Chapter 24: Dream Chicken

The young man of Luocheng walked along the cobblestone path at night, cradling a small black cat. His footsteps were heavy at first, but gradually grew lighter.

Life had to go on, didn't it? He already had new hope.

"Wuyun, let's talk about something happy," Chen Ji said with a smile. "Can you tell me about what's happening in the Prince of Jing's manor?"

Wuyun curled up listlessly on Chen Ji's arm, pulling out dried fish from a small blue bundle to nibble on. "What's there to say about that wretched place? It's a sprawling manor filled with nothing but dirty business among the nannies and maids. For instance, Chunhua was bought by Consort Jing to seduce the Prince of Jing, but the Prince won't even give her a second glance. Or Chunrong, that poisonous woman—she's so jealous of Chunhua's youth and beauty that she secretly spits in her food..."

Chen Ji smiled and changed the subject. "In the three months since you came to the Prince of Jing's manor, has anything major happened?"

"Of course!" Wuyun perked up. "The manor is about to get very lively."

Chen Ji looked expectant. "Oh?"

"The Double Ninth Festival is coming up soon," Wuyun said enthusiastically. "Zhu Yunxi, the eldest son of the Prince of Jing; Zhu Lingyun, the daughter of Consort Jing; and Zhu Baili, the daughter of Consort Yun—they are all returning from the Donglin Academy. I heard there's even a little monk."

"A little monk?" Chen Ji asked, puzzled.

"Consort Jing said he is a reincarnated Buddha from the Gelin Sect of the Miyong Esoteric School in Yunzhou," Wuyun explained. "Because the Gelin Sect needs support and official recognition from the imperial court, they have kept him as a hostage in the Central Plains."

"Is Donglin Academy very famous?" Chen Ji asked curiously. He remembered that his two elder brothers had also returned from Donglin Academy.

Wuyun explained, "I've heard that Donglin Academy, along with Qingya Academy and Yuelu Academy, is known as one of the three great academies of the Ning Dynasty. It's a place where scholars from all over the world flock. They say the tuition is incredibly expensive, and only children of noble families are allowed to study there. Among the successful candidates in every imperial examination, thirty percent are students from Donglin Academy."

"A traveler returning home after three years... it certainly should be lively. Between Consort Jing and Consort Yun, which one is the primary consort? And whose child is Zhu Yunxi?"

Wuyun answered, "Neither of them is the primary consort. The primary consort was Zhu Yunxi's mother, but she passed away many years ago... Anyway, I'm heading back to Wanxing Courtyard!"

Just as they reached the entrance of the Taiping Medical Clinic, the cat suddenly jumped out of Chen Ji's arms and vanished in a flash.

As Chen Ji rounded the next corner, he was startled to see Old Man Yao standing expressionlessly at the door. "Where did you go?"

Chen Ji thought to himself: *If I told you I took a kitten to find its mother, you certainly wouldn't believe me...*

He replied, "I forgot something at home during my day off, so I went back to get it."

Old Man Yao frowned, the wrinkles on his forehead bunching together. "Actually, your family didn't pay today's tuition, did they?"

Chen Ji froze.

Old Man Yao sneered. "I thought something was off back then. Your legal mother has always been narrow-minded. To avoid paying the ten taels of silver a month for your Donglin Academy tuition, she sent you here to be an apprentice. It's a miracle she's even paying it now; how could she afford to buy so many gifts to show me respect?"

Chen Ji remained silent, unsure of how to respond.

Old Man Yao asked suspiciously, "Wait, if the money didn't come from your family, where did it come from? Don't tell me you've taken a mistress from some wealthy household..."

As he spoke, Old Man Yao's expression changed drastically, his beard bristling with rage. "You are an apprentice of my Taiping Medical Clinic! If word gets out that you've done something like that, what's the difference between you and someone shitting directly in my pants?"

Chen Ji: "...Huh?"

"What do you mean 'huh'?"

Chen Ji hurriedly said, "You've misunderstood. How could I ever do such a thing?"

"Then where did this money come from?"

Chen Ji fell silent for a moment. "Master, I can't say. I don't want to implicate you."

Old Man Yao scrutinized him. "The Secret Intelligence Bureau? Are you working for them?"

Chen Ji sighed inwardly. No wonder people said the old are wise; he had only revealed a tiny bit of information, and the man had already guessed it.

He could only explain, "Master, Yun Yang came knocking. I had no choice."

Old Man Yao stared at him intently for a long time, then turned to walk into the clinic. "Whether you had a choice or not, you've already made it. I won't care and I won't ask, as long as you can pay your tuition every month. If you die out there one day, it's best if I don't find out... Now get lost and go to sleep!"

As the clinic doors closed, three figures emerged from the corner at the end of Anxi Street. Yun Yang stood with his arms crossed, muttering, "It seems Imperial Physician Yao doesn't much like our Bureau."

Jiaotu shrugged. "It's normal for him not to like us."

Yun Yang looked at the third person. "Mengji, that little apprentice is the one I want to interrogate. I need to determine if he is a spy from the Jing Dynasty."

The man named Mengji wore a bright brown robe with a large collar, embroidered with dozens of brightly colored pheasants, looking much like a theatrical costume.

Mengji stroked his neatly trimmed sideburns and said in a thin, delicate voice, "Just a little apprentice? Is he worth such a lavish expenditure? You even went out of your way to invite me from Kaifeng Prefecture."

"I pay, you work. I've told you all the information you need to know; don't ask anything else," Yun Yang said calmly.

"Fine, I'll guarantee your satisfaction. Whatever you want to do in your dreams, I'll make it happen," Mengji laughed in a shrill voice, making Jiaotu unable to help but rub the goosebumps on his arms.

Yun Yang asked curiously, "I've always wondered, why do you dare to openly display your cultivation path? Aren't you afraid of bringing trouble upon yourself?"

Mengji laughed. "The Grand Eunuch said that I am the only one in this world who practices this path. What trouble could I possibly cause?"

He then sat cross-legged on the ground and pulled a yellow talisman from his robe.

Mengji bit his finger and used his blood to scribble on the talisman. Finally, he wrapped the talisman around a strand of hair and swallowed it whole!

In an instant, Mengji's pupils rolled upward, leaving nothing but the whites of his eyes!

...

...

Chen Ji did not go to his room to rest. Instead, he quietly lit an oil lamp in the main hall of the clinic and silently flipped through the *General Outline of Medical Arts*.

Even memorizing the six hundred and eighteen acupoints within the twelve primary meridians was difficult.

He felt as if he had returned to a classroom in the sweltering summer, with piles of exam papers and books before him and the rhythmic sound of reading in his ears. Memories of studying were perhaps the deepest memories of every student's youth, making a thundering sound that accompanied the rising and setting of the sun.

At this moment, Chen Ji wished he had a copy of *Five Years of TCM, Three Years of Mock Exams* in front of him.

As he was studying, he suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness. It was as if, in a gentle season, his entire body was being enveloped by warm seawater, carrying him toward the depths of the ocean.

Chen Ji became alert. Ever since he had ignited the four fires within his body, he had been perpetually energetic; this drowsiness was utterly irrational.

Yet, no matter how vigilant he remained, his eyelids slowly drifted shut.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Ji opened his eyes in a dream. He found himself standing before the vermilion-painted gates of Zhou Chengyi's residence.

*Wait, what was I doing?*

Chen Ji looked at the medicinal packet in his hand, wrapped in hemp paper and labeled "Taiping Medical Clinic," then looked up at the plaque that read "Zhou Manor."

*Right, I came to deliver tonic medicine to Lord Zhou.*

*Knock, knock, knock.* Chen Ji lifted the metal ring and struck the door. Everything felt natural; he had forgotten he was in a dream.

With a creak, the vermilion gates opened, and Steward Wang greeted him with a smile. "Is it Doctor Chen? Please, come in."

"Where is Lord Zhou? I've brought the herbs he requested," Chen Ji said, following Steward Wang inside. The gates slowly closed behind them.

Chen Ji observed his surroundings. Maids were wiping mahogany furniture in the main room; in the courtyard, a woman was smiling as she held a little girl, while a young boy nearby was playing with a shuttlecock.

Steward Wang led him into the main room. Chen Ji felt an intense sense of familiarity, yet he couldn't remember where he had seen this place before.

At that moment, Zhou Chengyi was sitting behind a desk, holding a brush and transcribing a book. Seeing Chen Ji arrive, he dismissed the steward and the maids.

Chen Ji placed the medicinal packet on the table. "Lord Zhou, here is your medicine."

Zhou Chengyi looked up and suddenly asked, "Does the Prince of Jing have any new information to pass to me?"

Chen Ji was stunned. "Lord Zhou, what are you talking about?"

Zhou Chengyi's voice grew somber. "Have you forgotten? You and I are spies sent to the south by the Jing Dynasty's Military Intelligence Bureau. I am responsible for contacting the Liu family, and you are responsible for contacting the Prince of Jing! I will ask you one more time: is there any new information from the Prince of Jing?"

Chen Ji frowned and did not answer, his thoughts racing.

He heard Zhou Chengyi asking over and over, "Have you forgotten your identity?"

"Have you forgotten how the Jing Dynasty's Military Intelligence Bureau trained you?"

Zhou Chengyi's voice grew louder and more piercing. "Have you forgotten that you are a spy?"

Each question felt like a demonic sound piercing his ears, making Chen Ji's head spin. He felt as if his consciousness was being manipulated, and his eyes involuntarily rolled back.

In the next moment, only the whites of Chen Ji's eyes were visible. He replied, "Lord Zhou, have you misunderstood? I am not a spy!"

Zhou Chengyi revealed a satisfied smile. He had obtained the answer he wanted and could now complete the transaction with Yun Yang.

However, curiosity struck him again. "How did you meet Yun Yang?"

As the words fell, Chen Ji felt the four fires in his dantian ignite, incinerating all the ghosts and demons within his body!

Unaware of this, Zhou Chengyi stood up, leaning forward with both hands on the table. "Why did Yun Yang suspect you were a Jing Dynasty spy? And what makes you so special that Yun Yang didn't just kill you outright?"

The last sentence was no longer Zhou Chengyi's original voice, but had been replaced by a shrill, high-pitched tone.

At that moment, Chen Ji's pupils actually rolled back into place, and he turned to walk out!

"Zhou Chengyi" watched in astonishment as Chen Ji turned and walked toward the vermilion gates, pulling them open with force.

As the gates swung wide, "Zhou Chengyi" saw Yun Yang and Jiaotu standing outside with playful smiles. He gasped in shock, "Huh? Yun Yang, Jiaotu, how did you get into my dream?"

Wait!

That's not right!

"Zhou Chengyi" realized clearly that it was impossible for Yun Yang and Jiaotu to invade his dream, nor had he imagined them in this dream...

The Yun Yang and Jiaotu before him were fabrications created by the little apprentice, Chen Ji, within the dream!

The dream was no longer entirely under his control!

After a moment of thought, Chen Ji pointed at "Zhou Chengyi" and said to Yun Yang and Jiaotu, "Lord Yun Yang, Lord Jiaotu, Zhou Chengyi is a spy for the Jing Dynasty, without a doubt!"

Yun Yang asked with interest, "Do you have evidence?"

Chen Ji said with certainty, "Does the Secret Intelligence Bureau need evidence to arrest a spy? Just stab him and be done with it!"

Watching Yun Yang and Jiaotu pounce toward him, "Zhou Chengyi" let out a furious roar, "Wait... AHH!"

(End of Chapter)