Scourge Messenger

Chapter 87 Business Xuanwen

As the rope slid down into the pit, the "Rat Monk" and the middle-aged man had already driven dozens of torch heads into the sand. The process was uneventful; they simply needed to pin down all the fallen torches accurately, like playing whack-a-mole.

But once you realize that even missing a single torch could result in being roasted alive, this boring whack-a-mole game becomes incredibly exciting.

"It's Duke Xuanwen! The Prime Minister is here! Keep digging, quick!"

"Duke Xuanwen, thank goodness you are blessed with good fortune!"

"Father!"

"Father, are you alright?"

The three nearby streets had been cleared by the Silver Spear Guards. It was dark outside, but the surrounding area was brightly lit. However, all the torches and braziers were placed at least ten paces away from the pit. Within those ten paces, the pit was teeming with people—officials, warriors, and nobles—all filthy and covered in mud. When the middle-aged man climbed out of the pit using a rope, many people burst into tears of joy. The surrounding area was filled with celebratory sounds. Two young men rushed to help him up; one of them, with pale skin, was someone Yan Qing had seen before in the Mansu Forest.

Shang Xinlei's older brother, Shang Yue.

Despite the concern of so many people, the middle-aged man remained expressionless and calmly asked:

"When rats emerge from their burrows, birds and beasts take flight in alarm, and cattle and horses are restless, who is to blame for not reporting this?"

"The Imperial Observatory cannot shirk its responsibility," Shang Yue replied immediately.

Someone in the crowd fell to the ground; it was obvious he was one of the officials from the Imperial Observatory. The middle-aged man glanced at him, and immediately someone helped the official over. The latter stammered, "Prime Minister, Jiangnan City is a city blessed by the gods; there has never been a dragon rising from the earth before. Besides, strange animal movements are common; you really can't blame us—"

"While Jiangnan City has not experienced any earth-shattering events, there are records of unusual animal activity in both the Kuaiji earthquake of the sixth year of the Yongtai era and the Datang tsunami of the eleventh year of the Taichu era. Jiangnan is the heart of the south, signifying not only that all the towns in the south must protect Jiangnan, but also that Jiangnan must encompass the entire land of Jinan!"

"Fortunately, this was just a trap set by thieves in the city. If it had truly been a sign of impending doom, even the extermination of your entire clan would not have been enough. Take him to the Dali Temple to await his judgment."

After dealing with the officials from the Imperial Observatory, the middle-aged man looked around and said, "Prefect Zhou, I'd like to trouble you to fill in the traps and, while you're at it, check the surrounding ground. I suspect there might be more than one trap."

"Yes."

"How are the wounded? Did the assassins capture any survivors?"

"No survivors have been captured yet. There are only six charred corpses at the scene. I have already sent men to track down the fleeing assassins."

Even though he had just escaped death, the middle-aged man showed no panic and calmly arranged various tasks. After everything was sorted out, he turned to his two sons and said, "Shangqia, there should be a village woman named An Cuihua nearby. Go and bring her back to the manor, and arrange for her to work in the kitchen. Let Chef Li teach her properly."

"Shang Yue, go to Zhishen Temple in Tianshui Hutong in Jiangnan County now, light an incense stick, and pray for all pregnant women." The middle-aged man glanced at the moon's position. "Hurry up and get home for dinner within half an hour, is that alright?"

The two sons were dumbfounded, but their father's authority was well-established, so they could only accept the task in bewilderment, not daring to ask any questions. However, before they left, they glanced at the 'Rat Monk' several times, not only because the 'Rat Monk' had escaped from the burrow with his father, but also because the 'Rat Monk' was carrying the famous sword Yitian, bestowed upon his father by the royal family.

"Is the abbot satisfied with this arrangement?" the middle-aged man asked.

"Satisfied, even better than I imagined."

"Give that sword back." The middle-aged man held out his hand. "You seem to really like this sword, but you have no third request."

Yan Qing looked at the Heaven Sword on the screen and tried again to put it into the public warehouse.

However, a notification popped up on the screen: "This special item has been locked and cannot be stored in the warehouse or any storage space at this time." It was as if life was playing a cruel joke on him; he had obtained the target for the next mission so easily. But this was just an illusion. Only by obtaining the item during a theft mission could the mission be considered complete. Before that, the target would be locked, and no one could store it in the warehouse.

Yan Qing couldn't even resent anyone else, because it was he who suddenly thought in the middle of the night that players might have access to quest items in advance, so he immediately got up, turned on his computer, and wrote the 'quest item lock' setting in the design document.

Helplessly, he returned the Heaven-Slaying Sword to the middle-aged man. Only then did Yan Qing realize that this middle-aged man was quite noble. Even though he had been rolling around in the cave for a long time, he still had an outstanding demeanor. His clothes were understated yet luxurious. He was eight feet tall and had a dignified appearance. However, for some reason, Yan Qing had always thought he was ordinary and had never paid attention to his appearance, even when he was on screen.

"Venerable monk, I haven't asked for your Dharma name," the middle-aged man said. "Or perhaps you not only don't have a temple to practice at, but you don't even have a Dharma name?"

"Just call me the Rat Monk," Yan Qing replied. "How do you know I don't have a temple where I practice?"

"A household belt will have a mark indicating your permanent residence; yours is just a blank guard's belt." The middle-aged man pointed to the 'Rat Monk's' wrist. "No matter where you picked it up, you're impersonating someone else now. Do you know who I am?"

"The Prime Minister of Liang," Yan Qing said, "is Shang Xuanwen."

He thought to himself, "He's still Shang Xinlei's father."

From the moment Yan Qing received the famous sword Yitian, he knew who he had met.

Business announcement!
Who the hell would have thought that a prime minister of a nation, the head of the Shang family, a three-time messenger, a big shot who could make the Liang Kingdom tremble with a stomp of his foot, would be taking a walk alone in Jiangnan City? He even debated with Yan Qing, acting just like an ordinary middle-aged man who likes to meddle in other people's business and spout grand principles.

"As the prime minister of a country, I cannot turn a blind eye to unregistered individuals using false identities," Shang Xuanwen said calmly. "I have fulfilled your two requests, and now the score is settled. Please do not blame me for acting impartially."

"This humble monk will not surrender without a fight." Yan Qing was already prepared to run away. After all, this was the main city, and even if the other party was a third-level messenger, they couldn't hurt him.

"For unregistered individuals to obtain legal status, they either need a guarantor to register with the government, or they need to serve three years of service under the supervision of government officials. If they perform well during their service, they can be granted legal status."

Yan Qing thought to herself that this uncle wasn't so bad after all.

"So you're going to vouch for me?"

"My family can supervise your service," Shang Xuanwen said. "You're quite skilled, and your household guard is also a bodyguard, so come to my house to serve as a bodyguard, which will be considered military service."

"Do you want to leave as a fugitive, or serve three years of service?"

……

...

Yan Qing was still in a daze as she stepped through the vermilion gate of the shop.

What's going on? How did he suddenly get involved with Shang Xuanwen? He can even openly sneak into the business—anyone with a brain knows that Shang Xuanwen is probably resting there in the early hours of the morning. Now that 'Rat Monk' can act as a bodyguard in the business, they can work together from the inside out, colluding and plotting to cause trouble within the family…

But a question lingered in Yan Qing's mind: Why did Shang Xuanwen treat the 'Rat Monk' so differently? Was it just because he saved her life? Was Shang Xuanwen the kind of person who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, remembering kindness from others for a lifetime, but never showing it on his face?

No way, could he be... a tsundere?!

(End of this chapter)