At dawn, the world was still shrouded in a gray haze.
Chen Ji slowly sat up from his bed, instinctively reaching for the phone by his pillow, but there was nothing there.
In that moment, he suddenly realized that the world he once lived in was no longer within his reach—it had become his hometown.
"Wait, wasn’t I supposed to be in the courtyard?" Chen Ji’s last memory was of standing by the apricot tree, practicing the Stone-Carrying Stance.
Yet, when he woke up, he was back in the west wing room, still wearing the same tattered clothes from the night before.
Had his master brought him back? Or was it one of his fellow disciples? Chen Ji couldn’t be sure; he didn’t remember anything.
At this moment, the icy flow within his dantian was calm and quiet, a stark contrast to its ferocity the night before.
Chen Ji pondered, "Who caused the icy flow this time? The first time it appeared was because of Zhou Chengyi, the second time was…" Each time the icy flow emerged, several people had died.
Yet, the ordinary people in Zhou Chengyi’s household didn’t trigger it, nor did the maid who died in Wanxing Garden.
Could it have been caused by the fetus from Consort Jing’s recent miscarriage?!
As he was lost in thought, She Dengke suddenly sat up at the end of the bed, eyes closed, and muttered, "Master, just kill me already. If I’m dead, no one will have to take care of you in your old age!" Chen Ji turned to look at him, only to see She Dengke flop back down with a thud—it had just been sleep talk.
The rooster hadn’t crowed yet.
Strangely, even though Chen Ji had only returned at the hour of the ox last night and had slept for less than four hours, he now felt completely refreshed, without a trace of fatigue or drowsiness.
Was this the result of the icy flow and the Stone-Carrying Stance?
After sitting on the bed in deep thought for a while, Chen Ji finally got up, changed his clothes, and went to the courtyard to pick up a carrying pole.
The slender figure of the young man, balancing two wooden buckets, made his way toward Anxi Street outside the gate.
Yesterday, while waiting for his family to bring his tuition money, Chen Ji had noticed a well there.
The entire neighborhood fetched water from it, and if you arrived late, you’d have to wait in a long line.
As he stepped out, Chen Ji paused.
He saw the black cat from Wanxing Garden perched on the eaves of the grain shop across the street, silently watching him.
So, it hadn’t been an illusion last night—the black cat had indeed been drawn to the bead in his sleeve, even following him all the way outside the prince’s residence!
Chen Ji walked along the bluestone-paved road in the early morning, while the black cat silently followed him from the tiled rooftops, its gaze never leaving him.
The long street was empty except for him, and the rooftops were empty except for the cat.
They walked side by side, passing through the thin autumn mist, as if traversing time itself.
Chen Ji stopped, balancing the carrying pole as he looked at the black cat from a distance.
Curiously, he called out, "Meow meow?" The black cat simply stared back coldly.
What kind of proper cat responds to "meow meow"? Chen Ji tried again, "Sang Biao?" The black cat remained silent.
Chen Ji then tentatively held out the bead in his palm.
"Is this what you want?" Despite its injuries, the black cat maintained a dignified posture, showing no reaction, as if waiting for the young man to offer the bead willingly.
Chen Ji raised his hand slightly higher.
This time, the black cat leaned forward on the tiled eaves, ready to leap down and snatch the bead.
But just as it stretched its neck, Chen Ji closed his hand, hiding the bead again.
The black cat’s mouth twitched as if it wanted to meow, but it couldn’t bring itself to lower its pride.
Eventually, it resumed its aloof stance, silently watching the young man.
Chen Ji tucked the bead back into his sleeve and continued leisurely toward the well.
The black cat followed silently, its cold gaze fixed on him, a fresh wound on its brow making it look fiercer.
As Chen Ji stood by the well, turning the wooden handle to lower a bucket, he noticed the black cat had jumped down from the eaves and was now standing by the well, looking up at him.
"You…" Chen Ji thought for a long moment before suddenly asking, "You want this bead, don’t you? Here, take it."
He opened his palm, offering the bead without any teasing this time.
But the black cat simply stood on the edge of the well, the corner of its mouth curling slightly in what seemed like disdain—it wasn’t falling for that trick again! "Wait, are you mocking me?" Chen Ji was surprised to see such a human-like expression on a cat.
He glanced around the empty street, then placed the bead on the ground and stepped back three meters.
"It’s there. Take it if you want."
Animals have instincts; they seem to know naturally what to eat and what to avoid.
Even if they’re poisoned, they can find their own antidotes.
Humans lack such instincts—they’ll eat anything, even poisonous mushrooms for fun.
So, Chen Ji wasn’t worried about the black cat eating the bead.
He wanted to know why the cat was drawn to it and what would happen if it swallowed it.
The answer to the icy flow might lie with this black cat.
By the well, the black cat cautiously approached the bead, glancing at it and then at Chen Ji, keeping its guard up.
After a long while, it finally leaned in, sniffing the bead from a distance.
"Go ahead," Chen Ji encouraged, watching eagerly.
But as the black cat opened its mouth to grab the bead, the wisp of gray mist inside it surged violently, like a living thing, and an invisible force pushed the cat away!
"Huh?" Chen Ji was stunned by this supernatural phenomenon.
He was certain that an invisible force had erupted from the bead, repelling the black cat.
The small cat arched its back, adopting a defensive stance, and didn’t dare approach the bead again.
"Why is this happening?" Chen Ji wondered aloud.
Just then, the sound of hurried hoofbeats echoed in the distance.
Chen Ji turned to see a carriage approaching, heading toward the clinic, shattering the peaceful mist.
The carriage passed by him, the driver looking anxious, as if something urgent had happened.
"Looks like they’re here for Master. I should hurry back," Chen Ji said.
"Oh, and you…" When he turned back, the black cat was gone, leaving only the bead lying on the ground.
……
When Chen Ji returned to the clinic, swaying under the weight of the carrying pole, he saw the carriage parked outside.
The two horses were strong and well-groomed, their muscles rippling under their shiny coats.
The wooden carriage was adorned with intricate carvings of golden canaries, their tails extending to the back of the vehicle, exuding elegance and sophistication.
She Dengke and the carriage driver were loading some luggage onto the carriage.
Chen Ji approached, balancing the pole, and asked, "What’s going on?" She Dengke’s face was brimming with excitement.
"Master’s going out to treat a patient."
"Why are you so happy about it?" "Of course I’m happy!" She Dengke whispered, "Master’s going to be gone for at least ten days to half a month. That means no beatings, no scoldings, and no exams! Aren’t you thrilled? We can even go to the East Market and Red Dress Alley… If my third brother is helping with a noble’s banquet, I can sneak you in to watch the opera. I heard the Ma Troupe from Liyuan is coming back to perform!"
"Who’s he going to treat?" Chen Ji asked curiously.
She Dengke lowered his voice.
"I heard that the Imperial Secret Service arrested several young members of the Liu family while investigating spies from the Jing Dynasty. One of them died from torture in prison. When the Liu family’s patriarch heard the news, he fainted and is now on his deathbed."
Chen Ji’s mind flashed back to Yun Yang’s smirk at the Zhou residence—a lingering sense of danger he couldn’t shake.
"The Imperial Secret Service has that much power?" "Of course!" She Dengke said.
"The Liu patriarch’s daughter is the Empress Dowager, and his son is the Minister of Personnel. Even with such connections, the Secret Service didn’t hesitate to arrest them. People say the Secret Service has the authority to act first and report later—it’s a privilege granted by the emperor."
Chen Ji felt uneasy.
Even if the Secret Service had significant power, it shouldn’t disregard the Empress Dowager and the Minister of Personnel, should it? As they were talking, Old Man Yao emerged from the clinic, accompanied by a dignified middle-aged man.
Old Man Yao addressed his three disciples, "While I’m away, none of you are to diagnose patients on your own. If someone brings a prescription, just fill it. Don’t mess up the measurements and cost me money. When I return, I’ll check the inventory. Anyone who causes a loss will have to make up for it!"
Chen Ji’s heart skipped a beat.
He hadn’t figured out what to do with the old ginseng yet.
What if Old Man Yao discovered it missing when he checked the inventory? The middle-aged man beside Old Man Yao urged, "Master Yao, we should get going. My family can’t wait any longer. We need to hold on until my father returns from the capital to see the patriarch one last time."
Old Man Yao nodded.
"Let’s go."
Liu Quxing helped Old Man Yao into the carriage, and soon it sped away, the sound of hooves clattering on the bluestone road.
She Dengke marveled, "How much would it cost to buy a carriage like that?" Liu Quxing chuckled, "You’re so clueless. See the golden canary on the carriage? That’s a design only granted by the emperor to families with officials of the second rank or higher. In our Great Ning Dynasty, even commoners riding in sedan chairs is considered overstepping. How many heads do you think you have to ride in a carriage like that?"
She Dengke sneered, "As if you’re really part of the Liu family!" Liu Quxing glared at him, "What do you mean I’m not part of the Liu family?" "Your family’s just a distant branch that the main family doesn’t even acknowledge," She Dengke shot back.
"We may be poor, but we have dignity. We make a living at the docks with our own skills, not by clinging to the powerful."
Liu Quxing retorted, "I even attended the Liu patriarch’s 90th birthday banquet with my parents!" "Yeah, at the servants’ table."
"You jerk!" Chen Ji watched helplessly as the two of them tussled their way back into the clinic.
Suddenly, he sensed something unusual and turned to see the small black cat hadn’t truly left—it was hiding in the shadows of the opposite eaves, secretly observing them.
(End of Chapter)