Chapter 91 The changes came too quickly, in Xie…

The changes happened too fast. Before Xie Baoqiong could even think of using illusion magic to cover it up, his current appearance had already been exposed to everyone.

“Young Master Xie, you…”

The other two people in the room also noticed Xie Baoqiong's change. Cheng Ling's surprise was evident, and he exclaimed.

Rong Feng, on the other hand, had a knowing look on his face.

Amidst the ruins, Xie Baoqiong collapsed to the ground, completely oblivious to the sounds around her.

His hands trembled as he tried to cover the petrified parts of his face, but his equally petrified hands were completely exposed to everyone.

The sky, which was bright and sunny in the morning, is now covered with dark clouds, with only a faint ray of light filtering through the gaps between my fingers into my eyes.

Through the gaps between his fingers, Xie Zhuo's gaze was incredibly clear, his gentle brows and eyes swirling with complex emotions.

When Xie Zhuo saw him in this state, he still called him Xiao Bao. Did this mean that he didn't need the name Xie Baoqiong?

Suddenly, a series of footsteps sounded in front of me.

"Da da da".

It drew closer and closer, striking Xie Baoqiong's heart.

Suddenly, a large hand grabbed his wrist and yanked it.

The hand covering her cheek was pulled away, and Xie Baoqiong saw the boots in front of her clearly: dark blue silk boots with a geometric pattern, not Xie Zhuo's...

Before his sense of loss could spread, a righteous voice interrupted his thoughts:

"According to the laws of the Great Sheng Dynasty, those who use illusion magic to deceive others or impersonate others shall be fined one hundred gold coins and punished with..."

“Young Master Rong, this matter is Xie’s family affair.”

Xie Zhuo suddenly spoke, cutting off Rong Feng's remaining words.

The talismans that were about to bind Xie Baoqiong's limbs paused, then were severed by a beam of silver light. Cheng Ling stepped forward and nudged Rong Feng with his elbow, breaking the tense atmosphere.

"Rong Feng, let's go. We still need to check if there are any fish that have escaped from the prefect's mansion."

Rong Feng glanced at Xie Zhuo, who had pushed aside Xie Baoqiong's wrist and stood in front of her, then turned and left.

Cheng Ling followed and turned to Xie Zhuo, saying:

"We have people waiting for you outside. Lord Xie, you should leave this place as soon as possible."

"Thank you for reminding me."

The floor tiles had already shattered during the fight, with irregular cracks running across the surface. Pebble fragments were scattered around, and above them stood Xie Baoqiong, stunned and bewildered.

"stand up."

Xie Zhuo uttered only two calm and unwavering words. He didn't hug him, nor did he even reach out to help him up.

Xie Baoqiong's heart felt like it had eaten a segment of early autumn orange, both sour and astringent.

The huge change made him feel extremely uncomfortable. Normally, Xie Zhuo would have picked him up and gently comforted him when he saw his disheveled appearance, and checked him for injuries.

He had imagined that Xie Zhuo would be angry the moment she learned his true identity.

The intense emotions of the past would transform into a burning rage flowing from those eyes, incinerating him and Xie Zhuo together.

It was never like it is now, like a still, lifeless lake, where even his shadow cannot be reflected.

His gaze hastily averted from the lake, attempting to conceal the fact.

Xie Baoqiong lowered her eyes, got up from the ground, and stood obediently with her head down.

The boots in sight, however, turned around without hesitation.

Xie Baoqiong clutched the robe Xie Zhuo had helped him straighten when they parted that morning. The word he uttered almost struggled from his lips, but ultimately broke into three syllables:

"...Thank you, Lord Xie."

He didn't know if he was intelligent, but he also knew he wasn't stupid.

Humans have two terms: "taking an inch and wanting a mile" and "judging the situation," and he does them very well.

Realizing Xie Zhuo's kindness and tolerance, he kept going in.

Even the decision to accept Xie Baoqiong's identity and stay in the Marquis's mansion was based on Xie Zhuo's kindness, which would not pose a threat to him if his identity were exposed.

Xie Baoqiong blinked as she stared at the back of the figure that had stopped. Yes, how could he have forgotten?

...

The suppressed, aggrieved voice behind him and the long-unheard address made Xie Zhuo pause. He couldn't help but recall the disheveled child he had first met in prison, a sight that had stirred his pity in him at first glance.

Back then, Xie Baoqiong's face was covered in ash, just like the petrified marks on Xie Baoqiong's face behind him. He called him Lord Xie just like he does now, but his voice was definitely not this aggrieved.

The steps that should be taken logically cannot be taken.

Then, another explosion occurred in the sky, and the ground shook continuously.

Xie Zhuo closed his eyes briefly, without turning around, his voice a forced calm: "Follow me."

He could only find an excuse for himself: under these circumstances, it was neither morally nor logically right to leave a child alone.

Xie Baoqiong felt that Xie Zhuo shouldn't be like this, but Xie Zhuo's cold voice was in her ears, and there was a great distance between her and Xie Zhuo in front of her, so she quickly followed Xie Zhuo with her two legs.

Hearing the approaching footsteps behind him, Xie Zhuo walked out with peace of mind.

—

From the source of the explosion, a figure plummeted downwards and crashed into the ground.

The massive impact caused the floor tiles to crack like a spider web, sending debris flying and the ground to cave in.

Lying in the center, Prefect Luo vomited a mouthful of blood mixed with his teeth, barely breathing.

The red pine tree, suspended in mid-air, landed lightly, dusting off its sleeves and robes.

"You overestimate yourself and dare to dream of using me as nourishment for your cultivation."

He spoke at a measured pace, his gaze fixed on Prefect Luo, whom he had deliberately left to breathe, as if he were looking at a dead man.

"Speak! Where did you obtain this evil magic? And who else practices it?"

"Cough cough cough." Prefect Luo's chest and abdomen sank as he coughed violently a few times, his resentful gaze fixed on Chisong: "What do you know!? How dare you people who can cultivate immortality call this an evil art! It's just another way to absorb spiritual power into your own body."

"Even cultivating immortality requires hard work; how can you, with your talent, possibly achieve anything?"

Moreover, there are many people in the world who cannot cultivate immortality. Our ancestors explored techniques for you, providing ordinary people with a path to becoming sorcerers, but diligence is required..."

"Bah! How can a sorcerer compare to a cultivator? They can only manipulate the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, but they can't absorb it into themselves. How can they ascend to immortality?"

Chishong's expression turned playful as he slowly approached Prefect Luo:

"Who told you that sorcerers cannot ascend to immortality? Do you think that sudden enlightenment and ascension in broad daylight are just a facade of the ancients? And who told you that practicing evil arts can lead to ascension to immortality? Do you think that the Heavenly Dao will tolerate thieves like you who follow evil paths?"

The dust and bloodstains on the ground were kept at bay. Chishong stood half a foot above the ground, looking down at the dying people on the ground. Realizing that Prefect Luo was stalling for time, a ruthless smile appeared on her bright face:

"There's no point in arguing with someone like you. It's much easier to search your soul."

Fear finally surfaced on Magistrate Luo's face: "You...you can't."

Seeing the spiritual energy flowing between Chisong's palms, he instantly regained his composure: "The spiritual energy in this city hasn't recovered yet..."

"No need to worry, just use the Soul Searching Technique to search through your memories."

A vast amount of spiritual energy poured out, silencing Magistrate Luo's cries and dying struggles.

Before long, Prefect Luo's eyes went blank, while Chisong's brow furrowed more and more as he rummaged through his memories.

Just as he unearthed the evil technique called Star Shifting and Constellation Changing, Prefect Luo's memories suddenly turned into a white light.

He instantly severed the spiritual energy, flew backward, and at the same time formed a hand seal to set up a barrier.

The flat, concave body of Prefect Luo swelled up as if it had been inflated.

"Boom!"

A loud bang rang out after Chishong finished doing all this, and the torn flesh of Prefect Luo turned to ashes under the aftershocks of spiritual power.

Gazing at this scene, Akamatsu's eyes darkened, not just because of the white light in his memory.

Furthermore, since Prefect Luo is dead, although the spiritual energy will return to the world, it will still need a year to recuperate. The crops that are about to ripen and the sick people cannot wait that long.

He looked toward the spot where Magistrate Luo had disappeared and waved his hand to remove the nearby barrier.

People transferred from the Anti-Evil Division filed in to handle the follow-up matters.

For some reason, a group of ordinary people were also mixed in.

Chishong greeted Rong Feng, the leader, and Cheng Ling, and also informed them:

"There are no survivors."

When Magistrate Luo activated the trap he had set, the spiritual energy of the other mortals present was instantly drained, and even he couldn't save them in time.

Upon hearing his words, one of the women among the mortals following Rong Feng immediately collapsed, covering her face and weeping, "My Shuang'er!"

Those around her rushed to support her, and a flurry of activity ensued.

Cheng Ling and Chi Song, who hadn't left yet, explained in a low voice: "These people were rescued from the dungeon. They said their eldest son was taken away by Prefect Luo, and they came to find him."

Akamatsu withdrew his gaze, his emotions unmoved; he was used to the separations and deaths in the human world.

After settling Su's mother in, Su's father approached Chishong, who had remained to oversee the situation, and bowed to him. The days of imprisonment and the grief of losing his eldest son had left him looking somewhat haggard.

"Thank you, gentlemen, for saving my family. I know my son may have done something wrong, but he was coerced by the villains for the sake of our lives. I hope you will consider that he did not cause a major disaster and allow me to collect his remains."

His words were earnest, yet each one pierced Su's father's tongue and heart.

"Once the Anti-Evil Division has finished its investigation, you can take him back."

"Thank you for your kindness, sir." Father Su bowed in gratitude and left with his back hunched.

—

At the entrance of the prefectural governor's mansion, Rong Feng greeted them.

Xie Baoqiong was not stopped and followed Xie Zhuo to the carriage.

Xie Zhuo didn't wait for him and went straight to the carriage.

He stood in front of the low stool as if he were sulking with someone, his heart filled with anxiety. If he hadn't gotten into the Xie family's carriage, would his identity as Xie Baoqiong have been lost?

Just like now, once the coachman puts away the stool and the carriage drives away, he will part ways with Xie Zhuo.

"Come up."

Xie Zhuo's two simple words spurred him on, drawing him back into Xie Zhuo's path.

Just like the day he first met Xie Zhuo, he chose a spot far away from Xie Zhuo.

The two who were huddled together side by side in the morning now sit on opposite sides, leaving a chasm between them.

But Xie Zhuo did not take the initiative to approach her as he did on the day they first met.

The space inside the car seemed to freeze. The two sat there blankly, like two stones, without mouths, eyes, or ears.

“Lord Xie…” Xie Baoqiong blinked slowly. He wanted to eat the tea and snacks they had on their first meeting, but Xie Zhuo clearly wouldn’t prepare those for a stone. He hesitated, then stammered, “I’m sorry…”

"We'll discuss your matter later." Xie Zhu frowned, turning his gaze away, wanting to completely remove the figure that caused him pain from his sight.

But then I realized that the carriage was so small that unless I turned my back, I could always catch a glimpse of it out of the corner of my eye.

Furthermore, revealing one's inner thoughts is a major taboo in games of strategy.

Thinking this, he calmly took in the figure that had stirred his emotions.

No,

I won't affect his emotions anymore.

He no longer had the right to be soft-hearted towards that figure.

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Author's note: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone! [droopy-eared rabbit head emoji]