Chapter 458: Chapter 422: Returning ’Home
Since Sang Que and his group disguised themselves as members of the Meng Family, Qiu Wanjun and Qiu Siming couldn’t find any trace of the intruders in Shengjing City, and the city returned to its peace.
The Evil Suppression Bureau and the Imperial Guard patrolled Shengjing daily as usual, and everything remained normal except for the state of alert.
This day, He Buning and Xiao Liu returned to the Prime Minister’s Mansion from the Evil Suppression Bureau and happened to encounter Qin Ze at the side gate.
As the year-end approached, court officials frequently sent New Year’s gifts, and He Buning claimed that the Prime Minister was in seclusion and not receiving visitors, so he usually entered and exited through the side gate.
In Shengjing City, almost everyone knew He Buning’s true identity, that he was the eldest son of Prime Minister Zuo, and that the Prime Minister once had a second child, but that child was taken away by the Prime Minister’s Wife and their whereabouts remain unknown.
The reason why he was called He Buning was to protect his safety. The surname He was his mother Zuo Jinye’s surname, and the name written on his Life Scroll when he was born was only known by his parents and himself.
When He Buning and Xiao Liu bumped into Qin Ze, he was dragging a large box with red water grass towards the guest room.
In the freezing cold, He Buning wore a fox fur coat, and Xiao Liu was also in winter clothing, yet Qin Ze was in light summer apparel, his whole body dripping wet. Xiao Liu’s teeth would involuntarily chatter every time he saw Qin Ze.
"What are you moving?" Xiao Liu curiously asked Qin Ze.
Qin Ze panted, "I met a merchant from Qinzhou today who bought some of our Qinzhou’s unique porcelain. Our Qinzhou has already... These things will become rarer in the future, so I thought I’d keep them as a memento."
Qin Ze’s eyes dimmed, thinking of Qinzhou reminded him of his missing wife and children. After the ghost calamity in Wangshan City, he searched for a long time but found nothing.
Later, with He Buning’s help, he found a Daoist whose Daoist Technique was profound to provide him with a divination, confirming that his wife and children had unfortunately perished, eternally remaining in Wangshan City.
During that period, He Buning always assigned him many tasks, and every time he exerted himself to the utmost, thinking dying like this wouldn’t be bad. Unfortunately, fate toyed with him, and he muddled through to this day.
Today, when he unexpectedly saw Qinzhou porcelain on the street, Qin Ze inexplicably bought some to remember his loved ones by.
"Open it and let me see."
Speaking of Qinzhou, He Buning also felt a heaviness in his heart.
Qin Ze wiped the water from his face and opened the lid of the box, but there was nothing but dry grass inside.
He Buning and Xiao Liu both looked at Qin Ze, who was baffled, bending down to rummage through the box.
"Where’s my porcelain? I watched as it was loaded in! I’ve been carrying it personally all the way here, I’m at the fourth layer as a Yin Walker, it can’t be ghostly, right?"
Xiao Liu also found it strange and squatted down to carefully examine the large box with Qin Ze.
The box was just an ordinary wooden chest lined with hay, commonly used by merchants selling porcelain.
"Colonel, there’s some other grass mixed with this hay, doesn’t it look like..."
"Orchid!" Qin Ze interjected.
He Buning’s gaze sharpened, staring at the few strands of hay Xiao Liu picked out, "Move the box to my study, you two."
Xiao Liu spoke less now, thought more, and his mind became agile, immediately thinking of a possibility.
Wooden box, orchid, Mulan!
Unhesitatingly covering the box, he glanced around and motioned for Qin Ze to carry the box.
Like Xiao Liu in the past, Qin Ze was utterly confused, not knowing what was happening, but seeing Xiao Liu’s and He Buning’s serious expressions, he dared not ask more questions, obediently lifting the box to follow Xiao Liu.
The box was placed in He Buning’s study. Without needing He Buning’s instruction, Xiao Liu asked Qin Ze to take him to the place where he bought the porcelain, to see if there were any oversights that needed addressing.
He Buning stayed alone in the study, sitting across from the wooden box from noon until dusk, without moving or averting his gaze.
When the twilight glow completely vanished, and night descended, the seemingly empty wooden box suddenly shifted, startling He Buning.
Moments later, the lid of the box flipped open from inside, and an expected person emerged.
Seeing her, He Buning inexplicably relaxed, his previously tense face unconsciously softening.
Sang Que, having resumed her true appearance, stood inside the box looking at him. He Buning withdrew his gaze, picked up the still warm teapot from the table, poured her a cup of tea, and placed it in the nearest spot.
"Sit down, he’s not in the manor, and no one else is around."
He Buning dispelled Sang Que’s concerns. Sang Que climbed out of the box and sat by the desk, looking around.
It wasn’t as magnificent as she imagined; the furnishings in this study were quite simple, even the teapot and teacups on the table were of ordinary design.
"You used it to sneak into the city?" He Buning glanced at the wooden box.
"Yes."
Sang Que didn’t deny it. The two tacitly agreed not to pursue the topic further.
Without waiting for Sang Que to explain her purpose, He Buning went straight to the point.
"I previously promised to help you find a way to retrieve the Yin Child’s heart. I’ve been working hard on it lately, but I need a bit more time."
Sang Que nodded in agreement. This matter wasn’t urgent for her at the moment; her main purpose today was to understand Zuo Jinye.
Previously, she and Hua Qianmian had deliberated, and Hua Qianmian, after devouring the Skinning Master, only had three days left to complete the ritual.
Within those three days, Hua Qianmian must rely on the Painted Skin Ghost and her abilities to craft a human skin, impersonating someone else to gain universal recognition and complete her advancement.
In consideration, impersonating Zuo Jinye was the riskiest yet most beneficial for their objectives.
Moreover, because Zuo Jinye was formidable, impersonating him gave Hua Qianmian the least risk of suspicion.
If successful, Hua Qianmian could enter the Evil Suppression Bureau as Zuo Jinye and request Qiu Wanjun to bring out the Old Gu Master, potentially directly obtaining the Yin Child’s heart.
To achieve this, Sang Que had to help Hua Qianmian acquire a personal item of Zuo Jinye and learn everything about him in detail.
This was Sang Que’s main purpose for coming today, but she was uncertain whether to tell He Buning the truth.
He Buning, perceptive to Sang Que’s hesitation, asked, "Did you come to see me for something else?"
Sang Que nodded, "Yes, during the Qinzhou upheaval, I was there, seeing with my own eyes him... him battling with the Class Leader of the Ghost Opera Troupe. To be honest, I don’t trust him, and he had the Black and White Impermanence attack me, so in order to survive, I engaged the Earth Ghost..."
Sang Que briefly narrated the situation to He Buning, explaining that she went to Yunzhou to resolve the Earth Ghost issue, also promising the people of Yunzhou to rescue the Old Gu Master.
This was not only a transaction but also her duty as the leader of Nine Songs.
After listening, He Buning remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Not only the Old Gu Master, but the storyteller is also in Shengjing, along with assassins and shopkeepers from Nine Songs."
One sentence made Sang Que’s heart tremble; besides her, there were eight people in Nine Songs, and now four were in Zuo Jinye’s hands.
He Buning continued, "If you can promise, as the leader of Nine Songs, not to oppose him and the Evil Suppression Bureau in the future, I can help you rescue them."
