Green Mountain

The large ship named Anlan cruised steadily on the river, with more than twenty porters on the riverbank shouting Chujiang chants, pulling the reins to drag Anlan forward.

Chen Ji had just finished wiping the deck with a boatman and was now resting against the deck.

In his sleep, he vaguely heard a majestic voice coming from the sky, like countless children reading aloud in a classroom, floating down from the heavens, grand and clear.

This voice seemed to pull him back to the classroom of his first year, joining classmates in loudly reading the textbook: "Reflecting on the vastness of heaven and earth, alone with anger and tears falling."

Chen Ji suddenly opened his eyes, turning his head to survey his surroundings.

But the boatmen around him were all dozing off, and the voice seemed to be heard only by him.

Chen Ji lowered his head and asked his chest, "Did you hear any sounds from heaven just now?"

Wu Yun, hidden beneath his collar, meowed softly, "No."

Chen Ji’s eyes flickered.

Was it just a dream?

It seemed like a dream, yet also as if someone had connected the mysterious will of the Forty-nine Heavens... no, it was the Fiftieth Heaven, his hometown Earth.

Chen Ji suddenly felt something, wondering if the poem was related to Brother Pao’s path of cultivation?

He stood up at the bow, holding the railing, silently watching the sunset disappear little by little, turning back to see that the Imperial Capital was already out of sight.

Wu Yun quietly peeped out half of its head from his chest, dazing alongside him.

After a long time, Chen Ji exhaled a long breath of turbid air, "It’s just us two left again."

Wu Yun meowed softly.

At this moment, someone nearby said, "Have we met somewhere before?"

Chen Ji’s heart tightened, and he turned to look, only to see the last person on board, an old man with gray hair, leaning against the railing, staring straight at him.

The old man’s white hair was simply tied at the top of his head with a peach wood branch, wearing a gray cloth Daoist robe and black cotton shoes, like an old Taoist.

Chen Ji didn’t want any entanglement with him, turning back to look at the river, "You must be mistaken; we probably haven’t met."

But the old man was relentless, walking over to him, examining Chen Ji’s profile closely, "No, no, we definitely have met somewhere."

Chen Ji didn’t expect this old man to stick to him like flypaper; he didn’t want to converse much with the man, as having faked his death to escape, he couldn’t let the outside world know he was alive again.

As he was thinking about how to get away, he heard a shout from the stern building behind, "Jiu Jin, don’t just stand there, untie the tow rope. Gousheng, the wind is picking up, hurry up and hoist the sails!"

Chen Ji turned back just in time to see the Chief Captain Old Li yelling from the stern building.

He went to the bow’s General Pillar, untying the ropes from the pillar one by one.

While untying the ropes, the old man approached again, "Where’s your home, Inner City Nanxun Square?"

Caught unaware, Chen Ji said casually, "No, I live in Chongnan Fang."

The old man smiled slightly, "What a coincidence, Old Man also lives in Chongnan Fang... Which alley are you from?"

Chen Ji bent down again to untie a tow rope, countering, "Which alley are you from?"

The old man chuckled, "Old Man’s home is at Mishikou, what about you?"

Chen Ji stood up, dusting his hands, "Ma Weimao Alley."

The old man exclaimed happily, "Old Man often goes there; in the Imperial Capital, the wonton stall outside Ma Weimao Alley is the best."

Chen Ji glanced at him, "There’s no wonton stall outside the alley, only one that sells tofu pudding year-round."

The old man feigned surprise, "Is that so, then Old Man must have remembered wrong."

Chen Ji was moved, attempting a test, "The Li’s Noodle House on the southwest corner of Mishikou is quite tasty, have you eaten there?"

The old man grinned widely, "There’s no Li’s Noodle House at Mishikou; it’s Li’s Fried Liver."

Chen Ji said, "Then I remembered wrong."

The two traded fake smiles, each pondering something in their minds.

At this time, the rowers in the cabin all went up to the deck, preferring the river breeze there to the cramped, damp cabin below.

While Chen Ji was contemplating how to shake off this old man, Old Li called again from the stern building, "Jiu Jin, get over to the oar room and wipe the floor!"

Chen Ji responded loudly, "Going now!"

Old Li then directed others, "Gousheng, bring people to hang the dragon lanterns so those water ghosts can open their eyes wider and not mess with us."

The middle-aged man named Gousheng beckoned, leading several boatmen to light eight lanterns and hang them around the deck.

Holding a bucket and rag, Chen Ji stooped his way into the cabin.

The ship of the Ning Dynasty had particularly narrow and low cabins, requiring taller individuals to duck to move around; passing by the cargo hold, he saw two men with sabers guarding the entrance.

The two cast him a cold glance, "New here? Keep away from the cargo and water holds; don’t say we didn’t warn you."

Chen Ji acknowledged, continuing down the stairs with his bucket, curious about why he had seen seven or eight guards on duty throughout the day —some on the deck, some in the cabin— with what seemed to be an Executive Officer among them.

Ordinary cargo ships wouldn’t take so many guards; what cargo was stored in the hold?

Besides, although a day had passed, he only saw the Chief Captain Old Li ordering around at the stern building, while the ship owner remained atop the stern most high, never showing.

While Chen Ji was on the floor wiping the boards, he heard footsteps coming from the stairs; looking without a change in expression, he saw the old man pursuing him again into the oar room.

Neither was quick to speak; Chen Ji focused on polishing the floor attentively while the old man squatted on the stairs, observing him.

The river wind whistled through the oar holes, swirling and sobbing within the room, and through the holes, the moon reflecting on the river’s surface could be seen.

Suddenly, the old man asked with a smile, "You are Chen Ji, right?"

Chen Ji suddenly tightened his grip on the rag, raising his head, "You must be mistaken."

The old man continued to smile, "No mistake; when Viscount Wu Xiang, Chen Ji, was annulled and humiliated before the Qi Mansion, Old Man watched amidst the crowd, how could it be wrong?"

Chen Ji frowned, remembering Aunt Ping saying before that this large ship came from the south, with the boatmen all hired from Jinling, so nobody should recognize him.

Yet, this flypaper-like old man indeed seemed to be from the Imperial Capital and had recognized him.

What to do, kill and silence him? In this empty oar room, killing him, dismembering under the cover of darkness, and throwing the pieces into the canal might go unnoticed.

Chen Ji smiled and shook his head; where did that thought come from?

He tossed the rag to the ground, raising his head, facing the old man, "What do you want?"

The old man held his chin, pondering, "Were you just thinking about murder and silence, killing Old Man under the cover of darkness, throwing him into the river through the oar holes, so nobody will know?"

Chen Ji sighed, repeating, "What do you want?"

The old man smiled, "One thousand taels. Mr. Chen could use several ten thousand taels to ransom someone, surely coming up with one thousand taels shouldn’t be a problem."

Chen Ji was helpless; he indeed couldn’t come up with one thousand taels now; let alone one thousand, not even one tael could be produced.

He originally wore spending money from Zhang Xia, a string of Buddhist Treasure experts that could exchange for 600 taels, but when the fire in the Qi family’s shrine burned the string, the beads all scattered and burned to ashes.

Without the accommodation and food on this ship, he would have to perform outdoor acts with Wu Yun to make a living.

Chen Ji thought briefly, "I have no silver on me; tell me an address, and when I acquire silver, I’ll send it to you."

The old man shook his head, "Who believes such nonsense these days; Old Man only wants current silver, otherwise pawn the cat in your chest to Old Man, and return it once you have the silver."