36：Selling the House to Go to Yangling Prefecture

Translation:

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"Is Shen Hao planning to run away?"

"Is he going to Yangling Prefecture for business, or is he deliberately trying to avoid me?"

The thought darkened Wenren Yiyi's mood, and her stunning face turned cold. Shen Hao's sudden departure caught her completely off guard. She currently had only two bottles of wine, barely enough for her master, Meng Xuanji, to suppress her cold energy for half a month.

If Shen Hao disappeared, where would she find more wine?

To make matters worse, she didn't have enough gold on hand to purchase more from him. This left her feeling troubled. She couldn't leave her current duties either.

Wenren Yiyi was a Yushi (Imperial Inspector) of the Jinxiu Division. Originally, this organization was responsible for supervising government officials without much real power. However, after Emperor Yangwen ascended to the throne of the Dayang Dynasty, he granted the Jinxiu Division extraordinary authority.

Armed with command tokens and imperial seals, they could travel freely to inspect officials, punish the corrupt, and even act on behalf of the emperor when necessary—essentially cleaning up anyone Emperor Yangwen found displeasing.

Their duties included overseeing nobles and officials, supervising criminal cases, and handling special investigations. Their power was immense, akin to imperial envoys. Simply put: imperial authority with full discretion.

At the top of the Jinxiu Division was the Jinxiu Sima, under whom served four Yushi, collectively known as the Jinxiu Inspectors. Each inspector oversaw one of the four provinces.

Wenren Yiyi was one of these elite inspectors, responsible for overseeing the entire Yang Province.

This time, her mission in Yang Province had one goal: targeting Governor Li Chongyan, the man who controlled all military and political affairs in the region.

Her task? Find an opportunity to eliminate him.

Li Chongyan's power was vast, and gathering evidence against him was no easy feat. However, someone had reported that he was secretly corresponding with Shentu Jiao, a formidable expert from Beihuang.

Wenren Yiyi's mission was to find this incriminating evidence. This task came directly from the corrupt Emperor Yangwen himself.

After all, Li Chongyan was the trusted confidant of Prince Yang Wuxian, whom the emperor had already killed. Naturally, Emperor Yangwen couldn't trust the prince's loyal followers either.

Everyone knew that Yang Province was the gateway to the imperial capital. If this region fell, the capital would be in grave danger. But when the emperor wanted someone dead, Wenren Yiyi had no choice but to obey.

Besides, the Wenren family wasn't solely tied to the Dayang Dynasty. Their true power base lay within the Tianwu Empire. Wenren Yiyi's branch was just a minor offshoot. Even if the Dayang Dynasty collapsed, the Wenren family would remain influential and wealthy—it would simply be a matter of switching allegiances.

So, she didn't concern herself with the emperor's foolish whims.

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A Debt of Gratitude

Wenren Yiyi owed a favor to the imperial physician Song Youli, who had once saved her life. Coincidentally, Song Youli had been sentenced to exile at the border, passing through Yangguan Town.

Wenren Yiyi had planned to rescue him discreetly, but unexpectedly, Song Youli died en route.

In the end, she helped his daughter, Song Yongci, recover his body. To avoid suspicion, they blamed a local bandit gang for the incident—after all, the emperor wouldn't care about the death of a mere physician.

The Wenren family had already seen the signs of the Dayang Dynasty's impending downfall under Emperor Yangwen's rule. They were simply watching and waiting.

Now, Wenren Yiyi's only option was to keep an eye on Shen Hao. She needed to track his whereabouts and approach him when things settled down.

She even considered detaining Shen Hao to interrogate him about the origin of his exquisite liquor.

But there was something strange about him.

When she first met Shen Hao, he seemed like an ordinary man with no cultivation at all. Yet the second time they crossed paths, he had already reached the Third Level of the Postnatal Realm—and his strength wasn't the result of hastily consuming elixirs. His cultivation was solid, as if he had advanced steadily through hard work.

But it had only been a few days.

Perhaps he had been hiding his true strength all along.

Moreover, the fact that he possessed such rare wine gourds and high-quality liquor suggested he wasn't just an ordinary person.

After some thought, Wenren Yiyi decided to report this to her master.

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Reporting to the Master

She walked to the backyard, about to knock on the door when a cold voice called from inside:

"Come in."

Wenren Yiyi composed herself, entered the room, and respectfully greeted, "Master."

Meng Xuanji opened her eyes slightly. "Hmm? What is it, Yiyi?"

Wenren Yiyi placed the wine she had purchased on the table.

Meng Xuanji smiled faintly. "Yiyi, you're thoughtful."

"Master, the person I bought this wine from—he's leaving Yangguan Town."

"Oh? Where is he going?" Meng Xuanji asked.

"To Yangling Prefecture. I can't leave my duties here, and I'm worried something might happen to him, which would delay your supply," Wenren Yiyi replied awkwardly.

Meng Xuanji thought for a moment. Indeed, the wine was quite effective in suppressing her cold energy. If they lost this source, finding more would be difficult.

She glanced at Wenren Yiyi. "You want me to follow him?"

Embarrassed, Wenren Yiyi admitted, "Yes. Things have been unstable in Yang Province lately, and Shen Hao's strength is weak. He could easily run into trouble. If you're with him, it would be much safer."

She lowered her gaze, afraid her master might scold her. After all, Meng Xuanji was a Lingdan Realm expert and the head of a prestigious sect. Having someone of her stature protect a mere wine merchant was almost laughable.

But Meng Xuanji didn't seem to mind. She simply didn't want to lose access to the wine.

"Very well. Where is he now? I'll follow him to Yangling Prefecture in secret."

Wenren Yiyi's eyes lit up with joy. She hadn't expected her ethereal, fairy-like master to agree so readily.

"Master, his name is Shen Hao. He's tall and handsome, with short hair. He's usually accompanied by two beautiful maidservants. They live just north of the main crossroads…"

Meng Xuanji nodded. "Understood. Let me know when he departs."

"Yes, Master."

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Preparing to Leave

Meanwhile, Shen Hao remained blissfully unaware of everything happening behind the scenes.

Upon returning home, he decided to sell his house. After all, he likely wouldn't be coming back.

He'd originally bought it for 260 taels of silver, and while the money wasn't a big deal to him, it was still worth something. No need to waste it.

He spread the word: "Urgent sale, 200 taels."

Song Yongci and Ji Dongge didn't fully understand why he was selling, but they supported his decision. Shen Hao didn't explain much—he simply believed that with his current resources, it was time to move to a bigger city where he could meet stronger cultivators.

If the house didn't sell within five days, he'd just give it away to someone he liked.

To his surprise, on the third day, someone came to buy it—the original owner of the house!

"After the deal is done, we'll stay one more night. You can take the house tomorrow morning," Shen Hao said.

The former owner readily agreed. Buying back his old house for 200 taels felt like a bargain, especially since he had originally sold it for 260.

In less than a month, he'd made a 60-tael profit without lifting a finger, drawing envy from the neighbors.

Shen Hao didn't care. This small town was part of his past now. Getting 200 taels was better than leaving it empty.

That night, he packed everything into his spatial storage.

The next morning, Shen Hao, along with Song Yongci and Ji Dongge, set out for Yangling Prefecture in a rented carriage.

As soon as he left, Wenren Yiyi received the news and immediately reported to her master, Meng Xuanji.