Yinshan Record

Chapter 316 and the Snow Woman visits as a henchman
Su Che had made it clear to Shi Chibao that the purpose of appointing Lu Bai and Zhu Yi as centurions in the Imperial Guard was to cultivate his own power within the Imperial Guard and have them act as his henchmen.

Many things that I am not comfortable doing myself can be delegated to them.

After leaving Madam Xue's water residence, Su Che went straight to the Imperial Guard's office, because he felt that with Lu Bai and Zhu Yi there, he could sort out the whole picture of this incident.

Unexpectedly, when they saw the group of centurions at the Imperial Guard's office, they neither saw Lu Bai nor Zhu Yi.

To be honest, Su Che was somewhat unhappy at the time.

Seeing Lu Bai in the mansion, there was nothing to say for the time being.

Su Che dismissed the accompanying imperial guards and patiently took a quick look around the mansion under the guidance of Lu Bai and Su Fu.

According to Lu Bai, this mansion was left behind by a high-ranking official from the previous dynasty. Later, the family declined, and the house became vacant. Su Fu and his group spent a sum of money to buy it and renovate it.

They even spent money to buy several servants and hire a cook, which cost them a lot of money to make it look like this.

Su Che looked it over and, to be fair, thought the house was nice, but his mind wasn't on it right now.

After looking around, Su Che had Lu Bai lead him directly to the study.

"Old Lu, is this all you've been up to lately?"

Looking at the furnishings in the study, Su Che suddenly felt a sense of alienation.

A bookshelf made of chicken-wing wood, a gilded incense burner, paintings of ladies on the wall, and the faint scent of sandalwood in the air...

For some reason, this kind of worldly wealth and luxury suddenly seems utterly meaningless now.

"Thank you for your hard work, Lao Lu."

“Serving you, young master, is nothing to be ashamed of. Your cultivation level seems to be…”

Lu Bai glanced at it and then lowered his head slightly.

He could sense that Su Che was somewhat displeased, but he didn't know the source of this displeasure. Old Lu, a former elite guard who had also trained diligently for many years, could sense the change in Su Che's aura; the young master Su had made further progress on this trip.

"By a stroke of luck, I have secured a pivotal position and can be considered to have taken one foot into the fifth rank."

Lu Bai wasn't particularly surprised; he simply said, "As expected of a young master."

Where is Zhu Yi?

"Old Zhu went out on official business. There are intelligence reports in the local area, and there are rumors and strange movements in various places. They say that Heaven is destroying the remnants of Liang, and there are also sorcerers who provide relief to refugees and cure diseases with talisman water."

Is someone plotting a rebellion?

Spreading rumors and inciting the public are minor matters.

Su Che slowly shook his head.

"Call him back."

The Prince of Wuling wanted Bai Longyu to watch the duel between Lady Xue and Qingjiao Jun, and he would accompany her. This was something that many people knew.

It's hard to say about the Langya Wang clan, but on our side, the Yin-Yang Dharma King, Zhu Yi, and Lu Bai are all aware of the situation.

If the higher authorities really launch an investigation, these individuals will be the key to breakthroughs.

Lu Bai and Zhu Yi are both considered to be on our side, but how long can they remain on our side when faced with heavy pressure from the imperial court?

"Alright, I'll have someone send him a message right away..."

"Go there yourself and bring him back as soon as possible. Don't investigate the treason case anymore."

Su Che tapped his fingers lightly on the desk.

Su Che had met the old ox before and heard it say that Sikong Tu, who had escaped from the Yin-Yang Realm, was recruiting people to prepare for something big.

Sikong Tu is one of the six Ghost Generals under the Yin-Yang Dharma King. He is a genuine fifth-grade Rejuvenating Pill expert. Although he is a ghost cultivator with a slightly shallow foundation, he should not be underestimated.

If he were to rebel, the forces that the Great Liang has on the surface in Cizhou would indeed be insufficient to suppress him.

Moreover, he may have other forces supporting him.

As for Lu Bai, Su Che gradually sensed a hidden meaning in his words. "I've promoted you to centurions, and now Chief Inspector Shi is starting to be wary of you?"

Lu Bai gave a wry smile.

"It's not so much about being on guard, it's just that we're not happy with the work. The centurions in the unit were all promoted by Commander Shi, and they're very polite to us. But the tasks assigned to me and Lao Zhu are all mundane. Although they bring in some money, we still don't like doing them..."

Su Che glanced at Lu Bai.

That's the good thing about Lao Lu; he's an honest man who will always shoulder his own burdens and never cause you any trouble.

With him around, Shi Chibao and the centurions he promoted would naturally not make things too difficult for Lu Bai and Zhu Yi. But what about those under his command who were originally hoping to be promoted to centurions?

They had been eagerly anticipating becoming centurions, but Lu Bai and Zhu Yi's arrival dashed their hopes.

Those younger than Lu Bai and Zhu Yi were somewhat better off, but it was almost obvious what would happen to those with more seniority. They would simply be outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant. If the subordinates had grievances, they would naturally pass them on upwards. The other centurions would certainly be polite, but to say they were of one mind and united as one was impossible.

Su Che had no intention of pursuing this matter, nor could he.

Such is the way of the world. Now that Lu Bai and Zhu Yi have been brought up by me, they should be prepared to face the cold stares of others.

"How is everything at home?"

Lu Bai felt a slight warmth in his heart when Su Che asked him this question.

"Thanks to your son, everyone at home is doing well."

“I don’t think so,” Su Che shook his head: “Old Lu, you work here for me every day and you don’t get any extra money. If I were your sister-in-law, I would have pulled your ear crooked.”

Lu Bai felt a warmth in his heart as he listened to Su Che's words. This third young master had never treated him like an outsider.

"Women don't have much knowledge."

"Alright, since she's been able to manage this household for you, take care of your parents, and raise your children, don't criticize her for her limited knowledge." Su Che paused for a moment and then continued, "How about this, once you call Zhu Yi back, I'll host a banquet here and invite both of you sisters-in-law, as well as the children from both families, so I can properly thank you all."

"This, this won't do! They're all ignorant and vulgar people. Seeing them..."

"Old Lu, you should know me. In my life, I like ordinary people the most."

Su Che shook his head and said, "It's settled then. You go back and rest first. I'm going to find Su Fu and Wei Guoyuan. Hmph, I won't lie to you, I just feel like something's not quite right here."

Su Che had initially offered grain to Su Fu and the others to provide relief to the people and also to collect some farmland. However, looking at this grand mansion, Su Che felt that these people might have misunderstood his intentions.

Su Che was about to continue chatting with Lu Bai about other things when he suddenly felt a chilling aura rising from outside.

Since becoming the cardinal, Su Che's spiritual senses have become increasingly acute, and he immediately sensed something.

The area that a master at the Rejuvenation Pill level can influence when wielding their magic power is quite vast, and once activated, it will inevitably affect the primordial energy between heaven and earth.

It's like someone throwing a large stone into the water; even from a distance, you can see the ripples.

The newcomer should be a fifth-grade cultivator, but the familiar feeling made it hard to recall who it was.

However, the undisguised hostility in that aura was unmistakable.

Su Che's expression turned serious.

"Sir?"

Seeing Su Che's solemn expression, Lu Bai subconsciously swallowed.

Su Che instructed, "Take Su Fu and the others to a secluded place to hide. There's an enemy outside."

Lu Bai immediately went to find Su Fu and the others. Given Su Che's current cultivation level, anyone who could be considered his opponent must be a master of the Rejuvenating Core stage.

If these two experts in the Rejuvenation Pill were to fight without restraint, there would probably be no place in Cizhou City that could be considered "secluded".

Su Che strolled along the road, only to see an old friend at the door.

Lady Xue wore a snow-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) over her clothes, with a red veil faintly visible at her chest that covered her ample bosom. She had almond-shaped eyes and peach-blossom cheeks. She stood there in the alleyway at the entrance, and no one knew what she was thinking.

"Madam," Su Che looked at Madam Xue, "what brings you here?"

(End of this chapter)