Chapter 4. A quarter of an hour
Lament the fleeting horse within the crevice, the fire within the stone, the self within a dream...
In the obscure echoing, Chen Ji didn't know how long he had wandered in the darkness, as if trudging through an icy river for a century, forever unable to clear the mist before his eyes.
Yet this darkness seemed to last only an instant, as brief as the sparks that fly when stones strike each other.
Chen Ji couldn't control his own body; he could only listen.
The sound of wind, rain, and even the splash of oars stirring the surface of the water bore semblance to someone ferrying him across a black sea of clouds in a flatboat.
Chen Ji wanted to break through the darkness, but everything around him was as sticky as glue, rendering him incapable of breaking free.
Outside the darkness, someone suddenly spoke in a relaxed tone, "Lord Zhou, we wouldn't have come to you personally if we weren't absolutely certain. The moment you see us, you either cooperate and catch the Jing Dynasty spy in Luocheng City for us, or we'll make your life worse than death. There is no other choice."
But a middle-aged man replied in indignant fury, "I still don't know what crime I have committed to warrant such slaughter in my home by you two. I do not recognize any Jing Dynasty's spy!"
That previously relaxed voice said, "On the twenty-seventh of last month, you entertained Craftsmanship Supervisor Lord Li at the Mingzhu Garden in Baiyi Lane of the East Market, where you redeemed Miss Cui Huan from Mingzhu Garden and presented her to him. However, this Miss Cui Huan happens to be a Jing Dynasty's spy, and she has already sold you out... Need I say more?"
"What does it have to do with me if Miss Cui Huan is a spy? I had never had any dealings with her before!"
"You want evidence?"