Yin Yang Soul Searcher

Koi pouted, looking somewhat aggrieved, and said, "You really don't want me to come with you?"

Isn't this obvious? I am the Grand Master of the Beichen Yin-Yang Palace, the General who controls the entire army of Beichen, and the number one Yin-Yang Master in the martial arts world. How could I possibly live with a demon beast?

......

Finally, Xiao Wumian took the scale and, guided by the koi, swore an oath to it, promising to watch over and help Beichen and the Inner Demon Sea, and never betray them.

Marrying her was out of the question, so Xiao Wumian's biggest concession was that he promised to visit her in the Inner Demon Sea at least once a month...

Firstly, the two can exchange information and make appropriate adjustments to the plan; secondly, they can exchange feelings... I won't go into details.

Although Jinli was somewhat disappointed, she didn't say anything more. She only told Xiao Wumian that she could tell her anytime she missed her, and that she could move to Beichen anytime...

Xiao Wumian said there was no need for that, then clasped his hands in farewell and took his leave.

Jinli watched Xiao Wumian's departing figure, reluctant to move. So young, so handsome, so powerful, and with real authority in Beichen...

There are very few people like him in the whole world. Since he has come to us of his own accord, we must seize this opportunity!

The koi fish tossed its big, wavy hair and revealed a beautiful smile.

She had made up her mind that she would be with Xiao Wumian sooner or later! Only by deeply binding herself to Xiao Wumian would the Inner Demon Sea have the confidence to resist the Great Demon Kingdom!

With a turn, the koi transformed into a golden-red carp and leaped into the sea, leaving no ripples...

In the distance, Xiao Wumian sped across the blue sea and sky at an incredible speed. The salty sea breeze lifted his flowing long hair, revealing a face that, though weathered by time, still retained a youthful charm.

"Being handsome is a problem too." Xiao Wumian rubbed his temples with a headache, and only slowed down after he got closer to land.

A moment later, Xiao Wumian stopped, floating on the sea, gazing back towards the direction of Great Xia for a long time, a complex emotion hidden in his eyes...

"My sacrifice is far too great! And now the koi fish has this 'misfortune' weakness in their hands... If this fails, I'll probably suffer a terrible fate, won't I?"

Shaking his head, Xiao Wumian stopped thinking about it and took out a letter from his sleeve. He frowned and checked the contents of the letter again.

"This...aren't you afraid he'll play you to death?" Xiao Wumian said something nonsensical, then put away the letter...

......

In the courtyard, the morning sunlight dispelled the darkness of the night.

The morning dew dripped from the flowers and grass, falling to the ground and moistening the earth. This scene was just like Bai Jueming's tears last night.

With dark circles under his eyes, Bai Jueming weakly pushed open the door and took a deep breath of the morning air.

This was one of the rare times he woke up early. No, he hadn't slept at all; the thief in his house had stolen so much money that he couldn't sleep at all.

With no short videos to watch, he tossed and turned, so he sat up and began to meditate. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise. Although he lost his money, he broke through to the seventh rank with the help of the treasure given to him by the national teacher!

But he couldn't feel happy at all...

Upon arriving in the kitchen, Bai Jueming casually cooked some plain porridge. Shortly after, his older sister and Xiaotang also came in.

......

"Why are you up so early today?" the older sister asked, sipping her congee.

Bai Jueming composed himself for a moment, then told a white lie: "Big sister, the Yin-Yang Palace has a mission. They need me to stay there for a few days to analyze cases, so I won't be coming back for the next few days."

"How many days?" Bai Wanfang raised an eyebrow.

"It could take a month, or three to five months..." Bai Jueming wasn't sure when he would be able to return from Shangzhou, so he deliberately gave a long timeline.

With such a long timeline, even if I can't find anything out, the matter in Shangzhou should have a result by now, whether it's good or bad.

If he could find out the truth himself, he'd return home in glory, enjoying immense prestige! But what if he couldn't find out? Bai Jueming didn't even dare to dream of it...

"So long?" Bai Wanfang frowned slightly, then asked, "Is this case dangerous?"

Bai Jueming handled the situation well. His eldest sister didn't object to living in the Yin-Yang Palace, as long as she didn't travel the world like her younger brother and make her worry.

"It's not dangerous. I'm a white-collar worker; at most, I'll lead people out on errands and gather clues," Bai Jueming replied without hesitation.

"Alright then." Although Wanfang was somewhat reluctant, she didn't say much. Staying at the Yin-Yang Palace would at least guarantee his safety, unlike Hongfei who wandered the martial world... barely surviving and constantly in danger...

Bai Jueming thought for a moment, then took out two silver notes from his sleeve. One was a hundred taels he had borrowed from Young Master Jia, and the other was fifty taels he had earned from the owner of Tangxinzhai.

Bai Jueming stuffed two silver notes into his elder sister's hand, then said earnestly, "Elder sister, this is my overtime pay from the Yin-Yang Palace. There will be a bonus later. Consider it compensation for not being able to go home."

"So much? That's more than half a year's salary for you, isn't it?" Bai Wanfang opened her mouth in surprise.

"These are some of the benefits of joining the Yin-Yang Palace." Bai Jueming revealed a smug smile, inwardly cursing his little brother a thousand times over. He had so much more to offer!

Now not only have I gone bankrupt, but I'm also facing a famine of 100 taels!

"Big sister, take this money and buy Xiaotang new clothes and improve her meals. Don't worry about spending it all; the Yin-Yang Palace will give you more later." Bai Jueming earnestly advised, "Big sister, why don't you just stop doing that embroidery? The money I earn is enough for you and Xiaotang to live on."

Bai Wanfang shook her head. Although she put away the silver notes, she remained stubborn: "You must continue doing the embroidery. As for this money of yours, I will save it for you to use when you get married in the future."

"Xiaotang and I can eat and drink at the store, saving you and Hongfei money to get married."

Is this woman someone I absolutely must marry?!

"Big sister, don't worry about our marriage. I'm not bragging, but if I wanted to, countless young ladies from respectable families would be vying to be my bed warmer." Bai Jueming didn't know how to persuade her anymore; her older sister was as stubborn as an ox on this matter.

Bai Wanfang ignored his boasting and changed the subject: "How are things going with that Miss Han?"

"That's good. I'll bring her back for dinner after I finish my business trip... after I've finished staying at the Yin-Yang Palace..." Bai Jueming quickly picked up his bowl and ate a couple of bites to cover his guilty conscience; he almost let it slip...

"That's good." Bai Wanfang nodded in satisfaction, not minding Bai Jueming's slip of the tongue.

After finishing her meal, Bai Wanfang hurriedly left with Xiaotang. People outside the system who work from 8 am to 9 am have very tight schedules, and being late will result in a deduction of their salary. Unlike her, who has a secure job, being late is not a big deal.

Bai Jueming watched his eldest sister's departing figure and shook his head with some emotion.

Looking back on my life of working from 8 am to 8 pm, year-round without a break, every time I see short videos, I have an urge to quit and pursue poetry and distant places.

Unfortunately, he was penniless; even a hero can't survive without a penny. Adding to his burdens was a disappointing younger brother who loved to sing and dance, and his parents were just ordinary working-class people. The pressure of life was suffocating Bai Jueming. He simply didn't have the courage to give up.

As he grew older, Bai Jueming gradually got used to such a busy life. When he had time to rest, he would just lie in bed and watch short videos all day, not knowing what he wanted to do at all.

As we grow up, we gradually lose the ability to perceive happiness and eventually become boring people.

This is the life of an ordinary working person!

.......

Inside a luxurious mansion in the capital city.

Inside the study, the bookshelves filled with various books were spotless. In the center of the room stood an exquisitely crafted desk, upon which sat the Four Treasures of the Study, which looked quite expensive.

At this moment, a richly dressed man sat at a table, staring blankly at the letter in his hand. It was sent back by Master Siji after he arrived in Shangzhou.

"We handled the matter in Lijia Town very discreetly. Not many people knew about it to begin with, and I've already dealt with any risks that could expose our clues. I believe that no matter who the Yin-Yang Palace sends, they won't be able to find any useful clues."

"However, just in case, you still need to find out who is going to Li Family Town. If there's an opportunity, I'll eliminate them on the way! I'll make sure everything goes smoothly, so the Yin-Yang Palace can't find any clues for a while! To ensure our plan succeeds!"

"One last thing, preparations at the mass grave are almost complete. If you can't get to Shangzhou soon, I'll take the spoils for you. Hehe!"

The man read the letter in his hand expressionlessly, then slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

"This Four Seasons Master is quite efficient; he managed to erase all traces of Li Family Town in such a short time."

"However, we still need to make him more cautious. He thinks there are no clues left, but the people from the Yin-Yang Palace might still find something."

"The mass grave is a troublesome matter." The man's fingertips tapped incessantly on the table, the "tap-tap" sound echoing in the quiet study.

That last sentence was a joke from Master Siji, urging him to hurry up and head to Shangzhou, otherwise everything they had done in the mass grave would have benefited someone else.

The man slowly placed the letter above the candle flame, and the flickering flame quickly licked the letter clean.

Then, the man pulled a piece of paper from the desk, picked up a pen, and dipped it in ink.

"You need to be more careful in your affairs in Shangzhou. Things you think you have no clue about, the Onmyoji might still be able to investigate. Especially corpses; it's best to cremate them on the spot and prevent the Onmyoji from touching the dead! You should understand that the dead can speak under the Onmyoji's care!"

......

The man's calligraphy on the letter paper was exquisite, indicating that he had received a good education from a young age.

But as he finished writing, the pen dipped in ink suddenly stopped in mid-air and did not fall for a long time.

The man suddenly realized that now was not the time to reply.

He then frowned, put down his pen and paper, and burned the completed letter over the candlelight until it was completely consumed. Finally, he got up and left the room...