A heavy snowfall had turned the gray-tiled rooftops of Luo City into a white world.
Only on Tongji Street, the pristine snow had been trampled into black mud by the constant traffic of the Secret Intelligence Bureau's soldiers.
The doors and windows of every house were tightly shut, as if afraid of getting involved in any trouble.
In the ruins of a mansion that had been blown to pieces, dozens of agents were sifting through the rubble, trying to find any useful clues.
Jin Zhu sighed, "Everyone says a heavy snow is a sign of a good harvest, but I can't seem to feel happy about it... How much longer until we can clear the rubble?"
"Sir, it won't be long now. Why don't you have something to eat first? I just had someone buy these famous Weng's buns from Luo City."
"Eating buns at a time like this... Hmm, they do smell good. The filling is made from castrated pork that was bled just last night, so there's no gamey smell. They've added star anise, scallions, ginger, sesame oil... and some secret sauce of theirs. Quite fancy!"
In the courtyard, a small leather tent had been set up, with a small stove inside boiling water.
Jin Zhu sat casually in the tent, munching on the steaming buns.
Just then, an agent ducked into the tent and whispered, "Sir, we've finished clearing the rubble. Aside from some everyday items, there's nothing unusual."
Jin Zhu, still chewing, asked, "How many explosives did the assassin use?"
"From the bamboo fragments we found, it looks like two."
"What did the coroner say?"
The agent replied, "The coroner has examined the wounds. The victim had forty-two injuries from shrapnel, one slash on the neck, and one stab wound on the thigh. What's strange is that the upper body only had minor scratches, nothing serious."
Jin Zhu paused mid-bite, "I've seen the power of those explosives. Two of them blew the house apart, and his upper body is fine? Either he's a martial artist from Cangzhou, or he's a bell-ringer from Jing Dynasty's Bitter Awakening Temple... Jing Dynasty? Go, shave his head and see if there are any monk's scars!"
The agent quickly stepped outside, knelt beside the body of Manager Yuan, and with one hand holding a knife and the other gripping the hair, he shaved it off.
"Sir, there are monk's scars!"
"So he really is a monk from Bitter Awakening Temple. Must be a spy from Jing Dynasty. They've stolen cultivation methods from that temple before," Jin Zhu stuffed the remaining half of the bun into his mouth and swallowed it whole.
"Strange, strange. Why would the assassin come to kill him?"
Jin Zhu was puzzled: the victim was likely a spy from Jing Dynasty, and the assassin was also likely from Jing Dynasty.
Why would they kill each other?
"What do the residents of Tongji Street say? Did anyone recognize him?"
The agent shook his head, "No, the neighbors said the house had been empty for over a year, and they've never seen anyone come or go. We asked a broker, and he said the owner of the house was a merchant from the south who used to keep a concubine here. He's since given the concubine to Prefect Zhang Zhuo and hasn't been to Luo City in a long time."
Manager Yuan's clothes had been stripped, and his face was unrecognizable.
The house was abandoned, and before leaving, Gui had taken Manager Yuan's clothes and removed his face mask, leaving the case with no leads.
Just then, another agent rode up to the mansion and dismounted, shouting, "Sir, sir?!"
Jin Zhu pushed open the tent flap and stepped out, "What's all the shouting? The sky hasn't fallen yet."
The agent said hoarsely, "Sir, last night I negotiated with the Luo City Garrison, and they agreed to close the gates and set up checkpoints. But this morning I went to check, and all four city gates are still open as usual. There are no checkpoints. When our men asked what was going on, the garrison said they were never told to close the gates. Hundreds of people have already come and gone, and the snow on the roads outside the city has been trampled!"
The agents were seething with anger.
Whether in the capital or Jinling, who would dare to defy the Secret Intelligence Bureau like this?
One agent whispered, "Sir, should we arrest Liu Zhen from the Luo City Garrison and throw him in the inner prison?"
Jin Zhu remained silent for a long time before finally smiling, "Arresting him won't do any good. The Liu family might be waiting for us to arrest Liu Zhen, with a backup plan ready... The Liu family really has a tight grip on Yuzhou. Have you been to the prefect's office?"
"Yes, both the prefect and the deputy prefect are not in the office. The clerks said that when the snow started last night, the two officials rushed to the riverbank to set up soup kitchens to comfort the workers."
Jin Zhu laughed bitterly, "Well, well, this is the civil service of our Ning Dynasty! Civil officials ruining the country!"
A trusted agent beside him whispered, "Sir, in Luo City, the civil officials are all avoiding us, the Liu family is obstructing us, and there are spies from Jing Dynasty within the Luo City Secret Intelligence Bureau..."
Jin Zhu felt the situation was getting more complicated.
The most critical issue was that he didn't know who the Jing Dynasty spy was.
Even if they found any clues in the future, Jing Dynasty would know about it.
He said in a low voice, "From today onwards, you take our own men to investigate the explosives from last night. Don't let the local agents get involved."
The agent hesitated, "But we only brought twelve agents from the capital, and none of us are familiar with Luo City. We need someone who knows the city well and is reliable to lead us..."
Jin Zhu suddenly said, "I've thought of someone. Prepare a horse, I'll go find him. You don't need to follow!"
...
...
Anxi Street was covered in snow, filled with joy as children ran around, throwing snowballs everywhere.
Neighbors were clearing the snow in front of their doors, greeting each other cheerfully.
Princess Baili returned with Liang Mao'er, each carrying two baskets of groceries into the Taiping Clinic.
Liang Mao'er's baskets were filled with pork and mutton, while Princess Baili's held scallions and vegetables.
Due to the difficult travel in the snow, the prices of groceries were exceptionally high today.
But Princess Baili didn't care.
In the clinic's main hall, Old Man Yao was busy with his abacus.
He glanced at Princess Baili as she entered but didn't look up, "What did you buy so early in the morning, Princess?"
Princess Baili smiled brightly, "It's snowing heavily today, so I thought we'd make pork and scallion dumplings, and celery and mutton dumplings for lunch!"
Old Man Yao looked up and stroked his beard.
For once, he didn't make a sarcastic remark but instead examined Princess Baili carefully, "You have a kind heart, Princess. Let me read your palm."
Princess Baili placed the baskets on the counter and extended her hand with a smile, "You know palmistry too?"
Old Man Yao held her slender, pale hand and studied it for a while, "You're not destined for an early death. Go on with your work."
Princess Baili was taken aback, "That's it? Can you tell me more?"
Old Man Yao asked, "What else do you want to know?"
Princess Baili thought for a moment, "Will I face any major disasters?"
Old Man Yao shook his head, "You have deep blessings. Even if you encounter danger, someone will help you turn it around."
Princess Baili thought of last night's events and her eyes lit up, "Wow, you're so accurate, old sage! Can you tell me more, like my love life or anything else I should be careful about in the future?"
"I can't tell you that. Go make your dumplings," Old Man Yao waved her off.
After Princess Baili went to the backyard, he took out six copper coins from his sleeve and tossed them onto the counter.
His brow furrowed for a moment, then relaxed.
In the backyard.
She Dengke, Liu Quxing, and the young master were practicing horse stances under Liang Gou'er's guidance, while Chen Ji sat on a bamboo recliner, covered with a quilt.
Having just applied the medicine, Chen Ji felt the pain in his legs and chest subsiding.
The wounds were healing at a visible rate, forming scabs.
The medicine from Laojun Mountain seemed even more miraculous than he had imagined.
Liang Gou'er must have gone through a lot of trouble to get it.
The three young men were struggling to maintain their horse stances, sweating profusely in the winter cold, their breath visible like steam.
She Dengke groaned, "How much longer do we have to stand like this?"
Liang Gou'er smacked his thigh with a bamboo stick, "Can't even handle this? The hardships I endured to learn the blade were more than the salt you've eaten in your life!"
Liu Quxing thought for a moment, "That's not much..."
Whack.
The bamboo stick landed on Liu Quxing's buttocks, making him grimace in pain.
Only the young master didn't complain.
He genuinely wanted to learn the blade.
The helplessness he felt when abandoned by those martial artists last night and the despair when facing the agents reminded him that the only person he could rely on was himself.
So, the young master truly wanted to become a capable official.
While the three were practicing their stances, Liang Gou'er sat casually on a small bamboo stool under the eaves, with Liang Mao'er sitting beside him, picking vegetables.
Suddenly, Liang Mao'er lowered his head and said in a low voice, "Brother, that jar of Soft Jade Ointment has always been with you. Why did you lie and say you got it from Laojun Mountain?"
Liang Gou'er glanced at his brother disapprovingly, "If I didn't say that, would they appreciate it? Only things that are hard to come by are truly valued!"
"But you shouldn't lie. I know you want the young master to keep taking you out for drinks, but even if you didn't lie about the medicine, they would still be grateful."
Liang Gou'er snorted, "The medicine works, right? It's from Laojun Mountain, right? As long as it helps Chen Ji recover faster, what's a little lie?"
Liang Mao'er's voice grew even lower, "Brother, the Liang family's blade technique doesn't start with horse stances. Dad always said that our technique begins with breathing in the essence of heaven and earth. We don't need to train like other martial artists."
Liang Gou'er grew impatient, "All martial artists start with horse stances. What's wrong with teaching them this way? Should I really teach them the Liang family's blade technique? If I did that, when we meet Dad in the afterlife, he'd scold us to death!"
There are many who wield blades, but few who truly master the way.
To enter one's own path, one must have a unique method.
This was the Liang family's secret.
Liang Mao'er was in a bad mood, "But they're good people, Brother. If you don't plan to teach them the real thing, just tell them honestly. Don't keep it hidden."
Liang Gou'er's face darkened, "If I tell them honestly, how will we keep drinking and living in the Taiping Clinic? Why don't you learn the Liang family's blade technique first, and then you can teach whoever you want. I won't stop you."
Liang Mao'er sighed, "I can't learn it."
Liang Gou'er straightened up, "I refuse to believe I can't teach you! Once you learn it, you can teach whoever you want. When we meet Dad and Grandpa in the afterlife, you can take all the blame..."
"I really can't learn it."
"You have to learn it!" Liang Gou'er said sternly, "Follow my breathing. Thirteen thousand five hundred breaths, inhaling the essence of heaven and earth. It's just simple breathing, how can you not even get started?! Keep at it, until you feel that extra breath in your chest..."
No one noticed that as Liang Gou'er taught Liang Mao'er the breathing technique, Wu Yun crouched nearby, watching intently, its body subtly moving with the rhythm of the breaths.
Some of the terms Liang Gou'er used were hard for Wu Yun to understand, but it memorized them, slowly figuring them out.
As Wu Yun adjusted its breathing, Liang Gou'er noticed its focused expression and laughed, "Does this little cat want to learn the blade too? Haha, if the Liang family's blade technique is learned by a cat, I wonder what Dad would think in the afterlife."
Liang Mao'er, while picking vegetables, muttered, "Teach it. Maybe it'll learn faster than me."
Liang Gou'er chuckled, "What nonsense are you talking about? Cats can't even understand what we're saying, how can they learn the blade? Listen carefully, I refuse to believe I can't teach you!"
Wu Yun ignored him, jumping onto Liang Mao'er's shoulder, pretending to nap while secretly listening to Liang Gou'er's teachings...
It felt that the Liang family's blade technique was incredibly fascinating.
Whether it understood or not, it would listen first.
...
...
Just then, a clear bird call came from outside.
No one else paid attention, but Chen Ji immediately opened his eyes.
It was the Secret Intelligence Bureau's copper whistle!
He struggled to sit up and looked towards the main hall through the corridor.
Jin Zhu, dressed as a commoner with a bamboo hat, entered the Taiping Clinic pretending to seek medical advice.
He walked up to the counter and greeted Old Man Yao with a smile, "Doctor Yao, I'm here to see Chen Ji."
Old Man Yao put down his brush and ledger, glancing at Jin Zhu, "Has the Secret Intelligence Bureau run out of people? Why do you keep coming to see someone who's seriously injured?"
Jin Zhu chuckled awkwardly, "Isn't it because your disciple is so outstanding?"
"Go on, he's in the backyard."
Jin Zhu peeked into the backyard, "Could you call him out? There are too many people in the yard."
Old Man Yao sneered, then called out, "Chen Ji, someone's here to see you."
Jin Zhu quickly added, "Keep it down, I came here secretly!"
Chen Ji slowly made his way out, "Sir Jin Zhu, what brings you here?"
Jin Zhu pulled Chen Ji aside and said with a smile, "First, congratulations. The reward for our success at the Chaocang Gambling House has come through. You're now a Pigeon-level agent, just one step away from being a Sea Eagle, in charge of a region. From now on, the court will pay you thirty taels a year, and the Secret Intelligence Bureau will add another thirty."
Chen Ji nodded.
Seeing that Chen Ji wasn't particularly excited, Jin Zhu added, "I've already sent a request to the capital to grant you access to cultivation methods. We should hear back from the Prime Minister in a few days."
Chen Ji's eyes lit up, "Really?"
"Would I lie to you?"
Chen Ji smiled, "What brings you here today, Sir Jin Zhu?"
"I have a big opportunity for you!" Jin Zhu said with a grin, "You know, cultivation methods are usually reserved for Sea Eagle-level agents. Although I've made an exception for you, it's still up to the Prime Minister. But if you can achieve another major success, not only will the cultivation methods be guaranteed, but you might even be promoted to Sea Eagle immediately, gaining access to monthly cultivation resources... Did you hear the explosion last night?"
"No, what explosion?" Chen Ji feigned ignorance.
The clinic was several miles away from Red Clothes Alley, so there was no way he could have heard it.
Jin Zhu said, "Last night, spies from Jing Dynasty caused trouble in Red Clothes Alley. Now they're hiding somewhere. I need you to lead a team and find them."
Chen Ji thought to himself...
What a coincidence.
(End of Chapter)