Chapter 35 - 34. Fame and gain are like a knife
The scent of blood wafted through the herb storage, and Lord Si Cao, whether intentionally or not, twisted the shopkeeper Yuan’s heart with a dagger in his right hand while his left hand gripped Yuan’s jaw from behind, turning the fat face towards Chen Ji.
As a result, when shopkeeper Yuan died, Chen Ji could clearly see the fear and resentment on his face.
Lord Si Cao, observing Chen Ji’s expression, remarked, "I remember you’ve never spilled blood before, but now, as you are to deal with Yun Yang and Jiao Tu, I thought to have you ’open court’ by killing someone in advance. It seems it was rather unnecessary."
As his words ended, shopkeeper Yuan finally breathed his last breath.
Chen Ji saw a pale Ice Flow emerge from the man’s forehead, gliding into his own, though it was less than what Zhou Chengyi had provided.
Indeed!
He had been waiting for this Ice Flow to verify his suspicion: not only officials of the Ning Dynasty could produce Ice Flow, but those of the Jing Dynasty could as well.
When the Ice Flow merged into his body, a weight finally lifted from Chen Ji’s heart, and he suddenly said, "Lord Si Cao, you shouldn’t have killed shopkeeper Yuan."
Lord Si Cao replied calmly, "Joining the Military Intelligence Department, you must discard your womanly compassion. Your mission is of the utmost importance. He feared that you, as a child of noble birth, would vie for the position left vacant by Hai Dongqing, Zhou Chengyi, and be an obstacle in secret and in the open. With such a selfish heart, he should not be spared."
Chen Ji shook his head and said, "Lord Si Cao, it’s not that I am merciful towards him. What I meant was, he hadn’t told you the time and place to meet that ’Long Whale’ tonight."
Lord Si Cao was silent for a long time, "...No matter."