Chapter 54

m Huan Sheng and others had been protecting with all their efforts."Smelly girl, how did you know it was me attacking" Nan Ling Rui didn't succeed in his sneak attack, and he was discovered from afar....Chapter 54

The moment Rong Jing finished speaking, Yun Qianyue immediately stopped wandering and began to study the Buddha statues by lying on them. She examined one after another, feeling this statue here and moving that statue there without leaving any detail unchecked.

Rong Jing looked at Yun Qianyue with a smile as he shook his head, following her behind to watch her examine each statue closely.

At this moment, Qian Yan's voice came from outside abruptly.

Night Tianqiong's puzzled voice followed. "What happened Aren't we supposed to break the seal now Why have you stopped"

"I'm not quite sure either," replied Qian Yan, who was shocked himself. Seeing Night Tianqiong about to lose his temper, he immediately said, "Let me study it for a moment more; maybe I made an error before. This mechanism is extremely intricate."

"Amitabha! The Crown Prince can wait just a little longer!" Master Ling Yin intoned in a Buddhist phrase and advised Night Tianqiong. "We have waited such a long time already, so we won't be too far off if it takes another moment or two. Qian layman is indeed putting his best effort into breaking the seal. It's said that this mechanism was set up by a strange person when the first emperor built this place over a century ago. Given how short of a time it has been, it's understandable for Qian layman to have difficulty in cracking the code."

No words came out of Night Tianqiong’s mouth as she stared at the tightly closed stone door with her face showing deep thoughts and complicated emotions in her eyes. If she and Rong Jing really were trapped here, three days and a half had already passed, meaning they would have spent three and a half days together... Her hand clenched up inside her sleeve.

"Prince Shi is the first genius of Heavenly Saint; what could possibly be difficult for him It seems to me that Prince Shi simply doesn’t want to come out," Night Tianyu said as he glanced at Night Tianqiong and turned his attention back to the closed stone door.

Night Tianqiong’s expression changed, obviously following along with Night Tianyu's thoughts.

"Fourth Prince is mistaken; Heavenly Saint geniuses don’t master everything either. Prince Shi is still a regular person after all. It would be nothing strange if he doesn't know how to deal with mechanisms," Master Ling Yin spoke up as she took over from Night Tianyu's words.

Night Tianqiong’s gloomy expression softened slightly, her voice calm when she said, "Indeed, Prince Shi is a regular person!"

"Oh! Poor Mo Yue; I wonder how hungry she must be inside She probably feels dizzy and blurry-eyed now," Night Tianyu added as he seemed extremely concerned about Yun Qianyue.

"Can you please shut up Do you want me to stuff your mouth" Cloud Muhuan suddenly spoke, who had been silent all along.

"Muhuan, I’m also worried for Mo Yue," Night Tianyu replied as he looked at the cold-faced Cloud Muhuan and saw him staring back intensely. He immediately took a step back, "Fine! Fine! I won’t say anything more!"

Cloud Muhuan turned around to look at Qian Yan again; his handsome face was unusually deep and solitary.

The fourth prince pondered inwardly; the guy had never paid any attention to this sister of his in the past, so he assumed that the man didn't care. Who would have thought that the guy actually cared so much This attitude wasn’t like him at all now.

Qian Yan dared not delay anymore and continued studying under the pressure from everyone else.

The sounds outside were clearly heard within. Yun Qianyue made a disdainful sound but ignored them, continuing her study work.

Rong Jing remained silent as he followed behind Yun Qianyue to watch her busy at hand.

After checking all the Buddha statues, Yun Qianyue looked at Rong Jing with a dejected expression. "The method you suggested seems unfeasible; there doesn’t seem to be any mechanism."

"Then how did these Buddha statues get in" Rong Jing slowly spoke up. "There’s no way they were carried by humans. The place Qian Yan broke through was a small door, and such large Buddha statues couldn't fit through that entrance. This larger door may be big but we encountered narrow passages before; only two people could pass through at once then. Otherwise, how would I have sustained an injury on my back So these Buddha statues definitely didn’t come in from here."

"Yes! How did they get in" Yun Qianyue asked puzzledly as she began to examine other parts while avoiding the Buddha statues, her spirits lifting again. "Could it be there’s a third door"

“Hm!” Rong Jing nodded and said, “It can be inferred that way.”

"If there's a third door, I won’t have any trouble then," Yun Qianyue left the Buddha statues to explore around the walls.

Rong Jing followed her as usual without hurrying or lagging behind.

After checking all four walls thoroughly, she still didn't find any hidden locks for a third door. She began examining the floor, kicking away thick earth with her feet to check everything but found nothing either. She finally gave up on hope and looked at the ceiling, "Is it there"

"Perhaps," Rong Jing said while looking up.

“There!” Yun Qianyue immediately spotted a subtle concave mark on the roof ridge above one of the Buddha statues. She was almost in tears as she lamented, “How do we get up there Without inner strength, how can I use lightness skills”

Rong Jing shrugged helplessly and said, "That leaves no way out then. It seems you have some bad karma with the Buddha; these statues don't like you either so they won’t let you have any easy gains."

"You’re such a nasty mouth that never speaks nicely!" Yun Qianyue rolled her eyes at Rong Jing and said dominantly, "I don't care. No matter what method you use, you must open this door for me. Otherwise I’ll let the fool from First Family outside fail to break that hidden door; we'll be stuck here until our martial skills recover and then come out again."

Yun Qianyue had made up her mind. Not using money was simply foolish!

"Recovering your martial skills won’t happen in a short period of time since we’ve over-exploited our strength to the core; it’s already been fortunate that you survived. It will take more than a year for your abilities to recover," Rong Jing said as he saw Yun Qianyue staring at him angrily. He reminded her gently, "If we stay trapped here without coming out, we’ll starve to death!"

“I'll starve to death too then. But that doesn’t mean I'm letting Night Tianqiong and his father off easy,” Yun Qianyue said immediately.

"Oh well, you will just have to starve to death," Rong Jing sighed helplessly and added, "If we can't open this door, even if Night Tianqiong sees these Buddha statues, he won’t be able to open it either. So there's no need to worry about not getting the reward in future."

"That's not necessarily the case. What if that Money Flame discovers the third door Wouldn't it then be taken out Moreover, once Night Tianqiong sees them, he might immediately snatch these Buddha statues away! Who can say for sure I absolutely don’t want to do any uncertain deals. As long as they aren't in my hands, I won’t feel at ease," Yun Qianyue shook her head.

"I truly didn't realize you had another flaw aside from eating well, sleeping well, and playing all day – a penchant for money that borders on obsession. Truly worthless. Beware of not being able to get married in the future." Rong Jing reached out and searched himself but found nothing after searching for half a day; he couldn’t help but sigh.

"If I can't get married, so be it. Who wants to marry me anyway I don’t want to marry them either!" Yun Qianyue said nonchalantly.

In this world, she became more deeply aware that without power or money, one couldn’t survive. She had just arrived and didn’t have a single coin; even if she took over the Cloud Manor’s accounts and management, the money wouldn't be hers to spend freely. How could it be convenient to not have any money on hand Besides, she certainly didn’t want to exhaust herself trying to earn money outside. In this life of hers, she wanted nothing more than to eat well, drink well, play, and enjoy herself. Since these gold pieces were free for the taking now, why wouldn't she take them Not doing so would be foolish. Given the consumption level of this world where a single copper coin could buy a steamed bun, these gold pieces would last her half a lifetime. If she didn’t have to save and wasted them, they’d even last her an entire lifetime. Wouldn’t she then be worry-free regarding food and drink Therefore, she had to secure them!

"After you come of age, the emperor will issue an imperial edict for your marriage. Whether or not you can marry likely won't depend on yourself," Rong Jing said.

"The old emperor is already in his twilight years. By then he might be long dead anyway. Besides, I don’t believe anyone could force me," Yun Qianyue was too lazy to argue more with him and urged Rong Jing, "Hey, hurry up! Have you thought of a way to open the door"

"I have nothing on me. How am I supposed to give you something to open that door" Rong Jing’s gaze fell upon Yun Qianyue; he saw two hairpins loosely inserted in her black hair and said, "Take off your hairpins. Let me see if I can use them to open the door."

"They must be able to open it!" Without hesitation, Yun Qianyue removed both hairpins from her head and handed them to Rong Jing.

Rong Jing took them in hand and looked up at the roof ridge. He gently lifted his arm and threw one of the pins toward that raised section with a soft “clink.” The pin landed there, then quickly fell and dropped to the ground with another soft clink; it shattered into two pieces.

Yun Qianyue stared unblinkingly at the door waiting for it to open. After half an hour had passed without any movement, she said to Rong Jing, "Look how little effort you’re putting in; use more strength."

"I can only put in so much effort," Rong Jing said helplessly. It was hard enough that he could lift his arm and throw the pin where it needed to go; it wasn’t surprising that nothing had happened.

“Truly, you have no strength to tie up a chicken. Scholarly men are utterly useless,” Yun Qianyue jeered at him.

"Then why don't you try I might be a scholar utterly useless for a long time in the future," Rong Jing handed her the remaining hairpin.

Yun Qianyue took it and aimed for that spot with all her strength, flinging the pin. She thought she had used considerable strength, but the pin only landed softly on its target before falling to the ground, making an even softer sound than Rong Jing’s; it broke into two pieces. The door remained closed.

"A weak woman is also utterly useless," Rong Jing could not resist laughing at Yun Qianyue.

Yun Qianyue was annoyed and glared at the pin broken into four pieces on the ground. Now that it had lost weight, she feared it wouldn’t be able to reach that button anymore. How would they open the door then

"Search yourself again for anything else we can use," Rong Jing suggested.

Yun Qianyue immediately reached out and searched herself; after half an hour, she pulled a jade pendant from her robes – it was precisely that one she had taken from Rong Jing. She glanced at it before tucking it back into the pocket of her robe decisively: "No good, this is worth more than a Buddha statue. It can’t be used."

Rong Jing seemed to smile and said slowly, “A jade pendant for twelve Buddha statues – we gain much more than we lose.”

"That still won't do," Yun Qianyue shook her head immediately: "Keeping the pendant has many advantages; a Buddha statue is too troublesome. Moreover, I like to minimize losses while maximizing gains. So, this pendant can never be used – not even if you threatened me with death."

"Do you still have anything else that could work" Rong Jing asked.

“Nothing,” Yun Qianyue said dejectedly: “I’m too poor; I don’t even wear a single silver coin.”

"You do have one bracelet," Rong Jing’s gaze fixed on her wrist and he reminded her.

"Right, there's that bracelet. Let’s use this… No, it’s also worth quite a bit." Yun Qianyue was about to remove the bracelet but stopped herself.

"Then we have no other options," Rong Jing spread his hands out: "You’ll just have to leave these Buddha statues behind."

Yun Qianyue looked elsewhere; aside from the twelve large Buddha statues, there was nothing else in the room. Even if she wanted to break off a piece of one now, she didn’t have enough strength – so once again, her eyes fell on the bracelet and she gritted her teeth: "Alright, then we’ll use it."

This bracelet had been around for about a century and was originally worn by the first Empress. She was once the eldest daughter of the Cloud Manor; later, she fell in love with the founding emperor. He obtained a piece of South Sea jade and had the country’s foremost craftsman fashion this bracelet as a token of affection to give her. Later, because the founding emperor and empress were deeply in love, he declared that all subsequent empresses must be from the Cloud Manor, so each generation of empresses passed down this bracelet. Her aunt died before she could enter the palace, so she gave it to Yun Qianyue’s aunt while she was still the eldest daughter of the Cloud Manor. When her aunt later entered the palace as empress, she gave it to Yun Qianyue. Rong Jing gazed at the bracelet; his eyes flickered with emotions that were impossible to read, but his voice remained unaffected: “This jade has been around for a century and was worn by each generation of empresses. When you become empress, why would you care about these twelve Buddha statues Your life will be filled with glory, luxury, and enjoyment. So it can’t be measured in money.”

"Ah! South Sea jade, so it’s very valuable," Yun Qianyue gazed at the bracelet; she had never carefully examined it on her wrist but now saw that it was indeed a piece of high-grade jade.

“Indeed,” Rong Jing nodded.

"More valuable than your jade pendant" Yun Qianyue asked.

“They’re roughly the same price, but this bracelet is not about its monetary value; it’s about what it represents. Once you become empress, why would you care about these twelve Buddha statues You’ll be living a life of endless glory and luxury. So, its value can’t be measured in money.” Rong Jing looked at Yun Qianyue; his expression and words were indifferent but he said firmly: “So it’s much more valuable than my jade pendant.”

“I see,” Yun Qianyue furrowed her brows. This bracelet had been worn by each generation of empresses in the Heavenly Saint dynasty. It couldn’t be destroyed – might she even cause trouble if she did Would the old emperor kill her Her little face crinkled up as she looked at Rong Jing: “What consequences will there be if I smash this bracelet”

“There would certainly be consequences. If His Majesty finds out that you smashed this bracelet for twelve gold Buddha statues, he likely won’t let it go; after all, it’s a precious heirloom passed down through the generations of empresses. It’s not to be trifled with,” Rong Jing said.

“Then I really can’t smash it,” Yun Qianyue made a bitter face.

"I think you should smash your jade pendant instead! At least that is still my jade pendant, so even if you take it from me, it’s just a piece of jade. It has no real value and certainly doesn't compare to this bracelet," Rong Jing suggested.

"Wealth and glory are like fleeting clouds, but real gold and silver are tangible. I didn't intend to enter the palace as empress anyway. Although this bracelet is good, once you mentioned its significance, I'll find it uncomfortable wearing it afterward. Let's use it then. If you don't mention it and neither do I, who would know that I used this bracelet to smash the mechanism and retrieve the golden statue So let’s decide on this." Yun Qianyue didn’t hesitate anymore and took off the bracelet from her wrist, handing it over to Rong Jing. "You are a man after all and you have more strength than me. Come here, take the initiative to smash it!"

Rong Jing looked at the bracelet handed to him and raised an eyebrow slightly. "Are you sure you want to use this one Not that jade pendant"

"What nonsense! I’ll just use this one." Yun Qianyue shook her head.

Rong Jing stretched out his hand, took the bracelet over and there seemed to be a hint of amusement in his eyes as he whispered to Yun Qianyue, "Rest assured. As for you smashing the bracelet to open the mechanism and switch the twelve golden Buddha statues, I will definitely not disclose it. Just say that we crashed into the wall when we fell here."

"You’re such a great friend!" Yun Qianyue was satisfied. This guy could still perform well in critical moments.

Rong Jing gently weighed the bracelet, then used his wrist to throw it toward the concave part on the beam. A sharp sound of “clack” followed by another resonant sound as the bracelet hit exactly that place and flew down towards the ground with Rong Jing and Yun Qianyue’s direction.

Although both lost their martial arts skills, it was still easy for them to catch the falling bracelet. If they took a step forward, Yun Qianyue acted as if she hadn’t seen anything and let the bracelet fall onto the ground without stretching out her hand to receive it. Rong Jing also didn’t reach out his hands to catch it. Another resonant sound echoed, then the bracelet broke into eight pieces upon hitting the ground.

"Too many broken pieces. It’s impossible to fix this time." Rong Jing seemed a bit regretful for the lost bracelet.

Yun Qianyue gave him an unimpressed glance. Let him pretend, then! She stared at that concave place for quite some time but saw no reaction there. So she asked in puzzlement, "Uh Is it wrong"

"Probably you found the wrong spot to break," Rong Jing nodded. "Such a pity!"

"Do I really have no affinity with these golds" Yun Qianyue was discouraged and sighed. She thought she had mastered the art of secret mechanisms, but now she couldn’t find any way out again. So she waved her hand. "Forget it then. If we can’t get it today, I’ll steal from the national treasury after the old emperor gets hold of them."

"You’re really persistent," Rong Jing seemed speechless.

Yun Qianyue took a step toward the place where Qian Yan had broken into the secret door. Just two steps forward, she suddenly heard a heavy sound behind her. It sounded like someone opening the door. She turned back and saw that the Buddha statue sank into the ground. So she was delighted and said, "Haha! The door is actually here under the ground. Truly amazing!"

"Heaven still treats you nicely," Rong Jing smiled.

“I wonder if the person who created this mechanism has survived to this day If he’s alive, I’ll definitely find him and have a drink with him.” Yun Qianyue exclaimed in admiration as she saw all of the Buddha statues sink into the ground one after another.

"It's said that it was built by an extraordinary person during Shengzu's time. It has been over a hundred years now, how can he still be alive If you want to drink with him, you’ll have to wait for another 100 years and find him in the underworld," Rong Jing replied.

"Alright then, I'll find him to drink when it's time." Yun Qianyue turned back again, staring at where the Buddha statues’ feet had been. After a moment’s scrutiny, she exclaimed with admiration once more: "The mechanism above is only for opening up the hidden door beneath these Buddha statues’ feet. Judging from this setting, there should be another secret door underground and that place would be the third real gate."

"Yes!" Rong Jing nodded.

“As long as I can hide the Buddha statues here first, I have a way to prevent Qian Yan from unlocking this lock. Then these Buddha statues will remain safe.” Yun Qianyue said again.

"Yes, just do what you can to prevent him from finding and breaking it. There’s no one who could surpass him in the world now except for him," Rong Jing nodded once more.

While they were talking, Night Tianqiong’s furious voice was heard again outside: "Qian Yan, are you unable to break this"

"Your Highness Crown Prince, I am powerless…" Qian Yan's frightened voice responded.

"I think you’re really trying to lose your head!" Night Tianqiong roared. “Bring someone and cut off his…”

“Crown prince brother, if you kill him, no one in the world would be able to break this lock! Master Qian is recognized as a prodigy of our current generation of the Qian sect. However, this secret passage was built by an extraordinary person during the time when my great-grandfather was alive. It’s understandable that he can’t crack it," Fourth Prince interrupted.

“Amitabha! The fourth prince said is right! Let Master Qian continue to break it!” Venerable Ling Yin also agreed.

"If the Crown Prince kills him, this door will be a dead end. Won’t Jun Shizi and my little sister have no way out" Cloud Muhuan immediately interjected. "Of course, he can't die."

“Then continue doing it!” Night Tianqiong was in a hurry but helpless.

"Yes!" Qian Yan wiped the sweat off his forehead and continued to study the mechanism with wet clothes.

At this moment, twelve Buddha statues had already sunk into the ground completely.

Yun Qianyue looked down and pressed her hand on their heads. The floor beneath them instantly changed and lifted up twelve heavy stone plates within a few seconds to cover the Buddha statues. The stone floor seamlessly fit with the rest of the temple floor, leaving no trace behind. The entire temple was empty, as if those Buddha statues had never existed. She turned around and looked at Rong Jing with satisfaction: "Mission accomplished!"

Rong Jing saw her proud look and chuckled softly.

"We need to walk for a few dozen rounds on this ground right away and erase all signs of these Buddha statues’ existence. Otherwise, whoever inspects the dust traces will discover it, plus we can’t just sit still after being trapped here so long!" Yun Qianyue instructed Rong Jing and immediately started walking in circles.

"Okay!" Rong Jing agreed and followed Yun Qianyue to walk around on the temple floor.

After walking for several dozen rounds, Yun Qianyue stopped. "Alright, it’s enough now. Let's go out." She continued. “If we don’t leave soon, we’ll starve or exhaust ourselves to death.”

"Okay!" Rong Jing nodded.

"You sit against the wall first, I'll activate the mechanism to let Qian Yan open it, and then we will leave." Yun Qianyue pointed in a direction and told Rong Jing.

Rong Jing walked towards where Yun Qianyue was pointing and sat down靠著牆。

Yun Qianyue moved towards the wall, lightly pressed it twice, instantly switching the mechanism's position. This way, it would neither allow Qian Yan to open the door too quickly nor let him discover that someone had tampered with it from inside. After finishing, she found a spot far away from Rong Jing and sat on the ground靠著牆, mumbling: "This has exhausted me..."

Rong Jing's long eyelashes covered his eyes, and he didn't speak.

About an incense stick later, they heard Qian Yan's joyful voice outside, "I've found a way to break it!"

"Why are you still hesitating!" Ye Tianqiong immediately said with joy.

"Amitabha! May Shijie and Yun Mansion's Miss Yun be safe." Master Lingyin chanted the Buddha’s verse.

“They must be fine!” Yun Muhuan stated confidently.

“What are you waiting for Hurry up and open it!” Ye Tianyu urged.

The sound of clicks was heard, followed by a sudden crack in the wall. The stone door wasn't moving left or right but slowly rising from bottom to top. Qian Yan praised, "The solution was under my feet all along! It's indeed ingenious!"

Yun Qianyue rolled her eyes inwardly. A foolish pedant! Suddenly, a glaring light flooded the originally dim temple, causing Yun Qianyue and Rong Jing to instinctively close their eyes.

"Qianyu!" Ye Tianqiong was the first to rush in, seeing Yun Qianyue and Rong Jing on opposite sides. He headed straight for Yun Qianyue, "Are you alright"

Yun Qianyue pretended not to hear him, her eyes closed.

"Brother the Crown Prince, what a pointless question! Having been trapped for three days and nights, how could she be fine" Ye Tianyu entered next.

Yun Muhuan followed closely behind Ye Tianyu and headed straight for Yun Qianyue.

"Young Master!" Xiangge's voice came from after Yun Muhuan, rushing towards Rong Jing. He had been following everyone outside but hadn't spoken.

“Fine.” Rong Jing said weakly.

Xiangge hurried to squat down and support Rong Jing; upon touching his weak pulse, he was alarmed and widened his eyes, "Young Master, how could you..."

"Let's get out first!" Rong Jing interrupted Xiangge.

Surprised by the loss of Rong Jing’s martial arts skills, Xiangge glanced at Yun Qianyue and quickly picked up Rong Jing without showing his surprise. He thought this time, the Young Master must have expended all his strength to save Miss Qianyue. This made him heartache. Was it worth it for the Young Master's vast martial abilities to be depleted in her rescue

"Qianyu, how are you" Ye Tianqiong walked over to Yun Qianyue and reached out to lift her.

Yun Muhuan beat Ye Tianqiong to it, carrying Yun Qianyue without a word and walking towards the exit.

"Young Master Yun!" Ye Tianqiong stopped him with his hand, asking solemnly, "What are you doing"

“She has been trapped here for three days; naturally, she needs to leave quickly!” Yun Muhuan glanced at Ye Tianqiong. “I hope the Crown Prince will find out why my sister and Shijie were framed as soon as possible and give a satisfactory explanation to Yun王府！”

Ye Tianqiong withdrew his hand.

Yun Muhuan didn't speak any further, carrying Yun Qianyue toward the door.

"Amitabha! May Shijie and Miss Yun be blessed by heaven!" Master Lingyin watched the now empty temple with surprise. He knew there were twelve Buddha statues here; when had they been taken away

“Thanks to the master’s protection!” Rong Jing spoke, looking at Ye Tianqiong, “The Crown Prince should indeed investigate this matter. If I hadn’t rescued her in time and we both fell down here together, she would probably have died.”

The expression on Ye Tianqiong's face changed.

"Xiangge, back to the mountain villa!" Rong Jing no longer spoke but instructed Xiangge.

“Yes!” Xiangge immediately carried Rong Jing and followed Yun Muhuan out of the door.

“Wait, what's going on here Why is this jade bracelet broken” Ye Tianqiong suddenly noticed the shattered jade bracelet on the ground, immediately bending down to pick it up and inquired about the situation as Yun Qianyue was carried away by Yun Muhuan.

Naturally懶得說話，閉著眼睛一聲不吭地躺在了雲暮寒懷裡。

“We broke it when we fell.” Rong Jing said again.

The handsome face of Ye Tianqiong turned white. He naturally knew what this jade bracelet represented. For a moment, he just stared at the broken jade bracelet in silence, his expression extremely grim.

Cloud Qianyue snorted inwardly. Yun Muhuan and String Song naturally no longer paid them any mind. The two of them carried Cloud Qianyue and Rong Jing out from the stone gate, swiftly using their light-foot techniques to head towards the villa in the back mountain.

Cloud Qianyue only realized that she had come out of the underground Buddha hall when they arrived at what seemed to be the main hall of Bodhidharma’s Temple. This was where Venerable Ling Yin had taught her the Dharmic principles on Mount Nan Shan. She pursed her lips and let out a breath, thinking that it was better to be alive than dead. Weakenedly addressing Yun Muhuan, she said, “Brother, I’m starving! I want to eat immediately.”

“Alright!” Yun Muhuan nodded.

Cloud Qianyue no longer spoke and thought that although this time being trapped for three days had almost cost her life several times, it wasn’t a bad deal. Although she exhausted all the energy she gained unexpectedly, she managed to save Rong Jing in the process and even got a mountain of gold, which would ensure a comfortable rest of her life if she did nothing else. Thinking this way made her feel happy inside. However, she once again thought about the person who caused her to drink the love potion and decided that she wouldn’t let them off easily. She was determined to find out who it was and make their life miserable. Whether it was Jade Congeal or another person.

After the four of them left, Night Tian Qing put the bracelet into his bosom after breaking it into eight pieces. Seeing two broken hairpins on the ground, he recognized that they belonged to Cloud Qianyue and bent down to pick them up as well, putting them in his bosom.

Seeing Night Tian Qing’s actions, Night Tian Yu raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why do you want to keep all these broken items Do you plan on having someone repair them Once jade is shattered, it can’t be repaired. Even if it could be fixed, it wouldn’t be the same."

"This bracelet was a love token from our forefather to Empress Zhenjing. It has been passed down for over a hundred years. Although it’s broken now, we still need to take it back and let Father Emperor decide what to do with it." Night Tian Qing replied.

“Then what about the two hairpins that Moon Sister broke Do you intend to show them to our father emperor as well Those aren’t left behind by Empress Zhenjing, but belong to Moon Sister.” Night Tian Yu asked again.

"Of course they need to be shown to Father Emperor. These are evidence that prove that Moon Sister was in danger at the time and couldn’t protect the jade bracelet with the South Sea Blue Sapphire. I hope our father emperor doesn’t blame her for this." Night Tian Qing stared solemnly at Night Tian Yu, "Fourth Brother, you seem to have more words now."

"Senior Prince seems to be treating Moon Sister better these days," Night Tian Yu responded noncommittally.

Although Night Tian Qing’s face showed a hint of anger, he still restrained himself and turned his head away from the Fourth Prince. He addressed Venerable Ling Yin with a courteous tone instead, "I’ve heard Father Emperor say that the twelve high monks who fought in full armor to save our forefather were each given Buddha statues made by Holy Ancestor. This was done to ensure their legacy would be preserved for generations. Why haven’t I seen these Buddha statues"

"Amituofo!" Venerable Ling Yin shook his head, "I’m also wondering about this."

“Senior Prince, the golden Buddha images back then were probably not placed here. Look around – there’s no sign of any Buddhas.” Night Tian Yu had heard about this before too; it was recorded in the Book of Founding Emperors of Heavenly Peace. That year, if Venerable Ling Tai Temple hadn’t led a group of monks to fight with armor and save our forefather, it would have been impossible for our country’s empire to last over a hundred years as it had. Hence, this was a great achievement: after ascending the throne, the Founding Emperor first ennobled four generations of hereditary kings, secondly welcomed Empress Zhenjing into the palace, and thirdly gave golden statues to the twelve high monks. These three actions were once the talk of the world.

"The Book of Founding Emperors records that it can’t be wrong." Night Tian Qing said sternly: “Back then, our forefather wanted to place those twelve Buddha statues in Ling Tai Temple’s Bodhidharma Hall for people to worship. However, the twelve high monks didn’t agree and invited a mysterious person to build a temple beneath Ling Tai Temple where they placed the statues.”

"Senior Prince is correct; the golden Buddha statues were indeed placed here," Venerable Ling Yin nodded in agreement.

“Then why are they gone now Did someone take them away” Night Tian Yu was puzzled.

Night Tian Qing turned around to look at Qian Yan, who had been standing with his head bowed outside. He no longer seemed as anxious and sharp as earlier; instead he spoke in a warm tone: "Master Qian, please come in and have a look. Is there any other secret entrance or mechanism that could be used for storing those twelve Buddha statues"

"Yes!" Qian Yan bowed and walked in.

He had been extremely excited earlier when he figured out the mechanism, but now he felt something was amiss as he recalled how everything unfolded. It seemed someone had tampered with the mechanism while he was breaking it open, otherwise it wouldn’t have been so difficult at first and then become easy later on. Others might not notice this discrepancy, but because Qian Yan had studied mechanical arts since childhood, his senses were highly sensitive. He sensed that someone must be inside playing tricks.

The people inside were Prince Shi and Miss Cloud Qianyue from the Yun Manor – everyone knew how uneducated Miss Cloud Qianyue was, so if anyone did tamper with it, it would have to be Prince Shi, the number one genius of Heavenly Peace. Thinking about this, he dared not think further; hearing Night Tian Qing, Night Tian Yu and Venerable Ling Yin’s words made him suspect something, but he quickly dismissed these thoughts since there was no evidence for them. Especially regarding Prince Shi – it would be unwise to offend him. Upon hearing Night Tian Qing call him, Qian Yan immediately walked in.

"Master Qian, you should study this carefully and see if the twelve Buddha statues are truly hidden somewhere or if they were never placed here." Night Tian Yu said as Qian Yan passed by.

“Yes, Fourth Prince,” replied Qian Yan, bowing his head in agreement.

"Amituofo!" Venerable Ling Yin clasped both hands together and chanted a Buddhist verse, not stopping him from entering.

Qian Yan began to carefully inspect the empty Buddha hall. He examined every inch meticulously, even though he didn’t tell Night Tian Qing and others about his earlier suspicions that something was amiss. However, privately, he wanted to know how those inside managed it without making a sound or drawing attention.

About half an hour passed; Qian Yan had found nothing.

Seemingly unperturbed by this, Night Tian Qing didn’t rush him and just waited quietly.

Night Tian Yu also remained silent.

Venerable Ling Yin naturally said no more as well.

An additional half-hour passed before Qian Yan suddenly flew towards a protrusion on the roof. Night Tian Qing was delighted, while Night Tian Yu’s eyes flickered slightly; Venerable Ling Yin remained expressionless – all of them turned to look at Qian Yan.

Qian Yan leaned against the roof ridge and stared closely at the protrusion with dust marks where something had been struck. He happily noticed that there were indeed signs of impact on the dust. Reaching out, he pressed down gently and waited quietly.

The people below also watched Qian Yan’s actions silently.

They waited for about an incense stick's time but heard no movement from inside the Buddha hall.

Qian Yan was surprised; pressing down another couple of times, he continued waiting. After a long while, there still wasn’t any sign of movement. He focused on studying the protrusion more intently – the impact marks were clearly recent, or they would have been covered by dust. Suddenly remembering Night Tian Qing’s broken bracelet and hairpins, he was startled, pushing these thoughts away.

“What happened” Night Tian Qing couldn’t help but ask when Qian Yan remained still for a long time.

Qian Yan didn't speak; rather, he stared at the marks on the protrusion thoughtfully. Logically, this spot should have been a mechanism, yet it was unresponsive now. It was obvious that someone had tampered with it, but Qian Yan couldn’t find any clues to where they did so. He had thoroughly examined every inch of the Buddha hall and found no other mechanisms. Clearly, whoever had messed with things was more skilled than him in mechanical arts. A name flashed through his mind – Rong Jing, who was famous as a genius; if he were versed in mechanical arts too, it wouldn’t be surprising given his abilities. However, if it really was him manipulating everything… Qian Yan suppressed this thought immediately, knowing some things weren't meant for him to think about or know.

"Master Qian, is there any flower on the roof ridge Was that why you were staring at it" Night Tianyu also spoke up.

Qian Yan was startled awake. He suppressed his shock and prepared to jump down when he suddenly pressed his hands onto a protruding part of the roof twice. This time, it landed exactly on the spot where Rong Jing and Yun Qianyue had been tapping. The trace disappeared instantly, and only then did he turn to Night Tianqin. "I might have taken a wrong direction. There doesn’t seem to be any mechanism here."

"Is there anything else up there" Night Tianqin frowned.

Qian Yan shook his head. "I didn’t notice anything."

"Just what I was saying! Maybe those twelve golden Buddha statues weren’t placed here after all," said Night Tianyu, looking at Night Tianqin. "Eldest Brother Prince Regent, take a look. Does this look like a place to put Buddha statues It’s just an empty shrine. Perhaps when the Founder Grandpa intended to make the golden statue, he lacked gold and only built this temple."

"Impossible!" Night Tianqin shook his head. He ordered Qian Yan, "Check it again carefully."

"Yes," said Qian Yan, who wanted to find out how it had been done too. He moved inch by inch across the roof, searching every nook and cranny meticulously. After checking the entire roof, he was sure there were no more mechanisms left and jumped down, shaking his head at Night Tianqin. "Your Highness Prince Regent, there are no more mechanisms!"

"How could it be" Night Tianqin still didn’t believe him. "Check again carefully!"

Qian Yan suddenly gave up the idea of finding out how it had been done and bowed respectfully to Night Tianqin, saying, "Your Highness Prince Regent, please forgive me if I was wrong. In my opinion, there are no more mechanisms even after checking a hundred times. If Your Highness doesn’t trust me, we can look for someone else."

Nostrils flaring, Night Tianqin frowned.

"Eldest Brother Prince Regent, Master Qian is the best at mechanism technology. No one dares to claim they are better. If he says there’s nothing here, then there’s truly nothing," said Night Tianyu, looking at Qian Yan's forehead.

"Great minds are many, and I don’t dare be number one!" Qian Yan hastily responded in alarm.

“Master Qian needn't be so modest. Even His Majesty praises you,” said Night Tianyu as he glanced at the injury on Qian Yan’s forehead. He then turned to Night Tianqin and said, "Your Highness Prince Regent, if you still want to search for it, I’ll not accompany you here anymore. I’m going to see Little Sister Moon, who must have been scared silly by this major disaster."

With that, Night Tianyu turned around and left the underground shrine.

"Master, do you also think Fourth Brother was right when he said those twelve golden Buddha statues aren’t here" asked Night Tianqin to Master Lingyin.

"Amitabha! I can't confirm either. After all, both the great master and the craftsmen who built this shrine are long gone. Later on, this place was sealed off, so whether or not the Buddha statues were really taken away cannot be verified. It's been a hundred years after all," replied Master Lingyin.

"Master is right too. In that case, let’s leave it for another time and go out to see how Prince Jing and Little Sister Moon are doing first! As you’re skilled in medicine, I hope you can treat them and check if their injuries are serious," said Night Tianqin as he nodded.

"Alright!" Master Lingyin agreed with a nod.

With that, Night Tianqin swept his sleeves and bowed to Master Lingyin. "Master, please lead the way."

"Your Highness Prince Regent, please follow me," replied Master Lingyin in return as he bowed back and walked ahead.

Nostrils flaring, Night Tianqin gave one final look at the empty shrine which only had a few messy footprints on the floor before following after them. He went out of the underground shrine and told the attendant waiting outside, "Seal this place up from now onwards, no one is allowed to enter. I’ll report to His Majesty about it and further investigate the missing Buddha statues based on his order."

"Yes," said the attendant as he bowed immediately and waved his hand. A hundred hidden guards appeared instantly and sealed off all entrances.

Master Lingyin looked at the hundred guards with a sigh, then walked in the direction of North Mountain Villa.

Night Tianqin naturally followed behind Master Lingyin to North Mountain Villa too. Especially since he needed to confirm one certain matter. He took two steps and ordered his attendant, "Send someone immediately to the Imperial Medical Bureau in the capital city to invite two female physicians to treat Miss Qianyue at Lingtai Temple."

"Yes," replied the attendant as he bowed and left.

Master Lingyin paused in his steps, looking back at Night Tianqin with a puzzled expression. "Your Highness Prince Regent, there’s no need to go through such trouble. I’m skilled in medicine too and can treat both Prince Jing and Miss Qianyue."

"That was the intention of this prince as well but I recalled that you’re a monk while it might be inappropriate for you to examine Little Sister Moon, who’s a girl from Cloud王府with a special status," said Night Tianqin. "It would be better if we called for doctors from the Imperial Medical Bureau."

"Your Highness Prince Regent is right. I’m being naive." Master Lingyin no longer said anything and continued walking forward.

Night Tianqin suddenly thought of something else, turning to Qian Yan who had just come out. "Master Qian, stay at Lingtai Temple for now. Once this prince reports the matter to His Majesty, he might give you instructions on what to do next. As Master Qian is skilled in mechanism technology, it’s best if you help investigate."

"Yes," replied Qian Yan as he bowed.

“Bring Master Qian to my residence and take care of him,” said Night Tianqin.

"Yes. Your Highness Prince Regent." A man stepped forward and coldly invited, "Master Qian, please."

Qian Yan nodded in thanks.

The man did not say a word and led the way to Night Tianqin’s residence.owned as she asked, "Did the banquet at our residence end""It ended a while ago!" Ling Lian replied."Hmm!" Yun Qianyue nodded her head. She thought that it should rain soon.Ling Lian picked up a plum...