Outside the palace walls, Li Jiang and Mu Dong were crouching on a tree, waiting to meet Qing He at any moment.
Mu Dong had already finished all the pastries she bought, and now she was both sleepy and hungry, with her stomach constantly growling.
He leaned against the tree trunk and yawned, saying, "Why haven't they come out yet? I'm starving."
Li Jiang stared intently at the imperial city, and without turning her head, said, "Just wait quietly. If you're hungry, keep quiet."
Mu Dong remained silent, but his stomach protested in his place with a growl.
Two incense sticks later, even Li Jiang couldn't help but turn her head and look at him helplessly.
Mu Dong shrugged, looking aggrieved, and said, "I can't help it, I can't control it."
Li Jiang: "Didn't you say you were going to fast? Is this your result?"
Mu Dong scratched his head, his intermittent amnesia kicking in: "Did I say that? I don't remember."
Li Jiang shook her head and turned back to continue keeping watch.
*
The divine sense gradually spread out, sweeping over the vegetation and tiles, and was suddenly bounced back just before reaching the door.
As expected, this place was placed under a restriction.
Changping saw Qinghe standing there, looking puzzled: "What's wrong?"
Qinghe examined the unassuming house in front of him again: "Why is this a forbidden area?"
Changping recalled: "I don't know much either. I only know that my father would come here for a while every now and then, and he wouldn't allow anyone to follow him. I remember once I was playing and accidentally wandered in. My father found out and punished me by making me face the wall for two months. That was the first time my father had ever been angry with me!"
At this point, she said with a hint of grievance, "Since then, a barrier has been placed here, and no one can enter."
Qinghe: "What did you see when you went in?"
Changping: "The time was too short. I only vaguely saw a huge portrait. Before I could take a closer look, my father dragged me out."
Qinghe jokingly said, seemingly casually, "Portrait? I thought there were some treasures hidden inside, like jade, emeralds, agate beads or something."
Changping chuckled: "What treasures are there? It's pitch black inside, there isn't even a box. Besides, these things are nothing special in the palace. You can find them in any concubine's room, so why would you need to hide them?"
Qinghe smiled faintly: "That's true."
The night was cool and still, a cold wind blew, and the crickets around continued to chirp.
Changping shivered and said, "Let's leave here quickly, I'm a little cold."
Qinghe nodded and walked side by side with Changping, but one hand quietly went behind Changping and gently tapped her with his finger when she was completely unprepared.
Holding the unconscious Changping in his arms, Qinghe whispered in her ear, "Sweet dreams."
After placing Changping in a safe and flat spot, Qinghe arrived in front of the house.
As they got closer, the wind-stabilizing bead at their waist became increasingly agitated.
At first glance, the house doesn't seem special, but upon closer inspection, you'll find a translucent membrane floating around it, with countless tiny points of light faintly attached to it—those are incantations.
Qinghe raised his hand and paused lightly on the thin membrane, his brows furrowing slightly. This was actually the Heart-Connecting Mantra!
She had seen this kind of restriction in a book. The so-called Heart-Connecting Curse is made by refining the heart blood of the person casting the curse, adding the seeds of the Heart-Connecting Grass, and refining it for forty-nine days.
This is equivalent to the person and the spell becoming one. The strength of the spell is related to the caster's cultivation level; the stronger the cultivation level, the stronger the spell. If someone forcibly breaks the seal, the caster will immediately sense it and quickly locate and kill the opponent.
Those who use this kind of spell are trying to protect what is most important to them, and it is extremely easy for it to backfire. Ordinary cultivators would never use this kind of spell unless absolutely necessary.
Qinghe is now curious about who the portrait depicts, and why Mo Zhanli would use the Heart-Connecting Mantra to protect it.
After assessing his own strength, Qinghe felt that he was not absolutely confident in breaking the restriction, and might even alert the enemy. He could only seek help.
He sent a divine thought to Shen Xun and Mo Junqian in his spiritual sea, then waited quietly in place. Changping was sleeping peacefully against a green pine tree, and Qinghe silently admired her sleeping face; she was quite adorable.
Suddenly she heard a sound, sometimes near, sometimes far. Qinghe concealed her and Changping's presence and quietly moved toward the sound.
The pine tree was neither too tall nor too short, just enough to block Qinghe's figure. She tilted her head and found two figures in the darkness. One looked like a palace maid, and the other looked somewhat familiar.
After thinking about it carefully, it seems to be He Si, the owner of Zuixianju.
What's he doing here? And with a palace maid? And they're even arguing? Could it be...?
Qinghe swore she really didn't mean to think dirty thoughts; it was just that the scene in front of her was too easy to make people imagine things.
It's better to avoid trouble, especially since the most important thing right now is the Divine Pearl. As for erotic affairs, they have nothing to do with her.
Before long, the two men sneaked away, completely unaware that someone was spying on them.
After an incense stick had burned, Shen Xun and Mo Junqian appeared.
Qinghe: "Did no one notice you?"
Shen Xun shook his head: "Don't worry, those people are all busy currying favor with Zhuge Hongming, they won't notice us."
Qing was relieved, then turned to the thin membrane and asked, "Do you have any way to break this restriction?"
Although Mo Junqian was incredibly talented, he lacked experience and had only heard of the Heart-Connecting Curse, not knowing how to break it.
Shen Xun stood in front of the membrane, looking serious, with his two little hands behind his back, looking just like a little adult.
After a long pause, he said, "Breaking this Heart-Connecting Curse is actually quite simple."
Qinghe: "Oh? What's your idea?"
Shen Xun held up a finger: "Only a drop of the heart's blood from the one who cast the spell is needed."
Qinghe pouted: "Mo Zhanli's heart's blood isn't something you can get so easily."
The three remained silent.
Although Mo Zhanli's cultivation level is unknown, given his background at Tianqi Academy, it is definitely above theirs, and his strength should not be underestimated. Moreover, with Zhuge Hongming present, it is impossible to obtain the Heart's Blood by force; they can only outsmart him.
But given the cunning of those two old foxes, even if they were to outsmart them, they would have to come up with a foolproof plan.
Qinghe frowned in deep thought, his gaze inadvertently falling on Changping, who was fast asleep not far away, and he had an idea.
She looked at the two of them and said, "Why don't we ask Changping? She should know a lot about Mo Zhanli's weaknesses."
Changping was leisurely strolling in the sunshine on a meadow covered with dandelions, lost in her sleep. Suddenly, a swarm of dandelions, which had been scattered around her, rushed towards her face. She instinctively waved her hands to try and shoo them away, but the large movement made her open her eyes abruptly.
Qinghe removed the foxtail grass and smiled, "Awake?"
Changping was still a little dazed. Looking around, he realized that he was lying on a large rock by the Imperial Lake.
She rubbed her eyes: "I remember we went out for a walk, how did we fall asleep?"
Qinghe sat down next to her and said, "Yes, you slept for a long time. Were you too tired today?"
Changping regained some composure: "Maybe, hey, you guys came out too?"
Mo Junqian: "Yeah, it's a bit stuffy inside, so I came out for some fresh air."
Shen Xun, resting his chin on his hand, said in a childlike tone, "Those adults are so boring. They brag about how amazing they are with all sorts of weird things. Tch, what's so great about that!"
Changping asked curiously, "What strange thing?"
Mo Junqian explained, "It's a spiritual artifact. Everyone has their own spiritual artifact, and the more powerful the artifact, the stronger the owner."
Changping immediately lost interest and waved his hand, saying, "They do this every year around this time. It's just mutual flattery among officials. It's so boring."
Shen Xun chimed in, "Exactly."
Qinghe suddenly spoke up: "I wonder what the king's magical artifact is? With his high strength, his magical artifact must be very powerful, right?"
Changping casually replied, "I really don't know. I've never seen my father use a magical weapon in front of me. Perhaps he's afraid of undermining my confidence."
The three exchanged glances, and Qinghe asked again, "Does he have any preferences or anything like that? As your friends, we should respectfully meet the king and cater to his tastes."
Changping: "Why bother with these formalities? Father doesn't have many hobbies. He likes strange and unusual things, and occasionally paints landscapes just for fun."
As she spoke, she suddenly thought of something and looked at Shen Xun, saying, "If you want to know what he likes the most, it's probably children." She joked, "If you really want to please him, why don't you give him to my father?"
Shen Xun said expressionlessly, "Human trafficking is illegal, especially of children."
Changping laughed heartily.
Qinghe, standing to the side, appeared much more serious. She not only didn't laugh, but even thought it was a good idea.
Qinghe communicated with Shenxun in the spiritual sea: "What do you think?"
Shen Xun looked at her, a warning lurking in his eyes: "What do you mean, 'what do you mean,' don't get any ideas about me!"
Qinghe advised him, "You should prioritize the overall situation."
Shen Xun: "I have already given enough."
Qinghe: "This idea, which I've been working on for so long, was yours to come up with."
Shen Xun: "..."
Qinghe: "The divine pearl is right in front of us, we can't give up halfway."
Shen Xun: "Then why don't you go yourself? You could use your beauty to seduce her."
Qinghe: "You forgot, I'm dressed as a man now, and you told me to keep it that way forever."
Shen Xun: "..."
Mo Junqian interjected at the opportune moment: "We must prioritize the overall situation."
Shen Xun completely compromised.
After everything was settled, Mo Junqian left with Shen Xun, who looked utterly dejected, leaving Qinghe to accompany Changping outside to admire the moon.
Back in the main hall, Shen Xun lingered and sat back down in his original seat. He turned to Mo Junqian and said, "Later, no matter what you see, you must not tell anyone."
Mo Junqian assured him.
Shen Xun took a deep breath and walked towards Mo Zhanli's direction.
Mo Zhanli had already left the throne and was having a lively conversation with Zhuge Hongming.
These two can be considered fellow disciples. Back in Tianqi Academy, they were from the same school. However, their personalities are completely different. Mo Zhanli grew up in the royal family and is very shrewd in dealing with people. Soon after arriving at the academy, he made many friends and became very popular. In addition, he is talented and good-looking. Before long, he became a prominent figure in the academy.
Zhuge Hongming, on the other hand, received completely different treatment. Due to his eccentric and withdrawn personality, he not only had few friends but also offended many people. Back then, whenever someone came to cause trouble, it was Mo Zhanli who helped him resolve the situation. Over time, only Mo Zhanli could exchange a few words with him.
Unexpectedly, many years later, one became the ruler of the country and the other became the dean of the academy, both becoming remarkable figures in their own right.
At this moment, Mo Zhanli picked up the wine pot and refilled Zhuge Hongming's cup, laughing and saying, "Who would have thought that we would be like this so many years later? Hahaha."
Zhuge Hongming maintained his cold expression: "It's just fate."
Mo Zhanli: "Yes, what a stroke of luck. I wonder how Master is doing. He's been living a carefree life for so long, has he forgotten all of us? Sigh..."
Just as he was sighing, something suddenly bumped into his waist. Mo Zhanli looked down and saw a seven or eight-year-old boy standing in front of him, holding a half-eaten osmanthus cake and looking at him with a blank expression.
"Uncle, would you like some osmanthus cake?"
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