Martial Saint through Reading

Chapter 357: Chapter 275: Master of North Snow, King Shuo of Qin (Part 2)

"Finally smart for once!"

"I don’t know who taught you, you flesh puppet, but no more secretly keeping accounts in the future!"

"Yes... yes..."

"..."

The evidence was destroyed, and Chu Ming finally let go of his anxieties, feeling both mentally and physically exhausted.

"Stop eating all the time, and keep an eye on the factory."

After a few reprimands, he returned to the capital city.

...

Qin Capital, Inner City, a certain tea house.

Chu Ming, dressed in black, sat within.

At dawn, he had left his master and came to this tea house.

He didn’t come specifically for tea, but to wait for someone.

The teahouse is located two streets away from the Cui Mansion.

The Cui Mansion is the residence of Cui Ye, Commandant of the Fourth-Grade Camp Repair Bureau in the Ministry of Industry.

Suddenly, his eyes brightened slightly, and he put down the teacup in his hand.

The main player has returned.

Cui Mansion.

Cui Ye, with his weary body, stepped into the mansion, immediately greeted by a steward and maids.

"Prepare some food and hot water for my bedroom."

"Yes."

"Also, have the Eighth Madam and Ninth Madam wait in my room."

"I will invite them right away."

"..."

Cui Ye gave a few instructions, not directly going to his bedroom, but first heading to the office room.

Inside, he sat at the desk, pretending to flip through the documents.

After about half a stick of incense time, seemingly restless, he got up and walked into the inner room.

Facing the wall, there hung calligraphy and paintings, beside it, a large red shelf filled with books.

Cui Ye first looked around cautiously, then quieted his breath to listen closely, ensuring no prying ears before focusing intently on the upper left corner of the red shelf.

There, a few books were placed, appearing no different from the rest.

But upon closer inspection, one book was strung with an almost invisible thread.

"The thread is still there, untouched."

He removed the thread, gently repositioning the books.

Creaking sounds of machinery moving.

As the sounds faded, a secret compartment appeared behind the books.

Cui Ye took out a red box from it, its material quite remarkable, then pulled out a key from his clothing and opened the red box, showing another key inside.

Seeing the key there, a smile appeared on Cui Ye’s face.

"That flesh puppet Cui Dong learns all the wrong things from me, secretly keeping accounts."

"I keep accounts as a safeguard in case of exposure, does that flesh puppet think the same?"

Thinking of this, a murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

"If it weren’t for you being of my Cui family bloodline, last night..."

After securing the key back into the red box and closing the secret compartment, Cui Ye visibly relaxed.

He left the study and returned to the bedroom, where food and hot water had been delivered, and two beautiful women who looked alike were warming the bed.

"You’ve worked hard, master, allow us to wash your feet."

"Comfortable..."

Cui Ye enjoyed the food and the service of the two madams, his whole demeanor relaxed.

"Master, I wish to change into some new clothes."

"Buy them."

"Master, I’ve taken a liking to a piece of jewelry."

"Buy it."

"Master, my brother wants to come to Qin Capital for a job..."

Smack!

There was no "buy buy," and the previously contented Cui Ye suddenly flew into a rage, kicking over a water basin with a foot.

"How many times have I told you? Your brother is not allowed in the capital!"

"But Master has arranged jobs in the capital for Fifth Sis, Sixth Sis, and Seventh Sis’s families..."

The two sisters first jumped in fright, then spoke in grievance.

"Is it because we don’t serve you well?"

Seeing the two women’s expressions, Cui Ye’s anger diminished considerably, though he still maintained a stern face and said, "It’s not that you serve me poorly, it’s that I need your brother to manage the estate, there’s nothing good in Qin Capital!"

"Here’s the deal, I’ll have someone send some gold and silver to the estate shortly, and in due time, I’ll arrange a job."

Hearing this, the two women beamed with joy.

"Thank you, Master."

"..."

Then it was some trivial and messy affairs.

Outside, at the tea house.

Chu Ming sipped his tea leisurely, all of Cui Ye’s movements under the surveillance of the Sword Gourd Spirit.

Accounting books... key... estate...

Before Cui Ye returned to the Cui Mansion, he had used the Sword Gourd Spirit to search the residence, trying to find evidence of corruption.

But apart from the hidden key, nothing else useful was found.

The key hidden in the secret compartment must have a special use, though its purpose did not seem to lie within the Cui Mansion.

Based on Cui Ye’s words and behaviors, Chu Ming speculated that the so-called accounting books might be in the estate mentioned, or with the brother of those sisters.

Leaving some broken silver on the table, he left the tea house for the Eight-direction Tavern.

He didn’t know where the estate was or who the sisters’ brother was.

This kind of matter, he was too lazy to waste time investigating, better to ask the former Silver Moon Thief and now personal guard Zhuge Rui at the Eight-direction Tavern.

The Sword Gourd Spirit had long sensed Zhuge Rui waiting at the Eight-direction Tavern, showing some impatience.

Second floor of the tavern.

Zhuge Rui drank sullenly and silently, his face dark, and no one dared to sit at the nearby tables. The waiter, passing by several times, was extremely cautious.

Last night, after failing to capture someone, he was pursued by Captain Dong Zhao.

Dong Zhao, a Ten Meridian Unlocking expert, spent many years in the Huang Forbidden Army, superior in skills and strength.

Combined with losing the Silver Moon Heart Mirror, the balance shifted, and Zhuge Rui barely escaped at the cost of injuries.

Injured, alerting the enemy and gaining nothing, he was already fuming with rage inside.

Coming early to the Eight-direction Tavern and not seeing Chu Ming, his anger flared to the chest.

"Waiter, another pot of wine!"

"Coming right up."

The waiter had just brought the wine upstairs when a young man in a white robe approached steadily.

"Give it to me," said Chu Ming.

"Sir, this wine is for another guest."

"I’m with him," Chu Ming glanced upstairs.

The waiter, hearing this, handed over the wine.

Chu Ming carried the wine upstairs.