Scourge Messenger

Chapter 31 Bounty
"The Divine Marquis Mansion must be where the gods live!"

"Yes, as soon as Anguo Temple burned down, Shenhou Mansion knew who the culprit was. They are even more intelligent than God!"

"Shh, keep your voice down. If you speak so loudly, the Divine Marquis Mansion might hear you."

"Where can I worship the Godly Marquis Mansion? Temples are full of Bodhisattvas, so are they only found in Taoist temples?"

"I think we should go to the temple. You see, the burning of Anguo Temple immediately attracted a wanted notice from the Divine Marquisate, which shows that the gods recognize the status of Bodhisattvas and Buddhas... Pah, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas are gods! Guanyin Bodhisattva, please forgive my verbal offenses."

"Why not just worship the ancestral tablet at the Divine Marquis Mansion? Maybe it will show me something..."

In the Duke of Jin's mansion, two maids whispered as they walked through the corridor, unaware that the eldest daughter, Yao Shiyuan, was staring at them from a distance, her delicate and proud face filled with shock. She had changed into a wide-sleeved skirt, a silk draped over her head, and a high bun, looking like a lady of noble birth. Even a monk from Anguo Temple wouldn't have recognized her.

Before the pharmacist could ask the maid, the housekeeper came over to inform her that she could enter the Changqiuzhai study. She could only suppress her curiosity for the time being and go to her father to report the situation.

In Changqiuzhai, the pharmacist Moke sat upright in the Mingtang, looking quite tired. When he saw his daughter come in, he just nodded and pointed to the paper on the desk without saying a word.

Pharmacist Yuan picked it up and saw that it was a wanted poster.

The wanted poster showed a man wearing a black wolf mask. Only his hair and eyes were exposed, but anyone could see how fierce and powerful the man in the picture was.

Suspect No. 2

Features: Wears a black wolf-shaped mask and wields a foldable steel spear.

"Charge: Participation in the Anguo Temple robbery"

"Threat Level: Close to Rank 3 Combat Strength"

"Kill Bounty: 30000 Spirit Jade or Advanced Gun Mastery Secret Manual"

"Deadline: Within thirty days of issuing the reward order"

"Once the righteous man completes the reward, an envoy will lead him to the Divine Marquis Palace to collect the reward."

"Are there four such wanted posters?" Pharmacist Yuan asked, "Where are they posted?"

"They are next to all the gates of Chang'an City, and they can't be torn off. The ones I have are all copied by painters."

Medicine Master Moke raised a finger and said, "You are leaving Chang'an tonight. Which of Yanta, Weiyang Palace, or Lianhu Lake do you want to go to?"

The three places mentioned by Pharmacist Moke are all secret realms controlled by the royal family of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the resources produced are all at the second level. Pharmacist Moke is willing to go there not only to avoid the limelight but also to practice in the secret realm.

However, Yao Shiyuan was puzzled. "Is it necessary? Could anyone else be able to connect this wanted poster to me?"

Although Yao Shiyuan secretly supervised the Embroidered Uniform Guard, wore the armor of the King of Ming, and was a second-rank messenger at a young age, she was only the beloved daughter of the Duke of Jin in public and seldom went out. Apart from the Duke of Jin's confidants, few people in the outside world knew or even saw Yao Shiyuan.

This is mainly because Yao Shiyuan believes that most of the descendants of nobles in Chang'an are good-for-nothings. Instead of expanding this kind of network, it is better to find a way to promote loyal soldiers from good families.

"Yes," said the Medicine Master Moke. "There are countless tokens in the world, and countless of them are adept at tracking people. I know of several of them alone. Once this wanted order is issued, hidden tribes in the mountains, spies from aristocratic families, and even the most capable people in Chang'an will come out in full force to track you down. For now, only the heavily guarded secret realm can guarantee your safety."

"Is it that serious?" Pharmacist Yuan glanced at the wanted poster. "But the reward for killing me is only 30,000 spirit jades or an advanced secret manual... This amount of money is nothing to the aristocratic families." "The bounty isn't important," Pharmacist Mo Ke said. "What's important is that if you complete the bounty, you'll gain entry to the Divine Marquis' Mansion."

Yao Shiyuan was stunned: "Is the Divine Marquis Mansion the name of a secret place?"

"It's a very, very important secret realm." Pharmacist Moko paused. "If it means a chance to enter the Divine Marquis' Palace, the vast majority of third-rank messengers in this world would be willing to pay any price."

Yaoshi Yuan's expression finally changed. Regardless of where they were, a Rank Three Messenger was an absolute dignitary, the limit of what any mortal could reach. Fame, wealth, women, status, family—they could easily obtain it. But the only thing that would make them give up everything else was... perhaps only one.

She didn't ask any further questions and prepared to go back to pack her luggage.

Before leaving, Pharmacist Yuan remembered something and asked in a measured tone, "Did you just hear... the announcement from the Divine Marquisate?"

"It rang three times."

Pharmacist Mo Ke knocked on the table. "Originally, I thought it could only be heard near Chang'an City, but you could hear it even in the secret realm of the Thieves' House. That means..."

"The scope of this announcement is the whole world, even including the secret realm." Pharmacist Yuan murmured.

No wonder the maids were so excited, even regarding the Divine Marquis Mansion as a sacred place. After all, they were maids of the Duke's Mansion, and their knowledge was broader than that of ordinary officials, but they were still instantly captivated by the "miracle" of the Divine Marquis Mansion.

Yes, a miracle.

Although they had only spoken three sentences and posted a wanted poster, the power displayed by the Divine Marquisate far surpassed any messenger they had ever seen. A messenger's power could only affect a small area, but the Divine Marquisate could speak directly to them.

It was as if the Divine Marquisate was watching the whole world, watching each and every one of them.

Yaoshi Yuan could imagine that at this moment in Chang'an City... no, throughout the world, countless foolish men and women were praying to the Divine Marquis Palace. The clay statues in their homes were silent, the bronze statues in the temples were merciless, yet they all knelt and kowtowed day and night in worship. Now that a true deity had appeared, how could they not be enthusiastic?

Looking at his silent daughter, pharmacist Moke suddenly felt that this might be a good thing.

With such a big fuss, this thoughtful and capable daughter should finally be scared. She should know that she can't do everything on her own and know when to ask her father for help. Then he can talk her through the troubles and let her know how hard he works. This way, her thoughts will probably be less wild, and arranging a marriage for her in the future will be much smoother...

But Pharmacist Moke saw his daughter slowly clenching her fists, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, and her eyes flashing with excitement.

"To think it could be so." Yao Shiyuan took a deep breath and smiled unconsciously: "To think it could be so!"

"Either it will be infamous as a joke for eternity, or it will be famous as a legend? Interesting." She turned to look at the pharmacist Mo Ke, a little confused. "Since you heard the announcement, Dad, why didn't you ask me if I got the legendary token, the Bingzi Pepper Forest?"

Seeing his daughter's reaction, Pharmacist Mo Ke sighed inwardly and handed her another wanted poster.

"what?"

The moment Yao Shiyuan took the wanted warrant, he clenched it tightly, his eyes almost shooting out anger.

"Why does he have a much higher reward than me?!"

(End of this chapter)