Yin Yang Soul Searcher

Bai Jueming nodded, his voice filled with satisfaction: "Xiaoxue asked a good question. You've learned something from me after all this time."

Han Xueshan's heroic face darkened, and she suppressed the urge to hit him.

"Because Brother Jia's father didn't communicate directly with the Imperial Preceptor through official channels! And the letter hinted at Brother Jia joining the Yin-Yang Palace, so I think his father already knows about the mineral deposits." Bai Jueming's eyes narrowed as he voiced his conjecture.

Han Xueshan's spirited face was full of doubt. Was there a necessary connection between them? "I still don't understand. Since his father knows about the mine, wouldn't it be better to just explain it to the Imperial Advisor?"

"It would be strange if you were even thinking straight..." Bai Jueming blurted out without thinking. He quickly covered his mouth afterward, pleading, "Heroine, spare me!"

Han Xueshan's heroic face instantly turned red, her not-so-prominent chest heaving slightly. She struggled to suppress the urge to draw her sword and teach Bai Jueming a lesson. "I may not be as smart as you, but I can take on ten of you!"

Jia Qingshan hesitated for a moment, then patted his chest with a hint of relief. "I don't know what the necessary connection is, but luckily Miss Han asked faster than I did."

Bai Jueming quickly put on a fawning smile and said, "I'm so sorry, Xiaoxue. I misheard and thought it was Brother Jia speaking. I apologize to you."

"???" Jia Qingshan.

Han Xueshan snorted coldly, said nothing more, and silently loosened her clenched fist.

Bai Jueming looked at Jia Qingshan and asked, "Brother Jia, given your father's personality, what do you think he should do after learning about the elixir case and the mining incident?"

Jia Qingshan rested his chin on his folding fan, pondered for a moment, and then said, "I think my father should send a message to the Imperial Preceptor, explaining that he has nothing to do with the elixir case and asking me to leave the capital and stop doing business there. Then he should report all the information he knows about the mining case to the Imperial Preceptor to prove his innocence."

After saying that, Jia Qingshan nodded, feeling that his idea was correct; this was just his father's nature. He would definitely do that.

"That's indeed the best way." Bai Jueming nodded, then asked, "But why didn't your father do that?"

"Yes, why doesn't my father do that?" Jia Qingshan murmured, frowning, and fell into deep thought.

Bai Jueming actually had the answer in his heart: his father had already sent a letter, but the Grand Preceptor hadn't received it, or perhaps his father had some unspeakable secret and was being threatened. Therefore, he could only hint to Jia Qingshan to join the Yin-Yang Palace through a family letter. On the surface, it was to make him work like a slave, but in reality, it was to use the power of the Yin-Yang Palace to protect him. After all, Jia Qingshan was his father's only son and the next Prince Yu Nan.

Bai Jueming kept quiet because he didn't want Jia Qingshan to worry unnecessarily. After all, Jia Qingshan couldn't help his father much from the capital. If Jia Qingshan felt his father was in danger and insisted on returning, he would not only offend the Imperial Advisor but also waste his father's good intentions!

However, the above speculation is not entirely valid, because there is another point: if his father could not send the message to the Grand Preceptor, why could the letter to Jia Qingshan be sent?

Bai Jueming shook his head; with limited information, he couldn't guess any more.

In short, it's unlikely that his father was involved in the mining case. After all, the Great Xia Dynasty was prosperous, so why would he do something that could cost him his life? Wouldn't it be better to preserve his wealth and status and pass it on to future generations?

If his father really got involved in something that could cost him his life, even if he succeeded in the end, wouldn't he just be doing all the work for someone else? You have to understand that Jia Qingshan is in the capital and is definitely at risk of being executed at any time. His father is infertile, so what's the difference between him and a eunuch?

Throughout history, anyone can become emperor—a woman, a fool, a beggar. But a eunuch is the only exception, because eunuchs have no offspring! Wait, Jia Qingshan seems to have a younger sister, that's unlikely...

Thinking of this, Bai Jueming interrupted Jia Qingshan's thoughts: "Stop thinking about it. All we've said so far is just speculation. Maybe your father has other considerations?"

"Furthermore, our Yin-Yang Palace already knows that the mineral deposits are being sent to Li Family Town. I think it won't be long before the Vice Palace Master sends people over to investigate. Then we'll naturally find out the truth."

"Or you could write back to your father beforehand and ask, or if you have the chance, you could ask my godfather; maybe he knows something."

"Your godfather? You don't mean the Imperial Advisor, do you? Has the Imperial Advisor really taken you as his godson?" Jia Qingshan stopped thinking and asked uncertainly.

Bai Jueming nodded and said righteously, "Of course it's the Imperial Preceptor. Although he hasn't acknowledged it yet, I can feel my godfather's high regard and favor towards me. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bestowed upon me a magical artifact to capture Jinxiu."

If Han Xueshan lived in Bai Jueming's era, she would definitely blurt out "idiot" now. Unfortunately, this word doesn't exist in this era.

So Han Xueshan simply chuckled twice to show her disdain.

Aside from the fact that the Imperial Preceptor bestowed a magical artifact upon Bai Jueming, everything else was merely Bai Jueming's imagination...

Jia Qingshan twitched the corner of his mouth, thinking that Bai Jueming was a bit obsessed.

Bai Jueming ignored their disdain, stood up, and turned his neck: "You wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you. You've never been rewarded by the Imperial Preceptor, so you can't feel his high regard for you. This is all deep affection." After saying that, he shook his head and walked towards the door.

"Brother Bai, where are you going?"

Bai Jueming didn't even turn his head, just waved his hand and said, "I've done such a great service, Brother Shan gave me half a day off so I can go back and rest."

"Chu Jiangyuan is dead too, so no one wants to kill me anymore. Therefore, you don't need to be my bodyguards today, and I'm giving you half a day off, paid time!"

Jia Qingshan nodded thoughtfully. He didn't care about that little bit of money at all; his poor boss's annual salary wasn't even enough to cover the cost of one of his meals.

A half-day rest would be perfect for writing a letter to his father, asking about the situation in Shangzhou. He wanted to see what was going on with the old man. With that thought, Jia Qingshan retrieved his pen and ink from his room.

Upon hearing this, Han Xueshan also got up and walked outside, following behind Bai Jueming.

This surprised Bai Jueming greatly, and he felt a little touched: "Actually, you don't need to come with me. You can rest well in the Yin-Yang Palace. I shouldn't be in any danger."

"You're overthinking it. I just want to go back to Shanhu Temple to visit my master," Han Xueshan said, rolling her eyes. "I'll be back tomorrow."

That jerk really thinks too highly of himself. He said he didn't need protection anymore, yet he still goes out of his way to fawn over her?

Bai Jueming felt a little embarrassed, thinking, "I've wasted my feelings." Then, with a flick of his sleeve, he walked ahead with a flourish.

I felt a pang of emotion; it's rare to find a boss as good as me. Only a model citizen of this new era like myself could understand the plight of fellow laborers. I'm such a kind person.

If I were a chef in my past life, even if there were no customers eating, you wouldn't be allowed to sit and rest for a moment. The supervisor would bark like a dog, "Don't you know how to clean the kitchen? All you do is play on your phones..."

Bai Jueming shook his head, not wanting to recall that painful time anymore. Besides his parents from his past life and his younger brother who loved singing and dancing, there was nothing else he missed. His current identity suited him better.

The two left Zhengshan Hall together and walked on the bustling inner city streets. There were vendors selling drinks everywhere. Bai Jueming touched the five taels of silver in his sleeve. This was his private stash of money that he had hidden away, which he took out to spend as pocket money.

Thanks to the gold and silver notes Young Master Jia gave us last time, which greatly enriched our private coffers, otherwise we wouldn't have been willing to spend these five taels of silver. Now that we're wealthy gentlemen, we can finally indulge ourselves!

Bai Jueming and Han Xueshan walked side by side down the street when Bai Jueming suddenly remembered that his older sister had mentioned the other day that their younger brother might be coming home today. It was a rare opportunity for the family to reunite; should he cook a meal for them to enjoy? Bai Jueming was confident that, with his culinary skills from his previous life, he could easily outshine even the imperial chefs in the palace with just a couple of dishes.

Thinking of this, Bai Jueming had an idea. He said to Han Xueshan, who was traveling with him, "Miss Han, it's almost noon now. Your journey back to Shanhuguan is long. Why don't you come to my house for lunch before you go back? I'll cook for you myself; you'll definitely have a delicious meal! What do you say?"

Han Xueshan raised an eyebrow, instinctively sensing something was amiss. Would this bitch really be so kind? Last time she said she'd treat her to dinner at a fancy restaurant, but ended up eating a bowl of noodles at a roadside stall. Could this be a trap?

Han Xueshan pretended to think for a moment, then nodded: "Okay, what are you going to treat me to?"

"Eat whatever you want. I can cook anything. There's no limit to what I can make," Bai Jueming said confidently.

"You can cook anything? I didn't know you were a chef!" Han Xueshan instinctively didn't believe it.

"None of that matters. Just tell me what you want to eat, preferably meat. My meat dishes are delicious, fragrant, and visually appealing; you'll definitely be satisfied."

Han Xueshan thought for a moment and realized she didn't really have anything she wanted to eat, so she said, "Just cook a couple of dishes, I'm not picky."

"Alright, I'll see what I can do." Bai Jueming readily agreed, then rubbed his hands together mischievously and said, "Um, Miss Han, we need to buy groceries for the meal, but I don't have any money on me. Do you think this is enough money for the groceries...?"

Upon hearing this, Han Xueshan's pretty face instantly flushed red, her blood rushing to her head, clearly furious. She took a deep breath, calming her slightly heaving chest, and after a moment squeezed out through gritted teeth, "You bitch! Get out!"

Feeling unsatisfied after saying that, he picked up the peach wood sword in his hand and was about to strike Bai Jueming.

Fortunately, Bai Jueming reacted quickly and, noticing the situation was amiss, took off running towards a crowd, hoping to shake off Han Xueshan.

Han Xueshan was squeezed by pedestrians, making it difficult for her to wield her sword, and she was a beat slower, so she couldn't catch up with Bai Jueming.

Bai Jueming ran a long way through the crowd before stopping and letting out a long sigh of relief. Behind him, he could faintly hear Han Xueshan's angry curses, "You bitch, don't let me catch you!!"

Some passersby were attracted by his cursing and turned to look. Han Xueshan felt embarrassed by the stares of so many people and had no choice but to leave by another route with a dark expression.

Some busybodies were even gossiping about it behind people's backs.

A passerby carrying an old hen remarked, "Why is this girl swearing? Looks like she wants to fight. Doesn't she worry about never getting married?"

"I say, with eyes like that, you're playing with an eagle? You're clearly a young swordsman."

"Is that so?" The man who had spoken earlier looked down at the old hen in his hand, then at Han Xueshan who was walking away.

"This is the capital city. Who would dare to fight in the street? Aren't they afraid of being arrested by the authorities?"

"Look at the sword he's carrying; it looks really powerful."

...Upon hearing someone call him a young hero, Han Xueshan's face darkened even further. If that person hadn't just been an ordinary citizen, she would have definitely taught him a lesson!

"If you don't want to buy it, then don't buy it. Why get so angry? No wonder you're acting like a child at your age." Bai Jueming clicked his tongue, and seeing that Han Xueshan didn't chase after him, he chose a side path to go home.