Bounty

"The Divine Marquis Manor must be where the gods live!"

"Exactly. The moment Anguo Temple was burned down, the Divine Marquis Manor knew who the culprit was. It's practically more efficacious than Heaven itself!"

"Shh, keep your voice down. If you speak that loudly, the Divine Marquis Manor might hear you."

"Where do you think we can worship the Divine Marquis Manor? Temples are full of bodhisattvas—could it be that we have to go to a Taoist temple?"

"I think we should still go to a temple. Look, the burning of Anguo Temple immediately brought a wanted notice from the Divine Marquis Manor. That means the gods acknowledge the status of the bodhisattvas and Buddhas... Bah, bah, the bodhisattvas and Buddhas are gods! Bodhisattva Guanyin, please forgive this disciple's careless words."

"Why not worship the Divine Marquis Manor's spirit tablet directly? Maybe it'll manifest its power..."

At the Duke of Jin Manor, two maids crossed the corridor while whispering to each other. They failed to notice that the Young Miss, Yaoshi Yuan, was staring at them with wide eyes not far away, her delicate and haughty face filled with shock. She had already changed into a wide-sleeved ruqun, with a shawl and a high coiffure, making her look every inch a sheltered young lady who never left the inner chambers. Even if the monks from Anguo Temple came over, they would never recognize her.

Before Yaoshi Yuan could question the maids, the steward came to inform her that she could enter Changqiu Study's study. She could only suppress her curiosity for the time being and go report the situation to her father first.

Inside Changqiu Study, Yaoshi Mo Ke sat upright in the main hall, looking rather tired. When he saw his daughter enter, he merely nodded and pointed silently at the paper on the desk.

Yaoshi Yuan picked it up and saw that it was a wanted notice.

The wanted notice depicted a person wearing a Black Wolf mask. Although only the hair and eyes were visible, anyone could tell how fierce and formidable the person in the drawing was.

"Number Two Suspect"

"Characteristics: Wears a black wolf-shaped mask and uses a collapsible Fine Steel Spear"

"Crime: Participated in the Anguo Temple robbery"

"Threat Level: Near Third Rank combat strength"

"Bounty for Killing: 30,000 spirit jades or an Advancement Manual for Spear Mastery"

"Deadline: Within thirty days of the bounty notice being issued"

"After a righteous warrior completes the bounty, a messenger will guide them into the Divine Marquis Manor to claim the reward."

"Are there four of these wanted notices in total?" Yaoshi Yuan asked. "Where are they posted?"

"Beside every city gate in Chang'an City. They can't be torn down, either. The ones I have are copies made by artists."

Yaoshi Mo Ke raised one finger. "You'll be leaving Chang'an tonight. Wild Goose Pagoda, Weiyang, or Lotus Lake—which one do you want to go to?"

The three places Yaoshi Mo Ke mentioned were secret realms controlled by the Great Zhou imperial family, and the resources they produced were all at the Second Turn level. By going there, Yaoshi Yuan could both avoid the storm and cultivate in the secret realm.

Yaoshi Yuan was somewhat puzzled, however. "Is that necessary? Could anyone really connect me to this wanted notice?"

Although Yaoshi Yuan secretly commanded the Embroidered Uniform Guard, wore the Vidyaraja Armor, and had become a Second Turn Messenger at a young age, on the surface she was merely the beloved daughter of the Duke of Jin Manor. She rarely went out, and aside from the Duke of Jin's confidants, there truly weren't many people in the outside world who knew of—or had even seen—Yaoshi Yuan.

That was mainly because Yaoshi Yuan believed that most of Chang'an's descendants of meritorious nobles were useless wastrels. Rather than cultivate connections with such people, she might as well find a way to promote loyal death warriors from among the common folk.

"They can," Yaoshi Mo Ke said. "There are countless Legendary Relics in the world, and among them are innumerable relics skilled at locating and tracking people. I know of several myself. Once this wanted notice is issued, hidden clans in the wilderness, secret agents of the Noble Clans, and even extraordinary people within Chang'an City will pour out in force to investigate your whereabouts. For now, only a secret realm guarded by heavy troops can guarantee your safety."

"Is it really that serious?" Yaoshi Yuan glanced at the wanted notice. "But the reward for killing me is only thirty thousand spirit jades or an Advancement Manual... That amount of money is insignificant to the Noble Clans."

"The bounty itself isn't important," Yaoshi Mo Ke said. "What matters is that completing the bounty grants one an opportunity to enter the Divine Marquis Manor."

Yaoshi Yuan froze. "The Divine Marquis Manor is the name of a secret realm?"

"It's a very, very important secret realm." Yaoshi Mo Ke paused. "If they could exchange it for an opportunity to enter the Divine Marquis Manor, the vast majority of Third Rank Heralds in the world would be willing to pay any price."

Yaoshi Yuan's expression finally changed. No matter where they were, Third Rank Heralds were absolutely major figures—the highest level ordinary people could reach. Fame, wealth, women, status, and family connections were all easily within their grasp. The thing that could make them abandon everything in pursuit... was probably only one thing.

She did not continue asking questions and prepared to return to pack her luggage.

Before leaving, Yaoshi Yuan remembered something and asked in a measured tone, "Did you hear... the Divine Marquis Manor's announcement just now?"

"It sounded three times in total."

Yaoshi Mo Ke tapped the table. "At first, I thought it would probably only be heard around Chang'an City. But you were able to hear it even while you were in the Thieves' Den secret realm. That means..."

"The announcement's range covers the entire world—even the inside of secret realms." Yaoshi Yuan murmured.

No wonder the maids were so excited, even treating the Divine Marquis Manor like a god or Buddha. They were maids of a duke's manor, after all, and their knowledge was broader than that of ordinary officials. Yet they had still been instantly captivated by the 'divine miracle' displayed by the Divine Marquis Manor.

Yes, a divine miracle.

Although it had only spoken three sentences and posted a wanted notice, the power displayed by the Divine Marquis Manor far surpassed that of any Herald they had ever seen. A Herald's power could affect only a small area, but the Divine Marquis Manor could speak directly to them.

It was as if the Divine Marquis Manor was watching over the entire world, watching every one of them.

Yaoshi Yuan could imagine that at this moment, the people of Chang'an City... no, countless foolish men and women across the entire world were praying to the Divine Marquis Manor. The clay statues in their homes had never spoken, and the bronze idols in temples had never shown compassion. They had knelt and kowtowed, worshiping day and night. Now that a true god or Buddha had appeared, how could they not become fanatical?

Looking at his silent daughter, Yaoshi Mo Ke suddenly felt that this might actually be a good thing.

With such a huge commotion, this daughter of his, who was both imaginative and capable, ought to know fear now. She ought to understand that she couldn't make every decision on her own and know when to ask her father for help. Then he could explain some principles to her and let her know how hard he worked. Her thoughts should become less wild, and arranging her marriage in the future would go much more smoothly...

But Yaoshi Mo Ke saw his daughter slowly clench her fists, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly, a bright, excited light flickering in her eyes.

"So it can actually be like this." Yaoshi Yuan drew a deep breath, unconsciously smiling. "It can actually be like this!"

"Either become a laughingstock and stink for ten thousand years, or become a legend renowned in every direction? How interesting." She turned to look at Yaoshi Mo Ke, somewhat puzzled. "Since you heard the announcement, Father, why didn't you ask whether I obtained the Legendary Relic, Bingzi Jiaolin?"

Seeing that his daughter had reacted this way, Yaoshi Mo Ke sighed inwardly and handed her another wanted notice.

"What?"

The moment Yaoshi Yuan took the wanted notice, she crushed it in her fist, her eyes almost shooting flames of rage.

"What right does he have to offer such a much higher bounty than mine!"