Yin Yang Soul Searcher

"The Yin-Yang Palace's report stated that this person transferred his two disciples to deal with Palace Master Qiao. There are no array masters in the world who could possibly have a grudge against Palace Master Qiao..." The Third Prince paused here, then looked at the First Prince: "Do such people exist in Western Shu and Northern Chen?"

A formation master who has a grudge against my uncle? After a moment of contemplation, the eldest prince looked at his father and said uncertainly, "There shouldn't be... right?"

Before becoming the head of the Craftsmen's Hall, Brother Qiao was a Taoist priest, focused solely on cultivation. How could he have made any enemies? After I tricked him—no, after inviting him to the Craftsmen's Hall—he rarely even left the hall, dedicating himself entirely to the prosperity and strength of the Great Xia Dynasty. If he had any enemies, I would definitely know.

Thinking of this, Emperor Taikang waved his hand at the two of them and said, "You two brothers should go and ask Palace Master Qiao later. Since he came for him, he should know the person's identity."

Upon hearing this, the Third Prince's expression became somewhat unnatural. He could only manage a stiff smile and mutter under his breath, "I'll pass; I'm not feeling well."

This reminded him of the time he went to the Craftsmen's Hall to seek medicine, which led to an explosion that nearly killed him. From that moment on, he harbored a deep-seated fear of the Craftsmen's Hall.

Although Emperor Taikang eventually punished Qiao Shou, it was only a few mild reprimands. Qiao Shou also personally delivered healing pills to the Third Prince.

After that, the Third Prince never went to the Craftsmen's Hall again. After his injuries healed, he made a decision that went against his ancestors' wishes: to go out and travel the world, and to improve his strength as soon as possible was more important than anything else.

"Do as you please." Emperor Taikang pinched the bridge of his nose helplessly.

The eldest prince nudged the third prince with his shoulder: "Let's go, let's go. How could you possibly run into such bad luck every time? I'll go with you this time. If you're worried, just wear my cloak."

That cloak was a life-saving magic weapon that Lord Qiao had crafted for his nephew. It wasn't very lethal, but it was excellent at protecting him.

Unfortunately, the Third Prince, having been bitten by a snake once, was now overly cautious. After some thought, he declined.

The eldest prince could only sigh and say, "Alright then."

Then, in a show of loyalty, he added, "I know I wronged you back then. But don't worry, this time I'll go to the Craftsmen's Hall to trick—no, I mean, ask for—a powerful magic weapon for you as compensation."

Upon hearing the word "deception," Emperor Taikang felt a little uneasy.

Upon hearing this, the Third Prince's face lit up with surprise. This was something crafted by Palace Master Qiao, a magical artifact crafted by the world's number one weapon refiner. Countless people would beg for it but could not obtain it, and even he, as the Third Prince of the Great Xia Dynasty, did not have the qualifications.

Apart from Qiao Shou's sister, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who is the mother of the nation, probably only the eldest prince would dare to guarantee that he could ask Qiao Shou for a magical artifact.

Even Emperor Taikang, sitting on the throne, didn't have that kind of power. To request a magical artifact, he would have to depend on Qiao Shou's mood... or ask the Empress to say a few kind words...

The third prince scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, wanting to refuse but unable to resist the temptation, and could only say, "Then thank you in advance, elder brother."

"Why be so polite with your elder brother?" The eldest prince patted his shoulder and smiled.

Seeing the two brothers enjoying themselves so much, Emperor Taikang smiled with satisfaction.

The topic then became heavy again, with one faction yet to be analyzed: the Four Seasons Masters and the Wild Onmyoji. Which faction did they belong to?

According to the information reported by the Yin-Yang Palace, the Yin-Yang Master threatened Yu Haochu to steal the mineral deposits, help the demon race clear clues, and finally assassinate the eldest prince.

Who needs so many mineral deposits? Those who command large armies and need to forge armor and weapons for their soldiers, of course! And who wants to kill the Crown Prince? Who will be the direct beneficiary after the Crown Prince's death?

All the clues point to Wu Yong, the second prince's uncle. He is the prime suspect.

The three men, father and sons, were fully aware of the matter, and for a moment, silence fell over the imperial study.

After a while, the eldest prince broke the silence first: "I don't think my second brother and General Wu are those kinds of people. Just like Father said, doing this would make the clues too obvious, and it would be easy to guess that General Wu is the one behind it all."

"Instead of questioning the relationship between the Four Seasons Master and General Wu, I think we should instead seriously investigate the origins of that unknown Onmyoji! After all, that Four Seasons Master is working for him. And in this world, besides our Great Xia, isn't the only place that can produce high-level Onmyoji the Northern Star?"

"Perhaps it was Beichen who sowed discord between us, making us suspicious of General Wu, trying to sow discord between His Majesty and his ministers, creating an opportunity for them to take advantage! Wouldn't this also benefit Western Shu?"

After listening to the Crown Prince's analysis, Emperor Taikang couldn't help but show a hint of appreciation on his usually calm face. He nodded repeatedly, praising the Crown Prince, "Excellent, Your Highness's analysis is very insightful."

The Third Prince looked at the Crown Prince with admiration in his eyes. "Big brother's analysis is excellent. How come I didn't think of that?"

"Father, you flatter me." The eldest prince shook his blond hair and said modestly, then added, "Your subject believes that General Wu and my second brother would not do such a thing."

Emperor Taikang wanted to offer a few words of advice, saying that as the crown prince, the eldest prince should not be too righteous and should be suspicious of everyone.

However, with the Third Prince present, Emperor Taikang couldn't very well lecture the two brothers now, lest it create a rift between them. Besides, Emperor Taikang was pleased to see the brothers getting along so well, and felt quite gratified.

Emperor Taikang nodded, not continuing the topic. He then said with some emotion, "This time, we are very fortunate to have that Yin-Yang Master from the Yin-Yang Palace who saw through the demon race's conspiracy in advance, allowing us to send people to assist the Crown Prince in time. That Yin-Yang Master is truly wise."

"On the battlefield, he captured Jinxiu, who was about to escape, which made the Yin-Yang Palace aware of the demon race's actions in this case. Otherwise, we probably wouldn't have known that the mastermind behind their collusion was actually an official of our Great Xia court." Emperor Taikang sighed at this point.

"To my shame, just a few days ago I personally appointed him to succeed Yang Yongyuan, the former Minister of Works, in front of all the civil and military officials in the court. I never expected that Yang's death was actually orchestrated by him. I was wrong to judge people."

The two brothers remained silent.

At this point, Emperor Taikang slammed his hand on the table: "That damned bastard was executed by that Yin-Yang Master so early, otherwise, I would have made him try my methods!"

The eldest prince bowed and clasped his hands, saying, "Please calm your anger, Father. It is of utmost importance to take care of your health. After all, Yu Haochu, that villain, has already been brought to justice. It is not worth Your Majesty getting so angry over him."

"Please take care of your health, Your Majesty," the Third Prince bowed and clasped his hands in return. "Fortunately, the mastermind behind the threat to Yu Haochu did not cut off all the clues. The Yin-Yang Palace reported that the mastermind made a mistake. The people of the Yin-Yang Palace learned through Chu Jiangyuan's soul search that they had transported the mineral deposits to Lijia Town on the border of Shangzhou."

"Your Majesty, I believe we can use this as a clue to send people to Shangzhou to investigate. Perhaps we can uncover the identity of the person behind this and bring him to justice. At the very least, we can thwart that person's plan."

Emperor Taikang nodded: "You're right. These Yin-Yang Masters, who aren't controlled by the Yin-Yang Palace, have always been a scourge to our Great Xia. Relying on their ability to destroy souls, they commit all sorts of evil deeds in our Great Xia. This time it was stealing mineral resources, and this time they conspired with the Four Seasons Master to assassinate the First Prince. Who knows what kind of disaster they will bring to Great Xia next? He thinks no one can catch him! He's truly hateful!"

At this point, Emperor Taikang's tone grew increasingly cold: "I will send someone to inform the Imperial Preceptor that this matter must be thoroughly investigated! I want to see just how much audacity this person has to dare to oppose the entire Great Xia!"

"Father, why don't you entrust this matter to your son and elder brother to investigate?" The Third Prince's resolute face was full of determination: "To be honest, I hope to atone for my sins through this matter, to make up for my elder brother's responsibility in losing the auspicious beast's corpse, and to make up for my sin of not providing timely support."

The eldest prince's eyes lit up, thinking to himself that his third brother's suggestion was really good.

However, investigating cases is not something the two brothers are good at. If they take on this task and fail to find the mastermind, it would be a minor matter if their father and the Imperial Advisor think they are not capable enough.

If he and his third brother fail to catch the mastermind, causing even greater chaos and harm to the people of Great Xia, how can he bear such a responsibility? Failure to handle this matter is a greater crime than losing the auspicious beast's corpse.

The eldest prince hesitated for a moment.

As for the possibility that this matter might threaten his life? The Crown Prince had never considered such a question. As the heir apparent, he should naturally prioritize the well-being of the people and the stability of the nation!

"It's good that you have this intention." Emperor Taikang nodded with some relief, then frowned, his tone tinged with concern: "But that Yin-Yang Master is determined to kill your elder brother. If I send the two of you there, wouldn't that be doing just what he wants?"

"Moreover, that Yin-Yang Master is cunning and difficult to deal with. If anything happens to you two during the investigation, on a grand scale, my Great Xia will lose two princes. This will inevitably cause those with ulterior motives to stir up trouble. On a smaller scale, if I lose your two sons, how can I explain it to your mother?"

Emperor Taikang shook his head, rejecting the Third Prince's suggestion: "This matter is highly inappropriate."

The third prince was moved and did not insist further, only saying, "It was my oversight."

At this moment, the eldest prince, who had been silent, spoke up. He suddenly thought of a compromise.

"Father, how about my third brother and I work together with the people of the Yin-Yang Palace to handle this matter?"

"Would it be feasible to have the Yin-Yang Palace lead the investigation, with my third brother and I assisting as martial artists?"

"That's even more impractical." Emperor Taikang shook his head. "As you all know, when Yin-Yang Masters investigate cases, the accompanying warriors must obey orders unconditionally."

"As princes of the Great Xia Dynasty, do you two believe that, besides the Imperial Preceptor, anyone in the Yin-Yang Palace would dare to give you orders?"

"If the two of you get involved in the case, the Onmyoji will be hesitant and timid, not only having to take care of your feelings and be afraid of saying the wrong thing, but also having to guard against leading you into dangerous situations and causing a disaster."

Emperor Taikang shook his head, his tone becoming unquestionable: "You two brothers should not get involved in this matter; leave it entirely to the Yin-Yang Palace to handle."

The two princes exchanged a glance and both sighed. They understood that their father's tone had changed, and there was no need to force the matter.