Yin Yang Soul Searcher

Bai Jueming returned to his office with a heavy heart. He had chatted with Brother Shan all morning and learned quite a bit.

First, they learned that the Onmyoji who had guided them was an unparalleled master, but their purpose was still unclear, and the deputy hall master was actively investigating.

Secondly, there's the matter of Jia Qingshan. I wonder if the Imperial Advisor will spare Jia Qingshan. If he does, I'll definitely extort a huge sum from him! He used me; I was stupid to actually take advantage of him!

Next, I need to focus on improving my strength; strength is the only true measure of success. The original owner's identity was clearly extraordinary, and once I've increased my strength, I won't be afraid of getting involved in any conspiracies or schemes.

Violence is not the best way to solve problems, but it is definitely the most effective way.

Inside the room, Han Xueshan, dressed in Taoist robes, sat cross-legged, breathing exercises with her eyes slightly closed. Hearing the noise at the door, she blinked and glanced at Han Xueshan: "You seem to be in a bad mood?"

Anyone would be upset to suddenly know so much. Bai Jueming didn't say anything, but just sat silently in his chair, propping his legs up on the table.

Seeing that Bai Jueming was in low spirits and didn't want to talk, Han Xueshan quickly asked, "What's wrong? Tell me."

"I'm feeling so down, but you seem really happy?" Bai Jueming gave him a disgruntled look.

"It's alright. I'd probably be happier if I knew you got beaten up." Han Xueshan turned her head away, only showing him her profile, her high ponytail swaying. She didn't press him further, but continued to close her eyes and breathe deeply, though this time the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, a hint of happiness in her expression.

You son of a bitch! Once I get stronger, I'll beat you up and then kick you out of the bodyguard team!

Han Xueshan didn't ask how the deputy hall master would evaluate the investigation results. Bai Jueming could speak if he wanted, or not if he didn't. She was only ordered to protect him; even if he was exiled to Liangzhou, she could simply find someone else to protect him. She herself wasn't going to be exiled.

After lying down for a while, Bai Jueming sat up straight, cleared his mind of distractions, and began to mobilize the soul power within his body. He needed to cultivate diligently.

Bai Jueming could feel a wisp of soul power quietly swirling in his dantian. If he used the methods of an Onmyoji, that ball of black soul power would be mobilized and flow through his dantian to his limbs and bones.

Each time I use my soul power, a portion of this black energy is lost. When there's not a drop left, I need to rest properly. My soul power will slowly regenerate on its own, just like when I fought the two assassins last time. Using pills or practicing breathing exercises will accelerate the recovery.

What I need to do now is to mobilize this black energy and make it circulate continuously around the meridians in my body. Each time it circulates, it will grow a little bigger.

The stronger this black aura becomes, the more times I can use my soul power, preventing my body from failing prematurely.

Bai Jueming's understanding of this was that this thing was like a water reservoir, and each time he used his soul power, he would scoop out a spoonful of water from it. Of course, the bigger the reservoir, the better.

As for the bottleneck, it's like the pool overflowing with water. To continue storing it, you have to move to a larger pool. Breaking through the bottleneck is like breaking the pool and letting the water flow into the next bottleneck pool. And so on.

Bai Jueming observed the ball of soul power within his body; though called a ball, it was actually about the size of a soybean. He guided it to circulate continuously through his meridians, waiting for it to grow stronger. This process was tedious and monotonous...

Han Xue glanced at Bai Jueming, who was meditating with his eyes closed, and couldn't help but wonder, what's gotten into this guy? Why is he meditating so hard?

Until the sun was high in the sky, the midday sun lazily spilled into the courtyard, like a golden curtain draped over every tile and beam of Zhengshan Hall.

Bai Jueming took one last look at the soul power within his body; it was still the size of a soybean, showing almost no improvement. Cultivation truly is not something that can be accomplished overnight.

Bai Jueming stood up, stretched, and said to Han Xueshan, who was still cultivating, "You've been cultivating for so long, why don't we eat first?"

Han Xueshan sneered. This is how you think you can improve your strength?

......

The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Study.

A man sat behind a table, wearing a crown and a bright yellow dragon robe with golden dragons coiled on it, their scales shimmering with a light that was too dazzling to look at directly.

At the very center of the crown atop his head, a huge pearl hangs high, symbolizing the supreme imperial power that shines as brightly as the sun.

The man's face was cold and solemn, like a statue, revealing no emotion whatsoever. His deep eyes conveyed an aura of authority that made people afraid to look him in the eye, and an arrogant disdain for the world.

This person is the current emperor, the supreme ruler of the Great Xia Empire, who carries the weight of the entire nation on his shoulders, bringing a better life to the people of Great Xia, and who embodies both worldly power and cultivation prowess—Emperor Taikang.

At this moment, kneeling before him was a man wearing a ghost mask, who was none other than the deputy hall master of the Yin-Yang Hall.

Emperor Taikang held the letter that the Vice Palace Master had just delivered; it was from the Imperial Advisor. After reading it, Emperor Taikang slowly said, "Go back and tell the Imperial Advisor that I am aware of it. I trust the Imperial Advisor's choice." His voice revealed the unique confidence and domineering presence of a monarch.

He then continued, "What is the progress of the case concerning Minister of Works Yang Yongyuan? Rise and answer."

"Yes." The deputy hall master slowly rose and bowed slightly: "Your Majesty, the matter of Yang Yongyuan has been investigated. It was the work of a courtesan from Qingyue Pavilion named Lianzhu."

"Yang Yongyuan, blinded by lust, summoned Lianzhu to his residence. During their sexual intercourse, he suddenly inhaled a large amount of miasma, ultimately leading to his death from miasma poisoning..."

Emperor Taikang's face was cold and stern, his brows deeply furrowed: "A courtesan from a brothel, carrying miasma? Where did this miasma come from? A courtesan shouldn't have this ability. Has the person behind it been found?"

The deputy hall master's respectful expression beneath his mask deepened: "Your Majesty is wise, but this is not something a mere prostitute could accomplish. After searching the soul of the spirit, our Yin-Yang Masters learned that the miasma originated from the miasma pills given to Lianzhu by two demons. According to one of my hall masters, it may have come from the Tuyun Mountains outside the city."

"I have already sent another hall master to investigate, and I believe we will have results soon. The portraits of the demon race have also been released, and I believe they will behave themselves in the capital."

"It's only been one day. The Yin-Yang Palace is quite efficient in handling the case." Emperor Taikang nodded, expressing his approval of the Yin-Yang Palace.

Emperor Taikang did not fly into a rage because he felt the death of a court official had damaged the reputation of the Great Xia Dynasty. For him, who wore the dragon robe, his emotions were only revealed when he wanted to achieve a certain goal.

"The Imperial Advisor is still recovering from his injuries. You must assist him in managing the Yin-Yang Palace well. The Imperial Advisor trusts you, and I will also help you." Emperor Taikang smiled, his words seemingly carrying a hidden meaning.

The deputy hall master's eyes, hidden behind his mask, burned with intensity, and he felt a renewed sense of power in solving cases. After bowing respectfully, he withdrew from the imperial study.

After the deputy hall master left, Emperor Taikang said to the eunuch in a python robe standing beside him, "Inform the officials that the morning court will be held tomorrow."

In the Great Xia Dynasty, the emperor did not need to attend court every day. After all, the emperor also needed to cultivate himself to improve his strength.

Managing such trivial matters as the state still required the help of officials who had passed the imperial examinations. They lacked high moral character, or perhaps none at all, and could therefore devote all their energy to governing the country.

Being an emperor is exhausting. Not only does one need to maintain a high level of spiritual cultivation, but one also has to plan and make decisions on all major national affairs.

Tomorrow morning at court, we will be dealing with a major matter: the Minister of Works has died, and we need the officials to recommend someone suitable to replace him.

Just as the eunuch in the python robe was about to leave, Emperor Taikang called out to him, "While you're at it, go to the Craftsmen's Hall and tell Qiao Shou to speed up the weapon-forging process. First they injured my Great Xia Imperial Preceptor, then they killed my court officials. I will make the demon race pay a price!"

"Inform the Prince of Gaoyang to hurry and train his troops. Once the magical artifacts are delivered to Yunzhou, I want him to lead the vanguard and attack the Great Demon Kingdom!"

The eunuch in the python robe bowed and said yes, but was about to leave the imperial study when Emperor Taikang called him back: "Any news from the Crown Prince? Where is he now?"

A voice, neither male nor female, came from the eunuch in his python robe: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince sent word a few days ago that his troops have left Liangzhou and reached the borders of Jingzhou. They will arrive in the capital soon."

Emperor Taikang nodded, as if talking to himself, "If he hadn't been ambushed and injured by Beichen and the demon race, the Imperial Preceptor wouldn't have had to rush back to the capital to heal. Perhaps he could have escorted the auspicious beast's corpse back to the capital with the Crown Prince, and even given the Crown Prince some guidance on his cultivation along the way."

"Go down." Emperor Taikang waved his hand first, then picked up the letter on the table. The Grand Preceptor already knew the mastermind behind the pill case through Qiao Shou's letter. Of course, it was not the emperor himself who sent someone to frame the Grand Preceptor.

As for why the Imperial Advisor didn't send people to search the capital to intimidate that formation master, it's likely that the man had already escaped. The Imperial Advisor wasn't confident he could catch him, so he didn't make a large-scale effort.

The text above also explains why Jia Qingshan was dealt with in this way... After the incident, a well-organized band of outlaws appeared in Shangzhou... The Imperial Advisor suspected that the Prince of Yu Nan had trained them, so Jia Qingshan was kept in the capital as a bargaining chip to threaten the Prince of Yu Nan...

Emperor Taikang didn't care about such things. The reason he sealed off the Jia family's shops was simple: he didn't want the Jia family to overreach. This small area of ​​the capital was not something a prince of a different surname could interfere with!

Shangzhou can continue to be surnamed Jia, or change his surname, or of course, he can have no surname at all!

Yin Yang Hall

After finishing lunch, Bai Jueming continued cultivating for a while. He discovered that the soul power within his body was still only the size of a soybean, which gave Bai Jueming a deep sense of defeat.

Am I not a chosen one of heaven? And with all these cheat codes, how come my cultivation speed is so slow!

Never mind, I'll go home first.

As soon as Bai Jueming stepped out of the room, a minor official rushed over: "Lord Bai, the head of the hall says you shouldn't go back tonight; you're on night duty."

Night shift? Holy crap, I've only been here a few days and I'm already being put on this inhumane night shift!

Bai Jueming had heard Zhou Dahai mention before that each hall master of the Yin-Yang Palace would send someone to stand guard at night every few days. Now it was Bai Jueming's turn in order.

Although there is a curfew in the inner city, it doesn't stop some petty thieves from coming out to look for food.

The night watch duty was simple: just wander around the streets and maintain order. However, it wasn't about maintaining order for ordinary people; that was the responsibility of the government.

The Yin-Yang Palace's mission is to maintain order among cultivators, warning them to behave themselves in the capital and not cause trouble. Any cultivator who disobeys and dares to lay a hand on an Onmyoji will be imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison or beheaded as a warning to others.

This night watch is inhuman! What kind of good person would stay up all night and wander around like this? My rank 8 Onmyoji physique is just like an ordinary person's!

And what about Chu Jiangyuan, who's not quite dead yet? What if he wants revenge? I need to be careful!

Bai Jueming cursed inwardly, but outwardly remained friendly and said, "Okay."

After dismissing the minor official, Bai Jueming returned to his room.

After composing himself, Bai Jueming walked up to Han Xueshan with a smile: "Miss Han, why don't you pause your cultivation for a while? I'm on night duty tonight, so you'll have to protect my safety."

Upon hearing this, Han Xueshan exhaled a long breath and interrupted her cultivation. This was not unreasonable, as it was originally her mission at the Yin-Yang Palace.