Chapter 50: Different People, Different Paths

Miss Shuyu had three vanity cases. One was ceramic, usually holding mirrors, combs, hairpins, powder, and rouge—ordinary items for a girl to tidy herself up. Another was a large lacquer vanity case stacked with precious silks and satins, which also looked like gifts from guests.

As for the Yin Ghost Jade, it was placed in a silver vanity case. As soon as Xu Qing opened it, he felt the brilliance of jewelry hitting his face. Inside were all kinds of gold and silver jewelry, agate bracelets, and other valuable items.

However, he had no interest in those things; he wasn't a master thief.

Furthermore, thieves don't steal from the sick, and robbers don't steal from prostitutes. Master thieves wouldn't run to a brothel to steal things because it would be too shameful!

Xu Qing couldn't be called a master thief, but he didn't like the act of stealing from prostitutes and whoring for free.

On the bed, Miss Shuyu didn't notice anything, only panting and instructing her maid: "Huan'er, use some strength, push the Master back, don't just let me do it..."

Here, Xu Qing didn't listen to the matters of the bed, just reached into the vanity case and rummaged around, but couldn't touch the Yin Ghost Jade no matter what.

Something was wrong. He was very sure the Yin Ghost Jade was hidden in this pile of jewelry; the Yin energy that had overflowed from the vanity case earlier couldn't be faked.

Why couldn't he find it?

Xu Qing activated his "Qi-Gazing Technique" again, only to find that the slippery, black-green, ink-jade-like object was actually hiding from his hand, playing hide-and-seek with him in the small vanity case!

He searched back and forth, and the ink-green jade pendant also circled his hand, hiding in the corners, just like a dirt-rat that could drill into the ground!

After searching for a long time, he couldn't catch it, which made Xu Qing laugh in anger. It wasn't that he couldn't touch it, but that this thing was afraid of him, seeing him like a cat, afraid of falling into his hands!

"Hiding from your father!"

Xu Qing grabbed for a while but didn't catch it. Annoyed, he simply scooped out all the jewelry in the vanity case, leaving only the Yin Ghost Jade cowering in a corner.

Even then, it wanted to fly out of the vanity case, but it was still firmly gripped by the unscrupulous Xu Qing.

The gambling ghost that had been nourishing itself in the Yin Ghost Jade could no longer hold back. It drilled out of the jade pendant, wanting to possess the person in front of it, but found that the other party was like a solid iron lump, with nowhere to drill.

How would Xu Qing know what tricks the gambling ghost in the Yin Ghost Jade had? Seeing that the ghost shadow wouldn't give up and kept bumping into his body, he subconsciously activated the Yin energy defense on his body.

After a few rounds, the ghost shadow dissipated, and the Yin Ghost Jade took the opportunity to absorb all the shattered Yin spiritual energy.

Xu Qing watched the last bit of green fade from the jade pendant. At this time, the Yin Ghost Jade had become as black as ink.

"The Corpse-Raising Sutra states that Yin Ghost Jade is divided into three grades: low-quality is emerald green, medium-quality is dark green, and top-quality is ink green."

This Yin Ghost Jade was probably already nurtured into a top-quality one by the gambling ghost.

Xu Qing marveled. It was fortunate that Zhang Jun's "simp" quality was superior. If it were anyone else, they might not have been able to resist the gambling ghost's seduction.

Yin Ghost Jade, Old Cat Evil, Ghost-Face Soil three feet under the grave...

Now that he had this jade, he could start the process of refining the Silver-Armored Wandering Corpse. He just didn't know if his "Feng Shui treasure house" had produced any Ghost-Face Soil.

Putting away the jade pendant, before Xu Qing left the pavilion, he felt he couldn't just take the girl's combing gift like a free-loading guest.

After thinking about it, he took out a "Strength Pill," scraped off a layer, and poured it into the teapot.

That old lecher had trouble even getting on the bed; with this tea spiked with medicine, he could at least properly experience the feeling of an eighty-year-old boy.

Helping others is a great merit. Xu Qing felt he was one step closer to the path of becoming a saint through merit.

On the way back to the small pavilion, government office runners were cleaning up the scene.

Xu Qing looked at the lobby from afar, but he could no longer see Zuo Zixiong and Bai Luo. Instead, there were a dozen corpses lying scattered on the ground.

Looking at their attire, most were Heavenly Heart Sect lackeys, and there were also a few corpses of the Crown Prince's guards.

The Martial Court Lieutenant led the garrison soldiers to seal the scene, while people from the patrol office were checking the identities of the guests.

Xu Qing hadn't returned to the small pavilion yet when he was also brought into the lobby by the soldiers.

At this time, the lobby was mostly men wearing only undergarments; few girls from Shuohuang Pavilion were brought here.

Xu Qing found Zhu Huaian, who was wrapped only in a thin quilt. Beside the little fatty, the Wu brothers, covered in lipstick marks, were chatting while wearing their underpants.

These three had truly stable mentalities. Is now the time for chatting?

"Are you brothers awake?"

"Yo, Brother Xu is here. We just woke up and heard that the Crown Prince was assassinated."

"Exactly. If we had known, we would have definitely come out to protect the Crown Prince. How could we watch the Crown Prince be frightened?"

"Indeed, this Heavenly Heart Sect is too wicked!"

The few talked one after another, looking like enthusiastic, good citizens.

When the government office runners were about to check them, Zhu Huaian still didn't panic at all.

"Brothers, relax. With me here, they won't dare to make things difficult for us."

Xu Qing looked at the patrol constable walking straight toward him with a clear goal, thinking: Little fatty, you better be useful, don't really let this blockhead send us to jail for a few days.

Fortunately, Zhu Huaian didn't let him down.

"My father is the Prince of Changting, and these are my brothers..."

Prince Zhu Huaian added another stroke to his reputation today. It had long been rumored in the streets that the only son of that different-surname prince in Jinmen was a playboy who spent his days either carrying a birdcage or listening to music in a brothel.

Now the Crown Prince was traveling incognito, but this prince had made a new joke under the Crown Prince's nose.

"Prince of Changting—that is a person who once commanded the world's troops! I never expected that you and I would have the opportunity to visit a brothel with the son of a different-surname prince."

On the way back to Jingxia Street, Wu Wencai's footsteps were light, still feeling that everything he saw and encountered today was a dream.

Wu Zhiyuan sighed: "It's a pity. The Prince of Changting has outstanding achievements. I have always held him in high esteem. Young Master Zhu shouldn't have disgraced his father's reputation like this."

At this time, Xu Qing, who had been silent, suddenly spoke:

"Zhiyuan, that's not necessarily true. You only know the Prince of Changting has outstanding achievements, but you haven't thought about the danger of being too successful. Prince Zhu previously joked that his father and uncle went to a brothel together, and he himself acted like a playboy. But is this really him falling into depravity?"

Wu Zhiyuan was speechless, and after a long while, he said sadly: "Right. I only cared about the Prince of Changting's achievements, but didn't think of this layer. But is Prince Zhu really acting? Is what we did with him today also just acting?"

Beside him, Wu Wencai frowned and interrupted the two's speculation: "As long as Brother Zhu doesn't mind our background, why should we care about his prince status? Even if we don't associate in the future, the person who made friends with us today is just Brother Zhu. Why think so much?"

Xu Qing laughed. He hadn't noticed that Wu Wencai was actually a man of sentiment.

"Wencai is right. Don't think about these things. What you two should be thinking about right now is how to explain the plum blossom marks on your necks to Old Wu when you get back."

"You can't say you were bitten by mosquitoes, right?" Xu Qing teased.

"Oh no! If my father finds out, I'll definitely be ashamed to death."

"It's over. Uncle has a fast mouth. If this gets back to my mother's ears, I'm afraid I'll be in big trouble."

"Cousin, smell if I have any powder scent on me."

"Wencai, help me see if there are any marks on my neck..."

Xu Qing ignored the two who were in a mess and walked back to his shop without stopping.

He was alone, without ties, so he wouldn't stop and linger like the Wu brothers...

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 51 =====