Love letters are not allowed in the exorcism notebook!-Chapter 457 - 35 The True Motive Behind Stealing the Jade Seal

"How could the Imperial Jade Seal possibly be given to foreigners?"

"Old Master, have you lost your mind?"

Jin Buhuan snorted coldly, "When we seized the Jade Seal back then, we were risking our lives for the Qian King’s Mansion, and the Brocade-Clothed Guard were also serving the Imperial Palace. It’s your eldest son who stole the Imperial Jade Seal and has hidden it until now, whether he’s dead or alive unknown. Who exactly wants to give it to the foreigners, you must clarify this matter thoroughly—do not slander us brothers!"

Fourth Wu followed with a laugh, "If you say we are not good people, that doesn’t matter. But to say we colluded with foreigners...even this tough shell of mine can’t bear such a heavy accusation, how should I even begin to address this claim?"

Old Master He laughed and said, "Alright, you all are heroes, and here I am, an old thief, teaching a disciple who is also a thief, bringing shame upon myself. This affair has already passed over a decade, today let us have a good discussion. I just have one question for you—why did my disciple Baiyang steal the Imperial Jade Seal back then?"

With that question, everyone fell silent.

Fourth Wu touched his forehead and said helplessly, "Your question is quite peculiar, how could we possibly know..."

"Of course, you wouldn’t know, but someone does."

Old Master He chuckled, looking toward Blind Su who had been silent since the very beginning, "Su, there are no outsiders here, let’s speak openly. Others may claim ignorance, but do you dare say you know nothing?"

Fourth Wu immediately turned his head to look at Blind Su, "What does Old Master mean by this?"

Blind Su shook his head, "I don’t know either."

"You don’t know either?"

Old Master He scoffed coldly, "Then let’s carefully sort out the events of that year. That year, my disciple, together with his two sworn brothers, went to the capital, sneaked into the Inner Court of the Imperial Palace to steal the Imperial Jade Seal, and was chased by the Brocade-Clothed Guard all the way to Baiyangdian, isn’t this true?"

"It’s true!"

Jin Buhuan suddenly spoke, "We were all there that night, I personally saw He Baiyang fall into the water, and from then on his whereabouts remained unknown. The water in Baiyangdian isn’t deep; the Governmental Office later dug up the land thoroughly, even if he were a subterranean creature, he should have been unearthed. How could we possibly believe that he really died?"

"Then tell me, it’s natural for the Brocade-Clothed Guard to pursue the thief when something is stolen from the Inner Court of the Imperial Palace. But how did the Qian King’s Mansion receive the news so promptly, and even know that it was the Imperial Jade Seal that was missing?"

Old Master He, glaring intensely at Jin Buhuan, said, "I can’t say much for my disciple’s other skills, but his agility was unmatched in the entire Northern Land. And he didn’t flee toward Tianmen, how did you few misfits manage to catch up with him?" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Jin Buhuan’s expression changed subtly, and he involuntarily turned to look at Blind Su.

"Moreover, you were guests of the Qian King’s Mansion back then, not professional arresters. The Imperial Jade Seal was gone, and the one who should be most anxious was the one inside the palace. For the Old Master Wang, having the Jade Seal was best, but not having it wasn’t a big deal either, as his concern wasn’t just about that Seal. To my knowledge, he hasn’t been too harsh on you afterwards, has he? So why have you been brooding about this and can’t forget it?"

"When the Governmental Office came looking, I took the blame for my disciple and served nearly twenty years in prison of my own volition. They couldn’t find the Imperial Jade Seal and dared not do much to me, at most treating me merely as a hostage. What about you? No sooner had I stepped out of Tianmen than you came swarming like flies drawn to scent; what were you after?"

Old Master He picked up his wine cup, took a light sip to moisten his throat, and sighed, "I’ll repeat myself, we’re all of an age now, too old to fight, better to lay everything out on the table. Speak clearly, so you can rest with eyes closed in your coffins."

"If you don’t want to tell the truth, then we’ll keep on stretching this out— I’ll no longer look for He Baiyang, nor want the Imperial Jade Seal. Once I close my eyes and kick the bucket, as dead as a doornail, do whatever you please!"

"What’s wrong with telling the truth?"

Jin Buhuan glanced at Blind Su and, lifting his cup, said, "Back then, when He Baiyang stole the Jade Seal, there was a plot from the Qian King’s Mansion behind it all. Who would have thought that the kid would turn traitor, stealing the Jade Seal and not delivering it to Old Master Wang, but instead fleeing on his own. Us brothers followed the Brocade-Clothed Guard, chasing after him, and cornered him in Baiyangdian. It was pitch dark, a three-way battle ensued, and the kid, clutching the Jade Seal, plunged into the water, never to be seen alive or dead again."

"Back then, Old Su told us that anyone could hold the Jade Seal, but it absolutely couldn’t be lost by us brothers. If it weren’t for the Brocade-Clothed Guard there as witnesses, we’d be caught with our pants down, not shit but still shit, utterly indefensible. As long as the Jade Seal wasn’t found, we’d be branded as nation thieves, perhaps destined to be infamously recorded in history... Who could bear this?"

Fourth Wu also nodded and said, "Right, back then we just thought that no matter whom He Baiyang gave the Jade Seal to, or whether he kept it for himself, there had to be some outcome. We brothers mingle in the Jianghu World seeking fame and fortune. If we found the Imperial Jade Seal, no matter to whom we handed it, that would bring us immense wealth and honor. But as long as the Jade Seal remained lost, we brothers couldn’t escape responsibility, and we couldn’t face our ancestors later."

"Back then, He Baiyang had only two escape routes."

First Ms. Liu, who sat nearby, also spoke, "Either he went to Tianmen to present it to the President and earn a dragon’s merit, but we also know the President’s temperament—when has he ever cared about these things? Or he could have fled back to Cangzhou, after all, that’s your Swallow Sect’s old den. They didn’t dare enter Tianmen to search, so I came to Cangzhou, conducting open and covert inquiries for over a decade, but this heartless man hid so deeply, he never made a peep."

Old Master He laughed and said, "You’re all being too presumptive. Couldn’t he have run southward?"

"He didn’t go south."

Blind Su suddenly spoke.

"How do you know?"

"Because there were also people looking for him in the south."

"Who? The People of the Yang Family?"

Blind Su stopped talking.

Fourth Wu looked at him, then at Old Master He, and tentatively asked, "The Yang Family... is it the Yang Family I know?"

Old Master He countered, "After so many years, don’t you know that Blind Su is an attendant of the Yang Family?"

"I know, but isn’t that a matter from... many years ago? Didn’t that Yang Family perish?"

Fourth Wu muttered to himself for a moment, then suddenly had a realization: "Old Master, are you suggesting that the People of the Yang Family want the Imperial Jade Seal?"

"I don’t know, so I’m waiting for Attendant Su to tell the truth here."

Old Master He watched Blind Su with a half-smile, "Why exactly did my disciple risk his life to steal the Jade Seal back then? If you don’t want to say, then don’t blame me for stirring things up."

Blind Su took a deep breath, under the gaze of all his old brothers he remained silent for a long while, finally opening his mouth to say, "The Jade Seal itself is only a symbol of imperial authority, not that important. However, the documents stamped with the Imperial Stamp are very important. With the right operation, they could legally carve a piece of land from the territory of Ming Country."

"That is what the foreigners truly wanted."