Yin Yang Soul Searcher

Bai Jueming waved for the shopkeeper to sit down, and began to mobilize his soul power, with wisps of black mist appearing in his palm.

Then he told the shopkeeper to recall the scene when he first met Cheng Yanbing. He then grasped the shopkeeper's wrist, and the shopkeeper began to fall asleep on the table. Bai Jueming entered the shopkeeper's dream.

In the dream, the shopkeeper was using an abacus in the backyard when his assistant led Cheng Yanbing there. Cheng Yanbing approached and asked if he wanted to buy herbs, saying he was attracted by their fragrance. The shopkeeper recognized them as a herb he had acquired a couple of days prior, belonging to a cultivator.

The shopkeeper dismissed the waiter, and Bai Jueming followed the shopkeeper's perspective to the main hall, where he went upstairs to retrieve the herbs. After returning and discussing the matter, Cheng Yanbing spent five hundred taels of silver to pack the herbs into a box and take them away. The shopkeeper personally delivered them to the door, and then returned to continue working on his abacus.

There was absolutely no trace of foul play! Although it's a case involving cultivators, the fact that they managed to leave no trace is astounding. How can anyone investigate that?!

Damn, the cases involving cultivators are so difficult. My head is so itchy, do I need to use my brain? No, no, I must have been reading too fast and missed something.

Cheng Yanbing sat to the side, sipping tea, when she noticed Bai Jueming frowning, sweat pouring down his face. Had he been brutally beaten in a dream? Why was it so painful? Other Onmyoji's dreams had never been this painful. Little did she know, Bai Jueming was frantic because he couldn't find out the truth.

A moment later, Bai Jueming opened his eyes, a hint of despair in his expression. There was absolutely no sign of foul play.

The shopkeeper opened his eyes with lingering fear. Was this the Yin-Yang Palace's method? It actually managed to make me have that dream again. How terrifying!

Cheng Yanbing glanced at Bai Jueming's slightly despairing eyes and spoke up at the opportune moment: "Could it be that your Yin Yang Palace's analysis was wrong, and there's no problem here?"

These words jolted Bai Jueming awake. Since the Yin-Yang Palace said there was a problem here, they shouldn't be lying to him; the clues must be here. Otherwise, they wouldn't need to lie if they wanted to kill him. But how did the Yin-Yang Palace confirm that the clues were here? Bai Jueming voiced his doubts.

Cheng Yanbing said "Oh" and explained, "When the Yin-Yang Palace interrogated me, I said that I smelled a medicinal fragrance on my way to deliver the pills, so I came in and bought a herb. I didn't expect it to be a thirty-year-old Sand Dragon Grass. Then I went to the Yin-Yang Palace. They said that someone had set a trap for me with the herb in order to steal the pills. But I didn't think there was anything wrong with it. How could the pills have been switched?" His tone was slightly puzzled at the end.

After listening to Cheng Yanbing's explanation, Bai Jueming slapped his forehead. The other side was targeting Cheng Yanbing's scheme; the shopkeeper was likely just a tool in the investigation. Perhaps the clues were in Cheng Yanbing's dreams, unnoticed by him. However, one thing remained puzzling: where did the shopkeeper get the thirty-year-old Sand Dragon Grass to lure Cheng Yanbing? Either he was an accomplice, or he was simply foolish...being used. Time was limited. They could ignore the herbs for now.

He then bowed slightly to Cheng Yanbing and said, "Brother Cheng, to be honest, I have some leads, but there are still some details that need to be confirmed. If you don't mind, I'll search your dreams."

Cheng Yanbing glanced at Bai Jueming suspiciously. Wasn't he looking quite desperate just now? Did I misjudge? Did we already have a clue? Then he waved his hand dismissively, "Whatever."

"Alright, Brother Cheng, recall the details of that day." With that, he grasped Cheng Yanbing's wrist and entered Cheng Yanbing's dream, observing various details from Cheng Yanbing's perspective: entering the pharmacy, being led to the backyard by the shop assistant, and finally leaving after buying the herbs... without any flaws.

Bai Jueming's hand, which was holding Cheng Yanbing's, began to tremble slightly; he was a little scared. The person behind it all hadn't left a trace again. Impossible, absolutely impossible. If the other party had such methods, they wouldn't have needed to lure Cheng Yanbing here; they could have simply switched her on the way.

In his dream, Bai Jueming stared intently at every detail, from entering the room to the conversation, and then leaving with the herbs. After watching it countless times, he finally found... a subtle, unusual detail.

Bai Jueming slowly opened his eyes and looked at Cheng Yanbing solemnly, saying, "Brother Cheng, from the moment you entered the pharmacy until you bought the herbs and left, how long did you stay?"

Cheng Yanbing didn't understand why he asked that, but after thinking for a moment, she said, "It's been less than fifteen minutes. Why are you asking?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Jueming breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he had guessed, the timing was off. From the moment Cheng Yanbing entered the room, Bai Jueming noticed that the sundial at the door showed the time as "Wei Shi" (1-3 PM), and by the time Cheng Yanbing left, the time on the sundial had changed to "Shen Shi" (3-5 PM). Bai Jueming then recounted his observations from his dream.

Based on Cheng Yanbing's experience in his dream, this incident definitely took no more than half an hour, and now Cheng Yanbing has confirmed it. It's almost certain that the time that disappeared in the middle was the time the mastermind committed the crime. But what methods did the mastermind use? The mastermind wasn't seen in the dream, and neither of the two parties involved noticed anything amiss.

The original owner was just a rogue cultivator who had been cultivating for two and a half years and was at the eighth rank. He had never heard of these strange methods before. He only knew that there were demons, seasonal masters, talismans, formations, pills, and Taoist magic in this world... a typical fantasy world.

"Oh, I think I know what the method is." Cheng Yanbing nodded thoughtfully. Bai Jueming was delighted to hear this: "Brother Cheng, please tell me." This is also a master. He can deduce the mastermind's method just by looking at the time difference. Those who live off the government are indeed different, they are knowledgeable.

Cheng Yanbing thought for a moment and said, "If I'm not mistaken, it's an array. I didn't see the mastermind, so it's probably some kind of illusion array. I'll have to ask my master for details, since I'm not particularly interested in arrays. Actually, knowing about arrays can narrow down the search area a lot, since array stones are a resource for various dynasties! We should investigate whoever has the strongest motive!"

Then he scoffed, "Only a fool would spend all his time studying formations. It's pointless to waste time on those few broken stones."

The original owner knew a bit about formations. Formations are created by arranging and combining different formation stones to form large formations with different effects. From imperial palaces and city walls to kitchen knives and scissors, everything can be given the function of a formation.

Most importantly, it could give weapons greater power and stronger defense. Therefore, this kind of thing was always monopolized by the courts of various countries, and anyone who dared to possess it was punished as a treasoner... The mastermind behind this has a huge budget. With these important clues, I should be able to save my life, right?

After a pause, Cheng Yanbing continued, "The matter is quite clear now. The mastermind knew I was very interested in herbs, so they lured me here with a thirty-year-old Sand Dragon Grass, setting up a formation in the shop to switch the grass with a new one. Fortunately, due to the mastermind's negligence, or for some other reason, they didn't include the sundial in the formation, allowing you to discover the clue. Otherwise, this case would have been much more troublesome. As for tracing the origin of the herbs, I don't need to get involved in that, right?"

Bai Jueming nodded thoughtfully. The person behind this was very familiar with the methods of the Onmyoji, knowing how to use such methods to evade the Onmyoji's soul-searching. Could it be a spy from another country? Or a high-ranking official of the court who had a grudge against the Imperial Advisor?

Forget it, I won't think about it anymore. The investigation into the pharmacy can only go this far. Further investigation will only lead to that herb. I wonder if the people from the Yin-Yang Hall have investigated along the herb's trail. After all, the fact that the shopkeeper is waiting here for the investigation means he's being used.

After saying this, Yan Bing stood up: "Now that we know the mastermind's methods, I'll take my leave. I'll go back and ask my master what kind of formation it is."

Bai Jueming rose to see them off, now that he could go back and report. The shopkeeper, who had been standing there like a wooden statue, quickly got up and led the way.

The three arrived at the entrance of the pharmacy. It was already dark, and the shop assistant had lit the lanterns beside the signboard. Bai Jueming then noticed that there was another pharmacy across the street, its sign reading "Jia Family Pharmacy," but it had far fewer customers than Manager Chen's. Even in the candlelight, the interior design was quite luxurious.

I wonder what the other side was thinking, opening a shop right across the street from such a big competitor as Manager Chen. Maybe they cater to the wealthy and powerful, looking down on the meager earnings of ordinary people. That explains the low foot traffic.

Cheng Yanbing descended the steps, mounted his horse first, and after thinking for a moment, took out a red pill from the cloth bag at his waist and tossed it to Bai Jueming, saying, "Brother Bai, you are truly skilled. You solved the detail that even Hall Master Li and the others couldn't figure out after watching it several times. Here's a Qi and Blood Pill as a token of my gratitude. Farewell." He then clasped his hands in a fist salute.

Bai Jueming accepted the pill and bowed in thanks. Watching Cheng Yanbing ride away, he carefully slipped it into his sleeve.

I've heard of this elixir, Bai Jue Ming, on the black market. It's said that each pill costs five hundred taels of silver and is an effective Qi and Blood Pill even for fifth-rank martial artists.

Moreover, it seems only the Craftsmen's Hall can refine this kind of elixir. They just gave it to me like that. Even if I don't necessarily need it, I can sell it on the black market for money.

Thinking about how I ended up like this for a hundred taels of silver, and then seeing others casually giving away five hundred, sometimes I really laugh at myself for being so poor. Of course, sometimes I should also look for the reasons within myself: have I been working hard enough? Has my salary increased...?

Bai Jueming turned and waved to the shopkeeper, signaling him to come closer. The shopkeeper approached somewhat warily. Bai Jueming was speechless. "Afraid I'll be your friend?"

Bai Jueming lowered his voice and asked, "Has anyone from the Yin-Yang Palace asked you about the gambling ghost?" The shopkeeper shook his head like a rattle drum: "No, you were the first person to investigate my dream, sir." The shopkeeper still felt lingering fear when he thought about it.

Wait a minute, if the people from the Yin-Yang Palace are in such a hurry, why aren't they investigating the gambling ghost lead? Is this opportunity being reserved for me? That possibility can be ruled out. Or perhaps they've already investigated secretly, and the shopkeeper doesn't know? Oh well, it's already so late. I should go back and report. I don't even know if I'll survive...

Bai Jueming nodded, indicating that he understood. He mounted his tall horse and headed straight for the Yin-Yang Palace.