Yin Yang Soul Searcher

Bai Jueming glanced at the sun overhead; it was roughly three or four in the afternoon. He then said, "Daoist Master, it's getting late. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

"Young friend, it's not too late to leave after you've had dinner," the Taoist priest said, trying to persuade him to stay.

"Yes, brother. It's getting late. If you can't go now, let's leave tomorrow," Bai Jueyu agreed.

Bai Jueming declined, saying, "I'll definitely do it next time. Some colleagues are waiting for me down the mountain. I can't keep them waiting too long. Farewell, Daoist." Bai Jueming bowed respectfully.

My purpose in coming here was to visit my little brother. Now that my mission is accomplished, I'd better get going. I paid for the carriage down the mountain in advance!

"Have a safe journey, young friend." After saying this, the old Taoist priest leaned back in his chair and pretended to doze off.

Bai Jueyu had no choice but to lead his elder brother out of the vegetable garden, through the courtyard filled with the smoke of incense, and escort Bai Jueming to the door.

"Brother, please try to persuade Sister. If she doesn't go on her travels soon, it will really hinder her cultivation," Bai Jueyu advised.

Bai Juexing patted his younger brother on the shoulder, signaling him to relax. Although his older sister was a bit domineering, she wasn't the kind of person who would make trouble unreasonably. If the pros and cons of the matter were explained to her, she would agree.

"Alright, brother, take care. I'm going back to cultivate." Bai Jueyu turned to walk inside.

"Wait a minute, there's no rush in cultivation." Bai Jueming pulled him back. Then, lowering his voice, he said, "Tell me about the love-hate relationship between your Wutai Temple and Shanhu Temple. I'm quite curious."

Bai Jueming only knew that Shanhu Temple was backed by the imperial court and was despised by the disciples of Wutai Temple. Was it because Wutai Temple was too weak to cling to the imperial court's coattails? Was that why they were jealous?

"There's no love or hate involved, just old stories. It's alright to talk about them with you, brother." The two bid farewell to the gatekeeper and walked down the stone steps together.

Shanhu Temple. The second Taoist temple in the capital.

Han Xueshan walked outside the mountain gate, looking somewhat disheveled, but the bloodstains on her pretty face had been washed away.

Her eyebrows, like distant mountains, were not the delicate and graceful eyebrows of ordinary women. Instead, they carried a touch of heroism. Her nose was high and straight with sharp lines, like towering mountains, adding a touch of firmness and strength to her beautiful face.

After greeting the gatekeeper, Han Xueshan headed straight for her master's cultivation courtyard.

There is a crooked peach tree in the courtyard, with peach blossoms blooming everywhere, the pink petals like a dream.

A middle-aged, beautiful woman dressed in a Taoist robe was sitting under a tree with her eyes closed, meditating and practicing Buddhism, with her back to the gate.

Han Xueshan stepped forward and bowed: "Master, I went hunting today and encountered demon cultivators. They chased and attacked me."

The beautiful woman gave a lukewarm "hmm".

Han Xueshan said somewhat embarrassedly, "Master, I was being chased by the demon race and used up all my pills and talismans. I almost didn't make it back."

"Such powerful demon cultivators? What are they doing in the capital of my Great Xia?" The beautiful woman opened her eyes, somewhat surprised.

She knew her disciple's strength; at such a young age, he had already reached the sixth rank of Core Formation, and with his cultivation of Daoist arts, it was almost impossible for any demon cultivator of the same level to defeat him.

Only a fifth-rank demon cultivator can hunt down one's own disciple! And fifth-rank demon cultivators can only come from the Great Demon Kingdom and the Inner Demon Sea.

Such a powerful demon cultivator would never appear in a human kingdom.

Han Xueshan shook her head; she didn't know why the demons had come.

He simply stated the truth: "I encountered that demon cultivator gathering a group of wild beasts in Hundred Beast Mountain. When I tried to approach, I was discovered and then chased all the way."

"I used up all my pills and still had most of my talismans left. That's how I managed to escape with serious injuries." Even now, thinking about it still makes Han Xueshan feel a little scared.

The stronger the cultivator, the more beneficial they are to the demon cultivators. If one falls into the hands of the demons, there is only one fate: to be devoured alive.

"Finally, I escaped to the mountains and met a man. I exchanged the remaining talismans for his medicine and was saved." Han Xueshan gritted his teeth every time he thought of this.

"It's good that you're back. These are all just material possessions. But what brings the demon race to our Great Xia?" The beautiful woman stood up and sighed, "Ever since that person from the Yin-Yang Palace returned injured from Thundercloud Cave, all sorts of forces have started to stir."

Upon hearing the words "Yin Yang Palace," Han Xueshan hurriedly asked, "Master, why are you sending me to the Yin Yang Palace for training this time? Can't I just go and travel the world?"

"You still want to roam the martial world?" The beautiful woman poked Han Xueshan's forehead with her finger, pointing and gesturing, "Look at yourself now. Ever since you came back from your travels, do you still look like a girl?"

Han Xueshan was forced to retreat by her master's provocation. Before Han Xueshan could retort, the beautiful woman said with exasperation, "Now all you do is fight and kill at the slightest trouble. What's the difference between you and those brutes who only know how to use their strength? And what about your hobby? What girl likes hunting?"

"I sent you to the Yin-Yang Palace this time so you could train your brain. Learn from the people in the Yin-Yang Palace who solve cases, think things through first, and consider the consequences." After saying that, the beautiful woman poked Han Xueshan's head hard.

Han Xueshan wanted to refute, but then she thought that what her master said made some sense. Moreover, it seemed that the other female disciples in the Taoist temple all talked about her in private, saying that she was a boy. This made Han Xueshan very depressed.

He could only pat his chest twice to assure them, "Don't worry, Master. I'll go to the Yin-Yang Hall tomorrow to train properly."

Seeing her disciple struggle twice, the beautiful woman felt a pang of pity. Her voice softened as she said, "Just do your best."

"Xiaoxue, haven't you always wondered why the disciples of our Mountain Tiger Temple would help the imperial court? And why they're at odds with the Wutai Temple, which claims to be the orthodox Taoist sect? Today, I'll explain it to you." The beautiful woman stepped forward, took Han Xueshan's hand, and led her into the house...

Two handsome young men walked among the green pines and cypresses in the mountains. A breeze blew through the trees, making the leaves rustle, and the sound of flowing water could be heard in the distance. Together, they created a symphony that seemed to come from heaven.

My younger brother walks down the stone steps. Sunlight illuminates his white robes, making him look like an immortal being. A gentle breeze lifts his long white gown, as if he were about to ride the wind and return home.

The elder brother, dressed in a dark blue robe, walked behind. In the sunlight, dappled shadows of him shifted and intertwined among the trees, making him appear like a protective shadow guarding his younger brother.

Bai Jueyu gazed at the distant green mountains and cypresses as he slowly began his narration.

About a hundred years ago, the former Liang Dynasty was beset by internal and external troubles, with natural disasters and man-made calamities occurring frequently. War broke out all over the land, and smoke billowed everywhere.

Emperor Gaozu of the Great Xia Dynasty rose up in rebellion amidst the chaos of war. Eventually, various forces converged on the capital, and with the help of Zhang Dao, the abbot of Wutai Temple, Emperor Gaozu swept away all opposition, successfully conquering the Central Plains, establishing his dynasty, and changing the name to Great Xia. At that time, Wutai Temple was the only Taoist temple in the capital.

Could this be another case of the emperor worrying about the Wutai Temple's growing power and then suppressing it, like the old trick? Founding emperors throughout history, in order to ensure the longevity of their dynasties, have often resorted to killing meritorious officials, like Liu Bang and Zhu Yuanzhang. Bai Jueming wondered to himself.

After Emperor Gaozu entered the Forbidden City, natural disasters and man-made calamities gradually decreased. Eventually, the empire stabilized.

In the second year of the Great Xia Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu summoned Zhang Dao, the then-leader of the Daoist sect, to the palace. From then on, the leader secluded himself and devoted himself to studying the classics of the Daoist masters of past generations.

"What did the Emperor say when he summoned the Sect Leader?" Bai Jueming couldn't help but ask from the shadows.

Bai Jueyu shook his head. "The sect leader didn't reveal the specifics of what was said, but it's speculated that what the ancestor mentioned was a secret of the royal family."

"The secret of the royal family," Bai Jueming murmured softly. It wasn't unusual for royalty to have secrets, but for the second year after the founding of the Great Xia Dynasty by the Gaozu Emperor, to have a secret that couldn't be revealed? How strange. Could it be a secret of the previous dynasty's royal family? Or perhaps Zhang Daoist was being threatened?