Yin Yang Soul Searcher

This was the first time Bai Jueming had ever seen the authority of a superior from Li Zhengshan!

Normally, as a superior, Li Zhengshan is approachable and down-to-earth in front of his subordinates. Now, how dare an outsider reprimand one of his men in front of him?

Is this a slap on Bai Jueming's arm? This is clearly a slap in Li Zhengshan's face.

If Li Zhengshan remains unmoved, will any of his subordinates still serve him in the future?

Even if the opponents are disciples of the Mountain Tiger Temple, so what? To put it more broadly, Li Zhengshan is backed by the emperor.

"If you don't want to work under Bai Jueming, I can find someone else to train and protect you. If you're willing to follow my arrangements, then don't even think about teaching Bai Jueming a lesson anymore."

At this point, Li Shangshan leaned forward slightly, staring calmly at Han Xueshan: "Did you understand, Miss Han?"

Good morning, Brother Shan! Those two moves were so cool! He completely overwhelmed Han Xueshan with both his aura and his strength.

In contrast, Han Xueshan pursed her lips and remained silent for a long time after hearing what Li Zhengshan said.

I recalled my master's words before I left: training in the imperial court is different from training in the martial world. In the martial world, you can suffer injustice without regard for the consequences and seek revenge as you please.

However, this doesn't apply in the imperial court. There's a strict hierarchy, and if you're wronged, you have to learn to be evasive and swallow your anger.

Having connections in high places makes it easier to get ahead in officialdom. Don't think that just because you have a powerful backer, you can act with impunity. How do you know that the person behind someone else is weaker than you?

Ultimately, his master sent him to the imperial court to gain experience in order to temper his somewhat江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) mentality. Not all of him needed to change, but at least some of his traits should be altered.

"Hmph," Han Xueshan snorted coldly at Bai Jueming, who stood awkwardly before her. Then, she curled her lip and said, "Let's just leave it at that."

Han Xueshan stood up, supporting herself on the armrest of her chair, and bowed slightly to Li Zhengshan, who was sitting in the hall: "Master Li, I am willing to follow your arrangements."

"Very well, let's consider this matter closed." Li Zhengshan smiled, his easygoing demeanor returning. "From today onwards, you will be responsible for protecting Bai Jueming's safety."

"Thank you, Hall Master," Bai Jueming said, bowing with his hands clasped in thanks. Han Xueshan was still considered an outsider at the moment, and he addressed her by her official title in front of outsiders.

Phew, this matter is over. Bai Jueming breathed a sigh of relief. Judging from her behavior, she should be considered a chivalrous person, not someone who would go back on their word.

In fact, Bai Jueming had also wanted Han Xueshan to protect him. He had just used his soul power to stop her, but it only made her pause slightly. Her strength was evident.

Moreover, the martial artists recruited by Zhou Dahai and his group are all men. If I could recruit some beautiful women to protect me, having a group of young ladies protecting me every time I go out—just thinking about it, hehe. Oh no, I'm surrounded by beautiful women.

"Alright, you two need to work together well on cases from now on, don't let me down." Li Zhengshan advised, then dismissed them, "If there's nothing else, you two can leave." Li Zhengshan waved his hand.

Before coming, Han Xueshan already knew the rules of the Yin-Yang Palace. From now on, she would be under Bai Jueming's command, assisting in solving cases and protecting his personal safety; he was practically her superior. Hearing this, she simply nodded slightly.

The two bowed and left the hall.

After leaving the lobby, Han Xueshan was still a little weak and walked with a slow gait.

"Miss Han, do you need me to help you up?" Bai Jueming asked with a fawning smile.

"Pah! You lecherous scoundrel, don't even think about taking advantage of me." Han Xueshan rolled her eyes at her and walked ahead on her own.

If you can hit me with your chest bones and make me hurt, what's the point? Tsk tsk tsk.

Inside the room, Zhou Dahai and the other two had already left.

Bai Jueming brought a chair for Han Xueshan to sit down, and Han Xueshan did not refuse, and placed the peach wood sword in front of her on the table.

Bai Jueming first poured Han Xueshan a cup of tea, then sat down opposite her with a fawning smile: "Miss Han, from today onwards we are in the same boat, sharing both glory and ruin."

"My life is in danger now, you have to help me!"

Han Xueshan took a sip of tea, raised an eyebrow, and said, "I came here to protect you, so of course I'll help you. But we're not on the same page. You're despicable. Humph!"

Bai Jueming waved his hand, not caring much, and took it as Han Xueshan praising him.

"By the way, Miss Han, I'd like to ask what rank you are in Taoism?"

"I've been stuck at the sixth rank for a long time, unable to break through the bottleneck," Han Xueshan said.

Sixth rank! Me? No wonder my weakness only made her pause slightly.

This girl looks about my age, yet she's already at the sixth rank? Putting talent aside, is this the difference between someone with a master's lineage and a rogue cultivator?

How powerful must that demon cultivator she encountered yesterday have been? He chased Han Xueshan to the brink of death!

Oh right, I was so preoccupied with my own things that I forgot to report the matter of the demon race to Brother Shan.

Bai Jueming flattered her with a cupped-fist salute: "I never expected that Miss Han would be such a standout among her peers at such a young age. My admiration for Miss Han is like a surging river, never-ending."

"You have a sweet tongue, but I'm not buying it." Han Xueshan's handsome face revealed disdain. What a smooth-talking person.

"It's like this, Miss Han. I've been targeted by a somewhat powerful villain in the black market named Chu Jiangyuan, who has sent assassins to kill me. Now I'm too afraid to leave the Yin Yang Palace."

"Just eliminate him directly," Han Xueshan readily agreed. "What rank is he?"

"It's not that easy," Bai Jueming shook his head. "The other party is a fourth-rank martial artist, and most importantly, he is very well hidden. Our Yin-Yang Palace people can't find him for the time being."

"Then I can't help you. Even if I could find him, I couldn't beat him," Han Xueshan said frankly. A sixth-rank official against a fourth-rank official—it's a dead end.

Bai Jueming coaxed, "Miss Han, you don't need to do anything. I just thought of a plan. You just need to help me lure her out, and Hall Master Li will find someone to capture her."

Han Xueshan thought for a moment, deciding that avoiding a direct confrontation was acceptable: "What methods do you have?"

"I want you to post a bounty on the black market, using cultivation resources to lure Chu Jiangyuan out and get him to make a move. As long as he shows up on the black market, he's doomed."

"That's not difficult to arrange, but can you provide cultivation resources that would even tempt a fourth-rank martial artist?" Han Xueshan asked, voicing her doubts.

I have nothing to lose. If I could produce something, my cultivation level wouldn't be this low. I'm a cultivation genius, one in a million. If resources were plentiful, I wouldn't have any bottlenecks.

Bai Jueming smiled mysteriously, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice, saying, "We don't need to show it directly. We just need to make others believe that we have the strength to do so."

"Is that even possible?" Han Xueshan's spirited face was filled with disbelief. "You really are despicable!"

"Miss Han, please don't misunderstand me like that. He wanted to kill me first; I was always on the defensive." Bai Jueming spread his hands helplessly. "I used to make a living in places like the black market. If I didn't have some cunning and treachery, I would have been eaten alive long ago."

Bai Jueming has always believed that a person's character is closely related to their living environment, and that one is influenced by one's surroundings.

"Then how can you prove you have the ability to demonstrate it?" Han Xueshan blinked curiously.

"Then we'll have to ask Miss Han for help." Bai Jueming rubbed his hands together, grinning shamelessly, "Miss Han, do you still have any of those talismans?"

"No!" Han Xueshan's voice suddenly rose, and without even thinking, she firmly refused. This bitch was after her talismans again. "My talismans were given to me by my master for self-defense; they can kill a sixth-rank enemy. I just gave you a stack yesterday, and you have the nerve to ask me for more today!"

Just as I guessed, that talisman could even kill a sixth-rank official! However, I still couldn't fully unleash the talisman's power; it was like a child holding a spear, only capable of simple stabbing.

"Miss Han, please let me explain. I was chased by assassins yesterday and I've used up all my talismans." Bai Jueming looked heartbroken, because those two assassins had caused him to lose the opportunity to become middle class.

Bai Jueming coaxed, "Miss Han, consider this a loan from me. I'll pay you back with interest after I receive my salary. It's clearly a bargain for you."

Han Xueshan looked at him with disdain: "You can borrow from your colleagues or Master Li." He wasn't really interested in the interest, after all, he wasn't short of money.

Borrow from a colleague? There's no way you'd actually get one.

Wu Yuan, a skinny gambler, Wang Pang, a henpecked husband, and Zhou the Fat Man, even worse, wanted him to take him to a brothel. Of course, the most crucial factor was that they weren't of high rank and didn't possess anything of that caliber.

As for why he didn't borrow from Brother Shan? He wasn't really sure if he could pay it back... so he could only borrow it from Han Xueshan for now...