Chapter 353: Suddenly Realizing

"The salt fields?" Zu An frowned. Objectively speaking, it was normal for a lender to ask for collateral, and the Chu family's most valuable asset right now was indeed the salt fields.

However, the Wei family bringing up this condition at such a sensitive time, combined with their connections to the imperial palace, made it hard not to draw certain conclusions.

Perhaps the Wei family themselves realized this issue, which was why they set the interest rate so low; otherwise, the Chu family wouldn't have even considered it.

"What do you plan to do, Madam?" Zu An asked.

Qin Wanru shook her head. "I haven't decided yet. I'll go back and discuss it with them."

As she spoke, she tiredly rubbed her forehead. Clearly, she had been overworked and hadn't rested well since her husband's incident.

Zu An, understanding her need for rest, stopped bothering her and stepped out of her carriage. His attention quickly returned to the box he had found at the Wei residence. He took it out several times on the way, but unfortunately, he couldn't open its seal.

After seeing Qin Wanru back to the Chu Manor, Zu An was considering meeting Pei Mianman when he unexpectedly ran into Old Man Mi.

Zu An was startled and quickly said, "Greetings, Senior."

Old Man Mi frowned and pulled him aside. "Don't call me that in front of others in the future. I'm not used to being watched."

"I've noted that," Zu An replied.

"I heard you just went to the Wei manor with the Madam?" Old Man Mi gazed intently at him, as if trying to see right through him.

Fortunately, Zu An had been through countless trials, and his composure was unshakable. "Yes, the Madam wanted to borrow money from the Wei family. We just returned from there."

"Did you encounter the person you saw last time?" Old Man Mi pressed, a tense expression on his face.

"No, the Madam was discussing matters with their family head, and I was waiting nearby," Zu An replied, curious as to why Old Man Mi was so wary of that person.

"That's good," Old Man Mi visibly relaxed. "By the way, did you find the box I told you about at the Wei residence this time?"

Zu An shook his head. "No. Didn't you say last time that I didn't need to look for it anymore?"

Old Man Mi frowned, but said nothing.

At that moment, Zu An felt a chill sweep over him. Without a doubt, the other person was likely using their divine sense to probe for something on him.

Fortunately, he had placed the box inside the space within the Glazed Pearl; otherwise, it would surely have been discovered now. The restriction on the box definitely had something that could be sensed spiritually.

After a moment, Old Man Mi finally nodded. "Ah, yes, yes. My memory isn't what it used to be in my old age, heh heh..."

With that, he shakily walked away, carrying his small gardening hoe, looking every bit like an old gardener from any angle.

Zu An moved about the manor, pretending to look for someone to discuss matters. Once he estimated that Old Man Mi wouldn't be suspicious, he quietly slipped out of the Chu Manor.

Along the way, he deliberately took a few detours to ensure he wasn't being followed before arriving at the designated pavilion.

Gazing at the familiar pavilion, Zu An couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. Last time, he had met Shang Liuyu here; this time, he was meeting another woman.

"What are you talking about?" a pleasant voice chimed, and Pei Mianman stepped out from the shadows.

Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good you're safe. I was worried you wouldn't be able to escape from that person."

Pei Mianman smiled, pressing her lips together. "Speaking of which, I have your fire to thank. Otherwise, even with all my preparations, I nearly got caught by that person."

The thought of that person's terror still left her with lingering fear.

"It was just a casual act; your escape was thanks to your own skill," Zu An said with a smile.

Just then, a notification for accumulated rage points suddenly appeared in his system.

Rage points from Wei Dan: 358!

Wei Dan? That must be the name of the Wei family's mysterious expert.

It seemed the rage points were mostly due to the courtyard being burned. Since the Wei family had put out the fire promptly, the damage to the courtyard wasn't extensive.

He figured they hadn't discovered the box had been replaced; otherwise, the rage points would have been much higher.

"Oh, by the way, did you find the item?" Pei Mianman quickly asked.

Zu An took out the box. "I only found this."

He was curious about what was inside the box, but couldn't open it. He figured Pei Mianman, being widely knowledgeable, might be able to open it or recognize it.

"Oh?" Pei Mianman took it, examining it from all sides for a moment.

Zu An warned, "Be careful, it has a seal."

Pei Mianman smiled slightly. "This is easy."

A small black flame danced on her finger. With a gentle flick of her hand over the box, the flame spread into a thin layer of fire, quickly burning away the shimmering, colorful aura that surrounded the box.

"Done!" Pei Mianman's lips curved upwards, and she reached out to open the box.

"Wait!" Zu An quickly stopped her. Since it was something even Old Man Mi wanted, he worried there might be a trap inside.

Pei Mianman nodded. They both retreated several meters, then Pei Mianman flicked her hand, sending a gentle stream of energy forward. Like an invisible hand, it opened the box.

They waited for a moment. Seeing no traps emerge, they quickly moved closer.

The inner walls of the box were lined with soft, silk-wrapped padding. In the very center lay an object, wrapped in a square of fine silk brocade and tied with several loops of red thread.

Pei Mianman immediately looked a little disappointed. Given its size and shape, it clearly wasn't the token she was looking for.

Zu An, however, curiously untied the red thread and carefully unfolded the brocade. He then paused in surprise. "What is this?"

In the center of the silk lay a shriveled, dark object, resembling a dried earthworm.

Remembering Old Man Mi's seriousness, Zu An couldn't help but bring it to his nose to sniff. "Could it be some kind of miraculous elixir?"

It did have a faint medicinal scent, but it was very peculiar, unlike the herbs he had smelled at Ji Xiaoxi's house before.

Hearing his words, Pei Mianman also grew curious and leaned in to examine it. "It doesn't seem like it. There's no elemental energy fluctuation, and it doesn't look like any natural treasure."

"This thing must be very important," Zu An stated emphatically. Otherwise, Old Man Mi wouldn't have been so persistent about it.

"Where did you find it?" Pei Mianman asked curiously.

"In a secret compartment under his bed. Hidden so deeply, it must be something extremely important," Zu An replied.

"Hidden under the bed..." Pei Mianman sounded puzzled, then suddenly, something clicked for her. Her face instantly flushed, and she tossed the box back to Zu An as if it were burning hot.

"Whoa, whoa, careful!" Zu An fumbled, barely managing to catch it before it fell to the ground. At the same time, he couldn't help but ask, "What in the world is wrong?"

Pei Mianman, her face red, turned away and spat. "Only you men would consider that thing a treasure."

It was rare to see her so flustered, which made Zu An even more curious. "Do you perhaps know what this is?"

As he spoke, he brought it closer for another look.

Pei Mianman was initially embarrassed to say, but seeing him about to sniff it again, she finally couldn't hold back. "Oh, stop! That's... that's a eunuch's... a eunuch's root of troubles."

"Root of troubles?" Zu An didn't immediately grasp it. Just as he was about to ask again, something dawned on him, and he threw the object and the box away as if they were burning hot. "Holy crap!"

The thought of having just held and examined the thing, even sniffing it, made Zu An's stomach churn. He rushed to a nearby bush and started retching.

Seeing his distressed reaction, Pei Mianman found it both exasperating and amusing. Still, she considerately patted his back.

Zu An looked speechless. "My dear lady, why didn't you say something sooner!"

"I just remembered myself," Pei Mianman's face flushed. "Besides, you're a man; how could you not recognize it yourself?"

Zu An became even more dejected. "I'm used to seeing eagles soar; how was I supposed to know some would be as tiny as an earthworm?"

The more he talked, the more disgusted he felt, leading to another bout of dry heaving.

Pei Mianman, suppressing a laugh, explained, "Some eunuchs probably entered the palace very young and were castrated at a tender age. Then, it would have been preserved with various herbs to prevent decay. After being air-dried and dehydrated, it would likely shrink to... well, just that much."

Zu An was speechless.

Although he knew what eunuchs were, they were quite removed from his daily life, so he had no idea about the specifics.

At this point, Pei Mianman suddenly grew worried. "Eunuchs place extreme importance on their... they call this thing a 'treasure.' For a peaceful burial, it must be reunited with them, symbolizing a complete body so they can be whole in their next life. However, generally, these items are kept under unified imperial custody and cannot be taken out privately. Given Grand Eunuch Wei's special status in the palace, it's likely the Emperor granted him special permission to retrieve it himself."

"But if you've stolen his treasure, and he finds out, it will definitely become a life-or-death vendetta. Maybe you should find a chance to put it back."

This item is completely useless to others, but for eunuchs, it's their biggest taboo, enough to drive any one of them mad. The potential gain is entirely disproportionate to the risk.

"Don't worry, I've made some arrangements there; it shouldn't be discovered anytime soon." Zu An's expression was peculiar. As various clues from before linked together, he finally had an epiphany, understanding many things that had puzzled him previously.