941

Chapter 941: Prince of the Eastern Border

Editor: Henyee Translations

Chu Qingzhi’s gaze shifted to the Bliss Master seated on the lotus pedestal, who seemed to be quite a successful con artist, likely part of a significant fraud ring.

She locked her spiritual senses on Yan Zihao and then headed towards the back of the temple where the swindlers were up to something.

Inside the temple, there was a statue of a monstrous entity that stood five or six meters tall. It resembled a monkey but had three arms, two heads, and the lower body of a human—bizarre beyond description.

Someone approached, and Chu Qingzhi swiftly leapt atop the statue.

“Hurry and set things up, we can’t delay the Bliss Master’s ritual.”

“It’s impressive how the Bliss Master can earn over ten thousand silver taels for our temple in just one day. I’m quite envious.”

“If you’re envious, then hurry up and practice the rituals, and you might have your day in the limelight too.”

“Right, right, enough talking. Let’s set up quickly, or we’ll mess up and it’ll be the end of us.”

As the two spoke, they hastily arranged props behind the Bliss Master.

Chu Qingzhi witnessed all this, gathering from their conversation that the Bliss Master was probably just a pawn in their scheme.

She decided not to act rashly and to observe the situation further.

She descended from another side and was about to explore further when she unexpectedly locked eyes with someone.

Chu Qingzhi swiftly knocked the person unconscious, dragged them into a dark corner, and disguised herself to blend in and walk around the temple openly.

After walking a distance, an aggressive-looking older nun approached, “You little minx, have you finished scrubbing the floors?”

Chu Qingzhi pointed towards the main hall, “It’s done. Anything else?”

The old nun continued her fierce demeanor, “Done? Then hurry to the kitchen and help with cooking. Are you waiting for me to serve you?”

Chu Qingzhi didn’t argue, understanding that patience was key to her larger plan. She obediently headed to the kitchen.

The kitchen occupied a yard where several pigs had been butchered, along with numerous chickens, ducks, and fish—more reminiscent of a wealthy household than a temple.

A girl in a half-new monk’s robe approached and urged, “Xiao Yun, what are you dazed about? Get to work.”

Chu Qingzhi tapped her head, pretending to be confused, “I’ve already cleaned the floors, what should I do next?”

The girl looked puzzled, “You’re supposed to chop the wood, aren’t you always the one to do it?”

A fragile girl assigned to chop wood seemed off. Chu Qingzhi asked, “Where’s the wood?”

The girl pointed to the left, “Over there. You really must have gone silly studying those rituals, forgetting everything else.”

Chu Qingzhi turned and walked towards the left.

Past the courtyard wall was a path with piles of wood.

Chu Qingzhi, of course, had no intention of actually chopping wood. She scanned her surroundings and continued along the path.

From a nearby room, she heard faint voices…

“Brother, what should we do now?”

“What do you mean?”

“The three hundred thousand silver taels we prepared to offer up disappeared this morning.”

“What are you saying?”

“Brother, I wouldn’t come to you if there wasn’t a crisis. What should we do about the three hundred thousand taels?”

“Wasn’t that money guarded?”

“I had guards, but they’ve all been killed.”

“Could we be targeted? Besides the money, is anything else missing?”

“Nothing else, just the money. But, brother, we need to deliver the money tonight. What do we do now?”

“Go and confess to the master, seek leniency, don’t wait for tonight, go right now.”

“Brother, if I go now, I might not return.”

Chu Qingzhi listened to their conversation and thought to herself, this is interesting; the goods were stolen again. Wait, was it the work of that little thief?

It couldn’t be him; he’s currently searching for the location where the poppy plants and poison are being made.

Who could it be then?

With that in mind, Chu Qingzhi decided to follow the man who was preparing to report to his master.

The man in black mounted a horse and headed out of town, with Chu Qingzhi trailing behind…

“Go! Hurry!”

Suddenly, an arrow flew through the air, striking the man in black in the temple, killing him instantly.

Chu Qingzhi hurried after the archer, shouting, “Stop!”

The masked figure, seemingly surprised to be observed, shot an arrow at Chu Qingzhi.

Chu Qingzhi dodged and chased after the fleeing figure, unwilling to let this opportunity slip. Arrows whizzed by her face, their sharp sounds chilling to the bone.

Chu Qingzhi grabbed an arrow and hurled it back, striking the masked figure squarely in the back. The assailant stumbled forward and fell.

Chu Qingzhi quickly approached and kicked the fallen figure to check for any response; there was none. “Dead!” she muttered.

She had only intended to stop the figure, not kill him. Why had he died so easily?

Bending down to inspect, Chu Qingzhi realized the cause—the man had taken poison, likely as a last act of loyalty to his superiors.

Was this level of loyalty to their leaders common among them?

She noticed a waist badge on the man’s belt and pulled it off. This badge might help identify his affiliation.

Chu Qingzhi pocketed the waist badge and headed back to town, walking into a teahouse. “Shopkeeper, two kilos of tea, three kilos of sugar.”

Hearing her order, the shopkeeper promptly responded, “Miss, please follow me to a private room upstairs.”

Together they went to the private room where the shopkeeper respectfully asked, “Does the lady have any business?”

Chu Qingzhi placed the waist badge on the table. “Shopkeeper, could you check this badge for me?”

The shopkeeper took the badge and examined it closely. “I know this. The emblem on this badge belongs to the family crest of the Prince of the eastern border’s royal uncle’s house. The person you’re asking about is named Xiao Xiwu, but to pinpoint exactly whose subordinate he is might require further investigation.”

Chu Qingzhi inwardly noted, surprised to find the Prince of the eastern border’s people involved. “Please proceed, shopkeeper.”

The shopkeeper politely added, “It shouldn’t be an issue. We should have information by the day after tomorrow. If the lady wishes to know more, she can return here to find me.”

“Alright,” Chu Qingzhi agreed and returned to the temple.

At this time, the master was performing a ritual, surrounded by what seemed to be ethereal “celestial mists” emanating from the lotus platform. He slowly ascended amidst the mists, appearing almost divine, like a deity descending to earth.

The devotees knelt on the ground, loudly chanting, “Bliss Master, Bliss Master…”

Chu Qingzhi watched, her skepticism growing. Yan Zihao was among the crowd, kneeling like the rest.

Her confusion deepened—what exactly was Yan Zihao up to?

“Why aren’t you kneeling?” The monk who had earlier asked for money noticed Chu Qingzhi standing and came over to remind her.

Chapter 941: Prince of the Eastern Border

Editor: Henyee Translations

Chu Qingzhi’s gaze shifted to the Bliss Master seated on the lotus pedestal, who seemed to be quite a successful con artist, likely part of a significant fraud ring.

She locked her spiritual senses on Yan Zihao and then headed towards the back of the temple where the swindlers were up to something.

Inside the temple, there was a statue of a monstrous entity that stood five or six meters tall. It resembled a monkey but had three arms, two heads, and the lower body of a human—bizarre beyond description.

Someone approached, and Chu Qingzhi swiftly leapt atop the statue.

“Hurry and set things up, we can’t delay the Bliss Master’s ritual.”

“It’s impressive how the Bliss Master can earn over ten thousand silver taels for our temple in just one day. I’m quite envious.”

“If you’re envious, then hurry up and practice the rituals, and you might have your day in the limelight too.”

“Right, right, enough talking. Let’s set up quickly, or we’ll mess up and it’ll be the end of us.”

As the two spoke, they hastily arranged props behind the Bliss Master.

Chu Qingzhi witnessed all this, gathering from their conversation that the Bliss Master was probably just a pawn in their scheme.

She decided not to act rashly and to observe the situation further.

She descended from another side and was about to explore further when she unexpectedly locked eyes with someone.

Chu Qingzhi swiftly knocked the person unconscious, dragged them into a dark corner, and disguised herself to blend in and walk around the temple openly.

After walking a distance, an aggressive-looking older nun approached, “You little minx, have you finished scrubbing the floors?”

Chu Qingzhi pointed towards the main hall, “It’s done. Anything else?”

The old nun continued her fierce demeanor, “Done? Then hurry to the kitchen and help with cooking. Are you waiting for me to serve you?”

Chu Qingzhi didn’t argue, understanding that patience was key to her larger plan. She obediently headed to the kitchen.

The kitchen occupied a yard where several pigs had been butchered, along with numerous chickens, ducks, and fish—more reminiscent of a wealthy household than a temple.

A girl in a half-new monk’s robe approached and urged, “Xiao Yun, what are you dazed about? Get to work.”

Chu Qingzhi tapped her head, pretending to be confused, “I’ve already cleaned the floors, what should I do next?”

The girl looked puzzled, “You’re supposed to chop the wood, aren’t you always the one to do it?”

A fragile girl assigned to chop wood seemed off. Chu Qingzhi asked, “Where’s the wood?”

The girl pointed to the left, “Over there. You really must have gone silly studying those rituals, forgetting everything else.”

Chu Qingzhi turned and walked towards the left.

Past the courtyard wall was a path with piles of wood.

Chu Qingzhi, of course, had no intention of actually chopping wood. She scanned her surroundings and continued along the path.

From a nearby room, she heard faint voices…

“Brother, what should we do now?”

“What do you mean?”

“The three hundred thousand silver taels we prepared to offer up disappeared this morning.”

“What are you saying?”

“Brother, I wouldn’t come to you if there wasn’t a crisis. What should we do about the three hundred thousand taels?”

“Wasn’t that money guarded?”

“I had guards, but they’ve all been killed.”

“Could we be targeted? Besides the money, is anything else missing?”

“Nothing else, just the money. But, brother, we need to deliver the money tonight. What do we do now?”

“Go and confess to the master, seek leniency, don’t wait for tonight, go right now.”

“Brother, if I go now, I might not return.”

Chu Qingzhi listened to their conversation and thought to herself, this is interesting; the goods were stolen again. Wait, was it the work of that little thief?

It couldn’t be him; he’s currently searching for the location where the poppy plants and poison are being made.

Who could it be then?

With that in mind, Chu Qingzhi decided to follow the man who was preparing to report to his master.

The man in black mounted a horse and headed out of town, with Chu Qingzhi trailing behind…

“Go! Hurry!”

Suddenly, an arrow flew through the air, striking the man in black in the temple, killing him instantly.

Chu Qingzhi hurried after the archer, shouting, “Stop!”

The masked figure, seemingly surprised to be observed, shot an arrow at Chu Qingzhi.

Chu Qingzhi dodged and chased after the fleeing figure, unwilling to let this opportunity slip. Arrows whizzed by her face, their sharp sounds chilling to the bone.

Chu Qingzhi grabbed an arrow and hurled it back, striking the masked figure squarely in the back. The assailant stumbled forward and fell.

Chu Qingzhi quickly approached and kicked the fallen figure to check for any response; there was none. “Dead!” she muttered.

She had only intended to stop the figure, not kill him. Why had he died so easily?

Bending down to inspect, Chu Qingzhi realized the cause—the man had taken poison, likely as a last act of loyalty to his superiors.

Was this level of loyalty to their leaders common among them?

She noticed a waist badge on the man’s belt and pulled it off. This badge might help identify his affiliation.

Chu Qingzhi pocketed the waist badge and headed back to town, walking into a teahouse. “Shopkeeper, two kilos of tea, three kilos of sugar.”

Hearing her order, the shopkeeper promptly responded, “Miss, please follow me to a private room upstairs.”

Together they went to the private room where the shopkeeper respectfully asked, “Does the lady have any business?”

Chu Qingzhi placed the waist badge on the table. “Shopkeeper, could you check this badge for me?”

The shopkeeper took the badge and examined it closely. “I know this. The emblem on this badge belongs to the family crest of the Prince of the eastern border’s royal uncle’s house. The person you’re asking about is named Xiao Xiwu, but to pinpoint exactly whose subordinate he is might require further investigation.”

Chu Qingzhi inwardly noted, surprised to find the Prince of the eastern border’s people involved. “Please proceed, shopkeeper.”

The shopkeeper politely added, “It shouldn’t be an issue. We should have information by the day after tomorrow. If the lady wishes to know more, she can return here to find me.”

“Alright,” Chu Qingzhi agreed and returned to the temple.

At this time, the master was performing a ritual, surrounded by what seemed to be ethereal “celestial mists” emanating from the lotus platform. He slowly ascended amidst the mists, appearing almost divine, like a deity descending to earth.

The devotees knelt on the ground, loudly chanting, “Bliss Master, Bliss Master…”

Chu Qingzhi watched, her skepticism growing. Yan Zihao was among the crowd, kneeling like the rest.

Her confusion deepened—what exactly was Yan Zihao up to?

“Why aren’t you kneeling?” The monk who had earlier asked for money noticed Chu Qingzhi standing and came over to remind her.