Eight red banners, inscribed with intricate talismans, were planted in the garden and fluttered in the wind.
Red banners surrounded the altar, and behind the altar stood a man dressed in a Bagua robe, with white hair and a Buddha-like beard, giving him a somewhat otherworldly and ethereal air.
Hearing footsteps, he slowly turned his head.
The sacred mask on his face shimmered with a cold, white halo under the moonlight.
Mo Yunhan's heart trembled violently.
It felt as if thousands of ants were rapidly spreading from my legs to my waist, invading my internal organs, yet at the same time, I felt a warm sensation descending from the top of my head, suppressing the pain.
He recalled Jiang Qingwan's words.
His legs were in pain because of the "suppression of demons".
And this "demon-suppressing" ritual was held in the imperial palace.
Vague and chaotic fragments of memory pierce through the darkness, appearing only to vanish in an instant; nothing can be grasped or seen clearly.
The beads hanging from her waist suddenly swayed gently.
Soft halos of light spread down to her waist and legs.
That unspeakable pain gradually disappeared.
A strange red light flashed in the eyes beneath the sacred mask.
The monk bowed slightly.
A rough, hoarse voice came from behind the mask.
"The time has come, is anyone else coming?"
The Empress Dowager glanced at Mo Yunhan, her eyes flickering slightly.
"Everyone's here, let's begin."
After a bizarre and chaotic dance, the sorcerer took a jet-black brush, dipped it in ink made from ground red cinnabar, and respectfully presented it to the crowd with both hands.
Who wrote the inscription?
Mo Yunzhao immediately gave Mo Yunhan a gentle push.
"Xiao Jiu, go."
Without hesitation, Mo Yunhan stepped forward, took the pen, stared at the mask, and spoke in an extremely cold voice.
Where is the question?
The answer came from behind the mask.
“One character is written in the lower right corner of each red banner.”
As he spoke, he took a piece of paper from his sleeve and unfolded it.
It bears eight characters: "Benevolence and Filial Piety, Presented to Heaven and Earth".
Mo Yunhan stared at the eyes beneath his mask; the two were very close.
He smelled the sweet, metallic scent of blood.
The monk had already stepped aside and gestured for them to proceed.
Mo Yunhan took the pen and walked towards the red banner.
With his height, he could easily reach the hem of the red banner.
He was so focused on writing the inscription that he didn't see the black energy surging on the ground after he stepped into the circle formed by the red banners, from which a huge talisman spread out from where the red banners were planted.
As he stepped in, the entire talisman seemed to come alive, greedily absorbing his aura.
Mo Yunhan did not notice anything unusual.
The bead at his waist, however, cracked little by little.
As the eighth character was being written, the knot that Jiang Qingwan had personally woven around the bead suddenly broke.
The bead, which had long been broken into pieces, fell to the ground in an instant, almost shattering into powder.
At the same time, the black talismans on the ground twisted and turned wildly.
Mo Yunhan felt something fall and subconsciously looked down. When he saw the broken bead, his brows furrowed instantly. Just as he was about to bend down to pick it up, the black pen in his hand snapped in two with a snap.
The monk exclaimed in surprise, his sleeves fluttering as he cried out in alarm.
The Empress Dowager asked urgently, "What happened?"
The monk pointed at Mo Yunhan, as if he had suffered a great shock.
"He...he's possessed by evil spirits!"
Mo Yunzhao roared, "Nonsense! He is my ninth brother, a human being. How could he be an evil spirit?"
The Empress Dowager agreed.
"Master, look more closely. The Ninth Prince isn't an evil spirit; perhaps he's been tainted by something elsewhere?"
Yun Xiaoran immediately shouted, "It's Jiang Qingwan! That woman is full of evil energy. It must be because she lives in the Prince's Mansion that Brother Yunhan has been tainted by evil spirits."
The monk raised his hand and made calculations with his fingers, then shook his head and sighed after a moment.
"The pen is broken, but the words are not finished. Evil spirits have ruined the blessing formation, and this poor Taoist is powerless to help."
Mo Yunzhao's expression darkened.
"Is there any way to save him? Is my ninth brother in danger?"
The monk withdrew the whisk.
"Your Majesty, if evil spirits are constantly by the Prince's side, it will certainly harm his health. However, we must carefully investigate what these evil spirits are."
"We must find them."
Just as Mo Yunzhao was about to issue the decree, he was interrupted by Mo Yunhan.
He continued to squat on the ground, carefully picking up the fragments of the bead and the broken red rope, his voice laced with icy coldness, his entire being radiating murderous intent.
"Your prayers failed, you deserve to die. You certainly know how to find excuses, pushing all the blame onto me, even fabricating unseen and intangible evil spirits. I think it's because your magic is too shallow, incapable of shouldering such a heavy responsibility, that you've entered the palace to swindle money!"
As soon as the last word faded, he had already unleashed a palm strike.
The mage hadn't expected him to suddenly attack, and he dodged in time, but the altar behind him was shattered to pieces by the palm strike.
Yun Xiaoran exclaimed in surprise and immediately stood in front of the Empress Dowager.
"Brother Yunhan, please stop! I've told you before that Jiang Qingwan's methods are not clean, but you wouldn't believe me. Now the sorcerer has also spoken. If you still don't believe me, bring her to the palace and let the sorcerer examine her..."
"Shut up!"
Mo Yunhan stood tall and elegant, his dark robes fluttering in the wind stirred up by the broken array. His cold, dark eyes, with bloodshot corners, looked at the Empress Dowager.
"Let the monk examine it? How will he examine it? Like back then, by cutting his wrists and ankles and letting blood flow all over the yard?"
"Xiao Jiu!"
Mo Yunzhao sternly shouted to stop him.
"The matter of that year was not the fault of the Empress Dowager. I have told you this many times, why don't you believe your brother?"
His voice trembled as he shouted, his brotherly affection was genuine and touching.
Mo Yunhan coldly curled his lips.
"Then please trust me this once, Your Majesty. If this sorcerer is truly capable, how will I kill him?"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com