Chapter 245: I Am the April Sky of the Mortal World, and I Love to Eat Northeastern Triple Delicacies!
Lin Beifan was shocked! He was just being polite, and the Empress actually gave him this invaluable seven-color pearl?
Was she too generous? Too hasty?
The officials were also shocked! This was a national treasure, usually not easily revealed. Even when the Slanted Moon Dynasty offered two cities in exchange, the Wu Emperor refused. Yet, you easily gave it to Lin Beifan?
I know you favor him, but do you have to favor him this much?
The officials were envious and jealous!
The Empress closed the box and pushed it in front of Lin Beifan. He felt a little flustered, “Your Majesty, I really shouldn’t accept it. This is a national treasure. How can I easily accept it? I dare not take it!”
The Empress smiled, “Sir Lin, compared to the seven-color pearl, you are the real treasure of the nation in my eyes! As they say, a treasure is bestowed upon a hero, and beauty is gifted to a beauty. So, accept it. Between you and me, there’s no need to be so polite!”
Indeed, there’s no need to be so polite, but you are being way too impolite!
Such a precious thing, and you just give it away like that!
An old courtier spoke up, “Your Majesty, this seems somewhat inappropriate…”
“This is my thing, and I have the final say. You have no right to object!” the Empress scolded.
The officials could only shut their mouths in frustration and envy as they looked at Lin Beifan.
“Alright, SirnLin, accept it quickly. If you don’t, it’s going against my decree!” the Empress said.
Lin Beifan was very confused; she even said he was going against her decree!
It seems I have no choice but to accept it!
Amid the green-eyed gazes of the officials, Lin Beifan sighed deeply, as if saying: It’s not that I wanted it, but the Empress insisted on giving it to me. Don’t blame me!
“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!” Lin Beifan accepted the seven-color pearl.
“That’s right!” the Empress smiled, “However, Night Fragrance will come to steal the treasure tonight. You’ll be responsible for dealing with him! You must protect the seven-color pearl and uphold the dignity of my imperial court! If you can capture him, you’ll be rewarded!”
Lin Beifan’s mood suddenly became less beautiful.
It turns out that there’s no free lunch!
After accepting the seven-color pearl, he had to deal with Night Fragrance, the thief!
“Your Majesty, I may not be able to do it!” Lin Beifan said.
The Empress shook her head lightly and smiled, “Others may not be able to, but I believe you can! Over the past year, you have proven your abilities with your achievements! I’ll let the experts from the Six Doors, Embroidered Uniform Guards, East Depot, and West Depot assist you. You must apprehend Night Fragrance!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” everyone responded.
So, Lin Beifan returned with the seven-color pearl.
It was already nighttime when he opened the box in the pavilion.
The brilliance of the seven-color pearl shone brightly, displaying seven different colors of light: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, intertwining and creating a beautiful and dazzling sight.
No woman can resist its allure.
“Wow, this is the national treasure, the Seven-Color Pearl! It looks so beautiful and exquisite!” Li Shishi exclaimed in fascination.
“Yes, it’s like the stars in the sky, even more dazzling! Like the bright moon in the sky, even more captivating! It’s truly indescribable! The national treasure, indeed a perfect description!” Mo Rushuang’s eyes were mesmerized.
“It’s indeed beautiful. Every time I see it, it’s breathtaking! I used to chase after Sister Empress for it, but she didn’t give it to me, not even a glance. Yet, she directly gives it to you. So biased!” the Little Princess pouted.
Lin Beifan sighed, “Though the pearl is beautiful, it’s also dangerous! The Empress gave it to me to deal with Night Fragrance. If I can’t protect the Seven-Color Pearl, it will be a disgrace for both me and the court. It’s troublesome!”
“It’s indeed a tough task!” The Little Princess clenched her little fists and said confidently, “But I believe that with all of us working together, we’ll surely succeed! Lin Beifan, I believe in you! Keep going!”
“Wait!” Lin Beifan closed the box and stared cautiously at the Little Princess.
The Little Princess was confused, “What are you doing?”
Lin Beifan pointed at her and said, “I suspect you are Night Fragrance!”
Everyone was shocked at this statement!
“The Little Princess is Night Fragrance? That can’t be true!”
“How could the Little Princess be Night Fragrance?”
“Is this some kind of mistake?”
…
“I heard that Night Fragrance, the thief, not only excels in lightness skill and thievery but is also exceptionally skilled in disguise to the point where it’s hard to tell the difference between male and female! It’s highly likely that he has already infiltrated my side!”
Lin Beifan kept a close eye on the Little Princess, “From just now until now, I noticed that the Little Princess has never taken her eyes off the Seven-Color Pearl. Her behavior is very suspicious!”
Mo Rushuang and Guo Shaoshuai drew their swords, cautiously pointing them at the Little Princess.
Li Shi Shi, Xiao Cui, and others retreated to Lin Beifan’s side.
The Little Princess was flustered, “You misunderstood me! How could I be Night Fragrance?”
“I’m not sure if you are or not, but just to be cautious, let me ask you a few questions, and you must answer them!” Lin Beifan said sternly, “If you can’t answer or answer incorrectly, it proves you’re an imposter!”
The Little Princess nodded hurriedly, “Okay, ask me, I will honestly answer!”
Lin Beifan asked, “Little Princess, have you ever eaten human flesh?”
The Little Princess licked her lips, “Dongpo pork, Wife Cake, Husband and Wife Lung Slices…”
Lin Beifan asked again, “If there’s a turtle stuck on its back at the seaside, what would you do?”
The Little Princess replied loudly, “Bring it back and make soup!”
Lin Beifan asked again, “Please complete the sentence: ‘Goose, goose, goose, use a knife to cut…’”
The Little Princess chuckled, “Pluck its feathers and boil it in a pot with water, then light the fire and cover the pot!”
Lin Beifan asked once more, “I am the April sky of the mortal world!”
The Little Princess raised her hand, “I love to eat Northeastern Triple Delicacies!”
Lin Beifan asked again, “What’s your favorite color?”
The Little Princess’s eyes sparkled, “Snail rice noodles!”
…
In this way, the questioning and answering went very smoothly!
Mo Rushuang whispered, “I feel that the Little Princess’s answers are flawless!”
Li Shi Shi also whispered, “Indeed, they’re flawless. Every answer is related to food, she’s undoubtedly a foodie!”
Guo Shaoshuia also whispered, “Such a foodie is one of a kind in the world!”
Finally, the Little Princess grew a bit impatient, “Alright, can you prove my innocence now?”
“Not yet. I suspect you’ve put on a human skin mask!” Lin Beifan said seriously, “So, I must examine your face to see if it’s genuine!”
“Go ahead and examine!” the Little Princess raised her small face defiantly.
Lin Beifan held her face in his hands and carefully examined it, pinching it playfully.
It’s so soft and elastic, quite amusing!
The Little Princess had a dark expression, gritting her teeth, “Have you had enough pinching?”
Reluctantly, Lin Beifan let go and said, “Alright, now I can confirm that you are the genuine Little Princess!”
“Of course, I’ve always been genuine, hmph!” The Little Princess pouted.
“Next, in order to steal the Seven-Color Pearl, Night Fragrance might disguise himself as each one of us. So, I suggest we set a secret code. Only if someone responds with the correct code, can we trust that they are one of us!” Lin Beifan said.
“What’s the secret code?” everyone asked.
Lin Beifan said, “The sky covers the tiger’s den!”
Everyone immediately replied, “The pagoda suppresses the river demon!”
Lin Beifan loudly said, “Wrong! It’s Teemo, one meter five!”
Everyone: “Huh???”
The Little Princess tilted her head, “What does that sentence mean?”
Lin Beifan laughed, “It doesn’t mean anything. Just remember this secret code! But to be cautious, try not to go out in these few days! Jing Tai, keep a close watch, don’t let Night Fragrance sneak into the Lin mansion!”
“Yes, Master!” The old monk folded his hands together and responded.
At this moment, news about Night Fragrance’s imminent attempt to steal the national treasure, the Seven-Color Pearl, spread quickly throughout the city.
“Night Fragrance, the thief, is indeed here!”
“Oh my! He just arrived and already set his sights on our nation’s precious Seven-Color Pearl. He’s so audacious!”
… ……. …….
“How can he not be audacious? He even stole the treasure of the Great Xia Court back then! At that time, there were two grandmasters guarding it, but he still managed to steal it right under their noses. He was incredibly arrogant!”
“If our Seven-Color Pearl gets stolen, it will be a disgrace for the court!”
“The Empress has urgently asked her ministers to find a solution!”
“I heard that the Empress has entrusted this matter to the Prefect!”
Everyone was discussing the matter with great attention. However, Lin Beifan, as the person involved, remained quite indifferent. He didn’t increase patrols or searches, nor did he contact other violent organizations or make any arrangements. He simply carried the Seven-Color Pearl with him, attracting attention openly. His reasoning was that if he couldn’t even protect the Seven-Color Pearl, no amount of help from others would be useful.
But this scene looked different to others. Guo, the head of the Six Doors, was extremely anxious and came to talk to Lin Beifan, saying, “Sir Lin, Night Fragrance, the thief, will be coming tomorrow night. Why haven’t you made any preparations?”
Lin Beifan smiled and said, “Master Guo, no need to worry! Night Fragrance has a rule. He steals exactly when he says he will, and he won’t come before the appointed time. It’s safe now!”
“I understand that, but at least make some preparations. Deploy troops and be ready to deal with Night Fragrance calmly! Otherwise, when he strikes, it might be too late!” Guo tried to advise.
“Rest assured, Master Guo, I have already calculated everything in my heart!” Lin Beifan said confidently.
“Since that’s the case, I won’t say more. If you need anything, just let me know. I’ll fully cooperate!” Guo replied.
Lin Beifan clasped his hands and said, “Thank you, Master Guo!”
After exchanging some pleasantries, Guo hurriedly left. Lin Beifan watched his departing figure and smiled, “He’s quite a good actor!”
Unknowingly, another day passed. This day was the seventh day, the day Night Fragrance would make his move. Even if Lin Beifan wasn’t fully prepared, the whole city became tense, with everyone paying close attention to this night. Everyone wondered if the court would protect the Seven-Color Pearl or if Night Fragrance would steal it!
Who would be the victor between the court and Night Fragrance?
Or perhaps, who would be the victor between Lin Beifan and Night Fragrance?
