Chapter 15
The woman raised her finger, with an almost obsessive rapture, and gently stroked her flawless face in the mirror. Sunlight streamed through the window and fell precisely on the back of her hand, revealing a network of deep brown wrinkles.
Seeing that she was in a very good mood, the fierce old woman bowed her head and stepped forward. "Your Majesty, a message has been sent in that snake worms are wreaking havoc on the southern border, causing countless deaths and injuries to civilians. The Emperor of Yuan Chu has taken notice of this matter..."
She paused, then lowered her voice even further, "They said that if Your Highness doesn't want to cause trouble, you must keep those filthy things under control."
The old woman paused, then forced herself to finish her sentence: "They also said that if Your Highness hasn't been able to nurture 'that thing' by then, it will be difficult for them to find the person Your Highness wishes to see..."
The woman in front of the mirror froze abruptly as she touched her face, and a chilling gloom instantly settled over her stunningly beautiful face in the mirror.
"It was just a few lowly commoners who died!"
A sharp, distorted shout suddenly rang out inside the house, but the gaze was fixed on the pebbled path outside that led to Yin Huaisi's residence!
"Go!" Her voice trembled slightly with extreme anger. "Have the people around the young master keep a close eye on him, watching his every move!" Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth. "Don't let that ignorant fool go out and cause trouble again!"
"yes."
Just then, a flurry of footsteps suddenly came from the doorway!
The long-faced servant who had been ordered to dispose of the maid's body returned. His face was deathly pale, and his lips were trembling uncontrollably. He didn't even bother to bow and scrambled into the room, his voice distorted by extreme fear: "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! There's...someone in that room!"
Before the bronze mirror, the woman who had just regained her "youth" frowned deeply. The turmoil of frustration and violence in her heart made her want to drag this panicked good-for-nothing out and feed him to the Gu poison immediately! She suppressed her murderous intent and said impatiently, "He's just a servant who trespassed into the forbidden area. Just throw him in."
"No! Your Highness!" The long-faced servant suddenly raised his head, tears streaming down his face, and shook his head desperately. "No... not a servant! It seems... it is..." His gaze turned sharply to a portrait of a man hanging on the central wall of the main room, as if burned.
It was that startled glance!
The flawless, beautiful face in the mirror instantly lost all color!
"Clang—!"
The priceless jade comb in her hand slipped and fell to the ground, shattering into pieces!
Before she could even see the mess beneath her feet, she stumbled and rushed out of the house like an arrow, driven by a reckless madness. The direction she was heading was none other than the ominous forbidden area to the south.
*
Xi Xiao was drowsy on the couch in the side room when suddenly, a strong, pungent smell mixed with the acrid smell of burnt wood forcefully entered her nostrils!
Her heart skipped a beat, and she woke up instantly. Almost instinctively, she hurriedly got up and rushed outside.
As soon as she pushed open the door to the side room, a scorching heat wave rushed towards her, and the sight before her made her blood seem to freeze instantly.
From the direction of the main house, flames soared into the sky, engulfing the low-lying building. Scorching flames licked the charred beams and broken window frames, while thick smoke billowed like a ferocious black dragon, tumbling and shooting straight into the heavens.
Xi Xiao trembled violently, her mind went blank, and her body reacted before her consciousness could, walking straight toward the center of the raging flames that were devouring everything.
"Are you crazy?!" A sharp shout came from the side, and Xi Xiao was pulled and staggered. She turned her head blankly and saw Cen Ya's face covered in soot right in front of her.
Cen Ya gripped her arm tightly, her voice hoarse from inhaling smoke, and said urgently, "Madam Lan's nanny was brewing medicine in the small kitchen at noon when she accidentally knocked over the medicine pot, and sparks flew onto the nearby woodpile... that's how... that's how it started. The fire is too big, what good will it do if you go in? Are you just going to throw your life away?!"
Pierced by the sharp question, Xi Xiao suddenly seized on the most crucial word and grabbed Cen Ya's arm tightly, "Madam Lan?! Where is Madam Lan?!"
Cen Ya felt a sharp pain from her grip, but seeing the unprecedented, almost collapsing fear in her eyes, she was slightly shaken. Although she didn't understand why she was so concerned about Madam Lan, she quickly said, "Madam is alright. She happened to be getting some fresh air in the garden when the fire started. She wasn't hurt and is perfectly fine."
These words were like a refreshing rain, instantly extinguishing the panic in Xi Xiao's heart. Her tense body suddenly relaxed, and a feeling of exhaustion, as if she had survived a disaster, swept over her. She didn't even realize that two hot tears had silently slid down her ash-covered cheeks.
She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her turbulent emotions, and refocused her gaze. "Thank you," she said hoarsely to Cen Ya, then turned and joined the women and servants rushing around outside, passing buckets of water to extinguish the fire.
Seeing that Cen Ya's expression was sorrowful yet calm, she said no more and hurriedly picked up a wooden bucket and joined the flow of people fighting the fire.
The fire gradually subsided, but the thick smoke was still choking. When the last wisp of flame was extinguished, what lay before everyone was a shocking scene of charred ruins. The main house had collapsed most of its length, emitting a heavy smell of burnt ash and ashes. All the furnishings inside had been reduced to nothing.
Xi Xiao's gaze involuntarily fell on the spot where the bed had once stood. There, only a charred outline remained. Just this morning, she had sat by this bed, talking with Madam Lan all night. And those cherished ancient books... had vanished without a trace.
Just as she was amidst the devastation and turmoil, a striking dark red color suddenly caught Xi Xiao's eye.
Deep within the ashes where the bed once stood, a curled, charred remnant of a seal, like a dying butterfly wing, half-covered an equally charred and tattered ancient book. On that book, one could vaguely discern some eerie, dark red markings.
A passage of text, blurred by smoke and fire but still legible with its title, was instantly imprinted in Xi Xiao's eyes like a fleeting glimpse of a beautiful woman.
The title was shockingly—The Witch Clan!
The illustrations depict a scene that is even more terrifying: countless twisted and wailing figures are bound within a huge runic array, with a terrifying, inhuman, beast-like being shrouded in shadow standing in the center.
Her pupils contracted sharply as she tried to step forward for a closer look.
However--
"call--!"
A stronger draft, carrying lingering smoke and dust, suddenly rushed into the ruins.
The already fragile tattered book, along with its dark red seal, instantly turned into countless charred fragments and ashes, swirling into the air before being completely swept away by the raging wind in the blink of an eye, leaving not a trace.
Xi Xiao stood frozen in place, her heart pounding wildly. An overwhelming intuition screamed at her: the ancient book that had vanished into thin air was extremely important.
She turned around abruptly, eager to find Madam Lan and ask her what was going on. However, when she rushed out of the ruins, she saw that everyone in the courtyard, whether they were the old women and servants who had put out the fire or the other servants who had rushed over after hearing the news, were all rushing in the same direction, which was the direction of the forbidden area on the south side!
A chilling, ominous premonition instantly gripped Xi Xiao's heart.
Something terrible is about to happen!
Xi Xiao staggered to the forbidden area on the south side, and the scene before her made her suffocate instantly!
The strange house on the south side, which used to reek of an ominous stench, was now wide open, and a crowd of people, like a flock of frightened crows, had formed a semicircle at a distance, their faces a mixture of fear and bewilderment.
At the heart of the scene were two figures!
A woman dressed in elaborate palace attire was tightly embracing a man in her arms. The man was thin and frail, his plain robe stained with dark dirt, his face as pale as paper, and his breath weak.
Xi Xiao's eyes darted around, her heart pounding. She immediately spotted Madam Lan standing beside the strange, open house.
Madam Lan's hunched body stood ramrod straight, revealing a posture that seemed to be almost exhausting her life. Her face, etched with deep wrinkles, was now drenched in sweat, as if washed by water. The sweat even had an unnatural red glow. Her clear eyes were fixed on the dark depths of the room, her gaze so focused it was almost burning.
Beside her, a young man was gesturing anxiously, his lips moving rapidly as if he were telling her something extremely urgent. However, no matter how urgent the young man was, Madam Lan paid no attention to him. Her entire mind seemed to be firmly grasped by the depths of that strange house!
Xi Xiao was extremely anxious and, disregarding everything else, immediately set off to run towards Madam Lan.
Just as she rushed through the center of the crowd, her gaze inadvertently swept across the face of the man being tightly embraced by the gorgeous woman.
Boom!
As if thunder from the heavens had struck her mind, Xi Xiao's blood instantly turned back to its normal flow.
That face…that pale, unforgettable face—
"Master—!!"
A heart-wrenching, incredulous scream suddenly burst from Xi Xiao's throat.
The gorgeous woman who was tightly embracing her master suddenly looked up when she heard the sound. When she saw Xi Xiao's face clearly, her already distorted face was instantly covered by a poisonous malice and jealousy.
"It's you!" The gorgeous woman's voice was shrill and piercing, filled with bone-chilling hatred!
Xi Xiao finally saw the woman's face clearly, and it was somewhat similar to her own. A horrifying thought instantly gripped her heart: This person was the princess, her... birth mother? However, she felt no sense of closeness, only a strong sense of rejection and icy coldness.
She forced down her surging emotions and called out again in a trembling voice, "Master!"
This time, Qin Songdai seemed to hear him. He turned his eyes very slowly, and his gaze finally fell on Xi Xiao.
However, his gaze was empty, cold, and indifferent, as if he were looking at a complete stranger.
Xi Xiao was stunned. She suddenly realized that perhaps her master had never truly loved her.
Then why... why take her to the Medicine Valley and then leave her to fend for herself...?
A profound sense of bewilderment and helplessness overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.
Upon seeing this, the glamorous woman's voice, twisted with pleasure, echoed throughout the room: "Qin Songdai, back then, for that woman..." Her hand suddenly pointed at Madam Lan beside the strange house, "you ran away from our engagement and abandoned me. She was afraid her daughter would be harmed by those fools from the Southern Frontier, and you... you used our child to take the blame for her child?!"
Her voice trembled with extreme resentment, "Huai Si... our Huai Si was almost bled to death by those jackals when he was a child. If I hadn't risked my life to protect him... would you still be able to see our child today?!" Every word was stained with blood, an accusation, but also the pent-up grievances and resentment of half a lifetime!
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