The guard furrowed his brow, expressing concern, "My lord, previously we only visited once a month to replenish, but now it’s every ten days. Such frequent visits may lead to exposure."
Rong Zhiyun’s expression also turned grim.
He knew the risks of exposure, but he had no choice.
Xu’s soul required more vitality to remain within his body.
If the supply fell short, Xu’s soul would depart.
His deep affection for Xu made him unwilling to let her leave him, even if it meant risking exposure.
"Just be cautious," Rong Zhiyun advised.
The guard, as a subordinate, had no choice but to comply with his lord’s stubbornness.
He picked up the censer and left the residence.
The guard had heard from the prince that the Rong family had some connection with the Immortal Sect from a thousand years ago, which explained the existence of this treasure.
Although the prince had some knowledge of Daoist arts, compared to the renowned Ninth Princess, he still had a long way to go.
As the sky darkened, the guard arrived at the slums.
He was already familiar with the area, knowing which households had the most people and were the most destitute.
He entered a dilapidated thatched cottage, immediately recognizing its impoverished state.
The man inside, seeing someone intruding with a masked face, assumed the guard was there to steal.
However, his family was so poor that there was nothing worth stealing.
"Sir, as you can see, my family truly has no money..." The man gestured towards the child on the wooden bed. "I still have several children to feed, and they can’t even have a full meal."
The guard remained calm and said, "I am not here to steal. I have come to give you money."
The man’s eyes brightened, gleaming with hope.
"What... what did you say?"
"I want to buy your longevity and that of your family. Five hundred coin for a year of longevity," the guard said, raising the censer slightly. "Are you willing to sell?"
The censer emitted a faint glow, awaiting the man’s response.
The man had never heard of selling longevity before, but seeing this peculiar censer, he felt both puzzled and excited. "Can I really sell my own longevity for silver?"
"Not just you, your children can as well," the guard replied.
"As long as you state in front of this censer how many years you are willing to sell, you will receive the silver immediately."
The man was skeptical, but he was desperate due to poverty.
He couldn’t pass up any opportunity to earn money.
He had to give it a try!
He pulled his daughter towards him.
"Listen, Zhaodi, did you hear what this uncle said? If you want to have a full meal tomorrow, you must do as he says."
Zhaodi, with her big round eyes, touched her empty stomach and blinked.
"Uncle, if I do as you say, will I really have enough to eat tomorrow?"
The guard looked at the young child, feeling a pang of guilt.
But he had a mission to fulfill.
Moreover, if he didn’t provide them with some silver today, they would either starve or be sold.
He was doing a good deed.
Taking a deep breath, he took out a silver ingot, his voice laced with temptation.
"As long as you say in front of the censer that you are willing to give up five years of longevity, this silver ingot will be yours."
Zhaodi’s pupils widened, revealing her longing.
Without hesitation, she eagerly said, "I am willing to give up five years of longevity! I am willing!"
She wanted the silver, she wanted to have enough to eat!
The faint glow from the censer enveloped her, absorbing her longevity.
Zhaodi expected it to be painful, but she couldn’t feel any pain at all.
She let out a long breath and quickly took the silver from the guard’s hand.
Seeing this, the man called his other children over. In total, they sold thirty years of longevity and received five taels of silver.
The guard, seeing the numerous children in the family, couldn’t help but give them an extra five taels of silver. The man and his family were even more grateful.
However, those thirty years of longevity had already been refined within the censer and could only sustain Xu for another ten days.
He still needed to buy more longevity.
As the night grew darker, his figure blended into the darkness, resembling a night demon on a mission of reaping souls.
Although Xiao Wanyi was with child, Chu Ye still had to go to the capital’s main camp.
He didn’t trust anyone else, so he specifically entrusted Nanli to take care of Xiao Wanyi.
As a result, every three days, Nanli would make a trip to the Anyang Marquis’s residence.
Besides visiting her grandmother and Shen, she would also diagnose Xiao Wanyi’s pulse.
However, there was no need for a pulse diagnosis.
Nanli, relying on her keen eyes, could already see that the little life in her sister-in-law’s belly was growing stronger by the day.
Despite this, Xiao Wanyi was still quite anxious.
Nanli comforted her, saying, "Sister-in-law, there is no need to be overly anxious. It is not good for the fetus."
Xiao Wanyi touched her still-flat belly and said, "I know, but I can’t help but worry. I’m afraid that some evil spirit might come near and affect the baby."
Nanli thought for a moment, took out a celestial star pen, and drew a protective talisman in front of Xiao Wanyi.
With a flick of her wrist, the talisman fell into Xiao Wanyi’s belly, and the golden light immediately disappeared.
"I have drawn a protective talisman for the baby. Sister-in-law, you can rest assured," Nanli said.
Xiao Wanyi felt relieved and called for the maidservant to bring some red date cakes.
Nanli, now a respected Ninth Princess, lacked nothing, so she could only instruct people to prepare the dishes she loved.
When the red date cakes were brought out, Nanli licked her lips, thanked her sister-in-law, and picked up her chopsticks to eat.
Just as she took a bite, Yuanbao walked in and said, "Princess, someone from the Ministry of Justice has arrived and is urgently looking for you."
"The Ministry of Justice?" Nanli knew that the Ministry of Justice wouldn’t come without an important matter.
She wiped her mouth, took a sip of water, and said, "Tell them to wait."
Xiao Wanyi knew that if the Ministry of Justice had come, it must be something important, so she urged Nanli to be careful.
Nanli left the Marquis’s residence and immediately saw the Ministry of Justice’s guards waiting anxiously.
This person was the trusted subordinate of the Minister of Justice of Qin Zheng, named Li Da.
Li Da bowed and didn’t waste any words, saying, "Ninth Princess, the Minister has sent me to find you. There is a murder case that requires your attention."
Nanli knew Qin Zheng’s character.
If it wasn’t a difficult and clueless case, he would never come to her.
She composed herself, called for Yuanbao, and said, "Lead the way."
"Alright!" Li Da rode ahead on his horse.
They quickly arrived at West Street.
Many people from the Ministry of Justice were present, and there were still many commoners gathered to watch the commotion.
Li Da shouted that the Ministry of Justice was handling a case, and the crowd immediately made way.
The carriage of the Prince Yu was easy to recognize.
It was made of black wood and had a sign hanging in front with the character "Yu" written on it.
Nanli and Yuanbao got off the carriage.
Immediately, the crowd shouted, "It’s the Ninth Princess!"
They had heard many stories about Nanli and naturally admired her.
If they could obtain a talisman drawn by her, they would surely be safe and free from disasters.
Someone rushed up to Nanli, wanting to buy a talisman from her.
After all, it was rare to see Nanli at the talisman shop.
However, as soon as the person approached, the Black Armor Guard swiftly stepped forward, unsheathing his sword to block their path.