Chapter 142: Is This Magic?

“Magic?” Mo Jinnan was full of questions.

Xiang Xinyao explained, “Magic is somewhat similar to sleight of hand. They’re almost the same, but magic is more profound and mysterious.”

“I see. I have a double and a skilled makeup artist. If we’re going to rescue my mother, this may be our only shot.”

“Alright, then let’s discreetly sell off our assets during this time. We must avoid alerting anyone, or the consequences could be severe.”

Xiang Yanchen added, “When we were in Yun City, I had already thought about transferring our assets there. I was planning to leave the less profitable businesses here in Bianjing, but now it seems unnecessary.”

Bai Jing spoke up, “What about our household servants? Will we dismiss them all?”

Xiang Xinyao smiled lightly, “We don’t need to dismiss everyone. Mother, if there are a few you think are trustworthy, we can arrange for them to leave ahead of us. We can set a meeting point to bring them along to Dawai Village.”

Bai Jing nodded with a gentle smile, “That’s a good idea. Some of our servants have been with us for many years and are very loyal. A few of them are alone with no other ties. We can ask if they want to come with us.”

Mo Jinnan looked at Xiang Xinyao seriously, “Are you sure you can take all our assets with you?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then, can your magic make other people’s things disappear too?”

Xiang Xinyao raised her eyebrows, “Shouldn’t be a problem, as long as you’re not asking me to make an entire estate or shop disappear. Smaller items won’t be an issue.”

Suddenly, Mo Jinnan took Xiang Xinyao’s hand, “Then come with me.”

“Where to?”

“To my residence.”

Without another word, he pulled her out of the study.

Leaving the Xiang Taifu estate, Mo Jinnan led Xiang Xinyao to the prince’s residence. It was only about a fifteen-minute walk away.

Once inside, Xiang Xinyao barely had time to take in the layout of the estate before Mo Jinnan whisked her straight to his study.

Mo Jinnan’s study was spacious, with bookshelves lining all four walls, filled with various books. A large desk stood in the center, neatly arranged with writing tools.

Xiang Xinyao asked, “You’re not planning to take all these books, are you?”

Mo Jinnan chuckled, “Only a few of these books are important. What I want to take are other things.”

With that, he approached a bookshelf on the south wall and pulled out an unremarkable book. As he pulled the book halfway, the bookshelf slid aside, revealing a hidden door.

Xiang Xinyao blinked, already certain there were treasures hidden behind the secret door.

Mo Jinnan stepped into the hidden passage, feeling along the left wall until he closed the mechanism.

With a playful smile, he said, “Xinyao, go inside and take a look. If you can use your magic to take everything in there, consider it my dowry to you.”

Xiang Xinyao’s interest was piqued, “Now I really want to see what’s in there.”

“You’ll see soon enough.”

Xiang Xinyao stepped forward into the hidden passage.

Mo Jinnan lit an oil lamp from his desk and followed her.

The passage sloped downward, ending in a large iron door. Mo Jinnan rotated a protrusion on the wall three times to the left, five times to the right, and then pressed it down, causing the door to open with a clang.

By the dim light, Xiang Xinyao saw countless large chests.

All the chests were closed, so she couldn’t tell what treasures lay inside.

Mo Jinnan lit the torches along the walls, illuminating the hidden room even more.

“Xinyao, I have three secret chambers here, filled with my personal collection. Take whatever you can. If you can’t take everything, prioritize the valuables.”

“What exactly do you have here?” Xiang Xinyao asked.

“See for yourself.”

She nodded and opened the lid of a large chest in front of her. As soon as she did, a dazzling light nearly blinded her.

She moved on to open other chests and couldn’t help but gasp in astonishment.

“Wow! So much gold, silver, and jewels! Did you move the entire royal treasury to your residence?”

Mo Jinnan rubbed his nose, slightly embarrassed. “I’ve been saving all this bit by bit since I was twelve. It’s nowhere near as large as the royal treasury.”

Xiang Xinyao’s eyes sparkled. “So, the royal treasury has even more?”

“Of course. That’s the royal treasury; this is just my personal stash.”

Her eyes practically glowed with excitement. “Great, we’re rich! I’ll take everything, hahaha…”

She was half-joking about taking the royal treasury too, but Mo Jinnan didn’t think much of it. He’d be thrilled if she could just take what was in his vault.

Xiang Xinyao checked the other two chambers, finding rare medicinal herbs, paintings, bronze artifacts, pottery, weapons, and more. Everything was dazzlingly valuable.

“Mo Jinnan, are you serious? Everything here that I can take, you’ll give to me as a bride price?”

“Of course. You’re my fiancée. Once we’re married, everything I have is yours.”

Xiang Xinyao raised an eyebrow. “And if we break off the engagement, I’ll have to return the dowry, right?”

“I won’t break off the engagement.”

“But what if?”

Mo Jinnan thought seriously for a moment. “If I’m the one to end it, you keep the dowry. If you end it, you return half.”

“Why half?”

“No reason. I’m willing. But I won’t let you get to the point of wanting to end it.”

“Fine! Then I’ll take it all.”

“Go ahead.”

In truth, Mo Jinnan was curious. He wanted to see this “magic” she spoke of and to confirm if it could indeed help him rescue his mother. For him, wealth was insignificant compared to her safety. If he could confirm her magic could succeed, he’d be ready to leave Bianjing without hesitation.

Xiang Xinyao said, “You’d better step outside. I’m about to perform my magic.”

“Can I stay and watch?”

She smirked, “It’s not that you can’t watch, but you might find it a bit… shocking.”

Mo Jinnan, resolute, replied, “I want to see.”

She could tell he needed reassurance that her magic would work for his mother’s rescue. So, without any further ado, she nodded, murmuring a string of nonsensical “incantations”: “¥&％#★… Magic fairy, abracadabra, collect!”

With a single thought, everything in one of the secret rooms vanished into thin air.

Mo Jinnan’s eyes widened in shock, his mouth hanging open as he froze in place.

This was magic?

It looked more like sorcery!

Absolutely incredible!

Utterly awe-inspiring!