Yin Yang Soul Searcher

"Damn it, how dare he assassinate a high-ranking official in the capital, causing me to be punished as well!" As he left the Zhengshan Hall, Zhou Dahai clenched his fists and cursed incessantly.

Wu Yuan and Wang Pang acted swiftly, summoning their warriors and having a minor official bring horses.

Before long, a dozen or so martial artists gathered outside the door, along with two coroners carrying cloth bags. Seeing this, Bai Jueming realized there was no need to call his bodyguards; one more wouldn't make a difference.

Unexpectedly, Han Xueshan came out on her own after hearing the commotion in the courtyard. When she learned that everyone was investigating a case, she insisted on coming out with them.

On horseback, Bai Jueming looked at Han Xueshan with some curiosity: "You're very interested in investigating cases? Weren't you busy breaking through your bottleneck?"

Han Xueshan was dressed in a pure black outfit, just like the other martial artists. It perfectly hugged her agile figure, with a slightly cinched neckline that was both simple and neat, yet understatedly luxurious.

Her long, jet-black hair was tied up in a neat ponytail, swaying freely with her movements, as if showcasing her unruliness and carefree spirit.

"Sigh, breaking through a bottleneck isn't that easy. I can't find the feeling of loosening the bottleneck." Then Han Xueshan said disdainfully, "I've been at the Yin-Yang Palace for so many days, mainly to see my superior, an eighth-rank Yin-Yang Master, in his investigative skills."

"Heh, I'm not really good at fighting, but this is a matter of using your brain, so I won't discourage you." Bai Jueming spurred his horse and moved a little further away from Han Xueshan.

You bitch!

The group marched in a grand procession toward Chaoyangmen Street, with Zhou Dahai leading the way. The people on the street quickly made way for them, and judging from their clothing, it was clear that the Yin-Yang Palace was handling a case. No one dared to provoke them at this time.

The group stopped their horses in front of a grand mansion. The plaque above the entrance read "Yang Mansion".

At this moment, the doors of the Yang Mansion were wide open, but now the entire mansion was shrouded in gloom, and the pair of stone lions guarding the entrance were covered in white.

After Zhou Dahai dismounted, several martial artists escorted him towards the door.

Wang Pang and Wu Yuanzao were already familiar with the process. They instructed their warriors to drive away the nearby crowd and then surround the "Yang Mansion" from all directions.

Bai Jueming watched and learned from the experience, then said to Han Xueshan beside him, "Go and guard the back gate. No one from the mansion is allowed to enter or leave without my order."

Han Xueshan rolled her eyes and ignored him.

Zhou Dahai did not force his way into the mansion. The residences of second-rank officials were usually protected by arrays set up by the artisan hall, which prevented strangers from entering and people from leaving without the gatekeeper's permission.

"Since there's a formation around the mansion, there's no need to have people guarding the surroundings. Anyway, no one can get in without the gatekeeper's permission," Bai Jueming reminded him.

Zhou Dahai was taken aback: "What you said makes sense, I forgot about that..."

As they were talking, a martial artist knocked on the door. The person on duty was an elderly man with a slightly hunched back. After seeing that the visitor was wearing the uniform of the Yin-Yang Hall, the old man hurriedly activated the formation.

The old man opened his right hand and placed his palm in a groove on the door. Instantly, complex and mysterious runes appeared on the door, shimmering like nimble snakes and intertwining to form a huge circular pattern.

As the old man raised his hand, the formation emitted a strange friction sound before tearing apart in the middle. The group entered the mansion one by one.

Wow, that's awesome! It even unlocks with a palm print. The arrays in this world are so powerful; Bai Jueming realized he'd really underestimated this world of cultivation!

The old man bowed to Zhou Dahai, who was at the front, and said, "Greetings to all the esteemed officials of the Yin-Yang Palace."

Zhou Dahai waved his hand: "Since you recognize these clothes, I won't waste any more words. Take us to see the deceased."

The hunched old man nodded in agreement and hurriedly led the way.

"It seems that the person who assassinated Lord Yang was someone he knew," Bai Jueming muttered to himself.

"You're just bragging. You didn't even see the dead man's face, and you already know he was assassinated by someone you know?" Han Xueshan cast a disdainful glance at her.

Bai Jueming straightened his back, offering no explanation. His expression infuriated Han Xueshan.

The lean man Wu Yuan also thought Bai Jueming was bragging, but considering that it was Bai Jueming's first time investigating a case, he didn't say anything.

Wang Pang, however, became interested: "Mo Yu, tell me. How did you know?"

"My analysis is for reference only," Bai Jueming first issued a disclaimer.

He then glanced sideways at Han Xueshan, a disdainful smirk playing on his lips. Only then did he explain to his colleague, "Since even the residences of high-ranking officials of the second rank have array formations, the assassin who tried to kill Lord Yang couldn't have forced his way in. Otherwise, they would have disturbed the array, and the assassination would have failed."

"That makes some sense," Wu Yuan nodded from the side.

Zhou Dahai, who was walking ahead, subtly slowed down his pace.

"So, the first possibility is that the murderer was an acquaintance of Lord Yang. That hunchbacked old man must have seen the murderer before. That's why he was able to let the murderer enter the formation and kill Lord Yang."

"What other possibilities are there?" Zhou Dahai asked.

"Another possibility is that the old man secretly let the murderer in. He and the murderer worked together to kill Lord Yang, and then secretly let the murderer go."

The old man leading the way was terrified, and finally his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground, crying out, "Your Honor, you've been wronged!"

"But!" Bai Jueming paused, "Since this hunchbacked old man has survived until now and hasn't run away, it means he shouldn't have been involved. So only the first possibility remains."

The old man stood up, his legs trembling: "Your Excellency is wise."

This old man clearly doesn't have much cultivation. If I were the murderer, I would definitely take him with me after committing the murder and destroy the evidence. Otherwise, it would be almost impossible for an ordinary person to defend against the methods of an Onmyoji.

Wu Yuan and Wang Pang exchanged a serious glance. Was Bai Jueming's analysis correct? They didn't know. But! To be able to deduce so much information simply from the fact that the mansion had an array was something neither of them had ever imagined.

Han Xueshan wanted to argue with Bai Jueming, but seeing Wang Pang and Wu Yuan's reactions, she didn't say anything. That jerk's analysis had some merit. But he's still so despicable!

Wu Yuan patted Bai Jueming on the shoulder and sighed, "Moyu, now I know why you survived the pill case. What you're saying is something we never thought of."

Now it was Bai Jueming's turn to be puzzled: "Don't you investigate cases from these angles? Do you have any other tricks?"

"There's no trick to it." Zhou Dahai, who was walking ahead, paused and walked with the others. "Our investigation method is very simple: if the person is alive, we ask them questions in their dreams; if the person is dead, we search their soul. Then we analyze the existing clues, look for clues, and uncover the truth of the case."

"In other words, clues like these that never appeared in the open were things you never considered." Bai Jueming was greatly shocked.

This world is indeed a huge makeshift operation. To outsiders, Onmyoji may seem very capable at solving cases, but those who know the inside story understand that as long as you are an Onmyoji, you have the ability to solve cases. There's no need to think of others as being so amazing.

Because all Onmyoji have unique advantages in investigating cases, they don't need to consider these complicated factors when encountering a problem. They can simply and directly interrogate the suspect to find out 80% of the truth. As for the rest, if they still can't find out, they can just say that it's top secret and they can't tell you.

Zhou Dahai nodded: "You're right, that's why you were able to find clues in the elixir case and survive. This isn't accidental, it's inevitable."

Onmyoji rely too much on their strengths when investigating cases; this is both their advantage and an unavoidable weakness. Bai Jueming thought to himself.

The group followed the hunched old man into the depths of the courtyard. The layout of the courtyard was similar to that of the wealthy families Bai Jueming had seen in TV dramas. There were mountains and water in the courtyard, as well as countless servants.

The group arrived at the main room where Lord Yang was staying, where the doorway was already filled with people dressed in mourning clothes.

Madam Yang, dressed in mourning clothes, stood at the door, sobbing softly, supported by her two sons.

Zhou Dahai glanced around and immediately brandished his token: "Onmyoji investigation, everyone make way." The crowd responded and looked over, recognizing the Yin-Yang Palace's attire. They parted to make way for him as if avoiding a snake. Zhou Dahai stepped forward and pushed open the door.

Wu Yuan, who was walking at the back, turned around and asked, "Has nothing in the room been touched?"

At this moment, the man who had been supporting Madam Yang stepped forward. He appeared to be in his forties, and looked quite tired, his face haggard, suggesting he hadn't had a proper rest in a long time. His eyes were bloodshot, his eye bags were severely drooping, and he had heavy dark circles.

The man identified himself as Yang Jiang, Yang Yongyuan's eldest son. Yang Jiang bowed and said, "Reporting to your Excellency, nothing inside has been touched. The servant who was responsible for waking my father notified me immediately. I then sent someone to the Yin-Yang Hall to report the case."

"The first servant to discover my father's death has now been detained."

"Well done." Wu Yuan nodded and then said to everyone, "From now on, no one is allowed to leave the Yang residence. Wait for further instructions."

Bai Jueming followed Zhou Dahai into the room. He first looked around and saw that the room was clean and tidy, except that the bed was a little messy.

The deceased was wearing white pajamas. He lay on the bed with his face turned to the left, his eyes wide open, and his face purplish-blue. His left hand was still tightly clutching a wad of sheets, while his right hand was stretched out as if trying to grab something.

Following the direction of Lord Yang's outstretched hand, a bowl of black-boned chicken and pork rib soup sat on the low table beside the bed. It contained various tonics and aphrodisiacs.

Lord Yang reached out just to take this thing? Can't you settle down at your age? You old lecher.

Bai Jueming walked closer and discovered that the chicken soup also contained some goji berries, deer antler, and other Chinese medicinal herbs that Bai Jueming couldn't name.

Bai Jueming silently memorized the appearance of the Chinese medicine inside; something that even a high-ranking official of the second rank would drink must be something special.

Zhou Dahai silently observed Yang Yongyuan: "We can't get anything out of him if he's dead. Let's investigate the cause of his death first."

Soul searching is something that only a sixth-rank Yin-Yang Master can master, and none of the people present were of that rank.

"Just tell Brother Shan to have the hall master search his soul directly, that would save a lot of trouble," Bai Jueming reminded him. If you have this ability, you should use it, why hide it?

"You're oversimplifying things. A second-rank official in the court possesses secrets that are not easily known to ordinary people. To search the soul of a second-rank official, one needs to reach directly to the Emperor's ears." Zhou Dahai pointed upwards with his finger. "That's why the Hall Master didn't give out the Soul-Searching Pill this time."

"Oh~," Bai Jueming nodded. He realized his experience was still too limited; some court secrets were indeed beyond his control. The more he knew, the faster he would die...

Then Zhou Dahai called to the two coroners: "You two come over and examine the body first."

The crowd made way, and the two coroners worked together to turn the deceased over. Then, in front of everyone, they stripped the body naked.

Han Xueshan silently turned away.

Bai Jueming suppressed a laugh and walked over to Han Xueshan: "Aren't you interested in solving cases? These are all details of case investigation; you should study them carefully."

Han Xueshan gritted her teeth fiercely, cursing the bitch in her heart for trying to embarrass her in front of everyone.

Han Xueshan seized the opportunity and stomped hard on Bai Jueming's foot before leaving without looking back.

"Ouch!! Good morning." Bai Jueming clutched his foot, his face contorted in pain. This tomboy had no sense of restraint.

Shortly after, the two coroners finished examining the body and dressed the deceased again.

"How is it? What was the cause of death?" Zhou Dahai asked impatiently.

"Reporting to Lord Zhou," the coroner first clasped his hands in a fist salute, then walked to the deceased's side and pointed out, "Firstly, after carefully examining the body, we found no fatal wounds on the deceased's body. This indicates that the perpetrator did not use violence against the deceased."

"Further observation revealed that the skin on the deceased's face, lips, and nails turned purplish-blue, indicating that the deceased was unable to breathe before death. However, there were no ligature marks on the deceased's neck. Therefore, we initially determined that the deceased died of poisoning. Moreover, the time of death was no more than three hours ago."

"Died from poisoning?" Zhou Dahai frowned, picked up the black-boned chicken and pork rib soup from the low table, and handed it to the coroner: "Check this bowl of chicken soup for poison."

Then he said to Bai Jueming, "Moyu, what are your thoughts on the poisoning theory?"

"Died of poisoning?" Bai Jueming murmured softly, "If it was poisoning, first gather the cooks and servants who prepare the dishes. Find who poured the tea the deceased drank before he died."

"Old Wang, Old Wu, you two go and make a trip. Don't let any of them escape. Ask them in your dreams." Zhou Dahai was swift and decisive, and he got to work as soon as he said he would.

Wang Pang and Wu Yuan nodded and left.

At this point, the two coroners finished their examination and put away the bottles and jars used for testing poison. They said, "Lord Zhou, this bowl of chicken soup is not poisoned."

"Not poisonous?" Zhou Dahai felt a sense of strangeness. "What was the deceased trying to do? Reaching out with his right hand to grab the bowl of chicken soup, wasn't he trying to tell us that the chicken soup was poisoned?"

"That's strange," Bai Jueming rubbed his chin, then turned and opened the door. "Who was the first to discover the body? Come in and give me your answer."