Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

Little Ears, oblivious to his change in expression, continued, "I heard that there's some general in the Japanese North China Area Army Headquarters who's having a birthday celebration these days and wants to throw a proper banquet. The traitors below, trying to curry favor, are scouring the country for famous chefs. That kid Jia Gui, I don't know where he heard it, that there's a chef in his cousin's neighborhood who works at Fengzeyuan Restaurant, and his skills are superb, especially... a descendant of 'Tan Family Cuisine'? Anyway, he's exaggerating. So, he put your brother's name on the list. The Japanese were just worried about finding a suitable chef, and when they heard he was a 'Master of Tan Family Cuisine,' they didn't care if it was true or not, they just grabbed him. I reckon he's being taken to the headquarters' small kitchen to cook the general's birthday banquet."

"A master of Tan family cuisine?" He Damin sneered inwardly. His elder brother, He Daqing, was indeed skilled, but he had only learned Shandong cuisine and some imperial dishes at Fengzeyuan Restaurant. He was a far cry from a true inheritor of Tan family cuisine. This Jia Gui, eager to claim credit, was spouting nonsense, putting his elder brother in a very difficult position! Preparing a birthday banquet for a Japanese commander? This task, if done well, might not bring reward; if mishapd, it could be utterly disastrous!

"Headquarters...small kitchen...do you know the exact location? Or, where is the banquet being held?" He Damin pressed.

Little Ears shook his head: "That's too much detail. The headquarters is heavily guarded, how would people like us know its layout? As for the banquet location... I've heard it might not be inside the headquarters, to avoid bad luck? It seems like it was found somewhere outside, but I really don't know exactly where. That's all the information I'm getting for ten silver dollars."

He Damin knew that he wouldn't get any more information from Xiao Erduo. People like him were well-informed, but only through rumors circulating "in the underworld." He had no access to the real core secrets.

"Thanks." He Damin said no more and turned to leave.

"Hey, money..." Little Ears pointed to the silver dollars on the table.

"It's yours." He Damin didn't turn his head, opened the small black door, and slipped out, disappearing back into the cold and mixed air outside.

Inside the room, Little Ears looked at the pile of white silver dollars on the table, then at the door that had been closed again. A hint of doubt flashed in his small eyes, quickly replaced by greed. He quickly pulled the dollars into his arms and muttered, "Strange guy... but he's certainly generous."

He Damin walked without stopping in the alley, his face even colder than when he arrived.

Jia Gui! Jia Youcai! Zhang Cuihua! What a wonderful "good neighbor" in the courtyard!

He had previously thought Zhang Cuihua was just being sarcastic and ignored her. Little did he know, it was her whole family behind it all, willing to betray their neighbors and push their elder brother into a fire just to curry favor with the Japanese! The so-called "Master of Tan Family Cuisine" was nothing but a pretext for harming people!

Anger surged in his chest, but he forcefully suppressed it, transforming it into an even colder rationality. Now was not the time to settle scores with the Jia family; saving his elder brother was the priority.

According to Little Ear's intelligence, his elder brother was captured and forced to prepare a birthday banquet for a Japanese general. The location might be in the headquarters' small kitchen, or somewhere else outside. It's daytime now, and although his soul clones are attached to various hosts and can passively receive information, they cannot actively detach from their hosts to change their possession targets for more precise reconnaissance. This is currently the biggest limitation of his soul clone technique during the day.

However, he was not without options.

He quickly walked to a relatively secluded corner, closed his eyes, and let his consciousness sink into his spiritual sea.

After the Soul Refining Banner advanced for the fourth time, its connection with its clones seemed to become even closer and clearer. His main soul consciousness, like the central hub of a network, began to actively "awaken" and connect with those soul clones scattered throughout Beiping City, connected to the high-ranking Japanese officials, intelligence agencies, and logistics departments.

Subtle commands were transmitted through the invisible soul connection:

"Priority task: Search for any information related to 'birthday banquet of high-ranking Japanese officers,' 'recruiting Chinese chefs,' 'headquarters kitchenette,' and 'external banquet location.' Pay special attention to the memories of personnel in the logistics, adjutant, and communications departments of the North China Area Army Headquarters, as well as personnel in the Beiping intelligence agency and related departments of the puppet municipal government."

"Secondary mission: If you discover any trace of the target 'He Daqing' (characteristics: male, around 30 years old, chef, arrested early this morning), or hear any related information about his escort, detention, or use, mark him immediately and do your utmost to provide indirect protection or create minor conveniences through the host's unconscious behavior."

"Warning: If the target is perceived to be in immediate danger and there are no strong enemies around the host, the clone can briefly 'manifest' soul power (the limit being to create subtle supernatural phenomena such as eerie winds, mild auditory hallucinations, or objects moving inexplicably) to provide minimal interference or warning. Direct confrontation or revealing one's own existence is strictly prohibited."

The instructions were clear and detailed. He couldn't expect these clones to save people directly during the day, but they could at least act as eyes and ears, and even provide a little bit of "luck" in the most critical moments.

After doing all this, He Damin's main soul consciousness did not withdraw, but continued to immerse itself in that vast soul network, like a calm commander, waiting for feedback from the various "sensors".

Time passed by, minute by minute. The daytime crowds gradually thickened, and the streets became noisy.

Finally, some scattered fragments of information began to come back through the soul connection.

A fragment of vague memory came from a clone that was parasitizing the body of a logistics clerk in the North China Area Army Headquarters: Last night, an urgent request was received to transfer a batch of "top-quality ingredients and drinks" to "Xishan Qingxuexuan", with the purpose marked as "special hospitality".

Another clone, parasitizing the body of a staff member in the pseudo-city government's Foreign Affairs Department, has a fleeting memory of an invitation draft that the department head had put away. It contained the words "Congratulations on the birthday of General XXX" and "A small feast will be held at the Xishan Villa."

Several clones also gleaned snippets from the casual conversations or complaints of different hosts, such as "The headquarters has been very busy these past two days," "I heard they're going to celebrate a big shot's birthday in Xishan," and "They've dragged several cooks from the city over."

The information was gradually pieced together.

Xishan Qingxuexuan? Xishan Bieye?

He Damin's eyes narrowed. Xishan... Xishan again! It's far from the city, with a quiet environment and many gardens and villas left over from the previous dynasty, now occupied by the Japanese or traitors. Holding the birthday banquet there would be both secluded and classy, ​​catering to the psychology of high-ranking Japanese officers who wanted to appear sophisticated while also prioritizing security.

The eldest brother, He Daqing, has most likely been taken to a villa somewhere in Xishan!

At the same time, he also "heard" a scene from a later memory, from a Japanese sergeant in charge of escorting supplies: at dawn, they received several Chinese people from the city with their hands tied behind their backs and their eyes covered. Among them was a sturdy man wearing a gray cotton-padded coat, who looked like he did manual labor, who was crammed into a truck alone. The soldiers escorting the supplies mentioned in casual conversation, "He's a cook; the higher-ups specifically requested him."

The image was blurry, but He Damin was almost certain that it was his elder brother!

The truck's destination wasn't clearly indicated in the fragments of memory; there was only the vague impression of "the direction of Xishan."

enough.

He Damin opened his eyes, his gaze gleaming with a cold light.

The location of the eldest brother has been roughly determined. In the Xishan area of ​​the west of the city, in a Japanese-occupied villa called "Qingxuexuan" or "Bieye", he is serving as a "forced conscript" cook for the birthday banquet of a Japanese general.

It's morning now, and there's still a long time until night. The banquet will most likely be tonight.

He must act immediately.

First, he needed to return to Fengzeyuan and inform Master Wang of the situation he had gathered, thus stabilizing the backyard. Then, he needed to make full use of the daytime to prepare for tonight's operation—further verifying the exact location through his clone network, assessing the defenses, and planning infiltration and evacuation routes. The new abilities of the Soul Refining Banner after its fourth advancement, especially [Soul Ties] and [Blood Soul Soldier], might prove useful in this rescue.

As for the Jia family...

He Damin turned around and looked in the direction of Nanluoguxiang, his eyes eerily calm.

Once we rescue our eldest brother, we'll settle this score with you all slowly.

He didn't linger, but strode back into the surging crowd on Qianmen Street. His figure remained upright, his steps steady, but the chill emanating from him was more biting than the morning breeze of December.