Chapter 108: Clear Day Chapter 87: You Will Be Grateful to Me

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

When Chi Yang's carriage drove away from Xian Tai Gong, the group of Tianji candidate youths had just finished their morning lessons and were walking back along the straight, clean yongdao.

Seeing the gloomy sky, the youths in grey-blue Daoist robes mostly hurried along, their wide sleeves fluttering, like grey-blue clouds surging across the vault of heaven; people and clouds moved in the same direction, heaven and earth mirroring each other.

Another muffled thunder rolled, and Ming Dan inexplicably felt a surge of anxiety and irritation; she subconsciously looked up at the sky, suddenly felt a coolness on her forehead, and a cold raindrop struck down.

A figure approached, a grey-blue wide sleeve suddenly blocked above her head; Ming Dan turned her head and saw a youth with a slightly dark complexion, his face full of attentiveness as he said: "Young Lady Feng, don't get caught in the rain!"

Ming Dan squeezed out a perfunctory smile; she walked a few steps faster, but the youth followed step by step.

A girl holding an umbrella ran over: "Young Lady Feng, I brought an umbrella!"

Ming Dan then walked with that girl, taking the opportunity to shake off the youth.

Under the umbrella, a flash of impatient disdain crossed Ming Dan's eyes; that youth from a military household was named Qiu Wen, who treated her very attentively, nothing more than wanting to cling to her family background—how could she ever look up to such a lowly person?

She had once heard a servant who came to deliver things say that someone had already come to propose marriage to her; they were all prominent families in the Capital, though her grandfather and grandmother had temporarily refused for her, saying it was not too late to discuss it after she left Xian Tai Gong...

This reminded Ming Dan.

Yes, when she left this place, she should also discuss marriage!

By then, choosing a good family to marry into would allow her to avoid Feng Zhu, and perhaps she could continue to live in peace.

Best if it were like that—calm and orderly, with no mishaps; let whoever should go mad keep going mad, just maintain the status quo.

Ming Dan made a silent vow in her heart, not paying attention to her feet; she stepped into a puddle, splashing her new tiger shoes embroidered with colorful clouds; she cried out, lifted her robe skirt, and blamed the girl holding the umbrella beside her: "Why didn't you remind me!"

The girl hurriedly smiled apologetically: "When the weather clears, I will wash them clean for Young Lady Feng!"

While speaking, the girl looked at the wet exquisite footwear, then at the fair wrist revealed as the other lifted her skirt, where a very translucent jade bracelet was revealed; at a glance its quality was extraordinary.

Although Xian Tai Gong required uniform attire, this Young Lady Feng always managed to subtly show her difference in small details.

The girl couldn't help but say enviously: "Young Lady Feng's fate is truly good..."

Ming Dan curled the corners of her mouth and lifted her chin.

What did good fate count for? The real skill was turning a bad fate into a good one.

Being praised and flattered, Ming Dan's mood improved greatly, and even this annoying wind and rain became much more pleasing to the eye.

Raindrops, falling harder and harder, struck the straight yongdao one by one, shattering and splashing.

Chi Yang's carriage stopped outside the gate of the Inner Palace, and an Imperial Guard respectfully held an umbrella forward to receive him.

Under the umbrella's edge, Chi Yang was still dressed all in black robes, stepping through the rain all the way, walking on foot to Weiyang Palace.

"Immortal Master, braving the rain to enter the palace—what is the matter?"

Inside the dim hall on a rainy day, the palace attendants had lit the lamps early; the Emperor sat behind the table and asked.

Chi Yang vaguely sensed that this Son of Heaven was not in a good mood, and at that moment four others stood in the hall: Crown Prince Liu Cheng, Grand Minister of Agriculture Rui Ze, Taichang Temple Minister and his subordinate the Grand Astrologer, their expressions either fearful or solemn.

Chi Yang lowered his eyes and said: "Reporting to Your Majesty, this poor Daoist observed an anomaly in the celestial phenomena, and thus came to report to Your Majesty."

He did not rush to reveal good or bad fortune; if the Son of Heaven did not wish too many to listen in, he would naturally dismiss the people in the hall.

But the Emperor spoke directly: "Does Immortal Master also believe that some ominous event will occur?"

Chi Yang's lowered eyes twitched slightly; after a moment, he said: "This poor Daoist observed the celestial phenomena and cast a hexagram; the hexagram shows that an accident will occur on the East Side; this ominous qi may have the worry of colliding with Your Majesty's Dragon Body."

The Ren Emperor slightly raised his eyes: "Immortal Master has also divined an ominous sign... judging by this, the words of that little shaman may not be groundless?"

Sensing that Imperial Father's gaze swept toward him at the same time, Liu Cheng felt uneasy, not knowing how to answer.

Chi Yang asked in confusion: "I do not know what Your Majesty refers to..."

The Emperor's expression gave no hint of joy or anger, and he was not accustomed to personally explaining things at length; Rui Ze first saluted upward, then turned to Chi Yang and answered in a low voice: "Today at the shrine's Heaven-sacrificing ceremony, a young shaman claimed to be possessed by the soul spirit of the Grand Ancestor, and spoke an Eight Characters prophecy..."

Rui Ze's voice became lower and more solemn: "Return Dragon Break Soil, Dragon Qi Leakage."

Chi Yang's snow-white eyebrows twitched slightly.

Liu Cheng couldn't help but ask: "Immortal Master, how do you interpret this Eight Characters?"

"Return Dragon mostly refers to the return procession after a funeral burial; breaking soil is also digging earth for burial; and a death that can cause Dragon Qi to leak..." Chi Yang said slowly: "Taken literally, it means a great mourning for the state."

Everyone in the hall changed expression; from the seat of honor came a short, hoarse laugh: "It seems my time is up, and I cannot survive the four-day limit spoken by that little shaman?"

Liu Cheng immediately knelt and bowed in alarm: "Imperial Father, may you live ten thousand years!"

Guo Shi and other inner attendants also bowed their heads in unison.

"Your Majesty is the true Dragon incarnate; matters of life and death must manifest in the celestial phenomena." Chi Yang remained calm and corrected: "According to what this poor Daoist has observed recently, the Zicheng Emperor Star shows absolutely no sign of extinction. Even if this poor Daoist divined today that an accident will occur in the East, for Your Majesty it is at most a worry of collision, certainly no great disaster."

This was not a lie; he had observed that although the Emperor Star had gradually dimmed in recent years, there was temporarily no sign of extinction.

Rui Ze immediately said: "That little shaman is indeed spreading heresy to confuse the masses! We subjects should not have troubled Your Majesty with such groundless matters, but although this little shaman is insignificant, his words and actions have ulterior motives; perhaps he was instigated by someone, deliberately using the great sacrifice ceremony to disturb people's hearts!"

Guo Shi also said in a startled tone: "Exactly, his evil words are not credible, but this evil deed cannot be ignored..."

The Taichang Temple Minister in charge of the shrine ceremony knelt down and bowed his head to plead guilty.

The Grand Astrologer also followed in pleading guilty; although he had only been temporarily summoned by the Son of Heaven to ask whether there were anomalies in the celestial phenomena or signs of an earthquake, and had not participated in the sacrifice at all, but since the superiors had knelt... although he could not understand the matters of gods and spirits in heaven, he was clear about human affairs on earth.

The Emperor did not rush to ask whose crime it was, but looked at Chi Yang: "According to Immortal Master's high opinion, how credible is it that this little shaman claims the Grand Ancestor descended upon him?"

"This poor Daoist has not seen it personally and dare not speak rashly." Chi Yang said calmly: "Since this shaman has stated a four-day limit, we might as well quietly wait four days; by then truth and falsehood will naturally be revealed."

He then proposed: "Moreover, with the Awakening of Insects arriving, hundreds of insects will emerge, and evil spirits will multiply; during these four days, it would be better for this poor Daoist to remain in Weiyang Palace, using talisman scripts and incantations to strengthen Your Majesty, so as to resist the danger of collision."

Hearing the words that hundreds of insects and evil spirits would emerge, the Ren Emperor thought of those shamans who harbored ulterior motives and acted in the name of gods and spirits, and felt a surge of disgust; he then looked at Rui Ze and said in a deep voice: "Four days from now, hand that little shaman over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard for thorough interrogation; the matter must be investigated clearly."

Rui Ze saluted and accepted: "As you command."

The Taichang Temple Minister broke out in a cold sweat, feeling he had brought great trouble upon himself; when he withdrew from the great hall, wind and rain assailed him, and he felt a chill throughout his body.

The Grand Astrologer hurriedly held an umbrella for his superior.

"Four days from now, that little Wu will be interrogated, and this official will also find it hard to escape responsibility..." The Taichang Temple Minister sighed deeply. He had originally, for the sake of His Majesty's Dragon Body, specially urged those Wu practitioners who came in batches every three years to enter the capital early, but who knew that good intentions would lead to disaster, that reckless little Wu actually poked such a huge hole for him.

If it weren't for that little Wu falsely borrowing the Taizu Emperor's name, I'm afraid she wouldn't have been able to wait four days; today her head would fall!

The Taizu Emperor, that is His Majesty's own father.

No matter how much His Majesty disbelieves, he still has to care about public opinion; he must wait until four days later when the prophecy falls through before meting out punishment, only then will he not be reviled and criticized by people.

The Grand Astrologer wanted to comfort his superior, and could only try saying in a low voice: "Is it possible this Wu was truly possessed by Taizu?"

The Taichang Temple Minister turned his face to look at him: "You mean there truly will be a great funeral?"

The Grand Astrologer hurriedly changed his words in terror: "How would I dare..."

"She dares!" The Taichang Temple Minister said angrily: "Truly not afraid of death, daring to speak nonsense about a great funeral. This is clearly someone thrown in to die, a chess piece, a dead piece."

When the Embroidered Uniform Guard investigates in coming days, who knows what people will be implicated... seditious talk to confuse the masses, saying she'll confess the mastermind behind the scenes, but it's very likely just framing; true and false mixed, no one can sort it out, such methods I've seen many times.

Let them fight and fight, die and die, but why does she have to die right at the Taichang Temple's gate!

The Taichang Temple Minister only felt extremely unlucky, truly an undeserved calamity.

Crown Prince Liu Cheng, who left close behind, was muddleheaded.

A eunuch held an umbrella for him; he watched the rain threads dripping from the umbrella brim, and before his eyes kept flashing everything that happened in the Divine Shrine, as well as that pair of exceptionally quiet, spirited eyes.

For some unknown reason, he just felt her words were very credible...

A great funeral?

The Immortal Master has already clearly stated Imperial Uncle won't have an incident, then... what about him? He is the Crown Prince; if he died, that should also count as a great funeral where Dragon Qi leaks away, right? Would it possibly be fulfilled on him?

Liu Cheng felt a burst of fear, his footsteps growing ever heavier, suspecting his life would not last long.

Chiyang also withdrew from the Main Hall, and under the guidance of a eunuch, walked toward the Left Side palace chamber to prepare for the upcoming Talisman and Incantation rites.

Walking in the long corridor, Chiyang listened to the rain sounds by his ear, and a trace of contemplation flashed in his eyes.

Seditious talk to confuse the masses? Framing and entrapment?

Or... are there insects wanting to emerge from their holes in response to the season?

If they want to emerge and show their heads, this insect is also too reckless and blind.

Since ancient times, prophecy and divination of all affairs, the hexagrams fundamentally would not be meticulous to such a degree; what hexagrams show are mostly directions and Qi flow trends, the rest relies on the diviner to interpret and deduce, but Heaven's will is unfathomable, the more skilled the diviner, the more deeply they know the principle that words cannot be spoken too fully.

But that unknown little Wu not only pointed straight at a great funeral occurring, but also clearly stated a four-day fulfillment period... this is not the conduct of a skilled person, and even though Wu practitioners have never had scruples, Chiyang also distinctly believes, judging from star phenomena, recently there fundamentally will not appear a state great funeral, unless there is a visitor from outside the worldly order, who breaks into the palace to assassinate the Son of Heaven — for example, that true Tianji.

But no matter how much a Tianji, they are still mortal flesh; the Emperor already has precautions, how would he give anyone a chance to strike.

There will be no great funeral appearing, and this insect is destined to become a mayfly that lives morning to evening.

Rainwater soaked the soil; after dark, tiny insects began to quietly break out of the earth.

Insect beasts do not cry unless they must; one cry must be startling; the more they have experienced slaughter, the more ferocious insect beasts are, the more they understand this way of survival and predation.

Rain poured heavily; in the lamp-less Quiet Chamber there was only a wisp of faint light slanting down from the high, narrow window hole, shining on a pair of clear, bright eyes, black pupils, long lashes, quiet and sharp.

This Quiet Chamber is located in the Back Hall of the Divine Shrine; inside the chamber there is a bamboo couch, on the couch a small table, and no other furnishings.

Shaowei sat with bent knees on the bamboo couch; hearing the noise of the door being opened from outside, she concealed her sharp aura, reached out and hugged the knees before her body.

Yu Si Wu walked in from outside; following at her side, a female Wu held a lamp in her hand.

Looking at the girl sitting hugging her knees, Yu Si Wu's gaze was heavier than the rainy night, staring tightly at that cluster of silhouette.

The girl before his eyes was quiet and ordinary, even more proving that the killing, proud, and overbearing Qi she saw in the Divine Shrine today was merely a momentary illusion, or perhaps influenced by that thunder and the Soul Summoning Banner, which made her dazed.

That fragile fluke hope in Yu Si Wu's heart thoroughly collapsed.

And that girl glanced once at the person behind her, but said: "I'm hungry, I want to eat something."

Still daring to ask for food as if nothing happened!

Yu Si Wu's emotions suppressed for a whole day finally erupted; she strode forward, bent down and grabbed the girl's collar with one hand, gnashing her teeth as she interrogated: "Who instructed you? Your one cheap life is not worth pity; why drag the entire Divine Shrine down with you! Gods and ghosts above, even if you die, I absolutely will not let you rest in peace!"

Yu Si Wu's eyes were full of vicious resentment and curses; her most cherished faith was violated by this damn civet cat, she could not not be angry.

Shaowei let her clutch her, tilted her face up to meet her gaze, and said: "Taizu descending on me, isn't that a good thing? I'm also helping you all."

Yu Si Wu, anger reaching its peak, coldly laughed: "Big words without shame; why would Taizu descend on you!"

Shaowei: "You'd have to ask Taizu; how would I know."

Yu Si Wu, annoyed until her face turned ferocious: "Still daring to speak nonsense!"

Shaowei still calm: "You will be grateful to me."

This self-talking appearance was just like a beast that doesn't understand human nature, a civet cat that angers people to death without paying with its life; Yu Si Wu simply couldn't bear to not make a move.

The Wu Nu at the side persuaded in a low voice: "Si Wu, the Temple Minister has ordered, must wait until four days later to dispose of her..."

Yu Si Wu forcefully enduring her hatred, violently shoved the person backward, flung her hand away and left.

Shaowei felt she used such great force; according to common sense she ought to fall backward, otherwise it would be very strange, so she voluntarily lay backward.

After lying down, she did not immediately get up, so just lay there and said: "I am someone who must eat."

Yu Si Wu looked back once, even more enraged, only feeling the other party was clearly already a dead pig not afraid of boiling water; she could only angrily say: "Send her food! Let her eat her fill of four days of Headband of Death rice!"

This Headband of Death rice Shaowei also ate peacefully; after filling her belly she slept a whole night until dawn.

Such days of eating full then sleeping, Shaowei repeated for a full two days; rain also fell for a full three days.

This evening, Shaowei heard a bit of strange sound coming from the window hole; this originally tiny noise was even more concealed in the rainy night.

This Quiet Chamber's window is very high and very small, only used for ventilation, not for viewing scenery.

Shaowei is locked here, strictly guarded; on four sides besides the door there is only this one small window hole, also to cut off her possibility of escape.

In the darkness, Shaowei stepped on the small table on the couch, leapt up, single-handedly clung to that window hole, like a civet cat with astonishing arm strength, hanging in a long strip shape; she fixed her gaze and saw at the window hole a Flying Dart was stuck, on the Flying Dart was stuck a wad of hemp cloth.

Shaowei pulled out the Flying Dart, slid down, sat on the couch, unfolded the hemp cloth, a familiar large large Chou character entered her sight, on it read: 【Want me to kill one right now?】