Green Mountain

Chen Ji dragged Yuan Xing through the Heavenly King Hall. Yuan Xing kept babbling, "Kid, although all my injuries are thanks to you, if you can actually persuade Master Ling Yi to heal me, I’ll owe you one. How about we take the jade, part ways, and forget each other in Jianghu? When you come to Shangjing again, I’ll treat you to a drink!"

Chen Ji ignored him.

Yuan Xing sighed, "During the New Year..."

Chen Ji suddenly asked, "Who is this Master Ling Yi? He holds a high position in Kujue Temple and was born with the Heavenly Vision. Why haven’t I heard of him before?"

"Finally, something you don’t know," Yuan Xing said with interest, "This Master Ling Yi is a Bodhisattva reincarnated from the Forty-nine Heavens, born into an ordinary family in Chongxian Square. It’s said that at his birth, all the watchdogs in the Imperial Capital were barking, and colorful clouds floated across the sky. His eyes were so bright they were frightening. That night, the old Fang Zhang Chan Zhao visited and said the Bodhisattva had commanded him to take Ling Yi to Kujue Temple to be raised."

"This Master Ling Yi could speak at three months, recite Buddhist scriptures fluently, and at seven, he presided over the Lantern Festival himself. At nine, he went on a pilgrimage with Chan Zhao Fang Zhang, debating scriptures at thirty-six monasteries without losing once. Everyone thought he’d become the next Fang Zhang of Kujue Temple. Unexpectedly, more than twenty years ago, he suddenly shut himself away and stopped presiding over ceremonies..."

Chen Ji stopped and looked at Yuan Xing, "Why?"

Yuan Xing shrugged, "It’s said he was moved by worldly desires. It’s rumored he sheltered a woman who stole from the Scripture Pavilion of Kujue Temple, taking several crucial official gateways. When questioned who the thief was, he said nothing. It’s strange that Chan Zhao Fang Zhang didn’t punish him; now he secludes himself as self-punishment."

Chen Ji asked nonchalantly, "Who is this woman?"

Yuan Xing recalled, "It’s said she’s a woman from Jianghu. Some claim she’s a noble’s sister; others say she’s a General from the Eight Generals of Thousand Gates. Later, she disappeared without a word, and the Eight Generals vanished too. Tsk, tsk, you say Master Ling Yi can see the future with his Heavenly Vision, yet he didn’t foresee her leaving without notice? He ended up wrongly accused."

Chen Ji continued walking, "Perhaps he saw it, but he didn’t care."

Upon leaving Kujue Temple, passing through the Mountain Gate Hall, Chen Ji saw a woman kneeling before the shrine, muttering, "May my child be safe and sound..."

The woman held three sticks of incense between her fingers over her head, devout and reverent.

Standing there, Chen Ji suddenly remembered Master Ling Yi’s words earlier; someone had knelt here recently, praying for him. That could be why Ling Yi agreed to help, to chant scriptures and protect him, perhaps because of that person.

Lu Ye, Mother.

Seeing Chen Ji in a daze, Yuan Xing quietly slipped his collar from Chen Ji’s hand and tiptoed towards the side door of the Mountain Gate Hall. But after two steps, Chen Ji grabbed his collar and dragged him back.

Chen Ji brought him to the incense table and picked three sticks of incense.

Just as Chen Ji was about to return to the Mountain Gate Hall, Yuan Xing shouted, "Wait a minute!"

Chen Ji turned to him, "What now?"

Yuan Xing grumbled, "If you’re going to pray, why shouldn’t I? It’s New Year, yet I’ve inexplicably lost nine years of life expectancy, and I haven’t even had a reunion meal."

Then, he too picked three sticks of incense and followed Chen Ji back inside the Mountain Gate Hall.

Yuan Xing knelt on the cushion, closed his eyes, and muttered to himself, "Disciple Yuan Xing, lives at the third house on Pagoda Alley in Qinglong Square, the one with a jujube tree in front is my home..."

Chen Ji watched him from the side, "Do you really have to report your address in such detail?"

Yuan Xing kept his eyes closed, "You don’t understand. If you don’t specify where you live, there are so many with the same name, what if the blessing goes to someone else?"

Chen Ji ignored him, bowed his head wishing, "I live at Zhang Mansion on Xuanwu Gate Street, hoping Zhang Xia, Xiao Man, little monk, father-in-law, mother-in-law, and my mother all remain safe and healthy..."

He placed the three sticks of incense in the burner, bending down to hear Yuan Xing muttering, "Bodhisattva, see this person making no objection before Buddha, please help me escape this person’s grasp, best if a thunderbolt strikes him dead, also protect me from court punishment, protect me..."

Before finishing, Chen Ji had already picked him up and started walking out.

"Wait!" Yuan Xing struggled to place the incense in the burner, then obediently followed Chen Ji out.

Leaving Kujue Temple, Chen Ji looked back at the "Namo Amitabha Buddha" on the temple’s lintel and suddenly asked Yuan Xing, "Why doesn’t the lintel of Kujue Temple have the three words ’Kujue Temple’, but these six?"

Yuan Xing casually replied, "It originally had a plaque with ’Kujue Temple’, until the Wuzong Period when a plague claimed the lives of more than half the people in Shangjing. At that time, the abbot of Kujue Temple stood in front of the temple, seeing the suffering of the people but was powerless to help. He said that the Bodhisattva was inside the Mountain Gate, too far from the people with the temple walls in between, so he wrote these six words to hang on the door, hoping the heavenly Bodhisattva would look upon this world. These six words symbolize compassion."

Chen Ji hummed in acknowledgment, his gaze sweeping outside the temple gate, noticing that the Imperial Guard was still lurking in the shadows.

Yuan Xing whispered, "Nephew, let go of me. What kind of nephew clings to his clan uncle like this while walking?"

Chen Ji released Yuan Xing, speaking softly, "You still have six sword seeds hidden in your padded jacket; if you don’t want to die, don’t run around wildly."

They walked westward, one in front of the other, with the Imperial Guard trailing more than twenty steps behind them.

Yuan Xing dared not look back, whispered, "Kid, this Imperial Guard is very alert, they must verify your statements before being satisfied. Just wandering around with them will lead to a dead end... You might as well protect me and charge into Qinglong Square now; once we’re inside my uncle’s house, we’ll be safe."

Chen Ji didn’t respond to this: "Lead the way, how do we get to Anle Square?"

Yuan Xing whispered, "Go straight, it’s at the fourth intersection."

Chen Ji led Yuan Xing all the way to Anle Square, searching through Long Willow Lane based on memory. There were eight households in the alley, but he didn’t know which one he was looking for.

The Imperial Guard watched from afar, their gaze heavy.

Chen Ji quickly searched with his eyes, finally stopping in front of a brown small door. This was it; the other seven households had new Spring Festival couplets and door gods pasted, but this one did not.

This was the address he had noted with Zhang Xia when they pretended to be a couple outside Chongli Pass.

Chen Ji approached, a copper lock hanging on the door. He shielded the Imperial Guard’s line of sight with his body and forcefully twisted with both hands, the copper lock silently broke.

Without a sound, he pushed the door open and entered, Yuan Xing hurriedly followed into the yard, turning to close the small door.

Chen Ji walked inside, while Yuan Xing pressed his ear against the door, listening as the footsteps outside gradually faded into the distance, then he exhaled a long breath: "Kid, you’ve got everything ready, even a place to stay... Your Southern Dynasty has quite the ability to plant spies in our Imperial Capital, doesn’t it?"

Chen Ji ignored him, scrutinizing the courtyard: the water tank in the small yard was empty, the courtyard paved with bluestone slabs, with dried yellow weeds sprouting from the gaps, a thick layer of dust covering the tables and chairs in the yard.

He reached the main house and pushed open the door, greeted by a musty smell of mildew mingled with dust.

Yuan Xing expressed disdain, "Aren’t we staying here tonight?"

Chen Ji’s eyes showed no such disdain, he sat down resting against the wall of the main house: "Just make do for a while, at midnight we’ll go get the jade from your private residence. I’ll ask you again, are there subordinates guarding the private residence?"

Yuan Xing, leaning against the courtyard door, sat opposite Chen Ji with a carefree attitude: "Of course, there are guards protecting the house, but they’re not your match. Don’t worry, I can tell the difference between external possessions and my own life, I can see you’re someone who keeps your word. If I survive this time, twenty pieces of jade will be the start of our friendship."

Chen Ji closed his eyes to rest, saying no more.

Yuan Xing touched the sword seeds attached to his chest and collar, looked up at Chen Ji: "Hey, kid, I say you shouldn’t go back to the Southern Dynasty. I respect you as a good man, stay in our Jing Dynasty, follow my uncle, and you’ll be guaranteed wealth and honor. As for you killing the county soldiers in Yingkou, you and I can pin this mess on Lu Jin, say that sneaky old guy was planning rebellion..."

Chen Ji remained silent.

Yuan Xing studied his expression: "What, feel that the charge of rebellion is unpleasant? Don’t blame me for speaking bluntly, before wealth and honor over the centuries, who cares about personal honor and disgrace. Strap your head to your waistband to serve the Southern Dynasty, and no one will pay you any mind. Listen to me, wolves and dogs are the same thing; a wolf that sees this is a dog, a dog lives far more comfortably than a wolf... Cough, maybe that’s not the best way to persuade you."

Chen Ji opened his eyes and looked at him: "Now everyone knows you’ve been captured by me, a Great Commander who’s been captured can never hold his head high again, and it’ll be hard for you to enter the Jing Dynasty’s Central... But this matter can be turned around."

Yuan Xing’s eyes flickered: "I knew my foster father spared my life for another plan. Tell me, as long as you can help me hold my head high, I’ll do anything you want."

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