Dimension Paradise, I am a summoning apostle

Chapter 443 The Red Candle is Stolen, a Bright Pearl is Lost
As soon as Chu Danqing stepped outside, she saw the festive decorations and felt a sense of foreboding.

In the once empty and dilapidated ancestral hall, many lonely ghosts were busy at work.

Upon closer inspection, even the wedding lanterns and red candles were fully prepared.
Chu Danqing knew they had no money, so it was clear where these things came from.

He rushed over to inquire immediately.

Upon hearing this, Bai Zhenniang smiled and said, "It's just a few small things, why should I trouble my brother-in-law?"

She didn't care at all; what's the big deal now that it's been stolen?

Upon hearing this, Chu Danqing took out some silver from his storage space and said, "Let's take the things and go put this silver away with them."

“That’s their livelihood. If you steal it, they’ll lose out.”

"If you encounter a mean manager or rich man, the workers under his command will suffer."

Upon hearing this, Bai Zhenniang felt uneasy.

She didn't pity the workers; rather, she felt that Chu Danqing's words were belittling her.

"No need for silver. When I came here, I had a sworn brother who not only gave me five ghost servants, but also three large chests of silver for my amusement," Bai Zhenniang said.

This statement is only half true; the first part is mostly true.

On her way down the mountain, she encountered a thousand-year-old black fish demon. Seeing his generosity, she became sworn siblings with him.

The Five Ghosts were indeed a gift from the other party, but the other party did not give her any money.

The black fish demon doesn't frequent the bustling human world, so it's not needed on ordinary days.

There is silver, but certainly not that much.

Upon hearing this, Chu Danqing immediately said, "Don't lie to me, or you'll turn around and steal three boxes of silver."

Upon hearing the word "theft" again, Bai Zhenniang said coldly, "Although I am incompetent, I would never do such a despicable thing."

As she spoke, she got up and pushed three boxes out of the house.

When you open it, you'll find neat rows of gleaming silver.

Seeing this, Chu Danqing, not knowing their origins, couldn't say anything.

"You know it in your heart, that's good." Chu Danqing replied, "I've already taken care of the matchmaking for you. Now, you need to give me a plan for Da Bai's matter."

Bai Zhenniang's anger subsided considerably after hearing this, and she immediately said, "Why is my brother-in-law in such a hurry? Let's talk about it tomorrow after Mr. Xu and I have entered the bridal chamber tonight."

"Okay, I'll come find you in a couple of days." Although Chu Danqing felt that Bai Zhenniang's temperament was a bit off, he could only put up with it for Da Bai's sake.

If it were for his own sake, he wouldn't have been able to bear it on the spot and would have taken action to subdue the demon.

Now that they've just gotten married, he shouldn't pressure them too much, especially since they're newlyweds.

"Now that you've accomplished your goal, I'll take my leave." Chu Danqing cupped his hands in greeting, turned, and left. As he reached the door, he said, "After tonight, remember to send those wandering ghosts back."

"To avoid disrupting the balance of Yin and Yang, you'll be in deep trouble if you do."

Upon hearing this, Bai Zhenniang replied, "I understand."

As for whether he listened to her or not, Chu Danqing wasn't sure; in any case, he had given her a reminder.

He's not innocent; he won't take responsibility for other people's mistakes.

As we approached the ancestral hall and were about to leave, we saw the five ghosts hiding in the gatehouse, doing something furtive.

When he glanced over there, the five ghosts shrank back and huddled together.

It obstructed Chu Danqing's view.

The five ghosts bared their teeth at Chu Danqing.

Seeing the Five Ghosts' attitude, Da Bao also bared his teeth at them.

The five ghosts were so frightened that they huddled together and didn't dare to make a sound.

"Alright, Da Bao, stop scaring them, let's go." Chu Danqing didn't seem to care about the five ghosts' attitude.

After Chu Danqing left with Da Bao, the five ghosts dispersed, revealing a small, exquisite pearl.

The five ghosts formed a circle, greedily absorbing the radiance emanating from the pearl.

As the light surged into their bodies, the Five Ghosts' originally short, fat, and ugly appearance changed.

His short, stout body had thinned out a bit and grown a little taller, which also made him look less ugly and more heroic.

The change is rapid, but the magnitude of the change is too small to be noticeable in a short period of time.

"Where have you five been?" Suddenly, Bi Qing'er's voice came from outside.

Following the ghostly aura, Bi Qing'er found the five ghosts in the gatehouse and said, "Madam is still short of some, go and get them quickly."

She rattled off a whole bunch of things, and then sent the five ghosts to fetch them.

As for buying it with silver? It's already dark, and there's a curfew in the city. Where can we buy it?

Upon hearing this, the five ghosts shrank back, nodded, and said, "Yes, sir."

Upon hearing the reply, Bi Qing'er didn't think much of it. She was so busy that she didn't notice the five ghosts' unusual behavior.

Before leaving, he said, "Madam needs it urgently; I'll get it for you within fifteen minutes."

After saying that, he left immediately.

The five ghosts had no choice but to comply, and the leader of the five ghosts opened his mouth and swallowed the pearl into his belly in one gulp.

You can vomit it out when you get back.

They are ghosts, not humans, so such matters are naturally not a problem.

After finishing this task, the five ghosts went off to move back the things Bai Zhenniang had asked for.

Meanwhile, Chu Danqing returned to the inn.

He wasn't planning to rest; he intended to cultivate and then officially begin the trial mission tomorrow.

But around midnight, hurried footsteps could be heard on the street.

About ten minutes later, there was an urgent knocking on the guest room door. Chu Danqing asked Da Bao to open the door.

Several people dressed as constables and yamen runners rushed in, leading a dog.

"Young Master Chu," the head constable said, bowing slightly. "Please forgive my late visit."

"I wonder if this constable has any official business?" Chu Danqing returned the greeting and asked.

"This is a confidential matter. May we search it?" The constable didn't say what it was about.

Chu Danqing narrowed his eyes and then said, "Please."

He didn't care at all. It was just a room in an inn, and all his personal belongings were stored in the storage space. He wasn't worried about them checking them at all.

The search by the yamen runners was not very rough; on the contrary, they conducted a very thorough inspection and had dogs sniff around everywhere.

After a thorough inspection, nothing was found.

"Please forgive me." Seeing that he had gained nothing, the constable bowed and prepared to leave.

Chu Danqing then asked again, "What happened? Why are you searching so thoroughly?"

The constable was about to leave, but since Chu Danqing was not a suspect, he casually mentioned, "The pearl on your official hat, sir, was stolen by thieves."

"This matter could be a big or small one. Let me catch the thief and retrieve the money as soon as possible."

Chu Danqing was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this, but thankfully Bai Zhenniang hadn't stolen the pearl.

Most of the things the other party stole were items intended for weddings; they had no use for the pearl.

And he didn't see it either.

The dilapidated ancestral hall was indeed decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, but not the entire hall was decorated.

The actual area set up was limited to the room where Bai Zhenniang was located and the surrounding corridors, which could be seen at a glance.

"Such a precious pearl, just openly embedded in an official's hat," Chu Danqing said, somewhat amused and exasperated.

Upon hearing this, the constable looked around for a moment before whispering, "It's fake. The master used a local inferior pearl as a substitute."

"I just never expected that someone would be so audacious as to take away the pearl from the official's hat."

Upon hearing this, Chu Danqing was truly surprised to find that this Prefect was incredibly powerful.

They even dared to pull off a daring trick involving Mingzhu.

Official robes were uniformly issued by the imperial court. The materials and craftsmanship used in these garments, which symbolized power, were generally inseparable from the nine generations of the maker's family.

It's not to say there was no corner-cutting, but it was minimal.

Therefore, the pearl on this official hat is extremely valuable.

Upon closer reflection, it's clear that while the person who stole the pearl from the official's hat was incredibly audacious, this prefect himself is no less daring.

They simply replaced it with a local bead.

"This matter is like finding a needle in a haystack," Chu Danqing said. "No matter how big the pearl is, there are always ways to hide it."

Chu Danqing didn't ask why they were so sure he hadn't taken it; besides the search, they also brought a dog.

"This matter can only be discussed further," the constable said.

Actually, he wasn't too worried about not being able to find it.

Because not many people knew about this, he told Chu Danqing about it.

If it can't be found, the Prefect can simply find another inferior pearl to inlay on his official hat.

If all else fails, returning the original item to its rightful owner is also an option.

For the sake of his future, the Prefect must not let this matter escalate.

So if I can't find it tonight, I'll just have to get another one.

This matter can be big or small; resolving it before it escalates is not a major problem.

"I've said a bit too much today, please don't say any more, Young Master Chu." The constable realized he had spoken out of turn.

He mainly thought Chu Danqing was indeed quite good, which is why he inadvertently said too much.

Chu Danqing immediately replied, "Don't worry, I'm forgetful. I won't remember anything when I wake up tomorrow."

He knew why the constable talked so much; it was because of his initial goodwill and charm. Otherwise, if it were someone else, they wouldn't have said anything, and they wouldn't have come in with this attitude.

Do you really think that the constables and yamen runners are so amiable because of their inherent professional qualities?

"That's good." Although the constable felt he had said too much, he didn't mind too much and continued, "Farewell."

After saying that, he left with his men to check on the next person.

After the person left, Chu Danqing closed the door.

He was thinking about one thing: could this pearl be related to the Jade Dragon and Golden Phoenix?

The phrase "local inferior pearl" indicates that this pearl was produced locally, and was stolen at this critical juncture.

This inevitably made Chu Danqing think more.

"It's just that this is a matter I shouldn't get involved in," Chu Danqing muttered.

The Lord will certainly not allow this to escalate; if it cannot be found before dawn, it must be replaced.

They'll just deny it then.

As for whether it's really lost? The Prefect probably wouldn't care about this pearl anyway.

After three years of clearing the magistrate's office, he received one hundred thousand snowflakes and silver.

Not to mention, this prefect is no honest one; he'd try to embezzle even a single pearl, so he'd surely make even more money.

With his wealth, exchanging it for a similar pearl wouldn't be difficult at all.

(End of this chapter)