Yin Yang Soul Searcher

Just as the two were about to take their leave, Emperor Taikang suddenly remembered something and said, "The Yin-Yang Master made a great contribution in this matter. I am thinking of rewarding him with something. Do you have any good suggestions?"

Despite saying that, Emperor Taikang's gaze was fixed on the eldest prince.

What does Father mean by this? The eldest prince didn't understand for a moment, so he tentatively suggested, "How about rewarding him with some silver, land, and houses?"

Emperor Taikang shook his head: "After joining the Yin-Yang Palace, this person may not become extremely wealthy, but he will certainly be well-off. Gold and silver are too vulgar, and they would make me seem a bit petty. I don't think he might like them. This is not appropriate."

Moreover, giving too much gold and silver can lead to addiction to material pleasures and hinder one's cultivation, which in the long run is actually harming him.

If Bai Jueming heard the emperor say such things, he would definitely kneel down and cry out, "You are truly a living father!"

The eldest prince thought about it carefully and felt that his father's words made sense. Bai Jueming was a cultivator, and if he really liked these worldly possessions, he might have had ways to acquire more. As long as such money-making behavior wasn't too outrageous, the Yin-Yang Palace and the imperial court would turn a blind eye. Otherwise, the Imperial Preceptor wouldn't have allowed them to recruit martial artists on their own.

As for promoting Bai Jueming to a higher rank, that's even more impossible. The promotion of Yin-Yang Masters follows a fixed procedure; only those reaching a certain rank can be promoted. Otherwise, if one's abilities don't match their position, it will be a disaster.

"In that case..." The eldest prince suddenly realized something: "How about rewarding Bai Jueming with some life-saving magic treasures? Or resources needed for cultivation?"

Emperor Taikang smiled and said, "That's right. Bai Jueming's cultivation level is only eighth grade. The resources that Great Xia has given him can help him improve his strength. Once his strength improves, he can handle more cases and, in turn, repay Great Xia."

"However, these things need to be bestowed by you; I will not participate."

The eldest prince was taken aback for a moment, but quickly understood Emperor Taikang's meaning: he wanted him to bestow favors upon Bai Jueming in order to win people's hearts.

But if these things don't come from the national treasury, I don't have many good ones myself. All I have are cultivation resources needed by martial artists. As for magic weapons, well, I can trick my uncle into giving me some. He has everything he needs.

Having made up his mind, the eldest prince couldn't wait to bid farewell to Emperor Taikang. He planned to visit his uncle that very night.

On the way back, the eldest prince put his arm around the third prince's shoulder and asked, "You really aren't coming with me?"

The third prince shook his head and said sadly, "Brother, please don't force me."

The eldest prince was somewhat helpless and did not insist any further.

.....

After the two princes left, Emperor Taikang slowly paced to the window, his eyes filled with a profound look, and murmured softly, "The Crown Prince should choose a promising Onmyoji. Sigh..."

Inside the small courtyard.

After dinner, the two brothers returned to their room. The older sister and Xiaotang went to bed early because they had to go to work at 8 a.m. the next day.

Bai Jueming, lying on the bed, suddenly blurted out, "Were you lying just now? Are you hiding something from me and my older sister?"

Bai Jueyu, who was making the bed, paused almost imperceptibly, then said nonchalantly, "How...how could that be? Why would I lie? What could I possibly be hiding from you?"

Bai Jueyu was shocked. How could his older brother be so smart? Fortunately, it was already night and the room was not brightly lit, otherwise his older brother would definitely have seen his lying expression.

"Is that so?" Bai Jueming smiled. "If you don't tell the truth, I'll go tell my older sister."

"No!" Bai Jueyu regretted saying it as soon as he said it, which made him even more certain that he was lying.

"You little rascal, why are you learning bad things instead of good ones? What are you hiding from us?"

Bai Jueyu sighed, realizing he was indeed bad at lying. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Actually, I just didn't want you to worry. Qingzhou isn't suitable for traveling the martial world. I plan to go somewhere else."

"Where? Don't worry, I won't tell my older sister," Bai Jueming coaxed gently.

"Big brother, don't ask anymore. I haven't decided where to go yet. I'm going to sleep now." Bai Jueyu covered his head with the blanket and pretended to be asleep.

Bai Jueming chuckled and said, as if talking to himself, "It's good that you have your own ideas. I won't tell my older sister."

"Don't worry, if anything happens to you, your older brother, who is an Onmyoji, will definitely find the murderer and avenge you."

"Brother, can't you say something auspicious?"

"Hahaha."

Night had fallen, and the bright moonlight bathed the capital city, including the outermost three-story building of the Craftsmen's Hall. Several rooms still emitted light.

The eldest prince, with a wisp of yellow hair on his forehead, was dressed in a moon-white robe, looking every bit the elegant young gentleman. Under the moonlight, the moon-white robe appeared even more radiant.

He was carrying red dates and other nourishing items he had just bought from a street shop. He held the reins of a white horse in one hand and stood alone at the entrance of the craftsmen's hall.

Since the Third Prince was unwilling to come, the First Prince had no choice but to come alone.

After placing the horse's reins into the stone lion's mouth, the eldest prince shouted from below, "Uncle, open the door! I've come to see you!"

The eldest prince used his cultivation to control the force of his shout, directing the sound waves toward the third-floor room, making sure not to disturb the surrounding people.

The gate opened by itself.

The eldest prince ran up to the third floor and politely knocked on the door. "Uncle, I've come to see you."

The door opened by itself, and the eldest prince composed himself, carrying the tonics in his hand, and stepped into the room.

The enormous alchemy furnace still came into view. Qiao Shou, dressed in a black robe, sat on a futon with his eyes closed, resting his mind. A whisk was placed in the crook of his arm.

"Uncle, I heard your Craftsmen's Hall was attacked? And you were injured too? I was so worried when I heard the news, I didn't know what to do. I quickly sent someone to buy some herbs to replenish my qi and blood and restore my cultivation. Then I rushed over to see you. How are you now? Are you feeling better?"

"The Empress Dowager was devastated upon hearing the news of her uncle's injury, and lost her appetite..."

Upon meeting Qiao Shou, the eldest prince spoke rapidly, his expression a mixture of distress, anxiety, and concern that he tried his best to conceal.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Shou slowly opened his eyes and looked at the red dates, angelica root, and some unknown, inexpensive medicinal herbs that the First Prince was carrying...

The eldest prince looked concerned, showing no sign of embarrassment.

It didn't really matter what he brought; as the top weapon refiner of the Great Xia Dynasty, how could Qiao Shou lack blood-nourishing pills? The key was that the First Prince felt that as Qiao Shou's nephew, he couldn't be stingy with his sentiments, so he casually bought a few things from a shop...

Qiao Shou didn't pay attention to what the eldest prince had brought, but his eyes swept impatiently over the blond hair on the prince's head. This reminded him of a blond guy who had kidnapped his sister.

Then, she said irritably, "I told you to cut that tuft of hair a long time ago, why is it still there?"

"Uh," the eldest prince smoothed the blond hair on his forehead, "I think it looks pretty good. Some ministers even said it looks like a dragon's beard."

Qiao glared at him irritably and didn't bother to say anything.

The eldest prince unceremoniously found a stool and sat down, then asked, "Uncle, are you feeling better now?"

"It's almost healed."

"That's good." The eldest prince looked relieved. "Mother will be very happy to hear this news. I'll go and report to her in a bit." With that, he placed the cheap goods he was holding on the table.

Qiao nodded, ignoring the eldest prince, and closed his eyes to continue pretending to sleep.

The eldest prince rubbed his hands together somewhat embarrassedly: "Well, Uncle, actually, I came here today because there's something I wanted to ask you."

Qiao Shou's lips twitched almost imperceptibly. He wouldn't come to the temple without a reason!

Seeing that his uncle remained silent, the eldest prince continued shamelessly, "Uncle, as you know, when I was escorting the auspicious beast's corpse back to the capital, it was intercepted by the demon race."

"There were three groups of forces involved at the time: the demon race, the Four Seasons Masters, and an unknown Onmyoji. There was also a group of formation masters and a strong man."

"Uncle, I want to know, which faction does that array master belong to? What deep-seated hatred does he have for you? He not only destroyed your Craftsmen's Hall, but also injured you, and finally colluded with the demon race to attack me. It's truly hateful! Tell me, so I can avenge you!" the eldest prince said indignantly.

Qiao Shou slightly opened his eyes and glanced expressionlessly at the First Prince: "What rank of cultivation are you at now?"

"Well, I'm already at the fifth rank, just a little bit away from reaching the fourth rank." The eldest prince sighed. He had been stuck at this bottleneck for a long time and just couldn't find that feeling of breakthrough.

Qiao Shou nodded slightly: "It's good that you have this filial piety, but revenge is not something you can interfere with right now. What's most important for you right now is to improve your strength as soon as possible."

"Uncle is right," the eldest prince said humbly.

"As for the identity of that array master," Qiao Shou seemed lost in a memory, and after a long while, he sighed softly, "His identity is not complicated; he is an old acquaintance of the Craftsmen's Hall."

"An old acquaintance from the Craftsmen's Hall?" The eldest prince's interest was piqued, and he sat up a little straighter. At the same time, a question arose in his mind: The Craftsmen's Hall had old acquaintances who frequently visited? What did he think this place was?

Just as the eldest prince was lost in thought, Qiao Shou provided the answer: "He is none other than Chen Shiyu, the infamous evil cultivator and master of the Shadow Pavilion in the martial arts world back then."

It was him? The Crown Prince's face showed surprise. How could it be him? Not the array master who had a grudge against his uncle, but a martial artist with a blood feud?!

This doesn't make sense, how did he become a formation master?

The eldest prince had heard of this man's reputation years ago. This villain was not only powerful but also cunning and treacherous, harming the people and committing all sorts of evil deeds. He was despised by many people in the martial arts world.

He once broke the rules of the martial arts world, killing many disciples of chivalrous heroes, committing a major taboo in the martial arts world.

As a senior, one should not commit such an act of extermination against juniors in the martial arts world. This is tantamount to severing the lineage of martial arts heroes, making them no different from eunuchs in the palace. As a result, he offended many martial arts heroes and became a figure hated by everyone in the martial arts world.

Later, several martial arts heroes who had lost their heirs gathered together, intending to demand an explanation from him. In reality, they planned to take advantage of their numbers and kill Chen Shiyu.

They can't let the older ones cower in fear of the younger ones dying. People would laugh if word got out, but they wouldn't feel ashamed of bullying the weaker party or being ridiculed by the martial arts world. It only showed they were popular, that they were doing righteous deeds, and that they were supported by the righteous path of the martial arts world!

Afterwards, many martial arts heroes, along with their disciples, went to besiege Shadow Pavilion. The commotion was quite significant; it reached not only the martial arts world but also the imperial court.

However, the Great Xia court was happy to see this situation occur, and even if a large-scale massacre happened, they were not prepared to intervene. They would pretend they knew nothing about it. Because of one sentence.

A knight-errant uses his martial arts to break the law!