Your Junior Brother Has a Favor to Ask

The next morning, Xu Qi'an got up feeling refreshed, but the person beside him was no longer there; the quilt still held the faint fragrance of a woman.

He propped himself up, feeling weak in the knees, just like the sore muscles he felt the morning after finishing a 1,000-meter running test.

"I overslept again. However, my lateness is understandable; I came to the Imperial Academy of Music) to investigate a case."

Xu Qi'an sat cross-legged and practiced breathing exercises to relieve cellular fatigue and allow his body to recover to its peak condition as quickly as possible.

After just two weeks of training, the sore muscles regained their vitality.

"Squeak~"

The door to her boudoir opened, and Fuxiang, her skirt trailing behind her, led her personal maid in. Her long, black hair was styled in a high bun, adorned with expensive jewelry, and her fair and beautiful face looked slightly haggard.

My eyes are still a bit red and swollen; I've even cried my eyes out.

"Young Master Xu is awake." She smiled faintly, a distant and formulaic smile. "I had the kitchen make you some duck porridge."

"Put it there." Xu Qi'an took the toiletries from the maid, quickly washed his face and brushed his teeth, returned to the table, picked up his bowl, and ate while thinking:

The demoness from last night was a remnant of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, meaning this matter has nothing to do with the Northern Demon Race. The suspicion against the King of Zhenbei is extremely low. Is the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons's target the sealed artifact, or something else?

Xu Qi'an thought this way because if the target was the sealed artifact, the remnants of the Demon Race race should have absconded with the money by now, instead of staying in the city and causing trouble.

Another possibility is that the Demon Race's goal is not just the sealed artifact, but rather a larger scheme, with the sealed artifact merely a means to achieve that goal.

The details of the Sangbo case have been largely clarified, revealing two main forces behind it: first, traitors within the imperial court; and second, remnants of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons.

Objective: Unknown.

Sealed artifact: The severed hand of an unknown powerful being.

The factors, figures, and forces involved include: the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, the Earl of Pingyuan, the Minister of War, the Bureau of Astronomy, the Royal Family, Princess Pingyang, Monk Heng Hui, and Zhou Chixiong, a centurion of the Golden Guard.

Breakthrough points: The expert with the severed hand, Monk Heng Hui, and Princess Pingyang.

Finding out the identity of the one-handed expert would allow them to deduce the true purpose of the remnants of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons. Furthermore, capturing either Heng Hui or Princess Pingyang would also reveal the inside story of the case. Xu Qi'an finished his porridge and sighed contentedly.

Only then did he speak up for Fuxiang, asking, "Are you angry?"

Fuxiang smiled gently, "Young Master Xu, please don't make fun of me. I'm just a woman of the night; how could I possibly have the right to argue with you?"

"Alright, Xu Lang has become Young Master Xu." Xu Qi'an nodded, stretching lazily without much concern. "Prepare hot water, I want to take a bath."

Fuxiang smiled and nodded, arranging for a maid to help him bathe, while she herself went out for a stroll with her personal maid.

Xu Qi'an took a comfortable hot bath, dressed neatly, tied up the gong, and hung up his sword. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Prepare pen and ink for me."

The young maidservant softly replied, "Yes."

"Madam, aren't you being too cold to Young Master Xu?" a maid whispered as they walked through the Imperial Academy of Music.

Fuxiang gazed ahead, shook her head slightly, and said in a sorrowful voice, "You don't understand. I once begged him to redeem me, but he refused."

The maidservant paused for a moment, then explained for Xu Qi'an, "Perhaps they don't have the money. The mistress's indenture was worth at least three or four thousand taels of silver, and now it's probably doubled."

Fuxiang withdrew her gaze and looked at the ground. "I've saved quite a bit of silver over the years, it's actually not bad."

She gave a bitter smile, her expression sorrowful. "In his heart, I'm no different from any of you. I didn't want to believe it before, I was just deceiving myself, but what happened last night made me see myself clearly."

It was nothing but a foolish delusion, a case of unrequited love.

As she walked, she unknowingly arrived outside the Qingchi Courtyard, where a commotion caught her attention.

Two men dressed Nightwatchers watchmen, wearing gongs, led Mingyan's wife out, their locks fastened. The madam followed closely behind, her face filled with fear, and kept explaining:

"Officers, this must be a misunderstanding, it must be a misunderstanding!"

The courtesan Mingyan cried out in terror, "Mother, I'm innocent! I'm innocent!"

She recognized the two men who often accompanied Young Master Xu to Yingmei Pavilion for tea. One seemed to be surnamed Song, and the other was too taciturn for her to remember.

What happened? Mingyan was perfectly fine last night. But why did Young Master Xu suddenly return to her Shadow Plum Pavilion last night? Did Mingyan offend him last night and get punished today?

She immediately dismissed the idea; despite being disheartened by the man, she believed Xu Qi'an wasn't that kind of person.

Fuxiang frowned as she greeted the Nightwatchers, bowing gracefully. "Gentlemen, what crime has Lady Mingyan committed?"

Song Tingfeng stopped and said with a smile, "Madam Mingyan is secretly colluding with the Demon Race race, providing them with shelter. Last night, Lord Xu secretly investigated and uncovered the demoness who was disguised as her personal maid."

The demoness has been brought to justice; now we must take her in for questioning.

The madam pounded her chest and stamped her feet. "You're innocent! How could Mingyan, a weak woman, possibly collude with the Demon Race? Do you know how much effort and money I spent raising her? I'm going to the Ministry of Rites to Ministry of Rites complaint! I'm going to ask the officials Ministry of Rites to intervene!"

Zhu Guangxiao said in a deep voice, "I now suspect that you are also an accomplice of the Demon Race."

The madam suddenly fell silent, and, with a strong will to survive, took a few steps back.

Song Tingfeng squinted, nodded to Fuxiang, and led his men away.

Fuxiang stared blankly at their departing figures, her thoughts drifting: Was Ming Yan colluding with the Demon Race? Had Young Master Xu secretly investigated yesterday?

He chose to stay overnight at Seichi-in last night not because he was fickle, but because he had official business to attend to, but I threw a tantrum and acted unreasonably.

I saw him dragging his tired body back last night. At the time, I thought he was with Mingyan and that I had misunderstood him. This morning, I even gave him a hard time to vent my resentment. But why didn't he explain? Yes, he couldn't explain because it was official business of the government, and the case needed to be kept confidential.

Even so, knowing he was being misunderstood and wronged, he didn't show the slightest bit of annoyance, silently enduring it all.

Suddenly, Fuxiang lifted her skirt and ran towards Yingmei Pavilion.

"Wife, where are you going? Slow down!" The maid was startled.

She rushed back to Yingmei Pavilion, pushed open the bedroom door, Fuxiang called out, "Xu Lang."

The room was empty; the person was gone. In that instant, she suddenly felt that she had lost something precious, and a void filled her heart.

"My lady, my lady!" The maid caught up and saw her mistress leaning against the door, looking lost and dejected.

"I'm a little tired, help me up," Fuxiang said softly.

The maid helped her to the bed, glanced at her, and sighed inwardly. Not daring to disturb her, she turned to tidy up the room.

She saw the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone laid out on the table beside the screen, let out a soft "Eh," walked to the table, and said:

"My lady, here is a poem. It may have been left by Young Master Xu."

Fuxiang suddenly came to life, running barefoot to the table and snatching it from the maid's hands as if it were a precious treasure. She looked closely and saw:

"Beauty rolls up the beaded curtain"

Sitting deep with furrowed brows

But tear stains were visible.

I don't know who I hate.

"My love, my love," she cried. At first she laughed, but as she laughed, tears streamed down her face. She collapsed to the ground, clutching the paper to her heart, laughing and crying at the same time, her face streaked with tears.

"I'm going to find him." Fuxiang wiped away her tears, stood up, and ran towards the door.

The maid was terrified and grabbed her mistress's soft waist. "No, no, no! You are the most beautiful courtesan in the Imperial Academy of Music! If word gets out, how will you face people? All the reputation you've worked so hard to build will be gone!"

"I've never heard of a courtesan being so lacking in class."

Fuxiang roared in fury, "Let me go!"

"I won't let go!"

Xu Qi'an bought six large meat buns from a street vendor, sat on his horse and ate them leisurely as he headed towards the yamen.

"The courtesans of the Imperial Academy of Music are all quite beautiful. Each one has her own unique charm, and they are all stunning. Hmm, after the Sangbo case is over, I will get to know them one by one and eventually publish a book called ' The Great Feng Courtesan Appraisal Guide'."

"The only problem is the lack of money. I only collect three taels of silver a day, while the most beautiful courtesan costs at least thirty taels for a night's sleep."

"Thanks to nine years of compulsory education, all that poetry I studied wasn't for nothing! I'm truly a disgrace to time travelers; everyone else becomes a plagiarist to advance their careers, I just do it for free."

"Speaking of which, I'm almost twenty. Luckily, my aunt isn't my mother, so she won't pressure me about marriage. I can make my own decisions. Caiwei is the supervisor's disciple; her backing is too strong. Marrying her is like marrying half a princess. I can't just go out and fool around like that."

"No rush into marriage. I'll indulge in a few more years. The Imperial Academy of Music has twenty-four top courtesans. Haha, I'm dreaming. The Director's disciple probably wouldn't even look at me."

Xu Baipiao chuckled to himself, his thoughts wandering back to the case.

Mingyan was arrested at Song Tingfeng's behest. Although it was confirmed last night that she was innocent, there were still some questions to ask, such as when the maid entered the Imperial Academy of Music- run entertainment institution), and who she usually associated with.

In a secluded little courtyard, willow branches drooped down, bare and somewhat desolate.

A series of clattering and banging noises came from inside the house, along with a man's low, painful growls. A moment later, all noise ceased.

"Squeak~"

The door opened, and Heng Hui, dressed in a black robe, silently walked out and went straight to the well in the courtyard.

He stared at the deep well opening for a few seconds, then waved his hand, and a faint golden swastika appeared on the well opening before shattering.

After the seal was broken, Heng Hui jumped inside.

At the bottom of the dim well, the silt emitted a faint fishy smell. A middle-aged monk leaned against the well wall, sitting cross-legged in meditation.

He looked dejected, his lips were cracked, and he seemed to have suffered a serious injury.

The middle-aged monk was tall and robust, with a pale blue chin and a face full of bitterness and resentment.

If Xu Qi'an were here, he would recognize this burly monk as Hengyuan, whom he had been longing to find.

"Senior brother," Heng Hui's voice was hoarse.

Hengyuan ignored him and sat silently cross-legged.

"I was seriously injured, and the loss of my hand backfired," Heng Hui said.

Hengyuan opened his eyes and said with concern, "Henghui, it's not too late to turn back."

Heng Hui shook his head. "Senior brother, I've been by your side since I entered Qinglong Temple at the age of six. You taught me meditation, you taught me to chant scriptures, you took care of my daily needs, and you treated me like a brother and a father. Now, I want to ask you for a favor."

Hengyuan sighed and nodded.

Heng Hui raised his head, revealing a pair of dark eyes without any whites beneath his cloak. He grinned ferociously, "I'm going to eat my senior brother."