Chapter 4: A Quarter of an Hour

In the midst of the inexplicable reverberations, Chen Ji wandered in the darkness, as if he had been trekking through an ice age, unable to dispel the fog before his eyes.

Yet, this darkness seemed to last only an instant, as fleeting as the sparks from striking stones.

Chen Ji could not control his body, only listen.

The sound of the wind, the sound of rain, and even the sound of oars slicing through water, as if someone was ferrying him through a black cloud sea in a small boat.

Chen Ji wanted to break through the darkness, but everything around him was as sticky as glue, preventing him from escaping.

Outside the darkness, a voice spoke casually, "Lord Zhou, we wouldn't have come in person without absolute certainty. When you see us, you either cooperate and help us catch the spies of Jing Dynasty in Luocheng, or we'll make your life worse than death. There's no other choice."

A middle-aged man replied in anger, "I don't know what crime I've committed to warrant such a massacre in my home. I don't know any spies of the Jing Dynasty!"

The casual voice continued, "On the 27th of last month, you hosted a banquet for the Master of the Craft Supervision, Li, at the Bamboo Garden in the White Alley of the East Market. During the banquet, you redeemed the courtesan Cuihuan and gifted her to him. However, this Cuihuan is a spy of the Jing Dynasty, and she has already implicated you... Do I need to continue?"

"The courtesan Cuihuan being a spy has nothing to do with me. I had no prior dealings with her!"

"Do you want evidence?"

"Yes!"

A girl in the room laughed, "When we, the Secret Intelligence Service, kill a spy, do we need evidence?"

The interrogated Lord Zhou fell silent, and the room became quiet, filled only with heavy breathing.

In the room, porcelain was shattered, and the display cabinet was broken, like a wasteland.

In the wasteland, seven or eight bodies lay twisted, and only a middle-aged man sat on the ground, his hair disheveled and his appearance wretched.

Facing him, a young man in black, dressed in a neat outfit, looked relaxed and playful. Not far away, a slender black-clad girl squatted on a grand armchair, watching the scene.

These two black-clad figures, who looked to be in their early twenties, had killed everyone in the room.

In the darkness, Chen Ji suddenly felt that these voices were like a hand, grabbing him as he sank into the abyss, dragging him back from hell to the human world.

"Lord Zhou, who are your colleagues in Luocheng? It's fine if you don't want to speak the truth now. We have the whole night to spend," the young man said with a smile. "Wait a moment, we'll bring your family, hidden in the firewood alley, and see if you're willing to talk..."

At that moment,

A corpse in the room suddenly sat up!

Chen Ji gasped sharply, like a drowning person reborn, greedily breathing. His breathing was particularly piercing in the silence, breaking the room's oppressive atmosphere.

Chen Ji sat up from the floor, feeling dazed.

He instinctively touched the knife wound on his waist, but there was nothing there.

The girl on the armchair turned her head, "Hey, Yunyang, your skills are rusty. How could you not kill someone properly?"

Yunyang argued, "Impossible, his heart must be in the wrong place!"

"Admit it, you failed. Can't you take the shame?"

"What should we do?"

"Kill him again."

At this moment, Chen Ji had many questions: Why was he reborn, and where? Could he find his way home? If such a miraculous thing as rebirth could happen, could he see his family again?

He opened his eyes, "Wait, I have something to say..."

As he spoke, footsteps sounded outside, drawing everyone's attention.

A dozen men in black outfits brought in seven or eight people, including two children, a boy and a girl, about eight or nine years old.

Taking this opportunity, Chen Ji quickly surveyed his surroundings: the room was small, with a rosewood desk on the left, two grand armchairs, and a table in the middle.

Books, ink, and paper were scattered, creating a mess.

Had he traveled through time?

Was this the dream world Li Qingniao spoke of?

He seemed to have taken over the body of a recently deceased person, but he didn't know the identity of the deceased.

Chen Ji wanted to think about his situation, but the crisis unfolded too quickly, giving him no time to think.

As he pondered, the dozen black-clad men forced Lord Zhou's family to kneel on the ground. One of them reported, "All of Lord Zhou Chengyi's hidden family members have been brought here. This woman was redeemed from the White Alley ten years ago, the two children are hers and his, a boy and a girl. The others are the butler and maids."

The dozen black-clad men were resolute, each with a sheathed long sword at their waist.

Yunyang squatted in front of the woman, "Madam, do you know that Lord Zhou is a spy of the Jing Dynasty?"

The woman clutched the little boy tightly, shaking her head in fear, "I don't know, we know nothing!"

Yunyang drew a thin silver needle from his sleeve and stabbed it into the woman's chest in a flash. She made no sound, collapsing to the ground, lifeless.

Cries of grief echoed in the room. The butler shouted, "Master, what's happening, Master?!"

Lord Zhou Chengyi remained silent, his face dark as he watched the scene.

Yunyang looked at him, then squatted in front of a maid, "Do you have anything to tell me?"

The maid stammered, "My... my master only comes here two or three times a month. It's hard for us to even see him once."

Yunyang thrust the needle into her chest, and she tried to dodge, but the needle was too fast. She could only watch as it pierced her chest.

Chen Ji instinctively touched his chest.

Yunyang continued his killing spree until he reached the little boy. He squatted down, smiling, but his eyes were fixed on Lord Zhou, "Boy, has your father told you anything?"

Lord Zhou's face twitched, "Your Ning Dynasty was founded on books and rites. Are you going to torture a child?"

Yunyang sneered, "This spring, the Jing Dynasty's cavalry invaded the south, killing countless innocent civilians of our Ning Dynasty. Should I lecture you on poetry and propriety? Besides, last year, you bought a ten-year-old girl and kept her at home, then gave her to the governor of Luocheng. Wasn't she a child? Lord Zhou, if you don't confess, your child will die."

"Daddy, save me!"

However, Lord Zhou turned his head away, ignoring his child's plea for help.

Yunyang whistled, "So heartless. It seems we've caught a big fish, a spy of the highest rank. It's shameful that you managed to hide for so many years under our noses."

Stab.

The boy died, falling to the ground.

Chen Ji watched silently, the child's eyes wide open, staring at him.

Lord Zhou's forehead veins bulged.

At this moment, the girl named Jiaotu squatted in front of the little girl, speaking softly, "Did you see how your mother only held your brother?"

The little girl nodded in fear.

Jiaotu continued, "If you come with me and call me sister, I won't kill you."

But the little girl didn't agree, just looking at her father in confusion and fear.

"In this world, girls who are weak will suffer a lot," Jiaotu smiled, hugging the little girl, "Don't be afraid, it will be quick."

She drew a silver needle from her hair, just like Yunyang, and stabbed it into the little girl's neck. The little girl instantly went limp in Jiaotu's arms, lifeless.

Chen Ji's pupils constricted.

Yunyang watched the scene indifferently, then approached the remaining butler and Chen Ji, "Young man, you were lucky to survive. Since you've been given a second chance, let's play a game. Whoever speaks first and gives us information will live."

The butler immediately crawled forward, crying, "Your Excellencies, I'll talk, I'll tell you everything! Let me live!"

Yunyang laughed, "I love this traitorous drama!"

Chen Ji also spoke, "I don't have information, but give me two quarters of an hour, and I'll find it for you."

The butler hurriedly explained, "He's just a small apprentice at a medical clinic. What information could he have? Listen to me!"

Yunyang looked at Chen Ji, his face sincere, "Your information will take two quarters of an hour, and I'm not sure if you have it. I'm very sorry... Ah, you!"

As he teased, Chen Ji suddenly lunged at the butler, pinning him to the ground.

In an instant, a shard of broken porcelain, hidden in Chen Ji's hand, cut the butler's neck. Unfortunately, Chen Ji lacked experience in killing, and his first attempt missed the major artery.

Yunyang and Jiaotu did not intervene.

In a panic, the butler struggled, hitting Chen Ji's face with his fists. But Chen Ji did not dodge, gripping the shard tightly and cutting again.

This second attempt severed the butler's major artery, and a fountain of blood spurted out.

The butler died.

Chen Ji slowly stood up, his eye corner bruised from the butler's punches, and his palm cut from gripping the shard too tightly. Blood dripped to the ground.

Jiaotu's eyes lit up.

Yunyang became interested, "You really want to live?"

Chen Ji panted, "I don't have information, but give me two quarters of an hour, and I'll find it for you."

"Really?" Yunyang raised an eyebrow, "Deal, but I'll give you only one quarter of an hour."

(End of Chapter)