Chapter 70 : Chapter 70 - Qingshan

Chapter 70: Leaving

Midnight.

I awoke with a start from my dream and slowly sat up.

In the simple apprentice bedroom, Liang Mao’er, She Dengkang, and Liu Quxing were sound asleep. I didn't know where Liang Gou’er was fooling around, as he hadn't returned for the night.

The usually inseparable Cat and Dog had not gone out together today.

I struggled to get off the bed and cautiously made my way into the courtyard. I had to find out if Wu Hongbiao had lied.

In the empty courtyard, only the crow stood on a branch of the apricot tree.

I turned my head to look at the courtyard wall where the ladder was propped.

No one was stepping on their brother's shoulders to peek over the wall anymore, nor was anyone on the other side holding up their shaky sister.

The Heir and Princess Baili had suddenly stopped going out to play, or at least they no longer used the clinic as a shortcut. The Taiping Clinic had returned to its former tranquility.

I took some leftover rice and water from the kitchen and was about to head outside the clinic, but the crow blocked my path, pointing towards the outside of the clinic.

“Uncle Crow, what are you trying to say?” I asked, puzzled.

The crow spread its wings and gestured, first pointing outside the clinic, then making a motion of drawing a blade from its waist.

I was stunned: “Are you trying to say that the Taiping Clinic is already under surveillance?”

The crow nodded in satisfaction.

A chill ran down my spine: “Uncle Crow, who is watching the clinic? If it's the Secret Spy Division, blink once. If it's the Military Intelligence Division, blink twice.”

The crow blinked three times…

Me: “…”

The crow opened its beak, as if mocking me for my imminent doom.

I frowned, thinking. Why would these two factions be watching me? What had gone wrong?

And with both factions watching at the same time, how was I supposed to get out to see Wu Hongbiao?

The crow stopped laughing at me. It waved its wing, beckoning for me to follow, then flew up to the roof of the clinic's main hall.

I brought a ladder over and stealthily followed the crow up to the roof.

At midnight, a man and a crow peeked their heads over the ridge of the roof, secretly looking at the shop across from the main hall.

The two sides were separated by Anxi Street, and it was hard to see clearly in the hazy darkness of the night.

The crow pointed to the second floor of the third shop on the right. The room was pitch black, but a window was cracked open, providing a perfect view of the main entrance of the Taiping Clinic.

The crow then pointed to the second floor of the second shop on the left. Similarly, a window was cracked open, facing the main entrance of the Taiping Clinic.

Both sides seemed to be observing who was coming and going from the clinic.

I muttered: “Good thing the two sides didn't rent the same room…”

The crow laughed silently.

I pulled my head back behind the ridge and asked in a low voice: “Uncle Crow, how many people in the room on the right?”

The crow blinked three times. Three people.

“And the one on the left?”

The crow blinked three times. Also three people.

I felt a strong sense of crisis. If only one person was sent, it would be normal surveillance. But if three people were sent at the same time, it meant they were preparing for an arrest or an assassination.

Thank goodness for Uncle Crow's help…

I turned to the crow with a smile: “Thank you, Uncle Crow, for helping me again… Why are you willing to help me?”

The crow smiled silently, not answering.

I asked again: “How should I get around to the cloth shop?”

The crow beckoned with its wing and flew around to the back.

Following the crow's guidance, I moved along the shadows between the buildings on Anxi Street and climbed into the backyard of the cloth shop.

Not only that, Uncle Crow even took care of the aftermath. After I entered the courtyard, it perched on the courtyard wall to keep watch.

Hearing the sound of someone climbing the wall, Wu Hongbiao, who had been lying on the ground, sat up cross-legged: “I’ve been waiting for you. Are the Military Intelligence Division and the Secret Spy Division still trying to capture me?”

I said: “They’re still after you, but they’ve been led to the West Market. I heard the cloth shop is going to be sold soon. This isn’t a place to stay for long. People might come to see the shop at any time.”

Wu Hongbiao thought for a moment and said: “Then I’ll clean this place up tomorrow. If anyone comes, I’ll climb out of the courtyard first and come back in after they’ve left.”

“It’s not safe in the long run.”

Wu Hongbiao thought for a moment and said: “Have you found the Division Officer's true identity?”

I was silent for a moment: “You answer some of my questions first and help me with one thing. Only then can I answer your question.”

Wu Hongbiao looked at me carefully: “You’ve changed.”

I leaned against the doorframe, letting the moonlight stretch my shadow. The once good brothers, one standing at the door, the other sitting on the ground, each more wretched than the last, were like brothers in misfortune who had fallen on hard times together, yet they maintained a safe distance.

Wu Hongbiao said softly: “The old you didn’t undergo long-term harsh training, and your sense of alertness was very poor. Of course, this is also related to the environment you grew up in. In the Jing Dynasty, we were conscripted into the harshest military camps in the north at the age of twelve and were trained in the bitter cold from a young age. Half of the year was winter. There was only so much food in the military camp. If you weren’t good enough, you would go hungry. After two hungry meals, you would freeze to death. There, you had to scheme against each other just to eat a full meal.”

Wu Hongbiao continued: “You grew up in the southern Ning Dynasty with its singing birds and fragrant flowers. There are gorgeous dancers and songstresses here, as well as romantic and dashing scholars and provincial graduates. The lights of the boats and the oars reflect on the Qinhuai River. Living here, you are naturally… weaker.”

I asked calmly: “And now?”

Wu Hongbiao answered seriously: “It’s different now. Although I don’t know what you’ve been through, the you now is more like a qualified warrior. Although it’s a bit disappointing not to be trusted, I’m genuinely happy for you. Only someone like you can survive until the day we meet again.”

I lowered my head: “Then since you’ve been betrayed by the Jing Dynasty, have you considered defecting to the Secret Spy Division?”

Wu Hongbiao’s expression turned solemn: “It wasn’t the Jing Dynasty that betrayed me, but the Division Officer. I’ve told you before, I will never let the political machinations of certain people shake my beliefs. I also believe that your uncle and the others will definitely make a comeback and purge the court of petty villains. The people of my Jing Dynasty have suffered enough. I will not betray my motherland because of a few villains.”

I was silent. This was the first time I had heard the word "belief" since I came to this world.

I didn’t want to dwell on this issue, so I asked the question I most wanted to ask: “You said it was the Division Officer with the green-faced, tusked mask who was good with a blade who wanted to kill us. Why do you say that?”

Wu Hongbiao said strangely: “The Division Officer is the Division Officer. Why add so many descriptions? There is only one Division Officer.”

I shook my head: “You answer my question first.”

Wu Hongbiao recalled: “The person who came to kill me first tricked me by saying that the Division Officer had an order for me to go to the Canal Gang in the East Market to pick up a batch of goods. I am a Pigeon-rank spy. In the entire Luocheng, besides you, only Zhou Chengyi and the Division Officer are qualified to know my information. Also, on the day the assassins came, I also demanded that they show me the Division Officer's token, and they did.”

“What is the Division Officer's token?”

“A copy of the

Annals of Luocheng

with the special seal of the ‘Rongbaozhai’. The upper right corner of that seal is chipped, so it can’t be faked.”

I finally understood. Wu Hongbiao actually didn’t know there were other Division Officers, nor did he know that a new Division Officer had arrived in Luocheng and pushed out the original one.

So, according to my deduction, the one who wanted to kill them was that Shopkeeper Yuan, not the carriage driver Division Officer.

However, I had to verify that Wu Hongbiao was not lying.

After a long silence, I said: “I need you to do one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Meet the Division Officer.”

Wu Hongbiao’s face showed astonishment.

……

In the early morning, at the Luocheng Prefectural Yamen.

The yamen had a gold-lacquered plaque that read “Luocheng Prefectural Office.” At the entrance of the yamen, officials hurried to report for duty. A minor official said in a low voice: “Hurry, hurry. If we’re late, we’ll get a scolding from the Deputy Prefect again.”

As he was speaking, a carriage engraved with a gold canary pattern slowly stopped at the yamen entrance. The officials didn’t even bother to report for duty anymore. They all stopped and bowed in respect.

The carriage driver lifted the curtain and hung it on the hook on the carriage body. He then took a stool and placed it beside the carriage before saying in a low voice: “Second Master, we’ve arrived.”

Liu Mingxian, dressed in a blue official robe, wearing a black gauze hat, a jade belt loosely tied around his waist, and black-faced, white-soled soap boots on his feet, slowly alighted from the carriage.

“Good morning, Lord Adjudicator.”

Liu Mingxian grunted from his nose, and only then did the officials dare to straighten up and hurry into the yamen.

According to the rules, Liu Mingxian, as a fifth-rank official, was not qualified to ride in this gold canary carriage. But with Grand Secretary Liu of the Liu family holding a high position, and Yuzhou being the Liu family’s personal territory, no one dared to say anything.

After Liu Mingxian entered the yamen, the carriage driver drove the carriage to the side, put on a bamboo hat, and squatted at the entrance, chatting with the other carriage drivers and sedan chair bearers.

The carriage driver asked with a smile: “Erniu, did your master go out to have fun again last night?”

Erniu smiled and said: “Hah, which day does my master not go out to have fun? Last night he went to the Embroidery Building in White Cloth Alley. It’s said that he saw that Courtesan Liu.”

The carriage driver said with an “oh”: “Now all the masters in Luocheng want to see what Courtesan Liu looks like. What did your master say?”

Erniu said honestly: “My master said that Courtesan Liu is truly a wonderful person. It’s a pity that she’s protected by the Xu family, so no one dares to do anything to her.”

The carriage driver paused for a breath, then asked again: “Old Li, what about you? What did you do last night?”

“What else could I do,” Old Li yawned. “Last night, a group of secret agents came to the Crafts Supervisory, saying they wanted to check the warehouse ledgers. My master was stuck inside all night and couldn’t leave. He was only released this morning. The master didn’t even go home and came straight here.”

The carriage driver smiled: “Then you’ve had it rough. Go home and have your wife give you a good back rub.”

“My wife? She can beat me, but a back rub? Forget it!”

The carriage drivers and sedan chair bearers burst out laughing.

At this moment, Liu Mingxian's carriage driver inadvertently glanced across the street, and his expression suddenly darkened.

Across the street, a pale-faced young man was standing still, staring straight at him.

The carriage driver said to the others: “I haven't eaten breakfast yet. I'm going to get a bowl of tofu pudding. You guys chat.”

“Alright, bring me back two fried dough sticks!”

I saw the carriage driver Division Officer quickly walk into the crowd. As he was walking, he suddenly darted to the young man's side, grabbed his arm, and pulled him into a small alley.

When the two of them were in the alley, the carriage driver Division Officer said in a low voice: “Wu Hongbiao, are you trying to get yourself killed? The Secret Spy Division and the Military Intelligence Division are both looking for you, and you still dare to stay in Luocheng?!”

Wu Hongbiao said in a low voice: “I can’t leave.”

The carriage driver Division Officer asked in a firm voice: “How did you know my identity, and how did you find me here?”

Wu Hongbiao lowered his head: “I followed you before.”

The Division Officer sneered: “You followed me? You think you can follow me? Have you already surrendered to the Ning Dynasty’s Secret Spy Division?”

Wu Hongbiao looked up and met the Division Officer's gaze: “I am, after all, one of Lord Lu’s elite, specially sent to the Southern Dynasty. Don’t look down on people.”

The Division Officer was still not convinced. He narrowed his eyes slightly, his hand reaching into his sleeve, ready to draw his short blade at any moment. He quickly scanned his surroundings but found no one closing in.

The last time, the Secret Spy Division had used over a hundred men by the Qinhuai River and still failed to capture him. If Wu Hongbiao had defected, the Secret Spy Division would probably have already mobilized the Trouble-Solver Guards from the Mengjin Camp to surround him.

The Division Officer was deep in thought: “You’re not hiding your identity and laying low. What are you looking for me for?”

Wu Hongbiao said: “Someone came to lure me to my death with your token. Naturally, I have to come and ask you face to face. Lord Division Officer, why did you want to kill me?”

“It wasn’t me. Someone wants to purge us,” the Division Officer answered in a deep voice.

“How can you prove it?”

The Division Officer sneered: “If I wanted to kill you, would you be alive today? Stop with the nonsense. Since you are alive, go to the Taiping Clinic immediately and tell Chen Ji. Tell him that tomorrow evening, the two of you are to come to this alley again. I will arrange for you to leave Luocheng!”

“Where to?”

“There will be merchants to take you back to the Jing Dynasty. Go back, find his uncle. Only by his side can you be temporarily safe,” the Division Officer said.

Wu Hongbiao turned and left. At the same time, on the gray tiles of the eaves, two tabby cats stopped their play, jumped off the roof, and disappeared into the vast city of Luocheng.

……

At noon, Dark Cloud jumped down from the roof into the courtyard. He gently patted me with his paw but failed to wake me up.

Dark Cloud waited patiently until I gasped for air and woke up from the nightmare of the ancient battlefield. I touched my neck; that was where Fenghuai had just struck…

I looked at Dark Cloud: “You’re injured again?”

Dark Cloud raised his head high: “Triumphant! From now on, Anxi Street is under my command!”

I was filled with awe: “Fierce!”

Dark Cloud recounted the events of his surveillance on Wu Hongbiao today. I concluded: Wu Hongbiao was not lying, and that carriage driver Division Officer had no intention of killing me. He had come yesterday, indeed, to protect me.

The one who wanted to kill me was Shopkeeper Yuan.

Dark Cloud suddenly asked: “Are you leaving the Ning Dynasty?”

I was silent.

Should I leave? If I left, at least I wouldn't have to live the life of a double agent anymore. In the Jing Dynasty, I had an uncle who had been a high-ranking official. Even if he had stepped down, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse.

Even if he didn't have power, he could still buy more ginseng, right?

Although I wouldn’t be able to see some of my new friends, they wouldn’t be coming to the clinic anymore anyway.

The only one I was a bit reluctant to leave was Old Man Yao… If I left, what would happen to him? I could only entrust him to She Dengkang and Liu Quxing.

No matter how I looked at it, I should leave. It wasn’t the choice I most wanted to make, but it was the most sensible one.

I looked at Dark Cloud: “Are you willing to come with me?”

Dark Cloud thought for a moment: “Although it’s a bit of a shame to leave the Anxi Street I just conquered, I’ll go wherever you go.”

I took a deep breath: “Alright, we’ll leave tomorrow afternoon. We’ll leave this place of right and wrong.”

I got up and slowly moved into the courtyard, looking at the large water vat in the southeast corner of the yard, the apricot tree in the middle of the yard, the closed main house, and the busy main hall of the clinic…

I hadn’t been in this world for long, but even after only staying for a little over ten days, when I thought about leaving, a reluctance appeared in my eyes.

At this moment, Liu Quxing returned to the backyard to wash his hands. He looked at me in surprise: “Hey, you’re finally awake.”

I smiled and took out a broken piece of silver, handing it to him: “Senior Brother, can you help me buy some meat and vegetables? I want to cook a meal for everyone.”