Chapter 243 - 223 Heavenly Market Yuan_3

He sighed heavily, feeling a wave of melancholy, then took something from his bosom and tossed it to Tie Dan, before vanishing into the night.

Tie Dan looked at the item.

Damn, it’s another Jade Pendant. Is giving jade a trend around here or what?

This one is different from the previous one given by the Ranger; it seems to be a special Yutian Jade from Kunlun, with a uniform and translucent texture, delicate and dense, with a soft sheen like mutton fat. There’s a Pixiu engraved on the jade face, with a character ’Ming’ carved above it.

"Alright, let’s go."

It was at this moment that Jian Jia collected her emotions and walked out from the hall, looking absent-mindedly as if she didn’t even know that a Divinity Transformation master had just passed by and chatted with Tie Dan for a while.

Tie Dan naturally wouldn’t tell her, he pocketed the Jade Pendant and casually said,

"Where to next? The Minister of Rites’ residence? How do you know where he lives?"

Jian Jia, who just buried both the Young Master and Prince Li, wasn’t in much of a mood and blurted out,

"Third Aunt often sent me to deliver gifts to earn trust, so I found out."

Tie Dan was curious,

"Often?"

Realizing her slip of the tongue, Jian Jia glared at him and said,

"It’s none of your business. Anyway, our Shen Family works on behalf of those in the mountains. If you want to ask, then ascend Cloud Platform Peak first!"

Tie Dan shrugged,

"If you don’t want to say, then don’t. I didn’t expect you to know the Minister of Rites. But that was two years ago, what if the Minister has been replaced?"

Jian Jia thought for a moment and shook her head, saying,

"Probably not. Although competition for the positions of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers is fierce, the governmental institutes are so laden with red tape that outsiders find it hard to understand. Assistive officials like the Minister’s Chief Clerk generally aren’t replaced often to avoid delaying important court matters.

Besides, it doesn’t matter if the Minister of Rites has been replaced, because I don’t actually know him. I only know a Chief Clerk next to him. This person is extremely intelligent, knowledgeable, with a photographic memory, and has secretly received True Inheritance from the Hidden Immortal Sect, so he’s one of us, a Mystic Sect undercover. Whatever ambassador lives where, how to sneak in, asking him would do."

Whoa, the Mystic Sect really has nails everywhere, everyone is undercover...

"What’s the Chief Clerk’s name and where does he live?"

"...I don’t know."

Tie Dan raised his eyebrows.

Jian Jia was impatient,

"It’s just delivering a message or a gift, why ask in such detail! Besides, how would I dare call him by name!

I only know his surname is Sima, not exactly some famous Gate Valve family, just call him Chief Clerk, end of story.

Are you coming or not? It’s not like I’m the one looking for him, yet it’s not like you know the way!"

Well, she’s got poor foresight, loose handling of matters, not meticulous in her work, and a loose tongue. For someone doing clandestine activities, she doesn’t even investigate her contact’s background fully, it’s a wonder she’s still alive.

Tie Dan considered the life-saving grace from her mother that one night, he decided not to hold grudges and added a few remarks, but with her broken attitude, he was too lazy to exert effort in pointing things out. Anyway, he had done his utmost duty, at worst, when she gets herself killed, he’ll just send her remains to rest alongside the Young Master in a grave, that should be good enough.

So the two stopped wasting words and made their way from the southeast directly to the northwest, heading straight for Star Market.

This place is a bustling commercial city, rich and affluent, with markets bustling with activity, primarily dealing in precious treasures and gems, frequented by barbarian chieftains and merchants.

Jian Jia first pretended to admire jewels and played around a bit in a jewelry store, secretly arranging some pearls and jade into a pattern to serve as a covert signal, then she took Tie Dan across to a tavern and took a seat.

After waiting for about a cup of tea’s time, an Attendant Student ran over and said,

"My second young master says he caught a cold and is not feeling well, and it’s inappropriate to be impolite in front of esteemed guests.

The lady can just tell me if she has any instructions."

Tie Dan chuckled,

"See, he’s much more cautious than you."

Jian Jia also rolled her eyes at him, handed the pastries bought on the way to the Attendant Student and said,

"It’s nothing big. I’ve heard that Marquis Zhongshan sent an envoy to Luoyang? Has he been to Honglu Temple yet?"

The Attendant Student didn’t ask what they intended to do, answering whatever they asked,

"The letter has been delivered, but the lords haven’t returned yet. Since Honglu is not a long-term residence, it’s been arranged for temporary accommodation at White Dragon Temple outside Yong Gate."

Jian Jia frowned,

"Why stay at White Dragon Temple? Isn’t that reserved for Western Region Buddhist monks?"

The Attendant Student,

"Indeed, a Monk Hu has arrived, his religious name Dao Jia, claiming to have come from the Western Territory specifically to give lectures for Marquis Zhongshan. He’s not a government official nor a Central Plains cultivator, so he’s been appointed as an envoy."

Jian Jia was curious,

"Monk Hu? What does he look like?"

Tie Dan said,

"What else could a monk look like, just a bald head—what color robe does he wear?"

It turned out the Attendant Student remembered clearly.

"A black robe, curly beard, and he smells quite bad. He has his own room arranged for him."