Chapter 79 Will Lin Dong Die?
At dawn, looking out the window, not a ray of sunlight could be seen. In Chaoge, there were no roosters crowing; the time could only be discerned by human voices. Someone had said that watering flowers with human blood would produce crimson blossoms that would never fade. Because the favorite concubine in the harem loved vibrant colors, the king actually ordered that every day at sunrise, a living being killed. The hearts of palace women were gouged out, and their blood was used to nourish the flowers.
"It's so cold!"
The door to the next room opened.
Several people rubbed their arms as they walked out to fetch water.
"Have you noticed that the morning fog is getting thicker? We could still see the road before, but now it's impossible to fetch water without someone to accompany us. A few days ago, someone even fell into the well and was found already dead."
The two men in front spoke loudly, and the third man led them to a door: "Brother Xu, are you up yet?"
The three of them came to call for help.
Xu Yu sprang to his feet, opened the window, and poked his head out: "Let me change my clothes."
A colleague waiting behind the door said, "You'd better hurry, we're going to be busy today."
Xu Yu strode out the door and looked up at the horizon.
The cold gray sky in sight showed no sunrise, only a patch of blue light falling downwards.
The omens were also ominous.
The man pressed down on the bamboo tube hidden in front of his chest, as if he were carrying a second life.
He thought, "I'm afraid the bloodshed in the palace won't stop today."
Those nearby seemed to share this view, and one leaned in to whisper, "Do you think anyone will win the Empress's favor today?"
“I don’t know,” Xu Yu shook his head.
The man, having been rebuffed, continued, "That's not good. I wonder when the palace will be at peace. I always feel that Her Majesty isn't refusing to eat, but rather wants to drink with the thought of people dying. Wasn't it said that the Imperial Kitchen Chief was searching for beautiful women to send to the inner palace? Where are they?"
"Brother He, be careful what you say!" Upon hearing the words "Wang Shanzai," Xu Yu felt so guilty that his hair stood on end. Seeing that this man was going too far, he quickly stopped him: "If someone with ulterior motives hears you speaking ill of the masters in the palace, you might lose your head."
"I can't even protect it now, so who cares who hears?" the man muttered twice, but didn't finish his sentence.
The fact that the King's chief steward used his silver tongue to cultivate relationships with many powerful ministers was common knowledge within the palace. His influence as a powerful minister in recruiting beauties from the common people and sending them to the palace was also no secret. The King was fully aware of his actions but did not stop him. Men at the pinnacle of power are all fond of beautiful women; even if they don't personally favor them, they keep them in the harem for their own viewing, just as a shelf without rare treasures would appear shabby. The various beauties were vases and jewels; the King was happy to have them filling his garden, vying for his attention. With new ones to feast on, who would want to return to the old? If someone could surpass Daji in beauty, that would be ideal.
Unfortunately, no woman can currently defeat that wicked concubine.
The more Xu Yu pondered, the more alarmed he became by the intricate web of interests behind that tongue. He had been so overwhelmed by this unexpected windfall yesterday that he had almost forgotten that wealth and power in the palace were obtained by taking lives.
And what exactly caused the death of the royal kitchen steward?
Going out to find food peacefully won't attract any attention. Judging from that note, the person who killed him was no ordinary person either.
Xu Yu wondered if he had coerced some powerful woman while searching for beauties.
If he survived today's ordeal, he believed he needed to investigate the route taken by the Imperial Kitchen Minister after leaving Chaoge. The person who had sent him the gossip was lurking in the shadows; Xu Yu wouldn't feel at ease until he established contact with them.
He finalized his plan and began working diligently. Unaware of the gray shadow lingering on the left palace wall, its dark, beady eyes staring at him for a long time, Xu Yu finally stepped away before the beady eyes blinked. It fluttered its wings, turned, and flew away from Chaoge.
On the other side, Chentang Pass.
"Little Grey!"
I pushed open the door; there were no birds in the nest, only a cat.
Pingyu: ...
"Why are you on top?!"
She stood on tiptoe to look, gripping the edge of the enormous bird's nest, and questioned the black cat. Nezha slowly opened his eyes to look at her, flicked his tail, and laughed, "Guess?"
Where are the bird feathers? The bones? Not a single drop of blood?
Even cats can't eat like that, indiscriminately consuming both meat and vegetables!
Nezha: What on earth is this person thinking?
As if sensing its master had been misunderstood, the fluttering of its wings grew louder as it approached. The weather at Chentang Pass was fine, the sky clear and the wind gentle. The little gray bird, returning like a dark cloud, landed on Pingyu's roof beams—a seemingly ominous sign.
Seeing that the pigeons were unharmed, Pingyu felt somewhat relieved.
"Little Grey!"
She had barely opened her mouth when her wrist throbbed again.
Cat Tail flicked her with displeasure, forcing the girl to release her grip on Cat Tail's hand.
Ping Yu exhaled to himself, while Nezha scoffed and jumped down from the nest, transforming into human form. He stretched out his hand, and a pigeon landed precisely on his knuckles.
"Where did it go?" Pingyu asked.
“It’s a carrier pigeon,” Nezha replied. “It’s out delivering messages.”
Inside was not only a letter, but also a large gift that he had personally placed there.
Nezha touched the bamboo tube on the pigeon's chest, but it was empty and there was no echo, so the tongue must have been delivered.
On the day he committed the murder, he had already considered how to cover it up. To kill an outstanding person without being held accountable, he needed to create another person with the same abilities. People get angry when they lose something useful because the void cannot be filled. As long as the vacancy is filled, the death of Wang Shanzai will not cause a ripple. Xu Yu was the person Nezha divined; although ambitious, he was timid and cautious, making him easy to manipulate. Little Gray, having been tamed by him and imbued with spiritual energy, was no longer comparable to an ordinary carrier pigeon.
It can travel ten thousand miles a day, making eye contact with Nezha, becoming his eyes and mouth in Chaoge.
As for Nezha, Xu Yu just needs to keep his tongue. The situation demands it; there will always be a time when he can use it.
More than the task that was already completed, Nezha was concerned about what the slovenly Taoist priest had written in the brocade pouch yesterday.
What does it mean?
Literally, it means a certain death. If the first half represents Pingyu's ultimate fate, could the second half be the cause that triggers his demise?
Pingyu received an extraterrestrial object and presented it to his superiors, but instead of gaining wealth and status, he brought about his own demise.
This is unlike her.
Pingyu was not the type to deliberately give away precious things to others in exchange for wealth. If she acquired something new and interesting, she would only want to keep it for her own family to enjoy.
From offering a treasure to a dead end, something must have happened in between.
Suddenly, someone touched the space between his eyebrows.
Nezha's vision blurred, and he looked up.
The touch between his brows lingered, and the girl, as if finding something amusing, gently smoothed away the furrows between his brows. She leaned closer and asked, "What are you thinking about? It's like you're calculating who owes you a debt."
He snapped out of his reverie and said with a faint smile, "That's quite a lot."
"Who would dare owe you anything?!"
She clicked her tongue. After seeing the boy's smiling gaze, she realized that he was just playing with her.
Ping Yu let go and said, "Don't be angry, okay? I'll make you something delicious to drink."
"What is that?"
"Just...cola?"
She suddenly remembered seeing an ancient method of making cola on a short video platform. Pingyu recalled that the temple of the Third Prince offered plenty of snacks, and thought that Nezha would probably like to drink cola. Seeing the other person's puzzled look, she explained, "It's a kind of drink from our area, and it tastes really unique! You just need to come with me to the woods from yesterday again; there's something I need there."
Pingyu saw pine needles there yesterday; those are the raw materials for making ancient cola.
Upon hearing about what happened in the forest yesterday, Nezha's mind stirred. This coincided perfectly with his own thoughts; he also wanted to go to the forest to find the Taoist priest from yesterday and investigate further.
If we can find it, that would be best.
The boy nodded: "Then let's go now."
The man claimed to be Pingyu's future master. Since he could bestow a destiny upon her, he could naturally also interpret his own pronouncements.
He turned to look at Pingyu; the girl had already gone back inside to tidy up.
If they were to actually meet, Nezha planned to capture him and make Pingyu become his disciple on the spot.
He waited until the girl came out of the house, and she excitedly said to him, "I'm all ready, let's go!"
She brought Little Grey along with a small food box. Inside were snacks and tea, making it look like they were going on a spring outing.
Chen Tang Pass had been peaceful for too long since his death. The sudden visit of the Taoist priest who had disappeared for more than ten years gave Nezha a feeling that a storm was brewing.
But it's okay.
No matter how treacherous the road ahead, he will protect Pingyu.
The boy naturally took the heavy object from the girl's hand and said, "Okay, let's go."
However, there was one thing that Nezha still found strange.
People who are facing death will have a darkening of the forehead, but Pingyu's face was clean and white, showing no signs of death whatsoever.
The various pieces of information seem to conflict with each other.
They stood side by side, about to leave.
"daughter!"
Lin Dong barged in.
Pingyu asked in surprise, "Father?"
The man, leaning against the door, was panting heavily. Even so, he stammered, "Great news, incredibly great news!"
His face lit up with joy, and his eyebrows shot up.
Pingyu chuckled and said, "Dad, take it slow! Let you catch your breath before you talk!"
After saying that, she asked again, "What good thing could possibly warrant such a request from Father?"
She was so busy asking questions that she didn't notice Nezha beside her tremble when he saw Lin Dong's face, his gaze locking onto him.
strangeness……
Even the obvious joy between the man's brows couldn't hide the astonishing black aura in his eyes. When Wang Shanzai was still alive, Nezha had seen a dark aura emanating from his forehead, a flowing yin energy. He had originally thought that after killing Wang Shanzai, this black aura would dissipate. But unexpectedly, two days later, the black aura thickened, showing a tendency to spread across his entire face.
Lin Dong exclaimed excitedly, "Even without Steward Wang, our pastries can still be served in the palace!"
Startled, he didn't listen to what Lin Dong said. He only remembered that one thought was firmly gripping his mind:
Will Lin Dong die?
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