroundings.

He saw a narrow staircase sloping steeply downward, extending deep into the earth.

Along the walls beside the stairs, an oil lamp hung every fifteen steps, looking like underworld lanterns guiding souls.

Strangely, beneath every oil lamp, there was a Bagua pattern etched into the base. Curious, Chen Ji asked, "What is the deal with these Bagua patterns?"

Yun Yang recalled, "It is said that seven years ago, the Grand Chancellor sought out a 'Master of Formations' skilled in Qimen Dunjia to draw them in every Inner Prison. The legend goes... one lamp is one cell. As long as the Bagua pattern remains and the lamp does not go out, the person shall not perish."

Chen Ji frowned. "What does that mean?"

Yun Yang shrugged. "How should I know?"

The young agent led Yun Yang and Chen Ji deeper underground. Upon reaching level ground, a stone corridor led into the distant darkness, with dim cells "embedded" into the stone walls on either side.

As their figures appeared, someone immediately clung to the iron bars, wailing, "My Lord, I am innocent! I have absolutely no connection to the Jing Dynasty spies! My elderly mother is over sixty, and I have two children to feed! I beg you, let me go back!"

The cries of injustice were incessant, but Yun Yang acted as if he heard nothing. "Let's go. The files are inside."

However, just as Chen Ji took a step behind him, he froze in place.

In the dim Inner Prison, two streams of grayish-white ice suddenly flew out from the cell in front of him, drilling into his body through his brow.

Yun Yang turned back. "What's wrong?"

Chen Ji's expression remained normal. "Nothing. It's my first time in the Inner Prison; I'm just a bit unsettled seeing these haggard prisoners."

Yun Yang smiled. "I was scared the first time too. You'll get used to it."

Chen Ji stepped forward again. As he and Yun Yang walked deeper into the prison, streams of grayish-white ice flew out from various cells.

As if sensing Chen Ji's presence, they surged toward him in a massive swarm, tumbling through the air like soaring dragons.

Chen Ji watched this scene in profound shock. Hundreds of ice streams drilled into his body through his brow, eventually merging together and settling within his dantian.

The momentum of the ice streams was so immense that, faintly, they seemed poised to extinguish the very fire of his internal furnace!

(End of Chapter)