Qi Chengshuo looked at Qi Jiu in shock upon hearing this.
Everyone in the capital says that this Ninth Prince is spoiled. Even though he is over thirty, he is still carefree and irresponsible, and only knows how to eat, drink and have fun every day. If he hadn't been born into a good family, he would definitely be a nobody.
But who would have thought that Uncle Nine would have such a guess?
“Ninth Uncle, you’ve misunderstood. This wasn’t arranged by the Emperor. He has already sent people to investigate this matter thoroughly. Once the Emperor finds the person who slandered His Highness the Crown Prince, he will definitely avenge him.” Qi Chengshuo patted Qi Jiu’s shoulder and comforted him in a low voice.
“Revenge? Hehehe... Let me guess who the mastermind is. Besides my eldest brother, the one Father Emperor fears the most is my fifth brother. So the mastermind must be my fifth brother.”
"Ninth Uncle!" Qi Chengshuo was at a loss for words, because Qi Jiu's words were truly unbelievable.
“Don’t look at me like that. You all think I’m stupid, but actually… no one understands Father better than me. He’s old, he’s already sixty-nine years old this year. Father feels that he is old, he is afraid of dying, afraid of losing the throne, afraid that his sons will take away his power, so… he can’t tolerate my eldest brother, nor can he tolerate my fifth brother. If my fifth brother is gone… then it will be my eighth brother’s turn. Any prince who is capable will probably lose his life, but someone like me who has accomplished nothing can still keep a worthless life.”
Father is afraid!
He feared getting old, feared death, and feared having his power taken away by others, so even his sons, the emperor would not show mercy when he took action.
His father killed several brothers to seize the throne. He had already climbed the throne on blood, so in his old age, killing one or two sons was nothing to him.
"Ninth Uncle." Qi Chengshuo didn't know what to say to comfort him.
"You can leave now. Just pretend you didn't see me. You don't need to stay here to protect me. I'm just a prisoner who has lost everything. I was exiled to Liuhe Town and will never be able to return to the capital. I've already married today and plan to live a peaceful life from now on. I don't need anyone to worry about me, especially my father. I don't need him to send anyone to protect me."
Upon hearing this, Qi Chengshuo had to admit that his Ninth Uncle was indeed an extremely intelligent person.
They've just been hiding their true abilities all along.
"Ninth Uncle, I'll be going now." Qi Chengshuo sighed, got up and walked out.
After pushing open the door, Qi Chengshuo was about to put on the mask in his hand when he found Jiang Xianya standing outside the door.
Just then, a gust of cold wind blew by, and Qi Chengshuo's hand holding the mask suddenly felt a burning heat. He subconsciously let go, and the mask fell to the ground.
The oil lamp in the room was blown out by the wind.
The surroundings were dark, except for the glowing bronze mask lying on the ground.
The light on the mask grew brighter and brighter, radiating flames as if it were being forged in a furnace.
"Get out of the way," Jiang Xianya's cold voice rang out.
Qi Chengshuo also realized what was happening, and pulled Qi Jiu, who had come to watch the commotion, into the courtyard, while also drawing the sword he always carried.
Just then, the bronze mask flew up strangely, at a speed that was too fast for the naked eye to catch.
Qi Chengshuo instinctively swung his sword, forcefully slapping the mask aside.
The mask seemed to possess sentience; after being slapped away, it flew back, and its target wasn't Qi Chengshuo, but rather Qi Jiu behind him.
Qi Chengshuo was caught off guard and saw the mask about to fly towards Qi Jiu's face. In his haste, he stretched out his left arm to block it, but the mask stopped just as it touched his sleeve.
At this moment, the bronze mask was as if it were being forged in a furnace, and the temperature was extremely high. Even if it only touched Qi Chengshuo's sleeve, it would burn a large hole in his sleeve.
To Qi Chengshuo's astonishment, the bronze mask stopped because several thin lines radiating golden light appeared on the hands of the girl not far away, and those lines were pulling the bronze mask tightly.
Otherwise, his arm would have been burned long ago.
Qi Chengshuo was about to remind Qi Jiu to run away quickly, since his Uncle Jiu was weak and it would be best to hide first. However, Qi Jiu was more afraid of death than he had imagined, and had already run behind Jiang Xianya.
He clearly felt safer staying with the little girl than with his nephew.
Just then, Jiang Xianya suddenly changed her hand gestures, continuously forming hand seals. The five thin golden threads that were holding the bronze mask suddenly turned into a net, trapping the bronze mask.
The bronze mask seemed to be alive, instantly attacking the fine golden net. However, the net grew denser and denser, firmly controlling the bronze mask and preventing it from escaping.
Qi Jiu was completely stunned.
Qi Chengshuo was also shocked. Looking at the little girl in front of him, he couldn't help but ask, "You...you are a Xuanshu master from the Taiyi Sect?"
Logically, this shouldn't be the case.
How old is this little girl? She looks like she hasn't even reached marriageable age yet, and she's a native of Qingya Village. How could she possibly be a Xuanshu master of the Taiyi Sect?
He heard his grandfather say that because the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was scarce, there were fewer and fewer Xuan masters in the Taiyi Sect. Even for those with exceptional talent, practicing Xuan arts had become an extremely difficult thing.
Those who could have entered the Taiyi Sect and become Xuanshu masters can now only be Taoist priests, spending their days in various Taoist temples.
The Great Yan Dynasty highly revered Taoism, and there were Taoist temples in every county town.
How can such a young girl be so amazing?
Jiang Xianya did not answer Qi Chengshuo's question. She withdrew her hand, and the golden thread net did not disappear. It remained suspended in the air, tightly controlling the burning bronze mask.
Jiang Xianya walked over quickly, and under the shocked gazes of Qi Chengshuo and Qi Jiu, she reached out and grabbed the bronze mask.
She was very fast, and her move was completely unexpected. By the time Qi Chengshuo reacted and tried to stop her, Jiang Xianya had already grabbed the bronze mask.
They thought Jiang Xianya would be burned, but they found that the gold thread net disappeared instantly, and the burning bronze mask went out instantly, as if the fire had never appeared.
Jiang Xianya entered the house with the mask in her hand.
There was hardly any moonlight tonight, and she couldn't see the patterns on the mask at all while standing outside.
Jiang Xianya lit the tinderbox, relit the oil lamp, and carefully examined the bronze mask in her hand.
Upon seeing each other, Qi Chengshuo and Qi Jiu, who were standing outside the door, went inside together.
They were just so curious.
"Miss Jiang, do you know what this mask is? Why did it suddenly catch fire and fly around, injuring people?" Qi Chengshuo asked.
Qi Chengshuo still had a deep impression of Jiang Xianya, because this girl had said that Pei Junqi would have a bloody disaster and should avoid insects and snakes. Pei Junqi, that idiot, did not take it seriously and was actually bitten by a snake.
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