Chapter 49
The capital of Ming was very quiet.
The group traveled through the streets of Mingjing. There were no lights on, only the faint light from a small golden fish illuminated the road beneath their feet.
The seven stars in the sky formed a line and headed straight towards the Ming Palace.
So he walked to the palace gate and had a smooth journey.
The little fish swam in the air and then returned to the red carp's spirit platform.
The surroundings grew dark, and the towering palace gate, with its carvings of dragons and paintings of phoenixes, stood in the darkness like a giant.
Dou Shiqiu walked forward, but looked at Guan Qing behind him.
She said, "Master, come here."
Guan Qing walked forward naively. Dou Shiqiu glanced at the teardrop mole under her eye and said to her, "I gave you my wings. I can no longer fly. You carry me up, and I will cast the spell."
"How should we do it?" Guan Qing approached Dou Shiqiu, but the other party naturally took her hand and put it on her waist.
"Hold me tight, and then fly up." Dou Shiqiu waited for a long time, and when he saw that the person behind him still didn't respond, he turned back to look at her:
"Master, what are you doing?"
"Well, okay..." Then Guan Qing put his arms around Dou Shiqiu.
The wings on the back spread out, breaking through the robe. The wings flapped, Guan Qing hugged Dou Shiqiu tightly, and carried her to the top of the palace wall.
"Go over there and get closer." Dou Shiqiu commanded.
"Okay, stop!"
Guan Qing did as he was told.
Dou Shiqiu patted Guan Qing's arms that were hugging her, signaling her to hold herself tighter.
"Master, please don't let me fall."
"Of course..." Guan Qing turned her face away, her face flushed. She no longer looked at the person in front of her, but the person's hair, blown by the wind, swept across her face, making the wings behind her unstable.
Dou Shiqiu closed his eyes and began to cast a spell.
She had lost most of her magical power, and even her hand seals and spiritual energy weren't as swift as before. But it wasn't like she had lost her wings and needed to rely on others to fly.
Seven stars were shining in the night, and the wind appeared just beside the two people in the air.
Dou Shiqiu opened his eyes and whispered, "Master, I'm sorry, but I'd like to borrow your magic power."
Tentacles emitting faint light grew out from her forehead and attached themselves to Guan Qing's arms that were holding her.
Guan Qing's pupils dilated, but did not stop Dou Shiqiu.
The moth formation finally rose, and the silver moths scattered throughout the Ming Palace with the wind.
A patter of rain fell within the palace walls.
When Guan Qing felt a little exhausted, the tentacles that were wrapped around her arms finally loosened.
Dou Shiqiu collapsed into her arms. Her spiritual energy was exhausted, and her already translucent skin looked even paler.
Guan Qing hugged her tightly and sent her back out of the palace gate.
In an unknown place, Hongli was looking at Guan Qing.
Gu Luoyan came over, stroked Dou Shiqiu's cheek, and said, "Shiqiu, thank you for your hard work."
Dou Shiqiu looked at Gu Luoyan. Her voice was very weak, but she still insisted on reaching out and holding Gu Luoyan: "Luoyan, this is all I can do for you."
"Luo Yan will never forget."
Gu Luoyan stood up and said to Guan Qing, "Master, please protect her."
In the blink of an eye, before even Guan Qing could react, a ray of light condensed from the red rope, blocking her and Dou Shiqiu's movements in her arms.
Gu Luoyan stepped back and Hongli stepped forward. She took off the bamboo hat that had accompanied her for several years and put it on Guan Qing's head.
The soul-fixing spell locked everything, and not even a sound could be made.
Guan Qing stared at her master in shock, but he smiled at her gently as usual.
Gu Luoyan was also smiling. Seeing Dou Shiqiu's eyes, she knew exactly what that feeling was.
Full of relief, heading towards death.
——
Hongli raised her finger, and the red string returned to her hand. Her golden eyes looked at Guan Qing, without dignity, as if a barrier had been broken.
Memories streamed into Guan Qing's mind like flowing water. Hundreds of years spent with his master came into clear view.
The puppet's body was damaged and repaired time and time again. The master taught her to read and walk. He taught her expressions and how to be like a real person.
No wonder the master only said that she was an orphan, had a serious illness, and remembered nothing.
It turns out that the master has been lying to her.
The master, whose face was almost identical to his from hundreds of years ago, smiled at her and said softly, "Yijin, I won't let you participate in karma this time."
"You must take better care of your body from now on. Without me as your master, I'm afraid no one will be able to heal you."
The red carp raised its hand high, and the golden fish rushed down into the sea, turning into golden waves, completely enveloping Guan Qing and Dou Shiqiu.
"rise."
A hole appeared in the ground, and the two of them fell down with the gold.
When they regained consciousness, they were already in a peach forest.
As long as the golden light on the ground does not dissipate, the soul-fixing spell will not be broken.
It was in a deep forest hundreds of miles away from Mingjing.
The birds were asleep, and there was no sunlight around except for the peach grove.
——They were exiled.
·
Nian Qing stretched out his hand, and the heavy palace door made a muffled sound and slowly opened.
Gu Luoyan stood beside Nian Qing. She spoke casually, "You can still regret it now. You really won't leave?"
"No." Nian Qing took Gu Luoyan's hand and looked at her sideways: "You already chased me away once at the Hong Kong Coliseum. No matter what you say today, I won't leave."
She suddenly changed her expression and teased Gu Luoyan: "You are the same. You knew this road might not work, but you still insisted on risking your life. Gu Luoyan is a fool."
"Then aren't you afraid?" Gu Luoyan asked her.
Nian Qing pulled Gu Luoyan towards the palace, "Like Hongli Tianshi said, this is a calamity that must be overcome."
"If this is my calamity, dying with you will be a blessing in disguise." Nian Qing finished, then laughed herself. She called out to Hongli, who was walking ahead, "Master Hongli, what about you? Why are you here to face the calamity alone after sending your disciple off?"
Hongli turned around and looked back at the two of them. Without the cover of the hat, his immortal spirit became even more prominent.
After hearing this, she just smiled slightly and said, "This is something I have to go through."
"If you die, will you have any regrets?" Nian Qing asked her in a loud voice.
The golden eyes dropped, the mark of Guan Qing's memory gone. She shook her head and continued walking forward, "No regrets."
Nian Qing held Gu Luoyan's hand tightly and stopped laughing. She patted her chest and softened her voice, "Gu Luoyan, don't be afraid."
"Even if you go to die, I will follow you."
Gu Luoyan's pupils shrank. She actually smiled and asked Nian Qing, "Do all monsters talk like this, digging out their hearts and showing them to others?"
"If you want, I'll show it to you."
"Nianqing, I..." Gu Luoyan's expression was covered with a layer of fog, and the obscure emotion appeared again, but was first dispelled by Nianqing's voice.
"I know," she said easily. "Foxes are very clever."
"Nianqing..." She tightened her grip on Nianqing's hand. She avoided Nianqing's sight, not daring to look at her again.
"Gu Luoyan, I am willing. I am willing."
"Even if you lie to me and use me, it's okay." Her eyes were bright, and when she looked at Gu Luoyan, the figures around her were also reflected in her pupils.
"Gu Luoyan, you underestimate me. Your self-righteous cover-up will not escape my sight."
"I can see it, I know it clearly. You love me."
The beating of the heart in his chest seemed to make Gu Luoyan's ears tinnitus.
She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
The fox saw through her, a secretive look in his eyes: "All you want is to use my power to realize your vision."
"Gu Luoyan, I am yours, I will give you everything."
She brought Gu Luoyan along her arm and brought her in front of her.
He teased her again: "But don't tell me you don't love me."
"Even if you chase me underground, I will follow you."
"Okay, let's go. Don't show that expression again." Nian Qing held Gu Luoyan's hand, pulled her tightly, and ran forward.
"If you're alive, we'll meet in this world. If you're dead, we'll meet in the underworld. It's no big deal."
·
By this time the rain had stopped and everyone in the palace had fallen asleep.
Except for the lady in the deep palace.
The palace maids walking under the eaves were unaffected by the rain. However, they saw the Empress Dowager, still awake, emerging from her chambers, shadowed by a black sea.
The shadow covered the bright flame, burying everything in darkness.
The Empress's face wore a smile not seen in a long time. She walked very quickly, losing her dignified demeanor. The palace maids bowed and waited for the Empress to leave. But before they could even raise their heads, they were devoured by the tentacles that emerged from the shadows.
Liu Rujian walked out of the palace without even wearing shoes.
The winter weather was damp and cold, and she went down the stairs wearing a gauze and a thin skirt.
The palace lacks the beauty of spring flowers, and is in a state of decay everywhere.
The stone lamps in the palace glowed, and the lanterns illuminated the night, but as she passed, they were extinguished by her skirt.
All the palace servants she met along the way were sucked into the darkness under her feet.
She didn't care and just kept moving forward, walking as fast as crazy.
Liu Rujian walked through half of the Ming Palace and came to a cold palace in the east.
There were no lights on here, and no one was on duty to keep watch.
She pushed open the door and walked into the courtyard. She spread her arms and made the palace maids in the shadows reappear.
The hall was pitch black and nothing could be seen.
Her fingertips condensed, and she pushed the palace servants, who were not affected by the rain and had panic on their faces, to the front of the palace.
Liu Rujian's tone softened, and she coaxed him, "My dear, my dear, my dear Zhi'er. Come out soon, I've brought you some delicious food."
No one in the hall responded to her. Only the wind whistled incessantly.
Liu Rujian was not in a hurry. She still smiled, took off the veil on her face and threw it on the ground.
Her eyes glowed blue, and she said to the palace maids around her, "Go in."
On the other side, she chanted a spell with both hands, causing the dark shadows around her to spread out and take out several items from within.
The palace servants were guided into the hall. A chilling gust of wind blew, followed by a rustling sound in the darkness. Soon, the movement of the palace servants ceased, replaced by the sounds of gnawing, breaking, swallowing, and ripping open.
After hearing this, Liu Rujian's smile on the half-human-turned-beast face became even brighter.
She muttered to herself, but her hands did not stop: "Haobao, Haozhi'er, eat more, eat more, so that you can have the strength to drink the soup later."
The soup oil made from the golden chicken that had been practicing for a hundred years turned into oil dots as her fingertips rotated, floating in the air.
The flowers and leaves of the yew vine flew up from her palm and then combined with the oil drops floating in the air, emitting a strange fragrance.
Human essences like red beads emerged from the shadows on the ground and entered the cauldron she had transformed from gas.
Five thousand of them, the wronged souls screamed and turned into dark blood in the transparent furnace.
Liu Rujian saw it all and was so excited that he almost jumped up.
After doing this, she added the broth from the golden chicken and the flowers and leaves of the yew vine to the cauldron. The human essence within instantly transformed into a dazzling broth, which rose with steam and exuded a refreshing fragrance.
Hope lit up in her eyes. The decades of enduring humiliation in the palace no longer seemed so difficult.
Finally, Liu Rujian stretched out his hand, opened his mouth, and put his entire arm into his mouth.
She quickly took out something, a black ball.
——That is the heart of Emperor Jia Yuan.
With five fingers pointing the magic, the excess parts of the organs were removed, and the middle part was hollowed out, becoming the shape of a bowl.
The cauldron transformed from gas moved downwards and arrived in front of Liu Rujian.
The colorful soup was poured into the bowl made from the emperor's heart.
The soul-breaking soup is ready.
She held the bowl in both hands and approached the palace cautiously.
She couldn't stop shaking, and cold sweat soaked her back.
The shadows under Liu Rujian gathered together and turned into a young man with wings and limbs shaped like an animal.
Above the roof tiles, a fox's head appeared. The man with a beast's head and a human body, wearing tattered clothes, looked at Liu Rujian silently.
Liu Rujian stopped in front of the empty hall. She turned to the two people on the roof behind her and said:
"Children, go, go and bring your sister out."
"Mom misses her, Mom misses her."
The young man behind her then transformed into a shadow and swam towards the palace. The fox on the eaves bowed to her, then transformed into a bat and flew into the palace.
Wailing sounds were heard from the dark room.
Soon there was the sound of chains dragging and pulling.
When the moon emerged from the clouds, Liu Rujian finally saw Zhier, the woman she had been thinking about day and night, amid the smell of blood.
Two monsters stood behind a girl and walked out together.
The girl had chains hanging from her hands, feet, and neck. She was covered in blood and her hair was pale.
When she came out, she was licking the human blood in her palm.
Her eyes were large and cloudy, like those of an idiot, devoid of any spirit.
Liu Rujian shed tears. She knelt down, her mouth opening and closing as she embraced the three children in front of her.
"Zhi'er, damn Zhi'er."
The girl walked forward in confusion. The two monsters behind her pushed her and bumped her into Liu Rujian's arms.
The young man hugged Liu Rujian's neck and whimpered.
The fox-faced demon put his arm around Liu Rujian's waist and closed his eyes comfortably and peacefully.
Only the girl looked at the woman who held her in her arms with a cold expression.
Liu Rujian kissed her and stroked her head, but she didn't react at all.
The soul-breaking soup fell down.
Eight white tails appeared behind him, replacing Liu Rujian's hands and holding the bowl of soup.
Liu Rujian smiled sweetly:
"Zhi'er, Mommy loves you."
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