CHAPTER 222: CHAPTER 221: MISSING PERSONS CASE!

When Jiu was eating, Yu Nianzhao placed her hand on Xie Jiuxiao’s arm.

Watching as the frost gradually melted away, Xie Jiuxiao’s brow slowly relaxed, and only then did Yu Nianzhao take action, unbuttoning Xie Jiuxiao’s collar.

On the sturdy chest, Taiyin Evil roamed about, occasionally exuding a bit of chill, clearly still unwilling to give up.

"Little one, don’t mess with me."

Yu Nianzhao raised an eyebrow, sticking an Exorcism Talisman on Xie Jiuxiao’s chest.

Only then did Taiyin Evil quietly retreat and hide.

"Zhaozhao?"

Xie Jiuxiao’s sleepy voice sounded, and Yu Nianzhao raised her hand to meet Xie Jiuxiao’s hesitant gaze.

Who could blame her for the awkward posture? Not only had the collar been pulled open, but coincidentally, her hand was also placed right on his chest.

"Uh, I can explain this..."

"Who knew Zhaozhao seemed cold and reserved usually, but in reality, so hasty."

Xie Jiuxiao chuckled playfully, resting his hands behind his head, leisurely saying, "It’s okay, Zhaozhao, I have always been endlessly demanding of you; anything you want is fine."

Yu Nianzhao slapped his face, saying with annoyance, "Go to sleep; you can dream of anything."

Xie Jiuxiao laughed quietly twice, not angry, rolled over and embraced her in his arms.

Feeling the warmth returning, and hearing the steady breaths behind her.

Yu Nianzhao chose not to continue questioning him about Taiyin Evil, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

After having eaten and slept well, Yu Nianzhao wandered with Zhixi to King Yan’s Temple.

Looking from afar, the gates of King Yan’s Temple were filled with crowds, Zhixi smilingly said, "Princess Consort, King Yan’s Temple is quite bustling recently; look at how many people came, once the emperor grants the completion of the temple, surely even more people will come."

[It’s incense, Master, your Divine Power can come back a bit.]

[The prosperity of incense is really wonderful!]

Jiu was also very excited, cheering in Yu Nianzhao’s mind.

"But why do I feel something’s off?"

Yu Nianzhao sensed something was amiss and moved closer to see everyone kneeling in front of the gate, each face filled with sadness and pain.

"What exactly is going on here?"

"Oh dear!"

Jing Rui squeezed out from the crowd, and upon seeing Yu Nianzhao, his eyes lit up, throwing himself at her feet and exclaimed, "Miss, you’ve finally come; if you hadn’t, I’d have gone to the Prince’s Mansion to invite you; it’s truly overwhelming, can’t King Yan’s Temple recruit some more help? With so many people, I’m just a small temple attendant, truly unable to manage them all."

Zhixi covered her mouth and said, "The emperor has granted the Princess Consort a brand-new temple, already sending people to begin construction; once built, Mr. Jing can relocate, and certainly recruit people to help then."

"Ah? Really?"

Jing Rui scratched his head, not expecting to receive such news.

The thought of becoming a head monk to manage a group made him laugh blissfully.

"What are you thinking?"

Yu Nianzhao poured cold water on him, "What’s going on here? Why is everyone kneeling? Is there no space inside?"

King Yan’s Temple, though small, shouldn’t be crowded to this extent given the flow of people.

"Uh, it’s because..."

"Miss Yu, it’s really you."

Before Jing Rui could explain further, Liu Yi ran out of the temple, his face full of smiles, "I came today to offer incense and pray for my elder brother; recently I’ve been promoting King Yan too, and brought a relative along, Miss Yu, your timing is perfect, can you help with a reading?"

"Is the miss the owner of King Yan’s Temple?"

"Is she the rumored future Princess Consort Su?"

"I heard the miss is skilled in fortune-telling, can she give us a reading too?"

"Please, miss, we came from far away, begging for help."

Upon hearing Liu Yi’s words, those kneeling began to crowd towards Yu Nianzhao, nearly knocking her down had Jing Rui and Zhixi not blocked them.

"Everyone, please calm down, let’s talk nicely; forming a queue works too!"

Jing Rui’s cheeks were squeezed until they might change shape.

They struggled desperately to drag Yu Nianzhao into the temple, then a cold wind shut the doors of King Yan’s Temple.

The yellow-haired fox perched on the eaves, silently retracting its tail, yawned, and sleepily closed its eyes again.

"My goodness, are these people insane? They all grabbed at my handsome face; it seems it’s going to be wrinkled, too terrifying."

Liu Yi patted his chest, saying fearfully.

Jing Rui rolled his eyes, pointing at the marks on his own face, "Your face is fine, look at mine, I don’t even have to see it to know it’s red."

Zhixi glanced at it, nodding seriously, "It really is, it’s actually red."

"What on earth is wrong with these people?" Yu Nianzhao noticed her sleeve had been torn open.

"Ah, I wanted to explain just now but got interrupted."

Jing Rui sighed deeply, "They’re all pitiable people; miss, do you know, recently there’s been a serious case, children have gone missing all around, these people came to King Yan’s Temple hoping for incense and blessings."

"Children gone missing?"

"My goodness! What a coincidence, my relative came here for this reason."

Liu Yi scratched his head sheepishly, "She’s my fifth uncle’s daughter, and her newborn was stolen while my aunt took her to visit relatives, still missing without a trace; now my cousin cries until she nearly blinds herself, blamed and thrown out by her in-laws, weakened to the brink of collapse. My father knew this and sent her here, hoping to save a life."

"All for the missing children? Could such a coincidence exist?" Yu Nianzhao sensed something amiss.

"Aaaaah! I’m a sinner; let me die, I can’t do anything alive; my child... I’ll go down and find him."

The shrill cries, mixed with endless sorrow and pain.

A haggard woman rushed out, determined to slam into the pillars of King Yan’s Temple.

"Bai Heng!"

A ethereal voice rang out.

A shadow swiftly zipped through, a force pushing the woman back.

The woman fell to the ground in confusion, eyes filled with bewilderment.

The yellow-haired fox lightly landed, swaggering to sit at Yu Nianzhao’s feet, raising a paw to lick its fur.

"Wow! When did King Yan’s Temple have a fox? I didn’t notice it earlier!"

Liu Yi finally noticed Bai Heng’s presence, looking at him a few times with surprise, "His lazy demeanor, unlike any wild fox outside."

Jing Rui snorted, "Of course it’s different; you wouldn’t understand."

This is a spirit!

Jing Rui suddenly felt a sense of superiority, knowing something others didn’t.