Green Mountain

"Waiter, another bowl!"

"Another bowl!"

"Another bowl!"

Jin Zhu ate four bowls of lamb noodles in a row, and with Heavenly Horse’s four bowls, they piled up like a little mountain.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the onlookers, Jin Zhu was still unsatisfied: "I still want to eat more, but I really can’t..."

He looked around and tossed a ten-tael silver ingot to the noodle stall waiter: "Today, all the customers eating noodles are on my tab, consider it as eating on my behalf, and the remaining Silver is for you."

The waiter smiled widely: "Thank you, Guest!"

Heavenly Horse gestured and asked him: "So happy? You were once in the Seeking Dao Realm, but you just backed the wrong person and fell out, and even the first time you entered the Seeking Dao Realm, you weren’t this happy, is it because of the Martial Arts Roar?"

Jin Zhu looked at the stack of bowls on the table and sighed: "It’s not just because of the Martial Arts Roar, but also for Chen Ji... Forget it, you wouldn’t understand."

Heavenly Horse pondered.

Jin Zhu smiled: "Let’s go."

He walked out of the noodle stall with a cheerful smile, passing by two scholars who were discussing: "That noise just now, was it the Martial Arts Roar I’ve heard storytellers talk about? But they used to say it was the sound of a sword being drawn, why today was it the sound of a money bag?"

The other scholar shook his head: "I don’t know, maybe the storyteller was just passing on hearsay. After all, not many have really heard the Martial Arts Roar... I wonder who in the Imperial Capital triggered this Martial Arts Roar? Could it be someone entering the Divine Realm?"

Jin Zhu stepped forward and joined the conversation: "The Martial Arts Roar doesn’t necessarily require entering the Divine Realm; for example, Lu Yang of the Martial Temple Mountain had it when he entered the Innate Realm."

Jin Zhu then changed the topic: "But for someone in the Seeking Dao Realm to trigger the Martial Arts Roar, now that’s unprecedented, this person must be a cultivation genius second only to Lu Yang, the Mountain Master..."

Before he could finish, Heavenly Horse, with a blank expression, pulled his arm away.

Jin Zhu shook off Heavenly Horse’s pull and adjusted his collar: "What’s wrong, can’t I boast a bit about such a happy event?"

Heavenly Horse gestured: "Wealth should not be flaunted."

Jin Zhu laughed heartily: "I’m not the type to hide my light under a bushel, I’ve been stifled for twenty-one years, it’s time to hold my head high."

Upon hearing ’twenty-one years,’ Heavenly Horse surprisingly let go and no longer stopped him, quietly watching as Jin Zhu boasted to everyone he met.

Jin Zhu deliberately took a big circle around the Imperial Palace, and Heavenly Horse just followed quietly, walking along until Jin Zhu finally ran out of things to say and was parched. Only then did Heavenly Horse gesture: "Time to see the Prime Minister, this matter must be reported to him."

Jin Zhu chuckled: "Right, right, mustn’t keep it from him. All right, you go about your business, I’ll go to the Jiefan Building myself."

Heavenly Horse asked with curiosity: "You’re going by yourself?"

Jin Zhu waved his hand: "Aren’t you supposed to be chasing down that Yao An, go quickly, don’t waste time."

Heavenly Horse thought for a moment and gestured to Jin Zhu: "Then I’m off."

Jin Zhu watched Heavenly Horse’s departing figure, gradually restraining his smile, growing slightly solemn, as if trying to etch the figure of the other in his mind.

When Heavenly Horse disappeared at the end of the street, Jin Zhu took a deep breath, put on a smile, and turned toward Taiye Pond.

Outside the Eagle House Office, spies were coming and going, and Jin Zhu heard the voice of Xuan Snake from inside: "Investigate further, before noon, I need to know who triggered the Martial Arts Roar!"

He smirked mockingly: "Before noon, I need to know... hehe."

Jin Zhu was originally heading to the Jiefan Building, but his eyes twinkled, and he swaggered into the Eagle House Office.

At this moment, Li Dongyan sat in the main hall’s Taishi Chair, deep in thought, while the spies under Xuan Snake were coming and going, gathering reports from various sources.

In the corner, Jiao Tu and Yun Yang were whispering, chatting casually. Treasure Monkey sat cross-legged in the corner, head down, weaving a cricket cage.

Jin Zhu found a chair to sit on, waved over a spy to pour him tea, and then flicked the tea leaves off the surface with the edge of the cup, humming a small tune through his nose.

Li Dongyan glanced over at Jin Zhu and the others, then looked at Treasure Monkey weaving the cricket cage in the corner: "This Imperial Capital, under the Emperor’s feet, witnessed a Martial Arts Roar, and yet the Spy Department can’t uncover anything, still in the mood to drink tea and play. It seems like the Spy Department is negligent, should report to His Majesty, bring in some fresh blood."

Jiao Tu rolled his eyes.

Treasure Monkey, without raising his head, whispered through Yu Yuan under his mask: "If Commander Li has such loyalty and patriotism, he should find out himself, rather than wait on us. Also, this is the Spy Department office, not the Jiefan Guard office. Your office is at the Imperial Stables, staying here is inappropriate."

Li Dongyan was impervious: "I’m ordered to oversee the Spy Department, naturally it’s more appropriate to be in the Spy Department."

Jin Zhu put down his teacup, cleared his throat, and said: "He’s a fat guy."

The Eagle House Office fell silent, everyone turned their gaze towards him, even Treasure Monkey paused his work.

Jin Zhu looked up thoughtfully: "He’s five feet three and seven-tenths of an inch tall."

Jiao Tu suddenly stood up: "You’ve seen this person, where is he now?"

Jin Zhu continued: "This person is meticulous, with acute observation..."

Jiao Tu asked in confusion, "Did he discover you were following him?"

Jin Zhu ignored this and said to himself, "This man is extraordinarily smart, even combining all the Twelve Signs of the Spy Department can’t compare to him... ahem, except Bai Long and Binghu."

As he spoke, Xuan Snake was already skeptical, while Li Dongyan simply sneered.

Just at this moment, a spy under Xuan Snake hurriedly reported, "Master, I visited the informant on Chessboard Street, who claims to have seen with his own eyes, Jin Zhu and Heavenly Horse sparked an anomaly at the noodle stall, Jin Zhu seems to have entered the Seeking Dao Realm, and martial arts sounds followed immediately."

Xuan Snake turned his head in doubt, "Jin Zhu, did you trigger the martial arts sound?"

Jin Zhu laughed heartily, "It was me indeed."

Jiao Tu rolled his eyes again, and Treasure Monkey simply smashed the half-woven grasshopper cage onto the ground.

Jin Zhu stood up, dusted off nonexistent dust on his clothes, and swaggered out of the Eagle House Office: "I have no time to mess around with you; I’m going to see the Prime Minister."

...

...

Outside the West Gate, Changxiu stood by the vermilion door holding a scroll, and Jin Zhu flashed his waist tag as he passed by. Changxiu only glanced up and then returned his gaze to the scroll: "Congratulations, Lord Jin Zhu."

Jin Zhu crossed the vast and desolate palace path, stopping before the Jiefan Building and cupped his hands in greeting: "I... ahem, I wish to see Lord Prime Minister."

Mountain Bull sat inside the dark door of the Jiefan Building, with a calm voice replied, "The Prime Minister is waiting for you."

Jin Zhu didn’t immediately enter the door; instead, he stood hesitantly in front of it.

Mountain Bull didn’t rush him and allowed him to hesitate.

After waiting for a long while, Jin Zhu gritted his teeth, entered through the door, lifted his robe, and ascended the steps. He knocked at the Prime Minister’s door: "Master, Piggy is here."

A copper bell rang inside, and Jin Zhu stood behind the screen cautiously observing beyond it.

The Prime Minister was bent over the desk, writing something without raising his head: "Did you provoke the martial arts sound?"

Jin Zhu slightly bowed, "Master, you are indeed prescient."

The Prime Minister acknowledged with a hmm and said nothing more.

The room remained silent for a long time, and gray smoke from the copper incense burner in the corner rose straight to the ceiling.

Suddenly the gray-white smoke became chaotic, Jin Zhu took a deep breath, knelt behind the screen, and lowered his head: "Master, when you took Piggy from the coal mine twenty-one years ago, Piggy asked when revenge could be sought. You said that day, Piggy should wait to reach the Seeking Dao Realm, then it would be time."

The Prime Minister’s pen stopped, still silent.

Jin Zhu lay silently on the ground for a long while: "Piggy has served Master loyally for twenty-one years, and hopes you will grant this request."

The Prime Minister placed the pen on the ink slab and finally looked up towards the screen: "Is it absolutely necessary? You know if you choose this path, your life will belong to the Jiefan Building."

Jin Zhu’s voice was somber, "The Huqiu Xu Family coveted my father’s sugar frosting business and conscripted both my father and mother into labor, resulting in their death in the mines. My sister, to earn a bite for Piggy, gave herself to others and contracted a vile disease. As she lay dying, Piggy wanted to embrace her, but she refused, only asking Piggy to keep his distance, to avoid dirtying himself..."

It seems the Prime Minister was also reminiscing.

Jin Zhu’s voice became choked, "Sister, she sang nursery rhymes to Piggy before she passed... Master, if Piggy cannot avenge them, death is a preferable option!"

The Prime Minister leaned back in the chair and suddenly asked, "Why didn’t you bring Heavenly Horse to the Jiefan Building?"

Jin Zhu was taken aback, "This matter is Piggy’s personal vendetta and I don’t want him involved."

The Prime Minister smiled from behind the screen: "Do you know why I said achieving Seeking Dao Realm is the time for revenge?"

Jin Zhu became more puzzled, "Because... Because the Seeking Dao Realm official is formidable?"

The Prime Minister chuckled, "No matter how formidable a Seeking Dao Realm official is, can they withstand a round of firearms from Divine Machine Camp, a volley from Longevity Army? Not to mention the Imperial Three Camps, even the private salt merchants and pirates Huqiu Xu Family harbors are beyond your match."

Jin Zhu’s mood slowly calmed: "Please advise me, Master."

"Besides having an extra life-saving token of gold and silver coins, the officials’ door is incomparable to other officials," the Prime Minister looked toward the window: "Others think the officials’ door is a gamble on luck, but in truth, it tests the cultivator’s insight, character, and temperament. To achieve Seeking Dao Realm, the cultivator must find two other embryos of the Seeking Dao Realm and lend a hand in their infancy."

The Prime Minister’s gaze returned, landing on Jin Zhu through the screen: "When the officials’ door cultivators reach Seeking Dao Realm, they’ll have two friends in that realm, the magnanimity to accommodate others, the endurance to bear hardships, and the wisdom to face opponents."

Jin Zhu kept his head down: "This revenge is dangerous, I still wish not to involve Heavenly Horse."

The Prime Minister chuckled, as if hearing something amusing: "Go ahead, go south to revenge. First, head to Lingnan and steal West Wind out to work with you. Regarding how this revenge should be exacted, I will give you an explanation."

Jin Zhu heavily kowtowed three times on the ground: "Thank you, Master."

He slowly exited the room and strode out of the Jiefan Building. Upon stepping outside, he found Heavenly Horse standing in the sunlight outside the Jiefan Building, smiling and gesturing to him: "Let’s go."

...

There’ll be another update tonight, everyone can read in the morning.