Chapter 115

"First drum, prepare war rice. Second drum, tighten war robes. Third drum, draw knives from sheaths. Fourth drum, hand over soldiers. Advance and retreat must obey commands, violate commands will certainly face the blade! The entire army returns to camp to report!"

Chen Ji raised his head, only to see a familiar figure in a brown, large-collared robe walking step by step up the river embankment, humming a little tune as he disappeared behind a row of willow trees.

This person came and went in a hurry, like a famous actor on a stage, finishing his highlight and then retreating into the darkness offstage. This time, Chen Ji was prepared to use the internal furnace fire in his body to resist the dream realm. He was even prepared to try and pull the dream chicken back into Xuanyuan Qingshan in case things were exposed. If he was caught and sent to the inner prison, and if he could manage to be exiled, then in the place of exile, he would dedicate himself to cultivating the sword seed path. When he returned to the Central Plains, he would kill all these dog thieves with one sword.

Of course, it was also possible that he wouldn't be exiled. In that case, he would make some small inventions and strive for an opportunity to fall from grace lightly. Chen Ji had thought about many possibilities before entering the dream, but he hadn't thought that the dream chicken would show him mercy. Chen Ji didn't feel any hostility from the dream chicken; he only felt some envy when the other party looked at him. He recalled the dream chicken saying "gained the favor of that adult" and suddenly realized: someone had instructed the dream chicken not to investigate him. Who?

Who had the authority to instruct the dream chicken?

Chen Ji had an answer in his heart.

At this moment, Gold Pig interrupted his thoughts and sincerely cupped his hands, saying: "Brother, there were many misunderstandings before, I hope you can be magnanimous. I said before, as long as you can prove your innocence, I will definitely find a way to compensate you. If you ever need my help in the future, you only need to say the word, and I will not refuse."

Saying this, he eagerly reached out to grasp Chen Ji's right hand. But Chen Ji calmly stepped back: "Adult, I apply to resign from the Secret Spy Department." Gold Pig quickly smiled and took a step forward: "Why do you suddenly want to resign from the Secret Spy Department? Our Secret Spy Department's salary is twice as high as other officials of the same rank." Chen Ji shook his head: "If there is no life, what is the use of money?"

Gold Pig immediately changed his tune and said: "After this matter is over, I will directly report your merits to the Inner Prime Minister and definitely request a cultivation path for you. If you can break through to the Seeking Dao realm before the age of thirty-six, living for a hundred years is not out of the question."

Chen Ji stepped back a second time: "Adult, you promised me a cultivation path before, but I have already staked my life and still haven't seen the shadow of a cultivation path. The big figures in our Secret Spy Department turn their faces faster than turning pages. I cannot accept this."

Gold Pig pressed further: "Once you become a Zodiac, with the identity of a fifth-rank official in our Ning Dynasty, ordinary petty techniques will be useless to you. Look at that Zhang Guo; ordinary people fear him, but he raises dirty things that cannot even get close to my body."

Chen Ji was about to step back a third time when Gold Pig grabbed him first: "Don't step back, don't step back. This time, even if I have to kneel in front of the Problem Solving Building for a long time, I must kneel and get a cultivation path for you."

Chen Ji was silent for a long time.

At this moment, Gold Pig's attitude had completely flipped, and he no longer spoke threatening words.

Gold Pig whispered: "Deal? I will get you a cultivation path, and we will cancel all past grudges with one stroke." Chen Ji raised his head: "Deal."

In an instant, the world seemed to be silent for a moment, even the distant surging firelight seemed to stagnate for an instant.

Gold Pig let out a long sigh, and even the muscles on his face relaxed a lot.

He didn't know why, but Chen Ji suddenly felt that Gold Pig had a sense of relief, as if a major issue in his life had finally been resolved.

Gold Pig happily patted Chen Ji's shoulder: "From now on, your life is more precious than mine. Rest assured, whoever wants to make things difficult for you will be going against me."

Saying this, he was a little emotional: "Brother, don't blame me for being cautious. It's just that I really can't afford to lose anymore."

Chen Ji was puzzled: "Adult, what does this mean?"

Gold Pig smiled mysteriously: "You will understand later."

The sky was already bright.

Chen Ji saw that the river embankment was gradually becoming crowded. Neighbors were carrying buckets full of water and running towards the sea of fire. But the fire was already too strong; that surging fire dragon would not stop until it had burned out the entire workshop area. Gold Pig stood on the riverbank and said emotionally: "This time, many common people have suffered disaster again. It was not my wish either." Chen Ji glanced at him knowingly: "Adult, if the Secret Spy Department and the Liu family hadn't fought, there wouldn't have been this big fire." Gold Pig thought about it and replied: "Chen Ji, let me ask you, one big fire will cause suffering for over a hundred households, but if the Liu family is not removed and allowed to continue occupying land and concealing land in Yu Province, how many households will suffer calamity?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "Adult, you don't need to tell me this. I don't plan to understand these big principles."

"As you wish!"

Gold Pig turned and looked towards the middle of the river, only to see Tian Ma in a white robe standing on a black-awninged boat. A thin layer of fog had just risen on the river surface.

Tian Ma stood there, like a quiet banished immortal.

Gold Pig said loudly: "Don't mind me, go catch Liu Xianming."

He saw Tian Ma quietly make several hand gestures on the bow of the boat. Gold Pig also returned several hand gestures, and then the black boat slowly turned around and sailed into the gradually thickening fog.

Everything was very quiet.

"Gold Pig Adult, this is Tian Ma Adult..." Chen Ji looked at Gold Pig in surprise.

Gold Pig looked at Tian Ma's receding figure in the distance and said softly: "He can hear, but he has suffered from aphasia since he was young and cannot speak. The Inner Prime Minister invited imperial doctors to take turns diagnosing him. Herbal medicine has been tried, acupuncture has also been tried, but none have cured him." Chen Ji asked: "Has my master diagnosed him?"

"Imperial Doctor Yao also diagnosed Tian Ma, but after glancing at him, Imperial Doctor Yao didn't even touch his pulse and turned and left like he was afraid of getting infected. I asked what was wrong," Gold Pig said, "Imperial Doctor Yao said that Tian Ma's mouth has no problem; he cannot speak because of a heart disease."

"Heart disease?"

Gold Pig self-mocked: "Heh, many people in our Secret Spy Department are flawed by heaven and earth, either their bodies are flawed, or their hearts are flawed."

Chen Ji asked curiously: "Gold Pig Adult, what do you lack?"

Gold Pig looked at his two empty wrists and sighed sadly: "I am very short of money now."

Chen Ji suddenly asked: "Adult, has Liu Xianming been caught?"

"No, the Liu family's guest ministers and elephant armor guards protected him and he escaped."

"This is a good opportunity."

Gold Pig looked towards the direction of Peony Bridge and sneered: "He cannot run away. This time, even if our Secret Spy Department turns Luocheng upside down, we must find him. For all these years, Liu Xianming has been in charge of everything in the Liu family. As long as he is caught, the Liu family will be finished..."

On the official road of Luocheng, a carriage galloped. The wind behind rolled up the window curtain, and the wooden wheels pressed on the stone slab road, making a creaking sound. Liu Xianming lifted the carriage curtain, only to see that his face was pale, and he urged in an anxious voice: "Quick, return to the Liu family's manor, and have people go to the Yan Shi army camp to mobilize all the elephant armor guards, so as to prevent the Problem Solving Guards from surrounding the Liu family's manor."

The driver didn't respond to him, and the carriage didn't go south either.

Liu Xianming said in a stern voice: "This is not the way back to the Liu family's manor. Where are you taking me?" The driver said calmly: "Second Master, the old master instructed earlier that if your matter is exposed, you should be taken to the ancestral tomb to see him immediately. At this moment, the old master should be waiting for you at the ancestral tomb."

Liu Xianming breathed a sigh of relief: "So it was the old master's arrangement. It's good that the old master is here."

He fell back into the compartment, only feeling a throbbing pain in his temples.

He had held power for eight years, like an emperor in this Yu Province.

He thought he could stand on his own, but he didn't expect that he would still need to ask his father to come out of seclusion in the end.

The carriage wound its way up the north Mang Mountain in Luocheng.

When Liu Xianming arrived at the ancestral tomb, which was like a forest of stone tablets, Liu Gun was wearing a set of white hemp mourning clothes, a mourning cap on his head, and was kneeling peacefully in front of Liu's old great-grandfather's tomb chamber, burning a stack of yellow paper. Liu Xianming quickly said: "Father."

Liu Gun said softly: "You also come and kneel down and burn some paper money for your grandfather."

His calm voice seemed to have the power to soothe people.

Liu Xianming knelt down to the side with reluctance, took a stack of yellow paper from a guard, and threw it all into the fire basin in one breath. Liu Gun said slowly: "When you were young, your grandfather doted on you the most. Even if you wanted the stars in the sky, he would probably find a way to get them for you."

Liu Xianming's expression froze.

Liu Gun continued: "I said I wanted you to go to the capital to be an official and see the world, but your grandfather was reluctant for you to suffer in the capital, so he insisted on keeping you by his side to be the Yu Province Governor for eight years. Do you know where you lost? Both you and your aunt lost in vision." Old Minister Liu raised his head and looked at the vast Mang Mountain in the thin fog, sighing: "The world in your aunt's eyes is only the three small palaces and six courtyards in the Forbidden City. The world in your eyes is only the land of this Yu Province. How could you possibly win?"

Liu Xianming was stunned.

"Come and play a game of chess with me. It seems like you and I, father and son, haven't played chess for a long time." Old Minister Liu slowly stood up, patted the dust off his knees. The guards spread out a grass mat, carried over a table, and arranged the chess pieces.

Old Minister Liu knelt on the grass mat and placed his piece. He started the game with a small flying move in the corner. In only thirty-two moves, he forced Liu Xianming into deep thought, not knowing how to place his piece.

The more he looked, the more he felt that the white pieces in his hand were like the Liu family's situation, caught in a pincer attack, surrounded on all sides.

Above this Mang Mountain, there seemed to be the sound of war drums, and it seemed like someone suddenly plucked a pipa or zither string, revealing a full killing intent.

"Hesitating?"

Old Minister Liu sighed.

Liu Xianming gritted his teeth: "Father, this chess game, I have no path to survival."

Old Minister Liu pointed to the "pot" position on the chessboard: "Place your piece here, abandon the small to take the big, and you can struggle one more time."

Liu Xianming suddenly raised his head: "Father."

The next moment, his neck was suddenly strangled from behind, making him unable to breathe.

Liu Xianming struggled and kicked over the chessboard, unable to say a single word.

His face turned green and purple, and his eyes were fixed on Old Minister Liu like those of a dead fish, as if asking why. Old Minister Liu picked up the chess pieces on the ground one by one, then threw them back into the chess basket, and said emotionally: "Ah Xian, the person who wanted to protect you the most has already been killed by you personally." Having said that, he stood up, took off his mourning clothes and mourning cap, and strode down the mountain: "Hand his corpse over to Gold Pig and say that this rebellious son wholeheartedly plotted to kill the thieves of the Jing Dynasty, but almost caused a great disaster, and committed suicide at home out of fear of punishment."

"Old Master, the Secret Spy Department will not believe this."

Old Minister Liu didn't look back: "Whether they believe it or not is not important."

In his dying moments, Liu Xianming saw one gray-clothed dead soldier after another from the Yan Shi army camp walking out of the stele forest, silent, following his father down the mountain.