Chapter 266 should feature a scarred daughter.
Grandmother Nangong did not live in the Prince's Mansion, but instead resided in the old Nangong residence.
Yu Sui could only see her grandmother during festivals. Although her grandmother did not interfere in the affairs of the Prince's Mansion, she still held the reins of the Nangong family's more important businesses.
During their infancy, Nangong Ming and Madam Su never avoided talking about the child, since no one could imagine that a one- or two-year-old child could understand such complex things and remember them for a lifetime.
Therefore, Yu Sui knew that her grandmother was not Nangong Ming's biological mother, but Nangong Ming was raised by her.
The previous head of the Nangong family only had one child, Nangong Ming, and the entire family devoted all their efforts to raising him.
Nangong Ming respects his mother, and his grandmother does not interfere in his affairs. Although they have a mother-son relationship, they are more like collaborators.
The news that Yu Sui learned when she was young was that her grandmother, Nangong, had reached a realm that seemed to have broken through.
Madam Su probed Nangong Ming about his grandmother's cultivation level, but Nangong Ming's answer was ambiguous, so Madam Su dared not make any further moves.
Grandmother Nangong was a practitioner of the Ghost Dao.
She treated every child of the Nangong family equally and would not allow anyone to harm or damage the Nangong family's reputation and interests.
Su Feng's mother, Madam Hui, was someone that Grandmother Nangong had watched grow up. She treated Madam Hui differently from the other ladies. Because of this affection, if anyone wanted to do anything to Madam Hui's children, they would have to see if she would agree.
The message that Yu Sui relayed to Nangong's grandmother was not to ask her to protect Su Feng.
Prince Qingyang happens to be in the capital recently.
The crown prince was cruel and not the most talented among his siblings, but he was protected by his maternal family, the Liu family, and even the Nangong family was inclined to support him.
Recently, the three sages gathered in Qingyang Imperial Capital, and the Crown Prince has been frequently visiting the Five Elements Academy, hoping to make more friends with the Taiyi Sages.
Although the Sixth Prince is the most talented among the princes, he has fewer support from birth because his mother died early and his maternal clan is in decline.
Fortunately, Emperor Qingyang's thoughts are hard to fathom these days. He doesn't show too much favoritism towards the Crown Prince, nor does he excessively promote anyone other than the Crown Prince.
The Sixth Prince also had many thoughts in his mind.
If Emperor Qingyang passes away and the Crown Prince ascends the throne, given his cruel and suspicious nature, the lives of these princes and brothers will only become more difficult.
Yu Sui initially chose the ambitious and capable Sixth Prince to help him, and constantly provoked and amplified the Sixth Prince's vigilance and hostility towards the Crown Prince, making him do a lot for her.
The person the Crown Prince dislikes the most is this sixth brother.
With the help of Yu Sui, the Sixth Prince killed the escaped leader of the Orchid Poison, and was subsequently appointed as the Chief of the Imperial Orchid Bureau by Emperor Qingyang.
They had their own residence outside the palace, and the chief official's residence was also within the four streets.
It is now late at night, but the main residence of the Imperial Orchid Division is still brightly lit.
The young man standing under the eaves was handsome and elegant, with his black hair flowing freely without a crown or feathers binding him. He wore a white inner robe with a dark blue cloak, and it seemed that he had been summoned by an urgent matter after the invasion, which was why he was only wearing a cloak to cover himself.
A servant led a man out of the night and bowed under the eaves, saying, "Your Highness, Commandant Gu has arrived."
Duan Fengning looked up at the man behind the servant.
This person is a rising star in the Golden Armor Army. He has been promoted quickly and has gained the Emperor's appreciation and trust, who has praised him several times in front of others.
The young man below removed the golden light armor he wore during the daytime patrol and changed into a black outfit, as if silently indicating that he was off duty today and had been ordered to discuss official business, so he couldn't be too casual.
Gu Jun did not look at the person standing under the eaves, but bowed his head and said, "Greetings, Sixth Prince."
"Captain Gu, I had no choice but to ask you to come so late at night." Duan Fengning chuckled lightly, his face handsome but his gaze sharp. "Have you heard about the Taiyi Xuankui Orchid Poison?"
Gu Jun replied, "The deputy director already informed me on the way here."
"The Yulan Division of Taiyi colluded with Xuan Kui to sell orchid poison, destroy evidence for Xuan Kui, and even harmed Taiyi's students. However, there are also people from Qingyang among them. Tomorrow, Father will definitely bring up this matter in court, and I'm afraid he will be furious."
Duan Fengning stared at Gu Jun: "You should also know how much my father hates Lan Du."
Gu Jun lowered his head, his expression calm and unfathomable, his voice still calm: "Taiyi is far from Qingyang, and the people in Taiyi Yulan Division come from all six kingdoms. They protect each other, so it is understandable that the Sixth Prince could not detect it in time."
Duan Fengning laughed after hearing this, "Do you think my father would think the same way?"
"Your Highness," Gu Jun said, "If there is anything I can do to help, please give me your instructions."
“Some time ago, the Golden Armor Army patrolled day and night to investigate the Orchid Poison, but they couldn’t find anything.” Duan Fengning said leisurely, “The matter of the Taiyi Orchid Division will surely anger Father. Since we suffered a loss with Taiyi, we should find something in the capital to make up for it.”
Duan Fengning handed out a folded letter from under his cloak. The servant stepped forward, took it, and presented it to Gu Jun.
“This is information provided by a Xuan Kui Lan Shi,” Duan Fengning said. “It shows Xuan Kui’s stronghold in the capital. My father will be furious tomorrow, and I’m afraid I won’t have time to verify its authenticity. Why don’t you, Captain Gu, go and investigate?”
Gu Jun reached out and took it, then opened it and glanced at the information on the paper.
"I obey."
The next day, as dawn broke, Zhongli Que was woken up by her maid. After washing up, she went to see Madam Sun and told her that she was going to the outskirts of the city.
Mrs. Sun asked, puzzled, "What are you going over there for?"
“Go pray for Mother’s well-being,” Zhong Lique said with a smile. “There is a Medicine King at Shuiyang Temple. Don’t you go there every year to pray for Father and the others’ safety?”
Madam Sun frowned, wondering what she was planning. Then she heard Zhongli Que say, "I will not be in the manor today. Mother, you are still recovering from your injuries and need to rest. So even if someone comes to visit, do not receive guests."
"Did you see something again...?" Madam Sun asked uneasily.
Zhong Lique grasped her hand in return and comforted her, "Mother, don't worry, if there's anything I can't solve, I'll definitely tell you."
Having persuaded Madam Sun, Zhongli Que got up and left for Shuiyang Temple on the outskirts of the capital.
Zhong Lique set off early; by the time dawn broke, she had already left the city.
Many people in the Five Elements Academy had been busy all night and hadn't rested yet. They had also heard about the Zhongli General's Mansion. After Zhongli Qi returned, they all took the time to ask him about Madam Sun's situation.
Zhong Liqi has publicly stated that she has recovered from a critical condition and needs to rest.
Seeing that nothing was wrong, people stopped asking questions and continued with their work. Zhong Liqi was verifying the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches of a small mountain when he discovered that the second test was different from the first record. So he put his Wind Listening Ruler into the groove of the mountain and ran it again.
After waiting all night, Yu Sui finally seized the opportunity.
She began to focus on corrupting all the mountains with mountain spirits and then transmitting the information to other people's Wind Listening Rulers.
After Zhongli Que learned of this, she did not disturb her. It wasn't that she hadn't been to Shuiyang Temple before. Although she traveled alone, she brought quite a few guards with her, all of whom were sorcerers at the twelfth level of the military strategist realm.
Li Huwei is a master of the thirteen realms of military strategy.
She thought the journey would be very safe.
Yu Sui thought so too, because Zhong Lique was accompanied by Elder Yan's men, so there would be no surprises.
However, today, the blind young man sitting under the pavilion noticed something amiss with the divination on the table. Just as he was about to make a move, he was stopped by Elder Yan standing beside him.
Looking in the direction of the Five Elements Academy, Elder Yan said in a low voice, "There are too many saints in the capital these days. You'd better not interfere with the divination."
Shan Rong's finger was already on the sacred wooden divination stick. Hearing this, she raised her head slightly and said, "But she shouldn't have gone on this trip."
Old Yan: "Will I die?"
Shan Rong said, "That won't happen."
Old Yan's cloudy yet sharp eyes remained calm and unwavering: "There's no need to expose yourself for Zhong Li Ci's daughter."
Shan Rong laughed and said, "Aren't you afraid that young lady will be angry?"
Old Yan did not reply.
Shan Rong removed the divination stick from his hand and said, "If she finds out that Zhong Li Que is injured, she will not only be angry, but also heartbroken. Do you know how to coax a girl to forgive you?"
Old Yan said expressionlessly, "Do you think the unknown is more frightening, or the present situation?"
Shan Rong thought for a moment: "For me, the unknown is naturally terrifying."
Old Yan said, "Zhongli Ci may have thought a lot, but none of that has happened yet. People always have a sense of hope for things that haven't happened yet."
"So when he comes back this time, he will probably see a daughter covered in wounds."
Shan Rong said, "Are you trying to provoke Zhong Li Ci so that he won't hesitate any longer? But I still want to know how you're going to coax that angry young lady."
Old Yan did not answer.
After leaving the city, there is a mountain road. Shuiyang Temple is located on the mountaintop. The mountain road is rugged and difficult. Although it is often used by high-ranking officials and nobles, the road has never been repaired.
It is said that only by passing through this mountain fork and reaching Shuiyang Temple can one realize their heart's desire.
Those who pray to gods and Buddhas always have to go through some hardships to get their wishes fulfilled. Therefore, the rugged and steep mountain road is the easiest and the hardest hardship for them to overcome.
Zhong Lique sat in the carriage, holding the Wind Listening Ruler to send back Su Feng's message, telling him about his trip to Shuiyang Temple. Just as he sent it, a sharp sound came from outside. The carriage crashed with a loud bang, as if it had hit something. Zhong Lique was caught off guard and fell out, hitting his head against the carriage wall. He felt dizzy and lightheaded.
She heard Guard Li's angry shouts from outside: "Keep an eye on Miss! Form a defensive formation!"
The carriage broke free from the control of Li Huwei and the others and sped wildly along the mountain road. Zhong Lique was pulled up and protected by a maid. The carriage sped along, and the carriages flipped and flew. In that instant, Zhong Lique caught a glimpse of several masked white-robed sorcerers leaping up from below the cliff.
The next moment, she was embraced and protected by a maid.
The decision to travel was made during the day, but these people had been watching her for months.
Li, the guard, turned to chase after the carriage, but was stopped by a masked white-robed figure who appeared from below the cliff using a wind-controlling technique.
The opposing side was also entirely composed of military strategists and sorcerers. Dozens of sword spirits formed an array, forcing Guard Li to retreat. Guard Li looked at those white-robed figures with horror in his heart. People from Canhai Prefecture?!
Two military strategists used flying swords to catch up with the carriage. Just as they forced the speeding carriage to a stop, one of them lifted the curtain and said, "Miss!"
Zhong Lique looked up and a green leaf flew past them. She even caught a glimpse of the leaf falling and spinning. In that brief moment, the leaf transformed into a green arrow and pierced the guard's forehead.
Green vines grew wildly from the ground, entangled the forced-to-stop carriage, and utterly destroyed it.
The carriage shattered and wood flew everywhere. Zhong Lique and her maid were thrown to the ground and sent flying far away by the shockwave. Just as Li Huwei was about to catch up, he was entangled by a golden snake hidden under a flying leaf and his sword was caught.
The golden serpent suddenly transformed into a giant python, circling around Guard Li and attacking him. With a flick of its tail, it sent Zhongli Que flying, further widening the distance between the two.
The incident happened suddenly, and with multiple people surrounding him, Li, the bodyguard, almost arrived several times, but was always pushed back. In the world of Nine-Style Techniques, Zhong Lique was left at the mercy of others.
Zhongli Que was powerless to resist the shockwave. He was whipped away by the golden snake's tail and rolled to the edge of the cliff, barely managing to hang from a pine tree with one hand.
She strained to lift her head, her survival instinct driving her to climb upwards; at that moment, there was no time to think about anything else.
However, a leaf that flew from afar reached her in the blink of an eye, transforming into a sharp blue arrow that pierced straight into her palm, snapping the pine tree in two, and falling down the cliff with the girl.
[Author's Note]
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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