"It turns out that the evil Taoist Shangqing has put a blood poison on the princess."
"This person is not only vicious, but also extremely shameless. He just lied with his eyes open and refused to admit it!"
"So he is such a hypocritical person!"
“…”
Those who had defended Shangqing before were extremely ashamed at this moment. How pious they were in the past, how much hatred they felt towards Shangqing now. They felt that they were really blinded by some small favors and that they were really stupid.
The people were furious. If there hadn't been the imperial guards there to maintain order, they would have rushed over and beaten Shang Qing up.
Shangqing fell to the ground in embarrassment and pain, rolling around, trying to put out the fire in this way.
However, the fire in his lower body was still burning fiercely. Not only did it show no signs of abating, but it burned more and more fiercely, and in an instant it had burned to his waist.
His hair was disheveled and covered with dust, making him look like a beggar begging on the street.
Gu Yan walked towards Shangqing on the ground step by step. Her steps were light as if she was walking on the wind. The fire on Shangqing's body automatically avoided her when it met her and did not burn her at all.
The people around couldn't help but recall the scenes when the strong wind avoided her before, and they felt more and more that the fairy-like girl in front of them must be the Lady of the Nine Heavens who had come down to earth. They looked at her with respect as if she were a god, and their expressions were solemn.
Gu Yanfei walked to within a step of Shangqing, and looked down at Shangqing on the ground. There was no joy or sadness in her lowered eyes, and it could not even be called hatred, as if Shangqing was not worthy of her eyes.
"I'll give it back to you." Gu Yanfei released his hand that was holding the insect's tentacles, and the burning blood insect fell next to Shangqing.
Almost at the moment it landed, the fireball burned the blood parasite into ashes. A little ashes happened to fall on Shangqing's fingertips, burning his nails red.
Shang Qing raised his head with great effort, his eyes locked tightly on Gu Yanfei, and he squeezed out three words with difficulty from between his teeth: "Why?"
The pain from the burning flames tortured him so much that he felt like dying and couldn't move his whole body.
At this moment, even speaking became extremely difficult for him, and his voice was low, hoarse and weak.
Looking at the calm and relaxed girl in front of him, Shangqing felt mixed emotions. He was obviously very cautious at every step and never got involved in anything that he shouldn't have, so how could he have ended up in this desperate situation?
Shang Qing couldn't help but ask Gu Yanfei again: "Why?"
Why would he be "backfired" when he was clearly not the owner of the blood parasite?
Why would Gu Yanfei, a Taoist master, care about these mundane matters? Compared to those who practice Taoism, these mortals who don't understand Taoism are just ants. Why should people care about the life and death of ants? He was really unwilling to lose!
Gu Yanfei naturally understood Shangqing's thoughts. His eyes were like stars falling from the night sky, so bright and so cold.
She smiled slyly and uttered a few words slowly: "Because I want to."
She does whatever she wants, whatever she wants.
Why should she care whether he can figure it out or not? As long as she is happy, that's all.
"You..." Shangqing felt as if she had stabbed him in the heart, and he roared like a wild beast again.
Gu Yanfei squatted down casually, holding his chin and looking at Shangqing, and said: "The talisman I used on you was not the Yanyang Talisman, but the Karma Fire Talisman."
Her voice floated into Shangqing's ears like a cold winter breeze, and only he could hear it.
The reason why Shangqing was burned in flames at this moment was not because of the "backlash" of the blood parasite, but because she used a "karma fire talisman" on Shangqing.
The corners of her lips flushed with a faint smile, and she continued, "The deeper the sin, the more intense the fire of karma will burn."
The "Karma Fire Talisman" is not an evil talisman that kills people, but it is just a cause and effect talisman. If it is used on a kind person like Anle, it is equivalent to a useless piece of white paper.
In this place without any spirits, using those talismans that could harm people's lives at will would greatly reduce her merits. She had already been jumping on the bottom line of the Heavenly Dao, and she didn't want the Heavenly Dao to suppress her personally.
This Karma Fire Talisman can be drawn with the power of merit only, and is most suitable for use on those who have committed serious sins.
"..." Shangqing's eyebrows jumped and his eyes were bloodshot.
It turned out that she was the one who was plotting and framing him!
"What exactly do you want?" Shangqing's face became even more distorted, his complexion turned pale, his breathing became heavier, and the fire in his lower body was still spreading upwards, like a maggot on the tarsal bone that could not be shaken off.
Gu Yanfei smiled leisurely and answered irrelevantly: "The fire of karma will burn your cultivation."
"Then the soul."
"Until the soul is destroyed and reduced to ashes, there is no reincarnation."
Her voice became colder and colder, as if it was immersed in icy water in the cold winter of December, slowly flowing into the depths of Shangqing's heart, piercing his heart like an ice needle.
People at that time all believed in reincarnation. Shangqing was a Taoist practitioner and believed in it even more.
Moreover, Shang Qing could also feel that his cultivation was slowly draining away. The raging fire around him was not only burning his body, but also his soul...
The karmic fire produced by this "karmic fire talisman" is not an ordinary flame, but a karmic fire that is enough to burn the soul! He is conceited that he is born with a Taoist bone, far superior to others. He has been working hard all his life just to enter the Tao.
Even if it is not possible in this life, he wants to lay the foundation for entering the Tao in the next life.
Over the years, he has always been confident that he can do it, even his master's cultivation was not as good as his when he was his age.
But now, Shangqing felt for the first time the fear that came from the depths of his soul. The fear quickly spread throughout his body and turned into a bone-chilling chill.
Gu Yanfei straightened up and asked in a cold voice, "Shangqing, where are those children?"
When she said this, her voice suddenly rose, and her clear and calm voice spread throughout the Chengtian Gate area, and the onlookers could hear it clearly.
The noisy people suddenly became quiet, and everything around was silent.
"I don't know..." Shangqing gritted his teeth, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled down from Shangqing's forehead and neck, dripping onto his dirty Taoist robe, and were evaporated by the raging fire in an instant.
He bit his back teeth hard, almost breaking them, and endured the physical and mental torture of ice and fire.
His body was shaking violently, because of the pain of the burning fire and also because he was afraid.
This is a kind of awe that mortals have for cultivators.
This is a fear of being torn apart and reduced to ashes.
He could feel his soul being burned into ashes bit by bit by the flames of karma; he could feel that a piece of his soul was missing, and that missing piece was still growing...
He knew that Gu Yanfei was not trying to scare him, but was simply threatening him. He was already on the verge of despair, and if the fire continued to burn, he would probably be completely destroyed, which would mean that he would be completely annihilated.
There is no afterlife.
Gu Yanfei casually played with the snow-blue hairband that fell on his chest and said nonchalantly, "The eldest princess was poisoned by a Gu. The person who poisoned her couldn't have been unaware that there was a way to cure it. The so-called 'heart pill' is completely useless."
This sentence still spread clearly throughout the square, and it was spoken to the people present.
Long before Gu Yanfei exorcised the poison from Anle, he had said that the "Heart Pill" was useless, but most people at the time were skeptical and felt that it was just empty talk.
And now, they witnessed the development of the whole incident with their own eyes, and saw the terrible poisonous insect being drawn out from the eldest princess' body, and Shangqing was even attacked by the raging fire on the spot.
Then, there is no doubt that Shangqing is the caster of the blood poison.
So, why did Shang Qing and his accomplices kidnap so many children? !
"You evil Taoist priest, tell us the whereabouts of those children!" Someone in the crowd dutifully and diligently continued to fan the flames.
When he shouted like this, other people also started to shout, all of them believing that it was Shangqing who abducted those children, which had a bit of the effect of everyone pushing down when the wall fell.
Gu Yanfei narrowed his eyes, watching the fear spreading in Shangqing's eyes, and watching his gaze begin to unfocus, knowing that he was on the verge of collapse.
She chuckled and stated slowly and clearly: "Shangqing, you took advantage of the eldest princess' illness to instigate the emperor to collect the heart blood of children."
"The Emperor is kind and does not want to harm innocent people. You did it on your own and even wanted to shift the blame to the Princess."
Gu Yanfei tilted her delicate and flawless face to look at Shangqing, a faint smile appeared on her lips, her smile was as beautiful as a flower, but it made Shangqing feel cold for no reason, "Show me, where are those children!"
This time, the tone she used was not one of questioning, but one of oppression, and the threat was evident in her words.
"..." Shangqing, who was crawling on the ground, clenched his teeth, sweating profusely, enduring the pain of being burned by the karma fire, and his body trembled even more violently.
He still didn't speak, his dry branch-like hands were clenched into fists, and the blue veins almost popped out from under the skin.
If he confessed, he wouldn't be the only one to suffer.
He is really stubborn. Gu Yanfei thought to himself, without showing any sign of mercy, and raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
The next moment, the golden-red karmic fire on Shangqing's body suddenly jumped up and engulfed his entire body in an instant, leaving only his head exposed.
His soul seemed to be immersed in boiling magma and began to melt rapidly...
The gap in the soul is getting bigger and bigger.
He knew that if there was a hole in a person's soul, it would mean that the person would become an idiot in the next life, or even be reborn as an animal.
However, as long as the incomplete soul is still there, there will be a chance to meet opportunities in reincarnation and replenish the soul. Once the soul is scattered, there will be no chance at all.
Squeak——
It seemed as if something in Shangqing's pupils had completely shattered and fallen apart.
Shang Qing's lips trembled like a sieve, and he uttered three words with difficulty and effort: "It's the Yu family."
His voice was not loud, as low as a mosquito's hum.
Gu Yanfei was close enough to hear everything clearly, but he still smiled calmly and said, "I didn't hear it."
These four words were neither light nor heavy, neither cold nor hot, but to Shangqing, they were like a death warrant.
Shangqing's lips were completely bloodless, and blazing flames from his shoulders fiercely wrapped around his throat. The flames made his face, which was as pale as a skull, turn red, revealing a weird look of being on the verge of death.
Shangqing repeated again: "It's the Yu family."
His hoarse and rough voice rose three degrees higher.
The karmic fire wrapped around his entire neck like a poisonous snake, and wrapped around his soul like a cocoon, burning, twisting, and crushing it.
In front of the cruel and merciless karma fire, Shangqing was like a weak baby, unable to fight back, and could only passively endure the pain from the depths of his soul.
Shangqing screamed in pain again, his voice hoarse: "Those children are in the secret room of Yu's house in Wutong Lane."
"Yu family?" The people in the crowd were still a little confused, and many of them didn't react. "Or is it the Yu family?"
"The Yu residence in Wutong Lane, that must be the Yu family of Yuzhou!" Soon, a loud male voice said in an affirmative tone.
"By the way, there is a family named Yu in Wutong Lane."
“…”
The people all looked extremely shocked.
The Xin Dynasty had only been established for fifty years, and those aristocratic families that had been prominent for hundreds of years were still deeply rooted in the hearts of most people.
Especially the Yu family.
"Is it the Yu family? The Yu family that produced more than a dozen prime ministers in the previous dynasty?"
"I remember the elders in my family also said that the Yu family had produced queens in previous dynasties."
"Yes, yes. The descendants of the Yu family occupied half of the court in the previous dynasty and had great power."
"I also heard that many members of the Yu family have their tablets enshrined in the Famous Ministers' Temple..."
“…”
The older generation still knew how glorious the Yu family was in the previous dynasty, far surpassing the Yuan family today. They talked about what they knew about the Yu family one by one, their excited tone carrying a bit of awe and admiration.
To common people like them, these high-ranking noble families are like the legendary princes, kings, and princesses, nobles that they can only dream of but cannot reach.
And those people who lost their children were all extremely anxious.
The tearful middle-aged woman grabbed the scholar Zhang Min's sleeve and eagerly asked, "Didn't the Shangqing Taoist just say that the children are in the secret room of the Yu family?"
Zhang Min nodded, looked at his daughter who was leaning against him, and frowned, "So, it was the Yu family who kidnapped Nannan and the other children?"
But why is this? !
Why did the Yu family kidnap so many children? !
This question arises in everyone's mind.
Some people had some guesses in their minds, and cast their thoughtful eyes towards the emperor in front of them. Could it be to frame the emperor? "Why?" Gu Yanfei looked at Shangqing on the ground and asked the questions of everyone around him.
"..."Shangqing's face showed signs of struggle and hesitation, his whole body trembling violently in the burning flames. He no longer looked like a living person, but more like a ghost being tortured by the fire of hell.
Even though he was enduring such inhuman torture, he still retained the last bit of his sanity.
He is a member of the Yu family, they are the leaves, and the Yu family is their roots.
Since he was a child, he was taught that only if the Yu family was doing well, would they, the descendants of the Yu family, be doing well, and that the family was the backing of all of them.
For the prosperity of their family, all of them, the descendants of the Yu family, are willing to give everything.
If the leaves are gone, the roots can regenerate leaves; but once the roots are destroyed, the leaves will eventually dry up and rot!
Gu Yanfei smiled slightly, too lazy to talk nonsense with Shangqing anymore. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers, with his thumb touching his middle finger.
Shangqing seemed to have received an invisible critical hit, and blurted out with a loud shout: "Borrow my luck!"
"To borrow some luck!"
At this moment, the last bit of rationality and persistence in his heart was burned to ashes.
(End of this chapter)
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