Chapter 67 : Chapter 67

Chapter 67: The Two Division Officers

The beginning of a story is always exceedingly gentle, and the ending is always incomparably cruel.

The more fun you have while playing, the harder you get beaten afterward.

In the morning, inside the main hall of the Taiping Clinic, She Dengkang and Liu Quxing stood in a row before the counter.

Old Man Yao came from the back courtyard carrying two bamboo strips and beat the two of them until they were wailing like ghosts: “Learned to stay out all night drinking, have you? Your parents paid the tuition to send you to me just so you could go drinking? You can’t even take a pulse correctly, when can I ever count on you to diagnose patients?”

Liu Quxing wailed: “Master, I can take a pulse correctly! It’s She Dengkang who can’t!”

She Dengkang cried so hard that a snot bubble formed: “To hell with you, Liu Quxing!”

Just then, Old Man Yao turned fiercely and looked at me, sitting in the bamboo chair and watching the show: “And you!”

I rolled my eyes upward: “Master, my wound hurts so much.”

With that, I pretended to faint.

However, Old Man Yao didn’t care about that. A flurry of bamboo strips rained down on me, whipping me awake until I was crying out: “Master, I’m injured, I’m injured!”

“Now you remember you’re injured? Why didn’t you remember that when you were out playing!” Old Man Yao took turns thrashing each apprentice. When one strip broke, he switched to the other. Only then did we realize why he had brought out two bamboo strips from the start…

After beating the apprentices, Old Man Yao then looked at the Heir: “The Heir studied at the Donglin Academy for three years, and upon his return, he spends his days in brothels. It seems the teachers at Donglin are not all that great.”

The Heir subconsciously agreed: “They really aren’t that great…”

He suddenly realized he had misspoken and hurriedly tried to correct himself with a smile: “No, don’t misunderstand. We were just so happy yesterday, we really hit it off…”

Old Man Yao slowly raised his hand. The Heir quickly shrank back and hid behind Baili, muttering under his breath: “I’m sure you were just as willful when you were young…”

Baili stepped forward and took Old Man Yao’s arm: “Don’t be angry anymore. Don’t lower yourself to their level.”

Old Man Yao raised his eyebrows: “Weren’t you there last night? Get back in line.”

Baili dejectedly lowered her head and returned to the line.

Old Man Yao then looked at Liang Gou’er: “You stay at my Taiping Clinic, eating and drinking well, and then you lead my apprentices astray?”

Liang Gou’er also lowered his head: “Rest assured, I definitely won’t take them out all night next time.”

Old Man Yao’s eyes widened, his beard bristling: “There’s a next time?”

This old man with white hair and a white beard was like an elder to everyone, fairly scolding every single person except Liang Mao’er. Even the Heir, Baili, and Liang Gou’er stood with their heads bowed, not refuting…

What was strange, however, was that logically, Old Man Yao was just a physician in Prince Jing’s Mansion, but when he scolded the Heir and the Princess, even they seemed to think it was reasonable and natural.

Physician Yao said coldly: “All of you, stand here and reflect properly!”

With that, he turned and went back to the rear courtyard. Everyone let out a long sigh of relief.

Liu Quxing sobbed: “Master hits too hard.”

Liang Gou’er leaned lazily against the counter, his elbows propped on the surface: “You should be content. It’s a good thing to have someone willing to teach you a lesson these days. If someone had given me a good beating back then, I might not have ended up drinking every day…”

Liang Gou’er looked at the Heir: “You and the Princess don’t have to stand here for punishment. The old man can’t control you anyway, so why stay and get scolded?”

The Heir said with a grin: “What are you talking about? Good friends should share wealth and woe alike!”

……

……

At this moment, there was a knock on the door: “Is Physician Yao in?”

Everyone in the clinic breathed a sigh of relief. An outsider had come. We were saved!

Physician Yao slowly returned to the main hall. He glanced at She Dengkang: “Go open the door!”

She Dengkang hurried out and, after a short while, led a guest into the back courtyard.

I looked up and saw Shopkeeper Yuan from the Hundred Deer Pavilion, smiling as he carried two bags of things—fruits, pastries, and even a fresh rack of lamb.

At this moment, all thoughts of dreams, songstresses, and sweet wine vanished because of Shopkeeper Yuan's arrival. Everything from last night seemed like just a pleasant dream.

Since being injured, I felt as if I had been far from conflict, learning killing techniques on Green Mountain on one hand, and being led into mischief by the Heir on the other.

Life was fulfilling and solid, as if the shadows of the past had long since departed, never to return.

But I knew, what was meant to come would always come.

Old Man Yao asked: “My Taiping Clinic just restocked its medicinal herbs a few days ago. Why has Shopkeeper Yuan come in person again? Don’t you have a business to run?”

Shopkeeper Yuan replied with a chuckle: “One of the staff at the Hundred Deer Pavilion said he saw Chen Ji being carried on the street yesterday, and he must have been injured, so I thought I’d come and see him.”

I knew it must have been because I was parading through the city with the Heir and the Princess yesterday, which had attracted the attention of the Jing Dynasty’s Military Intelligence Division.

I knew they might come, but I didn’t expect them to come so quickly.

Old Man Yao glanced at Shopkeeper Yuan and said blandly: “Shopkeeper Yuan is such a busy man, yet you still came to my Taiping Clinic to visit a mere apprentice?”

Shopkeeper Yuan didn’t mind Old Man Yao’s sharp tone: “Little Physician Chen often came to my Hundred Deer Pavilion to get medicinal herbs. We hit it off right away, so I brought some things to visit him. You carry on with your work, I’ll just have a word with Little Physician Chen.”

Old Man Yao nodded: “Mm, you two chat then. She Dengkang, go fetch water. Liu Quxing, go mop the floor. Liang Mao’er, go cook. Liang Gou’er… you go to sleep.”

Liang Gou’er said sheepishly: “I’m living here for free, eating and drinking. It’s fine if you tell me to go do something too, you don’t have to be polite with me.”

“Fine, then go chop the firewood!”

“Alright!”

The Heir quickly put on a smile: “We’ll stay and do some work before we leave. Baili, go find a rag and wipe down the counters in the main hall…”

Baili smiled: “Sure!”

While everyone was busy, Shopkeeper Yuan asked in a low voice: “Did you find that defecting spy the night before last?”

I shook my head and said earnestly: “I was seriously injured and passed out that night. I don’t know anything about what happened afterward. But since the Secret Spy Division hasn’t come to arrest me yet, I assume they didn’t catch him.”

Shopkeeper Yuan stood with his hands behind his back in the main hall, lost in thought. The atmosphere in the room suddenly solidified like ice.

The door of the Taiping Clinic was still closed. The morning light filtered through the white paper on the windows, illuminating the dim room.

I silently observed his expression, saying nothing.

After a moment, Shopkeeper Yuan asked: “Has anyone from the Military Intelligence Division come to see you in the last two days?”

I shook my head: “No.”

Shopkeeper Yuan stared at me: “Really no one?”

I met his gaze calmly: “Really no one.”

Shopkeeper Yuan didn’t dwell on the topic. He changed the subject: “The last batch of goods has been shipped north. I’ll give you one day. Find a way to inform that big shot in the Prince’s Mansion that it’s time for the next delivery. As soon as this batch is in place, the Division Lord will immediately head south.”

I said with difficulty: “But Division Officer, look at how injured I am. How can I contact that big shot? Can we wait until my injuries have healed?”

Shopkeeper Yuan’s expression darkened. He actually bent down and pressed his hand on the wound on my thigh.

I felt as if I had been struck by lightning. Beads of sweat as large as beans rolled down my forehead. In just a few breaths, the clothes on my back were soaked with sweat, but I didn’t dare make a sound.

Liang Gou’er was right in the back courtyard. If I shouted, he would hear me. But what then? Let everyone know I’m a spy for the Military Intelligence Division?

No, I cannot be exposed.

Shopkeeper Yuan said in a low voice: “I don’t like people bargaining with me. How to make contact is your duty, not mine. You should be grateful that your life was spared. Do not interfere with my plans.”

At that moment, Baili walked back from the rear courtyard, wringing out a rag. She was in a good mood, even humming a little tune.

Shopkeeper Yuan looked up at her, then said to me in a low voice: “No matter what method you use, I’m only giving you one day.”

“Understood.”

Shopkeeper Yuan turned to leave. He pushed open the door but stopped just inside, as if his path was blocked.

My gaze went past his side, and I saw a person outside the door wearing a bamboo hat, clothes covered in patches, and straw sandals on his feet. He held a short blade in his hand, his head lowered in the morning mist, making it impossible to see his face clearly.

He and Shopkeeper Yuan faced each other from a distance, neither saying a word, yet the air was thick with killing intent.

Wait, this is the other Division Officer from the Military Intelligence Division!

It dawned on me: just as the Secret Spy Division has the Twelve Zodiacs, the Military Intelligence Division has more than one Division Officer. In Luocheng alone, there were two: one was the fat man disguised as Shopkeeper Yuan, and the other was the thin man who once wore a green-faced, tusked mask and favored a short blade.

Sensing the danger, I turned to Baili, who was wiping the table, and said: “Princess, could you get me a cup of water?”

Baili was oblivious to what was happening and simply responded with a smile: “Sure, I’ll go get it for you now.”

After Baili had left, I heard Shopkeeper Yuan calmly say to the other Division Officer: “What are you doing here?”

The Division Officer opposite him sneered: “And what are you doing here?”

“Luocheng is under my command now. You need to know your place,” Shopkeeper Yuan said, then got into his carriage and hurried away.

The Division Officer in the bamboo hat stared at me silently for a long time before finally leaving.

I was confused. Why would both Division Officers gather at the entrance of the Taiping Clinic?

Just then, Baili came over with a cup of plain water: “Here, it’s warm…”

I didn’t take the water. Instead, I looked up at Princess Baili: “Princess, can I trust you?”

Baili said with a smile: “Of course, you can. I’m very reliable.”

I suddenly stood up from the bamboo chair and, limping, struggled towards the outside. At the door, I turned back to look at Princess Baili: “Close the door after I leave. Help me keep this a secret. Thank you.”

……

……

I took advantage of the sparse crowd on the street and hurried to the wall behind the cloth shop's backyard.

But just as I turned into this small alley, I froze. I saw Dark Cloud crouching on the white wall and grey tiles, with more than ten tabby cats behind him, bowing their heads in obedience.

Opposite Dark Cloud, a tabby cat with one blind eye squatted on the grey tiles, also followed by more than ten cats, including fat orange ones and cow-patterned ones.

A great battle was about to break out.

I didn't have time to think about what was going on. I immediately waved to Dark Cloud: “Dark Cloud!”

Dark Cloud meowed: “You step back first. Don’t let the blood splash on you later.”

Me: “…”

There was killing intent in the air.

I said: “Don’t fight just yet. I have something very important to ask of you.”

Hearing this, Dark Cloud immediately retracted his killing intent and looked at me: “What’s wrong?”

I said: “Just now, a man wearing a bamboo hat left the Taiping Clinic and headed south. He has patches on his clothes and wears a pair of straw sandals. If you go after him now, you can definitely catch up. You must follow him secretly for me. I need to know what his true identity is!”

Dark Cloud meowed, no longer paying attention to the group of cats he had been confronting. He turned and led his dozen or so tabby cats to disperse into the various alleys, heading south in pursuit.

At the same time, a carriage slowly stopped in front of the clinic.

Golden Pig lifted the curtain and jumped out of the carriage. He came to the door of the Taiping Clinic with a smile and knocked.

Baili came to the door and asked cautiously: “Who is it?”

Golden Pig was also taken aback when he heard the princess’s voice: “Hello, I’m a friend of Chen Ji’s. I heard he was injured, so I’ve come to visit him.”