Chapter 32 Infernal Affairs
When he came into this world, Chen Ji knew nothing about his past self and could only piece himself together bit by bit from the information revealed by others.

Today, the story of his past is becoming more and more complete... and more and more terrifying.

Jingchao spy? Am I really a Jingchao spy?!

For Chen Ji, this was the worst outcome. It was as if he was walking on a cliff with a knife edge and there was an abyss on his side. No matter he fell to the left or the right, there was no way back.

How to do?
The man holding the knife behind Chen Ji said calmly: "Don't act rashly, or you will die."

The voice was dry and dull, but full of absolute confidence.

The other party must be an official who has practiced for a long time and a big shot in the Military Intelligence Department of Jing Dynasty!

Chen Ji did not move, but heard the shopkeeper say, "Master Si Cao, I have confirmed that Master Zhou passed information to this kid on the night of the accident. Now everyone in Master Zhou's mansion is missing, and only this kid is still alive. He must have betrayed us."

The military intelligence officer pressed the cold blade against Chen Ji's neck and asked in a serious tone, "What do you want to say?"

Chen Ji thought rapidly, and finally said calmly: "The night I arrived at Zhou Chengyi's house, he had already been betrayed by the skinny horse in Cuizhuyuan, Baiyi Lane. That's why Yunyang and Jiaotu came to him... How can it be said that he died because of my betrayal?"

The shopkeeper asked in a serious tone, "Then how did you survive? Jiaotu and Yunyang are notoriously bloodthirsty. If you hadn't betrayed and made meritorious contributions, how could you have survived until now? You have betrayed Jing Dynasty!"

The shopkeeper had just been kicked and was angry at this moment. He took the opportunity to kick Chen Ji in the stomach, bending Chen Ji's waist.

Chen Ji wanted to fight back, but the person behind him kicked him in the knee.

But Chen Ji's knees went weak and he almost fell to the ground.

But he held on, and stood up before his knees touched the ground.

The Military Intelligence Department's Cao kicked him several more times, but each time Chen Ji struggled to stand up before he could kneel down.

Seeing this, Si Cao pressed down on his shoulder with great force, but this time Chen Ji would rather break his shoulder than bend his knees.

He stood up straight, stared at the shopkeeper and said harshly: "No matter how many times you torture me, the result will be the same. I only ask one question, if I have betrayed you, why are you still alive and talking to me?!"

The shopkeeper's expression froze.

This was why they did not kill Chen Ji immediately. Although all signs indicated that Chen Ji had defected, everyone except Zhou Chengyi and Liu Shiyu was safe and sound.

Given Chen Ji's identity, if he defected, it would be a disaster for the entire Los Angeles Military Intelligence Department system. The Military Intelligence Department must confirm what exactly happened.

The warehouse was filled with medicinal materials and seemed a bit crowded. The three people in the room could even hear each other's breathing.

Chen Ji slowly let out a sigh of relief, pinched the blade with two fingers, and pushed the dagger clamped on his neck away a little: "You want to kill me without asking any questions? Let me finish what I want to say. After I arrived at Zhou's house, Yunyang and Jiaotu showed up before I had a few words with Zhou Chengyi. Zhou Chengyi knew that there was no hope of survival, so he asked me to protect myself. Later, he swallowed poison and committed suicide, and I survived as an apprentice in the medical clinic. The Secret Service still does not know my true identity."

After saying that, he no longer looked at the shopkeeper of Bailu Pavilion, but turned around to face the Military Intelligence Department official behind him: the number three figure of the Jing Dynasty’s Military Intelligence Department lurking in the Ning Dynasty!
But this Si Cao was dressed in gray clothes, plainly, with two patches on his elbows and knees.

What was strange was that Sicao was wearing a thin wooden mask with green face and fangs engraved on it, looking terrifying and hideous.

Before he could open his mouth to speak, Si Cao raised his hand and struck him accurately on the neck, knocking him unconscious.

……

……

When Chen Ji woke up slowly, he suddenly found himself being hung upside down somewhere, with a black cloth covering his head. Everything in front of his eyes was dark, and his wrist was painful as if it had been cut.

He heard a sticky dripping sound, as if his own blood was falling drop by drop.

The ticking sound, like the countdown of life, makes people feel fear and urgency.

But Chen Ji calmed down instead.

"At the rate you bleed, you only have 25 minutes to live," Si Cao's voice came from behind the mask, a little dull. "Now let me ask you, the Secret Service would rather kill someone by mistake than let him go. Even if they didn't know your identity as a spy, they would never let you live. Tell me, why did they let you go?"

Chen Ji explained in the darkness: "Because I have done a great deed. I used alum as a clue and brushed the paper with vinegar to find the secret letter that Xuanzhipu wrote to Zhou Chengyi."

Si Cao asked in a deep voice: "If you are telling the truth, then the ability you have shown is inconsistent with your status as an apprentice in the clinic. Yunyang and Jiaotu will definitely be suspicious! Yuanming, are you sure no one followed him when he came?"

The shopkeeper shook his head: "No."

"Confirm again to see if there are any unfamiliar faces near Bailu Pavilion at this time."

"clear."

The shopkeeper of Bailu Pavilion, whose name was Yuan Ming, immediately pushed the door open and went out. He stood in the courtyard and used a copper whistle to make the clear sound of a swallow.

Soon, the sounds of swallows came back from the southeast, northwest, and northeast directions outside Bailu Pavilion.

The shopkeeper returned to the house with a puzzled look on his face: "Master Si Cao, the brothers who are monitoring the surrounding areas report that no one is following him."

Si Cao fell into deep thought: "How can you gain the trust of the Secret Service Department when you don't even have a tailer?"

Chen Ji also fell into deep thought. Yes, why should I... He seemed to have suddenly gained the trust of Yunyang and Jiaotu. Not only could he go to the inner prison, he could even review the files at will.

Those files are of top importance to the Secret Service. If Yun Yang and Jiao Tu still suspect that I am a spy from the Jing Dynasty, they will never give them to me for review.

why?

Wait, it’s because of that weird dream.

Chen Ji recalled that in the dream, the other party had controlled his subconscious mind and answered some questions.

The reason why he managed to pass the interrogation was... he really didn't know that he was a spy from Jing Dynasty at that time!

Fortunately, I managed to escape interrogation by accident!

Tick, tick.

The sound of blood falling continued, as if it was urging death.

Chen Ji's face was calm, but his tone was urgent. "I had a dream before. In the dream, someone kept asking me if I was a spy of Jing Dynasty. I almost lost my mind at that time, but I finally managed to keep my mind and answered 'no'."

Si Cao seemed a little surprised: "Meng Ji took action personally? You actually resisted Meng Ji's interrogation."

However, Si Cao did not completely believe it.

Chen Ji felt a pain in his arm, as if he was cut by a knife again.

The sound of dripping blood disappeared, and was replaced by the sound of blood pouring into the wooden basin like a thin line, dripping non-stop.

Si Cao said calmly: "No matter how fantastic your words are, they may have been arranged by the Secret Service. If you want me to believe it, it proves that you are still loyal to Jing Dynasty. If you can't prove it, I can only kill you. I believe your uncle will understand me."

Chen Ji was stunned for a moment. Uncle?

At this time, the shopkeeper said, "Sir, don't waste your words on him. The Secret Service must have a conspiracy to let him live. If we let him go, Bailu Pavilion might be destroyed one day. This is one of our most important industries in the south. Many people rely on Bailu Pavilion for their livelihood."

Si Cao did not answer, but just waited for Chen Ji to answer.

Chen Ji closed his eyes and wondered in his mind how to prove that he was still loyal to Jing Chao?
When he opened his eyes again, he said firmly: "I saw the book "Jinsi Lu" which used the Fanqie method to hide information in Liu Shiyu's house, but I did not give it to Yunyang and Jiaotu. In the book, Liu Shiyu revealed that an important figure in the palace was in contact with our Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department, and also revealed that the entire Liu family has turned to Jing Dynasty. If this book is handed over, I am afraid that the Liu family will not be able to escape!"

Si Cao held his breath and asked, "Where is the Record of Recent Thoughts?"

"Burned."

Si Cao narrowed his eyes slightly, with a fierce look in his eyes, thinking quietly: "You didn't lie about this. The Secret Service did not find the "Recent Thoughts Record". Afterwards, I sneaked into Liu Shiyu's mansion to look for it, but couldn't find it. It turns out that you hid it in advance. Very good..."

Chen Ji was shocked. Did the Military Intelligence Department of the Jing Dynasty know that the Secret Service Department did not get the "Recent Thoughts"? Could it be that there were other spies in the Liu family residence that night? !
While Si Cao was thinking, the shopkeeper said in a hurry: "Master Si Cao, even if this kid talks a lot, it can't change the fact that he betrayed his colleagues. You know, after the Liu family's rice paper shop was confiscated, it involved a lot of people. Not only did it kill Liu Shiyu, it almost caused a disaster!"

Chen Ji hung upside down from the beam and asked solemnly, "May I ask, who else in my Jing Dynasty has gained the trust of the Twelve Zodiac Signs of the Secret Service? Who else can escape Meng Ji's interrogation?"

Si Cao's expression changed.

Meng Ji has become one of the biggest obstacles for the Military Intelligence Department to infiltrate the Secret Service Department. Many spies have tried to infiltrate the Secret Service Department, but ultimately failed in front of Meng Ji.

Now that Chen Ji has escaped the other party's interrogation, this may really be an opportunity.

But how can we be sure that Chen Ji really escaped interrogation?
Chen Ji didn't hear Si Cao's answer for a long time, so he finally placed a heavy bet: "Give me a month. Within a month, I can prove that I have not betrayed and that I am loyal to the Jing Dynasty."

Si Cao thought for a moment, then turned to look at the shopkeeper: "Send a message out, I want to see 'Chang Jing', I have something important to tell him."

The shopkeeper hesitated to speak, but turned around and walked out.

Si Cao stayed in the room silent for a long time, and finally cut the rope and let Chen Ji down.

He slowly put the dagger back into the scabbard between his sleeves: "This time when I came to Ning Dynasty, your uncle asked me to take care of you on his behalf, but I didn't expect to encounter such a change. Don't worry, if it is really as you said, I will not only not kill you, but also protect you. But if you lie to me, don't blame me for turning against you and being ruthless."

Chen Ji took off the black cloth covering his head, and saw that he was still in the medicine warehouse, and Si Cao was holding a chicken in his hand, and the chicken blood had been poured into a wooden basin.

Chen Ji was not surprised, but he still pretended to be surprised and touched his arm. There was no wound where it hurt just now.

Si Cao calmly explained, "I was counting on you to infiltrate the Secret Service, so I naturally wouldn't randomly leave wounds on you to arouse suspicion. In addition, for your uncle's sake, I am willing to give you a chance to prove yourself."

My uncle is not from Ning Dynasty, but Jing Dynasty? Then I have at least half Jing Dynasty blood.

Chen Ji originally thought that the Jing Dynasty would be a nomadic people, and their appearance would be very different from that of the Ning Dynasty. However, judging from his appearance, the Ning Dynasty and the Jing Dynasty clearly had the same origin, which was completely different from his judgment of the world.

For a moment, he felt that his identity was becoming confusing again. No wonder the other party had said before...

"You betrayed your identity and your family name."

(End of this chapter)