Chapter 68: Following the clues, traces of rotten soil are discovered
"Living Gu?!"
In the secret room of the Imperial Master's Mansion, Chu Xuanyi felt as if he was struck by lightning when he heard the words from the secret guard.
"Why didn't I think of that! Why didn't I think of that!" He slapped his thigh and spun around frantically in the secret room. "That's right! That's right! Ordinary toxins, no matter how overbearing, have their roots. Only a poison from a living creature can be so strange, connected to the host's destiny, endlessly! It's not eroding Xiao Yu's meridians, it's... parasitizing! It's treating Xiao Yu's body as its new 'breeding ground'!"
"Quick! Bring us all the books on Southern Xinjiang witchcraft and puppetry! Especially those rare volumes that record the 'Withered Vine Cult'!" He excitedly ordered the medicine boy, "I'm going to hunt down this bastard's entire family this time!"
In the Regent's Palace, the atmosphere was equally solemn.
Xiao Yu was completely convinced that the trouble in his body was a hundred times more dangerous than the "residual poison" diagnosed by the imperial physician.
"Your Highness, what about our surveillance of Qingfeng Manor..." Xiao Fu asked in a low voice.
"Continue." Xiao Yu's voice returned to its icy coldness. "Not only must we continue, but we must also send more manpower. Since it's a living Gu, they must have follow-up methods to activate it. Qingfeng Manor is their starting point."
At this moment, the secret guard in charge of surveillance sent another secret report.
"Your Highness, we've just received the latest news. At midnight tonight, a carriage covered in black cloth drove out of the back door of Qingfeng Manor and its whereabouts remain unknown. Our men followed it for a while, and a very suspicious smell emanated from the carriage."
"What's that smell?" Xiao Yu asked.
"According to the brothers, the smell was faint but very distinctive, like a mixture of rotten fruit and damp soil, which made people dizzy."
Xiao Yu and Chu Xuanyi had smelled that smell in the cave!
"Honey-rot soil!" Xiao Yu confirmed it almost instantly!
Our "miracle doctor" Ajiu was bored because he failed to successfully launch the slingshot, so he ran to the palace garden to play alone.
The gardens of the Prince Regent's Palace were enormous, filled with countless exotic flowers and plants, all treasures collected from all over the land. Ah Jiu was like a happy little butterfly, flitting among the flowers, sometimes chasing butterflies, sometimes poking at the mimosa plants, having a great time.
She ran to a corner planted with exotic orchids and was about to catch a beautiful swallowtail butterfly with golden spots on its wings, but suddenly stopped, wrinkled her nose, and sniffed the air hard.
Then, she pointed to one of the ornamental plants that looked lush and green, and said to the palace guards following her, "Brother, this grass is unhappy."
The guard was specially sent by Xiao Yi to keep an eye on this "little ancestor", fearing that she would do something strange again. Hearing this, he was stunned for a moment, and patiently asked: "Miss Jiu, the flowers are blooming beautifully, why are you not happy?"
"It's just not happy!" Ah Jiu said firmly. She walked around the potted plant, her brows furrowed tightly. "It smells like bad bugs, exactly the same as the smell in that stinky cave! It must have stepped on something stinky, so it's not happy!"
The smell of bad bugs?
Same as the one in the cave?
The guard's expression changed instantly! He had been to that cave before and remembered the strange smell of "honey-rot soil" vividly!
He did not dare to delay and immediately knelt on one knee and carefully dug at the roots of the plant with the dagger he carried with him.
He had only dug less than three inches when the tip of his dagger brought out some moist, dark yellow soil, a color distinct from ordinary soil. He brought the soil to his nose and sniffed gently—the familiar, sweet, cloying, and disgusting odor of decay instantly penetrated his nostrils!
It really is “honey rot”!
The guard broke out in a cold sweat on the spot!
The evil creature of the Withered Vine Cult had been secretly sent into the heavily guarded Regent's Palace without anyone noticing at some point! It was even placed in the garden where the prince often strolled!
"Hurry! Go and report to the prince!" The guard's voice was trembling.
When the news reached the study, Xiao Yu suddenly stood up. The air pressure around him instantly dropped to freezing point. A chilling murderous aura made the temperature in the entire study drop by more than ten degrees.
The enemy's hand not only reached the capital, not only reached him himself, but even reached into his palace!
He walked slowly to the window and looked at the little figure in the garden who was still clapping his hands for "saving" an "unhappy grass". His eyes became extremely deep.
This little girl, whom Chu Xuanyi called "stupid", became the key to his breakthrough time and time again.
In the study of the Prince Regent's Palace, the candlelight was bright, but the air was as cold as an ice cellar.
A map depicting the suburbs of the capital was spread out on a long pearwood table. Chu Xuanyi and Xiao Yu stood facing each other, their eyes fixed on an inconspicuous ink dot on the map - "Qingfeng Manor".
"This place is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only one official road leading in and out. It's easy to defend but difficult to attack." Xiao Yu tapped his knuckles lightly on the map, his voice low. "The security inside the manor may seem lax, but it's actually tight inside, with secret sentries everywhere. If my people didn't have special methods, I'm afraid it would be difficult to even get close."
"Hmph, the deeper it's hidden, the bigger the evil within." A cold glint flashed in Chu Xuanyi's eyes. "The art of living Gu is sinister and vicious. The place where it is cultivated must be filled with extremely yin energy and a large amount of blood from living creatures. This Qingfeng Manor may appear prosperous on the surface, but underground, I'm afraid it has become a living hell!"
He paused, his tone becoming extremely serious. "Tonight at midnight, the Yin energy is at its peak. This is the perfect time for them to perform their magic, and it's also our best opportunity to investigate. The two of us, plus your four most elite secret guards, are more than enough. Too many people would only expose us more easily."
"Yes." Xiao Yu nodded concisely.
"One more thing! That little ancestor... Ah Jiu, must be kept under close watch! This operation is extremely dangerous, we absolutely cannot let her follow!"
The corner of Xiao Yu's mouth twitched imperceptibly, evidently recalling Ah Jiu's feat of shooting spiderwebs with a bow. He pondered, "She's at your house now."
"I'm not at ease leaving her in my house!" Chu Xuanyi's voice rose eight octaves. "When I return, I'll place her in my alchemy room and provide her with good food and drink. Then, I'll lock the door three times, put up five soul-calming talismans, and send eight of my most capable Taoist children to guard the door! I don't believe she can grow wings and fly out!"
Looking at Chu Xuanyi's attitude of facing a formidable enemy, Xiao Yu rarely refuted and just nodded silently.
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