I am the Ruler of the Kingdom of Mysterious-Chapter 241 - 209: Loss of Wealth

After getting some clues, Sang Que and Xia Chan went to track down the whereabouts of the Cheng Ge brothers, while He Buning, along with Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu, stayed at the Evil Suppression Bureau to see how many more people were affected by the Gu.

For those mildly affected by the Gu, simply boiling a concoction of realgar, garlic, and calamus and drinking it would expel the Gu poison.

If the Gu has been present for a long time, then one must use various methods to dispel it according to the type of Gu. During this process, if there is no interference from the person who placed the Gu, the chances of successfully expelling it are quite high.

If the person affected by the Gu tries to activate the Gu Worm during the expulsion process, the afflicted person will undoubtedly die.

He Buning’s yin fire could restrain the Gu Worms, and with such a major incident within the Evil Suppression Bureau, he must stay to steady morale.

From his perspective, even if the Ghost Eye were truly lost, it wouldn’t matter; the important thing was keeping people alive. Training these people in the Evil Suppression Bureau wasn’t easy.

Sang Que, accompanied by Xia Chan and Xuan Yu, was preparing to find the Cheng Ge brothers when He Buning called her over and handed her a signal smoke from the Evil Suppression Bureau.

"Once you find them and confirm their location, find a way to inform me. You know about Chi San’s situation, dealing with a Gu Master isn’t easy, it’s best to wait for me to act first."

Sang Que agreed first. Gu Technique was also a kind of witchcraft, Yu Da had once told her about it, but her target was the Ghost Eye, so she would definitely engage first before considering whether to call He Buning.

Afterward, He Buning called Xia Chan aside, took out the flintlock gun he never parted with, even while sleeping, and handed it to Xia Chan.

He knew Xia Chan would certainly follow Sang Que into danger and he couldn’t stop her.

Just as Sang Que said, Xia Chan was very clever, and he should respect and nurture her rather than lock her away.

He Buning explained the flintlock gun’s usage to Xia Chan, who quickly grasped the correct stance for holding it—indeed, very smart.

The flintlock gun took a long time to reload, and there was no way to teach Xia Chan much more now.

"Once your sister confirms that person is the Gu Master, you must shoot directly at the head when they are not paying attention. You only have one chance, understand?"

Xia Chan clutched the flintlock gun with both hands and nodded vigorously, "Brother Buning, don’t worry, Little Chan will protect my sister."

He Buning sighed. Alright, as long as Sang Que was safe, she’d ensure Xia Chan’s safety; it was selfish of him.

"Go now."

Xia Chan’s hair, once detached from her head, could sense anything within a ten-mile radius, but for now, Xia Chan felt nothing.

Before Sang Que took Xia Chan to the stable to find a donkey cart, she suddenly remembered the side effect of misfortune on them and quickly went back to pull Xiao Liu aside and had Xia Chan and Xiao Liu draw up a deed of gifting all her assets without charge.

All her belongings, including clothes and shoes, had already been given to Xia Chan, and now she had Xia Chan gift them to Xiao Liu, which should prevent further loss.

Xiao Liu was confused, but Sang Que just said there was no time to explain and forced Xia Chan and Xiao Liu to sign and seal it.

Afterward, Sang Que, Xia Chan, and Xuan Yu drove the donkey cart, letting the Black Donkey head towards the West City Gate of Yunzhou.

As soon as they got on the cart, Xia Chan took out the flintlock gun He Buning had her hide and showed it to Sang Que. Sang Que took it and examined it; it was indeed like an antique, and well-maintained, cherished by He Buning.

One day, given the chance, she wanted to go abroad and find a way to get a firearm for herself.

"Since he gave it to you, take good care of it. Sister believes you can handle this gun well."

"Mhm!"

Xia Chan’s hair curled up, wrapping layer by layer around the flintlock gun, directly hiding it within her hair behind her, making it impossible for anyone to snatch it away.

Sang Que thought, since the flintlock gun was He Buning’s, it wouldn’t disappear without reason due to the dice’s side effect.

She found their money box from a hidden compartment under the carriage; Xia Chan’s hair was still wrapped around its top, with no signs of tampering.

"Sister, what are you doing!" Xia Chan was fully alert, grabbing the box, "If sister needs money, just ask Little Chan, don’t take it sneakily~"

Sang Que couldn’t help but laugh and cry, "Little Chan, why don’t you open the box and see how much money we have left?"

Xia Chan nodded, her hand covering the box, and as the hair wrapped around it unraveled by itself, Xia Chan quickly lifted the lid, stunned.

Snap!

Xia Chan closed the box again, rubbed her eyes, and opened it again. After two seconds of frozen air, Xia Chan burst into tears.

"Sister, where did our money go? Little Chan lost the money wah—"

Sang Que took the box; inside, the silver notes, silver ingots, and broken silver had all disappeared, leaving only the copper coins she had previously strung together with red thread.

This Copper Coin was intended for use with the dice. Xia Chan would give her one each time, allowing her to use the dice at the lowest cost.

At this moment, that string of copper coins lay quietly in the box, and Sang Que felt the mocking from the dice.

Nearly 600 taels are now reduced to... seven copper coins. She still has to endure financial loss for six days, Little Chan for four days. Truly ruthless!

Sang Que tossed the box aside, "Alright, Little Chan, don’t cry. Later, we’ll have Chi San compensate us. If he doesn’t, we’ll beat him until he does."

Xia Chan nodded with her lips pursed, sniffing her nose, smelling the freshly cooked meat soup outside, "Sister, Little Chan is hungry."

Sang Que’s mouth twitched, "Little Chan, we have no money."

They only have seven copper coins, and with high prices in the border area, a bowl of meat soup costs ten cents. They can’t afford it.

"Little Chan has gold!"

Xia Chan remembered the golden lock He Buning had bought for her. She immediately pulled open her collar to search her neck, but she felt nothing. Xia Chan was stunned, pulled up her sleeve, and saw that the Yin Object Jade Bracelet with blood veins given by Sang Que was still on her right hand, but the golden bracelet bought by He Buning on her left hand was gone.

Xia Chan touched her head again; the golden hairpin was also missing!

"Wah——"

Xia Chan cried even louder. Once carefree, she now felt the pain of being penniless as she smelled the enticing aroma of the meat soup outside.

While crying, Xia Chan suddenly stopped and turned her head in a specific direction. Her hair tips curled up, drawn towards that way.

"Hair!"

This direction was not the way out of the pass. Is Cheng Ge still in the city? Didn’t he escape back to Yunzhou?

Sang Que trusted Xia Chan and immediately climbed out of the carriage to grab the reins, guiding the Black Donkey towards the direction Xia Chan indicated.

Before long, they arrived at the residential area for commoners in Tianliang City. Surrounding them were low, dilapidated brick courtyards and many makeshift shacks propped up with simple wooden sticks and cloth, some already collapsed under the weight of the snow.

No one cleared the snow here; everything was covered in white. Many shabbily dressed people gathered around a fire, warming themselves. Upon seeing the donkey cart, they looked over with curiosity.

A group of dirty children suddenly ran out of the alley, raising broken bowls towards the donkey cart, their eyes full of pleading and expectation.

"Miss, please have mercy, give us something to eat."

"I beg you, give us something to eat."

There were still some frozen, hard cakes inside the donkey cart. Sang Que had Xia Chan help find them to distribute to the children.

Once they got the cakes, they tucked them into their chests and ran off.

The alley was narrow, and the donkey cart couldn’t enter. Sang Que gathered her belongings, initially intending to go in by herself, leaving Xia Chan and Xuan Yu to watch the cart. Xia Chan shook her head, and Xuan Yu meowed, both wanting to follow her.

Sang Que had no choice but to send the Black Donkey back on its own. The area was densely populated, and it wasn’t safe to leave the donkey cart here.

The Black Donkey had long sensed the danger. When Sang Que urged it to go, it took no hesitation, pulling the cart and rushing back to the stables at the Evil Suppression Bureau.

Guided by Xia Chan, Sang Que walked to the deepest part of the alley. The courtyard gate ahead did not have a peach charm as per the customs of Xuan Dynasty citizens. The snow on the courtyard wall had been cleared, and winter plums were planted at the base of the wall at the entrance, with stones pressed underneath them.

Xia Chan hugged Xuan Yu, intending to move forward, but Sang Que pulled her back, gesturing with her chin at the stones under the winter plum tree at the entrance. The stones revealed sharp dry straw tips beneath them, blending into the unmelted snow unnoticed.

"Those are stone gu. If we walk directly past, those stones will fly into our stomachs or limbs, weighing us down, making us immobile. Without resolving the gu, we can’t eat or relieve ourselves, ultimately dying of hunger or suffocation."

From the courtyard came the sound of an erhu and someone practicing the gourd flute.

"I’ll go in through the front gate. Xuan Yu, take Little Chan and circle to the back. Be careful."

Meow~

Xuan Yu jumped out of Xia Chan’s arms. The ground was too icy, so it lifted a paw and waved its head at Xia Chan, indicating she should follow. Xia Chan squeezed Sang Que’s hand and followed Xuan Yu away.

Silently, Sang Que released Evil Mist to seal the entire yard, then flashed into the courtyard.

Cheng Ge, clad in white robes, was sitting in the corridor playing the erhu, while Xingzhu stood beside him playing the gourd flute. The winter plum blossoms were blooming, drifting with the snow, composing an exquisite painting.

The music paused, and Cheng Ge was not too surprised by Sang Que’s sudden appearance. He smiled and asked, "Miss Sang, we meet again so soon."