Chapter 24: Dreaming of Chickens

The young man in Luocheng held a small black cat and walked along the cobbled street at night. His footsteps were heavy at first, but gradually became lighter.

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

"Hei Yun, let's talk about happy things," Chen Ji laughed. "Can you tell me about what's happening inside Jing Wang Fu?"

Hei Yun, hundreds of times bored, lazily curled up on Chen Ji's arm. He took out a small dried fish from a little blue bag and gnawed on it. "What's good to say about that broken place? It's just a deep residence with a large courtyard, full of wet nurses and maidservants and a bunch of dirty matters. For example, Chun Hua was bought by Jing Fei to seduce Jing Wang, but Jing Wang doesn't even look at Chun Hua directly. For example, Chun Rong, that poisonous woman, is jealous of Chun Hua's youth and beauty, so she secretly spits in Chun Hua's food..."

Chen Ji smiled and steered the conversation to other topics. "You've been in Jing Wang Fu for three months. Have any major events happened?"

"Of course!" Hei Yun became energetic. "The Wang Fu is about to get lively."

Chen Ji's expression was expectant. "Oh?"

Hei Yun said with great interest, "It's the Double Ninth Festival soon. Jing Wang's eldest son, Zhu Yunxi, Jing Fei's daughter, Zhu Lingyun, and Yun Fei's daughter, Zhu Baili, are all returning from Donglin Academy. They say there's also a little monk."

"A little monk?" Chen Ji asked doubtfully.

Hei Yun said, "I heard Jing Fei say it's a reincarnated Buddha child of the Gening sect of the Esoteric School in Yunzhou. Because the Gening sect needs court support and imperial decrees, they pledged him in the Central Plains."

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

Hei Yun explained, "I heard that Donglin Academy, along with Qingya Academy and Yuelu Academy, are called the three great academies of the Ning Dynasty. It's a place where talents from all over the world gather. They say the tuition silver is very expensive every month, and only children from aristocratic families can study there. Every time the imperial examination results come out, three-tenths of the successful candidates are students of Donglin Academy."

"After three years of wandering, the children are returning home. It really should be lively... Between Jing Fei and Yun Fei, who is the main wife? Whose child is Zhu Yunxi?"

Hei Yun answered, "Neither of them are the main wife. The main wife is Zhu Yunxi's mother, who passed away many years ago... I'm going back to Wanxingyuan first!"

Seeing that they were about to reach the entrance of Taiping Medical Hall, he suddenly jumped out of Chen Ji's embrace and disappeared like a puff of smoke.

Chen Ji walked another corner and suddenly saw the old man Yao standing at the door with an expressionless face, asking, "Where did you go?"

Chen Ji thought, if I say I went to find my mother with a small cat, you definitely won't believe me...

He answered, "Today is a rest day, I forgot something at home, so I went back to get it."

The old man Yao furrowed his brows, the wrinkles on his forehead squeezed together. "Actually, today's tuition silver wasn't given by your family, was it?"

Chen Ji was startled.

The old man Yao let out a cold laugh. "I felt something was wrong at the time. Your principal mother is originally narrow-minded. She initially sent you here as an apprentice to avoid paying you the ten taels of tuition silver per month for Donglin Academy. It's already good that she can pay your tuition silver now. How could she possibly buy so many gifts to honor me?"

Chen Ji remained silent, not knowing how to answer.

The old man Yao then asked doubtfully, "Wait, since the money wasn't given by your family, where did your tuition silver come from? You didn't rely on some woman..."

As he spoke, the old man Yao's face changed dramatically, and his beard almost curled up with anger. "You are my apprentice at Taiping Medical Hall, for better or worse. If word gets out that you've done this kind of thing, what's the difference between that and you directly defecating in my pants pocket?"

Chen Ji: "...Huh?"

"Huh what huh?"

Chen Ji quickly said, "You misunderstood, how could I possibly do that kind of thing?"

"Then where did this money come from?"

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

The old man Yao sized him up and down. "Jingmisi? Are you helping Jingmisi with something?"

Chen Ji sighed. No wonder people often say that older people are more astute. He had only revealed this much information, and the other party had already guessed correctly.

He only explained, "Master, Yun Yang came to my door, I had no choice."

The old man Yao stared at him for a long time, then turned and walked into the medical hall. "Whether you could choose or not, you've already chosen. I won't care and I won't ask, as long as you can pay the tuition silver every month, it's fine. If you die outside someday, it's best not to let me know... Hurry up and go to bed!"

The large door of the medical hall closed. Three people walked out from the corner at the end of Anxi Street. Yun Yang stood with his arms crossed in front of his chest and muttered, "Old man Yao seems not to like our Jingmisi very much."

Jiao Tu shrugged. "It's normal for them not to like us."

Yun Yang looked at the third person. "Meng Ji, that young apprentice is the person I want to interrogate. I want to confirm if he's a spy from the Jing Dynasty."

The man named Meng Ji wore a bright brown double-breasted robe embroidered with dozens of colorful wild pheasants, like a theatrical costume.

Meng Ji touched his neat sideburns and said in a thin, reedy voice, "A small apprentice, is he worth such a lavish expenditure from you? You even specially invited me from Kaifeng Prefecture."

"I pay the money, you do the work. I've told you all the information I should tell you. Don't ask about anything else," Yun Yang said calmly.

"Alright, I guarantee you'll be satisfied. Whatever you want to do in the dream, I say it counts," Meng Ji laughed in a sharp voice. Jiao Tu couldn't help but rub the goosebumps on his arm.

Yun Yang said curiously, "I've always had a question. Why do you dare to openly show your cultivation path? Aren't you afraid of inviting disaster?"

Meng Ji laughed. "Inner Minister said that I am the only person in the world who cultivates this path. What disaster can I invite?"

Then, he sat cross-legged on the ground and took out a yellow talisman paper from his embrace.

Meng Ji bit his finger, wrote and drew on the talisman paper with fresh blood, and finally wrapped a strand of hair with the talisman paper and swallowed it!

In an instant, Meng Ji's pupils rolled upwards, and only the whites of his eyes were left!

...

...

Chen Ji didn't return to his room to rest. He only lightly lit an oil lamp in the main hall of the medical hall and quietly flipped through the general outline of medical skills.

Just the six hundred and eighteen acupuncture points within the twelve main meridians of the human body were all very difficult to memorize.

He seemed to be back in the classroom in the hot summer, with piles of scrolls and books in front of him, and the sounds of loud reading in his ears. Memories of studying were almost the most profound memories for every student in their youth, accompanied by the rising and setting of the sun, emitting rumbling sounds.

At this moment, Chen Ji wished he had a five-year Traditional Chinese Medicine program and a three-year simulation in front of him.

Just as he was studying, he suddenly felt a wave of sleepiness, as if in a gentle season, his whole body was wrapped in warm seawater, carrying him drifting towards the depths of the ocean.

Chen Ji became vigilant. Ever since he lit the four furnaces in his body, he had always been full of energy. This kind of sleepiness came without reason.

However, no matter how vigilant he was, he still slowly closed his eyes.

He didn't know how long passed. Chen Ji opened his eyes in a dream. He suddenly stood in front of the vermilion lacquer gate of Zhou Chengyi's residence.

Huh, what did I come here to do?

Chen Ji looked at the medicine package wrapped in yellow hemp paper with "Taiping Medical Hall" written on it, which he held in his hand. Then he raised his head and looked at the plaque that read "Zhou Fu."

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

Dong dong dong, Chen Ji picked up the copper ring and knocked on the door. Everything seemed very natural, and he had already forgotten that this was a dream.

With a creak, the vermilion lacquer gate opened. He saw Steward Wang inside, welcoming him with a smiling face. "Little Doctor Chen has come? Please come in quickly."

"Where is Lord Zhou? The medicinal materials he wanted have been delivered," Chen Ji followed Steward Wang inside. The large gate slowly closed behind them.

Chen Ji looked around. Maidservants were wiping the redwood furniture in the main room, and in the courtyard, a woman was smiling and hugging a little girl. Beside them, a small boy was kicking a shuttlecock.

Steward Wang led him into the main room. Chen Ji felt that this place was especially familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it.

At this time, Zhou Chengyi was sitting at his desk, holding a brush and copying a book. Seeing Chen Ji arrive, he motioned for the steward and maidservants to leave.

Chen Ji placed the medicine package on the table. "Lord Zhou, this is your medicine."

Zhou Chengyi raised his head and suddenly asked, "Does Jing Wang have any new news to pass to me?"

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

Zhou Chengyi's voice gradually sank. "Have you forgotten? You and I are spies sent to the south by the Jing Dynasty's military intelligence department. I am responsible for contacting the Liu family, and you are responsible for contacting Jing Wang! I ask you again, does Jing Wang's side have any new news?"

Chen Ji frowned and did not answer, his mind quickly churning.

He heard Zhou Chengyi ask again and again, "Have you forgotten your identity?"

"Have you forgotten how the Jing Dynasty's military intelligence department trained you?"

Zhou Chengyi's voice became more and more imposing, more and more penetrating. "Have you forgotten that you are a spy?"

Each question was like a magical sound piercing his ears, making Chen Ji's head dizzy. He felt as if his consciousness was being controlled, and he involuntarily rolled his eyes white.

The next moment, only the whites of Chen Ji's eyes were left, and he answered, "Lord Zhou, are you misunderstanding? I'm not a spy!"

Zhou Chengyi showed a satisfied smile. He had already gotten the answer he wanted and could complete the transaction with Yun Yang.

However, he became curious again. "How do you and Yun Yang know each other?"

As soon as the words fell, Chen Ji felt that the four furnaces in his Dantian area were burning, burning away all the goblins and monsters in his body!

Zhou Chengyi stood up completely unaware, supporting himself on the table with both hands and leaning forward. "Why does Yun Yang suspect you are a Jing Dynasty spy, and what is so special about you that Yun Yang didn't directly kill you?"

This last sentence was no longer Zhou Chengyi's original voice, but had changed into a sharp, reedy sound.

At this moment, Chen Ji's pupils actually flipped back, and he turned and walked outside!

"Zhou Chengyi" stared blankly as Chen Ji turned and walked outside, as if no one else was there, walking to the vermilion lacquer gate and fiercely pulling open the leaf of the door.

When "Zhou Chengyi" saw the large door open, Yun Yang and Jiao Tu were standing outside with playful smiles. He said in shock, "Huh? Yun Yang, Jiao Tu, how did you get into my dream?"

Wait!

That's not right!

"Zhou Chengyi" clearly realized that it was impossible for Yun Yang and Jiao Tu to invade his dream, and he had never fabricated Yun Yang and Jiao Tu in this dream...

The Yun Yang and Jiao Tu in front of him were fabricated by this little apprentice, Chen Ji, in the dream!

The dream was no longer completely under his control!

Chen Ji thought for a moment, pointed at "Zhou Chengyi," and said to Yun Yang and Jiao Tu, "Lord Yun Yang, Lord Jiao Tu, Zhou Chengyi is a spy from the Jing Dynasty, confirmed without a doubt!"

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

Chen Ji said with certainty, "Does Jingmisi need evidence to catch a spy? Just stab him!"

"Zhou Chengyi" looked at Yun Yang and Jiao Tu pouncing over and suddenly roared, "Wait... Ah!"