My nephew?
I walked out of Qingli Palace again and saw Muli waiting outside. So, does he know Ah Shi's identity?
I walked over and got straight to the point: "Do you know Ah Shi's identity?"
He blinked, looked away, sighed after a while, turned back, and nodded, saying, "I know, I've known this since I was little. Ah Shi was able to grow up safely and go to the Imperial Observatory because of the protection of the Mu family."
I finally understand why it was Ah Shi who came to the Imperial Observatory.
Ah Shi wasn't a member of the royal family, but the Mu family was at its zenith, constantly producing talented individuals. Perhaps the emperor on the throne was already seething with hatred for the Mu family but couldn't take action, so he simply sent Ah Shi to the Imperial Observatory.
So, Ah Shi might not be the most suitable person for cultivation, but he is certainly the most suitable person for the Imperial Observatory...
Sigh... I sighed. The Imperial Observatory, being in the mortal world, can't escape these mundane affairs...
I said nothing more and hurried back to the Imperial Observatory.
The supervisor was still drinking tea under the eaves. When he saw me, he greeted me, "Little Xu Yi, you're back?"
"Hmm," I nodded, walked over and sat down in the recliner. Once my breathing had calmed down, I asked the supervisor, "Supervisor, do you know Ah Shi's identity?"
“I know,” the supervisor nodded. “I’ve been in the palace for so many years, of course I know.”
"You also know about the palace maids in Qingli Palace?"
"Um."
"So, was it your instruction to leave Qing unpunished?"
"Uh...more or less!"
"So, you kept Qingli Palace specifically for Ah Shi?"
"Am I that insightful and calculating?"
"You're not...?" I was even more confused. "Then why would you keep it?"
“She is involved in palace secrets. Generally, we leave such cases involving cause and effect unresolved for the time being, to wait for a later opportunity.”
"Oh? What should we do then? I've already neutralized her hostility..."
"Then let's deal with it. Maybe it's already a backup plan."
"Really?" Now I hesitated a bit: "Forget it, let her stay quiet for two days before sending her to reincarnation."
The supervisor glanced at me and said only, "Little Xu Yi, sometimes you can't judge a book by its cover."
"Hmm? I haven't seen enough of what's inside?"
The supervisor just smiled and didn't say anything.
The supervisor only reveals his true intentions without revealing them, and since I neither understand nor see through his scheme, I can only remain inactive...
Two days passed quickly, and I went to Gyeongryeong Palace again. The palace was still surrounded by the Imperial Guards. You can't blame them for their generations of upbringing; they always do things the right way.
After I went in, I saw a palace maid about to touch Ah Shi's head. I quickly stopped her: "Ah Shi, step back."
Ah Shi instinctively stepped back, just in time to avoid the palace maid who reached out to touch his head.
I quickly went over and looked Ah Shi up and down. Only after seeing that his fire energy and fortune were not lacking did I turn to the palace maid and say, "Don't you know that touching him like that will only steal his fortune? You're about to reincarnate, why are you still causing these troubles?"
I stopped Ah Shi and took two steps back. Suddenly, I remembered what the supervisor had said: "Don't judge a book by its cover." It turned out that the supervisor wasn't talking about things, but about people.
I stepped aside and pushed Ah Shi a few paces away, instructing him, "No matter what she said to you before, go out first and don't contact her again. Call the person guarding the formation at the door in."
Ah Shi looked up at me several times before nodding and leaving.
Even now, the palace maid still tried to argue: "This is my first time being a ghost, I really didn't know about these taboos..."
"Oh?" I couldn't trust her anymore. People's actions always reflect their hearts. Besides, there's nothing I don't know. Even though I became a ghost and no one told me, I still have these feelings. Even if I wasn't sure if this action would affect others, I wouldn't rashly reach out for their sake... But her hand reached directly towards Ah Shi...
I stared straight at her. A few moments later, the person guarding the formation at the door came in. It just so happened to be the new one from the Five Nether Sect. I pointed at the palace maid in the formation and said to him, "Use the furnace fire to burn her. Let's see what else she's hiding. Burn it all out for me."
The palace maid panicked: "I really don't know, I really don't know..."
If I hadn't been a ghost, I might have believed her a little, but unfortunately, I've already experienced the entirety of my ghostly life... so I could only watch helplessly as the cultivators of the Five Nether Sect used the furnace fire stored in the gourd to burn the palace maid in the formation.
The furnace fire was intense and pure... naturally effective against ghosts... She couldn't dodge it, and could only scream and crouch down, covering her head with her hands...
Her shrill screams grew more urgent and shrill... even the cultivators of the Five Nether Sect frowned slightly.
I explained, “She is wicked and does not deserve pity. You are a cultivator, and you must not let your emotions cloud your judgment when facing ghosts.”
He nodded: "I have learned a lot."
The female ghost's form gradually faded under the furnace fire, even some of her hands disappeared. She didn't speak, and neither did I, nor did the cultivators of the Five Nether Sect...
This silent standoff continued in silence...
The female ghost in Qingli Palace glared at me fiercely, her screams growing louder and louder. I instantly understood her intention: she wanted to use her screams to lure A-Shi in and stop me...
Alright! It's definitely not a good one. I stood up and stared straight at the female ghost. I'll see if Ah Shi will come through this door today…
She was waiting for Ah Shi to come in and stop me, while I was waiting for Ah Shi's feelings and thoughts... We stared at each other, neither of us giving way...
Time passed second by second, and I seemed to hear the ticking of water droplets as a timer.
About 45 minutes passed, and there was still no movement from the door... It seems Ah Shi isn't stupid after all... I felt somewhat relieved...
She screamed again at the top of her lungs, but the door remained closed.
She finally resigned herself to her fate... She stopped screaming and collapsed to the ground as if all her strength had left her. If she continued to be burned, she would really die. I tugged at the arm of the Five Nether Sect cultivator: "Let's stop here for today. If she doesn't say anything today, I'll come back tomorrow."
The cultivator nodded and let out a long sigh of relief; manipulating a magical artifact for such a long time was indeed strenuous.
I opened the gate of Qingli Palace and looked at the crowd outside.
Muli, sword in hand, arms crossed, stood calmly. Ashi, his hands loosening their grip on his clothes, the wrinkles revealing his inner turmoil. I slowly walked over and stopped in front of him, stating the facts: "I burned her half to death in the furnace. Do you... want to go see her?"
Ah Shi didn't speak, but gently shook his head: "I believe Aunt."
"So, do you believe her?"
“I want to believe her,” he replied, “but my aunt has shown that she is not trustworthy.”
I looked up at the colorful clouds on the horizon and said softly, "Let's find a quiet place to sit and talk. You'll be staying at the Imperial Observatory for a long time, so it's time for you to make your own decisions about these things."
I looked at Mu Li beside me and extended my hand in invitation: "General Mu, please."
Muli nodded: "Please."
I returned to the Imperial Observatory in silence and led the two of them to sit under the eaves. The Director was not here today. After they were seated, I looked at A-Shi and said, "You are of the Mu family bloodline. I think she has already told you."
"Yes." A very soft word.
I pointed at Mu Li: "The Mu family has always known about your existence and has treated you well over the years. You should have realized that yourself."
“Yes,” Ah Shi nodded, “General Mu has indeed taken good care of me.”
"It's no secret that you're in the Mu family, no secret in the royal family, and not even a secret in the Imperial Observatory." I lay back in my rocking chair and slowly asked, "What are your thoughts now, and what are your plans for the future?"
"I...I don't know..." Ah Shi shook his head dejectedly.
"Alright, the future is the future, let's talk about the immediate problem first. What do you plan to do with the palace maids in Qingli Palace?"
“I…” Ah Shi paused, “I want to send her to reincarnation.”
“Well, I originally intended to send her to reincarnation after neutralizing her resentment,” I said, taking a sip of tea before continuing, “but her mind is impure. It needs to be tempered by the furnace fire for seven days to become pure enough for her to reincarnate. But you can send her to reincarnation now, though in her current state, she won’t be able to be reborn into a good family.”
"I'll send her to reincarnation tonight."
I raised an eyebrow: "You, are you really sure?"
“Her impure thoughts are her own karma, and she should bear the consequences herself. I don’t want my aunt to get involved anymore, in case it affects you.”
He's actually more rational and ruthless than I am. That's my only thought; someone with that kind of personality would be ideal for spiritual practice.
“Okay,” I nodded, “Then tonight, you send her to reincarnation, I won’t get involved.”
“Alright,” Ah Shi stood up and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to me, “Then I’ll go down and prepare, Auntie.”
"Okay, go ahead."
After Ah Shi left, I looked at Mu Li and asked, "General Mu, did you ask how your subordinates fell unconscious?"
"Yes, when they were resting during their patrol, they saw an elderly auntie bring them water and pat them on the head. After they finished drinking the water, they realized they had unknowingly gone to Qingli Palace. Since I strictly forbade them from entering Qingli Palace, the group decided not to say anything." Muli looked at me: "I wonder if there's any explanation for this?"
"She's been a ghost for decades, and her luck has long since dissipated. She touched your heads to absorb some of the young men's energy and luck, probably hoping to be reborn into a better family in her next life."
"No wonder those people were so listless and lethargic as soon as they got back..." Mu Li moved a little closer to me: "She just touched that kid too?"
“Almost. Ah Shi grew up by her side when she was little, so she's practically family. If Ah Shi's luck is stolen, she'll lose a lot of it, and for cultivators, it's hard to make progress if their luck is insufficient. Others might be able to advance to the next level after taking fifty steps, but a cultivator whose luck has been stolen might have to take a hundred or even a hundred and fifty steps to advance to the next level. That's why I angrily used the furnace fire tempering method to purify her mind.”
Muli understood immediately: "So, there are other methods to purify it?"
"Of course." Upon examining my own behavior, I realized, "I seem to have... fallen into a trance?"
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