The entire Lower Gui City was thrown into complete chaos by Wei Xun and the others. Even the inner quarters of the county office were severely affected, with many of Wu Zhiyuan’s female family members fainting from fright at the sight of the white snake. With the prison cells completely broken into, there was no manpower left to watch the confined Yang father and daughter. Yang Xingjian quietly led his donkey and discreetly took his daughter Yang Fangxie away.

The two found a secluded small inn to temporarily stay in. Yang Xingjian followed Bao Zhu’s instructions and went to the street to buy a large jar of good wine. By this time, the rice prices in Lower Gui County had risen to unbelievable levels, with many common people going hungry. Yang Xingjian listened on the streets for a while and deeply felt that Wu Zhiyuan could no longer maintain the city lockdown, or else it would force the people to rebel against the officials.

Though dawn had not yet broken, no one could sleep. The common people gathered together to discuss the strange phenomena that had appeared in the city, all saying the same thing: “The snake demon has manifested as a flood dragon and come to Lower Gui to reclaim its pearl for revenge. The city gates can no longer contain it!”

Others mentioned that someone in the county office had been frightened mad by the snake demon and had drawn his sword to slash wildly, injuring quite a few people.

Before long, Wei Xun, Huo Qi, and Shisan Lang climbed through the window one by one into the room. All three who had caused such havoc in Lower Gui City tonight were now gathered in the same room, each looking spirited and wearing mischievous expressions after their prank.

Bao Zhu deliberately examined Shisan Lang carefully and saw that his upper body was bare, wearing only close-fitting undergarments, with his monk robes tucked under his arm. The small boy’s entire body was covered in cuts and welts, full of whip marks, with dried blood on his face. Her nose immediately stung with tears as she choked up and opened her arms to embrace him.

Shisan Lang was caught off guard by the embrace and only felt that her body was both fragrant and soft. He immediately became extremely embarrassed, blushing from his scalp to his neck, and quickly struggled free, retreating to a corner to put on his monk robes while repeatedly saying, “I’m dirty, don’t soil Jiu Niang’s clothes.”

Huo Qi burst into laughter and turned to tease Wei Xun: “Senior Brother regrets not advancing his external martial arts, doesn’t he? If enduring one beating could earn her pity…”

Before he could finish speaking, Wei Xun cast a sinisterly smiling but menacing look his way. Huo Qi Lang knew that continuing would mean certain death, so he rubbed his nose and cut himself off mid-sentence.

Seeing that although Shisan Lang had been tortured, his movements showed no signs of weakness – he could still climb walls and leap through windows with the vigor of a dragon – Bao Zhu thought that though he wasn’t much older than her younger brother Li Yuanyi, his muscles were clearly firm and his bones and sinews well-defined, truly different from ordinary boys. Gradually, she felt more at ease.

She personally broke open the wine jar’s mud seal to celebrate their safe return.

Both Wei Xun and Huo Qi Lang were bottomless seas when it came to drinking, emptying cup after cup. However, Yang Xingjian became completely drunk after just two cups, flushing red as he got up to perform the Whirling Dance. His dance skills were surprisingly impressive – spinning and stepping swift as wind. Though he knew no martial arts whatsoever, he was truly a master of the dance arts.

Yang Xingjian’s rank was insufficient to attend court audiences, so Bao Zhu had always thought she had never met him before. Only now did she recall that at last year’s Mid-Autumn moon-viewing banquet, there had been a minor official in green robes accompanying his elder brother Prince Shao. However, because his lowly position meant he sat far from the main seats, she hadn’t paid attention.

Tang Dynasty banquets, besides arranging professional musicians to perform, required attendees regardless of rank to sing and dance to display their talents for entertainment. No feast was complete without dance, no banquet without music. Even the Son of Heaven, Crown Prince, ministers and chancellors would perform when the mood struck them.

That day’s banquet was extremely lively. Midway through the drinking, many officials raised their cups in toasts and danced, singing and dancing until the palace hall was filled with revelry. Bao Zhu remembered that the minor official in green had danced with particular joy and grace, rivaling the professional Hu dancers who performed the Huteng Dance. For a time he stole the show, with everyone in attendance applauding and cheering for him.

Seeing this dance style again now, Bao Zhu immediately remembered and suddenly understood: “So it was you!”

Everyone drank wine while appreciating Registrar Yang’s superb dancing skills, and when discussing how the jailers had been scared out of their wits by the white snake, they all clapped and laughed heartily.

Though Lower Gui County Magistrate Wu Zhiyuan’s imprisonment of the Yang father and daughter was done under pressure from Bao Lang, it was still the evil of aiding a tyrant’s abuse. Bao Zhu originally didn’t want to use his things, but on second thought, she gave all the gold, silver, and jewelry Wu Zhiyuan had taken as bribes to Huo Qi Lang as payment for his help with the jailbreak. Huo Qi was naturally overjoyed to get money so quickly and repeatedly praised Lady Yang’s generosity.

As for the set of Hu clothing ordered when departing Cuiwei Temple, it had been torn while climbing walls. Bao Zhu naturally wouldn’t wear clothes with even the slightest damage, so she kept the two sets of robes and skirts that Wu Zhiyuan’s wife had given her.

After everyone had drunk their fill, Bao Zhu said, “I roughly guess how that lame stone carver stole the White Snake Pearl, but I need to verify it by questioning him directly.”

Upon hearing this, Wei Xun raised his eyebrows with a puzzled expression: “You’re saying he did it himself?”

Bao Zhu nodded: “My thinking was wrong from the start. Seeing that lacquer box was the same as things I’d used before, I never considered there might be a substitute.”

The daily items used in the palace, regardless of size or weight, were all unique treasures painstakingly crafted by master artisans. If accidentally damaged, unless one commissioned a replacement, there was nothing identical in the world. This made it impossible to think of substitutes – beautiful indeed, but far less convenient than commercially available items. However, Changzhou craftsmen were renowned throughout the realm, all capable of serving the imperial family. Making another identical lacquer box was entirely possible.

“I copied the handwriting on the note and had you put the fake back, playing a trick of switching the genuine with the false. But what if the lacquer box itself was also fake?”

Wei Xun immediately understood her meaning.

Everyone believed it was a master thief like Wei Xun with the ability to fly through heaven and burrow through earth who had climbed the tower to steal the treasure. Even his own junior brother suspected this, and the authorities searched for suspects with the same logic, even arresting street performers who handled snakes and monkeys. They never expected to be wrong from the very beginning.

Bao Zhu said, “If the lacquer box was already switched before being placed in the Treasure Tower, no matter how tight the security or how solid the construction, that stone carver wouldn’t need to enter the Treasure Tower at all. Whether his leg was lame or his eyes blind would be irrelevant. The craftsmen traveled the entire way with Bao Lang and entered Lower Gui City together – there were plenty of opportunities to act.”

Wei Xun thought silently that if her speculation was correct, it would explain his greatest confusion. Perhaps the imagined master of lightness skills had never existed from beginning to end – it was just a group of ordinary people without martial arts using trickery to commit the crime.

He thought for a moment, then said, “While this explanation makes sense, Bao Lang, Wu Zhiyuan, and Monk Liaoru couldn’t have just looked at the box’s exterior without opening it to see the White Snake Pearl, right? Wouldn’t they have discovered it was an empty box?”

Bao Zhu shook her head: “I can’t figure this out either. Why don’t we go directly ask Chen Yu?”

Wei Xun tilted back his head and drained his cup in one gulp, rising to leave.

Bao Zhu quickly called out, “I’m coming too!”

Huo Qi Lang said, “How can I miss such excitement?”

Yang Xingjian, still not sober, also clamored with a flushed face: “Don’t think of leaving this old man behind this time!”

Since everyone wanted to go, Bao Zhu only forbade Shisan Lang from following, making him stay obediently in the room to clean and bandage his wounds and rest properly.

The group went to the empty house where the stone carver was detained. Bao Zhu rode on the donkey, feeling a familiar sensation wash over her. Though she had always disliked its ugliness before, after not seeing it for many days, she actually missed it a bit. She rubbed its furry head twice, and the donkey immediately brayed in response.

Looking down at Wei Xun holding the reins, she saw his boots had a large hole worn through. With one glance she knew he had kicked them to pieces while causing havoc on Lower Gui County’s numerous rooftops earlier. So she took out her money pouch and threw it to him, saying, “Go buy new boots.”

Wei Xun seemed not to have noticed himself. He looked down and said carelessly, “When I have time I’ll patch them myself. No need to buy new ones.”

Bao Zhu was greatly displeased, frowning as she said, “How can someone following me wear torn boots? It makes me terribly uncomfortable – go buy them now!”

Wei Xun looked back at her strangely: “The boots are on my feet – why are you uncomfortable?”

Bao Zhu said angrily, “If I hadn’t seen it, that would be fine, but now that I’ve noticed, I can’t help but keep staring at that hole. How can I stand it?!” She thought for a moment – she couldn’t show favoritism – and earnestly instructed, “Remember to buy new ones for Shisan Lang too.”

After she urged him sternly several times, Wei Xun had no choice but to agree to go buy them later. He sighed inwardly that her wasteful spending would make their travel funds even tighter, but it was her money, so she had the say.

The group reached the abandoned house. Wei Xun flew up to the beam – the stone carver was indeed still collapsed in the same spot, so he reached down and grabbed him.

Chen Yu still wore a resolute expression, insisting he had acted alone and refusing to implicate his accomplices. Wei Xun said, “Though I’ve sworn not to rob graves anymore, my junior brother made no such oath. If we open the coffin, will we find the White Snake Pearl inside, or another identical lacquer box? Since you buried it shallowly, this is easy to verify – let’s all go take a look right now.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Yu immediately broke out in a cold sweat, breathing rapidly.

Seeing his reaction, Wei Xun knew Bao Zhu had likely guessed correctly and looked at her with admiration and conviction.

Yang Xingjian said sternly, “Since this White Snake Pearl appeared, it has already caused many deaths – it truly is an inauspicious object. If you don’t want to implicate more people, confess honestly now and there might still be room for redemption. The people are spreading wild stories about the white snake seeking vengeance. Such a calamitous demonic object that brings disaster to the country and its people shouldn’t be presented to the Son of Heaven either.”

Hearing him repeatedly call the pearl a “snake pearl” and “demonic object” with disdain, Chen Yu felt his heart torn with pain. Grief welled up from within and he truly couldn’t contain himself any longer. Suddenly he collapsed to the ground in heartbreaking anguish and wailed: “That’s not a white snake, not a demon – that’s my daughter Ying Niang!!!”

This soul-wrenching howl echoed through the night sky, making everyone shudder.

Chen Yu was overcome with desperate grief, nearly fainting as he cried out, “What white snake is there? Bao Lang killed my Ying Niang and seized the night pearl from her hands, then slandered Ying Niang as a snake demon! I only hate that I don’t die now – after death I’ll surely become a vengeful ghost and drag him to hell with me!”

At the mention of Bao Lang, Chen Yu’s eyes split with fury, his face filled with despair and rage. His graying hair fell loose around him as his ten fingers clawed like hooks, digging deep into the mud on the ground. He truly looked as terrifying as an evil spirit from the Avici Hell.