Yin Yang Soul Searcher

Jia Qingshan quickly covered Bai Jueming's mouth: "You mustn't talk nonsense."

"I don't have a map, but I'm very familiar with the routes in Shangzhou and can draw them out by hand."

Bai Jueming didn't expose him; she simply nodded in understanding. Who doesn't have a few secrets?

Then he turned to Han Xueshan and asked, "Xiaoxue, should you tell your master you're going to Shangzhou this time? And maybe take some extra life-saving talismans?"

Han Xueshan wasn't actually angry with Bai Jueming; it was all an act. Both of them were actors...

Han Xueshan was very grateful to Bai Jueming, but she wouldn't admit it verbally.

Upon hearing Bai Jueming mention talismans, Han Xueshan nodded slightly warily and said calmly, "You don't need to worry about the talismans. I'll tell my master. Also, don't call me Xiaoxue."

Typical case of turning your back on someone after you've done your bidding! Bai Jueming responded with a chuckle.

"Since everyone has their own tasks, let's call it a day. Go back and get things done. Meet at the city gate before sunset tomorrow. Bring your own cement!"

"What is cement? Is it some kind of herb?" Jia Qingshan asked, somewhat puzzled.

"You can put two handfuls of flour in your pocket too." Bai Jueming waved his hand, too lazy to explain to these ancient people. No one understood his jokes, wasn't that a kind of loneliness?

By the way, Bai Jueming had just stepped out of the room when he suddenly turned back.

"Gentlemen, could one of you lend me some silver? I left in a hurry this morning and forgot to bring it with me."

Han Xueshan chuckled. This shameless woman! She borrows money from her almost every time she goes home, and she never pays it back!

I misunderstood Brother Bai earlier; I thought he had really changed his ways...

"It's no big deal." Jia Qingshan took off the purse from his waist and tossed it to Bai Jueming, saying with a generous air, "Don't talk about lending it to me, Brother Bai, just take it and use it. If you need more, just let me know."

"Don't misunderstand me," Bai Jueming waved his hand. "If I said it was a loan, I'll definitely return it!"

I haven't touched a single penny of the money I received last time; I'm sure I can pay it back.

Bai Jueming opened his purse and found it overflowing with gold ingots and silver notes...

The smallest denomination of silver note was one hundred taels...

Bai Jueming took a note and tossed the purse to Jia Qingshan, saying, "I'll return it to you tomorrow."

Then he left without looking back.

While it was still early, Bai Jueming planned to go to Tangxinzhai to buy some pastries and then deliver them to Tang Weiwei to fulfill his promise. He hadn't properly thanked her for helping him plot against Chu Jiangyuan last time.

As for why Bai Jueming doesn't make his own pastries? In short, he's too lazy; it's too much trouble...

Besides thanking Tang Weiwei, another purpose was that Bai Jueming wanted to borrow a storage bag from her... and then borrow some medicine to treat his injuries from Brother Cheng, since there were risks involved in handling cases.

.....

Inside a private room in a restaurant in Beijing.

"How are your injuries?" Chen Shiyu leaned against the window and turned to look at the burly man of the third rank sitting at the table.

"Just some minor injuries, nothing serious," the burly man replied.

"That Peng Li is truly useless. He can't even get a magic weapon." Chen Shiyu shook his head, then frowned. "However, according to him, there seemed to be only a sword sheath inside that alchemy furnace. Where did the sword go?"

"Is there nothing else besides that sword that can help me cultivate?" the burly man asked.

"It's hard to say." Chen Shiyu shook his head. "I don't know much about the Craftsmen's Hall either, but I know that sword is the safest bet."

"Now that Peng Li has failed, it won't be easy to find another opportunity like this. The Craftsmen's Hall is definitely on guard." The burly man frowned. "Should we continue to stay in the capital?"

"Now that we know the sword isn't in the Craftsmen's Hall, we don't need to bother with it for the time being. Whether we stay in the capital or not is irrelevant," Chen Shiyu said after thinking for a moment. "However, the sword is now missing. Where should we even begin to look for it?"

Chen Shiyu frowned, momentarily at a loss.

"Since there's no need to stay in the capital, let's leave as soon as possible. Many people want to find you now, so staying in the capital isn't a wise choice," the burly man suggested.

"The most dangerous place is often the safest place. Staying in the capital is like being in the dark; they might not even realize it."

"And even if we encounter danger, we both have ways to escape, so there's no need to worry about that." Chen Shiyu held up the golden compass in his hand and laughed, "After all, this is something that even the Great Xia Emperor Gaozu suffered a setback with."

"I'll notify the spies in each state later and have them inquire about the sword. Once we have information about it, it won't be too late for us to leave the capital."

"How can we possibly find out? It's like looking for a needle in a haystack!" the burly man asked.

"Do you have a better idea? I can't exactly confront Qiao Shou about the whereabouts of that sword, can I?" Chen Shiyu patiently explained, "By staying in the capital, we can keep an eye on the Craftsmen's Hall's activities. Maybe we'll find out where the sword is..."

The burly man nodded, seemingly convinced by Chen Shiyu.

At the entrance of the Yin-Yang Hall.

The eldest prince led his horse, looking somewhat disappointed.

The deputy hall master followed beside the eldest prince, seeing him off all the way. Seeing the eldest prince's dejected expression, the deputy hall master couldn't help but comfort him.

"Your Highness, there's no need to be discouraged. The Imperial Advisor has his reasons for not letting you go to Shangzhou. He's worried about your safety, after all, that Four Seasons Master is after you..."

The eldest prince nodded with a wry smile: "I naturally understand the Grand Preceptor's good intentions."

"Furthermore, the Imperial Advisor also said that if you, Your Highness, cultivate diligently, you will definitely find a place to use your talents in the cases of Shangzhou..."

The eldest prince nodded, composed himself, and flicked a tuft of blond hair from his forehead: "I understand. Since the Imperial Advisor tells me to cultivate diligently, I will go back and practice as hard as I can, striving to live up to the Imperial Advisor's expectations next time!"

"It's good that the Crown Prince understands the Imperial Preceptor." The Vice Hall Master smiled.

Then, the eldest prince mounted his horse and rode away.

After seeing off the eldest prince, the deputy hall master returned to the Yin-Yang Hall.

Bai Jueming had already left. The deputy hall master bowed to the Grand Preceptor's retreating figure and said, "Grand Preceptor, I have a question. Is it really possible to lure Chen Shiyu out using only the mineral resources of Shangzhou?"

"And what's your opinion?" the Imperial Advisor countered.

The deputy hall master shook his head and said truthfully, "This humble servant has no better solution."

"I think it would be better to send out the Yin-Yang Palace's spies in various states to secretly search for Chen Shiyu's whereabouts," the deputy palace master said with a slight chuckle. "I know this isn't a good idea, since it's practically like looking for a needle in a haystack. But it's better than nothing."

"If our spies could truly find Chen Shiyu, they wouldn't have allowed him to remain hidden for so many years," the Grand Preceptor said with some melancholy. "Don't worry, Chen Shiyu will definitely head to Shangzhou. The mineral deposits are just the first temptation for him. I have other methods."

"The Imperial Advisor really did have a backup plan!" The Vice Hall Master's gaze, hidden behind his mask, held an expression of admiration. However, since the Imperial Advisor didn't reveal what other methods he had up his sleeve, the Vice Hall Master wisely refrained from asking further.

Then, the deputy hall master asked another question with some concern.

"Grand Preceptor, is it unnecessary to send anyone else to the Shangzhou case? Relying solely on Bai Jueming and the other two, I feel we are lacking in manpower and may not be able to assist Prince Yu Nan. Furthermore, their strength is not high, and they may encounter dangers they cannot handle..."

Although Bai Jueming is a talented individual, it's truly difficult to ask him to investigate the truth of Shangzhou given his current low level of ability. If he were to perish in Shangzhou, wouldn't the Yin-Yang Palace lose a valuable assistant skilled in investigation?

The Imperial Advisor remained silent for a moment, then sighed and slowly said, "I also need to consider His Majesty's attitude towards Shangzhou."

"Didn't His Majesty already inform the Yin-Yang Palace to investigate the truth about Shangzhou?" the deputy palace master asked, somewhat puzzled.

The Imperial Advisor shook his head: "That is true, but His Majesty's decision to drive the Prince of Yu Nan's business out of the capital a few days ago shows that His Majesty is already somewhat dissatisfied with the Prince of Yu Nan."

"Although His Majesty wants the Yin-Yang Palace to investigate the truth about Shangzhou, all His Majesty wants is the truth. As for whether the Prince of Yu Nan lives or dies during the investigation, His Majesty doesn't really care. If the Prince of Yu Nan dies, it will only cause some trouble. They can replace him with someone else, or there might not be a Prince of Yu Nan at all..."

The deputy hall master was somewhat alarmed, realizing there was such a power struggle involved in this matter; it was something he couldn't possibly understand...

"Therefore, we don't need to go to great lengths to help Prince Yu Nan. Judging from Bai Jueming's wisdom and his performance in the case of the auspicious beast, he was able to analyze the demon race's purpose in the capital through clues."

"So, without worrying about whether the Prince of Yu Nan lives or dies, it won't be difficult for Bai Jueming to find out the truth about Shangzhou."

The deputy hall master nodded thoughtfully. The Grand Preceptor's words showed his great trust in Bai Jueming, which indicated that Bai Jueming's abilities were undeniable.

The deputy hall master then thought of another question: "Since the life or death of the Prince of Yu Nan is not important, why doesn't Bai Jueming ask the Grand Preceptor if the Prince of Yu Nan dies, the Grand Preceptor will still frighten him into returning to where he came from..."

The Imperial Advisor sighed helplessly, "That guy is already thinking about his escape route before he's even started investigating. If I don't emphasize the serious consequences, will he put in his best effort to investigate?"

Well, the Imperial Advisor makes sense. The Deputy Hall Master thought about it and realized that although Bai Jueming's investigative abilities were quite good, he was also really cunning.

He thought no one knew about Jinxiu's demon core and wanted to keep it a secret. But in reality, he knew from the moment he captured Jinxiu that Bai Jueming had taken the demon core...

I thought he would hand it over voluntarily, but I didn't expect him to be so oblivious... The deputy hall master didn't expose him, but simply told the imperial advisor about it...

"Another reason is that the only son of the Prince of Yu Nan is present, so we should say some nice things to him," the Grand Preceptor said calmly.

It's all a psychological game! The deputy hall master felt a headache coming on; if it weren't for the Grand Preceptor's explanation, he probably wouldn't have thought of all this...

"Grand Preceptor, I have another question," the Vice Hall Master said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

The Imperial Advisor's tone held a hint of helplessness: "Speak."

"Does the Imperial Advisor truly intend to groom Bai Jueming?"

The Imperial Preceptor nodded slightly, his robes swaying gently.

"Isn't the Imperial Advisor worried that he might encounter danger in Shangzhou?"

"What life is without danger? If you hesitate because of this little danger, how will you shoulder important responsibilities in the future?!" The Grand Preceptor's voice was unhurried: "Besides, I have bestowed upon him a treasure that can save his life in a critical moment." The Grand Preceptor said meaningfully.

The deputy hall master nodded, relieved that the Grand Preceptor had considered everything so thoroughly.

"Don't worry about Shangzhou anymore. Go back and recover from your injuries, and find a way to improve your strength," the Grand Preceptor said calmly.

The deputy hall master clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, then turned and sighed softly. Improving one's strength was easier said than done...