Yin Yang Soul Searcher

"You should know the rules of our Yin Yang Palace, right? You can recruit five warriors to protect your safety," Li Zhengshan said, taking a sip of his tea.

Brother Shan kept me here just for this? He wants my recruitment slot? That's a huge sum of dirty money, you can't take it all!

"Zhou Dahai told me this when we went to catch Zhang He," Bai Jueming said, carefully choosing his words. "Brother Shan, although I have five spots, could you save two for me?" If you take them all, I won't get any benefits. Of course, Bai Jueming didn't dare say the second half of that sentence.

Li Zhengshan put down his teacup and said irritably, "What are you thinking? What would I need your recruitment quota for?"

"Uh, I guessed wrong?" Bai Jueming said somewhat awkwardly, "Brother Shan, then what do you mean?"

"The other day, the deputy hall master told me that he has a good friend in the Mountain Tiger Temple. His friend wants his disciple to come to the Yin Yang Hall to hone his skills. After all, our Yin Yang Hall always deals with cultivators."

"The deputy hall master asked me if I had a suitable position," Li Zhengshan explained. "Since you just joined the Yin Yang Hall, I told the deputy hall master that we could have that disciple from the Mountain Tiger Temple come and recruit the martial artist you wanted."

Then Li Zhengshan added, "Moreover, Taoist disciples have far more methods than martial artists. What do you think? If you don't want it, I can arrange for someone else to take it."

That's a good choice. Having more Taoist disciples' various skills will increase my chances of survival. Brother Shan's superior is really good; he thinks of his subordinates when there's something good to be had. It's just that this means one less of the five benefits. But what benefit is there compared to my own safety?

"I think it's a good idea, Brother Shan, then arrange it for me." Bai Jueming said a little embarrassedly, "By the way, Brother Shan, could I ask for a day off tomorrow? I need to go to Wutai Mountain to visit my younger brother; he hasn't been home for over two months."

"Since your younger brother has the talent for cultivation, why is he at Wutai Temple?" Li Zhengshan asked, somewhat surprised.

There are two Taoist temples on the outskirts of the capital of the Great Xia Dynasty. One is Wutai Temple, which Bai Jueming's younger brother joined, and the other is Shanhu Temple.

Wutai Temple claims to be the orthodox Taoist school, and its disciples do not interfere in any affairs of the imperial court. Shanhu Temple, however, is different; it frequently sends its disciples to assist the imperial court in their trials. In return, the imperial court helps Shanhu Temple by selecting newborn children each year who possess talent for Taoist cultivation and recommending them as disciples. Of course, this is on a voluntary basis.

This has led to the Wutai Temple, which prides itself on being the orthodox Taoist sect, losing its disciples due to the lack of government support. Meanwhile, the Shanhu Temple, backed by the government, has seen its number of disciples increase and its strength grow.

This is why Li Zhengshan was surprised; children in the capital with talent for cultivation are generally recommended to Shanhu Temple.

Bai Jueming naturally knew that the imperial court would help children with cultivation talent enter the Mountain Tiger Temple. But why didn't the imperial court discover Bai Jueyu's cultivation talent in the first place?

"Perhaps my unfortunate younger brother was one of those who slipped through the net," Bai Jueming could only explain.

"Never mind, it's not important anymore." Li Zhengshan waved his hand. "I don't have any other cases on hand these two days, so I'll give you a day off."

Bai Jueming's face lit up with joy, and he clasped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you, Brother Shan. I'll head out now."

After leaving the room, Bai Jueming was led by a minor official to the room where he had changed clothes earlier. The room contained only a few simple tables and chairs, as well as a bookshelf.

"Lord Bai, the Hall Master said that this will be your office room from now on. You can rest here unless the Hall Master assigns you something." The clerk explained the rules of the Yin-Yang Hall to Bai Jueming.

Li Zhengshan had four Yin-Yang Masters under his command, including Bai Jueming. Each of them had their own office, and the warriors they recruited would also stay there on standby. After explaining, the clerk took his leave.

Bai Jueming entered the room and sprawled out in a chair, propping his legs up on the table. The midday sun streamed in through the window; it was April, and the sunlight felt warm and comforting. He hadn't expected working at the Yin-Yang Palace to be so easy, of course, only when there were no cases to handle.

Bai Jueming lay back in his chair and began to carefully consider the ins and outs of the entire incident.

The Imperial Advisor was injured, so Cheng Yanbing was tasked with refining elixirs. The mastermind learned of this and approached Zhang He, instructing him to sell herbs to a pharmacy to lure Cheng Yanbing there. The mastermind then set up an illusion array and switched the elixirs. There's something Bai Jueming doesn't understand: the mastermind could have easily found someone to sell the herbs to "Chen's Pharmacy" themselves, instead of going through the extra step.

As for the speculation in the main hall earlier that it was a coincidence? Upon closer inspection, that's unlikely. Since the mastermind dared to target a mere second-rate official of the Great Xia Empire, they would definitely minimize any uncertainties in the crime. Zhang He must possess something that the mastermind is after! As for what that is, no one knows.

Furthermore, the mastermind behind this was capable of setting up formations, indicating a highly unusual identity. Adding to this, the fact that the Imperial Advisor declared the matter closed after reading the letter from the Craftsmen's Hall makes it even more complex...

After a restful afternoon, the sun was gradually setting. Bai Jueming stepped out of his room; judging by the sky, it should be around five in the afternoon. Time to go home! So satisfying!

Bai Jueming closed the door, and just then, Zhou Dahai walked out of the room across the platform.

The two greeted each other first, and then Zhou Dahai called out from the yard, "Old Wu, Old Wang is here."

Wu Yuan was in the room next to Bai Jueming, and Zhou Dahai was next to Old Wang from next door.

The four of them walked out of the yamen together. Standing on the main street in front of the yamen, Zhou Dahai suggested, "How about some drinks tonight? It's been a long time since I've relaxed. This case has worn me out."

The lean man, Wu Yuan, said, "I'm not going. I've had bad luck this month; I've lost all my money. I'll go next month after I get my salary."

Wang Pang chimed in, "I'm not going either. My wife wants a bigger house. She's taken all my secret stash of money."

"Tsk tsk tsk," Zhou Dahai mocked, "One's a gambler, the other's henpecked. How did I end up with two colleagues like you?"

The two pretended to fight, but Zhou Dahai dodged in a flash and said to Bai Jueming, "Moyu, let's go."

Moyu is Bai Jueming's courtesy name.

"Brother Hai, you know me, I'm still a penniless wretch." Bai Jueming shrugged and gave up.

"I can't afford to treat three people. Forget it, I'll wait until I get my salary before going," Zhou Dahai said, clearly disappointed.

The four of them had no choice but to go back to their own homes.