Madam, please listen to my explanation.

Chapter 62: Reading people accurately
After Xu Jinhuan finished speaking, he walked out of the alley first, leaving Zhuang Jinyu alone, bewildered in the wind.

Seeing the other person walking further and further away, she quickly caught up:

"Mr. Xu, where should we look? Do we need to ask the company for help?"

Ouch! "

Zhuang Jinyu received a solid thud on the head and covered it with a pitiful expression.

pain!
"If asking the people from Sili for help would be useful, why are we smearing so much mud on ourselves?"
Save it!
There are many things that you can't see when you're wearing that official robe.

Zhuang Jinyu suddenly realized: "Thank you for your guidance, sir!"

They followed the man at a brisk pace.

Zhuang Jinyu could tell that the other party had intentionally slowed down in order to accommodate her.

Even so, she was still exhausted and drenched in sweat.

etc.
this road!
Looking at the familiar streets and alleys before him, Zhuang Jinyu's heart skipped a beat.

It's been far too long since I've been back.
So long that she almost forgot that she was born and raised here.

A corner of the western part of Yanjing.

Unlike the brightly lit, nightly Dongcheng district.

This place is home to the most destitute and impoverished people in all of Kyoto.

The women sat listlessly in front of their own doors.

If someone is willing to pay a few copper coins, they can take the other person inside for a tryst.

The cries of children could be heard from time to time from the dilapidated huts along the roadside.

Zhuang Jinyu began to feel uneasy.

Every brick and tile here is like a sharp sword, piercing through more than a decade of space, turning itself into a hedgehog.

"Hey, why are you always spacing out?"

Xu Jinhuan was getting impatient.

This woman is strange. Does the Mingjing Division really only consider looks when selecting people?

"I apologize, sir. This humble official..."

"Get off my head!"

Xu Jinhuan looked at the group of people not far away, dressed in bright yellow robes and holding talismans and alms bowls.

At this moment, a few people had already gathered around.

He quickly stopped the foolish woman beside him to prevent her from saying the wrong thing again.

"Call me husband."

"???"

Ding ding ding ding ding.
A Taoist priest in a yellow robe with a goatee was energetically striking a bronze gong in his hand, constantly shouting:

"May the Great Celestial Master bestow blessings, dispel illness and eliminate disaster!"

"No money required, sincerity is key!"

As more and more people gathered, Xu Jinhuan put his hands in his sleeves, hunched over, and beckoned Zhuang Jinyu to hide to the side.

"Husband and wife, what about us?"

“Those who engage in cults have always targeted the poorest and most suffering members of the lower classes.”

As long as you find the right direction and grasp the most urgent needs of these people.

This allows them to gather unimaginable power at an extremely rapid pace.
"Don't speak, just watch."

Although Zhuang Jinyu didn't quite understand, she still kept quiet as instructed.

Mr. Xu chose a rather tricky location.

Standing here, you can see the movements of those yellow-robed 'Taoist priests' perfectly.

Seeing that the crowd had gathered enough, the man with the goatee put away the gong, set up a table, and began to take the pulses of each person one by one.

The companions behind would then chant incantations, light talismans, and throw them into the bowl in their hands for the person to drink.

The same bowl.

Those who drank the talisman water immediately had a bright look in their eyes, and their faces were full of piety and solemnity.

They clasped their hands together and silently recited the name of "Great Sage Celestial Master," as if all the pain and fatigue accumulated in their bodies had vanished.

Zhuang Jinyu already had a basic understanding of this so-called Qiyun Sect, so he was not surprised by it.

Having read the classics, I have seen and heard far more than these common people.

In just a moment, she noticed something amiss.

Putting aside the person taking the pulse, whose finger placement was different each time, it was clear that he was just putting on a show.
The one who burned the talisman water casually pulled out pre-drawn talismans from his waist and started burning them.
Anyone who puts in a little effort will at least paint on-site.
Anyway, they're all just scribbles; no matter what's drawn on them, no one here will question it. "My late husband, I was foolish and ignorant; such charlatanry has existed since ancient times."

If these people have anything special about them, it's that their methods seem rather crude.

As she said, this kind of scam is nothing new, but the fact that it has survived to this day proves its uniqueness.

But she absolutely did not believe that these things could stir up any trouble.

"My wife, you have greatly disappointed me."

Xu Jinhuan shook his head.

With such discernment, one could easily become the head of a department.
Indeed, the job of a monarch is not something a virgin can handle.

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Jinyu was immediately terrified and at a loss for what to do.

She dared not be negligent any longer and continued to observe attentively.
After a moment, she finally noticed something amiss in those satisfied faces.

The warm sun overhead still stung my face.

In just a moment, she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave!
"they"

"Did you finally figure it out?"

Look at the expressions on the faces of everyone who drank the talisman water, aren't they...?
A striking resemblance?

Zhuang Jinyu dared not answer.

They are more than just similar.
The curve of their mouths when they turned up was exactly the same!
At this point, she was absolutely certain.
Those seemingly crude deception methods might actually be something these people did on purpose.

The purpose is to confuse arrogant people like myself!

They are not fraudsters.
Instead, they were actually performing some kind of evil magic!

"Sir! I must return to the palace immediately to report to His Majesty!"

"Hey! You two!"

Zhuang Jinyu covered her mouth in horror.

Perhaps it was because I couldn't control myself and spoke a little too loudly.

The Taoist priest with the goatee pointed to himself.
not only that
She was devastated to discover that, as the other party made a move, the dozens of poor people who had just been treated suddenly turned their heads as if they had heard some command!

Dozens of people with different facial features had remarkably similar expressions on their faces.

They glared at themselves.

Like a rabid dog that has been starving for who knows how long, finally seeing the food it has been craving.

"Gentlemen, I see that your faces are dark, clearly indicating that you are about to suffer a bloody disaster!"
"Quickly step forward, for the Great Sage Celestial Master will heal your illnesses and dispel your calamities."

"No, no need. We were just passing by."

"Um?!"

The man with the goatee's expression immediately changed.

That once kind face instantly turned ferocious and terrifying.

He reached into his waistband and slammed the gong in his hand again!
clang--!
"Someone dares to blaspheme the Celestial Master! Seize him immediately!"

In an instant, the crowd bared their fangs and claws, their bloodshot eyes glaring, and pounced on the two of them!
Such a scene was something she, a young girl fresh out of school, had never seen before.
Zhuang Jinyu was shocked and slipped, falling to the ground.

"Sigh, there's no more fun."

Upon hearing the familiar, warm voice, Zhuang Jinyu suddenly remembered who she had come with.

She flailed her arms wildly and grabbed the man's leg tightly, crying, "Sir, save me!!!"

"Hey, hey, hey, where are you touching?"

Xu Jinhuan looked helpless.

With a stomp of his foot, a burst of energy shot out from his body, instantly overturning all the small fry that lunged at him.

I glanced at the man with the fierce glint in his eyes, his goatee.

He stretched out his palm and gestured across his neck.

Without lingering any longer, he picked up Zhuang Jinyu and disappeared in an instant.

Boom!

A bolt of lightning, as thick as a child's arm, belatedly struck the spot where the two had been standing.

His goatee and hair stood on end.

But where was the man and woman from before?
They traversed rooftops and walls with incredible speed and agility.

Xu Jinhuan looked at the Master of the Mingjing Division in his arms and couldn't help but recall the Empress's words before her departure.
"Damn, he's got a good eye for people."

(End of this chapter)