193. Where the story begins

In the winter of the 31st year of Jianing, in the evening.

The sky is filled with sunset glow, like red waves slowly receding.

There were no more soldiers coming and going in Luocheng. Ordinary people were tentatively coming out of their homes, and hawkers were selling their wares on shoulder poles along the streets.

The vendor lowered his voice at first, but then gradually opened his voice: "Tofu! Freshly braised tofu!"

The market is like weeds, growing wildly from bricks and rocks and cracks in cliffs.

Everything will return to normal, and time seems to have only left a long scar on a few people, which will slowly heal.

The apprentice dormitory of Taiping Medical Clinic was filled with the smell of alcohol.

Chen Ji was sleeping in an ugly position, lying on the bunk bed and snoring. He kicked off the quilt again and again, and Wu Yun would pick up the quilt and cover him again, then lie down beside him silently with his hands in his pockets.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Ji slowly opened his eyes and asked dryly, "...How did I get back? Why don't I remember anything at all?"

Wuyun muttered, "You suddenly went crazy this morning, carrying a jar of wine to the Drum Tower to watch the sunrise, talking about carving a boat to find a sword. Later, you got drunk and started talking nonsense, sometimes pulling the soldiers under the Drum Tower and saying, 'Second Battalion Commander, where's your fucking Italian cannon?' The next, you pulled the rickshaw driver and said, 'I want to report Concubine Xi for having an affair and defiling the harem.'"

Chen Ji sat up in shock, his eyes wide open: "Huh?"

Wu Yun hesitated for a moment: "Chen Ji, were you a concubine in the Forty-Ninth Heaven before?"

Chen Ji quickly explained: "That's a line from the play."

Wuyun breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."

Chen Ji was surprised and confused: "What else did I say?"

Wuyun recalled: "It's all a mess, I can't remember it clearly."

Chen Ji also breathed a sigh of relief, lay back lazily, and looked at the roof quietly.

He was a little amused and helpless. If it weren't for these drunken nonsense, he would have almost forgotten that he didn't actually belong to this world.

"Dark Cloud, time flies by so fast."

In the blink of an eye, he has been in this world for more than two months. It was still autumn when he first came, and now it is snowing heavily.

The room became quiet. Chen Ji lay on his back on the bunk bed, and Wu Yun also lay on his back leaning on his arm. The man and the cat looked at the beams covered with spider webs, not knowing what they were thinking.

It was as if after a big drunk, so many things that happened last night were just a dream and had nothing to do with today.

Chen Ji muttered quietly, "No wonder so many people like to drink. No wonder Master said that when you get older, alcohol tastes a bit bitter... I don't know where Master went. He even gave up the clinic."

The dark cloud replied, "Master said that he is going to a very far place and will never come back."

Chen Ji sighed a little: "They are all gone, what else did the master say?"

Wu Yun thought about it for a moment, then imitated Old Man Yao's tone and said, "Tell that kid not to worry about me. I'm very happy without him around."

Chen Ji's eyes widened: "Is that what Master said?"

Wu Yun was puzzled: "Don't you think it's not? If you think it's not, I'll make up another one for you."

Chen Ji said weakly: "...That's not necessary."

Wu Yun looked at Chen Ji with his round eyes curiously: "Chen Ji, Master said you came from the Forty-Ninth Heaven. What is the Forty-Ninth Heaven like? Are there any gods flying in the sky?"

Chen Ji smiled and replied, "I don't know what the other forty-nine heavens are like, but in our place, ordinary people can fly around in the sky."

Wuyun was shocked: "Have you flown before?"

Chen Ji said cheerfully, "I've flown over here several times."

Wuyun stood in awe: "Very fierce!"

Chen Ji patted its head and said, "It's not that powerful at all. It's just that you have money. Maybe I'll have the chance to take you to see where I live in the future. I can take you flying a few times then."

"Is it a deal?"

"It's a deal." Chen Ji suddenly said, "But before that, we have to change the way we live."

dark clouds

He agreed: "Okay."

Chen Ji was curious: "Why don't you ask what kind of life it is?"

Wuyun meowed casually, "No need. You have the final say on our family affairs."

Chen Ji was happy: "Wuyun, you are so nice."

"Of course," Wu Yun asked, "Are you going back to Chen's house today?"

Chen Ji rubbed his temples and said, "Don't go back yet. There should be guests coming later."

Wuyun was puzzled: "Guest?"

"Well, someone came to kill me."

…

…

Chen Ji sat on a small stool in front of the kitchen stove, watching the firewood burn, his mind wandering for a moment. The firelight reflected on his face, and the flames flickered in his eyes.

The heat from the stove made his cheeks swell a little.

Wuyun reminded: "Chen Ji, the pot is hot."

Chen Ji said "oh", stood up, scooped out a piece of pure white lard and threw it into the pot, then fried a plate of pan-fried tofu, a plate of pickled cabbage, a plate of pickled beans and minced meat, and a plate of dried bamboo shoots fried with bacon. It was simple.

It was already getting late, so he brought the dishes into the yard and set out three sets of bowls and chopsticks. Then he sat down at the eight-immortal table and said, "You two, you've been waiting for so long, come down and eat with us."

Jiaotu's laughter echoed from the roof of the main hall. "Last time, Master Chen Haidongqing invited us to dinner, and we were nearly killed by firearms. This time, he's inviting us to dinner again. I wonder if he's throwing us a Hongmen Feast."

Chen Ji looked up and saw Jiaotu standing on the eaves on the left and under the crescent moon, while Yunyang squatted on the right, looking murderous.

He was a little dazed. When he first came to this world, he saw these two people trying to kill him.

Two months have passed, and these two still want to kill me.

Chen Ji sat at the table and slowly divided the chopsticks. "You two are worrying too much. This is not a Hongmen Feast. Lord Bailong has arranged for you to work under me from now on. We should work together. I am sincerely inviting you two subordinates to dinner, so please don't overthink it."

Yun Yang sneered: "You want to be our boss, kid? I'm afraid you won't be able to do that!"

"Oh?" Chen Ji pretended to be confused. "You two want to kill me? I am now Lord Bailong's man. Aren't you afraid that he will blame you?"

Jiaotu's eyes flickered with envy: "We already exposed your betrayal of Prince Jing early in the morning."

As he spoke, he pulled out two Emei thorns from her waist and threw them to Yunyang: "When Lord Bailong asks, we will say that it was the owner of these Emei thorns who killed you. Prince Jing is his great benefactor, so it is only right for him to avenge Prince Jing."

Chen Ji laughed and said, "You two don't treat Lord Bailong as a human being. How could you possibly deceive him with such a thing... However, there is no need for us to fight and kill each other."

Jiaotu tilted his head, a little confused: "What do you mean?"

Chen Ji looked up at Jiaotu and asked, "How long did it take you two to become zodiac animals?"

Jiaotu sighed, "It's been so many years. I finally became a zodiac animal, but after only half a year of glory, I'm already back to my original form. How miserable."

Chen Ji asked again, "You two are now pigeon-level spies. How long will it take for you to become zodiac signs again?"

Jiaotu counted on his fingers, looking down. "I need to kill ten people for the Inner Minister to return to the position of Haidongqing. I need to kill another twenty to get into the Jiazi class of Haidongqing. I need to kill another fifty... But I have killed everyone I should kill in these years. It's really troublesome to return to the position of the zodiac sign."

Chen Ji smiled and said, "Now the positions of Sheep and Rabbit are still unclaimed. Who can guarantee that these two positions will be reserved for you? I believe that the others who came out of Wunian Mountain are all coveting these two positions."

He continued, "You two have been stuck in the Xiantian realm for years, and are only one step away from the Dao-seeking realm. If you can't exchange your merits for the next level of cultivation before the age of thirty-six, you will probably experience birth, old age, sickness, and death like ordinary people."

Jiaotu smiled and said nothing.

Chen Ji looked up at her and said in a resounding voice, "You work for me, and within a year, I will help you regain your position in the zodiac. How about that?"

Under the moonlight, on the eaves, the air froze.

bright

Tu Congbai's fingers played with her hair, a thought flashing in her eyes.

Chen Ji asked, "How long did it take you two to go from being a Sparrow-level spy to a Saker Falcon?"

Jiaotu calculated the time: "Six years."

Chen Ji asked again: "How long did it take me?"

Jiaotu paused for a moment, twirling her hair around her ear. Her eyes lit up. "...Two months. Yunyang, helping us regain our place in the zodiac seems like a good idea. I've always said it, how much better it would be if everyone stopped fighting and worked together happily."

Yun Yang's face darkened. "This kid has a lot of tricks up his sleeve. Keeping him here will only lead to more trouble."

Yun Yang held the Emei Spear in both hands, leaped from the right side, and pounced towards Chen Ji as light as a flying wild goose.

Chen Ji was not in a hurry. Without changing his expression, he gently pushed the Eight Immortals Table two feet away.

Inadvertently, he suddenly stood up, hooked his toes and picked up the whale knife hidden under the table.

With a slash of the knife, it swung upward to the right, the blade like a sharp waning moon, and in an instant it reached Yunyang. The Emei spear was only one foot and two inches long, but the whale knife was five feet and five inches long.

Yun Yang hastily retracted the two Emei spears and blocked them in front of him. There was a clang sound and his hands were numb from the shock.

"Xiantian!" Yunyang exclaimed, rolled backwards, and retreated towards the apprentice dormitory.

But he saw the Emei Spear in his hand flew out like a hidden weapon, trying to force Chen Ji to retreat, but the Emei Spear whizzed away and missed, and was nailed to the kitchen wall and buzzed.

When Yun Yang looked for Chen Ji again, Chen Ji had already put the blade on his neck.

Yunyang felt the cold blade on his neck and was unable to move. Chen Ji pulled him and slowly retreated towards Jiaotu. As he retreated, he said, "Master Yunyang, even a lion will use all its strength to fight a rabbit. Don't be so careless next time."

In the small courtyard, murderous intent lurked everywhere. A black cat crouched low on the eaves, its eyes fixed on the nearby rabbit, a fight imminent.

Yun Yang was held hostage by Chen Ji and sneered, "This kid is really good at hiding things. He's actually at the Xiantian realm."

Jiaotu, sitting on the roof, clapped his hands. "Didn't the Minister of Internal Affairs just grant you the path to cultivation? How did you reach the Xiantian realm so quickly?"

Chen Ji said calmly, "He is gifted. Lord Jiaotu, now that Lord Yunyang is in my hands, can we talk?"

Jiaotu smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear and saying, "What does it matter to me if he's in your hands? We who come from Wunian Mountain don't care about old ties. Just kill him. After that, we can drink and talk. If you can help me regain my position as the Zodiac, I will repay you well."

Chen Ji also smiled and said, "Okay, since Lord Jiaotu said so, I will kill him first."

After saying that, he turned the blade in his hand and cut into the skin of Yunyang's neck, causing blood to ooze out.

"Wait!" Jiaotu suddenly cut his eyebrows with his thumb nail and closed his eyes.

A ball of black mist emerged from between her eyebrows and instantly transformed into the shape of a bright rabbit and landed on the roof.

She was wearing black armor, with a black feather on her head fluttering in the wind, and a crescent-shaped sword held upside down in her hand.

Chen Ji's heart trembled. He had guessed correctly that Jiaotu had always been the more dangerous of the two. The Minister of Internal Affairs had placed Yunyang beside Jiaotu in order to have Yunyang protect Jiaotu.

Yunyang looked up at the roof, startled: "Jiaotu, you..."

Chen Ji placed the knife on Yunyang's neck and retreated into the shadows under the eaves of the main house. "Master Jiaotu, you don't care about our friendship, so why are you willing to reveal your own cultivation path?"

Jiaotu said nonchalantly, "I just saw that you are very good at swordsmanship, and I wanted to spar with you."

Chen Ji stood in the shadow under the eaves. "I'll say it again: there's no need for us to fight. If you work with me, I guarantee you'll become zodiac signs again within a year. Otherwise, we'll fight to the death today."

After saying this, he actually slowly put down the blade, pushed Yunyang a few steps away, and sat down at the Eight Immortals Table with a swagger, picking up the chopsticks as if no one else was around: "I have given you my sincerity, come down and eat."

(End of this chapter)