Aoyama

In the dead of night, chaos reigned as the Secret Service, the Anti-Trouble Guard, and the Five Cities Garrison fought back and forth, turning the capital upside down.

Chen Ji headed straight for Plum Blossom Ferry.

At this moment, the members of the secret society were pacing back and forth in the pavilion. When they saw him coming, looking travel-worn, they immediately took a bowl of water and went up to greet him: "Have a drink of water first."

Chen Ji tilted his head back and drank the bowl of water in one gulp.

The member of the gang inquired, "How is it?"

Chen Ji handed the bowl back to the gang leader: "The matter is half done."

The man handed the bowl to Erdao behind him: "Why is it only half done?"

Chen Ji explained, "The matter can only be considered settled once Lin Chaoqing is captured."

The man scratched his head with his little finger: "Logically speaking, he shouldn't have had time to leave the capital. I sent out all my men to look for him..."

Chen Ji shook his head: "If we want to find Lin Chaoqing, we have to go door to door to search. If Ba Gun breaks into people's homes, by the time you find Lin Chaoqing, Plum Blossom Ferry will have been dealt with by the imperial court. And this time, we don't have to search slowly on our own."

The member of the gang was in a dilemma: "What should we do then?"

Chen Ji pondered for a moment: "Scatter the stick and find the whereabouts of the Cloud Sheep, the Bright Rabbit, the Golden Pig, and the Heavenly Horse. Come back and tell me."

The man nodded: "Okay."

Where do we catch Lin Chaoqing?

Chen Ji didn't know either.

The Secret Service and the Anti-Corruption Guard knew the capital like the back of their hand; if they couldn't find it, then Chen Ji couldn't possibly be found either.

But this time Chen Ji didn't intend to rely on himself; he was no longer the naive young man who had just arrived in the capital.

After an incense stick had burned, the brother returned: "Jiaotu and Yunyang are searching the temples in Xuanbei Ward, while Jinzhu and Tianma have gone to Chongnan Ward to search the Caobang."

"Let's go." Chen Ji hurriedly set off for Xuanbeifang.

……

……

Xuanbeifang has many temples, including Dabaoguo Ci'en Temple, Shanguo Temple, and Changchun Temple. Among them, Dabaoguo Ci'en Temple is the most popular because it is believed to be effective in granting wishes for children.

When Chen Ji arrived, the Secret Service and the Anti-Fan Guard were searching house to house. He grabbed a secret agent and asked, "Where are Yun Yang and Jiao Tu?"

The spy gave him a cold look: "What business do you have with the two gentlemen?"

Looking at the unfamiliar face before him, Chen Ji impatiently urged, "Speak quickly."

The spy paused for a moment, examined the ruins for a while, then turned and pointed to the exquisite seven-story wooden pagoda in the center of Ci'en Temple: "The two lords are up there."

Looking into the distance, Chen Ji could see Yun Yang standing at the highest point, arms crossed over his chest, overlooking the entire Xuanbei Ward like a hawk. Jiao Tu, on the other hand, was squatting on the wooden railing, resting his chin on one hand.

Both were dressed in tight black outfits, looking menacing and ready to kill at any moment.
Chen Ji arrived at the foot of the exquisite wooden tower, looked up and said, "My lords, please come down and have a chat."

Jiao Tu withdrew her gaze from afar upon hearing the sound, and her eyes lit up when she looked down at the ruins downstairs, while Yun Yang's face turned cold.

The bright rabbit said, "Take me down quickly."

Yun Yang reluctantly said, "We've already returned to the Zodiac, why should we bother with him?"

Jiao Tu raised an eyebrow: "The twenty-four wolf cubs from Wunian Mountain are already on their way, and it's said that Prisoner Rat is personally escorting them to the capital. Can you guarantee that we won't be in trouble again in the future? Won't we still need his help then?"

Yun Yang pondered for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

The next moment, he grabbed Jiao Tu's wrist and leaped down from the seven-story wooden tower. The two of them landed as lightly as paper, without even a speck of dust being kicked up.

Jiao Tu smiled and said, "Lord Chen has really made a name for himself today. We've been looking for Si Cao Ding for so long without finding him, but you've managed to find him. As for that Lin Chaoqing, Yun Yang and I have been holding a grudge against him for a long time. Every time we raid someone's house, he keeps an eye on us, and all the good stuff ends up with Jie Fanwei. Now that we see him like a stray dog, we really should have a good drink... What brings Lord Chen to see us?"

Chen Ji stopped in front of the two men and got straight to the point: "My lords, it's time to repay the favor of returning to the Zodiac."

Looking at the disheveled young man covered in soot and smoke, Jiao Tu slowly suppressed her smile and said solemnly, "Lord Chen, this is a huge favor. Don't waste it on some trivial matter. As you know, Yun Yang and I may not be good at much else, but we are decent at killing. This favor of yours might be worth a Dao Seeking Realm official's life."

Chen Ji calmly replied, "I know, but I have more important things to do."

Jiao Tu twirled a strand of hair between her fingers and said casually, "Lord Chen, how do you want us to repay this favor?"

Chen Ji said confidently, "Once you capture Lin Chaoqing and hand him over to me, our matter will be settled."

Jiao Tu thought for a moment: "Someone come here!"

At her command, more than twenty spies gathered around: "What are your orders, sir?"

Jiao Tu pointed to the main hall: "Zhang Chao, you lead a team to pry open the back of the Buddha statue and see if anyone is hiding inside. Li Dong, you lead a team to pry open the floor of this Linglong Pagoda and search the secret passage."

Chen Ji sized up Jiao Tu, who knew perfectly well that this temple was not a place where fugitives could be hidden, yet she had been pretending to stall for time.

He asked in bewilderment, "Capturing Lin Chaoqing is a great achievement, so why didn't you two search him earlier?"

“We’ve just returned to the Zodiac and obtained the necessary official positions. Even if we make great contributions, it’s impossible for us to rise to the top three,” Jiao Tu replied with a half-smile. “Besides, Lord Chen, this is Buddhist territory. Who knows what might be found in the secret passage? If you hadn’t spoken up, we would never have provoked them. They hold grudges very well.”

Just then, the abbot of the Great Baoguo Ci'en Temple rushed over. Hearing the sound of prying open the floorboards inside the exquisite wooden pagoda, he immediately rebuked the Jade Rabbit, saying, "The twelve zodiac animals are acting recklessly! This old monk will report this matter to Yuanjue Temple and see how you will handle it!"

Jiao Tu pointed innocently at Chen Ji: "Master, you have misunderstood me. It was Lord Chen who ordered the search." Chen Ji raised an eyebrow.

Just then, a spy ran out of the Linglong Tower: "Sir, the secret passage has been opened, and there is nothing else inside except for twenty-one chests of gold and silver."

Jiao Tu looked at Chen Ji with a restless expression: "Lord Chen, these twenty-one chests of gold and silver might be stolen goods left behind by Lin Chaoqing. Shall we take them?"

Chen Ji turned and left: "If Lord Jiao Tu wants it, take it yourself. It has nothing to do with me. Continue searching Xuanbei Ward. Once you find any trace of Lin Chaoqing, immediately send someone to Chongnan Ward to find me."

“You don’t even want gold, so Lord Chen must be in a great hurry,” Jiao Tu said with a smile, giving a curtsy behind him. “Yes, sir.”

……

……

When Chen Ji arrived at Chongnanfang, it was almost dawn. The gray sky shone on the surface of the canal, creating a thin layer of mist.

When Jinzhu and Tianma led about a hundred secret agents out of the dock, they saw Chen Ji and asked curiously, "What brings you here?"

Chen Ji asked in a low voice, "Have you found any clues about Lin Chaoqing?"

Jin Zhu shook his head: "No. I searched all the boats at the dock and only found a few small fry wanted by the imperial court. These unlucky guys wanted to use the canal gang to escape to Nanjing and hide their identities, but they were secretly detained at the dock by the gang leader, who demanded money from their families."

Chen Ji pondered, "If Lin Chaoqing wants to leave the capital, where else can she go?"

Jin Zhu sighed, "He's the commander of the Jie Fan Guard, so he knows exactly what we'll do after we're exposed: search residential areas, look for temples, seal off sewage ditches, search the canal gangs... There are only so many methods, and he knows what we know. These kinds of spies are the hardest to catch; he's always one step ahead of us. Besides, I asked the Jie Fan Guard when I came out, and he hasn't appeared since he left the Forbidden City at noon today. I suspect he quietly left the capital before sunset."

Chen Ji frowned... Had he left?

If Lin Chaojing really leaves, how will he repay the second life he owes the Grand Chancellor?
Jin Zhu comforted him, "I know why you're in such a hurry to find Lin Chaoqing, but don't rush. Bai Long has already sent a messenger to the nine borders, and our Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs will not let any movement slip by."

Chen Ji was not reassured. He had witnessed the escape methods of the Military Intelligence Bureau before. Si Cao Gui and Wu Hongbiao had also successfully returned to Jing Dynasty.

Jin Zhu patted Chen Ji on the shoulder: "You've had a long day. Go back and take a shower, and change out of these tattered clothes. I'll send someone to tell you as soon as I get any news."

Chen Ji hummed in agreement and left alone.

He walked from Chongnanfang toward Zhengyang Street, when suddenly an idea struck him, and he turned a corner and headed toward Yangyang Hutong.

That was the small house that Si Cao Gui had taken him to after Wang Daosheng and Mr. Feng went to Goryeo. It seemed to have some special significance for Si Cao Gui.

Chen Ji knew this trip was dangerous, but he dared not ask Jin Zhu and Tian Ma to accompany him, because he could not explain how he knew about this house.

He wandered through the narrow alleys with his vague memory until he finally found the house at dawn.

The door was ajar, and the smell of something burning could be smelled coming from inside.

Chen Ji's heart skipped a beat, and he cautiously pushed open the wooden door. With a creak, he saw that the inside was empty, except for some burnt yellow paper remaining in a broken brazier in the courtyard.

These yellow papers suggest that someone has just held a memorial service for deceased relatives and friends here.

Chen Ji strode into the courtyard and reached out to touch the brazier, which was still warm. It was Lin Chaoqing!
Lin Chaoqing had just been here, perhaps to pay respects to his deceased colleague, or perhaps to pay respects to Lin Chaojing, who burned a stack of yellow paper before leaving.

Lin Chaoqing hasn't left the capital yet!

Chen Ji frowned as he searched the courtyard, trying to find other clues, but the house was bare and the courtyard was empty, except for a broken earthenware jar about half a person's height, with a chip on the rim.

Inside the room, a broken wooden bed was covered with straw, and next to the bed was an eight-immortal table, one of its legs propped up by a piece of broken brick.

He first moved the earthenware jar aside, revealing only the solid floor underneath.

He went inside and overturned the octagonal table, but it was just an ordinary table.

Chen Ji finally lifted the bed board, but stood there stunned.

By the light coming in from outside, he could see on the back of the bed board that someone had written densely packed words in charcoal. The handwriting was different, suggesting that many people had written it together.

One sign reads in a bold, careless hand: "Those who survive a great calamity are destined for good fortune." The other sign reads in a crooked, illegible hand: "To establish merit and achieve great things, and to save the people," with the character for "people" misspelled.

Another person wrote: "Great wealth and honor, becoming a general and being ennobled!"

"May I be born as a dog in a peaceful and prosperous era in my next life!"

Chen Ji continued reading, muttering to himself, "Unify the land."

These four characters are written with the most vigor and strength, the strokes like the sharp edge of a knife.

Below this line of text, there is another line of extremely small, almost illegible, delicate regular script: "May the world be at peace, and may all children have candy to eat."

Further down, the handwriting became even more disordered, as if it had been written with trembling hands: "Mother, your son is unfilial."

Chen Ji's fingers gently traced the words, and charcoal ash clung to his fingertips, cool to the touch.

He suddenly realized where he was.

This is the first stop for many military intelligence agents who come to Ningchao. Over the long years, one agent after another has come here to seek shelter from the wind and rain.

Upon closer inspection, Chen Ji discovered a poem written on the bed board: "Already a wanderer, I have never felt ashamed before others. Wind and rain have weathered my iron bones, and the bright moon has illuminated my lonely soul."

Below the poem are three lonely words: "Wait to start over".

It's unclear who wrote these three characters; the writer stopped writing after only writing these three characters. (End of Chapter)