The imperial inspectors arrived in plain clothes for a secret visit, and Geng Shaojie suspected that they had already investigated the situation thoroughly. He dared not hide anything and truthfully recounted everything.
“Fortunately, I arrived here before the situation worsened. Otherwise, the people of Bazhou would have been furious, and even if you had ten heads, it wouldn’t have been enough to appease them,” Huangfu Yuchen coldly stared at him.
“Yes, yes… this official is guilty,” Geng Shaojie spoke softly, not daring to raise his voice.
Huangfu Yuchen asked again, “How many skilled craftsmen are there in the prefecture?”
Geng Shaojie replied, “If we gather them all, there are more than thirty skilled individuals.”
Huangfu Yuchen said, “Summon them as soon as possible. Tomorrow morning, I will arrange for someone to teach them how to make soap. Afterwards, you will arrange for them to spread the soap-making skills to the cities and counties of the prefecture, making soap a distinctive industry of this region. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” Geng Shaojie hastily replied, “I will remind them to keep the techniques secret during the teaching process, so that they won’t be learned by people outside our prefecture. Additionally, I will post notices instructing the people of our prefecture not to sell the soap nuts to outsiders, and we will send people to purchase the soap nuts from other regions.”
Huangfu Yuchen said, “Your mind seems quite agile. Why don’t you apply it to official matters?”
“Yes, yes, I will definitely change, I will definitely change,” Geng Shaojie nodded repeatedly.
With a cold snort, Huangfu Yuchen stood up and left with a stern expression. “As the imperial inspector, there is no need to see us off.”
Geng Shaojie respectfully escorted them to the entrance of the reception hall and watched their figures disappear before daring to wipe the sweat off his forehead.
Back at the inn, Huangfu Yuchen gathered everyone together.
“You will learn how to make soap from Madam today, and tomorrow you will be the ones teaching others,” he instructed.
“Yes, Young Master,” they replied.
Du Juan was a woman with the ingenuity and was a quick learner, Yan Ge simply assigned her the task of teaching and dragged Huangfu Yuchen to go relax, avoiding any teaching duties.
Two days later, the number of people from the martial world suddenly increased in Bazhou and Huangfu Yuchen and Yan Ge sensed that something was about to happen. However, they had many important matters to attend to in Bazhou and had no intention of getting involved.
Yan Ge was busy designing the soap production process to be implemented after their return to the capital, while Huangfu Yuchen delegated his administrative duties and accompanied Yan Ge, pouring tea and water for him. Yan Ge jokingly remarked that Huangfu Yuchen’s skills in serving him were becoming increasingly proficient.
“Huh? There’s news from the Zhantian Vine.”
Huangfu Yuchen’s expression turned serious. “What is it?”
Yan Ge focused his senses and furrowed his brows slightly, “It was trailing that woman all the way to the capital…”
Huangfu Yuchen’s face changed slightly.
A loud thud came from the room.
Yan Ge and Huangfu Yuchen turned around to see Yan Jin, who had been scribbling and drawing on a small table, suddenly collapse to the ground, motionless.
“Yan Jin!” Yan Ge’s face turned pale, and he tried to open the system backpack, but it had closed again.
Huangfu Yuchen swiftly moved forward, picked up Yan Jin, and returned to Yan Ge’s side, handing him Yan Jin with a grave expression, “Same symptoms as last time.”
Yan Ge examined Yan Jin’s pulse and nodded, “Indeed, exactly the same. This is too strange.” Yan Jin had mentioned that he felt no discomfort during his unconsciousness, so he wasn’t as worried as the last time.
Huangfu Yuchen said, “Let’s try the Huiyuan Pill first.”
As he spoke, he took out his own pill but Yan Ge stopped him, “Keep yours for emergencies. Use Yan Jin’s.”
After feeding the Huiyuan Pill to Yan Jin, he showed no reaction.
Yan Ge had no choice but to place him back on the bed, frowning and pondering, “Where could the problem lie?”
“Don’t think too much for now.” Huangfu Yuchen held his shoulder, planting a gentle kiss on his forehead and trying to ease his tension with a relaxed tone. “Perhaps he just needs a good sleep. Stay with him here, and I’ll have some snacks sent over for you.”
Huangfu Yuchen closed the door but his expression turned grave. He beckoned to Gao Feng in the courtyard, and the two of them walked to a secluded spot.
“Young Master, what are your orders?” Gao Feng respectfully asked.
Huangfu Yuchen said, “Yan Jin is plagued by a strange illness and is unconscious. Madam is currently staying by his side. I need to resume the identity of Luo Fang and search for clues outside, which makes it inconvenient for me to be with them. Therefore, I’m temporarily entrusting Madam and Yan Jin to your care. You must protect them well, or else heads will roll!”
“Understood!” Gao Feng replied solemnly. “But what if Madam inquires about your whereabouts?”
Huangfu Yuchen furrowed his brow, “It will be dangerous if Madam were to show up as Zhamgyang. In any case, try to keep it from him. If I haven’t returned by the time you finish handling matters in Bazhou, return to the mansion. Don’t worry about me; I’ll join you as soon as possible.”
“Madam is sharp, I’m afraid…” Gao Feng hesitated.
Huangfu Yuchen was helpless, and he thought of Jiang Gan, “Inform Master Jiang of the situation. He should have a solution.”
“Yes.”
Huangfu Yuchen quietly left the inn and changed back to his appearance as Luo Fang, appearing in the eastern part of the city. Yan Jin’s second unexplained unconsciousness aroused an incredible speculation deep in his heart. Although it seemed highly unlikely, he couldn’t ignore the possibility.
Yan Ge had once said that Yan Jin wasn’t an ordinary person but a being akin to a god. Therefore, the likelihood of an ordinary person causing harm to Yan Jin was low. From this, he deduced that someone who was also not ordinary might have done something to Yan Jin without his or Yan Ge’s knowledge.
Yan Jin’s extraordinary existence, along with the existence of the Zhantian Vine, indicated that there might be a third extraordinary entity in this world.
Yan Jin first fell unconscious in Xiguan Pass, and the second time in Bazhou. It was highly possible that the entity responsible for harming Yan Jin was currently in Bazhou. Since their departure from the palace, they had encountered many martial artists, and now so many of them had inexplicably appeared in Bazhou. Among them, there might be overlooked clues related to Yan Jin’s unconsciousness. Even if it was just a possibility, Huangfu Yuchen couldn’t let it go. His plan was to first understand why these people had come to Bazhou. To avoid endangering Yan Ge, he had no choice but to keep It a secret from him.
Inside the city of Bazhou, inns, restaurants, and teahouses were almost completely occupied by martial artists.
On the second floor of a restaurant, a martial artist was having a meal when he inadvertently spotted a person in white walking on the street. He forgot about the food already at his mouth and shouted loudly, “There is Luo Fang!”
Huangfu Yuchen raised his head and met the person’s gaze. He arched an eyebrow lightly, surveying the surroundings. The nearby martial artists stirred, their gaze hostile as they slowly approached him.
“So many martial heroes suddenly coming to Bazhou, could it be all because of this young master?” Huangfu Yuchen asked expressionlessly.
“That’s right,” a middle-aged woman dressed as a martial artist spoke up. “Someone informed us that you and your wife arrived in Lanhai City, so we followed you here. Young Master Luo, do you have the Zhantian Vine?”
“Who informed you?” Huangfu Yuchen was interested in the “someone.”
The woman replied, “That’s none of your concern. Do you have the Zhantian Vine or not?”
Huangfu Yuchen evaded the question, looking at everyone present. “Are all of you here for the Zhantian Vine?”
“Not exactly.” A melodious voice rang out from the crowd.
The crowd made way, and a graceful woman dressed in white walked toward Huangfu Yuchen. Standing to her left was a man with a chilling and ghostly aura.
“The Luna Worshipping Sect’s Holy Maiden!”
The Holy Maiden Mingyue and the Luna Worshipping Sect’s Master, Yin Cha stopped before Huangfu Yuchen.
Yin Cha’s eyes locked onto Huangfu Yuchen, his pupils empty and seemingly lifeless, exuding an eerie chill that sent a shiver down one’s spine.
Mingyue’s countenance turned solemn and stern as she asked, “Young Master Luo, someone informed us that you took away a sacrificial item from our Luna Worshipping Sect ritual in Fancheng. Is it true or not?”
