Chapter 7: Parents

The long street was silent. Buildings with gray eaves stood at varying heights, their curved corners like waves in the black ocean of the night, frozen in time.

Old Man Yao walked slowly ahead with his hands behind his back, while Chen Ji followed in silence. He had many questions he wanted to ask: where was Beiju Luzhou? Did the old man know a young man named Li Qingniao? And what exactly was the Forty-Nine Heavens?

But he knew he couldn't ask; he could only bury those questions deep in his heart.

Old Man Yao sounded suspicious: "You’re usually as chatty as a torn rag, so why are you so quiet today?"

Chen Ji felt a tightness in his chest: "It’s still about what happened at the Zhou residence. You told me not to bring it up."

Old Man Yao suddenly asked, "Did you kill anyone?"

Chen Ji was silent for a long time: "No."

Old Man Yao gave a soft huff and asked no more.

Throughout the rest of the journey, the old man truly didn't ask about the night's events again, as if nothing had happened at all.

After walking for about an hour, Chen Ji finally saw the wide, vermilion-lacquered gates of the Prince Jing residence in the distance. Guards stood before the gate holding halberds, clad in iron armor, while stone lions on either side looked fierce and imposing.

Two white lanterns hung under the gray eaves, inscribed with the three characters "Prince Jing Residence." Above the gate was a plaque with the words "Upright and Bright" written in gold lacquer.

Physician Yao did not enter through the main gate. Instead, he led Chen Ji toward the side of the residence, where a medical clinic stood pressed tightly against the estate, named "Taiping."

The plaque above its door bore four large characters: "No Credit Given."

Old Man Yao pushed open the clinic door and stepped over the high threshold. Inside, a kerosene lamp burned on a long counter.

Outside was the dark, long street and the night; inside was a warm, orange glow, as if the world were black and white, and only this clinic possessed color.

It felt as if, once Chen Ji stepped inside, he could find shelter from the wind and rain and attain peace.

Old Man Yao stood inside the door and glanced sideways at Chen Ji: "Throw away what’s in your hand. We don't need that stuff in the clinic."

Chen Ji started, then threw away the broken porcelain shard he had been clutching in his palm. It was still stained with blood.

He looked at the clinic’s high threshold and Old Man Yao’s hunched back, then finally stepped inside and closed the door, shutting the night out.

...

...

The clinic was a small courtyard house, separated from the Prince’s residence by only a single wall. In the center of the courtyard stood a gnarled apricot tree.

A sturdy crow perched on the tip of a branch, flying away as soon as it saw someone approach.

Old Man Yao seemed tired. He waved his hand and said, "Go to sleep."

Chen Ji stood still, not moving... Where was he supposed to sleep? There were three rooms in the back wing of the courtyard, and he didn't know which one was the right choice. If he went to the wrong place, it might arouse suspicion.

Seeing him motionless, Old Man Yao turned back, looking skeptical: "Why aren't you going to sleep?"

As the words fell, a tall, thin youth in a long gown emerged from the west wing. He looked at Chen Ji with disdain: "Chen Ji, it was just a medicine delivery, yet you took so long, and even troubled Master to go find you... Master, you must be tired from walking. Let me boil some water for you to soak your feet before you rest."

Chen Ji watched this... senior brother in silence.

How could someone be so specific with their flattery?

Old Man Yao said, "Get lost and go to sleep, all of you. Don't let it interfere with tomorrow's morning lessons."

"You got it," the tall, thin youth replied crisply and ducked back into the west wing.

Chen Ji followed him inside. The room contained a large communal bed. A burly figure lay in the innermost spot, snoring loudly, completely unaware of what had happened outside. The tall, thin senior brother slept in the middle, and his own spot was by the door.

The apprentice’s room had dilapidated wooden windows and no furniture other than a few basins and jars.

In the dim room, the tall, thin senior brother sat on the bed wrapped in his quilt, staring at Chen Ji with gleaming eyes. He lowered his voice and asked, "What happened? Why were you gone so long?"

"Nothing happened," Chen Ji shook his head, crawled into his quilt, exhausted, and stared quietly at the wooden beams of the ceiling and the long-settled cobwebs.

The tall, thin senior brother rolled over and lay down, clicking his tongue: "Fine, don't tell me then!"

The room fell quiet again, leaving only the sound of breathing.

Only at this moment could Chen Ji stop to think about his situation: Would Jiaotu and Yunyang let him go? Certainly not.

The ability he had displayed tonight was definitely not something a clinic apprentice should possess, and he had happened to appear at the home of a Jing Dynasty spy. How could those two vipers not be suspicious?

But why had they let him go? Was it because of his master's status, or did they have other plans?

Regardless of the reason, Chen Ji’s best choice now was to stay in the clinic. Since it was adjacent to the Prince’s residence, perhaps the others would have reservations about doing anything.

As he pondered, Chen Ji’s pupils suddenly contracted.

A cold aura was spreading through his dantian, devouring the warmth in his muscles, bones, and blood.

It was... the icy current that had slipped into his body when Zhou Chengyi died. At the time, it had only felt cold, as if it were an illusion, but now it felt like a beast trapped inside his body, angrily searching for an exit, yet unable to break out.

*Thump.*

Chen Ji heard the sound of his blood flowing like an avalanche, as if it were no longer blood flowing through his veins, but slush.

It felt as if a sword were hidden in his thin body, or perhaps a dragon that had existed for thousands of years. Chen Ji felt as if he were submerged in a dark, deep pool, desperately being dragged to the bottom by a hand.

Bone-chilling cold.

Chen Ji struggled to turn his head to look at the others in the room, only to find them sleeping soundly, unaware of anything. He wrapped himself tighter in the quilt, but the cold was coming from within; even covering himself completely didn't help.

Could he be haunted by the vengeful spirit of Zhou Chengyi?

Gradually, before he could figure it out, he curled into a ball and drifted into a delirious state.

He didn't know how much time had passed when a loud rooster crow echoed from the distant horizon. The sound seemed to pierce through layers of mist, tearing them to shreds.

Chen Ji woke up with a start and sat up, gasping greedily as if he had just been pulled out of water.

His hands and feet were cold. What had just happened was no dream; that icy current was still raging.

...

...

Outside the window, the faint sunlight was blocked by the paper panes, leaving the room dim.

Beside him, the two senior brothers were still sleeping soundly, heads covered. The rooster’s crow didn't seem to affect them; they were still snoring.

Just as Chen Ji sat there in a daze, the door creaked open.

He saw his master, "Old Man Yao," standing at the door holding a bamboo rod. He looked disgusted: "The rooster has crowed and you’re still not up? Those who know will know you’re apprentices; those who don’t would think you’re the eldest sons of some noble family."

With that, he swung the bamboo rod and lashed out.

Chen Ji struggled to roll out of bed, threw on his clothes, and dodged to the side: "Master, I’m already up!"

Seeing this, Old Man Yao went to strike the others, and a chorus of wails erupted as the two senior brothers scrambled to cover their heads: "Master, stop hitting us! We’re up, we’re up!"

But no matter how they dodged, the bamboo rod always landed precisely on them. The hunched little old man was ninety-two years old, yet his movements were exceptionally agile.

Old Man Yao chased the three of them into the courtyard with the rod, saying coldly, "Stand in a horse stance!"

Chen Ji had expected the morning lesson at the medical clinic to be reciting medical texts, not standing in a stance.

He turned to look and saw his two senior brothers simultaneously strike a strange pose. It wasn't a horse stance; it looked more like they were carrying a giant boulder while climbing a mountain ridge.

Before he could even try to mimic them, *smack*—the bamboo rod landed crisply on him. The moment the rod made contact with his body, a pain seemed to explode from the gaps in his bones.

The piercing pain, combined with the cold and weakness, nearly made Chen Ji faint. He mimicked his senior brothers' stance, while Old Man Yao sneered: "Don't play the weakling with me; it won't work. And don't think that just because you flatter me, I won't beat you."

As he spoke, the bamboo rod landed on the tall, thin senior brother: "Liu Quxing, wasn't I talking to you? What kind of ghost stance is this?"

Liu Quxing said with a sob: "Master, aren't we here to learn medicine? Why do we have to learn this every day?"

Old Man Yao sneered and struck him again: "You dare talk back? Heaven has three treasures: sun, moon, and stars. Man has three treasures: essence, energy, and spirit! Without essence, energy, and spirit, you won't learn anything!"

In just a quarter of an hour, the three brothers were wailing under the bamboo rod. It was Chen Ji’s first time being physically punished, and he received the most lashes of the three because he was the most unfamiliar with the posture.

However.

At one point while standing in the stance, a warm current surged from the base of Chen Ji’s spine, slowly offsetting the cold from the previous night.

This warmth was intermittent... or rather, it was generated when the posture was correct, and absent when it was wrong.

Chen Ji followed the sensation to adjust his posture, holding it still whenever the warmth surged. It was as if someone had prepared the answer for him, and he just had to trace it.

Old Man Yao walked over to him, intending to strike him with the rod, but found Chen Ji’s posture was perfectly correct. His raised hand had no reason to strike...

Later on, Old Man Yao simply stopped looking at him and only lashed the other two.

Chen Ji didn't know what was special about this stance that could counteract the icy current. He silently observed his senior brothers, who didn't seem to feel any benefit from it.

Was he the only one who could feel this warmth?

Half an hour passed. The icy current in Chen Ji’s body was suppressed and returned to his dantian, remaining motionless. He breathed a sigh of relief; if the current had continued to rage, it was doubtful he would have survived the day.

Old Man Yao sneered: "That’s enough. Morning lesson is over. Chen Ji has improved."

The three brothers rubbed their injuries, wincing. If they took off their clothes now, they would surely be covered in bruises.

"Hurry up and get to the front hall to wait for your families. Today is the day for tuition fees. If I don't see the money, you can pack your bags and go home immediately!" Old Man Yao said coldly: "Chen Ji, when your family arrives later, remember to ask for the money. The medicine lost last night cost three hundred and twenty wen; not a single wen less."

Chen Ji paused.

Family...

Did he still have family in this world?