"Really?"
Huawu was very excited, she jumped up and said, "Alright, alright, I am willing to share with him. Master, I trouble you, as long as he can survive, I will do anything."
Liang Ziyu pressed his lips together without speaking, meeting Huawu’s hopeful gaze.
He finally sighed helplessly and conceded, "Alright, Huawu, I understand. I will make an effort to live with you."
Yu Nianzhao activated the Golden Lotus, and a layer of Buddha light shone upon them.
The wounds on Huawu and Liang Ziyu began to heal.
Beads of sweat appeared on Yu Nianzhao’s forehead as she used talismans to expel the malevolent spirits from Liang Ziyu’s body.
After finishing these tasks, she was almost exhausted.
"Zhaozhao, are you okay?"
When Xie Jiuxiao came over, Yu Nianzhao smelled the evil qi on him and threw herself into his arms, absorbing the evil qi from him and finally recovering her senses.
"Hmm, I’m okay, don’t worry, just a bit tired."
She had used her divine power to help Liang Ziyu and it had drained her energy. How could she not be tired?
"Thank you... Master!"
Liang Ziyu knelt to Yu Nianzhao, "Since Huawu considers you her master and you saved both of us, it’s only right that you are also my master."
"Let’s go, I’ll take you away!"
Liang Ziyu formed a seal with his hands, and under the brilliant white light, they left the dream world and returned to the real world.
Emperor Anqing awoke slowly and angrily said, "Hurry and surround Duke Luu Mansion, capture everyone for me."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Duke Luu was captured, but after searching the Duke Luu Mansion many times, they could not find Chu Wenjun.
"The entire Shangjing has been searched, has Chu Wenjun evaporated into thin air?"
Emperor Anqing furrowed his brows tightly, feeling an uneasy anxiety in his heart.
"Perhaps they just wanted to take this opportunity to send Chu Wenjun safely away."
Yu Nianzhao said calmly while eating grapes from a bowl, sitting on a chair.
The Empress gently fanned her, agreeing, "Yes, this concubine thinks so too. In the dream, only Duke Luu was present, the Empress Dowager was not even there, and Duke Luu confessed his ambition smoothly. It seems they are doing their utmost to protect Chu Wenjun, and there are vicious plots hidden behind this."
"Send people to search, I refuse to believe that we can’t find Chu Wenjun in the entire Great Chao Capital."
Emperor Anqing said angrily, "This matter was caused by the Chu Family, and since the Chu Family is the Empress Dowager’s maternal clan, order the Empress Dowager to stay in the palace and not leave."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Xie Jiuxiao rotated the Buddha Beads on his wrist and said coldly, "The Dragon Shadow Guards have already imposed strict surveillance on the palace; wherever the imperial brother goes lately, they will accompany him."
"Alright, I understand."
Emperor Anqing glanced at his brother, reining in his anger, "The Empress is going to give birth to a child soon, and I will not leave the palace lightly. However, you are about to get married, you should purchase the things needed for the wedding properly. I reward you with ten thousand taels of gold and a phoenix coronet and red robe, what else do you need to purchase?"
The Empress smiled and said, "This concubine will have the palace maid by my side go to Prince Su Mansion until the wedding is over. She will oversee everything that needs to be prepared."
"Hmm, that is excellent, it can be considered a joyous event and hopefully erase the gloom over Shangjing."
Emperor Anqing expressed with some sentiment.
Getting married?
Yu Nianzhao almost forgot about this matter. But she didn’t care either way, she ate and drank as usual, remaining composed and calm.
On the other hand, Xie Jiuxiao inexplicably felt a bit nervous; the approaching wedding day also meant... the prophesied date of his death was nearing.
Emperor Anqing also thought of this matter and summoned Dongfang Hong and others into the palace.
"Your Majesty, the Taiyin Evil has been too active recently, it’s probably difficult to completely eradicate it, otherwise, there wouldn’t have been a need to use such methods back then."
Dongfang Hong had observed the Taiyin Evil on Xie Jiuxiao, which was even more formidable than before, making him very distressed.
Mr. Situ, also from the Mystical Sect, said, "The malevolent spirits in Shangjing have been expelled, but... under these circumstances, someone still needs to be sent to Tomb Guard City to appease the resentment within."
"Otherwise, shouldn’t someone from the Mystical Sect be sent too?"
Yu Nianzhao sneered, "You can’t just let the children of other families die, can you? After all the effort to raise them, sending them into Tomb Guard City to die—anyone would be heartbroken."
Mr. Dongfang was so angry that his beard puffed out and his eyes widened, "Our Mystical Sect Family has fought for generations, how many young people from the Dongfang Family have died, isn’t it enough?"
Yu Nianzhao calmly replied, "Sending so many young people to their deaths can also be considered karma. Simply put, it’s the wrongdoing of you elders affecting the youngsters."
"Nonsense! You’re slandering the contributions of our Mystical Sect Family."
Mr. Situ also became angry, and other Mystical Sect families criticized Yu Nianzhao one after another.
"Dongfang Chenyue’s curse also stems from this!"
Yu Nianzhao suddenly raised her voice.
Dongfang Hong’s pupils constricted sharply, and he opened his mouth to ask, "Why do you say that?"
Mr. Dongfang was even more enraged, hopping with anger, "Are you using the women of the Dongfang Family to vent your frustration? How could Xiaoyue speak so highly of you?"
Yu Nianzhao retorted, "What nonsense are you spouting? Do you think I am as shameless as you all?"
Mr. Dongfang, "..."
He was scolded again!
"I’m just stating facts, you can’t find the source of the curse, but I have found it."
Yu Nianzhao said, "The Mystical Sect proposed using Tomb Guard City to block tens of thousands of malevolent spirits, yet they didn’t know that those who died unjustly also harbored grievances. Consumed by malevolent spirits, they became earth-bound spirits that cursed you—didn’t you ever consider this?"
Dongfang Hong’s body trembled, he clenched his fist and asked Yu Nianzhao with red eyes, "Then how do you know this?"
"Because... I stayed in Tomb Guard City for five whole years!"
Yu Nianzhao answered him calmly, "I know better than anyone what kind of world it is inside there."
"Yes, that’s right, Zhaozhao is the only one who came out alive from the recent Tomb Guard City incident." Emperor Anqing confirmed for her.
"Could it really be the curse of those young people on our Mystical Sect Family?"
Mr. Situ’s face turned ashen, "Both we and our ancestors have successively cost so many people their lives, yet we never thought about their resentment towards us."
Dongfang Hong took a deep breath, he said faintly, "I’ve traveled many places, but I never thought that within Tomb Guard City, there would be a solution to Chenyue and the others’ fates."
"The reason I’m telling you this is to inform you that sending them into Tomb Guard City to suppress malevolent spirits’ malice is just drinking poison to quench thirst!"
Yu Nianzhao said, "Don’t you know the saying, uprooted grass will grow again in spring?"
Dongfang Hong closed his eyes and said bitterly, "We all wish to completely eradicate those malevolent spirits, but we do not have the ability. This is our greatest effort, and it’s the limit."