Yin Yang Soul Searcher

After the army had gone some distance, the two continued walking towards Zhengshan Hall.

Jia Qingshan nodded, then continued, "You know that the First Prince went to Thundercloud Cave with the Imperial Advisor two months ago to subdue the auspicious beast, right?"

Bai Jueming nodded, having heard about this from Shan Ge, and added, "Because the Imperial Preceptor was injured in that battle, he had to return to the capital to recuperate. Therefore, the task of escorting the auspicious beast's corpse back to the capital could only be entrusted to the First Prince, who was traveling with us."

"So what is he going to do?" Bai Jueming asked uncertainly.

"Not bad." Jia Qingshan pulled out a folding fan as if by magic, opened it with a snap, and then explained, "A few days ago, the First Prince wrote to the court, saying that he had heard about the unrest in the capital recently. Out of caution, the First Prince hoped that His Majesty could send someone to meet him and ensure the safe delivery of the auspicious beast to the capital."

"After all, the closer you get to success, the easier it is to fail." Jia Qingshan held up his small fan, as if reciting a famous saying: "There are very few people in the entire imperial court willing to take on this job. You should understand that, right?"

Bai Jueming nodded. Completing the mission would mean being labeled as part of the Crown Prince's faction, and Emperor Taikang was still in his prime; it was too early to choose sides. Failure to complete the mission meant losing one's head. There was no benefit to this mission, which was why no one wanted to take it on.

"So the Third Prince took the initiative without hesitation."

Bai Jueming looked at him with some suspicion: "How do you know so much about these court affairs?"

"Brother Bai, what kind of look is that? You don't suspect that my Jia family has connections in the imperial court, do you?" Jia Qingshan was taken aback.

If someone were to pass on these court secrets to the Jia family, would they have any chance of survival if the emperor found out? The emperor already disliked the Jia family.

Bai Jueming smiled but remained silent.

Seeing his expression, Jia Qingshan became anxious and quickly explained, "The news had already spread when the Third Prince went to various places to conscript elite troops a couple of days ago. It's not some kind of court secret. You can't wrong me!!"

"Calm down, calm down," Bai Jueming gestured for him to remain calm and expressed his belief in him.

Jia Qingshan was relieved and continued to comment: "The Third Prince is a clever man, but not clever enough."

"What do you mean by that?" Bai Jueming asked in return.

"His cleverness lies in the fact that the eldest prince is the crown prince and has a high probability of inheriting the throne. The third prince's actions clearly show that he is on the crown prince's side. However, his foolishness lies in the fact that he chose sides too early, which will offend the second prince."

Another second prince has appeared? Is he vying for the throne? It seems this struggle for succession is inevitable, whether before or after time travel.

However, the eldest prince's mother is the current empress, and the head of the artisan hall, Qiao Shou, is his maternal uncle. With such a powerful background, what strength does the second prince possess to compete with the eldest prince for the throne?

Bai Jueming voiced his doubts, which elicited a strange response from Jia Qingshan: "Brother Bai, I'm starting to doubt whether you're even a person from the Great Xia."

Nonsense, how would a time traveler like me know so much?

Bai Jueming thought for a moment and explained, "I used to make a living in the black market, working hard every day to improve my cultivation. It's normal that I don't know these things. I had heard a little about them before, but I've long forgotten them now."

"Alright." Jia Qingshan accepted this explanation, then lightly shook his folding fan and said, "The Second Prince's background and strength are in no way inferior to the First Prince's. His uncle is Wu Yong, the current General who guards the border."

"I remember Wu Yong is a second-rank martial artist. Within the Great Xia Dynasty, Wu Yong is basically second in the martial arts cultivation path. Moreover, he commands tens of thousands of elite soldiers! He should not be underestimated."

Wow, that's impressive! With such a background, he could definitely compete with the First Prince for the throne. Bai Jueming then asked, "Then who is number one?"

Jia Qingshan clasped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the imperial city, and said with a devout expression, "Of course, it is His Majesty, the wise and mighty emperor of today."

No need to pretend like that, nobody's watching anyway...

Bai Jueming, chin in hand, suddenly thought of the Four Seasons Master he had encountered with Han Xueshan after Jia Qingshan's words.

I didn't know Wu Yong was the Second Prince's uncle before, but now I wonder if it's possible that Wu Yong colluded with the Four Seasons Master? Did he collude with the Four Seasons Master to increase the Second Prince's chances of winning the throne? It's very possible!

It's important to know that the Four Seasons Masters are members of the royal family of Western Shu, and Wu Yong's status makes him a very worthy ally for them! Because helping Wu Yong would bring immense benefits, such as reducing warfare and secretly smuggling goods!

If the Second Prince ascends the throne, he will definitely open up border trade in return for Western Shu! This would be another great benefit!

There are also mineral deposits. When Han Xueshan and I ran into Master Siji on the street, we overheard them talking about mineral deposits. Could they have been secretly transported to Western Shu? We can't be sure about that yet.

I'll say it again: the benefits of colluding with Wu Yong are too great!!!

However, is the Onmyoji who was with the Four Seasons Master also related to Wu Yong? That's uncertain! But if we know his purpose in eliminating the souls of those soldiers, we can guess whether they are in cahoots!

Moreover, because the soldiers' souls were destroyed, the identity of the gunpowder thief remains unknown.

These cases involve multiple forces interfering, participating, and causing trouble. Finding the truth is virtually impossible!

Bai Jueming slammed his fist into his left palm. Now that things have come to this, let's get ready to roll call!

The top floor of the Yin-Yang Building.

After returning to the Yin-Yang Hall, the deputy hall master went straight to the Grand Preceptor's secluded retreat.

The moment the deputy hall master stepped into the ninth floor, a water-like array swept past him.

On the ninth-level massive platform, a giant Tai Chi diagram was drawn on the ground.

The Imperial Advisor, dressed in a long robe that was half black and half white, sat cross-legged in the center of a Tai Chi diagram, his back to the Vice Hall Master. The midday sun shone directly on the enormous Tai Chi diagram.

"You're back." The Grand Preceptor's deep voice rang out.

"Yes," the deputy hall master clasped his hands in a fist salute, then took out the golden paper from his sleeve: "This is the message that Hall Master Qiao asked me to bring back."

The deputy hall master presented the paper with both hands, and the imperial advisor gently waved his hand, causing the paper to float in front of him as if there was no wind.

The deputy hall master waited quietly to the side. After a moment, he suddenly heard some rapid breathing on the ninth floor.

There were only himself and the Imperial Advisor on the ninth floor. Where was that breathing sound coming from? It was already quite obvious.

Then he saw the Grand Preceptor grab the golden paper in front of him, lower his head and carefully examine the contents of the letter, as if he were making some kind of confirmation!

The deputy hall master's expression behind the mask was somewhat incredulous. Given the Grand Preceptor's perpetually calm and composed demeanor, how could he react like this after seeing the contents of the letter?!

The deputy hall master looked horrified, but this was not something he should know!

After reading the letter, the Imperial Advisor still clutched the paper tightly, and casually offered a word of comfort to the Vice Hall Master: "Thank you for your hard work."

"What rank do you feel your strength has recovered to?"

"Replying to the Grand Preceptor," the Vice Hall Master clasped his hands again, "when I finished fighting with Hall Master Qiao, I felt that my strength had dropped below the seventh rank."

"After a night of recuperation in the Craftsmen's Hall, and with the special pills fed to me by Hall Master Qiao, my strength has slowly recovered to the fifth rank, and it is still slowly increasing."

At this point, the deputy hall master couldn't help but ask, "Grand Preceptor, what kind of technique did that person use? It's so bizarre! I feel that if we continue fighting, my cultivation will completely disappear, and I'll become a mortal without any cultivation."

"To be precise, it's not a martial art. But he's probably the only one in the world who would possess such a skill." The Imperial Advisor chuckled, and one could tell he was somewhat relieved after learning the news from the letter.

"You'll find out later." The Imperial Advisor clearly had no intention of telling him, and then asked, "After you were teleported away, did anything happen at the artisan's camp?"

"Reporting to the Grand Preceptor, after the battle, Hall Master Qiao and I have been healing our wounds. Once our strength had recovered somewhat, I returned to deliver the message and haven't had time to check on the situation at the Craftsmen's Hall yet."

The Imperial Advisor nodded gently and comforted her again, "You've worked hard, but we still need to send a few people to investigate what happened in the Craftsmen's Hall after you left."

"Go back and get some rest."

"Yes," the deputy hall master acknowledged and withdrew.

The deputy temple master returned to his room in the artisan's hall, where the walls were covered with wild animal skulls and hides.

The deputy hall master walked to a beast skeleton, reached out and stroked the skull, finally crushing it to pieces with a forceful squeeze. He then chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I wonder how long it will take to increase my strength."

After calming himself down, the deputy hall master sat down in a chair and looked at the densely packed letters on the table. He rubbed his temples in pain; these were all reports from the various hall masters.

I've been away from the Yin-Yang Palace for two days, and a lot has piled up that I need to deal with. Where am I supposed to find time to rest properly?

Even if a person holds a high position, they cannot escape the fate of being treated like cattle or horses.

The deputy hall master chuckled self-deprecatingly, then pulled out the first letter on the table. As he read the last letter, his brows furrowed.

The matter of sending Master Shimizu to investigate the miasma in the Tuyun Mountains was previously reported, but he has not returned yet. According to reports from other masters, they have lost contact with Master Shimizu.

This is unreasonable. Even if they didn't find any useful information, they should have returned to report. If they did find any information, they should have returned even more.

The fact that Shimizu-do has gone missing can only mean that he may be in danger, or that he is already dead!

After Bai Jueming finished his shift, he returned to his office. Han Xueshan was already cultivating, while Jia Qingshan sat in his chair, somewhat bored.

Upon seeing Bai Jueming enter the room, Han Xueshan, who was meditating, first glared at him fiercely. Then she turned her head, a happy smile playing on her lips, her high ponytail swaying.

I'll beat you to death, you bitch! Let's see if you dare to plot against me again.

Bai Jueming's face darkened, and he began to meditate and cultivate silently.

The streets outside Zhengshan Hall are wide and clean.

Tang Weiwei wore a light blue fitted dress and carried freshly baked pastries from Tangxinzhai in her hand, skipping and hopping along the street.

The girl had skin as white as snow, a delicate nose, and a pair of large, bright eyes as clear as mountain spring water.

He had originally gone out with Cheng Yanbing to treat the people outside the city, but he didn't expect that his senior brother had already treated almost all the patients in just one day.

My senior brother instructed some physicians sent by the imperial court to stay behind and handle the aftermath, and to brew several more pots of medicinal soup to feed the people so they could recover.

After completing the mission, Tang Weiwei and her senior brother returned home early.