It was already late when Baili Jia Jue returned from the Palace of Heavenly Purity. While dealing with the Emperor was not a difficult task, the boredom from spending the whole afternoon with the Emperor was excruciating.
Especially when every sentence that came out of the Emperor's mouth was implying on his loss of martial Qi.
Sigh, the Emperor only wanted to keep him from becoming the crown prince.
All these years, he had not gotten sick of using the same dirty means.
The young man sneered as he took off his fur cloak with his left hand. However, he started to frown upon realizing that the room was completely silent.
After taking a few steps forward, there was still nobody at all.
Even the heater stove above the sandalwood table was cool.
Suddenly, a familiar sense of dread permeated from his heart to his soles.
The young man felt cold in his body, even his head was growing heavier.
Again?
Disappearing as she pleases?
He took a deep breath and clenched his fingers slowly.
Enough.
That's enough.
She's just a woman.
There are plenty of other women who are more obedient than her in this world.
I won't care about her anymore.
She had always messed me up completely before disappearing as she wished, it's what she does best.
From the beginning until now, she had always been like that.
It's no big deal, I will just find another woman.
While that was what he told himself in his mind, his eyes gave away the obvious fact that he was deeply hurt.
It was impossible to suppress his emotions.
The young man pressed a palm to his forehead as he started chuckling to himself, then in a deep voice, he shouted, "Someone!" The heater stove might already be cool but he could still sense some warmth, she must not have gone far!
The thought was still in the young man's mind, but as he raised his head, he saw a figure walking out from a corner.
She appeared to have just woken up from her sleep, still having a blanket over her shoulders. She stared at him blankly, probably because she thought he was calling for her moments ago.
"Do you want some tea?" Drinking tea was a habit of Baili Jia Jue, especially during the winter. Helian Wei Wei touched the teapot with her hand, "It's already cold, I'll get someone to pour some hot tea."
Before she could take a step to leave, she was swiftly lifted off her feet from behind and set on the nearest chaise longue.
It was immediately followed by a passionate kiss, which gradually intensified like he was sieging a castle.
Regarding kissing skills, Helian Wei Wei could never resist Baili Jia Jue.
His burning torso pressed down against her chest, his looming body was getting hotter by the minute, almost as if he were trying to incinerate her.
His hand slid across her back and rested on the softness of her chest. He was cupping it gently yet seemingly with strength.
Helian Wei Wei's body tensed up instantly, all she wanted to do was to back away.
However, he did not allow it as his wide palm was pressed against the back of her head. The tip of his tongue still had light traces of tea fragrance, which slowly infiltrated into her breath.
Helian Wei Wei did not know how this was happening. By the time she came to her senses, he had already buried her deep within his soft fur coat. Baili Jia Jue was panting while his entire body was blazing hot. The way he was looking at her was fueled with wild and fiery passion.
Helian Wei Wei attempted to speak but her mouth was blocked by his body leaning onto her. He then slowly moved downwards, sucking and nibbling from her neck to her fair chest.
Helian Wei Wei felt weak throughout her whole body when an electrifying sensation of warmth surged through her body, even her long legs had formed an arch. However, her mind remained clear.
She started pushing him and it seemed like he was losing control over her. Baili Jia Jue then restrained both of her arms above her head with one hand, while his other hand explored further down her body. His beautiful deep eyes were like a bottomless pit, "Are you rejecting me?"
Helian Wei Wei was aware of his unusual killing intent. She replied with calm eyes and a sigh, "I'm not your personal servant nor that person from the House of Helian. Your behavior is crossing the line."
"Crossing the line?" Baili Jia Jue buried himself in the crook of her neck as he continued to speak, "It was you who provoked me first back then. Since you've done it, why didn't you stay and gave me a little hope? Did you really find it so amusing to push me back into the depths of hell?"
At that time, her emergence was totally absurd.
It was like the break of dawn, where blinding light pierced through the thick dark fog that shrouded him and straight into the depths of his heart.
Everyone had something against him, including his servant girls and his biological mother.
Only she would give him a kiss at the corner of his lips before going to sleep.
She was his only means of grasping at warm affection, yet her affection was not meant for him.
Knowing how much happiness he used to feel would only make this an even harder pill to swallow.
To her, he was merely a Soul Fragment. She would not even consider him as an independent individual.
Eight years ago, he only had her for 10 days, that person got to have most of her time.
They even got married.
Would she kiss that person like how she had kissed him?
Of course, she would. When she was not fully conscious, she would even take him mistakenly for that person...
Baili Jia Jue sneered, which seemed to be directed at himself. He asked in a heavy voice, "Why come back after you've already left?"
Helian Wei Wei lowered her gaze, "You know the reason why."
"You want me to follow you back?" Baili Jia Jue was on the brink of being swallowed by the darkness within his heart. He had been hoping for other answers from her but... was he really of that little use?
Helian Wei Wei was completely taken aback by the coldness and indifference in his eyes. Seeing that he was getting up, she flipped over without hesitation. With a split of her legs, she trapped him beneath her. Her left hand was pressing down on his shoulder as she asked, "Will you follow me back?"
"No." Baili Jia Jue's tone was beyond freezing. It was as if the lights in his eyes had been completely put out, without a single flicker again.
Helian Wei Wei felt a bitter taste in her mouth, "Is it because you've found a reason you must stay behind? You even gave away your first kiss, seems like you do not want to go back with me anymore."
"First kiss..." The lights in Baili Jia Jue's eyes flared up once more as he grasped her wrist tight. "What does my first kiss has to do with you? Why do you care so much about it?"
Helian Wei Wei felt pain from his tight grasp but she had no time to protest.
Baili Jia Jue had immediately pulled her back into his arms again, his low voice resonated in her ears, "Who do you think was the first person I've ever kissed?"
How would she know? Helian Wei Wei had been extremely curious from the start. Did they not say that His Highness was not fond of getting too close to women? Why in the world was he so skillful at doing those things with her?
"It was you. Since a long, long time ago, I've been thinking about how I should kiss you. How I could use my tongue against your lips to make your features express differently. Heh, you seem surprised. Boys tend to mature rather quickly. It's normal being able to figure all these without instructions." Baili Jia Jue's eyes were inching closer toward Helian Wei Wei. She could even feel his breath as he was speaking, as though it was directly hitting on her lips, which caused her legs to weaken slightly.
"Of course, simply kissing would never be enough. If there weren't so many people on the day that you returned, I would have pinned you right down on the sandalwood table and do whatever I wanted to your body, you wouldn't even have any chance to resist me." The young man's voice was elegant and plain, yet it carried a strange force across which made Helian Wei Wei felt as though she was being struck from all sides...
Her flushed face was burning up.
Helian Wei Wei did not expect to get such a reply.
He was the one and only person who would say this sort of thing with an impassive facial expression.
"Why? You didn't sense it?" The young man caressed her waist with his fingers. He smiled sarcastically, which made him even more seductive, "Obviously you didn't. You wouldn't be sitting on top of me with that kind of posture if you had been cautious."
If Baili Jia Jue had not mentioned it, Helian Wei Wei would not have realized how flirtatious her actions were at the moment.
Her hips were being held by him, appearing as though they were having an intimate moment...
Wait a second, I only did this to calm him down at first, why did everything become twisted after what he said!
"What else do you want to hear? Hmm?" The young man held her hands as he exerted some strength. As his thin lips glided across the back of her ear, Helian Wei Wei could feel the heat landing at her softest spot.
Helian Wei Wei's heart was beating so fast that it felt like it was going to explode, "I don't want to hear anything." Right now, she only wanted to lift a blanket over herself and stay in there!
He had no experience at all, unbelievable... Unbelievable!
"Let me ask you instead, why do you care?" Baili Jia Jue reached out and pinched her chin. His handsome features came closer to her, "Let's be completely clear about it."
Helian Wei Wei paused for a moment and said, "Of course I care, you should know. If you're not completely mine, I'd rather not want you."
"What if I make you stay?" The young man's eyes were at its brightest. It was as if he was holding every last breath for the one answer from her.
She looked at him and shook her head in a stiff manner.
The young man laughed, all the warmth of that moment was completely incinerated.
He thought the fact that she cared about the kiss would naturally mean that she liked him.
In reality, he was wrong.
The reason she cared was and would always be due to the fact that he was a fragment of that person.
That person had always been her one true love.
For that person, she would put herself in danger just to search for the Soul Fragments.
For that person, she would let go of everything that she could have gotten. Baili Jia Jue could have given her wealth and prosperity but she barely even acknowledged it.
He used to think that she would only like someone mature, someone who was gentle and with a good temperament.
Which was why he worked so hard to be nice.
Even though his efforts were rather useless.
He was still as sarcastic as ever whenever he saw her.
But now, he finally understood that no matter how he had changed, she could not care less.
Because her heart would only yearn for that person.
How obsessive.
Anyone would be touched by such obsession.
But it was not the case for Baili Jia Jue. His chest was heavy as though his lungs were filled with lead, weighing him down so much that he was unable to breathe.
Back then, she did not even say a word to him before she left.
He thought that she was a heartless woman. But the truth was that her heart already belonged to someone else...
He had never experienced such feelings before.
To become so battered and bruised from yearning for something unattainable. Yet he still tried with all his heart just so she would see him... for who he was.
"I might hate you after I follow you back. Would you still want to make me go back with you?" Baili Jia Jue's voice was icy, like the frigid air from a winter's night.
Additionally, his hands had moved up around her neck. It was enough to chill Helian Wei Wei to the bones in a blink of an eye.
The word 'hate' was like a sharp knife, threatening against her throat, she even felt pain when she spoke, "Even if you hate me, you must follow me back. Or else you will disappear forever."
"Do you know why Fire Qilin isn't with me now? That's because even if I don't return with you, I will not disappear. I have ample independent persona, it is just a matter of time before I can become what you desire." Baili Jia Jue's fingers exerted force from them, "Even so, you still want to leave right?"
Suddenly, Helian Wei Wei was struck by an intense headache.
She heard a frail voice from Fire Qilin, "We have a problem here, how's the situation on your side? Are you having any problems? Why do I hear His Highness mentioning about having an independent persona and asking you to stay?"
"Let's not talk about my side first, what happened on your side?" Helian Wei Wei was anxious, "Your voice doesn't sound right."
Fire Qilin was enduring pain as it answered, "People have been dying in the imperial palace and the aura of resentment had spread all over the Capital. While ordinary people cannot detect it, as a mythical beast, I am greatly affected by it. Especially when there is no Mysterious Ice Iron Chain to suppress the Green Dragon, it had shown signs of rampaging. Someone must be plotting something behind the scenes, probably attempting to subdue the Green Dragon in the absence of His Highness. So to destroy His Highness's physical body."
"Qilin." Helian Wei Wei was clenching both hands, "Please burn the Red Soul Binding Rope around my wrist in a moment." She had to go back to stop everything. If Baili Jia Jue's physical body were gone, everything she had done would be meaningless.
Fire Qilin sighed and replied, "Alright." If she had said so, the probability of the fragments returning would be very low...
...
"Who are you talking to?" Baili Jia Jue was intelligent to ask. At this age, certain aspects of him had been awakened. Especially when Fire Qilin was still his mythical beast and that Helian Wei Wei was obviously distracted. The young man squinted his eyes in suspicion, "Is it through that red rope around your wrist?"
Helian Wei Wei was shocked, she did not expect him to see such details.
"Your eyes were fixated on your left hand all this while." Baili Jia Jue spoke with a cold glow from his eyes, "You are leaving me again, am I right?"
Helian Wei Wei hesitated for a second. She finally looked into his eyes in a determined manner and said, "I never wanted to leave you, I've only wanted to bring you back. Baili Jia Jue, you have to know this. To me, your past selves and your future selves will always be you. You cannot simply deny your future."
The young man sneered as though he made a revelation. He loosened his hands suddenly. Despite everything, he was still a mere fragment.
He could never stop her from leaving.
Even from the beginning, he could not stop anything.
"Go then." Baili Jia Jue's voice was monotonous, it sounded almost calm. His deep beautiful eyes had turned dull, voided and shallow, like a lens that could not focus. All that was left was the emptiness from feeling lost and the hollow from his swelling hatred. "I hope you'll be able to endure my hatred in the future..."
Helian Wei Wei wanted to say something but she realized that her throat could not make any sound. She watched as the figure of the young man gradually faded before her eyes. Her head went blank, followed by a familiar sense of dizziness which left her unable to tell north from south.
When she woke up again, she had returned to the place where everything started...
A thick fog had completely shrouded the Green Dragon Lake.
Fire Qilin lowered his gaze to look at her. His large red talons moved two steps forward as he uttered, "Lady Wei Wei..."
Helian Wei Wei did not entertain him. Instead, the first words she uttered after lifting her head was, "How is he?"
"His physical body is still here and the Soul Returning Light had not gone out yet, but..." Fire Qilin glanced at the flame beside them and continued, "Master has not come back."
Helian Wei Wei clenched both of her hands as she lowered her head and started mumbling, "He hasn't come back? How is that possible? The way that he put it clearly meant that he would be coming back." However, the price for him to come back was his hatred for her.
Fire Qilin also felt dismayed and uttered gravely, "There is still time left until the forty-ninth day. Since the Soul Returning Light has not gone out, it means that Master is still considering it. However..."
"He will definitely come back!" Helian Wei Wei interjected. Her eyes shone as she rambled on, "He hates me so much. How could he not come back? Someone as grudging as him would never be satisfied until he comes back and destroys me with his own two hands."
Fire Qilin was stunned and asked, "So, you ordered me to burn the Red Soul Binding Rope? You wanted to make him hate you so much that he will be forced to return?"
To be honest, after living for so many years, Fire Qilin had seen many languishing youths and desperate maidens, and those who would die for Master were also not unheard of.
However, there was no one like Helian Wei Wei who would give anything just to keep His Highness alive. Truly, she was the only one in the world.
However...
"What if His Highness really hates you after he returns?" Fire Qilin could not help but ask.
Helian Wei Wei's eyes darkened at first, but shortly after, they lit up brightly with smiles. "Then, I will make him fall in love with me again. Besides, there won't be hate if there isn't love in the first place."
Fire Qilin wanted to remind her that if everything could be so well-predicted, there would not be so much regret in this world.
I fear that all he has left for her was pure hatred and none of the love...
Helian Wei Wei was too smart to not consider this possibility.
If there was enough time, she could have explained everything to him in detail...
Unfortunately, the circumstances did not allow it. Thus, she had to gamble for this one time!
"Bang!"
There was barely any time for Helian Wei Wei to think.
An unusually loud rumble echoed from the bottom of the lake.
Then, the Earth quaked twice. As Helian Wei Wei controlled her stance, she stared at Fire Qilin and asked, "What's going on?"
"It's the Green Dragon." Fire Qilin began to feel anxious as he said, "It has been like this for the past few days. Someone has set up a tactical formation with the intention to subdue the Green Dragon. Moreover, the strong aura of resentment has also been affecting it. It could only depend on ramming against the bottom of the lake to maintain its sanity."
Helian Wei Wei squinted and kept mum. With her fingers braced against the ground, she leaped into the depths of the lake.
"In the name of thy life, awaken thy name. Yuan Ming, come forth!" Helian Wei Wei suspended herself in the midst of the lake. Her black hair drifted in the gentle waves around her face, while her long robes freely swept around her.
An amorphous current surrounded her on both sides, like a natural barrier. A faint light radiated from it as it diverged the water around her, exposing an open space around her.
A figure was standing behind Helian Wei Wei. His silver hair seemed like the rays of moonlight which framed his extraordinarily handsome features. The gaze from his narrow eyes was heavily layered with wicked charm. The aura of resentment dissipated around him, as if all demons could not come near him.
Somehow, Helian Wei Wei felt that after her return, Yuan Ming was slightly different from before. However, she could not point out what was different about him.
It was Yuan Ming who laughed first as he asked in a devilish manner, "Why have you summoned me?"
"Swallow all the aura of resentment in the Green Dragon Lake!" Helian Wei Wei knew nothing about tactical formations. She would give it her all and hold nothing back. There was nothing wrong with being unrefined. After all, she was quite ruthless anyway.
Yuan Ming raised his brows and looked at her, replying, "I need someone to split open the bottom of the lake so that I can clear the aura of resentment."
"I know." Helian Wei Wei moved one of her hands and said, "I will split the lake and you only need to do what is needed."
Yuan Ming laughed again and in a playful tone, he replied, "Okay."
After he had finished speaking, Helian Wei Wei bit a wound on her finger. As she straightened her right hand, it was greatly strengthened. With a piercingly cold gaze, she summoned, "In the name of thy life, I call upon the gales and nimbus of the world, rise!"
Invisible air concentrated in the middle of her palm as powerful torrents stirred the Green Dragon Lake into chaos. Helian Wei Wei simply stood in the center of the whirlpool without concern. Her gaze was blazing as her robes fluttered around her. Then, rays of light emerged from her back and formed a golden lotus.Read more chapter on vipnovel.com
The Green Dragon was writhing on the surface of the lake when a golden lotus rose from the bottom of the lake. As though it was weighed down by an enormous mountain, the center of the lake began to cave in.
As it was being pushed down, the water in the lake separated automatically and condensed into clouds of vapor. The devilish aura that was wafting through the air started melting away like frost and snow, eventually dispersing into nothing.
The increasingly powerful aura caused the entire Green Dragon Lake to shake uncontrollably.
The Green Dragon jumped out from the lake surface, stirring huge splashes into the air. After the turbidness in its eyes was cleansed by the Light of Buddha, it dived into the bottom of the lake again. The dragon stared silently at Helian Wei Wei, who was floating in the lake, like a newborn baby that had forgotten everything.
Helian Wei Wei smiled gently as she stuck her hand out and placed it on the dragon's head. Then, she touched the dragon's face with hers, saying, "Behave well. We will wait for him, together."
The Green Dragon that was tainted by the aura of resentment had lost its sentience. Even if it was cleansed with the Light of Buddha, it could not recover to its previous indomitable existence, unless its master reappeared.
However, at this moment, the Green Dragon surprisingly understood Helian Wei Wei's words. It nodded its head as its whiskers twitched.
Not for anything else.
It was simply because she said...
We will wait for him to come back, together.
...
Inside the shrouding fog, a man in a white shirt was standing the middle of a tactical formation as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
A ghastly little one immediately held him and shouted, "Master, it's the Demon Killing Buddhist Incantation! Someone chanted the incantation! How could it be possible? There shouldn't be anyone in this world who knows this kind of spell!"
"This spell is not mature enough. The real Buddhist Exorcism Incantation shouldn't be like this." Jing Wushuang appeared ashen pale as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
Although he said that, he felt just as fearful.
The Buddhist Exorcism Incantation...
Up till now, it was an incantation that no one from the Exorcising Tribe could master.
Back then, even Ni Feng who had great qualifications could not learn the incantation although he knew the method.
Despite that, the Buddhist Exorcism Incantation had reappeared in the human world.
Who could it be?
One with such great fate with Buddhism, yet he signed a contract with the devil.
Could it be that... Helian Wei Wei has returned?
Jing Wushuang had a guess in his heart. His perfectly handsome face was momentarily distracted.
However, he recovered very quickly and calmly gave an order, "Since we couldn't get our hands on the physical body, let's start with the imperial palace. Commence the plan of destroying the seal, we shall force the Emperor to launch a formation now!"
"Yes." The little one was a ghost baby. There were a lot of people who miscarried in the imperial palace, so he was like a duck to water in the palace and could do everything easily.
Not to mention, no one knew that the Emperor was now completely different from the Emperor from before...
He still did not feel contented even after he started taking the pills and gaining his power. His overambitious desire to be immortal eventually led him to fall for the plan.
A young maiden's blood was the best for retaining longevity, but it could also lure one into the demonic path.
Every pill that the Emperor ate had blood in it.
Once the master had given his orders, the person would become one of their tools...
The night grew darker as silhouettes of trees swayed inside the palace's inner court.
The Emperor was dressed in all gold as he sat in the darkest corner. His expression was not visible and only the bloodstain on his lips could be seen, making him look quite eerie.
From across the barrier screen, Eunuch Gao did not dare to raise his head to look. Trembling fearfully, he kept his head lowered. Even his fingers were shaking violently.
The Emperor glanced in his direction, his voice was cold when he spoke, "Did you see it?"
Eunuch Gao tensed up, his whole body was quivering as he responded loudly, "I did not see anything!"
The Emperor stared at him gravely and growled, "I like intelligent people the most. Since you didn't see anything, go and get me a few more young palace maids!"
"But, but recently the.. the situation in the palace, Your Highness should be aware of it..." Eunuch Gao stuttered, pausing to swallow before he continued, "If this goes on, the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs would find out and it would be disastrous."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor was suddenly enraged. He roared, "It was only a few palace maids that died, but the people at the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs just won't stop looking into this. How dare they even want to launch an investigation!"
Truthfully, he was more scared than anyone that somebody would find out the details of the situation.
The royal family cannot worship the demon, it was a rule that their ancestors had passed down.
Although the Retired Emperor was not in the palace, his former subordinates still held partial military power.
He must not act rashly. If people were to find out that he drank human blood to become immortal...
Everything he had would all be taken away.
He could not lose the throne and even more so, the power in his hands.
He yearned for immortality so badly because he wished to sit on this dragon throne forever.
Even though he could dismiss the trusted followers of the Retired Emperor, the common people would never accept a person who ingested human blood as their Emperor.
Therefore, nobody knew about his secret.
He was about to complete the tactical formation to become immortal. All he needed was the blood of three more young and untainted palace maids.
He needed to think of a plan to silence the people from the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs.
The Emperor closed his eyes and was deep in thought when...
Suddenly, a noise sounded from the side of the barrier screen.
The Emperor immediately opened his eyes and looked towards the direction of the noise, yelling, "Who is it?"
The little one's impatient body froze as he looked at the candlestick beneath his feet and closed his bright eyes. A menacing chill emerged from his head and swept across him.
He only paused for a split second before he came running in cheerful footsteps, still holding a pastry that he had gotten from outside. He took a bite and said in a frisky manner, "Father, it's me! I was hungry and I couldn't find anything to eat, so I came to find you."
The Emperor gazed down at the little one standing near him. He shut his eyes for a moment as if he was confirming something and uttered "Come, come closer to me."
The little one clenched his left hand, hidden underneath his long robes, while maintaining a bubbly facade.
Third Brother said it before.
No matter what kind of situation you encounter.
As long as you don't show your true emotions to the other person...
The odds would be in your favor!
As he thought about it, the little one took another bite of the pastry and approached the Emperor in his usual manner.
One step, two steps, three steps later...
"That's enough, you don't have to come any closer." The Emperor gave a warm smile and said, "Just stand there, I can see you clearly. Did you hear anything just now while you were standing outside?"
The little one knew that he was testing him. Third Brother had told him before that a great person should only fake 30 percent of his words, while maintaining 70 percent of truthfulness to convince other people.
It was a matter of how to put that 70 percent of truthfulness into words in order to dispel their suspicion.
"I did hear something." Little Seven said while chewing a mouthful of pastry, both of his cheeks were puffy from being filled. He then continued in a coolly, "I'm not deaf, of course I can hear sounds. Were you talking to Eunuch Gao? What were you two discussing? Was it about tomorrow's breakfast?"
Eunuch Gao let out a sigh of relief after he heard him.
He was worried that Little Seven would hear something at this critical moment and tell everybody.
Given the Emperor's current position, Little Seven would be in mortal danger if he has really heard everything...
How fortunate! How fortunate!
Eunuch Gao calmed himself down.
On the other side, the Emperor laughed and replied, "Do you think that everyone only cared about eating, like you? Just go to the imperial kitchen if you are hungry, get them to cook you something delicious. I'm feeling tired, you should greet me good night and leave."
"Yes! Can I take all the pastries outside?" The little one acted as greedy as usual.
The more he behaved like this, the happier the Emperor was. "Of course!" Everything was fine as long as he did not hear anything.
"Thank you, father." The little one walked out energetically. When he extended his hand from his sleeve, it was itchy so he gave it a scratch.
The Emperor stared fixedly on Little Seven's action as his gaze fell onto the back of his hand.
Little Seven had practiced martial arts since he was little, so he knew that the Emperor was staring at him like a snake staring at its prey. If the prey revealed its weak point, the snake would devour it whole!
The little one stood with his back facing the light and squinched his eyes as he gathered all the pastries on the table into his arms. He carried them and walked out of the royal chamber slowly and leisurely.
Seeing that the little one was gone, the Emperor's expression darkened once more. "Send more people to guard the outside. From now on, no matter who, no one can come into my royal chamber as they please!"
"Yes." Eunuch Gao shuddered, he clearly knew that the Emperor had a murderous intention.
The Emperor appeared as if he was thinking about other matters, before asking, "Did you see Little Seven's hand?"
"Yes, I did." Eunuch Gao answered respectfully, "Little Seven was still the same as the time when he was born. When there is too much aura of resentment and the weather is gloomy, his skin would become irritated. Apart from the time he had skin lesions at one year old, it's been a long time since he has scratched from the itch. However, do not worry, I believe that he would recover in a few days."
After hearing this, the Emperor slowly narrowed his eyes. Crimson red coursed through the veins in the corners of his eyes as he snarled, "Do you think that he heard what I said?"
The Emperor's spoke slowly and every word was laced with an eerie sense of dreadfulness.
Eunuch Gao's heart tightened as he stammered, "Prob... probably not."
"Probably?" The Emperor turned his head over and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He could see his blood-stained lips under the bridge of his nose...
In that very second, the Emperor narrowed his eyes and growled sinisterly, "No, he heard all of it. He only pretended that he didn't."
"I have severely underestimated him. After all, he is brought up by the Third Prince. It's impossible that all he thinks of is food." As the Emperor touched the blood stain on his lip, his gaze darkened while he gave an order, "Inform the others, the murderer of the palace maids has been identified."
Eunuch Gao was stunned as he repeated, "The murderer of the palace maids?"
"That's right." The Emperor smirked as he said, "The Seventh Prince has revealed his demonic nature and he killed them to suppress his gluttony. He escaped just now after being exposed by me. Draft out the edict and publish it to the public at once. Get the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs to investigate immediately!"
No one should find out about his secret...
Even if it was his own son!
In fact... This was an opportunity for him.
As long as the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs diverted their suspicions onto someone else, he would be able to escape from the trouble.
To him, it was a son's duty to carry some burden on behalf of his father.
The Seventh Prince could treat this as an opportunity to repay his many years of love and kindness.
Once the edict is announced, no one would believe whatever Little Seven says!
Eunuch Gao could see through the situation yet he was helpless as the Retired Emperor and the Third Prince was not around. He would be sentenced to death if he did not obey the orders of the Emperor, he was the man who made the decisions in the imperial palace after all!
The edict was announced on the same night.
The entire patrol battalion of the imperial guards entered the palace.
They were the Emperor's soldiers. Whenever they were summoned, it usually meant that something serious was about to happen.
The palace maids and eunuchs murmured to one another in fear, "What is happening?"
"Haven't you heard? Rumor has it that they are on the hunt for the Seventh Prince. The news had come from the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Apparently, all this while, it was the Seventh Prince who was killing palace maids!"
"That's impossible!" One of them exclaimed, "The Seventh Prince is such a lovely child and he's still very young. How can he murder so many palace maids?"
"I'm not sure, but there was something about him turning into a demon. Haven't you noticed that the Seventh Prince has an appetite much larger than everyone else? How can a child consume that much food? Yet, the Seventh Prince has never once mentioned that he feels full. Remember that incident at Eunuch Sun's place, where he was lectured by Eunuch Sun for running around recklessly with a goldfish in his mouth? What child would hold a living fish with their mouth? We should be more cautious in the future, especially since the Seventh Prince is still on the loose. Our blood might be sucked dry if he set his sight on us..."
"That's enough, it's too terrifying!"
The voices slowly faded away in the palace courtyard.
However, the current situation had changed completely. All the palace maids would move in groups. Even if they simply wanted to go to the lavatory, they would seek company for fear of running into a terrifying encounter.
The Seventh Prince had amazing martial Qi, thus capturing him would be rather challenging.
The patrol battalion had dispatched thousands of men to conduct an extensive search within the palace grounds.
Whether it was the Eastern gate, the Western gate, the Northern gate, or the Southern gate...
Every gate was guarded by the Supreme Masters from the Elder Compound.
While it was uncertain if they could capture the Seventh Prince, he was definitely still in the palace grounds...
Snap!
The winter pine tree bent over, unable to withstand the weight of the snow buildup on its branches. It sent a flurry of snow raining down onto the little one.
The little one was curled up into a ball, his clothes were completely soaked. He could not help but scratched himself due to the combination of the persistent itch and the biting pain his body was experiencing.
However, the painful itch did not subside. Instead, the back of his hand was now covered with multiple bloody scratch marks.
As he stared at the things that had appeared on the back of his hand, the little one furrowed his eyebrows in distress before leaning back against the tree trunk.
He initially planned to meet the Third Brother.
As he was on his way, he suddenly realized that Third Brother and Third Aunt had not been around lately.
Besides that, Third Brother's place was certainly the most dangerous location.
However, if he remained hidden in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, he was less likely to be caught right away.
The little one dragged his tired body and tried to move his legs but his entire body felt burning hot. Even his limbs had no strength in them.
After giving his tummy a rub, he took a piece of pastry from his coat pocket and popped it into his mouth, chewing twice with his little head lifted.
He had overheard the conversations between the palace maids.
Father most likely wanted to use him as a scapegoat.
Little Seven knew that he was different from Baili Jia Jue, and the realization dimmed the lights in his eyes. He pursed his quivering lips tightly, being on the verge of bursting into tears.
However, he quickly stopped himself with a few sniffles.
Third brother said that real men don't cry.
He told himself that he was a masculine man and would not allow himself to ruin his image.
Nevertheless, he was still scared. Not for any other reasons, but because of the thing that had appeared on his hand.
The little one rubbed it vigorously, as he could not help but feel wronged.
I just really enjoy eating. Besides, I look so handsome, why would they call me a monster?
The little one thought to himself while looking up. He took another bite of cold pastry. Then, like a tiger cub, he let out a soft wail, "Third Brother, where did you go..." If he did not return soon, Little Seven might be arrested soon. He did not want to be locked in the dungeon, as the food down there would be nasty.
The little one clenched his incisors, he knew that it was pointless to keep hiding here. Hence, he decided to try his luck to stand up once more. Unfortunately, his limbs were still completely weak.
The Holy Worship Temple was located right outside the Western gate of the imperial palace. Perhaps he could go there and find Lie the pervert. However, he had to be very cautious as many people from the Offering Tribe were his father's men.
The little one had never gone through anything like this before, even his steps were wobbly. He felt like a beast that was trapped, with its talons removed...
...
"Is he still not caught yet?" The Emperor's expression turned cold in the darkness. "Have you searched the Third Prince's royal chamber?"
An imperial guard with an iron mask clasped his hands together as he responded, "Your Highness, we have searched everywhere, but there was still no sign of the Seventh Prince.
"What about the officers from the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs? Did they receive any news of the Seventh Prince wanting to share his discovery of a terrible secret with them?" the Emperor continued asking relentlessly.
The imperial commander shook his head and replied, "No officers have received such news. However, most of them do not believe that the Seventh Prince would murder the palace maids. After all, it's absurd to claim that the Seventh Prince is transforming into a demon."
"Absurd? If they witnessed the Seventh Prince with their own eyes, they would have said otherwise. This kid could really keep at it, to have no news about him after so long..." The Emperor rubbed the bloodstain on his fingertips. After finding out something like this, a normal child would have immediately sought for help. He had placed many of his men in the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs in order to capture him, alas... The Emperor clenched his hands.
The imperial commander suddenly realized something and said, "Oh right, we haven't searched the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Your Highness."
Upon hearing those words, his fingers froze. It sent a flash of bloodlust across his vision as he commanded, "Lock down the Palace of Heavenly Purity and inform every officer from the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs to put on their court robes and enter the palace. I want them to see for themselves, whether the Seventh Prince is a human or a demon!"