Chapter 154 Is his liking something so extraordinary?

"How can you help me in this state?" Shang Yin's emotions gradually calmed down. He looked at A Chan in front of him, and the hope in his eyes gradually dimmed.

If Achan were still the powerful demon of the Fourth Realm, he might still have hope of revenge, but now, what can she do?

Faced with Shang Yin's questioning, A Chan was not annoyed. She asked, "How many guards from the four borders did the Dowager Consort bring into the capital?"

"one."

“If those four realms are eliminated, the person she trusts most will become Zhao Yin, right?” A-Chan leaned forward slightly, her tone becoming increasingly soft.

Shang Yin felt his heart pounding violently. His mouth was dry, and he nodded: "Yes."

The Dowager Queen of the Northern Wilderness was an extremely arrogant person. She spent many years shaping Zhao Yin into the person she wanted him to be, and she firmly believed that such a Zhao Yin would never betray her.

Achan took out a cloth bag from her bosom and gently placed it on the table: "I can help you get rid of that Fourth Realm expert, and I can also help you suppress Zhao Yin's consciousness, allowing you to control this body. All you need to do is..."

"Kill her with my own hands!" Shang Yin's eyes seemed to flash with an astonishing light.

"See, isn't this simple?"

"The Four Realms are not so easy to kill." Shang Yin's blood was boiling from A Chan's words, but he still managed to retain a sliver of reason.

“If this were in the Northern Wilderness, it would certainly be difficult, but who told her to come to the capital?” Achan lowered her eyes, stroking the ring on her hand. “Here, she doesn’t have the final say.”

"Do you have a solution?"

"That depends on how many loopholes I can exploit around her. I recently received some information that is related to the Shang family."

Shang Yin's expression turned serious: "What news?"

"The incense burner bearing the Shang family's mark entered the market and happened to fall into my hands. The incense burner was very valuable, but the person who sold it didn't recognize its worth, and no one has come to me yet. I guess they don't know about this yet."

Shang Yin looked incredulous: "The incense burner is in your hands?"

"Judging from your expression, you know who this incense burner originally belonged to?"

Shang Yin sat back down in his chair: "When the Shang family was wiped out, most of their belongings were taken to the Northern Wilderness with the Dowager Consort when she married, while the remaining half was left with the Zhao family."

This matter was originally a secret, and even Shang Yin was unaware of it before. It wasn't until he set off for the capital that he learned that the Dowager Consort's visit to the capital was not only to celebrate her father's birthday, but also to seize the remaining half of the wealth that the Zhao family had plundered from the Shang family.

From Shang Yin's words, A Chan gleaned a shocking piece of information: the annihilation of the Shang family was related to the Northern Wilderness King's Mansion.

It was because of the cover provided by the Northern Wilderness King's Mansion that the Mingjing Division was unable to find any clues. No wonder the previous Northern Wilderness King married a concubine who had already been married once.

These two families, having joined forces to swallow the Shang family whole, must have needed a reliable person as a link. The Dowager Consort was that chosen person.

Achan felt that she was really lucky. Before she had even done anything, the Empress Dowager's weakness had already fallen into her hands.

"So, that incense burner came from the Zhao family?"

“Yes, and it is very likely that it was stolen by the Dowager Consort’s grandson, Zhao Zeqian. Yesterday, Zhao Yin told the Dowager Consort of his suspicions. She said she didn’t believe it, but she will probably send someone to investigate.” After saying that, he added, “The Dowager Consort cares a lot about this matter.”

"It seems we don't have much time left." After saying this, Achan fell into deep thought.

She had initially thought the incense burner was a nuisance and had pushed the problem onto Bai Xiuming, but things had taken an unexpected turn, and now she had to get it back.

I wonder if Bai Xiuming has found any useful clues. If she goes to ask for the incense burner, he definitely won't give it to her so easily. She'll have to coax him.

Thinking of this, Achan's face suddenly flushed.

Shang Yin noticed that A Chan suddenly started to drift off into thought while talking, and looked at her with a puzzled expression: "What are you thinking about?"

“I was thinking…” Achan came back to her senses and cleared her throat, “If they find out that the incense burner is in my hands, they will definitely send someone to retrieve it. Such an important item should definitely be retrieved by someone with high cultivation and who is reliable.”

Shang Yin pointed to himself: "Me."

Achan nodded: "If you also fail, then the Empress Dowager will have no choice but to send out even more capable subordinates."

Shang Yin pointed out the absurdity: "What reason do I have to fail against an ordinary person like you?"

Instead of answering the question directly, Achan said, "My name is Ji Chan now."

"Nice name."

"Once they find out that the incense burner is in my possession, then you can investigate my identity and background."

This time, Shang Yin finally understood what she meant, and at the same time, he was a little curious: "Your current identity..."

"Don't be so curious, and don't investigate beforehand, lest you be discovered. The Dowager is exceptionally vigilant."

"I understand." Shang Yin nodded, but still hesitated. "Do you really have a way to deal with the Four Realms?"

"Then what about you? Are you really willing to fight her to the death?" Achan asked back.

“A life for a life, it’s a good deal.” Shang Yin answered without hesitation. He had never dared to hope before because he was powerless against those people. But now a glimmer of hope had arisen in his heart. Even if that hope was pitifully weak, he would hold on to it tightly.

Even if his consciousness were to disappear one day, he would not want his body to be used as livestock by his enemy for the rest of his life, even if that person was related to him by blood.

His only family member from beginning to end was his mother, who constantly compromised to save his life and ultimately died tragically.

His surname is Shang. The Empress Dowager, Zhao Xun, and even the Zhao family members were never his family; they were all his enemies.

If his life could be exchanged for the life of the Northern Wilderness King's Consort, it would be an incredibly good deal.

Achan looked at Shang Yin, who appeared calm, and asked, "So, do you want me to help you?"

"Yes!" This time, there was no hesitation.

Achan pushed the cloth bag on the table toward him: "This is for you, mix some water with it and drink it."

Shang Yin opened it and took a look. He found that it contained crushed powder, which smelled very good, the same as the scent that had awakened his consciousness.

"This is……"

"Soul-suppressing incense. This amount is enough to suppress Zhao Yin's consciousness. You've watched him for so many years, so you shouldn't be exposed after you take his place, right?"

"Won't."

There was quite a lot of powder in the bag, so Shangyin mixed it with tea and drank eight cups of it.

The powder smelled fragrant, but when he tasted it, it had a meaty, fishy smell that made him roll his eyes.

The last bit of powder mixed with tea went down his throat. Shang Yin closed his eyes and sensed another consciousness within him, a consciousness stronger than his that had been trying to suppress him, but which had fallen into slumber.

He originally wanted to say, "Wow, that's impressive, they even have this kind of trick up their sleeve," but what came out of his mouth was, "This tastes awful. Where did you get this stuff?"

I feel like there are still bits of powder in my mouth.

Ah Chan rolled her eyes: "Of course I bought them. These things cost me more than a thousand taels of silver."

She had only ever spent this much money on Bai Xiuming, yet Shang Yin still dared to complain.

"You knew I was coming to the capital and prepared this especially for me?" Shang Yin suddenly realized that A Chan's appearance here today was not a coincidence, and the things she prepared could not have been a spur-of-the-moment decision.

“Yes.” Achan readily admitted, “Bai Zhanhuang once told me that his maternal grandfather is turning eighty this year, and the Dowager will definitely return to the capital, and you will definitely come with him.”

At that time, she was reading a travelogue and came across a chapter describing the capital of the Great Xia Dynasty. Bai Zhanhuang told her that the Dowager Consort's family was in the capital, and every year on the third day of the third lunar month was her maternal grandfather's birthday. The year after next, on his 80th birthday, the Dowager Consort would return to the capital.

He said it was a long journey of ten thousand miles from the Northern Wilderness to the capital, and told her about several routes to the capital. He said he could not leave the Northern Wilderness without an imperial decree, so he could not take her to the capital.

At that time, Achan had no intention of going to the capital; she only wanted to find her sister after receiving news of her.

But in the end, she followed the route Bai Zhanhuang had told her and arrived in the capital.

Shang Yin's expression was complicated. Although A Chan was the weaker party at the moment, he had the feeling that A Chan was setting a trap in the capital, waiting for the Empress Dowager to fall into it.

Everything she knew about the Dowager Consort came from what the Northern Wilderness King himself had told her.

Shang Yin suddenly asked, "Then do you know that it wasn't Bai Zhanhuang who ordered your execution, but the Dowager Consort?"

Achan paused for a moment, then shook her head: "I don't know."

Those who initially went to surround and kill her said they had received orders from the King of the Northern Wilderness.

On the run, Achan had thought that if Bai Zhanhuang wanted her dead, he wouldn't have waited three years. But after her tails were broken off one by one, those speculations became meaningless.

"It was the Dowager Consort who took advantage of Bai Zhanhuang's absence and used his warrant to mobilize the Prince's guards. When Bai Zhanhuang returned and learned of your accident, he and his mother had a complete falling out and have not reconciled since. Otherwise, the Dowager Consort would not have brought only one guard from the Fourth Border Guard to the capital."

Shang Yin chuckled as he spoke: "You're really something, managing to sow discord between the mother and son so easily."

Even after learning the truth, Achan's emotions didn't change much.

She was simply puzzled: "Why did she have to kill me?"

Although Achan knew that the Empress Dowager disliked her, she was certain that she had not had any conflicts with her.

"Because Bai Zhanhuang told the Empress Dowager that he wanted to marry you, the Empress Dowager thought you would ruin him and the Northern Wilderness Royal Palace, so she sent someone to kill you, thinking that killing you would put everything back on track." Shang Yin told A Chan everything he knew.

"I see..." Achan remained unmoved after hearing this, only saying, "It seems she doesn't know her son very well."

Shang Yin kept staring at A Chan, and seeing that she didn't react much, he asked, "He likes you, and you don't seem surprised?"

Achan found the question somewhat amusing: "If he didn't like me, why would he use the Earth Spirit Book of the Northern Wilderness King's Mansion to help me find my sister's whereabouts? Of course he likes me."

The Earth Spirit Book was once a sacred object of the Rat Demon Clan, used to find people. Later, it fell into the hands of the Northern Wilderness King, and Achan went to the Northern Wilderness in order to find her sister.

Her purpose has always been clear. Bai Zhanhuang is not stupid; he knows everything.

So he delayed for three years, finally agreeing to search for her sister in the third year. Shortly after that, he suddenly left the palace, and she was surrounded and attacked.

“Have you ever thought that if the Dowager Consort dies, Bai Zhanhuang will find out about you and he will avenge the Dowager Consort?”

Achan asked, puzzled, "So what?"

"Don't you care that he... is about to become your enemy?"

Shang Yin looked at A Chan, whose eyes were clear and innocent, yet her words were ruthless: "Is his affection something so extraordinary?"

"I thought you liked him a little bit too." Shang Yin thought A Chan was at least a little moved, but she wasn't.

“Oh, I don’t like him,” Achan said casually.

Shang Yin thought to himself, it's a pity that Bai Zhanhuang didn't see this scene, otherwise the expression of that high and mighty Northern Wilderness King must have been quite interesting.

No wonder people are afraid of demons. They can so easily bewitch people's hearts, yet remain completely untainted by their own evil. They are truly heartless.

Achan didn't care what Shangyin was thinking; what he said was meaningless to her.

She glanced at the sky outside the window, thinking that she had already been delayed long enough and Lin Sui was still waiting outside, so she said, "It's getting late, you should go."

Shang Yin nodded, and before getting up, he asked her, "If I want to find you, where should I go?"

“I run an incense shop in Changpingfang. If things don’t go as planned, you can go there to find me.”

"Okay." Shang Yin agreed, stood up, and the temporary barrier set up around the two of them dissipated.

He turned around, and after only a few steps, his entire demeanor and expression completely changed, transforming him into Zhao Yin, who only obeyed the orders of the Northern Wilderness King's Dowager Consort.

Achan watched him walk down the stairs step by step, a slow smile curving her lips. She hoped that the Dowager Princess would like the grand gift she had prepared for her. Although it was a year late, it had finally arrived.

After a while, Achan put away the empty cloth bag on the table and then called the waiter to settle the bill.

From the time she entered the restaurant to the time she left, it took less than half an hour.

When Lin Sui saw A Chan come out, he quickly went up to her and asked, "Did you finish the task?"

"Yes, it's all taken care of. We don't need to keep an eye on him anymore."

Lin Sui nodded, not asking why A Chan wanted to see this person, and simply said, "Shall I take you home now?"

“I’m not going home.” A-Chan refused. After thinking for a moment, she said, “Take me to the Mingjing Division.”

"What are you going there for?" Lin Sui asked, puzzled.

"Go find Bai Xiuming to have dinner with me. The food at that restaurant was awful."

Achan couldn't help but complain; she had only managed a few bites and couldn't swallow any more. Of course, the main purpose was the incense burner, but eating was also important.

She didn't notice at all the shattered look on Lin Sui's face after hearing her words.

After a while, seeing that Lin Sui didn't react, A Chan turned her head to look at her and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Lin Sui opened her mouth, organized her thoughts for a while, and then lowered her voice to ask, "Why did that Lord Bai have dinner with you?"

Ah Chan thought for a moment about how to explain, and finally told the truth: "He likes me, so isn't it only right that he has dinner with me?"

If someone else had said that, Lin Sui might have thought they were dreaming.

But this person is Achan...

Bai Xiuming must like Achan, otherwise he must be blind!

Lin Sui readily accepted A Chan's explanation, and then rode his horse to take her to the Mingjing Division.

Outside the Mingjing Division's yamen, the guards, upon hearing that Achan wanted to see Bai Xiuming, immediately went inside to report, and soon came out with a man.

The person who came was not Bai Xiuming, but Feng Yang.

Before Feng Yang even got close, he smiled at A Chan and asked, "Miss Ji, is there something you need to see my master?"

Achan stood outside the door, tilting her head to look behind Feng Yang, but Bai Xiuming was nowhere to be seen.

"Is there something that Lord Bai is not here for?"

"Lord Bai just went to the Ministry of Justice to check the case files and will be back soon. If Miss Ji is not in a hurry, why don't you wait at the yamen?"

If anyone else asked, Feng Yang would certainly not casually reveal his master's whereabouts, but this Miss Ji in front of him was no ordinary person.

He not only had to explain in detail, but he also had to help his superiors keep the person there. A good subordinate naturally has to solve problems for his superiors.

“Alright then.” Achan agreed and followed Feng Yang into the Mingjing Division.

Feng Yang did not take her to the place where Bai Xiuming handled official business, but instead took her to a room in the back, saying that it was where Bai Xiuming usually rested.

Feng Yang stood at the door and said to A Chan, "Miss Ji, please rest here for a while. I will tell him as soon as the master returns."

"Okay, thank you for your help."

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all."

Asan entered the house and found that the furnishings were extremely simple.

Besides the table, chairs, and bed, there was only a bathtub and a wardrobe.

The two sets of vermilion official robes in the wardrobe confirmed that this was indeed Bai Xiuming's resting place. Achan closed the wardrobe door and sat down in the chair with peace of mind.

On the table was a stack of cut paper, along with a writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

When Achan was bored, she ground some ink and began to write Bai Xiuming's name on it.

After filling a sheet of paper, she couldn't help but yawn. The room was too quiet and the light was a bit dim, making her feel inexplicably sleepy.

After putting down her pen, Achan struggled for a while before giving up completely and slumped onto the table, falling asleep.

When Bai Xiuming returned from the Ministry of Justice, he saw Feng Yang grinning at him.

He glanced at the other man, tossed the case file to Feng Yang, and asked as he walked toward his office, "What are you laughing at?"

"Hehe, sir, this way please." Feng Yang stepped forward and led him to another path.

Bai Xiuming raised an eyebrow, but before he could react, he heard Feng Yang say, "Miss Ji is waiting for you in the room where you are resting."

"Achan is here?" The originally deep and cold voice suddenly softened.

Feng Yang clicked his tongue inwardly. Even seeing it with his own eyes, he found it hard to believe that this was the same ruthless and feared garrison commander from his own household.

A year ago, his family suspected that Miss Ji had been possessed, but now it seems that the one who was possessed is more like his family.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Feng Yang respectfully replied, "Yes, Miss Ji has been waiting for you for more than an hour. I dared not let anyone disturb you."

"Well done."

After leaving those words, Bai Xiuming strode away.

Feng Yang's grin widened; he felt that the day he would be promoted and made a fortune was not far off.

The door opened silently, without disturbing the people inside.

As soon as Bai Xiuming entered the room, he saw a petite figure resting her head on his arm, slumped over the table, breathing softly and soundly, fast asleep.

He closed the door and walked over. As soon as he got closer, he saw the piece of paper that Ah Chan had pressed under her hand. It was covered with his name.

She used different fonts, just as she called his name in different tones each time.

Bai Xiuming looked at her for a while before bending down and picking her up.

A familiar scent enveloped A-Chan. She wasn't startled awake, but instinctively snuggled closer, muttering, "Bai Xiuming..."

"I am here."