Chapter 2: The Substitute

"You don't remember?" The jailer flicked his wrist, making his long whip crack. He sneered, "My whip will help you remember."

Yan Shixu furrowed his brows, appearing to struggle with his memory. "I woke up tonight in pain all over. I tried to get out of bed for some water, only to find blood-stained clothes and linen bandages at my feet. It terrified me. I thought I was hurt, but I couldn't find a single wound on my body. I don't know who those clothes belonged to. I can't remember anything."

He paused, a look of terror crossing his face. "I... I also found a jade disk on the table that appeared out of nowhere. It’s not mine, and I have no idea how it got into my room. I can't remember... I really can't remember anything..."

Finishing his plea, he looked up and said defensively, "Someone must be framing me."

"Utter nonsense." The jailer felt his intelligence was being insulted. "Who would use a priceless jade disk to frame a nobody like you? Magistrate, don't waste your breath. Let’s start the torture."

The jailer turned to the desk, only to find Magistrate Yang deep in thought, his brow furrowed.

"Sir, you must believe me," Yan Shixu argued quickly, desperate to defend himself. "I really didn't steal any jade. Someone set me up. I'm just a law-abiding citizen. I... I..."

At this point, he suddenly stalled. He muttered, "I... who am I?"

Magistrate Yang raised an eyebrow at this and asked, "What do you remember?"

Yan Shixu opened his mouth as if he didn't know how to answer.

"What is your name? Where do you live? What is your trade? Are you married?"

"My name is... it’s..." Yan Shixu fell into a long silence. Finally, he murmured, "I... I don't remember..."

Yang Fashen’s gaze was sharp, as if he were trying to dissect the man's soul. He gestured to a jailer outside the door and ordered, "Send someone to Dinghui Temple. Bring the warrior monk who was on duty tonight."

The jailer hurried off.

The interrogation room fell silent. Yang Fashen, dressed in his fine robes, closed his eyes to rest. The jailer stood by with his whip, and Yan Shixu remained bound to the wooden rack.

The gears of time turned silently, as if waiting for an impending execution.

After a long while, a physically imposing warrior monk was led inside. He pressed his palms together in a greeting. "Greetings, Magistrate."

Yang Fashen nodded slightly. "Did Zen Master Jingxin take action?"

The monk lowered his gaze. "Two thieves broke into Dinghui Temple tonight. One was exceptionally skilled and killed two of my junior brothers. Zen Master Jingxin struck him with the Formless Seal to provide 'salvation.' Knowing the power of the Formless Seal, the thief did not dare linger and fled the temple."

The Magistrate pointed toward the rack. "Is it him?"

The monk studied Yan Shixu for a moment before shaking his head. "The two thieves were masked and wore night-traveler clothes; I cannot tell. However, the other thief was severely injured during the struggle. Even if he isn't dead, he would be bedridden by now."

A stout jailer used a sharp knife to cut open Yan Shixu's inner tunic. After pressing against his internal organs, the jailer shook his head at the Magistrate.

"Thank you for your help," Yang Fashen said. "See the Master back to the temple."

The monk bowed and left the room.

"When the mind enters the formless, all thoughts are silenced. All laws are without form, the past is void. The body becomes formless, remembering nothing of before," Magistrate Yang murmured in realization. "No wonder you were abandoned."

It was common knowledge in the Eastern Capital that Dinghui Temple possessed three supreme Buddhist techniques: the Formless, the Fearless, and the Boundless. Among them, the Formless Seal could cleanse wandering thoughts and cause one to forget their past, leaving the mind's altar unstained. The Buddhist sects often used this seal to reform the most incorrigible criminals.

Magistrate Yang leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk. After a moment of thought, he suddenly spoke:

"Something is wrong! Why was there an empty bottle of poison in your room? If the bottle is empty, who took the poison? And where is the body?"

Yan Shixu looked blank.

Yang Fashen immediately ordered, "Have Captain Gao come to the interrogation room."

The jailer obeyed and left.

Half an hour later, the bearded man who had led the team to arrest Yan Shixu entered.

"Greetings, Magistrate Yang."

Yang Fashen didn't waste words. "When you captured this thief, did he say or do anything? Tell me everything in detail!"

The bearded man thought for a moment. "After I surrounded the house, he came out and surrendered immediately. He didn't have much backbone. He played dumb and insisted he was a law-abiding citizen."

"He didn't resist?"

"Not at all."

The Magistrate’s eyes darkened. He nodded. "You may leave."

Once the captain was gone, the jailer asked, "Magistrate, what should we do with him?"

Yang Fashen waved his hand dismissively. "He's a useless person. Kill him."

The jailer took a sharp knife from the wall.

"Wait!" Yan Shixu shrank back, his chains rattling. "I'm willing to serve the Magistrate. I'll help you find the accomplices hiding in the city."

Yang Fashen remained unmoved. "Since you've lost your memory, how can you help me find the spies in the city? Besides, they know you've been caught by the Bureau of Investigation. Even if I let you go, they won't take the bait."

Yan Shixu’s eyes moved rapidly. "Since I was able to infiltrate Dinghui Temple, I must have some skills. If the Magistrate grants me a way to live, I am willing to die for you."

The Magistrate neither refused nor agreed. Instead, he asked, "Why should I trust you?"

Yan Shixu’s voice was sincere, his will to survive palpable. "The past is like a fading cloud. You don't need to worry about my loyalty, nor do you need to fear my betrayal."

"And if you run?"

"I believe that with the Bureau of Investigation's power, I won't be able to escape the Eastern Capital."

Yang Fashen shook his head. "Underneath the stagnant waters of the Eastern Capital, dark undercurrents are surging. The Bureau of Investigation will not waste time and resources on a useless man."

He looked at the jailer. "Keep him in custody for now!"

Hearing this, Yan Shixu felt his entire body relax. He knew that, for the time being, he wouldn't have to die.

In his haste, the only survival strategy Yan Shixu could think of was to exploit a "bug" and substitute himself for the thief "Xing Er." The Bureau of Investigation would never imagine he had returned from the dead; they would only assume he was an amnesiac abandoned by his comrades. As long as his acting was good enough and the Bureau didn't catch the real Xing Er, the lie wouldn't be exposed.

Of course, the Bureau was ruthless. They wouldn't let him go just because of amnesia. Amnesia was only the first step—it wasn't a life-saving card, but a bargaining chip for his defection.

According to the original owner's memories, the Eastern Capital was currently in turmoil. In the autumn of the second year of Changping, the Military Governor of Chengzhao had died of illness. His son had declared himself the "Acting Governor" without imperial permission, leading to a mutiny. The imperial court had sent troops to suppress the rebellion, but the Chengzhao army had fought its way to the Eastern Capital.

By the spring of the following year, the Cangyuan regional command, which had always been defiant, also rose in rebellion, looting and killing throughout the western central plains. At a time like this, the Bureau of Investigation was bound to be short-staffed. Facing a talented individual who had been "factory reset," they were more likely to find a use for him.

He had gambled correctly.

The only oversight was that bottle of poison. With so little time and his mind in a whirl, coming up with this substitution plan was already an over-performance. It was hard to be perfect. Fortunately, that discrepancy wasn't enough to prove his lie.

*Clang!*

After the jailer fitted Yan Shixu with a wooden cangue and shackles, he shoved him into a cell.

The prison was silent, the corridor deep and dark, the lamp wicks flickering with tiny flames. There seemed to be no other prisoners besides him. This was a good sign; it meant the Bureau of Investigation didn't have a habit of long-term detention. He should be able to get out soon.

There was no water clock in the prison, making it impossible to sense the passage of time. He leaned against the bars, reflecting on how dangerous tonight had been.

"This is way beyond the curriculum! Being a spy is too much for a corporate workhorse like me."

Workhorses were good at 996 schedules and saying "Copy that." Their minds had long been stiffened by the workplace; they weren't built for the dangerous work of improvisation. In his past life, he had been a legendary "involution king"—competing against classmates in school, colleagues at the office, and rivals once he became a manager. Now he had "involuted" his way into an otherworldly prison. This was probably karma.

As time passed and Yan Shixu’s bladder signaled twice, footsteps echoed down the silent, dark corridor.

Yang Fashen approached, his fine robes fluttering, and stopped before the cell door. His narrow eyes scrutinized Yan Shixu as he shook his head.

"Old Lord Yan was once the Grand Tutor, the voice of the world's scholars and the leader of the noble clans. I didn't expect his descendant to fall this low."

Yan Shixu looked blank. "Old Lord Yan?"

Yang Fashen nodded. "Your ancestors were the Yan clan of Pinglu. The clan stood for four hundred and thirty years, a lineage of high officials and scholars that reached its peak with Old Lord Yan Chongjian. During the Rebellion of the Three Kings, Old Lord Yan led his clan to defend Anyang to the death. They fought the rebels for two months and saved the Jiangnan region, ensuring the empire's granary didn't fall into rebel hands. Because of that, the dynasty was able to endure for another two hundred years despite the storms.

"By your great-grandfather’s generation, during the rebellion of the Military Governor of Xuande, your great-grandfather followed imperial orders to go to war. His entire army was wiped out, and only he survived. The late Emperor was furious, stripped him of his titles, and exiled the whole family to Lingnan. After the current Emperor ascended the throne, moved by the merits of Old Lord Yan, he pardoned the Yan clan and allowed your father's generation to escape their degraded status."

He spoke with such cadence that one might have mistaken him for a schoolteacher.

*He’s done a background check on me...* Yan Shixu immediately put on a face full of shame. "To think I am the descendant of a noble clan..."

Yang Fashen looked at him and said in a low voice, "As a fellow member of the gentry, I cannot bear to see the Yan lineage end. Do one thing for me. If you succeed, your past will be wiped clean. I can even recommend you for a post within the Bureau of Investigation to serve the court."

*Here it comes!*

Yan Shixu's spirits lifted. Making no effort to hide his joy, he said quickly, "I am willing to go through fire and water for the court and the Magistrate to atone for my crimes. I will not bring shame to my ancestors' name."

Yang Fashen nodded with satisfaction, stroking his fine beard. "In ten days, the Academy of Daoist Studies will begin its enrollment. I want you to enroll and study there to find something for me."