Yu Ziqing felt pretty good today, though his whole head throbbed with a headache that had turned into a migraine.

He originally couldn't bear it, using the lives of millions as bait to give the White Sun Holy Mother a harsh lesson, so he gritted his teeth and blocked the path before she began.

Never did he expect the White Sun Holy Mother to be so cautious, first testing with a small number of hungry ghosts, and she was unaware she was severely allergic to the incense offered to them.

What surprised Yu Ziqing even more was that the White Sun Holy Mother encountered backlash twice in a very short time.

Yu Ziqing was taken aback.

He laughed so hard his jaw almost dislocated.

It's like stepping in dog poop and then quickly checking if it was chocolate sauce.

What was up with that White Sun Holy Mother?

Yu Ziqing was curious and couldn't satisfy it, so he could only tell Cece as a joke, to pull out and laugh at when things got boring. Maybe it would alleviate the migraine a bit.

He was recuperating now, his daily routine alternating between cultivation and eating.

Cece the Big Housekeeper strictly prohibited him from going out again; in such a short period, he had taken the sedative twice, and taking it again soon might cause irreversible damage.

Migraine, misjudging distances with his eyes, disordered sense of smell, tasting bitterness in sweets, and frequent tinnitus in his ears—these were severe symptoms.

Wu Shuangge's Companion Magical Treasure could only detoxify but couldn't heal, and Yu Ziqing relied on his good physique to endure.

For recovery, Yu Ziqing could only conduct Body Refinement slowly, continuously opening orifices to strengthen his body and heal naturally.

If there were one benefit, it might be the increasingly smooth cultivation of the Hungry Ghost Dao, with his inspiration possibly permanently heightened.

Another reason for the recuperation was to wait for Uncle Fu to arrive.

Whether the person behind Uncle Fu was Emperor Li or the Eastern Palace, it made little difference.

Apart from the insignificant small nations, among Dazhen, Dali, and Daqian, the relationship between the emperor and the princes was the most harmonious in Dali.

The Eastern Palace was the regent, with vast powers delegated by Emperor Li. Most matters could be decided by the Dali Eastern Palace, not only with the Eastern Palace Officials being arranged by the Eastern Palace themselves, but even the appointment and removal of low-ranking officials were starting to be delegated to the Crown Prince of Dali.

Yu Ziqing didn't quite believe that Emperor Li trusted and favored the Crown Prince so much. Throughout history, emperors seldom had no vigilance towards their princes from the beginning, with the notion of one undisputed successor from top to bottom being truly rare.

The main reason was the other princes of Emperor Li were too useless, suppressed unable to breathe by their sister.

The younger princes were left gazing at their sister's back from birth, with the gap only growing larger until even her silhouette couldn't be seen.

The firstborn princes saw this younger sister uniquely excelling and soaring skyward.

To what extent was the gap? To the extent that the princes and the Eastern Palace were exceptionally harmonious in their relations.

A Ninth Tier Qi Refinement master, three masters all hailed from the Lihuo Institute, and two of whom had already Entered Dao.

She entered the army at a young age, commanding troops for thirty years, clashing with both Dazhen and Daqian.

In her early Ninth Tier stage, she ventured into a Forbidden Land and retrieved the Mysterious Heaven Sword Seed left by a previous Sect Master who couldn't retrieve it from the Mysterious Heaven Sword Sect, one of Dali's Eight Great Sects.

She later gained the pursuit of the Vermilion Bird Soul, one of Dali's National Guardian Artifacts.

Even as a woman, at this level, Emperor Li had no choice but to choose her as the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace.

No one dared to oppose across the court and country.

Opposing simply meant harboring ulterior motives, aiming to stir internal conflict in Dali.

The current princelings were genuinely mindful of making no claims on the throne, retreating back even if gently nudged. Ambitions were thoroughly absent in their thoughts.

It was an unchallenged, harmonious, and portrayed scenario of filial piety between father and daughter, deep sibling bonds, with universal praise from the court.

Decades ago, Daqian had notions and attempted several times to propose marriage to the then-not-enthroned Crown Prince with rich betrothal gifts, along with toilet paper that boasted of everlasting peace between Dali and Daqian.

Today, no one in Daqian's court dared to bring up such proposals.

Precisely due to such a rare harmonious scenario, Yu Ziqing dared to interact with them, unconcerned whether Uncle Fu was Emperor Li's man or from the Eastern Palace.

He also naturally appreciated Dali's willingness to spare no expense in relief efforts in Dali's west, which was a primary reason he was willing to engage with them.

Yu Ziqing, nibbling on a plate of snacks, raised his head to see the dusty Su Li return.

He poured some hot tea for Su Li and placed the plate of snacks on the table.

"Have some food, drink some water, you've been out for many days."

"It's okay, I'm used to it, having something to do keeps my mind settled." Su Li sighed softly, sipping his hot tea.

After a bit of chatting, Su Li waved his hand, and a few Jade Scrolls appeared on the table.

"These are all the materials you wanted; it was too much and too detailed, so I put everything into the Jade Scrolls."

"Didn't run into any trouble, did you?"

"No, it was simple, just a bit cumbersome."

"That's good, thank you. Rest up a bit."

Su Li didn't return to the Shadow Department to report. His mindset was off, and returning as if nothing happened was impossible, practically begging for death.

Therefore, Yu Ziqing had Su Li help chase down matters, finding something he was adept at, aiding him to gradually calm down.

"Brother Su."

"Hm?" Su Li paused, puzzled, turning his head.

"Did you ever think, Brother Su, you want to pretend nothing happened, but things did occur, and not reporting them is a problem in itself."

Su Li frowned slightly, silent without words.

He was instinctively trying to escape, yet didn't want to flee from the Shadow Department where he grew up, resorting to pretending nothing happened.

"I'll be meeting someone in the next few days; Brother Su just needs to be present without saying anything."

"Brother Qing, you mean..."

"Brother Su, trust me this once; we've been through so much together, I certainly don't want to see anything happening to you."

Su Li paused, nodded, not pressing further.

He realized his predicament, knowing Yu Ziqing extended boundless kindness to him, even being around him held considerable risk.

Two days later, Cece received a message that Uncle Fu had arrived at Dazhen's territory.

Uncle Fu neither asked for their location nor demanded to meet them, but directly gave an address, saying he would likely settle there handling family businesses. The chores were cumbersome, he couldn't find time away, but they were free to visit whenever, apologies excused.

Yu Ziqing understood it wasn't impolite of Uncle Fu, asking them to pick up presents, but courteous and upfront about his whereabouts to demonstrate sincerity and reduce suspicion.

Having recently experienced Su Li's compromised whereabouts and subsequent ambush, Yu Ziqing understood this better.

"Cece, Brother Su, time to depart. They've shown sincerity; we shouldn't keep them waiting."

The group packed their things, preparing to leave.

Cece found Wu Shuangge, and patted his head.

"Gege, we are going to meet a genuine expert; there's no way we could win against him.

Although the young master knows it at heart, and hasn't stated it, we need to understand: stay vigilant, always protecting the master.

If anything seems off, throw what's in your toilet bucket and then escape with the young master back to the village.

Got it?"

"I got it, Sister Cece." Wu Shuangge solemnly nodded, flipping his hand to reveal a toilet bucket by his side: "The young master's detox is unlike normal people… no, I don't mean the young master isn't normal, just that it's different from ordinary people."

Cece ruffled his hair, eyes crinkling with a smile.

"I understand, that's our young master's prowess."

…

One day later, Yu Ziqing's group of four arrived in the eastern part of Dazhen, at a large city called Xinyu City.

The small town Yu Ziqing previously stayed in was theoretically under Xinyu City's jurisdiction.

Like other cities, this grand city had delegated many forces northward to suppress uprisings.

The City Lord of Xinyu City, You Xinyu, had his military strength cut by more than half, with no capacity left to bother about the smaller town's survival, even if the White Sun Evil Dao was gathering disaster victims without causing massive plagues, could only turn a blind eye.

At the city gate, there was strict inspection, but as soon as the routine check started, seeing the token in Cece's hand, the city guards welcomed them with smiles, ceasing inspection, and upon hearing the four travelers were unfamiliar, a guide was promptly assigned.

Upon reaching the destination, the gate guard left thanking profusely with a Spirit Jade given by Cece.

Yu Ziqing looked up at the six-story building ahead, with a signboard that read: Zhenxing Trading Company.

Many people were going in and out of the trading company, and inside, numerous people were purchasing stuff, making the business look pretty decent, donning a scene of vibrant order.

Even so, many products on the shelves appeared missing.

It seemed just as they claimed – business problems genuinely existed; the business flourished, but supply issues arose, causing concern. In such scenarios, whatever investigators scrutinized would point to that.

Upon entering, someone promptly came to lead the way without inquiry.

They ascended to the highest sixth floor, entering a room to meet an elderly gentleman, hair speckled with white, with a kind demeanor, already standing to greet them.

"Long time no see, Miss Cece, ever charming and radiant.

The young lady conveyed a message for me to deliver immediately.

If Miss Cece finds the time, do visit Dali, for my young lady is assiduously practicing fine culinary skills, and she promises to make treats for your tasting."