Yin Yang Soul Searcher

"My colleagues and I are all of low rank, we don't have any of those high-class goods." Then, Bai Jueming explained with a righteous expression.

"As for Hall Master Li, we can't lend him any more. Hall Master Li has already promised to ask his colleagues to help me when the time comes. Asking him for cultivation resources again would make me look like an incompetent subordinate. The Yin Yang Palace doesn't raise weaklings."

Han Xueshan asked doubtfully, "Really? If I encountered something like this, I would go to my master. My master would definitely help me."

"That's the difference between the imperial court and the Taoist temple," Bai Jueming explained patiently. "If you lack cultivation resources and a powerful backer, you can always ask your master to help you, because you are a disciple and will ultimately receive his inheritance."

"The imperial court is different. If you have the ability, you rise; if you don't, you die. I can't just ask the Grand Preceptor to get rid of Chu Jiangyuan, can I? I'm not his son." Bai Jueming said, spreading his hands helplessly.

This is the difference between having a mother and being an orphan. If I had a family lineage, would I have ended up in this mess?

Watching Bai Jueming speak so eloquently, Han Xueshan nodded thoughtfully. However, she still had some hesitation in her heart.

After a moment, Han Xueshan readily agreed: "I can lend it to you, but you have to write an IOU!"

"Miss Han is so generous, I'll write it right away." Bai Jueming's face lit up with joy. He rolled up his sleeves, picked up the paper and pen on the table, and began to write.

As long as she's willing to lend it, that's fine. As for whether I can repay it with my salary? I'll deal with that later. At worst, I'll borrow for thirty years and pay more interest...

Bai Jueming finished writing shortly after and handed the paper to Han Xueshan with a grin: "Miss Han, please take a look and see if you have anything to add?"

Han Xueshan raised an eyebrow halfway through reading, and her pretty face darkened after finishing. She crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it at Bai Jueming's face, angrily shouting, "You bitch, rewrite it!"

Bai Jueming looked embarrassed and shrank his neck somewhat guiltily.

On the street outside Zhengshan Hall.

A young man of about twenty years old was dressed in an air of extravagance. His sky-blue robe was embroidered with intricate cloud patterns, the workmanship exquisite and refined. His black hair was tied up with a jade hairpin. He had a handsome face, with delicate eyebrows and long, bright eyes that shone with brilliance. He held a folding fan in his hand.

It was Jia Qingshan, the eldest son of the Jia family and the owner of "Jia Family Pharmacy".

Jia Qingshan rode a sturdy steed with a coat as black as gold under the sun, glossy and smooth. Every hair looked as if it had been carefully combed, and it swayed gently in the breeze like black silk dancing in the wind.

He was followed by four servants, each of whom was a cultivator with considerable strength.

The man dismounted and sent the gatekeeper to announce his arrival. Four servants surrounded Jia Qingshan, keeping watch on all sides.

"Alright, alright. This is the Yin-Yang Palace, there's no danger here." Jia Qingshan waved his hand, indicating that they didn't need to be so nervous.

A servant approached Jia Qingshan and whispered, "Young Master, will this method work? After all, it involves... you know..."

"Do you have a better idea?" Jia Qingshan sighed helplessly.

Before long, the minor official returned and led the group into the courtyard.

"Please ask Young Master Jia to ask everyone to wait, you may enter the main hall alone," the clerk said, stopping and turning back.

Just as a servant was about to speak, Jia Qingshan shoved him aside. "Go away, go away! Wait outside. Don't you know where you are?"

The servant scratched his head, somewhat annoyed.

Jia Qingshan followed the clerk to the main hall, where he saw a man with thick black eyebrows and a stubble beard reviewing official documents.

"Jia Qingshan, owner of 'Jia Family Pharmacy,' greets Master Li." Jia Qingshan closed his folding fan and bowed.

Upon hearing this, Li Zhengshan put down his brush, somewhat puzzled. "What brings Master Jia here?"

When the clerk reported that Jia Qingshan had come, I was a little puzzled. The Grand Preceptor said that the matter was over and that I hadn't bothered him. What was he here for?

Jia Qingshan sighed: "Master Li, this incident at my pharmacy is due to my poor judgment in hiring people. I apologize in advance."

"Yesterday, the Ministry of Justice shut down 'Jia Family Pharmacy.' I'm here to give the Imperial Advisor an explanation and, incidentally, to prove my innocence."

Inside Bai Jueming's room.

Han Xueshan's chest heaved with anger: "Do you think my talismans are like cabbages? You ask to borrow twenty right off the bat. And you're offering to pay me back an extra 500 copper coins, interest included?"

Five hundred copper coins is worth? One tael of silver... What angered Han Xueshan the most was that it stated: "Under special circumstances, Bai Jueming can postpone repayment..." What constitutes "special circumstances"? It wasn't written, leaving ample room for argument...

"Just write down the ten talismans you borrowed from me, and you'll have to pay them back when you get your salary next month." Han Xueshan took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in her chest.

It seems I'm definitely not going to be able to pay it back...

Bai Jueming had no choice but to follow Han Xueshan's instructions, pick up his brush, dip it in ink, and rewrite it.

In the end, Han Xueshan didn't ask for interest. She simply stated that if Bai Jueming hadn't repaid the talismans after receiving his next month's salary, then Bai Jueming would voluntarily allow Han Xueshan to beat him up every five days to vent her anger, until the talismans were repaid...

Looking at the newly written IOU, Han Xueshan's pretty face finally relaxed, and she nodded in satisfaction. She signed and sealed it, then carefully put it away.

"That petty woman, she still wants revenge on me." Bai Jueming sighed helplessly, "There's no time to lose. I'll go tell the sect leader, and then we can set off."

"Okay," Han Xueshan was in a great mood. She didn't care about the interest; she just wanted to beat up Bai Jueming to vent her anger.

Bai Jueming shook his head helplessly and went to the entrance of the lobby.

Inside the hall, an imposing young man was talking to Li Zhengshan.

Upon entering the lobby, Jia Qingshan asked with a puzzled expression, "And who is this?"

"He's the hero who cracked the elixir case. It's alright, you can continue," Li Zhengshan casually explained, indicating that since he was one of their own, they could listen.

Bai Jueming was puzzled, but he still stood respectfully to the side.

Yin-Yang Tower, the place where the Grand Master secluded himself for cultivation.

Inside the eighth floor, Vice Hall Master Luo, wearing a mask of a blue-faced, fanged demon, sat at a table. On the table lay a secret letter that had just been delivered by spies from the Yin-Yang Hall.

Vice Hall Master Luo opened the secret letter on the table. The first page had a single word written in the center: "Business"!

The Yin-Yang Palace's spies are secretly monitoring the entire world, infiltrating everywhere! This is information gathered by their spies in Shangzhou.

As Vice Hall Master Luo read the contents of the secret letter, his eyes, hidden behind his mask, gradually became solemn.

After reading the contents of the secret letter, Vice Hall Master Luo fell into deep thought. He then got up, went to the corridor, and turned to walk towards the ninth floor, the place where the Grand Preceptor was in seclusion.

The moment Vice Hall Master Luo stepped into the ninth floor, a water-like array swept past him.

The ninth floor is not a room, but a huge platform. What you see from outside the formation is a room, but once you step into the formation, you can see the true face of the ninth floor.

A huge Tai Chi symbol was drawn on the ground, depicting a middle-aged man dressed in a long robe that was half black and half white. At this moment, the middle-aged man was sitting cross-legged in the center of the Tai Chi symbol, with his back to Vice Hall Master Luo. The midday sun was shining directly on the huge Tai Chi symbol.

This person is the greatest Yin-Yang Master in the world, and the Grand Preceptor of the Great Xia Empire.

Vice Hall Master Luo bowed respectfully. "Grand Preceptor, a secret message has arrived from Shangzhou."

Before the Imperial Preceptor could speak, Vice Hall Master Luo recounted the contents of the secret letter without adding his own opinion. Finally, he respectfully placed the letter on the Taiji diagram.

Before leaving, Vice Hall Master Luo hesitated for a moment before saying, "Grand Preceptor, that Onmyoji..."

"Continue," the Grand Preceptor said in a deep, resonant voice, his words carried unhurriedly to the Vice Hall Master's ears.

"Yes," the deputy hall master replied even more respectfully. "Among all the burning soul lamps in the Yin-Yang Hall, I couldn't find a matching one. Could this be the work of Beichen?"

A long silence followed, until finally the Imperial Advisor slowly said, "If you can't find it, then forget it."

"But having such a highly skilled Onmyoji behind him, and who is not under the control of the Onmyo Palace, might cause us trouble..." The deputy palace master said anxiously.

After speaking, the Imperial Advisor remained silent for a moment, then said, "Then continue your investigation. With such abilities, it will be very difficult to trace his identity. He needs three innate conditions to become an Onmyoji..."

"Alright, let Eunuch Zhang go and deliver a message... You go to the palace and give this letter to His Majesty." The Imperial Advisor waved his hand gently, and the Deputy Palace Master had no choice but to swallow his words, pick up the letter, and respectfully take his leave.

That little Onmyoji clearly has a powerful backer, so why is the Imperial Preceptor forbidding anyone from finding him? The Vice Hall Master pondered this all the way back to the eighth floor.

"Does Master Li know about the Jia family of Shangzhou?" Jia Qingshan asked first.

"Of course I know that. The Jia family of Shangzhou amasses wealth across the land, the richest family in the world," Li Zhengshan blurted out, then looked somewhat shocked: "The Jia family, Jia Qingshan. What's your relationship to the Jia family?"

"Master Li, you flatter me," Jia Qingshan said modestly, then continued, "My father is the current Prince Yu Nan, Jia Gu. I am the eldest son in the family."

Good morning! This employer has quite a background. Even Bai Jueming, a commoner, had heard of him. The Great Xia Dynasty currently has two kings of different surnames: King Yu Nan, Jia Gu, and King Gao Yang, Gao Xunyuan.

When Emperor Gaozu first raised his army to vie for control of the Central Plains, only three forces remained in the land. At that time, the country was in chaos, and external powers were eyeing it covetously.

In order to prevent the Central Plains from falling into the hands of foreign tribes, the three forces had no choice but to put aside their past grievances and turn their attention to the foreign forces.

After the war, the first ancestor of the Gao family died in battle. His son was enfeoffed as the Prince of Gaoyang by the Gaozu, who granted Yunzhou to the Gao family for self-governance, a hereditary title for future generations. They were responsible for quelling banditry in Yunzhou and, incidentally, became the frontline in the resistance against the demon race, as Yunzhou bordered the Inner Demon Sea and the Great Demon Kingdom.

The Prince of Yu Nan was from Shangzhou, and he started out as a merchant. At that time, the world was in chaos, and doing business was no longer profitable. So he had no choice but to raise his banner and fight anyone who tried to stop him from making money.

After the external threats were resolved, they had no desire to contend for the throne. They only wanted to make money peacefully. Emperor Gaozu then bestowed upon the Jia family ancestor the title of Prince of the South, a hereditary title, allowing him to trade in Shangzhou and amass wealth throughout the land.

Western Shu bordered the three prefectures of Lei, Wei, and Shang of the Great Xia. Emperor Gaozu decreed that Lei and Wei prefectures could not trade with Western Shu, leaving only Shang prefecture open. This allowed the Jia family to amass wealth throughout the land in Shang prefecture. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they were richer than a country.

Bai Jueming stood aside, frowning slightly. Just how many forces were involved in this pill case? The Jia family, the mastermind, the Craftsmen's Hall, the Yin-Yang Hall, the Imperial Preceptor, His Majesty. Who on earth orchestrated this? It's so damn complicated! Who exactly is on the same side?

"Yesterday, His Majesty learned that the mastermind was related to my Jia family, so he ordered the Ministry of Justice to shut down the pharmacy." At this point, Jia Qingshan sighed deeply.

"It's not just the pharmacies; all of the Jia family's shops in the capital have been sealed off. His Majesty's suspicions are understandable, so I've come here to prove the Jia family's innocence, clear up His Majesty's misunderstandings, and give the Imperial Advisor an explanation."

Li Zhengshan raised an eyebrow, already having a guess in his mind: "What does Young Master Jia intend to do?"

"Indeed, it was a question posed in a dream." Jia Qingshan clasped his hands in a fist salute and said with a solemn expression, "I am but a lowly martial artist of low rank, and I have no means to evade questions posed in a dream. I implore Master Li to restore the reputation of my Jia family."

"To be honest, if my innocence cannot be proven, I will have no choice but to return to Shangzhou. This was agreed upon with my father before; if the business fails, I will have to go home and inherit the family business."

Are you fucking at Versailles? Besides the business empire your father gave you, what else do you have? What are you anyway?

Bai Jueming stood aside, silently criticizing and analyzing the situation. "This method isn't bad, but it can only prove one's innocence. But what if it was someone else from the Jia family who did it? No, no, no, doing this won't benefit the Jia family; it's self-destructive."

By the way, if my guess last time was correct, the mastermind might be connected to His Majesty. Could His Majesty's order to seal off all of the Jia family's shops also be part of his scheme? What is His Majesty planning?

A sudden inspiration struck Bai Jueming. Knock!

If Your Majesty is only targeting the mastermind behind the scenes, then simply shutting down the pharmacy would suffice; there's no need to shut down all of the Jia family's shops!

His Majesty intends to use this as a warning to the Jia family! The Jia family of Shangzhou was already incredibly wealthy, but what's worse, they've extended their commercial empire into the capital. This is bound to make the Emperor uneasy. Does the Jia family think they can make all the money in the world? They're just like Shen Wansan!

Therefore, His Majesty used this incident to seal off all Jia family shops in the capital, forcing Jia Qingshan to withdraw from the capital. The money was confiscated and deposited into the national treasury. A double benefit!

Li Zhengshan was still frowning and hesitating when Bai Jueming interrupted him, saying, "Brother Shan, I have something to say."

Before Li Zhengshan could speak, Bai Jueming trotted over to Li Zhengshan like a lackey and whispered his analysis in his ear.

Jia Qingshan stood respectfully below the steps. The hall was relatively quiet, save for Bai Jueming's soft muttering. Jia Qingshan wanted to eavesdrop, but dared not...

"We cannot clear his name!" Bai Jueming then shared his analysis of His Majesty's suspicions with Li Zhengshan. If His Majesty truly intended to use this incident to punish the Jia family, then the Yin-Yang Palace cannot clear his name!