Chapter 63 [VIP]

Gu Zhizhuo slowed down, and her beautiful phoenix eyes suddenly lit up, like fireworks exploding in the night sky, dazzling and brilliant.

The jade lion stopped in front of the Ten Mile Pavilion. Gu Zhizhuo stared at him, his eyelashes trembling slightly, and his eyes were unconsciously stained with a faint blood. The fatigue, grief, and sorrow that had been weighing on him these past few days... all these negative emotions completely erupted at this moment.

At that moment, she seemed to lose all her strength, and before the jade lion could even stand up, she rolled off the horse's back, with a pair of arms firmly supporting her waist.

Her arms weren't particularly strong, or even powerful, which made her feel especially at ease.

"Young master."

Gu Zhizhu murmured, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

"Young Master..."

Without a second thought, she threw herself into his arms. His scent enveloped her, bringing a sense of security as if their souls were connected.

The hand around her waist tightened slightly, then politely released, moving to her shoulder and gently patting her back.

She had lost a lot of weight; he could even feel her bones protruding in his palm.

From the moment he first met her at the manor, she was always decisive, confident, and radiant, and his gaze never left her.

This was the first time Xie Yingchen had seen such a fragile vulnerability in her, almost to the point of collapse.

Xie Yingchen didn't say anything, letting her cry out loud as if venting her emotions.

Gu Yique was dumbfounded. To him, Xie Yingchen was a complete stranger. He subconsciously wanted to rush over and pull his older sister away, but then he felt that his older sister seemed to trust him a lot, so he turned his head and hesitated to look at Qingmei.

"The one whose marriage was arranged by imperial decree," Qingmei said softly.

Oh! Even more annoying. The last one, whom the emperor bestowed upon her, was always chasing after someone surnamed Ji, disregarding her elder sister's dignity. This one certainly isn't good either, otherwise the emperor wouldn't have given him to her elder sister. Gu Yique silently gripped the bow.

Gu Zhizhuo's crying gradually stopped. She sobbed and looked up somewhat embarrassedly.

Her eyes were as clear as the sky after the rain, her eye sockets were red, and her face was covered in dust from the journey, which was washed away by her tears, leaving streaks.

As soon as Xie Yingchen took out her handkerchief, she wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, making the mess completely unsightly.

"Young master, what brings you here?"

A smile bloomed in her eyes, filled with joy.

Xie Yingchen wiped her cheeks with a handkerchief, and Gu Zhizhuo just stared at him without moving.

For a fleeting moment their eyes met, her gaze flickered, and for some reason, she turned her head away. Belatedly, she realized her heart was beating faster.

Thinking about it carefully, this wasn't the first time she had lost her composure in front of the young master.

When he brought her out of the mortuary, she was on the verge of death. She clutched his sleeve tightly in fear and cried until she fainted without letting go.

When the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was exonerated, she cried uncontrollably all night, and the young master sat with her all night.

And... when the young master was about to die...

Gu Zhizhu shook her head vigorously, banishing those inappropriate memories from her mind. It wasn't the first time, after all! She immediately regained her composure: "Young master, are you here to pick me up?"

Xie Yingchen put the handkerchief back into his sleeve pocket. Seeing that there was still a haze at the corner of her eyes, he gently stroked it with the pad of his thumb.

"To pick you up is also to pick up the Duke."

He looked at the coffin behind him, a simple black coffin made of inexpensive wood, which was obviously a hastily found one.

Xie Yingchen only asked Chongjiu to send him a message by carrier pigeon when they were about to return to the capital. As for what else happened along the way, as long as Gu Zhizhuo was not harmed, he did not ask Chongjiu to report in detail.

He wouldn't delve into anything she didn't want to talk about.

Giving Chongjiu to her was for protection, not for surveillance.

Gu Zhizhuo's eyes dimmed slightly: "Young Master, will you come with me to Taiqing Temple? Let's go now."

Xie Yingchen didn't ask anything, only replying, "Okay."

Taiqing Temple was located on the only way back to the capital, and Gu Zhizhuo had planned to visit it before returning to the capital.

Xie Yingchen arrived by carriage, accompanied by Huai Jingzhi and Qin Chen.

His health had improved considerably, but he still couldn't withstand galloping on horseback, and he relied entirely on carriages for transportation. Even when traveling by carriage, he would still feel exhausted if the journey was too long.

Qin Chen sat on the carriage shaft, grinned, and waved to her: "Miss Gu."

Xie Yingchen got into the carriage, and before the curtain was even lowered, Gu Zhizhuo stepped onto the carriage.

"I almost forgot, give me your hand."

Xie Yingchen just smiled, keeping the position of lifting the carriage curtain, and placed his right hand in her palm.

Gu Zhizhuo focused intently on feeling the pulse.

Her pulse was still weak, but better than when she left.

She squeezed his palm again; it was warm and nice.

This indicates that the yang energy is slowly recovering. During my absence, the young master has been obediently taking his medicine and hasn't required much attention; he's doing well.

"Are you satisfied?" Xie Yingchen asked with a smile.

"satisfy!"

Gu Zhizhu smiled and let go of his hand, then took the initiative to close the carriage curtain.

She touched the jade lion that rubbed against her, then mounted the horse.

The carriage followed beside her. Xie Yingchen rolled up the curtain of the carriage window so that she could see him as soon as she turned around. Gu Zhizhuo supported the coffin all the way to the gate of Taiqing Temple.

She instructed Lao Dan and the others to stay and watch the coffin, and then took Gu Yique into the Taiqing Temple.

The young Taoist boy who was greeting guests recognized Xie Yingchen. As soon as he saw him, he immediately went to find the abbot. A short while later, the abbot came out.

"Young master, you look much better." The abbot looked him over and said with genuine delight, "What brings you here today?"

Xie Yingchen handed him his wrist and said with a smile, "I came here with Miss Gu."

"Abbot," Gu Zhizhuo said, bowing slightly, "is Master Qingping here?"

"exist."

After taking Qingping's pulse, the abbot gently instructed a young Taoist boy to call him, and then personally led them to a secluded side room.

Not long after I sat down, Qingping came in.

Qingping walked in, whisk in hand, stroking his beard, and lightly flicking the wide sleeves of his Taoist robe.

As soon as he stepped across the threshold and saw Gu Zhizhuo inside, his otherworldly demeanor vanished completely. He lazily yawned, his thin cheeks drooped, and his mustache stood up high.

He rubbed his eyes and said, "It's you, disturbing my sweet dreams."

The change happened in just a few breaths.

He went directly from a highly accomplished master to a wandering sorcerer.

"Senior brother."

Gu Zhizhuo stood up and curtsied: "It's still broad daylight."

This address of "Senior Brother" surprised not only the Abbot but also Xie Yingchen.

Huai Jingzhi was stunned, speechless.

He had been searching for so long but had not been able to find out where Gu Zhizhuo had learned her Taoist medical skills. He never expected that she would be from the same school as the Qingping Zhenren, who was currently very popular in the capital.

"Junior sister, what brings you here?"

Qingping scratched his head, not wanting to get too close to this unlucky junior sister, so he moved a chair and sat down in the farthest place from her, lazily leaning his elbows on the armrest.

Gu Yique blinked, looking left and right.

How come his older sister has an extra senior brother?

He doesn't look very reliable; he looks like a fortune teller on Suzaku Street.

"Little brat, who do you think looks like a fortune teller?" Qingping glared at him, puffing out his beard.

"I...I didn't say that!"

"You're thinking."

Gu Yique was shocked: "You can know everything I'm thinking?!"

Qingping glanced at him sideways: "Of course. ...Oh, you're here too?"

He noticed Xie Yingchen again, his gaze lingering on Xie Yingchen's brow for a moment before recognizing him.

It's that unlucky guy from last time!

They were so sick, yet they actually recovered.

Qingping looked back and forth: "You two?"

Xie Yingchen smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "Senior Brother."

"Wait!" Qingping jumped up from the stool in fright. "Don't yell! Don't yell! Who's your senior brother...?"

Before he could finish speaking, he saw the young master Chen tilt his head slightly, a distinct sigh escaping his lips.

Qingping: !

No, this is okay?

That's really something! The cheap junior sister took a step and stood in front of him, picked up the chair he had been sitting on, and stared at him dangerously.

"Scream, scream! Scream however you want."

"Is this alright now?"

*Smack*

The chair was placed down. Gu Zhizhuo said gently and obediently, "Senior brother, don't stand, please sit down."

Huai Jingzhi patted his forehead, feeling like something was off... something was definitely wrong!

Qingping sat down carefully.

Xie Yingchen's appearance was completely different from the lifeless, dying look he had shown in the palace that day. And his junior sister was protecting him so fiercely… Qingping suddenly understood everything. No wonder his pulse had been strange that day, a faint glimmer of life amidst its apparent weakness. It was all a scheme they had set up for the emperor!

Now that his deathly appearance has disappeared, he has gained a few more wisps of dragon energy.

Qingping pondered this for a moment.

He had already seen dragon energy on three of them.

Leaving aside the emperor, there is also the third prince, Xie Jing. His dragon aura and the aura of the blessed woman are intertwined and inseparable, indicating that he is blessed by the heavens.

Now there's this young master Chen as well.

However, his luck was still too weak, and he couldn't compete with the Third Prince.

"Senior brother, I have a talisman here."

Gu Zhizhuo's words interrupted his thoughts.

She had two purses hanging from her waist. She untied one of them and took out a talisman stained with black blood.

Huh?

Qingping reached out and took it.

The talisman was somewhat old, and even the cinnabar on it had become slightly dull.

"Senior brother, could you please take a look and tell me what this talisman means?"

Qingping and she came from the same family.

In her previous life, she only began to learn about Taoist arts and techniques after the young master died, which took only a few years.

Qingping is different.

His talismans and divination methods are exceptional.

"Where did you come from?" Qingping suddenly asked, his previously nonchalant face now showing a hint of seriousness, his thin cheeks deeply sunken.

"I just got back from western Xinjiang..."

Gu Zhizhuo briefly recounted what had happened, then continued, "...My father's head was placed in a wooden box. There was a hidden compartment at the bottom of the box, and it was attached to that compartment."

Gu Zhizhuo spoke the most heartbreaking words in the calmest tone.

Her hands, resting on her knees, were trembling uncontrollably at the fingertips.

“I took it out from the interlayer, and the blood on it may be my father’s blood.”

The calmer and more expressionless she was, the more Xie Yingchen could hear the sound of her heart crying, just like when she had just thrown herself into his arms and sobbed uncontrollably.

Qingping gave the talisman to the abbot.

Both he and the abbot had been cultivating for a long time and could easily sense the sinister malice emanating from this talisman.

"Master, is this a blessing mantra?"

"That's true."

Qingping found the whisk cumbersome, so he threw it onto the Eight Immortals table and said, "I haven't seen the Zhuyin Incantation for many years."

A curse is a proclamation to the gods, an order to inflict misfortune. (Note)

He said to Gu Zhizhuo, "The incantation on this is an appeal to the gods that this person is utterly wicked and should be executed without mercy."

Gu Zhizhuo's vision blurred, and he almost couldn't catch his breath.

Xie Yingchen placed his hands on the cold back of her hands, warming them with his palms.

"I am here."

"Don't be afraid."

Gu Zhizhuo closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.

She gripped his hand in return, seeking a little support.

Gu Yique clenched his teeth tightly. He stood behind Gu Zhizhuo, gripping the back of the armchair, veins bulging on the back of his hand.

She said, "Senior brother, you speak."

Qingping sized her up for a while. Her eyes were red, but she still sat up straight, showing no sign of backing down or avoiding him.

Even the young man who seemed to be her younger brother had a perfectly straight back.

He stroked his beard and continued, "I've always found it strange that the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, which used killing to stop killing and assisted the Taizu Emperor, saved the world and countless lives in the chaos. It shouldn't have such weak fortune."

Qingping put it rather tactfully. In his view, this fortune wasn't just weak; it was downright fraught with bad luck.

If this continues, it won't be long before the entire family is wiped out and their bloodline is wiped out.

"This talisman curses not only the Duke of Zhenguo, but also the entire Gu family."

Gu Zhizhuo: "..."

Having experienced the massacre of her entire family, her eyes remained calm and undisturbed.

The abbot put down the talisman, his gentle gaze filled with compassion. He sighed and shook his head: "Too insidious."

He asked, "Who painted it?"

"It might be the Changfeng Zhenren of Shangxu Temple."

Back in Baleh City, the "evil person" that those people mentioned being suppressed by Master Changfeng's magic must have been my father.

It was sent to Shangxu Temple by the Prince of Jin.

Qingping and the abbot exchanged a glance; they had never heard of this Taoist title before.

"Anyway," Qingping scratched his head, messing up his neatly styled hair, and after a long period of distress, he finally made up his mind and said, "Junior Sister, please don't be impulsive, let me finish what I have to say."

Gu Zhizhuo suddenly gripped Xie Yingchen's hand even tighter, her rounded nails digging into his palm, but she was completely unaware.

“Junior Sister,” Qingping said, carefully choosing her words, “you just said that the Duke only left behind his head.”

“That’s right, that’s exactly it…” Qingping gritted his teeth and said in one breath, “The cinnabar used to draw this talisman must have been mixed with the Duke’s ashes.”

"They intend to use the Duke's soul and his murderous aura to suppress the merits and fortune of the Duke's mansion."

really.

When people are extremely sad or extremely hateful, they can indeed laugh.

In her previous life, she knew nothing about this from beginning to end; presumably, by then, she had lost even her head.

Truly, their souls were scattered and their bones were reduced to ashes.

"Junior sister, this technique is insidious and will surely bring about a karmic backlash."

"I see."

Yes.

Therefore, Heaven granted her a second chance at life.

This gave the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion a second chance.

This is already a great blessing.

She composed herself and swallowed back all her hatred and tears.

She asked, "Senior brother, how should we resolve this?"

"The simplest way is to make offerings. If people make offerings with sincerity, the merit can dispel the curse."

Gu Zhizhu frowned. It was no easy task to have the people worship him.

"Purple Extreme Pavilion." Xie Yingchen whispered these three words in her ear.

Gu Zhizhuo had a sudden thought.

Qingping pretended not to notice the exchange between the two, hesitated for a moment, and said, "As for the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, it would be best to hold a religious ceremony. How about this, I'll go."

"No need, senior brother." Gu Zhizhu shook his head and said, "Now that you are working in the palace, it would be displeasing to the person in charge if you came to perform a proper ritual for the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. It would not be good for you."

She thought of her previous life.

Because of Aman's death, Qingping's merits were greatly diminished. Even his most proficient divination skills only became 60% accurate after that. He could only rely on his slippery nature to navigate the infighting in the court, barely managing to avoid making a mistake. Until later, due to a single miscalculation, he died at the hands of the emperor, just one step away from becoming the imperial advisor.

The Gu family's matter is urgent, but we can't let it harm Qingping.

The abbot's eyes lit up; this Miss Gu was indeed of excellent character.

Qingping scratched his head again. He hadn't been very confident about the ritual to begin with, and hadn't insisted on it.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Master."

Gu Zhizhuo blurted out, "Is Master coming to the capital?"

"It's on its way, it should arrive in about seven or eight days." Qingping glanced at her. "Didn't I tell you?"

Gu Zhizhuo remained expressionless: "I was in the Western Frontier, just got back."

Master doesn't recognize her yet.

I'm so worried.

what to do!

A note from the author:

Note: From the Book of Documents, "Wu Yi" (无逸).