Chapter 48 Chaoyun Kingdom - Chaos Pearl (12) Tell them, you...
Shi Xianxue was awakened by the sharp noise outside.
She suddenly opened her eyes, only to find herself completely stiff and unable to move. The candlelight in the hall was dim, and ghostly shadows pressed down on her.
At the same time, Cui Cui's scolding voice rang out.
"How dare you! The Crown Princess has already gone to bed. You barged in so recklessly, ruining her reputation. Do you want the Crown Prince to punish you and take your heads?"
"By order of the Celestial Child of the Star-Picking Pavilion, thieves have infiltrated the palace during the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. For the safety of the Crown Princess, we must search the palace."
"Are you trying to trick me because I'm young? With the Imperial Advisor in charge and no unusual activity detected within the barrier, how could demons have gotten in?"
I really want to die.
Shi Xianxue thought in a daze.
Cui Cui, do you want to go back to the room and take a look? There really is a monster in your master's room.
Someone said something, and the arguing outside gradually subsided.
The surrounding environment became misty and rainy. Something cold fell on her skin. Shi Xianxue felt as if she were being paralyzed by a ghost. She was conscious, but her body felt incredibly heavy.
The dark shadow pressed down on her head. She smelled the damp earth and the fragrance of lotus leaves.
Sure enough, the next second, a stem-like object covered in fine hairs touched her lower abdomen, climbed up to her smooth wrist, and brought an itchy sensation.
Suddenly, a short, sharp pain shot through my wrist, like being bitten by a small insect or having my skin pierced by a sharp needle.
Something is slowly leaking out.
A childish, smug voice rang in my ears.
"It smells so good. I knew I was right. The only thing that can replace the Chaos Pearl as the core of the array is the Goddess's body. If I can devour her, I will never have to be threatened by that old man again."
There's too much information; Shi Xianxue needs to take her time.
No wonder she had to marry Brother Li and become pregnant before the Chaos Pearl could be given to her. They were using her as a woman and her unborn child to blackmail and control her, so she would be subject to their control at every turn. Even if she sacrificed herself to the array, she wouldn't reveal anything to Xiliang.
Vicious, absolutely vicious.
Shi Xianxue finally adapted to the darkness, which also allowed her to see what was pressing down on her.
Sure enough, it was that damned little fairy boy. Now he only had his head on, and his body was a lotus root half the height of a person, with countless thin, dark blue stems and leaves.
It turns out that the true forms of the twelve fairy children were lotus roots.
No wonder the flying artifact is a lotus lantern.
However, he appears respectable during the day, but becomes especially repulsive at night, revealing his true colors.
Sure enough, Zhang Qing was no good either.
The more critical the moment, the more Shi Xianxue's thoughts wandered, and she even had the leisure to think about all sorts of random things.
The system was frantically pacing around: "Oh no, oh no! Where did that brat go at this crucial moment? This is the most critical time. Men really can't be relied on."
Shi Xianxue, who was struggling to break free from the restraint, was distracted: "What?"
It was during this moment of distraction that Shi Xianxue discovered she could move her arm again.
"Hehe, let me devour you, little goddess. Once I've cultivated to the righteous path, your life in this world won't have been in vain."
"Eat your big head, you big devil." As the big head pressed down on him, Shi Xianxue poked his eyes with two fingers together.
A scream suddenly rang out, and the force binding Shi Xianxue was also greatly reduced.
Shi Xianxue kicked the careless lotus root spirit out of bed and jumped off the bed, running towards the door without stopping.
To her surprise, the moment she touched the door frame, the entire door vanished into thin air before her eyes.
Instead, a pitch-black wall was erected.
Shi Xianxue only then realized that she was trapped in the spiritual realm.
The green stems had somehow wrapped around her neck and then tightened silently, pressing the fairy boy's head tightly against hers. He breathed into her ear, "I really underestimated you. You actually managed to break through my immobilization spell. But little princess, if you're not eaten by me, you'll be sacrificed to the Mermaid Pearl Array. Rather than die in agony, I'd rather give you a quick death."
Why do they all want to eat her? She's a member of the Wushan tribe, not Tang Sanzang's flesh. Wake up!
It was as if it was trying to break her will.
The seductive voice continued: "Your future husband knew all along that you would be sacrificed to the Mermaid Pearl Array, but he didn't choose to save you, did he? Crown Princess? Ha, all of this was just a trap set up to make you die in the array."
"Stop struggling. Even if you survive here, what good will it do? How many people in Xiliang truly care for you? They sent you here for a marriage alliance; isn't that a form of abandonment?"
Outside the illusion, the fire ibis frantically flapped its wings, crying out, "Master, if we don't save her soon, she'll be eaten by the lotus root spirit!"
Wu Ying transformed into a wisp of white smoke on the boy's wrist, and upon hearing these words, the white smoke became even denser.
The lotus root spirit is very weak. It was originally there to guard the formation. Even though it had cultivated with Zhang Qing for decades, it would not dare to use the abilities belonging to the Star-Picking Pavilion in order to devour the goddess alone and not alert the Star-Picking Pavilion. As long as Shi Xianxue finds the lotus root spirit's weakness, she will be able to strike it down in one blow.
It's very simple.
Wu Xiutang watched coldly: "It's good that she's dead."
Since they both perished, she would naturally have no more chances to anger her.
The mere thought of her seeing his past made the endless killing intent surging from the depths of his heart impossible to suppress. He had wanted to kill her many times to end it all, but as soon as he spoke to her and their eyes met, that killing intent would inexplicably be soothed.
The hand that was about to grab her neck had somehow ended up touching her face. It was as if, within the seal of Mount No Return, the madness and desire to destroy everything would turn into an uncontrollable heartbeat whenever he saw her.
Because of their shared destiny, his feelings for her are now very complicated.
You can't kill her, and if you speak to her gently, she'll take advantage of your kindness. If you say a few harsh words, she'll start crying, crying in a way that makes her look completely disheveled, her whole little face scrunched up, making her even uglier than the Golden Boy.
He is not a good person, extremely impatient, and like the Jiuyi people, he is most skilled at deception and coaxing. After the unraveling of their shared destiny, he might actually kill her.
He focused his gaze on the illusion once more.
Some words seemed to have touched a nerve with Shi Xianxue, and her struggles indeed weakened. The lotus root spirit was overjoyed, and its stems danced even more merrily. Just as it was about to step forward and devour the little goddess, Shi Xianxue suddenly lowered her head and bit down on its belly.
Um?
It's crunchy when you bite into it; it would be even better with some star anise and spices for seasoning.
The lotus root spirit originally intended to eat her, but unexpectedly, Shi Xianxue bit her belly instead, tearing off a large piece of her lotus root flesh like a jackal or tiger.
He even spat it out with disgust, looking like he had accidentally eaten something awful.
The lotus root spirit was in pain, and then saw Shi Xianxue take out a yellow talisman, chanting something in a daze. The yellow talisman spontaneously combusted without fire, and in the next instant, it turned into countless tiny black insects that burrowed into the hole in the lotus root spirit's belly.
The lotus root spirit has cultivated for decades, but it has never been able to cultivate the excellent human virtues of caution and careful planning.
He confidently believed that the Wushan people had a difficult time cultivating, and Shi Huaiyu was the goddess of this generation. She hadn't even fully awakened her repairing power, so how could she talk about cultivation? He never expected that she could use the talismans of the Qingyun Sect so skillfully.
The talismans of the Qingyun Sect have always been the most powerful among all sects.
The lotus root spirit immediately tried to retreat, but the stem wrapped around Shi Xianxue's neck had become a huge burden. The lotus root's body was already riddled with holes and worms, and those insects were nesting inside its belly without restraint.
The insects transformed from the talisman were exceptionally domineering. Once bitten, they were like lice, unable to break free. Even using magic to drive them away was useless. They seemed to have developed intelligence, advancing deep inside until they bit off a lotus flower growing inside the lotus root with their sharp teeth.
Like a final burst of energy before death, the stem tightened unconsciously as it struggled, causing Shi Xianxue's face to turn red and making it difficult for her to breathe. She struggled wildly, and a small sword inlaid with gemstones fell out of her sleeve.
Shi Xianxue caught it with her backhand and swiftly cut off the stem wrapped around her neck.
The stems slumped to the ground section by section. As the lotus spirit was devoured by the talisman, Shi Xianxue was spat out by the illusion.
The sounds of the outside world poured into her ears like flowing water, and she bumped into a familiar embrace, instinctively using her hands to hold onto the shoulders of the person who came in to steady herself.
She looked up and her gaze unexpectedly met that person's.
After a few seconds of staring at each other, Wu Xiutang pushed the other person away first.
Shi Xianxue took a hard fall, leaving large red welts on her delicate palms, which stung with pain.
She pressed her lips tightly together and gently rubbed the wound with her other hand to ease the stinging sensation.
Shi Xianxue lowered her head, the moonlight spilling onto the cool gemstone hairpin, refracting a color of light devoid of warmth.
She tried to hold back, but couldn't help but let out a few words of resentment and sorrow.
"You were right outside, why didn't you come to save me?"
The wuxiutang hides inside the cherry's body to avoid inspection; by day it is the cherry, and by night it is the wuxiutang.
Whether by day or night, it always looks like a cherry.
But he no longer wanted to pretend and refused to even speak to her.
Shi Xianxue still had a clear ligature mark on her neck, and her throat was very uncomfortable when she swallowed.
Unable to pinpoint the exact reason, Shi Xianxue felt she was crying from the pain. She stubbornly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and protested, "If I'm in pain, don't you feel pain too? If I die, you'll die too. How could you just stand by and do nothing?"
He even added a sentence at the end.
"I'm not threatening you, I'm trying to reason with you."
Wu Ying looked surprised.
She...she knew all along? It told me to tone down my sullen face, and look, I've been exposed!
Wu Xiutang was like an emotionless stone statue. He lowered his eyelashes coldly, and the moonlight shone from behind him, blurring his face.
There was still no response.
Shi Xianxue looked up at him dejectedly, her eyes glistening like water.
His tone was cautious and ingratiating.
"Have you eaten? Are you hungry? Would you like some lychee wine?"
Seeing his brows furrowing and his growing impatience, Shi Xianxue quickly said, "I'm sorry, I didn't tell anyone else. Only you and I know about this. I promise I'll never mention it again."
She became less and less confident as she spoke, and her voice weakened, but she still stubbornly continued, "I know you came disguised as Cherry because you don't trust me. You're a very good person, you're just stubborn but soft-hearted."
"Shall we make up?"
She reached out to him, looking at him with her wet eyes, her eyelashes fluttering like those of a fragile butterfly in the coldest of places.
The two looked at each other in silence.
Shi Xianxue began to feel uneasy.
After an unknown amount of time, the sound of orderly footsteps approached from afar outside the palace. The firelight illuminated the entire sky above the Lotus Palace. As the palace doors were pushed open with great force, a cloud-piercing arrow with a ghostly green flame tore through the air and shot precisely at the two of them.
"Tremble, you imposter! Today I, the prince, will make you pay the price for impersonating a princess and deceiving my elder brother."
The arrowhead dissolved into ashes in mid-air, and Cherry's body collapsed limply to the ground, a shadow emerging from her body.
Li Fuxuan managed to escape to the Star-Picking Pavilion amidst the chaos, where his master removed the Gu poison from him. Now free from the Gu, he felt completely at ease and no longer had to be threatened by them. He couldn't wait to beat them to death with sticks.
The boy in front of him, in particular, infuriated him.
They were the same age, but not only was his cultivation higher, but he was also more cunning than a lotus root, making him look like a fool and completely outmaneuvering him. This made him lose face! If word got out, would he still be able to maintain his position as the Third Prince?
But things are different now. This is his territory. If he can't beat someone out on his own, does that mean he can't even fight them in a group?
Li Fuxuan has never been known for his martial ethics.
Behind him stood a dense mass of imperial guards. Li Fuxuan confidently raised his silver spear and said, "If you know what's good for you, kneel down and kowtow to me, begging for my mercy. Then I might consider sparing your lives."
"What imposter?" Shi Xianxue sprang to her feet, spreading her arms to protect Wu Xiutang, and explained anxiously, "I am Princess Shi Huaiyu of Xiliang, the real deal."
Wu Xiutang's eyelashes twitched slightly, his expression unreadable.
"What nonsense about the Princess of Xiliang! Since you don't know what's good for you, don't blame me for being impolite. Attack! Slash them to death! Leave no survivors!"
"stop!"
Li Fuchao strode forward from the back of the crowd, followed by Song Qingshu, who appeared to be a eunuch, and the envoy from Xiliang. He pressed down on the silver spear in Li Fuxuan's hand, "Third brother, what are you doing?"
The envoy hurried after them, and only after seeing that the princess was unharmed did he wipe the sweat from his brow with a sense of relief.
“Brother, you’ve come at the right time! This woman is not the princess of Xiliang at all; she’s an imposter. The people next to her are her accomplices. I was bewitched by them and forced to lie. Now that the bewitching has been lifted, of course I must kill them to vent my hatred.”
Song Qingshu realized something was wrong when she discovered that Li Fuxuan was missing, so she went to the East Palace to find Li Fuchao and told him everything that had happened in the past few days.
Li Fuchao glanced at the two of them with a troubled expression, and couldn't help but sigh: "She is Shi Huaiyu, the real Princess of Xiliang."
After saying that, he felt guilty and didn't dare to look at the two of them.
When Shi Xianxue saw Song Qingshu there, an unnatural expression flashed across her face.
Wu Xiutang took all of this into account. He was sharp-minded and the reason he did not doubt Shi Xianxue's identity was because he had investigated Shi Xianxue's childhood memories in the Misty Forest. Although he did not know where that place was, it could not be Xiliang.
He couldn't help but think of that independent soul... In addition, one of the two men had the look of an adulterer written all over his face, while the other had a guilty look on his face, which made him narrow his eyes dangerously.
“Brother, I can’t understand you. She is…” Li Fuxuan saw the envoys and strode over, grabbed them, and pushed them in front of Li Fuchao. “Tell me, is she real or fake?”
The envoy was completely bewildered by the situation, his back soaked with cold sweat. "Third Prince, this is indeed our princess."
Li Fuxuan's eyes widened. "You've been bewitched too?"
"Third Prince, there must be some misunderstanding. This really is our princess."
"I think you've all been bewitched by that witch!"
Wu Xiutang had no interest in listening to their argument. "Shut up."
Li Fuxuan, who had been ruled by the emperor, fell silent instantly.
All eyes were on the handsome young man.
He stared at the person in front of him with his dark eyes, which made Shi Xianxue feel a chill down her spine, her hair stand on end, and an ominous feeling spread throughout her heart.
Finally, her shoulder was gently touched by slender, shapely fingers. There was no force at all, yet it made her tremble.
Why are you shaking?
The slender, pale fingers rubbed upwards against the cool earlobe, and Wu Xiutang's eyes darkened.
She heard his cold, emotionless commands.
“Tell them who you are.”
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