Wait a minute, where is my master?

...

Late at night, Shangjing City.

Inside an ordinary household.

The Third Elder of the Demon Sect, Yan Meishan, suddenly snapped her eyes open, leapt out of bed, her chest heaving with intense emotion, harboring a fire of rage in her heart.

With a wave of her jade hand, she unleashed a streak of spiritual power, severing a table within the room in two.

Because she feared exposing herself, she dared not use her power excessively and could only vent her anger in such minor ways.

A moment later, there was not a single item left intact in the room, all were ground to powder.

Only then did some of Yan Meishan's frustration begin to dissipate.

But the Third Elder still couldn't figure out at which point things had gone wrong.

Having lived for so many years, she had failed with a man for the first time, but that was bearable.

How had her identity as a member of the Demon Sect been exposed?

The night watchmen must have received information to apprehend her at the Tianxiang Building, but was it because of that young Taoist or simply a coincidence?

With these doubts, she sent messages to her hidden followers, instructing them to secretly investigate the events that had occurred at the Tianxiang Building that night.

And then to retrieve her doppelganger's head from a certain place.

...

The next morning greeted them with bright, beautiful sunlight.

Jin Xu and his companions, who had hearty appetites, were eating breakfast in the guesthouse's main hall.

Yaoer even specially requested an extra bowl of Spirit Rice Porridge, which she placed into the twenty-four Mystic Treasure Pearls.

It was to feed the Age Chicken.

In the main hall, the Array Masters who had departed the previous day had returned.

Each of them still dressed in yellow robes, holding compasses, mumbling to themselves.

If one listened closely, they would hear them say, "Is this guesthouse not clean? There was no problem when we checked yesterday, and still no problem today. But why are the spirit stones in this formation drained of energy?"

The young Taoist paused the spoon in his hand upon hearing this, then resumed eating his Spirit Rice Porridge as if nothing was amiss.

Ah, refreshing, sweet, and delicious.

Just then, the conversation of the diners at the next table caught the attention of Jin Xu and his party.

Cultivator A, "Elder Liu, did you hear about the big incident in Shangjing City yesterday?"

Cultivator B, "Are you talking about the affair of the third master of the Zhang family getting caught in bed, or the Luan family's eldest seeking a child with a high reward?"

Cultivator C, "Those are old news. I bet Elder Wang was referring to last night's big fire at the Tianxiang Building."

Cultivator A, "Ah, Elder Li is always well-informed. Let me tell you, they say that fire at the Tianxiang Building yesterday was set by the second son of the Luan family because of..."

The voices of the diners at the neighboring table gradually quieted.

After hearing all this, the three young Taoists exchanged glances.

Then Little White blurted something astonishing.

"Temple Master, it's a good thing you didn't go sleep with that lady last night, or you would have definitely been burned."

"Pfft!"

Jin Xu, who had just sipped some Spirit Rice Porridge, spewed it right out.

Yaoer, sitting opposite him, blinked her clear yet foolish eyes innocently, puzzled as to why it was always her face the young master ended up spraying.

"Little White, eat your meal and stop talking nonsense," the young Taoist chided as he helped Little Fish Demon wipe the Spirit Rice Porridge off her face.

"Oh."

Husky hung its head and focused on eating, not speaking further.

"Young master, are you going to the Emperor Xia's capital today?"

Yaoer, her face covered in porridge, asked while looking up.

"Yes, today I am going to meet Princess Yunzhao's mother. Remember to keep an eye on Little White, and don't let her wander off."

Jin Xu casually cast a Body Purification Skill, which hit Little Fish Demon on the face. The Spirit Rice Porridge was too scattered and difficult to pick up; magic was more convenient after all.

"Mm~Young Master, good."

Under the effects of the Body Purification Skill, Yu Yaoer's eyes were filled with affection and shimmering like spring water as she softly responded.

Seeing that the little face was finally clean, the Taoist was satisfied and nodded.

Yes, much more comfortable.

...

At the front door of Yanyu Building, the Taoist, wearing a mask and chewing on a weed, sat there, utterly bored.

Xia Yunzhao had just sent him a message, saying that she had urgent matters today and could not come in person.

But she would send her personal maid to take Jin Xu to meet her mother.

Looking at the bustling streets filled with noise and heavy traffic, the Taoist began to wonder about the relationship between Xia Yunzhao's mother and his economical master.

Was it like the old woman from White Emperor Pavilion, unrequited love; or mutual affection, yet they ended up not being together; or perhaps he was overthinking, and they were merely ordinary friends.

Hiss~ As he pondered, Jin Xu suddenly took a sharp breath, inconspicuously contributing to warming Nine Provinces.

If Xia Yunzhao's mother was like that old woman from the White Emperor Pavilion. His trip into the palace wouldn't end up with him being forcibly kept, would it?

Lost in wild thoughts, a cheerful small voice rang out.

"Excuse me, are you Jin Xu the Taoist?"

The Taoist looked up; a little girl in front of him had her hair done up in a twin-ring immortal bun, was wearing a wide-sleeve shirt, dressed in a light pink long skirt, and wore tall shoes, curiously looking at him.

"Yes, I am. Are you Miss Yunzhao's maid?"

Jin Xu stood up and walked towards the little girl.

"Taoist, just call me Little Huan. Today, the Seventh Prince suddenly had urgent matters, so he sent me. I hope you won't mind."

As she spoke, she deeply bowed.

The little girl did not look old, but her manners were quite impeccable.

"It's alright, thank you for leading the way, Miss Little Huan."

Jin Xu politely responded.

"Alright, then please, Taoist, get on the carriage."

As she spoke, the little girl waved her hand behind her, and a coachman driving a carriage came forward.

After Jin Xu boarded the carriage, Little Huan mumbled inwardly, "The Seventh Prince praises this person's remarkable appearance daily. I finally outcompeted the other sisters for the task of leading the way today, eager to see his true face. Yet this Taoist has put on a mask."

In order to get this task, she had promised many things to the sisters in the palace. Now, it seemed the deal was at a loss.

But the path still had to be led. With that thought, Little Huan also climbed into the carriage. The coachman drove the horse carriage towards the palace.

...

In an underground chamber of a residence in Shangjing City.

Manager Shi was respectfully reporting to the shadow before him about his investigations from yesterday.

"Prince, that Taoist was reported to have entered Shangjing City early yesterday morning.

When entering the city, he didn't show any city entry token but was directly taken away by the potbellied monk from Wanbao Temple.

After that, they stayed in Yanyu Building in town and obtained an entry token for the auction, thus appearing at last night's auction.

According to the monastery gatekeeper who spoke yesterday, we know that this person is an acquaintance of Princess Yunzhao.

And since Princess Yunzhao has just returned from her training, we can conclude they must have met during the training.

As for this person's origin and whereabouts, I'm still investigating and should have information soon.

By the way, the assassin sent by the steward in the house last night has successfully brought back the head of that female auctioneer.

The fact that the Taoist is carrying a large amount of Bone Marrow Cleansing Spirit Liquid is now unknown to anyone outside the auction event.

However, could the potbellied monk receiving him into the city be related to this person?"

Manager Shi, truly a snake of Shangjing City, had scoped out all of Jin Xu's movements since entering the city in just one night.

After listening to the report, the shadow lightly nodded, clearly very satisfied with Manager Shi's intelligence work.

Then he began to speak.....