Closing the Forgiveness Mirror, Chen Xuanze changed into a coarse linen garment and leaped onto the roof to begin practicing the Nine Turns of the Stars. The familiar stellar power surged in, and the long-lost refreshing sensation made him involuntarily groan.

During these days of organizing scriptures in the Yellow Register Warehouse, being underground and with his cultivation at the eighth rank, the influx of stellar power was meager, rendering his progress nearly nonexistent.

Next door, Chen Qianqian was in meditation. Hearing the suggestive moans, her delicate face turned red, radiating a charming allure. Then, she spat lightly and muttered, "Shameless."

At the third quarter of the Tiger hour, Chen Xuanze vanished like a shadow from the rooftop.

That night, the Qingfeng Pavilion in the capital was robbed. A total of eight thousand six hundred taels of silver, including gold and silver, were stolen. While the loss of money was bearable, what distressed the Qingfeng Pavilion more was the unscrupulousness of the thief. The stolen items included not only gold and silver, jewelry, books, and paintings, but even tables, chairs, benches, kitchen utensils, and mosquito nets were all taken! Wasn't this going too far?

To make matters worse, when the innkeeper of the Qingfeng Pavilion, who had left early in the morning to report the incident to the authorities, found that the two stone lions at the entrance had been moved!

The real loss to the Qingfeng Pavilion exceeded thirty thousand taels of silver! When the cook, preparing breakfast, saw the empty kitchen, he was dumbfounded.

The detectives from the Shuntian Prefecture soon arrived at the scene. After inspecting for about fifteen minutes, they left with a remark, "This wasn't the work of common highwaymen. Think about who your enemies might be." Then, they returned to the yamen, leaving the case unattended.

They weren't fools. Even the weakest in the Qingfeng Pavilion was at the seventh rank, and being able to steal so cleanly under the watch of seventh or even sixth-ranked experts meant that theft was not the primary goal. This was a slap in the face, humiliating the Qingfeng Academy, grinding its face into the dirt.

This wasn't a case that the Shuntian Prefecture could handle.

Moreover, the Qingfeng Pavilion was a large establishment and wouldn't miss those items much.

As proof, within a few days, the Ministry of Revenue's attendant would send a new batch of items for their use. This matter couldn't be reasoned out; after all, who made the attendant of the Ministry of Revenue a person from the Qingfeng Academy?

Receiving special treatment, Yan Zhenqing, who was left with nothing but his underpants, couldn't help but recall the disdainful gaze that stick had given him before leaving the banks of the Rouge River.

If it weren't for that stick or someone from the Demon Suppression Bureau, he would turn the 'strict' character in his name upside down.

He could only swallow his anger, not daring to voice his grievances.

Without evidence, even if he exposed it to the Demon Suppression Bureau, they wouldn't care about him.

Searching the Demon Suppression Bureau? Believe it or not, the Demon Suppression Bureau could strip him bare, leaving nothing but his underpants hanging on the city gate.

Reporting to the senior members of the sect? Forget it, in case the innkeeper of the Qingfeng Pavilion turned around and reported him to the academy, forcing him to compensate for the losses.

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The innkeeper couldn't afford to offend the Demon Suppression Bureau, and he couldn't handle it either.

...

At daybreak, an ordinary carriage emerged from the back gate of Prince Ning's mansion, with Zhao Baixiong seated inside.

It was Prince Ning's idea. Going to the Demon Suppression Bureau openly could easily invite gossip.

Staying in the capital as a prince wasn't an easy task. A slight misstep could lead to a scolding from civil officials, accusing him of disrespecting ancestral laws. Prince Ning had no intention of inviting such trouble.

As the creaking carriage approached the entrance of the Demon Suppression Bureau, the sun had just risen. Old Han, the gatekeeper, seemed to have no need for sleep. He was always in a small house near the bureau's entrance, diligently guarding the north gate for twelve uninterrupted hours. He found it strange that few people visited the Demon Suppression Bureau, and today, someone came so early. Had there been any recent deaths reported to the bureau? Only when he saw a young man with a sinister face and dressed in brocade descending from the carriage did Old Han realize it was a visitor from Prince Ning's mansion.

Old Han did recognize the prince's son, or more accurately, the son's mother, the Wangfei of Prince Ning, the youngest daughter of the head of the White Deer Academy.

The crown prince, Zhao Baixiong, was unable to enter the Demon Suppression Bureau. Old Han refused to open the door for him, stating that unlike other places, members of the royal family entering the bureau would affect the bureau's energy flow. Regardless of whether Zhao Baixiong believed it or not, Old Han wouldn't let him in, even if he spoke eloquently. Helplessly enduring the frustration, the crown prince handed over the three thousand taels of silver notes to Old Han, expressing gratitude as a reward for the Demon Suppression Bureau's assistance to Prince Ning's mansion in demon suppression. Afterward, the crown prince swiftly climbed back into the carriage and left, all of this happening while the sun had yet to fully rise.

Before coming, Prince Ning instructed Zhao Baixiong that if he couldn't enter the Demon Suppression Bureau, he could give the silver notes to any member of the bureau. This place was notoriously sinister, and it was better not to provoke conflicts.

The wealth of Prince Ning's mansion was vast, and they didn't care about these three thousand taels of silver. If the Demon Suppression Bureau embezzled the money without reporting it, Prince Ning could easily spread the news throughout the capital, and no one would suspect him.

The Demon Suppression Bureau held great power in suppressing demons and monsters, but many disliked their sanctuaries and strong-arm tactics.

...

Chen Xuanze, reaping a good harvest, left the Qingfeng Pavilion and found a breakfast shop near the exit of the Rouge River, not far from the East City Gate. The shop was small, with tables and chairs set up on the roadside.

The shop's proprietress, around thirty years old, was a well-known widow in the area. Graceful and charming, she wore no makeup, and faint crow's feet adorned the corners of her eyes.

Sitting on a bench outside the shop, Chen Xuanze greeted, "Proprietress, give me twenty buns, three bowls of tofu pudding, and make them savory."

This casual call caught the proprietress off guard. "Guest, do you want it for takeout?"

Chen Xuanze shook his head. "I'll eat here. Just serve them here."

The shop's business was booming, with many people stopping by for breakfast at this lively hour. Whether it was the shop's delicious breakfast or the mature charm of the widowed proprietress attracting customers, it was unclear.

Seeing the honest-looking lad order so much, a man joked, "Young man, did you just come out of a brothel? Why do you look like a starving ghost?"

Chen Xuanze, dressed in coarse linen clothes, wasn't the same ragged attire he wore when he had no money before. This linen garment was made of the same material as the demon-suppressing robes, crafted from the fine Baiyue spiritual hemp.

Those with keen eyes could tell the difference. Although it was linen, it was a world apart from the linen worn by servants or those who came early to the city to sell vegetables. This kind of fabric was often preferred by guards from influential families or people who wanted to keep a low profile. Hence, the man teased him, asking if he had just left the brothel.

Chen Xuanze glanced at the man, shook his head, and replied, "Nowhere near. I can't afford to go to such places; I'm just hungry." Then, he turned to the proprietress and continued, "Proprietress, bring them out when ready."

He took out two taels of silver and placed them on the table. The proprietress glanced at the silver, her eyes gleaming with excitement. She then turned and called out to someone inside the shop, informing them of Chen Xuanze's order.

Soon, twenty fist-sized buns and three bowls of tofu pudding were delivered to Chen Xuanze in three batches.