Yanfu: Starting with the Six-Eared Macaque

After that sound, Chen Xing felt a sharp pain in his temple.

"The location of the white jade monkey offering longevity ornament has been reported. Please wait for delivery."

Before he finished speaking, a three-dimensional map suddenly appeared in front of Chen Xing's eyes, showing the complete landscape of Prince Chun's Mansion, just like a sand table.

A golden monkey icon is firmly marked in the center of the palace.

The sudden appearance of the map startled Chen Xing. Mo Chou, noticing his unusual expression, quickly lowered her voice and asked, "What's wrong?"

Chen Xing shook his head to indicate that he was fine, then pointed to the eastern mansion, which was still lit with twinkling lights, and beckoned the Mo siblings to follow.

They traveled in silence, using the shadows of the walls and the artificial rocks as cover, skillfully avoiding the palace's patrols and guards, and heading straight for the eastern mansion.

A gray-white wall separated the garden from the mansion. The three of them hid themselves against the wall and kept their breaths low.

"We'll split up later," Chen Xing whispered in their ears. "You two go explore the backyard, and I'll go to the front. We'll meet back here in half an hour."

The Mo siblings exchanged a glance and nodded.

The three of them nimbly scaled the wall, and the Mo siblings stealthily made their way to the north backyard, their figures quickly disappearing into the darkness.

Chen Xing then turned to the south, bent over, and tiptoed toward the front yard, his shoes slowly grinding across the ground without making a sound.

Following the detailed map and marked locations provided by Yan Fu, Chen Xing silently evaded the patrolling guards and made his way to the side of the Yin'an Hall.

He pressed himself against the wall, holding his breath, and waited until the footsteps of the patrolling guards gradually faded away and disappeared at the end of the corridor before slowly straightening up and cautiously looking into the hall through the window.

The dimly lit hall was empty, with only blurry outlines of various household items in the moonlight.

The white jade monkey ornament mentioned in the mission sits quietly on the desk in the center of the hall, radiating a soft glow.

Chen Xing placed his fingertips on the windowsill, gently pushed open the half-closed window, and in a flash, leaped into the hall, then silently closed the window behind him.

He tiptoed to the desk, crouched low, and carefully picked up the ornament.

"You've acquired a white jade ornament carved with a six-eared macaque!"

Within the universe, there are five immortals: Heaven, Earth, Gods, Humans, and Ghosts; and five insects: naked, scaled, hairy, feathered, and insect-like creatures. The Six-Eared Macaque is neither Heaven, nor Earth, nor God, nor Human, nor Ghost, nor naked, scaled, hairy, feathered, nor insect-like, and does not belong to any of the ten categories. It is skilled in listening, can discern sounds, knows the past and future, and understands all things.

White Jade Monkey Offering Longevity Ornament

Category: Jambudvipa Relics

Quality: Special

The relic of Jambudvipa, still retaining a trace of its soul, yearns for a traveler with the determination to shatter stubbornness and break through destiny to awaken it once more.

Note: In the beginning, there was no inherent nature; to break through this obscurity, one must awaken to emptiness. I think you know what to do.

Chen Xing held the white jade ornament in his hand. It felt warm and smooth to the touch, and had a coolness and luster unique to jade.

The three macaques carved on the ornament faintly emit a shimmering light, especially their six ears, which seem to contain a mysterious spirituality.

Chen Xing dared not delay for even a moment. He carefully placed the white jade macaque offering longevity ornament close to his body and wrapped it tightly with his clothes to ensure that it would not slip or bump.

He quickly scanned the desktop to check if he had missed anything, and just then, a notification sound suddenly rang in his mind.

Following Yan Fu's guidance, Chen Xing's gaze fell on a pale gold sheet of Xuan paper on the corner of the table.

The paper is fine-textured, and several lines of vigorous and powerful characters are written on it in ink, with sharp strokes that exude a sense of awe.

"Buddhist scriptures are preached on the east and west sides of the street, and bells are struck and conch shells are blown to create a disturbance in the palace."

"You've discovered the relic of Jambudvipa!"

"You can choose to use this token to start a Jambudvipa event, or you can use it at the start of any Jambudvipa event to improve your initial status in that Jambudvipa event."

Chen Xing's heart stirred, and he carefully folded the pale gold Xuan paper, putting it into his bosom along with the ornament, hiding it close to his body.

Then, he lay down by the wall, listened intently for a moment, and only after confirming that there was no unusual noise and that the surroundings were safe did he quietly push open the window, lightly flip over and leap out, silently disappearing into the night.

Just as Chen Xing lowered his body, intending to use the same trick again and sneak out of the mansion along the original route, he suddenly caught a glimpse of two figures crouching on the eaves of the west wing. The figures were curled up and motionless, and judging from their size, they were definitely not the Mo siblings!

There are more experts?! Chen Xing's heart skipped a beat, and he was secretly shocked.

Besides the three of us, were there other people who sneaked into the Prince's mansion tonight?

-----------------

Rewind to this afternoon, while Chen Xing was drinking tea and listening to storytelling, inside a White Lotus Sect stronghold in the capital.

"I love the White Lotus Sect. The White Lotus Sect saved me and my family, made me who I am, and made my children my children."

A well-dressed middle-aged man knelt before the desk, his forehead almost touching the ground, his tone extremely sincere.

"Our Lady of the Black Lotus is merciful. She took my son as her disciple and personally taught him martial arts. I have repeatedly instructed him to serve Our Lady forever and never forget the grace of the Holy Church."

The man's tone shifted, his voice choked with emotion: "But just yesterday, he died! He died on his way to assassinate Zaifeng, right there in the Prince Chun's residence!"

The man took a deep breath and, suppressing his grief, continued, "A few days ago, I acquired a treasure: a white jade monkey offering longevity ornament."

"Then Prince Chun heard the news from somewhere and sent men to break into my house and forcibly take away the treasure! My son is filial, and seeing that I was sad all day long, he suggested that we go to the Prince's mansion to steal the treasure back."

The man paused, his fingertips turning white from gripping the strings, before continuing, "I personally prepared a crossbow for him, along with poisoned steel bolts, and arranged for skilled men to meet him outside the palace."

"But they didn't reach him." The man could no longer hold back, his voice trembling with sobs.

Behind the desk sat a man in a black suit, his black hair already streaked with silver, his face stern, and his aura undeniable.

He waved his hand, signaling the servant beside him to bring a chair to the kneeling middle-aged man.

The man was helped to sit on a stool. After composing himself, he continued in a hoarse voice, "When I saw him again, his body was hanging at the execution ground, burned beyond recognition! There was an arrow I had personally prepared for him stuck in his back."

"People around him pointed at his body, saying he was overestimating himself, daring to assassinate a prince!" The middle-aged man was visibly agitated, slamming his fist against his thigh. "I watched him! My son! I couldn't even find a way to collect his body!"

"I got home. My wife asked me, 'Where's our son?' I said, 'He's dead.' My wife asked me again in disbelief, 'Where's our son?' I said, 'He's dead, and his body was hung at the execution ground.'" The middle-aged man composed himself and continued.

"Madam fainted on the spot, and I called the best doctor to treat her. The first thing she said after she woke up was, 'Tell me to come and find you, Mr. Bai Jingbai.'"

"Why didn't you come to see me before going to the Prince's mansion?" Bai Jing, sitting behind his desk, spoke in a calm voice, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"From now on, my whole family will follow your lead. I beg you, I beg you to help me with this." The middle-aged man's tone was urgent yet firm.

"Help you with what?" Bai Jing continued to ask, his gaze fixed on the man.

The middle-aged man quickly got up, walked behind the desk, leaned down, and whispered something in Bai Jing's ear.

Bai Jing carefully examined the middle-aged man in front of him, his brows furrowing slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he reached up and scratched the beard around his mouth, slowly shaking his head: "This won't do. I can't risk the lives of my followers."

"I can give you anything you want! My life, my wife's life, all my property, just ask, and I'll give it all to you!" The middle-aged man was agitated again, and his voice began to tremble.

Bai Jing remained expressionless and said to himself, "We've known each other for many years. I personally brought you into the Holy Sect back then, and I even attended your son's one-month celebration."

Suddenly, Bai Jing changed the subject: "But ever since you made your fortune doing business with foreigners, you've stopped contacting me."

"I... I don't want to get involved in this," the middle-aged man explained somewhat hesitantly.

"I understand." Bai Jing remained expressionless. "You have money, you live well, and your family is happy. The foreign business supports you, and the court and officials protect you. You don't need a friend like me anymore."

"But now you come to me saying, 'Mr. Bai, please seek justice for me.' But you show me no respect whatsoever. You don't treat me like a friend; you don't even bother to call me by name."

"Master."