Chapter 526: Let Him Invite His Master

Xiao Yuanhang nodded: "According to Yuan'er, the National Preceptor once mentioned that Chen Hao and Lord Chen had a discussion, trying to persuade them not to act contrarily, but they were placed under house arrest in the residence."

"It seems his house arrest has now been lifted; otherwise, he couldn't help Lord Song's men deliver this letter."

"What do you think of this matter?"

Xiao Yuanhang lowered his head, pondering for a moment: "The time is not yet right."

"Even if Lord Song and Chen Hao act as insiders, the two armies differ greatly in numbers; I have no confidence we can capture Jingcheng."

Xiao Jieyun remained silent for a long time: "I truly wish to march back to Jingcheng now and personally execute those two Ni Ze."

He slowly raised his head, meeting Xiao Yuanhang's gaze: "But if there is no chance of victory, using the lives of these fifty thousand soldiers to exchange for my dragon throne would not be the act of a benevolent ruler."

He tapped the letter on the table: "Tell Lord Song that I have received his intentions."

"When the day for the siege is set, I will inform in advance; then I will ask him for assistance."

Xiao Yuanhang saluted: "I will obey your command."

"Chen Hao," Xiao Jieyun asked, "is he truly trustworthy?"

Xiao Yuanhang thought for a moment: "His Majesty, may the Ninth Prince draft a letter for Chen Hao to take back to Jingcheng."

"He and Chen Hao grew up together since childhood, more familiar than others."

"We can wait to see Chen Hao's reply before making a decision."

"Approved!"

Jingcheng.

Teng Qingxing, with one eye open, grew increasingly indignant.

He had traveled thousands of miles to get here, only to be ruined by a child with no magical skill at all!

That masked freak, who clearly asked me to deal with her, now refuses me permission to take her life.

Worried that I would seek revenge on that child because I lost an eye, they even confiscated my magical instrument and talisman papers!

"Do you think that by taking those away I have no recourse? You underestimate me!"

He gave a sinister smile.

"Servants!"

The servant at the door replied, "Here! What does the mage command?"

"Bring me a basin of water!"

"Yes."

Before long, a basin of clear water was brought in.

Teng Qingxing rose, closed the door tightly, placed the basin on the table, reached for a sheet of white paper beside him, and began folding and cutting it carefully.

A moment later, two crude paper figures lay quietly on the table.

Looking at the two paper figures, he muttered, "I can still, using my own life as a medium, locate that child. Even if it consumes much, as long as I can avenge this hatred, it is worth it."

He bit his tongue tip, spitting a mouthful of fresh blood into the basin.

The clear water instantly turned a pale red, ripples spreading, remaining unsettled for a long time.

Teng Qingxing placed one of the paper figures into the water; it floated on the surface, turning slowly.

He closed his eyes, murmuring an ancient incantation; his complexion turned extremely pale, and a strand of blood seeped from his mouth corner.

The ripples on the water's surface gradually coalesced.

He stared at the increasingly clear silhouette, grinned, showing blood‑stained white teeth.

On the open ground of Xibei Daying, three tiny figures were running.

Tuan Tuan ran ahead, her little face flushed, with Gongsun Yue and Xiao Jin close behind her.

Not far away, Xiao Er and Lu Qi were leisurely following the three little tots.

"Are they playing?"

"I am suffering here, yet you are playing so merrily?"

Teng Qingxing's fury rose in his heart, and the blood at his mouth corner flowed more and more.

He seemed to hear Tuan Tuan's laughter.

"Just such a child."

"Just a little kid who only plays in mud and runs after things, and she has already lost one of her eyes!"

Teng Qingxing's chest heaved violently, his mouth filled with the smell of blood.

He picked up the other paper figure on the table, ignited it, and a corner of the paper burst into a red flame.

He held the burning paper figure above the basin, the flame reflected in the water, overlapping with the running tiny figures.

He stared at Tuan Tuan, a malicious glint flashing from his single eye: "You dare wound my eye, I will let you die beneath the flames!"

He tilted the burning paper figure, bringing it close to the still‑spinning paper figure in the basin.

At the same moment.

Tuan Tuan suddenly stopped, raising her little face.

Gongsun Yue and Xiao Jin stopped with her: "Tuan Tuan?"

Xiao Er and Lu Qi hurried over: "Miss, what's wrong?"

Tuan Tuan blinked, staring at the sky above her head: "Is something over my head?"

She pointed: "It's too far; I can't see clearly."

Xiao Er looked up; the azure sky was clear, not even a bird in sight.

Gongsun Yue and Xiao Jin also tilted their heads upward: "There's nothing."

Tuan Tuan tilted her head, thought, then said, "There is a way!"

She reached into her little Sachet, pulled out a small bronze mirror, held it toward the sky, lowered her head, and looked into the mirror.

Xiao Jin gasped in amazement: "Tuan Tuan, you're so clever!"

Tuan Tuan proudly shook her little head: "Only this way can I see!"

At this moment, the paper figurine in Teng Qingxing's hand was about to slip free, about to be thrown into the basin,

Why did she stop?

What is she holding in her hand?

Why did it flash again?

Teng Qingxing's pupils suddenly contracted.

Is this... firelight?

Oh no! He had just tried to dodge, but the firelight that filled the sky had already exploded from the basin!

"Ah——!"

Teng Qingxing flew backward, hit the ground, and his body was engulfed in flames.

His robes were completely ablaze, making a sizzling sound.

"Ah! Ah——!"

He kept slapping himself with both hands, rolling on the ground while screaming in agony.

The servant outside burst through the door, stared in shock: "What happened? Priest, how did you set yourself on fire?"

He spotted the basin on the table at a glance, ran over, picked it up, and splashed its contents onto Teng Qingxing.

Teng Qingxing cried out in horror: "No! Don't!"

"That's what I enchanted! It's no longer water!"

But it was already too late; the whole basin of water had been splashed onto him.

"Whoosh!"

The flames on his body suddenly surged upward, straight to the ceiling!

The servant looked at the basin in his hand: "This isn't the water I just drew myself, is it? Why does it feel like I splashed a basin of oil?"

Teng Qingxing rolled all over the ground, screaming loudly.

The servant froze for a moment, then ran out of the room: "Help! Fire!"

Soon, countless servants came running in with buckets of water, and only with great effort did they manage to extinguish the fire.

Teng Qingxing curled up on the ground, his whole body scorched black, only his single eye glaring wide open.

His lips trembled, his voice shaking: "Her! What exactly is she?"

A few servants glanced at each other: "Quickly go report to the Supreme Lord! The priest has gone mad!"

Upon hearing that, Teng Qingxing could no longer hold back; he spat out a mouthful of blood, his head lolled to the side, and he collapsed completely into the water covering the floor.

At the same moment, under the sunlight in Xibei, Tuan Tuan had had enough of the mirror, casually stuffed it back into her sachet: "Nothing at all! It still gave me a start!"

"Xiao Yueyue! Twelve! Let's go! Let's keep playing!"

She swung her little legs and took off running again.

After a while, in Jingcheng, the Masked Man hurried in, followed by a black-clad person.

The servants recounted what had just happened: "The priest is so deranged, we dare not approach him."

The Masked Man listened to the servants' report with furrowed brows, having guessed about seventy or eighty percent of it.

"Move him out and have a doctor treat his wounds!"

"Yes!"

The Masked Man turned to look at the black-clad person: "Your yin-yang masters are really this incompetent?"

The black-clad person obviously hadn't expected that either: "My lord, please calm your anger; perhaps Teng Qingxing's cultivation is too shallow?"

"But now that he is seriously injured, we can use this as an excuse to have him summon his Master to serve you."