Chapter 31: Mountain Lord, Dragon Devourer

In the small courtyard, a crow flapped its wings, glancing left and right at Wuyun.

Wuyun, having eaten and drunk its fill, tried to pounce on it, but was easily dodged every time. The crow's caws were filled with mischief.

For some reason, Chen Ji suddenly felt that the crow and the cat, the youth and the old man, seemed exceptionally harmonious and peaceful in this courtyard.

And tonight was one of the few peaceful nights since he had arrived in this world.

No one framing him, no one fighting to the death.

The mysterious veil of the world was finally being slowly lifted before his eyes.

"Master," Chen Ji asked the most perplexing question, "Do all practitioners need to kill like us..."

Old Man Yao asked in confusion, "Kill what? Kill the patients?"

"Huh?" Chen Ji became even more confused. "Master, how do you cultivate?"

Old Man Yao said nonchalantly, "By curing the patient, their sickness energy can be used by me."

Chen Ji was stunned. The same path of cultivation, yet even the method of cultivation was different?

However, just as the thought occurred to him, the crow perched on the apricot tree, its feathers pointing at Chen Ji like fingers, and began to caw loudly in laughter, laughing so hard it nearly fell from the branch.

Chen Ji: "...Master, lying is no fun!"

Old Man Yao sneered, "In the end, you are inexperienced. You have a brain, but not much of one. And remember, this martial world is harsher than you imagine. Aside from yourself and that cat, you cannot trust anyone."

"You can't be trusted either?"

"Correct, I can't be trusted either," Old Man Yao said, brushing the leftover snack crumbs from Wuyun into his mouth without wasting a bit. "Our path of cultivation is the most secret thing under heaven. Once it is known, the Secret Intelligence Bureau wants to kill you, the Main Punishment Bureau wants to kill you, Prince Jing wants to kill you, the Emperor wants to kill you, and every official in the world wants to kill you. This path cannot be cultivated without a brain."

"Master, are there other practitioners following our path?" Chen Ji asked curiously.

Old Man Yao reminisced, "I've killed a few, but I don't know if I finished them all off."

Chen Ji: "..."

After swallowing his biscuit, feeling a bit choked, he went to the kitchen to pour a glass of water before continuing, "Master, what is our path of cultivation called?"

Old Man Yao stroked his beard. "I have answered enough; I do not wish to answer more..."

Before he could finish, Wuyun had already curled into his arms, nuzzling him incessantly.

Old Man Yao thought for a moment and replied, "Some call it 'Shan Jun' (Mountain Lord)."

Chen Ji pondered, "Shan Jun?"

"Some also call it 'Tun Long' (Dragon Swallower)."

Chen Ji became solemn. The meaning of Shan Jun was obscure, but Dragon Swallower seemed even more fitting to the theme!

He asked curiously, "Master, if you killed me, would it increase your cultivation?"

"It would not," Old Man Yao glanced at him. "On the contrary, if you killed me, it would make your cultivation speed faster. Why don't you try?"

Chen Ji: "...Master, you don't need to be so polite."

Old Man Yao continued to explain, "If you were the only person in this world practicing 'Shan Jun,' your cultivation speed would be at one hundred percent. If there were two practitioners, your speed would be fifty percent. How about that? Does that make it more tempting?"

Chen Ji frowned and said honestly, "I think many people would be tempted."

"Therefore, no practitioner in this world will take a disciple unless it is absolutely necessary."

"How do you define 'absolutely necessary'?"

"Either being critically injured and near death, or becoming old and decrepit, or knowing there is no longer any hope of exploring the Great Dao," Old Man Yao lamented. "I have seen masters teach disciples, only for the disciples to want to kill the masters. I have seen fathers pass things to sons, only for the sons to want to harm the fathers."

Chen Ji sensed the desolation in the old man's tone. "Master, besides She Dengke and Liu Quxing, do I have any other fellow disciples?"

Old Man Yao mocked, "Yes. They are dead. I killed them."

Chen Ji hesitated for a moment. "Do you have children?"

Old Man Yao was silent for a long time. "I already answered that. Once you live long enough, you will understand a truth: do not easily form bonds with people. Those are destined to end in farewells and disappointments."

At this moment, Chen Ji finally understood why Old Man Yao was so cold-hearted. The stories behind that indifference were certainly not something that could be explained in a sentence or two.

Old Man Yao must have truly intended to teach his son; otherwise, he could have waited until his deathbed to pass on the path. But his son had apparently harbored ill intentions.

No wonder practitioners were so rare in this world. It was because anyone who mastered the path would never easily pass it on, and would instead prey upon one another. It wasn't that every son in the world wanted to harm his father, but there was no shortage of sons who did.

Chen Ji wondered, "Why did you choose to take disciples, and three at once?"

Old Man Yao glanced at him, then looked at the crow still teasing Wuyun. "I have no master-disciple affection for you. I simply do not want this path to end with me. So, do not place too much hope in me. You pay the tuition, I teach the skills, and that is all."

Chen Ji felt that the reason Old Man Yao gave was insufficient, but he did not dwell on it. He simply said sincerely, "Even though I said you might not believe me, I will definitely not harm you..."

"Don't speak so soon," Old Man Yao sneered. "I have told you everything I should. I told you these things because I didn't want you to die without knowing why. As for the things I cannot tell you, perhaps I will tell you some when I am in a better mood in the future."

Chen Ji: "...When are you in a good mood?"

"If you return my ginseng, my mood might improve a bit."

Chen Ji hurriedly said, "I'll go to the medicine merchant as soon as I wake up tomorrow..."

Old Man Yao, with his back hunched, stopped at the doorway of the main house. The crow flapped its wings and landed on his shoulder. "Don't think too much. Since you have already started working for the Secret Intelligence Bureau, you have one foot in this martial world. From now on, life and death are up to fate. Just don't regret it."

Chen Ji asked, "Master, what is the 'Jianghu'?"

Old Man Yao said plainly, "The Jianghu is a place that repeats day after day, without novelty."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because human nature is the same. Day after day, without novelty."

Chen Ji suddenly asked, "Master, what kind of person is the Grand Eunuch who manages the Secret Intelligence Bureau?"

"The most venomous person in the world. Otherwise, why would everyone privately call him the Poisonous Eunuch?" Old Man Yao pushed the door open to enter the house. "In the days to come, you will miss these good times when you didn't even know him."

Looking at the old man and the crow on his shoulder, Chen Ji suddenly felt as if he were seeing Wuyun and himself on the long streets of Luocheng that night.

Suddenly, from inside the house, he heard Old Man Yao humming a song with a strange rhythm: "Law-abiding people worry day by day, bullies sing and feast night by night. Harming others for self-gain, riding horses and mules, while the upright and fair go hungry. Repairing bridges and roads leaves one blind, killing and arson brings many children. I go to the Western Heaven to ask Buddha, and Buddha says even he is helpless..."

Chen Ji returned to the room and lay flat on the shared bed, propping his head on his arm. The song his master had just hummed echoed in his mind, while Wuyun lay on his chest.

"Wuyun, don't lie on my chest. I can't sleep like this."

Wuyun looked up at him. "It's not me. Would your master say so much to you? You've achieved such great merit; it's perfectly reasonable for him to sleep on your head, okay?"

Chen Ji was silent for a moment. "That makes sense!"

...

...

In the early morning, before the rooster crowed, Wuyun had already vanished.

Chen Ji carried a shoulder pole to fill the water vat and swept the courtyard clean.

Seeing the crow perched on an apricot branch watching him, he gave a smiling greeting. The crow merely gave him a sidelong glance and continued to sleep on the branch.

Once everything was in order, Chen Ji tied the Buddhist coins around his wrist, tucked all the silver ingots away, and headed out.

The East Market was where merchants from all directions converged, where scholars traveling for exams stayed, and where officials on their way to posts socialized. It was the hub of the world.

However, they were all merely passersby in Luocheng, leaving once the bustle subsided.

Starting from the Taiping Medical Clinic, Chen Ji walked for about an hour before he could finally hear the clamor of the East Market. The brothels had already closed for the night, but the fishermen were just returning from the rivers, carrying baskets of fish ashore, while the boatmen carried ropes toward the canal.

Chen Ji looked up, his eyes searching for signboards, finally stopping at "Bailu Pavilion." This was the largest medicine merchant in Luocheng; sixty percent of the city's herbs relied on them for wholesale and transport from the north and south markets.

This was also where the Taiping Medical Clinic usually purchased its medicinal materials; all three of his fellow disciples had been here.

As Chen Ji stepped over the threshold, a plump manager greeted him with a smile. "Oh, why has Doctor Chen come to visit today? Didn't my men just go to the Taiping Medical Clinic yesterday to restock?"

Chen Ji replied with a smile, "Master sent me to find a few pieces of aged ginseng for use in the Prince's Mansion. I wonder if Bailu Pavilion has any in stock right now?"

The manager said with difficulty, "I must let Doctor Chen know, these aged ginseng pieces are quite expensive. We purchase them according to pre-ordered quantities. Your master requested one piece per month, so we have no extras to give the Taiping Medical Clinic."

Chen Ji turned to leave. "Then I will ask elsewhere."

But the manager hurriedly caught him, saying with a beaming smile, "Doctor Chen is in such a hurry, why don't you let me finish? It's a coincidence; the ginseng ordered by Fangping Pharmacy yesterday hasn't been delivered yet. We are old friends with Physician Yao; if the Prince's Mansion needs it, we can set some aside for you first."

Chen Ji remained noncommittal. "Then bring them out for me to see."

"This way, please. All precious medicinal materials are kept in the backyard."

The manager led Chen Ji toward the backyard of Bailu Pavilion and pushed open a wooden warehouse door. "Please, come in."

After entering, Chen Ji looked around at the dozen or so crates of medicinal materials, only to hear the sound of the door closing behind him.

Strange. He was just here to look at some ginseng; why close the door!?

No!

Chen Ji ducked and rolled forward. When he stood up again, he saw the manager swinging a dagger straight at him, his expression ferociously murderous.

However, Chen Ji was faster. He delivered a kick straight into the manager's bloated belly.

The manager hadn't expected Chen Ji to be faster than him—not only to dodge the assassination attempt but to counterattack instantly. After taking the kick, he fell backward, shouting, "Help me!"

Chen Ji intended to take the opportunity to chase and kill the manager, but he was caught off guard by the sound of wind rushing behind him. Someone flashed out from behind a crate of medicinal materials and pressed a dagger against his neck from behind.

This time, the opponent's speed was something Chen Ji had only seen in Lin Chaoqing, Yun Yang, and Jiao Tu; he had no time to react at all.

Feeling the coldness of the blade, the hairs on his neck stood on end, yet he could only ask calmly, "What is the meaning of this?"

The person behind him said calmly, "You betrayed your surname and your identity, and defected to sell out Zhou Chengyi. Should you not die?"

Chen Ji was speechless... He truly feared exactly what he dreaded!

(End of Chapter)