Yin Yang Soul Searcher

At this moment, Bai Jueming and Han Xueshan had arrived at their assigned night watch area.

Along both sides of the road stood numerous brothels and taverns, their gambling dens brightly lit, their patrons staying up all night. Inside the gambling dens, dice tumbled and bounced in porcelain bowls, making a rapid, clattering sound. Bai Jueming's heart, like those dice, remained restless for a long time.

Han Xueshan silently followed beside Bai Jueming. Ever since she revealed that the man in black was an Yin-Yang Master, Bai Jueming had been deep in thought. What was he worried about? If he really was from the Yin-Yang Palace, then he could simply question everyone in their dreams, wouldn't that be much simpler?

Bai Jueming's inner thoughts were quite the opposite; he never doubted that the person was from the Yin Yang Palace.

Just as Han Xueshan thought, as long as she asked all the Onmyoji in their dreams, she could find out the identity of the man in black! What's more, the Yin-Yang Palace also has the soul lamp of each person!

But the man in black still made his move. He dared to use the methods of an Onmyoji even after noticing that someone was watching him, so he was confident that his identity would not be exposed!

At this moment, Bai Jueming was thinking, could that person be the one who guided him? Han Xueshan said he was at least a fifth-rank, so there was also a possibility that he was a third-rank.

There's another small question: can that person see their true face through the talisman? Or can they only sense their own existence? Bai Jueming asked this question.

Han Xueshan thought about it very seriously and finally concluded that she was not sure.

"Aren't you sure?" Bai Jueming asked, tilting his head.

Han Xueshan rolled her eyes at him, annoyed: "I already said he's at least a fifth-rank official, maybe even a third-rank? If he really is a third-rank official, then we'll see our true colors."

"It seems our appearances have been exposed." Bai Jueming thought for a moment and explained, "That hall master dared to attack alone first, so he should be a fourth-rank. The martial artists who followed him are no weaker than him. But they returned without capturing the man in black, which means the man in black is definitely a third-rank."

At the same time, Bai Jueming confirmed one thing: the two demons and the Four Seasons Master were all fourth-rank!

"Don't forget, that man in black was carrying a burden!"

Han Xueshan stared wide-eyed in disbelief. This bitch's analysis made a lot of sense. Although she wasn't very strong, she was quite clever.

So, could that person be the Onmyoji who guided me? Why didn't their gaze even pause slightly when they saw me? Did they not want to know if I was doing well?

Or was he not surprised by my appearance, and had been secretly watching me all along? Could he suddenly turn around and launch a surprise attack? Good morning!!!

Thinking of this, Bai Jueming suddenly broke out in a cold sweat and felt a chill run down his back, as if an invisible hand was controlling his life from a place he couldn't see.

Bai Jueming looked around suspiciously. The shops all around him were brightly lit, and the faint sounds of string and wind instruments drifted from the riverside brothels. Bai Jueming felt that all of this was terrifying.

"What are you looking for?" Han Xueshan asked, somewhat puzzled.

Han Xueshan's voice was like a bright lamp in the darkness, radiating a warm light. It pointed Bai Jueming, who was trapped in the darkness, in the right direction, drawing him unconsciously closer to Han Xueshan...

Han Xueshan kicked Bai Jueming in the buttocks, a cold smile playing on her lips: "You bitch, trying to take advantage of me?"

Bai Jueming was jolted back to reality by the kick, and somewhat speechlessly dusted off his backside. This tomboy, can't she be a little gentler with me!

Bai Jueming secretly vowed to cultivate diligently once he returned! Also, he needed to report this matter to the Vice Hall Master; he had said he would personally investigate the Onmyoji behind him. Now that he had encountered it, he had to report it as soon as possible!

The two walked silently down the street as the sky over the capital gradually began to lighten with the first light of dawn.

The people of the capital were still asleep, and a light mist rose from the streets.

Only a few vendors had set up their breakfast stalls. Bai Jueming bought a few freshly baked buns and ate them with Han Xueshan as they walked towards the Yin-Yang Palace.

Nothing happened that night, and Bai Jueming's anxious heart gradually relaxed.

Bai Jueming took a bite of the steamed bun when suddenly, a loud "boom" shattered the dark clouds on the horizon.

The explosion, like a wild beast breaking free of its reins, shattered the drowsy state of the capital's residents. The thin white mist that had just begun to rise was directly dispersed by the massive shockwave from the explosion.

The breakfasts that the vendors had prepared in advance were shaken to the ground by the loud noise.

The vendors, forgetting to pack up, hurriedly left their stalls and looked in the direction from which the explosion had come. They were still muttering to themselves.

Bai Jueming and Han Xueshan stopped chewing almost simultaneously, turned around, and looked in the direction of the explosion.

"Where is that?"

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes, and then simultaneously exclaimed, "The South Gate!"

"Shall we go take a look?" Han Xueshan suggested.

Bai Jueming hesitated for a moment, then nodded, and the two headed straight for the south gate.

At the same time, the Onmyoji on night duty in various streets rushed towards the South Gate.

The area in front of the south gate was now a scene of utter devastation.

The explosions have stopped, but the acrid smoke still lingers in the area for a long time.

The once tall and sturdy walls were now covered with spiderweb-like cracks, and a huge hole was blown open near the city gate, while the wooden city gate itself was not damaged much.

Numerous soldiers lay dead on the ground, their armor shattered by the massive impact, blood seeping from the gaps.

On the streets some distance from the city gate, a few early risers were knocked to the ground by the aftershocks of the explosion, clutching their bodies and wailing in pain.

When Bai Jueming and his companion arrived, they saw a tall, imposing general, dressed in armor and with a cloak draped over his shoulders, standing there in a daze. It was the general who had relieved them of their post the previous night.

Han Xueshan noticed that his armor was now cracked, his face was disheveled, and there was a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth. She then whispered to Bai Jueming, "It seems that only he, a fourth-rank cultivator, survived this explosion."

Bai Jueming nodded gravely; he had noticed it too.

Bai Jueming then frowned and looked around at the corpses on the ground, a little puzzled in his heart. So many people, yet not a single one survived. Was this caused by an explosion? Bai Jueming looked up at the huge gap in the city wall, which was pitch black inside.

Several more Onmyoji on night duty arrived one after another. Upon seeing the scene at the South Gate, they were all speechless with shock. Such a scene was almost impossible to witness in the capital, far from the battlefield.

Inside the palace

As dawn broke, Emperor Taikang, whose cultivation had reached a level where he no longer needed sleep, opened his eyes from meditation. He needed to be up at 8 AM today.

Subsequently, Emperor Taikang, with the assistance of his personal eunuchs, changed into a bright yellow dragon robe. Golden dragons coiled on the robe, their scales shimmering with a light that was too dazzling to look directly at.

After donning the dragon robe, Emperor Taikang's clear eyes became deep and majestic, and after wearing the crown, he exuded an aura of dominance over the world.

Just then, Emperor Taikang's ears twitched, and he frowned as he looked out of the palace.

Before long, a eunuch rushed in to report: "Your Majesty, the patrolling guards have reported that an explosion occurred at the south gate, and all the soldiers guarding the city have been killed in action."

After a moment of silence, Emperor Taikang waved his hand, and the eunuch who had come to report bowed and withdrew.

"The South Gate...exploded?" Emperor Taikang closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then summoned his personal eunuch: "Send someone to the Yin-Yang Hall to ask the Imperial Advisor what happened. Also, have the Craftsmen's Hall send people to repair the South Gate."

"Yes." The personal eunuch bowed and accepted the order.

Even after such a major event, Emperor Taikang's expression remained completely calm, entirely thanks to the concealment of his dragon robe, a magical artifact. As long as he didn't want to reveal his emotions, no one could fathom his thoughts.

To get Joe to take over the position of head of the artisan temple, he pursued his sister and got her pregnant. This kind of behavior by a blond-haired man makes it difficult for him to control his facial expressions.

So he pleaded and begged until the Empress intervened and had a master craftsman, Qiao, make this dragon robe for him. It was used to control his facial expressions and project imperial majesty.

This made those officials who were good at reading people hate Qiao Shou to death. Sometimes, when the emperor said something, they had to guess what he meant by it by combining his expression and emotions. How were they supposed to survive in the officialdom with this kind of cheat?

"Let's go to court first."

The eunuch responded and then said, "Your Majesty, Yu Haochu, the Vice Minister of Works, has taken sick leave due to overwork, having temporarily taken over the duties of the deceased Minister of Works, Yang Yongyuan."

"Taking sick leave?" Emperor Taikang's face remained expressionless: "Based on seniority and experience, this court session was originally intended to appoint him to replace Yang Yongyuan."

"Here's what we'll do: send someone to his residence immediately. If he can still walk, have him come over right away." This will save me the trouble of going to court again...

The eunuch accepted the order and took his leave. Another person went to inform the officials waiting in the main hall that the morning court session would be postponed for a while.

Yin-Yang Hall, eighth floor.

The deputy temple master, wearing a demon mask, stood on the watchtower, looking towards the south gate.

Behind him stood the leader of the Bone and Muscle Hall, his face filled with shock. Who dared to be so bold! He had just finished reporting the news of the night watch.

"Could this matter be related to the demon race?" The deputy hall master looked towards the south gate and muttered to himself.

"Vice Hall Master, this was definitely the work of the demon race," Hu Jinggu said indignantly. "Those bastards of the demon race usually hide and never dare to show their faces, but last night they dared to risk being caught to capture the man in black in the inner city. They must have had some ulterior motive!"

The deputy hall master shook his head: "Perhaps it's those two men in black?"

Hu Jinggu sighed, then clasped his hands and said, "It is my dereliction of duty. I failed to capture the two men in black, nor was I able to find out their cultivation system."

"However, what is certain is that the man in black was at least a fourth-rank cultivator. Because he managed to escape from a fifth-rank martial artist while carrying an injured person."

Just then, several hurried footsteps sounded at the top of the stairs. The two turned around at the same time. The newcomers were not the Yin-Yang Masters of the Yin-Yang Hall, but several Yin-Yang people from the palace.

After exchanging greetings with the deputy palace master, the leading eunuch went up to the top floor. The other junior eunuchs waited where they were.

Hu Jinggu stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

The eunuchs remained silent, having mastered the art of survival within the palace.

A moment later, the eunuch came down again, first bowing to the deputy hall master before saying, "Deputy Hall Master, His Majesty wants to know about the South Gate incident as soon as possible. The Imperial Advisor asked me to inform you that you should send people to investigate the South Gate bombing case as quickly as possible."

"Alright," the deputy hall master nodded, asking no further questions. Then he turned to Hu Jinggu and instructed, "At least four hall masters, go."

Hu Jingu accepted the order and left.