Chapter 54 Haidongqing

"I'll take half of the credit, and you take half. How about that?"

The gambling house, which was once bustling with activity, was now quiet.

In the private room decorated with bright red and green colors, a fat golden pig sat beside a round table.

On the round table, a hanged body was dangling from the beam, but the Golden Pig was smiling as if nothing had happened, as if a girl selling smiles in Red Lane was sitting next to him.

Chen Ji sat down across the table and asked curiously, "Master Jinzhu, if we catch the Jing Dynasty spy tonight, it will be a great achievement. Are you just going to give it to me?"

Jin Zhu poured Chen Ji a cup of hot tea and said slowly, "Over the years, the Minister of Internal Affairs trusted me and let me manage the purse of the Secret Service. I didn't understand much at first. I was cheated by many people in grain and oil shops, brothels, gambling houses, and clothing shops, and lost a lot of money. But the Minister of Internal Affairs didn't say anything, just told me not to be afraid of making mistakes."

Chen Ji suddenly realized that this golden pig was probably also an orphan adopted by the Internal Minister.

The other party was in control of the financial power of the Secret Service at a young age, and even the loss of money was tolerated by the Minister of Internal Affairs. The two sides must have a very deep relationship. Almost every word of Jin Zhu revealed his admiration for the Minister of Internal Affairs.

To the outside world, that is a poisonous appearance, but to the Golden Pig, that is a father-like figure.

The Golden Pig continued, "Later, I did have a talent for business, and slowly learned the ins and outs of business. I discovered that third-rate investment is investing in effort, imitating others to work hard to run a small business, such as a noodle shop; second-rate investment is investing in technology, doing things that others can't do, such as frosting; first-rate investment is making money from money, making a huge profit, such as a bank. But these investments are not the smartest..."

Chen Ji thought for a moment, "What's the smartest investment?"

Jin Zhu smiled and said, "Of course, it's investing in 'people'."

He said with emotion: "Over the years, my best investment was helping Tianma. At that time, I was not Jinzhu yet, and he was just a small secret agent. Every time we caught a spy, he would rush to the front. After work, no matter how tired he was, he would wipe his mouth with a bowl of beef noodles and go to bed happily. The way he ate the noodles was as if beef noodles were the most delicious thing in the world."

"Later, I became the Golden Pig, and he was still just a pigeon-level spy. I gave him all my credit and helped him get a way to practice cultivation, becoming the Pegasus he is today. Over the years, the lower nine have come and gone like floating flowers and flowing water, but only Black Snake and I have remained stable. Black Snake is because of the care of White Dragon, and I am because of Pegasus."

For a moment, Chen Ji actually felt a trace of human touch in the cold and ruthless Secret Service.

He imagined the scene of the smiling Golden Pig, after catching the spy, sitting in a noodle shop with the young Pegasus, eating beef noodles. The two of them would probably chat while peeling garlic and say something like "That was a close call just now."

No matter how I think about it, it seems a little unreal.

No wonder the opponent, who is only one of the lower nine zodiac signs, is much tougher than Yun Yang and Jiao Rabbit.

"May I ask Lord Jinzhu, at what level can I obtain the method of cultivation?" Chen Ji asked softly.

The Golden Pig drank the tea in the cup and said, "Haidongqing, this is a threshold. When you become Haidongqing, you will no longer be a spy. Even those civil servants will not dare to look down on you. At the same time, you will also have the opportunity to spy on the road to immortality."

"Then, if I get promoted, what does Lord Jinzhu need me to do?" Chen Ji asked curiously.

Jin Zhu smiled and said, "The position of 'Haidongqing' in Luocheng is still undecided. I don't know whether the Minister intends to keep it or there is really no good candidate, but someone has to take it. Many of my businesses are in Luocheng, so naturally someone needs to take care of them. You don't have to do anything else, just don't let anyone bother you."

"What properties does your Excellency have?" Chen Ji asked curiously.

The Golden Pig laughed: "We just added a new family, so it's a good opportunity for you to get familiar with them... Bring them in!"

……

……

Two spies dragged in a thin and short wealthy businessman and made him kneel on the ground.

The rich businessman cried and said, "My Lord, I am Asakura, and I have always run my business honestly. This gambling house has nothing to do with the Jing Dynasty spies!"

Jin Zhu squatted in front of him and said calmly: "If you say it doesn't matter, then it doesn't matter. If it doesn't matter, why would the Jing Dynasty spies pass through your hall? And why did a fight happen in your store? Sign the deed honestly and you will be spared physical pain. Otherwise, your whole family will be executed or exiled to Lingnan... Give him the paper and pen."

The spy threw the written contract on the ground and said coldly, "Boss, please sign and put your fingerprints on it."

Chen Ji: "..."

So this is how all the properties under the name of Golden Pig came from? !
This is not a huge profit at all, it is clearly a huge profit with no investment!
The gambling house owner trembled, but finally put his fingerprints on the document and was dragged away like a puddle of mud.

Chen Ji asked doubtfully, "Master Jinzhu, this businessman should not be a spy of the Jing Dynasty... Doesn't the Chief Criminal Department care?"

Jin Zhu glanced at him and said earnestly, "Of course he is not, but I am in charge of the purse of the Secret Service, and I have so many people to feed, so I naturally have to find a way to increase income and reduce expenditure for the Minister of Internal Affairs and share his worries. Hehe, Chief Criminal Officer Lin Chaoqing is not in Luo City today, so this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"What if someone finds out?" Chen Ji asked curiously.

Jin Zhu stood up and patted him on the shoulder: "The gambling house has done a lot of harm to people. That boss Chao has committed a serious crime. He will commit suicide tonight. Don't worry, no one will find out."

At this point, he looked at Chen Ji with a smile: "I am telling you these things because I treat you as my confidant, you won't tell on me, right? Don't worry, following me is much more comfortable than following Jiaotu and Yunyang. From now on, the court will give you 24 taels of silver salary every year, and I will give you another 24 taels, a total of 48 taels."

Chen Ji thought that forty-eight taels was not enough to spend on his own cultivation: "Do only a few people have it, or does everyone have it?"

Golden Pig responded, "Everyone has it. Brothers, you put your heads on your belts and work hard, what can you do with 24 taels of silver a year? The civil officials limit our salaries, and the Minister of the Interior naturally has his own way. Many people look down on my position and say that I only smell of money, but what do they know? I am in charge of the allowances and pensions within the Secret Service. Life is tight, how can I not be thrifty?"

He looked at Chen Ji's expression and added slowly, "When you become a Saker Falcon and have a way to practice, I will give you extra practice resources every month."

Chen Ji asked, "What and how much can an ordinary Saker Falcon get?"

Golden Pig thought for a moment and said, "For ordinary warriors, if you don't have any merits in that month, you will get about six old mountain ginsengs. If you have merits, the more merits you have, the more you will get."

Chen Ji's heart moved. It turned out that this was the most important part. There were more than 200 cities in the twelve states of Ning Dynasty, which meant more than 200 Saker Falcons. The amount of cultivation resources distributed every month was an astronomical figure!

The six ginsengs distributed this month alone cost about one hundred and ninety taels in total, which is money that many people cannot earn in ten years!
Jin Zhu looked straight at Chen Ji and said seriously, "But you have to remember, this is given to you by the Minister of Internal Affairs, not by the court."

Chen Ji understood that the Golden Pig was not in charge of the Maritime Customs, Silver Market, Weaving Bureau, etc. The money earned by those bureaus was for the emperor's inner court. The Golden Pig was in charge of the inner minister's own treasury. He stood up and clasped his fists and said, "Master Golden Pig, I will go through fire and water for you, Master, and I will not hesitate!"

Jin Zhu smiled, stood up and took his hand: "It is a merit to lure and kill the Jing Dynasty spy tonight. If we can capture the defecting spy, it will be another great achievement. I know you are very smart, and this matter depends on you."

Chen Ji thought for a moment and said, "Master Jinzhu, do you have any clues?"

In fact, this is what Chen Ji cares most about.

This Jingchao spy has seen his appearance, and he must find this person before the Secret Service.

He will feel uneasy as long as he can't find it.

Speaking of the clues of the defecting spy, Jin Zhu also cursed: "This spy was seriously injured. It was easy to catch him, but the rain cut off his tracks. Now trying to find him in Los Angeles is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

At this time, a cat's meow was heard outside the window, but no one paid any attention to it, thinking it was just a wild cat taking shelter from the rain under the eaves.

Chen Ji cupped his hands and said, "Master Jinzhu, please continue to wait here for the Jingchao spy. I will go down and see if there is any clue about the defecting spy."

After saying that, he walked out of the private room and lowered his hat.

In the private room, a spy said, "Sir, he already knows about our plan to lure the enemy. Should we be careful that he might leak the information?"

Jin Zhu nodded: "Keep an eye on him and don't let him get out of 'Asakura'. Although Meng Ji has tested that he is not a spy of Jing Dynasty, it is better to be safe than sorry."

……

……

Chen Ji walked down from the second floor. Secret agents were guarding each passage with swords on their waists, and almost everyone had a crossbow on their waist.

Under this kind of control, if the Jing Dynasty Military Intelligence Department wants to kill people to silence them, they will definitely pay a heavy price.

But what does this have to do with Chen Ji? He only cares about whether he will be exposed.

However, when he was halfway down the stairs, he looked down inadvertently and saw a familiar figure: it was his biological second brother, Chen Wenxiao!

It was strange, why did Chen Wenxiao appear in the gambling house in the middle of the night? Could it be related to the Jing Dynasty spies?

No, the other person looked pale and had dark circles under his eyes. He no longer looked like the elegant and noble gentleman he was during the day. He was clearly a real gambler!

Chen Ji suddenly remembered the rumors about his gambling addiction and felt that there was something else going on.

While thinking, Chen Wenxiao quietly raised his head and looked around. Chen Ji pressed down his hat and walked away.

In the gambling house, copper coins and silver coins were scattered all over the floor, and a trail of blood dripped from the door to the backyard, which must be the escape route of the defected spy.

Chen Ji followed the bloodstains towards the backyard. Upstairs, the spy next to Jin Zhu was holding the wooden railing, his eyes closely following Chen Ji's footsteps.

When he saw Chen Ji trying to walk out of the gambling house, his eyes tightened and he gestured to the two spies downstairs, indicating them to follow him.

However, Chen Ji stopped before walking out of the gambling house and turned to another corner, and the spies finally relaxed.

Chen Ji came to a corner, bent down pretending to look for clues, and said in a low voice: "Dark clouds, dark clouds?"

In the shadow of the corner, Wuyun was soaked and meowed, "I'm here!"

Chen Ji's expression was shrouded by his bamboo hat. He asked in a low voice, "How did you find it?"

"I wanted to go to the clinic to tell you that Concubine Jing was planning to let Chunhua seduce you, but I found out that you were not in the clinic," Wuyun replied, "I asked a lot of cats along the way before I found this place."

Chen Ji asked in astonishment: "Wait, you asked a lot of cats?"

"Yes," Wuyun said, not understanding Chen Ji's surprise. "You humans ask other humans for directions. So what's so strange about us cats asking other cats for directions?"

"Can they answer questions... I mean, can those who haven't opened their minds answer your questions?"

"Fat orange and cow cats are definitely not suitable. They are not very smart and it's useless to ask them anything. But tabby cats are okay. They are smarter, good at fighting, and have a large territory. But tabby cats are not easy to deal with and have bad tempers," Wuyun replied.

Chen Ji's heart was in turmoil. This was a way that he had never imagined. There were stray cats everywhere in Los Angeles.

He asked quickly, "Can you ask them to help me find someone? He was seriously injured and has disappeared since he escaped from the Asakura Casino at night!"

"Where did you escape?"

"do not know."

"That's not easy to find..." Wuyun was silent for a moment: "We need to find a calico cat. They have good luck with cats, so let them go to various places to ask the tabby cats."

"This matter concerns my life and property. I must find this person before the Secret Service does!"

The dark cloud raised its claws and knocked on his chest, making a loud bang: "Leave it to me, don't worry!"

……

There is one more chapter that will be published tonight at midnight. There will be a shorter comment later. You can read it or not.
(End of this chapter)