Yin Yang Soul Searcher

On his way back, the eldest prince stopped by the third prince's residence.

The eldest prince was somewhat moved. He received a warm welcome as soon as he entered, a stark contrast to the scene when he went to the Yin-Yang Palace.

The third prince, dressed in magnificent robes, greeted his elder brother with a gentle and refined smile, a stark contrast to the fierce young general who charged into battle with his spear.

The two arrived at the main hall, where a servant served them tea before the Third Prince sent them away.

"What brings you to my residence today, elder brother?" The third prince seemed pleased with the eldest prince's arrival, but still said with a hint of complaint, "You didn't even send someone to inform me beforehand, so I could have made preparations."

"Let's not bother with those cliché things, brothers." The eldest prince took a sip of hot tea, then gave the third prince a forced smile. "I just went to the Craftsmen's Hall and the Yin-Yang Hall and asked my uncle for a magical artifact for you. I happened to be passing by on my way back, so I brought it over to you."

"Lord Qiao is willing to bestow a magic weapon upon me?" The Third Prince's face lit up with a delighted smile, then, as if remembering something, he clasped his hands in thanks to the First Prince and said, "Thank you, elder brother."

"Why should we, brothers, talk about thanks?" The eldest prince waved his hand, not caring at all.

"Besides, your uncle already owes you something, so giving you this magic weapon is only right and proper."

The Third Prince was slightly moved. His elder brother did not pass by his residence on his way home. His elder brother had made a special trip to deliver the magic treasure to him.

Besides, there's no such thing as taking someone's magic weapon for granted; my elder brother must have gone to great lengths to beg and plead with Palace Master Qiao for it...

The eldest prince patted the storage bag at his waist and took out the snow-white cloak from it.

The Third Prince's eyes lit up the moment he saw the cloak. After thanking his elder brother, he solemnly accepted the cloak with both hands.

Just by looking at its appearance, you can tell this is extraordinary! The Third Prince held the cloak in his hands and stroked it carefully, as if he were caressing a priceless antique.

No, this thing is even more precious than antiques. It is a magical treasure made by Qiao Shou, the number one weapon refiner in the world. Countless heroes in the martial arts world are eager to obtain it!

The third prince examined it over and over; inside the cloak, there were arrays and Bagua diagrams drawn with extremely fine silk threads... It was practically tailor-made for him!

When I don this cloak and go to the battlefield in the future, I will be invincible wherever my spear points!

"Don't just look, try it on," the eldest prince said with a smile.

The Third Prince nodded, casually shook off the cloak in his hand, and then twirled half a circle to drape it over his back.

The snow-white cloak was the perfect length, like a silver river falling to earth. The Third Prince's gentle smile vanished, replaced by a chilling aura, as if he were once again amidst a vast army.

"Excellent, excellent." The eldest prince commented with a smile, "With this magic weapon, Third Brother will be even more formidable on the battlefield."

"Brother, you flatter me." The Third Prince couldn't hide his smile. He then gathered up his cloak, folded it neatly, and placed it aside.

The eldest prince took a sip of hot tea, then sighed softly: "Besides bringing my third brother a cloak, there's something else I need to tell him."

"What is it?" the Third Prince asked in high spirits.

"My elder brother wanted to ask the Imperial Advisor for a chance to go to Shangzhou, but the Imperial Advisor refused. He only told me to stay in the capital and cultivate diligently..."

Upon hearing this, the Third Prince looked regretful and sighed softly, "The Imperial Advisor must have his reasons for doing this. After all, it's most appropriate for an Onmyoji to investigate the truth."

"That's true, but the people the Imperial Preceptor sent out are really puzzling to me." The First Prince frowned.

...

The evening clouds hung low, and the setting sun slanted down toward the western mountains.

The entire capital was bathed in gold, the streets were bustling with carriages and horses, and the vendors' shouts were even more energetic than at noon.

Taking advantage of the last days of daylight, everyone wanted to earn a few more coins so they could add a little more meat to their wives' and children's bowls, warm a pot of wine for themselves, and enjoy this simple yet beautiful life.

On his way home, Bai Jueming happily held the storage bag in his hand. The light blue bag had a piece of osmanthus cake embroidered on it with pink silk thread.

Tang Weiwei is such a foodie! I tricked her out of this storage bag without lifting a finger.

Bai Jueming vaguely remembered that Cheng Yanbing looked at him like this back then.

→_→

Ordinary pastries wouldn't be so easy to impress Tang Weiwei. After entering the pastry shop, Bai Jueming had a sudden inspiration and found the owner, coaxing and deceiving him into taking him to the pastry-making area.

After checking that all the tools and materials were complete, Bai Jueming discussed with the boss about teaching him how to make a new pastry. If it wasn't delicious, he could have it for free.

The boss agreed, and finally, under Bai Jueming's command, a group of workers heated oil in a wok and made a donut that was bursting with calories.

Bai Jueming even made some improvements, adding raisins, osmanthus, and various dried fruits... making it a more suitable donut for babies with a strong constitution!

The shop owner praised it highly after tasting it and readily gave Bai Jueming fifty taels of silver, adding that Bai Jueming could get a 20% discount when he came to the shop in the future.

And so, Bai Jueming not only didn't spend any money, but also got fifty taels of silver and twenty donuts for free. The shop owner, on the other hand, obtained a new method for making pastries. Before his competitors could imitate him, he could take advantage of the time difference and make a fortune in the market! Fifty taels was nothing to worry about.

By the time their competitors realized what was happening, they had already made the lion's share, and then it was just a matter of a steady, long-term business...

The boss and Bai Jueming were both very satisfied. It was a win-win situation, and Bai Jueming had also kept his promise to treat Tang Weiwei to pastries... a triple win! He was simply a genius!

Tang Weiwei, being an ancient native, had never encountered such advanced pastries before. After finishing them, she praised them highly and hurriedly asked Bai Jueming the name of the pastry and which shop sold it.

Bai Jueming confessed his love to her, looking at her tenderly, and said that he had just finished researching a new type of pastry for her and hadn't had time to name it yet, so he was giving her the chance to name it.

However, the little girl's attention was clearly not on Bai Jueming's handsome face, but rather on stuffing her mouth full, and finally she mumbled that she didn't know how to name someone.

Bai Jueming found it uninteresting and stopped using her charm.

"Finally, tell her that this thing is called a donut, and if she wants to eat more, could she borrow one of my storage bags?" Bai Jueming rubbed his hands together, revealing his true intentions.

Without a second thought, Tang Weiwei rummaged through drawers and cabinets to find a storage bag and tossed it to Bai Jueming.

Bai Jueming then honestly confessed that the pastries were sold at Tangxinzhai, and that mentioning his name would get him a 20% discount.

Tang Weiwei felt like she had been tricked, but she didn't have time to care; eating was the most important thing.

He hurriedly and excitedly went to his master to borrow some silver, only to be scolded harshly by Qiao Shou. Dejected, he had no choice but to return and continue refining weapons...

Cheng Yanbing looked at his junior sister, who appeared weak, helpless, and pitiful, yet still managed to eat a lot. He sighed deeply...

Finally, Bai Jueming asked Cheng Yanbing for a few healing pills and then left; after all, the two grown men didn't have much time to chat about...

These pills would be incredibly valuable if sold on the black market. However, Cheng Yanbing didn't accept any money; he knew Bai Jueming was a penniless man...

"My little brother isn't home?" Bai Jueming looked at the locked door, feeling somewhat puzzled.

Instead of staying home and cooking, where have you been?

Upon entering, Bai Jueming noticed a stone on the stone table in the courtyard, with a letter underneath, rustling softly in the breeze.

Bai Jueming sat on the stone table, crossed his legs, and held the letter in front of his eyes...

This is a farewell letter, explaining why my younger brother has to leave.

"Big sister, big brother, please forgive Hongfei for leaving without saying goodbye, for parting is always sad... Don't be sad for my departure, for this is an inevitable path to becoming a master. From the time I began learning the Dao at a young age, I knew I would become the leader of that sect, the number one in the martial world..."

"I've grown under the protection of the Taoist temple for too long; it's time for me to venture out and make my own way. A man who doesn't aspire to great heights is wasting his life..."

"Don't be sad because of my departure, for the responsibilities on my shoulders do not allow me to live an ordinary life; I was born to be famous throughout the world..."

......

Bai Jueming endured the embarrassment as he read through his younger brother's sentimental words. If these words were posted on Tencent's QQ Space, his younger brother would probably be called "Farewell Bro" from now on...

That brat's pretty cunning. He couldn't stand his older sister's nagging, like a mother hen... so he chose to leave when neither he nor his sister were around. It wasn't explicitly stated in the letter, but Bai Jueming deduced it from between the lines.

After reading the letter, Bai Jueming looked up at the sky. It was getting late, and his older sister should be back by now.

Bai Jueming went to the kitchen and, thinking about how he was leaving tomorrow, decided to cook a meal for his older sister as a proper farewell.

........

The mansion of the three princes.

"Is there something you don't understand, elder brother?" the third prince asked, looking puzzled.

The eldest prince brushed a stray strand of blond hair from his forehead and frowned. "The Imperial Advisor only sent Bai Jueming, an Yin-Yang Master, and his two personal warriors to protect him. Can just three people really manage?"

"Only three people?" The Third Prince looked surprised.

The eldest prince nodded: "I offered to be Bai Jueming's assistant to the Imperial Advisor, but he refused. It seems the Imperial Advisor doesn't take this matter very seriously."

"This..." The Third Prince was speechless for a moment, then tentatively guessed, "Could the Imperial Preceptor have other plans? Perhaps he just hasn't told my elder brother?"

The eldest prince thought about it and felt it was very likely: "I think only Father Emperor knows the reason why the Imperial Advisor did this, or perhaps this was Father Emperor's original intention?"

"Should we ask Father for advice? That way we can try again," the Third Prince suggested.

The eldest prince shook his head, a wry smile on his face: "I think we shouldn't make things difficult for ourselves. You saw Father's attitude that day..."

"What my elder brother said is right. If Father really wanted to tell us the truth, he wouldn't have waited for us to ask him," the Third Prince said helplessly.

...

After drinking a few more sips of hot tea, the eldest prince prepared to get up and return to his residence. The third prince reached out to stop him, saying, "Brother, why are you in such a hurry? It's been so long since we brothers last saw each other. How about we drink until we drop tonight?"

The eldest prince thought for a moment and then agreed. He'd been relatively free of important matters these past few days, so it was time to reconnect with his brothers...

"Alright! Let's get completely drunk tonight, just like when we first learned to drink!" The eldest prince laughed heartily.

"Brother, please show mercy!" The Third Prince laughed heartily, then called out towards the door, "Guards, prepare a feast!"

...

Soon, two vegetarian dishes and one meat dish were stir-fried by Bai Jueming on the kitchen table. There was also enough rice for three people in the pot.

Just after Bai Jueming finished serving the rice, the courtyard gate creaked open.

Big Sister and Little Sugar are back.