Yin Yang Soul Searcher

The Yin-Yang Palace of the Great Xia Dynasty is the Heavenly Prison responsible for imprisoning cultivators.

"You're awake?" Bai Jueming was still processing the information from his transmigration when he heard a slightly mocking voice. "The Yin-Yang Palace is willing to give you a way out: investigate one matter, or die!"

After receiving the memories, Bai Jueming struggled to open his eyes, trying to see the person speaking outside the prison. Unfortunately, the other party stood on a moral high ground, making it impossible to see clearly.

The man outside the prison frowned and continued, "My patience is limited, don't waste your time."

Bai Jueming quickly replied, "My lord, I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse."

The man outside the prison laughed: "Very good, you're a smart man." He then waved to the guards on either side, signaling them to bring the man out. He then went out first.

The jailers opened the cell door and escorted Bai Jueming out, one on each side. The prison walls were dimly lit, and the shackles on Bai Jueming's feet rattled.

Holy crap, I've transmigrated! Wasn't I supposed to be dead? Judging from the other person's tone... Disobeying means I'll die again? God really is looking out for me; I just died over there, and now I'm already in the queue here?

Two jailers escorted Bai Jueming into the main hall. The man who had gone out earlier was already seated behind a table. Seeing Bai Jueming brought by the jailers, the man waved for them to leave. Only the two remained in the hall.

Bai Jueming scrutinized the man, who was dressed in a black uniform, with dark eyebrows and stubble around his mouth. The man slowly said, "This matter isn't difficult. The Yin-Yang Palace is willing to give Yin-Yang Masters a way out; it all depends on whether you can seize the opportunity."

In the original owner's memories, Bai Jueming was guided to become an Onmyoji three years ago and gained cultivation. Unfortunately, he lacked cultivation resources. Even so, the original owner could be considered a cultivation genius, reaching the eighth rank in three years without any bottlenecks.

I found a business opportunity on the black market a couple of days ago: as long as I use the Onmyoji ability to make others fall asleep a little longer, I can earn 100 taels of silver in one night.

Before they could even act, the Yin-Yang Palace people discovered them, resulting in the deaths and injuries of many. Later, they learned that the group was attempting to embezzle national mineral resources and military supplies—a capital offense. They blamed themselves for their bad luck, getting this job that was both lucrative and incredibly difficult.

Because Bai Jueming was a cultivator, he was brought to the Yin-Yang Palace, while the ordinary people involved were imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. Yin-Yang Masters have a unique advantage in solving cases: soul searching. Therefore, the Yin-Yang Palace couldn't bear to kill Bai Jueming and was willing to give him a chance to atone for his sins.

"Thank you for giving me this opportunity, sir. I will serve you with unwavering loyalty, even unto death." Bai Jueming, dressed in prison garb, quickly clasped his hands in a gesture of loyalty. He couldn't let go of even the slightest chance; perhaps the outcome depended on a single word from the prisoner.

Even if things don't go as planned, if this official thinks I'm talented and speaks well of him, he might put in a good word for me and I might survive.

The man in black was taken aback for a moment, not expecting this kid to be so sensible. Then his expression softened slightly: "Don't rush to pledge your loyalty, let me finish."

"The pills that Cheng Yanbing, the eldest disciple of the Craftsmen's Hall, delivered to the hall a couple of days ago have been switched. Go to 'Chen's Pharmacy' and help investigate. If you find any important clues or the mastermind behind it, you can live. If you can't find anything, I don't need to say anything more."

Investigating a case? Damn it. I haven't investigated this before. Is this the only way out the Yin-Yang Palace is offering? No choice but to go for it; a man can't say no.

"My lord, shall I go now?" Bai Jueming asked tentatively.

The man in black nodded: "Go now. Cheng Yanbing is waiting for you at 'Chen's Pharmacy'." He then tossed a black token over.

Bai Jueming reached out and caught it; the words "Yin Yang Palace" were engraved on it, and its texture was icy cold.

I want results tonight.

Then the man in black hesitated for a moment, as if he had thought of something, and reminded him, "Change your clothes, there are horses in the stable." He then waved his hand, telling Bai Jueming to hurry up and do it.

Bai Jueming bowed and took his leave. After leaving the house, he changed back into the coarse clothes he had worn before entering prison, led by a minor official, and then took a horse from the stable.

After leaving the Yin-Yang Palace, Bai Jueming mounted his tall horse and galloped away at breakneck speed. The Yin-Yang Palace hadn't assigned anyone to supervise Bai Jueming; if he didn't flee, he still had a chance to live if the case was investigated.

Trying to escape? If a mere eighth-rank official can run away right under the nose of the Yin-Yang Palace, then the Yin-Yang Palace might as well disband on the spot.

Fortunately, people dodge cars in this society, otherwise they wouldn't be as fast as you can run. Bai Jueming was extremely anxious. He had just asked the clerk for the time, and it was already early 5 pm. He only had six or seven hours left to investigate the case.

If they can't find out, maybe God is already queuing up for them in another world. That feeling of being left out is no pleasant.

The destination wasn't far; just around the corner, you'd see a slightly old-fashioned pharmacy, spanning two floors. The sign above the entrance read "Chen's Pharmacy."

Bai Jueming yanked the reins hard, and the horse neighed, its forelegs raised high. Looking rather dashing, he handed the horse to a waiter who came out from the side. Before entering, he glanced at the sundial displayed at the entrance of the pharmacy; it was early afternoon.

After entering the pharmacy, Bai Jueming first glanced around. The pharmacy was simply furnished, with two round tables on the left and right sides of the door, where customers were sitting and waiting to pick up their medicine.

Directly opposite the main entrance was a counter, behind which were three or four shop assistants dressed in gray cloth coats dispensing, weighing, and packing medicine for customers.

As soon as he stepped into the pharmacy, a clerk approached him and bowed slightly: "Sir, would you like to pick up some medicine?"

Not having time to waste words with the waiter, Bai Jueming glanced at the customers in the shop; there were quite a few.

He then walked up to the shop assistant and whispered in his ear, "Someone reported that your shop sells fake medicine, and people have already died from it. The Yin-Yang Palace has been ordered to investigate. You don't need to call the manager over; take me to see him."

After saying that, he took out a token from his pocket and lifted the waiter's hand so that he could feel the coolness of the token.

The man in black just gave Bai Jueming a token that allowed the Yin-Yang Hall to act expediently during investigations. This shows that the Yin-Yang Hall genuinely wanted to give Bai Jueming a way out.

Whether you can seize the opportunity depends on yourself. After all, smuggling national military supplies is a death sentence if you fail. If the Yin-Yang Palace wants you to die tonight, then you will die tonight.

The man glanced down at the words on the token and visibly trembled. Being approached by the Yin-Yang Palace was no good; their reputation had spread from the cultivator community to the ears of ordinary people.

Moreover, those who lived in the capital city were well aware of the terrifying nature of the Yin-Yang Palace. It was just strange that this official wasn't wearing the Yin-Yang Palace uniform while handling the case.

Then he heard the shop assistant's slightly trembling voice: "Sir, please follow me." Bai Jueming nodded, walked around the medicine cabinet, and followed the shop assistant to the backyard.

Two people were sitting at a stone table under a tree in the backyard. One was a man in white, and the other was a middle-aged, overweight man. They were drinking tea.

The waiter brought Bai Jueming over and then called out to the fat shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, this gentleman is looking for you." Upon hearing this, the man in white seemed to realize something and turned around to look at Bai Jueming.

The fat man's expression changed upon seeing the token clipped to Bai Jueming's waist. He quickly stood up and waved to the waiter, "You can go now. Tell the others not to come to the backyard."

The man felt like he'd been granted a pardon and slipped away.

He then invited Bai Jueming to sit down and personally served him tea. He said with a forced smile, "My lord, you must be the lord sent by the Yin-Yang Palace."

Bai Jueming nodded, then looked at the man in white, whose features were rather ordinary. He cupped his hands and said, "Brother, you must be Brother Cheng. I am Bai Jueming. I am here on the orders of... (what was the man in black called? Never mind, I'll make one up) Lord Hei to assist Brother Cheng in investigating the case."

Cheng Yanbing was a little puzzled. When did the Yin-Yang Palace produce a hall master surnamed Hei? But he didn't pay much attention to it. He stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said with a smile, "Brother, please have a seat."

Bai Jueming didn't stand on ceremony and got straight to the point after sitting down. "Brother Cheng, time is tight. Just tell me what happened. To be honest, I still have three or four cases piling up. I'm truly valued by Lord Hei."

Bai Jueming spouted nonsense without batting an eye. He couldn't very well say that time was limited and that if he didn't hurry up and solve the case, he'd be finished.

Cheng Yanbing let out two "ohs," surprised that this young man was valued so highly by the Yin-Yang Palace. "Three days ago, the imperial court issued an edict ordering my master to refine elixirs for the Imperial Preceptor. After receiving the edict, my master instructed me to refine the elixirs. This was only my second time refining this type of elixir, so it was naturally a piece of cake. But today, the people from your Yin-Yang Palace told me that there was a problem with that elixir, almost harming the Imperial Preceptor."

The shopkeeper beside him was inwardly groaning. "Where have I gotten myself into this mess? This is serious enough to get me beheaded!"

Bai Jueming frowned inwardly as he listened. The Imperial Advisor's elixir had gone awry. This was the second most powerful figure in the Great Xia Empire. Why would they ask me to investigate something like this? Shouldn't they have just sent a city-wide purge by top experts?

Even if they're afraid of alerting the enemy, how could I possibly investigate this kind of case? And if I did, would the mastermind let me off the hook? They're targeting the Imperial Advisor! They can't possibly be giving me a chance to investigate, can they?

Forget it, these aren't things I should be thinking about right now. I won't get through tonight if I can't find out, so what's the point of thinking about the future? I want to escape... but I can't...

Cheng Yanbing picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and then said with a hint of pride, "There's absolutely no problem with the pills. I've successfully refined them, and I've already tested one."

Bai Jueming was a little surprised. This guy seemed quite proud of his pills. But then again, what kind of person could refine pills for the Imperial Preceptor? It's normal for him to be proud.

"The people from your Yin-Yang Palace suspect that my pills were switched. I explained everything that happened after I finished refining them. They suspect there's a problem here and need to investigate, which is why they sent me here today. You arrived as soon as I entered."

The portly shopkeeper, listening nearby, was terrified and filled with anguish. He could only plead with a pained expression, "My lords, I'm innocent! Could there be some misunderstanding? This is a pharmacy passed down through my family. I would never do anything to ruin my reputation!" His tone was clearly urgent by the end.

Bai Jueming glanced at the shopkeeper, somewhat understanding his feelings. However, he also realized that if something really happened here, losing business would be a minor matter; the real problem was that the imperial court would provide food and lodging in the future. He might even suffer physical pain and then die.

The shopkeeper wanted to explain something, but Bai Jueming interrupted him coldly: "What's the rush? I won't wrong you until the matter is cleared up." The shopkeeper stood aside, trembling and silent.

Bai Jueming then looked at Cheng Yanbing: "Brother Cheng, I've been busy with many things these past two days and haven't had time to understand the case yet. I'll just use soul searching." This is the most convenient aspect of an Onmyoji's investigation: directly searching souls or fabricating dream dialogues. Being busy is a lie; having only six hours left is the truth.

Cheng Yanbing shrugged and said nonchalantly, "Do as you please. I'm just here to fill in the gaps."

Brother, isn't this your doing? Why do you seem so nonchalant? Oh~ If they can't find out, I'll lose my head. Never mind then...