Chapter 111

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

Shaowei knelt in the grand and majestic hall, telling her deceptive words to the supreme ruler of all under heaven: "When Huali was eleven, she fell into a marsh and nearly died, saved by an angler; from then she forgot many past events and could no longer recall her parents' origins."

"After surviving death, she heard the voices of mountains and rivers, opened the spirit apertures of a numinous child, and after mastering her cultivation, under divine guidance went to Jingji, entered the Shen Ci, to serve the Ruler of All Under Heaven."

After hearing this, the Son of Heaven first asked: "Who was the angler who saved you?"

"I do not know if it was a person or a ghost, or a river god; now I do not know where they are." Shaowei lowered her eyes slightly and said: "Huali is also trying to find her, but to no avail."

"Truly a strange person, a strange encounter, a strange tale," the Emperor said slowly, his gaze scrutinizing that tiny figure from above.

This young witch knelt in the hall; though tiny, she seemed utterly unafraid, and upon closer inspection, this fearlessness had a certain charm—not because she was experienced and steady, but because she was ignorant and unaware.

Her temperament was entirely natural, as if transformed by the birds, beasts, grasses, and trees of the deep mountains—mysterious and profound, utterly out of place in this splendid hall, and thus all the more striking... such natural temperament was hard to fake, truly extraordinary.

The Emperor gazed at this witch of strange temperament and asked: "Since ancient times, those with strange encounters must possess strange abilities, an auspicious sign; so you were guided by spirits to come and stabilize this realm of Great Qian?"

The girl's expression was candid: "Only the Human Emperor can stabilize the realm; helping the Human Emperor communicate with all living beings and spirits is Huali's mission."

Guo Shi, standing by, silently lifted his eyelids, looking at the witch whose answers were so apt and smooth, as if spoken from the heart.

"What a mission," the Emperor continued to watch her: "You are indeed extraordinary. The first four characters of the Eight-Character Prophecy have come true exactly; as for the last four..."

Dragon Qi Leakage—the Ren Emperor did not repeat these four characters, but asked something far more taboo and chilling: "Does this portend that my lifespan is exhausted, that the realm of Great Qian is exhausted?"

The already cold and solemn atmosphere in the hall suddenly grew heavier; none of the attendants dared make a sound.

Yan Xiangguo lowered his eyes, waiting for the witch to answer words that would largely decide her own life and death.

In Shaowei's ears rang the death knell she had heard before dying in her past life, and the scenes of strife and disorder across the land she had seen at death's door—

If speaking by fact, she ought to give a definite answer that their lifespan was exhausted.

But she had come a thousand li to deceive people, not to dig her own grave in some magnificent place.

Thus she answered: "Though Dragon Qi leaks, it need not leak away completely; Huali herself does not understand the world's qi mechanisms, merely fortunate to be chosen by spirits to come here, but from this Your Majesty can see you have not been abandoned by spirits; there are still turning points in all matters, depending on how Your Majesty acts."

As that clear voice fell, a moment of silence fell beneath the hall; Guo Shi's gaze shifted slightly, and he almost praised her aloud.

Her arrival represented a turning point, but how to act lay with the Son of Heaven; the Son of Heaven had not been abandoned by spirits, and if the Son of Heaven wished to use this turning point, she naturally should not be abandoned by the Son of Heaven... was it so?

This young witch seemed to have no scheming, but in a few short words she had soothed the holy heart and left herself a path to survival; more importantly, she had not overshadowed the guest—she knew too well how to place herself... clearly unpolished in appearance, yet so sharp and clever, truly as if spirits were watching over and guiding her.

Guo Shi had to begin taking the young witch seriously.

The Son of Heaven's expression finally softened; he slowly leaned back against the wide armrest behind him, silently releasing body language of lowering vigilance and probing, his voice no longer so heavy, as if sighing faintly, he asked: "My Imperial Uncle, the Taizu Emperor... is there any other hint?"

Shaowei: "Replying to Your Majesty, Taizu indeed had another hint."

The hall fell silent again; Yan Mian looked at the young witch: "If Taizu gave a hint, why did you not speak it all at once in the shrine that day?"

"This was not an urgent matter; many were present that day, and speaking too early might give ill-intentioned people cause to create trouble," Shaowei said without changing expression: "It was the spirit of Taizu guiding and hinting silently, making me report this to Your Majesty."

Yan Mian neither agreed nor refused, only turned his head slightly toward the Son of Heaven at the head seat.

The Son of Heaven asked, looking down: "What did Taizu hint?"

Shaowei answered solemnly: "Something ominous will descend upon the imperial city and bring disaster."

The Ren Emperor slowly sat upright, his upper body leaning forward toward the dragon case, looking down at the young witch, asking: "Who is the disaster? Since Taizu showed it, you should speak plainly; I will surely not let them go."

Shaowei could not help but slowly raise her eyes until she met the Son of Heaven's pupils.

In an instant, majestic power fell upon her from above; this power was not oppression but permission, and the eyes above seemed to say: 【Speak it, and I will kill him.】

This was an irresistible temptation.

The Son of Heaven's probing had ended earlier; she had passed the probing and test, and the collapse of Changling had proven the Eight-Character Prophecy; the Son of Heaven was already willing to trust her.

At this moment, the Son of Heaven was the Yama holding life and death, handing her the judge's pen that could write the book of life and death; she could write any name...

The opportunity was right before her eyes; just use this pen to write Chi Yang's name, stroke by stroke, control his life and death, and negotiate with him...

Write it, speak it!

A deafening voice urged from her heart; the suppressed emotions were about to break free from the cage of her heart, her feelings surging and rising; when they surged to her throat, Shaowei could not help but open her mouth: "Chi—"

Shaowei spoke clearly and distinctly, uttering one word; her properly straight spine suddenly turned cold, as if a breeze brushed from behind the hall outside, that breeze gentle, very much like the cool wind brought by Jiang Fu's long-handled bamboo fan in days past.

The woman in green seemed to stand behind her; the wind slowly brought by the bamboo fan in her hand was light, yet as if it passed through her spine, through her heart; a tear suddenly welled in Shaowei's eyes, her back bent, her hands weakly supporting her body on either side, as if truly undergoing divine revelation and bearing the pain of leaking heavenly secrets—

No, it was divine revelation; it was the thing left in her body by that woman who pitied the world transformed into divine light, making her go against her nature, and in that instant she managed to swallow back that word, and instead spoke another word she had prepared: "Ba—"

Shaowei raised her head, the tears in her eyes not yet faded, clearly repeating: "It is Chi Ba."

Chi Ba?

Not some prince or royal clansman, not some king or marquis, not a person of this world at all, but a spirit-beast object.

Discussing only spirits, ghosts, mountains, and marshes, not involving court power struggles—that is a witch, a true witch.

The Emperor's brows and eyes silently lowered a slight arc.

This extremely subtle movement was taken into Shaowei's eyes by her sharp five senses.

So the power that descended in that instant was merely bait.

She thought the probing had ended, but in fact from that moment the true probing began; she would be deceived by the appearance, make the wrong judgment that she was already trusted, and in the process expose her deepest intentions.

The guidance of 【Speak it, and I will kill him】, if she were truly beguiled, the one killed would not be Chi Yang, but her, her true form exposed.

A difference of one word, yet the boundary between life and death.

In the moment of escaping death, what brought Shaowei's reason back was her experience with Jiang Fu in the past—Jiang Fu loved to bully her with words; whenever she was fooled and angry, Jiang Fu would suddenly soften, his attitude changing completely, she thought it was over, just as she lowered her guard and even reflected on herself, the next moment Jiang Fu would come up with more bullying words, and those words were not a new topic, but all verbal traps prepared in advance.

Shaowei had fallen for such verbal traps too many times; the Emperor's words just now had something in common with them—both made her fall into a more sinister trap when she was about to relax, attempting to lure her to her death.

Jiang Fu's method of luring to death was to make her let out a big breath, but at this moment the Emperor's method of luring to death would truly take her life.

Shaowei had never examined herself so severely. She had almost stepped onto a dead end just now, and was already on the nearest path; she could no longer be anxious. If she continued to crave greater speed, the result of that greater speed would only be confirmed in the single word "death," causing her to die even faster.

A nameless chill cooled the blood that had been boiling, and the ringing in the ears caused by the surging qi and blood scattered away. The voice from above became clear enough to enter her ears: "The Disaster Chiwei... You mean, a drought will occur in the imperial city?"

Chiwei, also known as Hanba, is a monster said in tales to cause drought once it appears. Because its eyes are red, its whole body filled with red flames, and wherever it steps turns into a thousand miles of scorched earth, the common people often call it the Chiwei Ghost.

Shaowei: "Yes, there will be signs of a great drought within several hundred li inside and outside Chang'an this summer."

The Ren Emperor looked toward the moisture lingering outside the palace hall after the rain: "The Grand Astrologer and the Immortal Master have both said, there was much rain this spring..."

The girl spoke with certainty: "Though the spring rain is abundant, it is not enough to cover the summer drought."

Whether it was the Grand Astrologer or the celestial predictions of Chi Yang, both had their limits and could not precisely predict the weather a hundred days later.

The Ren Emperor's gaze narrowed, falling back on the young witch who had prophesied again. His tone was unclear: "Spring rain is not enough to cover it; it seems a severe drought is indeed coming... Changling has collapsed, a great drought will arise. Since you claim to be guided by ghosts and spirits, an incarnation of auspiciousness, why are all the prophecies you bring disasters?"

"Disasters are decreed by heaven and cannot be stopped by human power. But if one knows early that a heavenly disaster will come, one can make preparations in advance to avoid causing greater human calamity." Shaowei still remembered the human calamities caused by the drought in her previous life. Her expression grew even more certain: "Preparing for a rainy day is not about how to stop the rain from falling, but about arranging the nest early so it will not overturn under the violent rain."

The Ren Emperor's eyes moved slightly, and he asked again: "You speak so confidently, but what if the drought does not occur?"

Shaowei: "Then it would be Your Majesty's might that drove away the Chiwei and stopped the disaster."

The Ren Emperor smiled silently, thinking this young witch was cunning and wanted to escape blame with flattering words. But then he heard her continue: "And the crime of Huali's false words is unforgivable. No further proof is needed; she is willing to accept death."

The girl's expression was open and calm.

Those who dare to prophesy so decisively are few; those who dare to take responsibility with their lives are almost nonexistent. Those who dare both are righteous and fearless, and will always earn people's respect.

"Good." The Ren Emperor suddenly nodded, showing a faint smile: "Huali, not bad."

This was a vague praise, but it was praise nonetheless.

After the praise came a question: "What else do you know? Are you also versed in witch doctoring and curse techniques?"

"When summoning a god, one may receive inspiration. Each god excels in different things, and Huali excels in different things." Shaowei said frankly: "When no god descends into her body, Huali does not know curse techniques, but only excels in women's ailments, external injuries and bone injuries, and the way of regulation."

"The way of regulation..." The Ren Emperor asked: "Then when you observe me, is there anything that needs regulation?"

Shaowei raised her eyes and looked directly at the king, scrutinizing him. Her gaze was so straightforward it was truly like examining a patient, so much so that Guo Shi felt it was extremely disrespectful and could not help but speak out: "Bold Huali, how can you offend the Imperial Face like this?"

Shaowei looked at him, her tone puzzled: "If I am not allowed to observe, how am I to diagnose the illness?"

This young witch was indeed clever but truly bold. Guo Shi was about to speak again when he heard the king ask in a gentle tone: "Then what illness have you observed for me?"

"I have not taken the pulse, so I dare not make a rash judgment." Shaowei said: "But observing Your Majesty's complexion and hearing Your Majesty's voice, I know Your Majesty has long suffered from a lung ailment."

After speaking, she scanned the incense burner and tightly closed windows in the hall, and said: "It is already the second month; there is no more yin cold in the wind. The lung governs qi and likes cleanliness, so it can exhale the old and inhale the new. Your Majesty should have someone ventilate and change the air often. Secondly, the lung belongs to metal, and metal is born from earth. Your Majesty should go out and walk every day, receiving the essence of the land to nourish the lung meridian."

Shaowei knew these suggestions were not particularly extraordinary, but since she had not yet taken the pulse up close, she could not offer more brilliant medicinal suggestions. She said these only to leave this emperor with a first impression—that she had the methods of a proper doctor, and was not of the sort of gu, curse, or poison arts.

Before entering the capital, Liu Qi had repeatedly reminded her that his Imperial Uncle tabooed witch curses and gu arts. Such methods were hard to control; they could help him invisibly or harm him invisibly, so they were his reverse scale. When first walking beside the reverse scale, one must be cautious again and again.

After Shaowei finished speaking, she saw the Emperor nod in recognition.

Just as she thought the Emperor, who cared so much about his health and longevity, would rest assured and let her come forward to take his pulse, the Emperor did not do so, nor did he order someone to open the windows immediately. He only finally allowed her to rise.

Afterward, a palace attendant entered the hall to announce, and then officials came to request an audience. Among them was a name Shaowei knew well: the Marquis of Lu.

The Marquis of Lu rarely participated in court affairs anymore, but he hurried into the palace because he had heard news of trouble at the Former Emperor's mausoleum.

The Marquis of Lu was an old comrade who had conquered the realm with the Former Emperor. Before the Former Emperor passed away, he had said that after the Marquis of Lu died a hundred years later, he must be buried beside Changling before he could rest in peace.

It was also because of this dying wish of the Former Emperor that the Ren Emperor did not begrudge showing more tolerance to the Marquis of Lu, who no longer commanded troops.

The Ren Emperor ordered the Marquis of Lu and others to be admitted to the hall, and had the Wu Nu Huali withdraw.

Under the guidance of a palace attendant, Shaowei withdrew to outside the hall.

At the same time, the Marquis of Lu and his party had already strode into the hall.

As they brushed past, Shaowei subconsciously lowered her eyes and restrained her breath. The old man anxiously asked about the collapse of the mausoleum and had no time to carefully notice the young witch in witchcraft attire, whose body was soon half blocked by a colleague.

All the way out of Weiyang Palace, Shaowei's thoughts were in turmoil.

Had she passed the Emperor's first test?

She supposed so. After all, she had walked out alive. Staying alive was important, and walking out herself rather than being dragged out was also important.

At the same moment, the same sentence echoed in Chi Yang's heart: The one who walked out alive, that insect.

In the Side Hall, Chi Yang had moved to the inner chamber behind a curtain. He was drawing talismans with a brush, the tip dipped in cinnabar never stopping, and asked in a low voice: "What is her name?"

Since she had walked out alive, she either possessed extraordinary true ability or extraordinary true cleverness. He also had to give her more proper attention.

The young Taoist answered in a low voice: "I inquired two days ago. Her name is Huali."

Chi Yang: "The 'li' of the civet cat?"

"Yes."

The vermilion brush tip lifted, and Chi Yang raised his eyes. A hint of a cold smile appeared in his pale pupils: "What a coincidence."

What he hated most in this life was precisely that civet cat which seemed cute and obedient but was actually unruly, cruel, and rude.

It was just unknown whether this civet cat was an innately knowing civet cat, or some even more detestable existence?

"Dang—"

The small bronze bell in the hall outside the curtain was struck by the Taoist, meaning this session of reciting scriptures had temporarily ended.

The young men stood up one after another.

After Liu Cheng, seated at the head, stood up, he had someone raise the bamboo curtain to see Chi Yang. He raised his hand in salute and asked: "Dare I ask Immortal Master, I wish to copy Taoist scriptures to pray for blessings for my Imperial Uncle. Which scroll is most suitable?"

There was some low clamor outside the curtain. Palace attendants and palace maids came in to serve tea. Some young men stood up to go outside the hall to move their stiff tendons and bones. Some went to the purification room. But Ming Dan remained cross-legged in place without moving.

She had been reciting Taoist scriptures for so long, and her mood still could not completely calm down.

Until a palace attendant kneeling beside her, pouring tea, held a cup of tea before her. With a heart of climbing and showing goodwill, he said in a low voice: "Lady of the Feng Family, please take the tea. Speaking of which, it is truly a coincidence... Just now when I was guarding outside, I happened to see the Old Marquis enter the palace."

Ming Dan, who was about to blankly take the tea, was suddenly startled and almost knocked over the tea cup being handed to her: "You... you say my great-grandfather has also entered the palace?"

?? It's a big chapter, Good Night everyone~ Thank you for your comments, rewards, and monthly votes!

? (I'm much better today, just still a bit dry heaving. I need to keep warming up tomorrow. The high temperature warning is already desperate.)