Chapter 55
Thinking of this, Qin He forcefully suppressed the anger on his face and said to Wan Lianshi in a gentle tone, “Senior Martial Brother, I was out of line earlier. Please do not take it to heart.”
Wan Lianshi understood this junior brother of his all too well.
Compared to being cooped up in the king’s manor like a dog, this junior brother had been living like an immortal these past few years. After eating meat for a few days, he seemed to have forgotten that he was also a dog, even daring to glare at him earlier!
So after listening to Qin He’s apology, Wan Lian Shi just coldly sneered and said: “Junior Brother, I know what you’re thinking. After all, as the leader of a sect, not having to listen to anyone’s orders must be such a joy. But you must not forget, your life was ‘borrowed’ for you by your Master. Without him, you couldn’t live for even a day! Since there’s nothing else, you should hurry back. Remember! You must definitely ruin Cui Xiaoxiao’s reputation. She cannot be spared from any of the calamities she’s meant to experience!”
Their words just now fell squarely on Xiaoxiao’s ears without missing a single syllable, making her head buzz.
That Prince…he even knew about her tampering with Wei Jie’s life calculations!
And he still wanted to fan the flames, making sure her own descent into demonic ways was set in stone?
Xiaoxiao could curse out an entire thick volume of the Sect’s secret manuals without repeating herself!
She was even more convinced now that the page from the Book of Life and Death mentioned by the Wei Family’s Grandmother had fallen into Prince Cang’s hands.
That page, like herself, was something that should not exist in this era two hundred years ago.
Cuan Wang’s thoughts ran unfathomably deep. With such a thing in his possession, it would truly throw the whole world into chaos!
The only question was, where would he hide that remaining page?
As for Wei Jue, upon overhearing their plot to ruin Xiaoxiao’s reputation and force her onto the demonic path, he silently clenched his fists.
He wondered, if one day she truly did turn demonic and become the enemy of all under Heaven, and he too abandoned her, then who would be by her side to protect her?
Picturing her alone and isolated, sitting on a cliff’s edge, it overlapped with his countless solitary nights spent with only the night wind as company.
That kind of desolate coldness, he was all too familiar with it, yet he couldn’t bear for this frail girl to suffer it alone…
Thinking of such a tragic scene, he unconsciously tightened his grip on Xiaoxiao’s hand.
At this moment, he had completely forgotten that he and Cui Xiaoxiao were going through a cold period, keeping their distance, vowing to never be her protector again.
His grip tightened without him realizing, to the point that Xiaoxiao felt pain, but fearing discovery, she could only let him hold on.
The two of them had remained invisible this whole time, unable to see each other. To avoid getting separated, they held hands. But with such force from him, that was unnecessary – unless he did it intentionally?
After the secret meeting with his junior brother, Wan Lian Shi then made his way to the front hall once more.
Xiaoxiao and Wei Jie did not dare to get too close to him, so after a while, they returned to the front hall.
At this time, the main hall was bustling. The tableware on the tables was in disarray, and a group of dancing girls in thin clothes were dancing gracefully.
It seems that the pill that Wan Lianshi gave had taken effect, and the Crown Prince was drunk and swaying. The concubine beside him could not even support him, but he was still murmuring that he wanted to drink.
Prince Can smiled and asked Wan Lianshi to arrange for servants to lead the Crown Prince and the ladies to rest.
After the guests had all dispersed, leaving only the lingering scent of alcohol and the lonely shadows of the lamps, the smile on Prince Can’s face also faded.
He recalled the Crown Prince’s debauchery in front of him, and a gloomy undercurrent flowed in his eyes.
When Wan Lian had settled the Crown Prince and the others, he came back to report.
Hearing that the Crown Prince had settled down, Prince Can coldly snorted, “His father sent him here to inspect the military supplies of the three regions, but he is just playing all the way, completely forgetting his duty! The courtesan parade on the streets of the city is also arranged by the local officials under his command?”
Wan Lianshi lowered his head and said, “Someone was boasting about the beauty of the courtesan Siling in front of the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince immediately ordered the local officials to summon Siling. But Siling has been missing, so those people, in order to please the Crown Prince, staged the courtesan parade tonight. However, the Crown Prince is now in such a state that he will probably not be able to get up for a few days. I have instructed people to drive those flower carts out of the city.”
Prince Can coldly said, “The curfew in Luoyi City these days is to prevent people from taking advantage of the chaos to sneak in. It’s almost ruined by this drunkard… Is there any report on whether there have been any suspicious people sneaking into the city in the past two days?”
Wan Lianshi hurriedly comforted, “Please rest assured, my blood symbol net has covered the entire city. No matter how high the cultivation, as long as they sneak in, they will be marked by the blood symbol and can never wash it off! And at the city gate, there are snake-eyed people on guard, nothing can escape their detection. As for others, I can’t say for sure, but that Cui Xiaoxiao and Wei Jie definitely can’t get in! I have already investigated their village, and after tonight, I will send people to slaughter the village. At that time, the righteous sects will also go there from time to time, and they can catch the evil woman red-handed…”
Prince Can nodded and closed his eyes in contemplation, but soon, there was a noisy commotion outside again.
He stood up and walked out of the front hall, looking up at the vast stars in the sky, but his ears heard the sound of strings and bamboos coming from the Crown Prince’s courtyard.
Soon, someone came to report that although the Crown Prince was heavily drunk, his habit of being lulled to sleep by the soft music and songs had not changed, so there was still soft music and singing in the courtyard until late at night.
Xiaoxiao, hidden in the dark, clearly saw that Prince Can’s usually smooth and shiny face suddenly showed a sense of weariness and old age that did not match his age.
His expression revealed an indescribable sense of powerlessness and gloom. Looking up at the starry sky, he said after a long while, “I have always been unwilling to believe in fate, but looking at this Crown Prince of the Great Qi… When the world is handed over to such a profligate, how long can it last?”
When he said this, Xiaoxiao was hiding not far from Prince Can, and she could clearly see the hatred and disappointment in the prince’s eyes towards the imperial house of the Xia family. The desolate tone made people unable to remain unmoved.
Such a sense of loss and concern for the world could not be from someone unrelated to the Xia family.
She originally guessed that this Prince Can was an imposter, but now looking at the prince’s barely concealed resentment, he did not seem to be a fake.
So Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but ponder: Is this prince really Prince Can? Could her previous judgment be wrong?
She also thought about the original timeline, where this prince presented the enlightened beast, which caused a great drought and widespread rumors, leading to the current unstable imperial position.
Before, she thought Prince Cann was coveting the imperial throne, but later he chose a supposedly adopted son of the royal clan to ascend the throne, and he himself did not become the emperor, which did not seem like someone who was obsessed with imperial power.
However, Xiaoxiao remembered the imperial power struggle two hundred years ago, and it was this Crown Prince who aroused Prince Can’s dissatisfaction, and then the prince maneuvered to make the father and son lose the imperial throne.
If that was the case, this Prince Can’s methods were so brilliant, as a distant vassal king, he could manipulate the entire imperial family.
Counting the time, two hundred years later would be the time when the Great Xia was about to perish. But when Xiaoxiao traveled back, the world was still peaceful.
At this moment, Wei Jie suddenly pulled her towards the eastern courtyard.
When they reached a secluded place, Xiaoxiao asked, “Why did you bring me here?”
Wei Jie’s voice was tense, “The bloodiness in this courtyard is particularly strong…”
He had been living in this Mount, following the elders to hunt the escaped beasts from the underworld, so he was especially sensitive to the scent of the blood of demonic beasts.
When he entered the palace, he had already sensed the strange smell, but the palace was filled with heavy incense, which covered up some of the bloody scent, making it difficult for him to locate the source.
Now that the servants had removed the incense burners after the banquet, he could capture the undeniable scent of the demonic beast’s blood again.
When they reached a place that seemed to be a study, Wei Jie sniffed and confirmed that the smell was coming from the underground of this study.
If it was a private garden or a beast enclosure, it would be understandable. After all, Prince Can seemed to have the hobby of collecting rare fierce beasts.
But in the study where books and writings were done, there was a bloody scent of a demonic beast, which was not easy to understand.
Of course, this smell was covered by the soil layer, and if it were not for Wei Jie’s keen nose, ordinary people would not have noticed it. It’s just that he doesn’t know what Prince Can is up to.
Wei Jie said in a low voice, “The Book of Life and Death is an object of the underworld, and it cannot be contaminated by the yang energy of the human world. Prince Can does not seem to be a lover of keeping pets, but he has spent a lot of money to buy all kinds of strange beasts. Perhaps he needs the blood of these strange beasts to nourish the remaining pages.”
He said it very reasonably! So the remaining pages must be in the underground study! But how to enter the underground secret room?
Wei Jie looked at the approaching Prince Can and said, “Just follow him, and we’ll be able to go there!”
The nonsensical things that Wan Lianshi said earlier made Wei Jie frown.
He didn’t understand why they were so targeted at Cui Xiaoxiao, spending so much effort to frame a small sect master who didn’t pose much threat to them.
After all, this so-called Lingshan Talisman Sect only had Cui Xiaoxiao who was worth mentioning, and apart from her, no one had even heard of this name.
This kind of sect that eats and drinks all day and occasionally cultivates a little bit, how could it hinder anyone?
But Prince Can seemed to attach great importance to her, and it felt like using a dragon-slaying knife to kill a chicken. That cunning prince must have his reasons for doing so!
Wei Jie felt that his teacher had many secrets, but her mouth was like a clam shell, unwilling to speak when she didn’t want to. He felt that the remaining page might be able to uncover Prince Can’s secrets, and perhaps also reveal his master’s.
Prince Can did not walk very fast, and when there was no one around, his gait seemed to slow down a lot, making Xiaoxiao feel that he was an old man with a decrepit appearance.
After walking for a while, Prince Can suddenly stopped in front of a high-hanging lamp in the study.
This lamp was different from the brand new palace lamps, showing an ancient yellowish color. If one looked closely, they would find that the lamp was covered with a dense pattern of red silk threads.
Prince Can reached out and adjusted the height of the lamp, then glanced back casually, and when he confirmed that there was no one, he entered the study and turned the secret passage.
When Xiaoxiao passed by the lamp, she couldn’t help but look up, and was surprised to find that the pattern on the lamp was actually a dense network of blood vessels, and it seemed that blood was flowing rapidly inside.
This lamp was alive?
She didn’t have time to look closely, as she was pulled by Wei Jie to follow, but they found that it was pitch black inside, and even Xiaoxiao’s excellent eyesight needed some time to adapt before she could gradually see the surroundings.
However, Prince Can had disappeared, and the two of them groped in the dark for a while before hearing Prince Can’s footsteps again.
Fortunately, after walking a few steps, there were luminous pearls embedded in the walls of the passage, emitting a soft light under the reflection of a torch.
Prince Can was walking alone in the passage, not too fast. And the passage was complex and winding. If they didn’t follow Prince Can, they would definitely get lost in this maze-like passage.
They kept a distance from Prince Can, afraid of being discovered.
Xiaoxiao looked at the figure in front of her, although it was still the same figure and attire, there seemed to be some subtle differences…
When they reached a narrow corridor, Prince Can suddenly quickened his pace, almost running.
Wei Jie’s eyes narrowed, knowing that the cunning prince must have sensed something, and he quickly rushed forward, grabbing Prince Can’s neck from behind: “Stay still, don’t move!”
Wei Jie’s movements were swift, without any hesitation, and Prince Can’s throat was gripped, so even if he wanted to cry out in alarm, he couldn’t.
But as soon as Wei Jie’s hand touched this person’s neck, his heart sank.
Because the feel of this neck… was not right! That rough feeling was the kind of disguise commonly used by jianghu people to cover their true appearance!
He immediately turned Prince Can around and tore off the mask on his face, revealing a face full of terror, which was not Prince Can at all, just someone who looked similar in stature!
No wonder Xiaoxiao just felt that this person’s gait seemed to have changed…
They had fallen into a trap.
Xiaoxiao immediately shouted, “Retreat quickly!”
But it was too late, just as Xiaoxiao was about to leave, iron bars suddenly fell in front of and behind them, trapping the three of them.
These iron bars were forged with the bone powder of the iron dragon during the smelting process, unbreakable, and even the Punishing Sword could not split them without profound inner qi.
At this moment, the fake prince suddenly showed a painful expression, clutching his abdomen desperately and shouting in despair, “No!”
Xiaoxiao immediately formed a water shield to cover herself and Wei Jie.
The next moment, the man’s abdomen suddenly swelled up and then exploded with a loud noise, spraying out poisonous blood that sizzled even the stone walls.
If they had been splashed by this sudden explosion, the consequences would have been unimaginable!
But since Xiaoxiao had set up the water shield, her spiritual power was no longer concentrated, and her figure naturally appeared.
At this time, a clear laughter came from the passage: “This Prince was wondering who was so bold as to intrude into this king’s private residence. Miss Cui, you really are talented and daring!”
Accompanied by the laughter, Prince Can appeared in the passage, his gaze sharp and piercing at the master and disciple.
Wei Jie, although trapped, was not panicked, and just smiled at the prince: “Prince Can’s hospitality is still so thoughtful! I wonder when Prince Can discovered us?”
Prince Can smiled slightly and pointed to the dim lamp beside him, held by a servant: “The North Marsh Snake Eyes come in pairs! One is at the city gate, and the other is on this lamp. Your invisibility skills are impressive, ordinary lamps cannot reveal your shadows, but when you two passed by the study door just now, you were caught by this snake-eye lamp…”
Xiaoxiao suddenly understood, no wonder Prince Can had paused for a moment in front of the lamp, it turned out that he had discovered them through this lamp with blood vessel eyes!
It seems that Prince Can had arranged some tricks in the passage, using a substitute with a poisonous insect in his belly to lure them here.
Thinking of this, Xiaoxiao simply asked, “Now that Prince Can has caught us, what does he intend to do?”
Prince Can looked at the handsome young man and beautiful woman in front of him, and said regretfully, “If it were in another season, this king would spare no effort to recruit you two talents. But alas, our fates have made us adversaries… Cui Xiaoxiao, you have already turned to the dark path, and your notorious reputation has spread far and wide. All the sects want to capture you, and this king does not want to interfere in the affairs of the righteous cultivation world, so I can only hand you over to them…”
Only Cui Xiaoxiao suffered from slander and humiliation by the world, which could trigger her greatest demonic nature. Since she had replaced Wei Jie’s fate, she naturally had to experience his tribulations.
Xiaoxiao smiled a little, “Those dirty rumors, Prince Can, you should know the best, why pretend to be so hypocritical? And if the righteous sects in the world knew about the precious page in your hands and the things you have done, do you think they would tolerate you?”
Prince Can seemed to have taken an interest in chatting with these two tonight. He sat down on the chair brought by the servant and said comfortably, “So you also know about it? It seems that the Weis have exhausted their methods and have spilled the beans to you! But if you don’t care about the life and death of the Weis, you can certainly tell the world.”
Prince Can was indeed well-informed and unafraid, firmly grasping the lives of others. He was confident that Wei Jie and Cui Xiaoxiao would not reveal the matter of the Book of Life and Death.
As for Cui Xiaoxiao turning to the dark path, this was already a done deal. Adding a few more cases of injustice to her would not matter.
Wei Jie walked to the iron bars and asked puzzledly, “You have schemed to frame Xiaoxiao, what is your real intention? Now that she has turned to the dark path, how does it benefit you?”
Prince Can glanced casually at Wei Jie. In his eyes, this young man had already become a useless chess piece, as the fortune had shifted to Cui Xiaoxiao.
But seeing him holding Cui Xiaoxiao’s hand tightly from the beginning, and remembering what Wan Lianshi had said, that the two of them had embraced and kissed in front of everyone in the forest, they were obviously a pair of lovers…
These young master and disciple were indeed unreliable! Living together day and night, how could they not fall in love?
Thinking of this, Prince Can’s eyes suddenly lit up – according to reason, Cui Xiaoxiao should have experienced the pain of losing her mother while going through the tribulation of slander, and her heart would have become cold and hard due to the loss of a beloved family member.
Unfortunately, after asking Qin He, this Cui Xiaoxiao seemed to have no family at all, just an orphan girl.
How to make a girl of unknown origin experience the pain of losing a loved one became a big problem for the old man.
But now, if this Cui Xiaoxiao had a deep love for Wei Jie and was unwilling to part with him, wouldn’t that be equivalent to a family member?
As long as Cui Xiaoxiao deeply loved Wei Jie, and then he killed Wei Jie in front of her, this fourth tribulation would be perfectly fulfilled.
Thinking of this, he smiled meaningfully and tentatively asked, “It seems that the two of you are deeply in love, have you already become a pair of cultivating immortal partners? Truly joyous!”
Xiaoxiao looked down at her tightly held hand with Wei Jie, and quickly let go, smiling wryly, “How is that possible? He and I are just master and disciple, don’t talk nonsense!”
Wei Jie also had a cold expression on his brow, and did not deny it as Xiaoxiao let go of his hand, making it seem like they were just ordinary master and disciple.
Prince Can suddenly realized, “Oh, so the two of you still have a paper-thin barrier and haven’t broken through yet! How should I deal with this?”
Just then, Wan Lianshi, who was standing beside Prince Can, suddenly whispered something to him.
Prince Can’s brows and eyes moved slightly, as if he was a little disdainful of it, then he stood up and said gently to Wan Lianshi, “These two distinguished guests have come to the prince’s mansion, I should make them feel at home. As for the rest… just do as you said.”
After saying this, Prince Can had already left the passage at one end.
Wan Lianshi looked at the two trapped behind the iron bars, his smile not reaching his eyes, “Prince is worried that Miss Cui is lonely without any family. Why not take this opportunity, under my witness, for the two of you to become husband and wife soon?”
As he spoke, the walls of the passage suddenly extended countless bamboo tubes, and then a stream of pale pink thick smoke began to blow into the entire passage from those bamboo tubes, while Wan Lianshi laughed and left the passage with the servants.
Wan Lianshi had seen many of the poisonous insects and evil beasts that the talents Prince Can recruited, and he knew that the best poisonous beasts required more painstaking care and patience to cultivate, waiting for them to grow bit by bit.
And now the master wanted to cultivate a demon, a generation of demonic lord who had experienced all the sufferings of the human world and whose heart was filled with resentment and anger!
The tribulations that this Cui Xiaoxiao needed to go through had only just begun, and Wan Lianshi would make this young lady experience all the countless sufferings!
Thinking of this, Wan Lianshi laughed even louder as he quickly left the smoke-filled secret room.
As for the two people trapped in the secret room, Wei Jie was well-informed, and when the pink smoke dispersed, he immediately sensed that something was wrong!
This smoke… was made from the powdered Nanzhao insects, using musk as the lure and ignited into smoke.
These insects, were insects that could mate every day. Using the powder of such insects to make medicine, it was naturally a path of the lower realms, no matter male or female, young or old, as long as they were not completely dead, they would be aroused by this smoke. Even if they did not inhale it, just being in contact with the insect powder could also take effect.
Wei Jie had closed his breath in time, but he had still been contaminated by a lot of the insect powder on his skin.
As for Xiaoxiao, although she was alert and set up the water shield again, she still inhaled some.
Although it was just a little bit, this insect powder quickly made her feel her limbs ache and her mind restless. The water shield she had just formed immediately dissolved in the pink smoke, completely defeated.