Wait a minute, where is my master?

"Temple master, this is so delicious!"

"Young master, you must try this!"

"Giggle!"

Three Taoists and a chicken were currently sitting around a round table, thoroughly enjoying their meal. Several maids and servants stood behind them, responsible for serving dishes, removing plates, pouring tea, and other miscellaneous tasks.

...

After paying a fine last night and getting out of prison, they didn't return to Yanyu Building. Instead, Xia Yunzhao had taken them directly to this large estate with three courtyards. According to the Seventh Princess, this was one of her properties in Shangjing, where she would stay for a few days whenever she grew tired of the Imperial City.

She owned over a dozen such places.

At the time, Jin Xu secretly clicked his tongue in amazement; now, he suddenly felt the well his master had left him was nothing in comparison.

The three of them stayed in that mansion that night, and Xia Yunzhao had arranged to meet the young Taoist the following morning after the court session.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, as soon as Jin Xu got up, a maid promptly offered him a hot towel and clean water.

After washing up, the young Taoist followed the maid's directions to the hall for breakfast. Once there, he saw a large table filled with delicacies from land and sea in the hall—it didn't look like breakfast at all!

Then Jin Xu asked the guiding maid, who mentioned that Yu Yaoer and Little White had ordered all these dishes.

Upon hearing this, the young Taoist smiled slightly, thinking that the two ladies were indeed fond of good food and enjoyed themselves.

Then, he decided to join in.

All three of them had hearty appetites, but fortunately, the mansion had ample ingredients and enough cooks. With the steward ordering the kitchen to go full force, they just managed to keep up with their eating pace.

While they were eating merrily, Little White even suggested, "Temple master, why don't we have the kitchen stew that Age Chicken? The chicken and mushroom stew I had just now was quite well made by the chef; it's just a pity the ingredients weren't up to par."

Upon hearing this, Jin Xu asked Yu Yaoer to fetch the Age Chicken from the twenty-four Mystic Treasure Pearls.

It wasn't really about stewing it, as suggested by the husky, but rather, the young Taoist wanted to try the idea that had popped into his head during last night's cultivation.

Whether the Body Purification Skill could eliminate the unique fragrance from its body.

Upon hearing Jin Xu's words, the obedient Little Fish Demon brought out the cage containing the spiritual bird, but she advised, "Young master, it's a rare delicacy from a small world."

"I'm not going to eat it, just experiment,"

the young Taoist said gently.

Hearing this, the maid who was about to step forward and take the chicken to the kitchen silently withdrew.

The Little Fish Demon placed the cage on the table and opened the sealed panel; a strange fragrance instantly filled the air. Then, Jin Xu, quick as lightning, reached out his left hand in front of the cage and launched the "Body Purification Skill."

Little Hong, just taken out of the cage, hadn't even realized what was happening when it saw a white light shooting towards its head, and then it was enveloped by a bizarre sensation.

"Giggle! Da!"

Ignoring the Age Chicken that had collapsed in the cage, the young Taoist sniffed the air; indeed, the strange fragrance was much weaker than before.

Thus, the Nine Provinces Realm witnessed the birth of the first Age Chicken that did not emit fragrance.

...

At the round table, while waiting for Xia Yunzhao, the three of them, plus a chicken, continued to eat.

The recently collapsed Age Chicken was now feasting vigorously and would occasionally cluck loudly; except for occasional howls from Little White, no one paid it any mind.

"Little White, could you get him to calm down a bit?"

"Little Fish Sister, you can just tell him directly, he understands human speech."

"Oh, right, Little Hong, calm down a bit!"

The three had already accepted the fact that the Age Chicken was called Little Hong.

"Giggle! Da!"

The Age Chicken clucked at Yu Yaoer, then turned around and pecked at a bowl of ginseng chicken spirit rice porridge.

"Little White, what did he say? Also, how can he, being a chicken, still drink chicken soup!"

Yu Yaoer, who never ate fish, really could not comprehend the behavior of this chicken.

"I just asked him that question. He said he's a descendant of the phoenix-like bird, only looking like a chicken but essentially different. Oh, right, he also said... since everyone is a demon pet, what right do you have to boss him around?"

The husky looked pitifully at the spiritual bird.

Upon hearing this, Yu Yaoer blinked her clear yet foolish big eyes, turning toward Jin Xu.

Hearing the entire conversation, the young Taoist calmly swallowed the food in his mouth, then said two words to the husky and the Little Fish Demon, "Beat him up."

Chickens flew and dogs jumped; that's a verb.

Under the "education" of the two women, the Age Chicken was much more behaved during meals.

Jin Xu sat at the dining table for a while longer, waiting; but seeing that Xia Yunzhao still hadn't arrived, he rose and walked toward the courtyard.

No sooner had the young Taoist reached the courtyard than he saw the Seventh Princess arriving with a group of officers in official attire from outside.

"Pri...Taoist, sorry to keep you waiting."

Remembering there were other people behind, the Seventh Princess's address became much more polite.

"Seventh Prince."

Jin Xu responded politely, then scanned the group, noticing that most of them were the same officers who had arrested him at the Yanyu Building.

Seeing the young Taoist's gaze, the Seventh Princess smiled apologetically and explained, "The capital nowadays has a shortage of manpower everywhere, this team was cobbled together."

Jin Xu nodded in understanding, his glance sweeping over the crowd again; he noticed Xu Qian was not among them.

However, the young Taoist didn't mind it much; the other might have other duties or might still be in prison keeping Li Mi company. After all, a Sixth-Grade officer of Great Xia wouldn't just disappear in Capital City.

But just to be sure, he asked.

"Did Xu Qian not come with you?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Yunzhao was stunned, then turned to look at a Fourth-Grade officer named Zhang.

"Your Highness, Xu Qian did not return after he left Prison last night. However... however... a colleague saw him heading in the direction of the brothel street," the cultivator surnamed Zhang replied with an awkward complexion, his subordinate having been caught by the future Emperor of Great Xia visiting a brothel and not returning all night.

This was practically a career-destroying blow!

Upon hearing the words of the night watchman, Jin Xu felt his worries had been unnecessary.

"..."

"Let's set off."

The little Taoist called out the two girls who had been eating diligently, stuffed Little Hong back into the storage ring, and the group marched mightily toward the Mu Royal Mansion.

Today, the future Empress of Great Xia was about to use her own uncle to restore the majesty of Great Xia's laws.

The group left the house and quickly traversed through the pouring rain, soon arriving in front of the Mu Royal Mansion. Xia Yunzhao had chosen to stay in this house last night because it was closest to the mansion.

...

The capital of Great Xia, Observatory Tower.

This was the highest building within the imperial city, overlooking the entire Shangjing City.

At the top floor's observatory, the founding ruler, Xia Xuanmin, was sitting in front of a short desk.

Behind him stood the father of Xia Yunzhao, the current Emperor of Great Xia.

The desk faced the Mu Royal Mansion, on it a pot of turbid wine, a plate of broad beans, and a wine cup.

The reason the Seventh Princess dared to bring a motley crew of night watchmen to capture Prince Mu was certainly not because of Jin Xu.

In her heart, the little Taoist indeed had high cultivation, capable of blowing up a low-level Divinity Transformation cultivator with one punch, which was no small feat.

But who Xia Yunzhao was facing today was one of the only two princes of Great Xia, not just some lackadaisical prince, but one with ambition and strength!

Thus, her confidence today didn't come from the little Taoist but from Xia Xuanmin, who was currently sitting at the observatory.

"Father, do you really intend to personally kill Big Brother in Yunzhao's name?" Xia Huantang spoke out, standing behind Emperor Min.

Xia Xuanmin didn't respond to his second son's words, picking up his wine cup and drinking on his own. Since he had agreed to abdicate in favor of Yunzhao the day before, why bother with these nonsense today.

Xia Huantang, standing at the observatory, seeing his father ignore him, also chose to remain silent.

He wasn't truly clueless, but he still harbored a sliver of hope or perhaps wishful thinking.

Xia Xuanmin had summoned him late last night and spoke to him about abdicating, and he hadn't hesitated much before agreeing. Xia Huantang had no attachment to the position—a position he had inherited rather cluelessly and would now vacate just as cluelessly.

It was quite alright.

Especially since the position was being handed to his own daughter.

The only reason he had spoken out earlier was because he couldn't bear the steps they were taking now.

...

Outside on the long street, in front of Mu Royal Mansion.

The little Taoist and Xia Yunzhao's group of people stood at the mansion's main gate.

Due to the heavy rain today, there were no stalls on the streets, and very few pedestrians.

Such heavy rain deterred even cultivators from venturing out.

"Knock on the door," ordered the Seventh Princess.

"Yes!"

The cultivator surnamed Zhang, feeling a surge of emotion, was aware of today's mission ahead of time. If today's task was accomplished well, it could mean a chance to establish his own mansion!

So, full of momentum, he stepped forward and knocked the door ring.

Moments later, the front door of the Mu Royal Mansion opened, and two Foundation Establishment cultivators poked their heads out. The rain was so heavy today that they had sought shelter in the gatehouse instead of foolishly standing guard by the door.

"What is it?"

The two cultivators obviously recognized the attire of the night watchmen and knew that the man in front of them held a not insignificant rank.

But as the saying goes, "even a seventh-grade official is in front of the Prime Minister's gate."

So their tone was not particularly polite.

"A fourth-grade night watchman of Great Xia. According to the laws of Great Xia, we are here to arrest the mastermind behind the Longevity Mountain kidnapping case, Xia Huangmu!" exclaimed the cultivator surnamed Zhang, his voice filled with excitement and perfect articulation!

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

The two gatekeeping cultivators thought they were hearing things.

"Stop wasting words with them, storm in," Xia Yunzhao ordered confidently, backed by Grandpa Emperor.

Upon hearing this, the night watchman signalled to the people behind him, quickly drew out his blue chain from his waist, and neatly tied up the two men. He then led his subordinates as they charged into Mu Royal Mansion.

"You have a lot of nerve, this is Prince Mu's Mansion!"

The two Foundation Establishment cultivators hadn't yet grasped the situation.

Xia Yunzhao, finding the two men annoying, walked forward and knocked them out with a swift move.

The little Taoist, with interest, watched this unfold. With a thought, he activated "Dongxuan Spirit Skill" to extend his Spiritual Sense into Mu Royal Mansion.

Indeed, Jin Xu was in the backyard, and unexpectedly, Xu Qian, who should have been at the brothel listening to music, was there too.

At this moment, he was covered in blood, unrecognizable, and lying in a filthy muddy puddle.

!!!