Inside the rear hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
The retired emperor turned the mechanism on the dragon bed.
As the door to the secret room opened, an iron wall covered with talismans was revealed. Only a small, square opening, about the size of a bowl, remained on the wall. The opening was locked, and dried bloodstains were visible around it.
Inside, there was a low growl of a tiger.
He stood outside the door, his eyes fixed on the eerie door as if looking at a beloved young girl, filled with tender reminiscence.
"You've been with me for so many years, and now that I'm almost dead, can't you just settle down? I'll give you your freedom after I go find Yan Yan."
Upon hearing the name "Yanyan," the tiger's roar finally ceased, replaced by a human-like whimper.
...
The masked man then went to absorb the life essence of two palace maids. As soon as he returned to Kunning Palace, he saw the Empress Dowager sitting in a dark room on the ground floor, wearing an inner robe with her long hair loose and carrying a lamp.
Next to her was a hole in her head, soaking in blood.
The light and shadow alternated, one side as holy as the descent of Guanyin, the other as bloody as the hellish purgatory.
This sight suddenly excited the masked man's bloodshot eyes.
He moved closer uncontrollably, but before his hand could even touch the Empress Dowager's clothes, a sharp slap came flying at him.
He looked up in astonishment, and then received another slap.
"Useless trash! Kneel down!"
The masked man slowly knelt on the ground, with a pure white dress at his feet, bewitching people's hearts.
His hands were itching, but his heart was itching even more.
The Empress Dowager looked down at him, her eyes filled with disgust.
The stench around her made her nauseous.
"If I hadn't saved you back then, how could you be alive now? You can't even do this simple thing right now, actually letting Mo Shaoze bring the mummified corpse in front of the Emperor Emeritus. What are you good for? Didn't you want to kill him? I've given my permission, why don't you do it?"
The Empress Dowager was filled with resentment at the thought of the Emperor Emeritus's humiliation, and she raised her hand again and slapped him twice more.
She slapped the masked man's mask off onto the ground.
White hair spilled out from under the black headscarf, and the talismans covering his face made him look even more terrifying.
He stared intently at the mask that had rolled to the ground, his rough voice unusually grating.
"I'm going to kill him now."
"Smack!"
Another slap.
The Empress Dowager's hands ached from the beating, and her once wrinkle-free face now appeared ferocious and terrifying.
"This matter ends here. I don't care where you go to eat people, but if you dare to do it openly again, I will take your life."
The masked man remained silent, his head bowed, resembling a panting wild beast in the darkness.
After calming down, the Empress Dowager suddenly bent down.
Her fair hand gently touched his face, which was covered in talismans.
"The Emperor Emeritus won't live much longer. Once he dies, you will be the Dark Emperor of this Great Zhou. At that time, I won't stop you from killing whoever you want."
After she finished speaking, she picked up the lantern and straightened up. "Three days later, go and repair the Nine Dragons Formation."
The lantern light illuminated her as she slowly ascended the wooden stairs.
The masked man raised his head, his crimson eyes fixed on her retreating figure, and suddenly asked a question.
"Empress Dowager, should the treasures in the Nine Dragons Formation be returned?"
The Empress Dowager did not stop.
"Of course, I will have someone fetch the necessary documents whenever you wish to depart."
The masked man slowly put on his mask.
"Then let's do it tomorrow."
...
That night, few people inside or outside the palace were able to sleep peacefully.
Yan Yunqing personally went to the Ministry of Justice's death row cell and had several people taken away overnight.
The light of dawn tore through the darkness and shone into the desolate palace.
Mo Yunhan finally slowly opened his eyes.
His throat, parched and dry from the fever, felt like it was being cut by a knife. He licked his lips and struggled to get up, only to realize someone was beside him when he moved his hand.
He stretched his neck slightly and turned his head to look at the other side of the bed.
Jiang Qingwan, fully clothed, curled up in a corner, breathing steadily, fast asleep.
Her pale face showed signs of fatigue, and her delicate lips were almost unrecognizable.
Mo Yunhan felt a mix of emotions.
His eagerness to issue the imperial decree for the marriage that day was driven by considerable personal motives.
One reason was to avoid the marriage decreed by the Emperor and Empress Dowager, but more importantly, he couldn't allow Jiang Qingwan a reason to leave before he met Yun Tianji.
As for protection, he knew that even if he used force to stop her, he might not be able to, as the woman had many ways to escape.
On the contrary, now, we are being dragged down by him one after another.
Whether it's the three members of the Zheng family or the Yun sisters.
He had his own way of repaying kindness, but he realized he had nothing to give Jiang Qingwan in front of him.
In a daze, I met a pair of bewildered eyes that had just woken up.
Jiang Qingwan raised her hand and placed it on his forehead; her palm was slightly cool.
He tried it on and then stuck it back on his forehead. After a moment, he said, "The fever has finally gone down. Lie down so I can check if the wound is infected."
Mo Yunhan withdrew his gaze and obediently did as instructed.
Jiang Qingwan knelt beside him, pulled back the gauze to examine him, and couldn't help but click her tongue twice.
"Your body is really extraordinary; you're almost fully recovered after just one night."
Mo Yunhan was not surprised by this.
In the past, getting injured on the battlefield was commonplace, but he almost never needed to use wound medicine.
It was precisely because of this that he harbored doubts in his heart.
If he wasn't born a demon, why was he different from others?
But now, that long-held obsession has faded considerably.
"Jiang Qingwan, what do you want?"
Jiang Qingwan was stunned for a moment.
She had heard this question once in a cave on Xuanling Mountain.
She had exhausted her spiritual power to save Mo Yunhan, and hearing these words when she was in the middle of her excitement naturally made her angry.
However, times change.
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