At midnight that night, the dew was heavy. A solitary moon hung in the night sky, its light barely visible through the dark clouds.
A gentle evening breeze rustled the leaves, causing them to fall. Aside from that, the air was eerily quiet; even the usual sound of the night watchman was absent.
Suddenly, a figure flashed by and ran towards the ancestral hall.
His steps were unwavering and hesitant, even tinged with a hint of excitement.
Luo Chentian ruffled his loose hair, held the white candle reverently in his hands, and his eyes were full of fanaticism.
Seeing that the secret passage under the ancestral hall had been opened, he rushed forward impatiently, taking three steps at a time.
Inside the secret chamber, the strange Taoist priest was already waiting. He released the Gu worm, which, driven by instinct, smelled the fragrance of Luo Jiu's blood and rushed impatiently towards the blood pool of the Epiphyllum.
Luo Chentian stared at the precious Gu worm with fascination, muttering, "May Heaven bless our lineage, may it never be exhausted..."
They even knelt down in front of the plaque, clasped their hands together, and worshipped devoutly.
Looking up, Luo Chentian's eyes were filled with fanaticism after falling into a trance; he no longer resembled a prime minister of a nation.
"May God bless me, may my blessings never cease..."
Seeing the Gu worms reweave the petals of the epiphyllum, Luo Chentian finally felt relieved.
He slowly stood up and looked at the man standing in the corner. "Taoist Master, is there... a way to solve this once and for all?"
Luo Chentian was truly terrified by the recent upheavals. This was the wealth and status he had worked so hard to achieve, and if overnight he were to return to his former state of being penniless, weak, and incompetent, he would be unwilling to accept it.
Having wielded immense power for half his life, he had completely forgotten that he obtained it through forbidden techniques and the betrayal of his daughter.
He thought to himself that if there were a way to solve the problem once and for all, he would do whatever it took.
“There is one.”
A hoarse voice came from the corner of the wall, "They dug out the saintess's heart."
The voice, though hoarse and as if tearing at the throat, sounded incredibly alluring to Luo Chentian, as if it could instantly pull him into an abyss of desire.
"They ripped out her heart?"
“Yes.” The strange Taoist priest, who had blended into the wall, unconsciously curled up the corner of his mouth and continued to tempt, “Use your heart to supply blood, and the Blood Epiphyllum will bloom continuously and never wither. In this way, you will never be suspected by the Emperor.”
"You will become a powerful minister in Southern Liang, second only to the emperor."
"As long as you dig out her heart..."
Luo Chentian was clearly bewitched by the Taoist priest, repeating the same phrase over and over, his eyes filled with madness.
At three-quarters past midnight, Luo Chentian calmed down, his fanaticism tinged with a hint of madness hidden in his eyes.
He took the kerosene lamp from the wall and led the way, walking back step by step along the secret passage.
Luo Chentian rubbed his fingers together, a little habit he had when he was thinking.
How can I obtain Luo Jiu's heart without alerting anyone?
His loose, disheveled hair, illuminated by the dim yellow oil lamp, made him look like a wild ghost crawling up from the ground.
The secret passage wasn't very long, and before long, the two of them arrived at the surface.
Before Luo Chentian could put the lit white candle back in its place and close the secret passage, the candle suddenly went out.
The ancestral hall was completely shrouded in darkness and eerily silent.
Outside, the wind howled and the leaves rustled, like vengeful ghosts coming to claim lives.
Luo Chentian was a timid and cowardly person to begin with. Now that he had done something wrong, he felt even more guilty and was terrified.
"Who? Who is it? Show yourself!"
He leaned against the chair with one hand and reached back with the other, trying to grab the Taoist priest.
To his surprise, after a long time without finding it, a hint of panic flashed in his eyes. He noticed that the ancestral hall's door was still open, and the cool moonlight shone down, illuminating the door.
Seeing this, Luo Chentian hurriedly ran towards the door. His steps were rushed and disordered, and it seemed he was about to escape this strange ancestral hall...
Suddenly, a strange gust of wind blew in, and the door slammed shut. Luo Chentian, who was only a step away from the door, was forced to stay inside the ancestral hall.
Luo Chentian unconsciously widened his eyes and reached out to open the door, but the wooden door seemed to be locked from the outside, showing no sign of being opened.
He turned his back and slowly leaned against the door.
Outside the ancestral hall, the wind howled like wild beasts, whipping up branches and rustling them. Conversely, inside the ancestral hall, it was eerily quiet.
Luo Chentian could almost hear his own heartbeat, faster and faster, until it was completely out of control, as if it was about to burst out of his body.
He unconsciously swallowed, and said in a slightly trembling voice:
"Honorable ancestors, I am Luo Chentian. May you protect me..."
Before Luo Chentian could finish speaking, a soft chuckle was heard.
"Your ancestors can't protect you..."
A cold, clear voice came from ahead, echoing endlessly in the empty and dark ancestral hall.
"Who are you? Trespassing on the Prime Minister's residence is a serious crime!"
Once he confirmed that someone was behind it, Luo Chentian breathed a sigh of relief and quickly adopted an official tone.
Using the Prime Minister's residence to intimidate people? Of those who have managed to get in, how many are actually afraid of this hollow title?
"Ha, Your Excellency the Prime Minister, you certainly have a lot of nerve. Why don't you tell me, what crime would I commit if I killed you here?"
The voice rang out again, carrying a certain wicked humor; however, behind the teasing lay deadly intent.
"You, you, you..."
Upon hearing this, Luo Chentian immediately deflated, his fear evident.
"Who sent you to kill me? I am the current prime minister! I... I'll pay double."
"Afraid of dying? That's easy to solve..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Chentian felt a chill run down his spine. When he came to his senses, a gleaming sword was already pressed against his neck.
With just a little more force, he would bleed to death because his major artery had been severed.
Luo Chentian was certain that there was no one else around him a second ago, but he hadn't noticed at all how the man hidden in the darkness found his location and held a sword to his neck.
At this moment, he could no longer describe his fear. Luo Chentian leaned against the back of the door, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead, dripping onto the cold sword and reflecting a cold light.
"Don't move! If you make a mistake, even Hua Tuo himself wouldn't be able to come back."
"What do you want to do?" Luo Chentian asked in a trembling voice, the fear of death rendering him incapable of thinking.
"Quiet down, wait a minute!"
Suddenly, the door next to them was opened from the outside. A woman was escorted into the shrine by soldiers in light armor.
"Alright, everyone's here. Let's begin."
The man couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips into a smile, his eyes revealing an undisguised coldness.
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