Chapter 187: Clear Sky Day Chapter 164: Vast and Bewildered Like Heaven-Great

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

The forced opening of the dark chamber's door must be accompanied by lethal mechanisms, precisely to cleanse those who force their way in.

Shaowei is no stranger to such perilous situations; last time she was schemed against and fell into a tomb, this time she knows the danger yet still forces her way in.

At the moment she ordered Mo Li to force the mechanism open, Shaowei had not thought to let Liu Qi share the peril she had unleashed, but turning her head and meeting his brows and eyes illuminated by sword light, she did not bother with a futile refusal, instead nodding heavily.

The heavy stone door slowly opened with a muffled rumble; Shaowei held a staff in one hand and took out a small ceramic bottle in the other, inside which were antidote pills named "Learn from a Fall, Gain Wisdom"; this medicine can resist most common poisons and delay the onset of deadly poisons, taking them in advance ensures preparedness without regret.

Her index finger silently pried off the bottle stopper; Shaowei took two pills for herself, then passed the porcelain bottle to Liu Qi, who in turn passed it back to Deng Hu and the others behind them.

Shaowei swallowed one pill, turned and tossed the other into Mo Li's obediently wide-open mouth; Mo Li chewed it subconsciously, and his face instantly turned bitter.

Before Mo Li could complain, the instant the stone door swung wide, arrows suddenly shot out, each arrowhead like a swarm of bees drilling out of a dark abyss, whistling and buzzing, arriving in a flash!

Simultaneously, the stone slabs beneath everyone's feet began to partially sink; while blocking arrows they also had to watch their footing, chaos erupted suddenly, this opening formation was enough to intimidate and drive back any explorers.

Shaowei, at the very front, swung her staff to block most of the arrows; the moment her ears discerned the arrow sounds ahead weakening, she immediately gripped her staff and leapt into that unknown dark abyss, without a shred of hesitation.

This volley of arrows and the sinking mechanism were both linked to the stone door being forced open, while the remaining mechanisms inside would not release unconditionally; Shaowei knew clearly that only a human intrusion would trigger them in succession, therefore waiting and watching outside was meaningless, merely wasting time, cutting through them was the only way.

Just like last time exploring the underground chamber beside the Immortal Master's Mansion, Shaowei was still at the very front.

She is the most experienced charging beast, the extraordinary person who fought her way out of the Changling Tomb alone, the little ghost who wants to see that azure figure sooner, even sooner.

But this time she is not alone; Liu Qi quickly followed, Mo Li was just two steps behind, Deng Hu and the others also entered carrying torches, the group for a moment like a crimson flood dragon charging in, mechanism activation sounds, blades and swords blocking hidden weapons sounds, flowing wind fluttering torch sounds, footsteps and cries of the wounded, mixed indistinguishable like a flood dragon's roar, and at the very front occupying the dragon's head position two figures, one staff one sword, cleaved open the path ahead.

No matter how concealed and ingenious this dark chamber, it could not compare to the Changling Tomb in sheer expanse, but the mechanism layout here was far denser and more vicious than Changling, maximizing obstacles in the limited space, practically step-by-step killing intent, giving intruders no possibility of evasion.

Shaowei determined this must be the work of that damnable Mo Lian, who was indeed already dead through and through; who knows how much thought this black-hearted lotus expended on this place.

Forcing through was the only way, but passively blocking forever was no solution; Shaowei swung her staff to block a dense layer of poison needles, just as she opened her mouth to call Mo Li, she heard Liu Qi beside her ask Mo Li: "Is there a method to destroy the mechanism source!"

While exerting all effort to cope, a layman cannot accurately discern the mechanism source location, but Mo Li can, only he shouted loudly: "... The general source of this type of mechanism must be at the very innermost; to destroy it, one can only destroy each of their individual installations one by one! That is where the poison needle firing installation is!"

Some installations firing arrows and poison needles can even switch attack directions; destroying them one by one would also solve many troubles; Liu Qi was about to act when the witchcraft-attired girl beside him rushed ahead with staff in hand: "Mo Li pointed it out, I'll destroy it! Liu Qi, you cover me!"

Shaowei dragged her staff and ran several steps, then leapt up, gripping the iron staff with both hands, cleaving down from mid-air, smashing into that copper mechanism installation, first shattering its bones, then the iron staff stabbed in at a slant, severing its tendons.

Under the formidable force, the destruction sound was ear-piercing, sparks flew, poison needles scattered, and the sweat beads on Shaowei's face were shaken off.

Liu Qi led people to block hidden weapons attacking from the sides and rear, using his own body and three-foot long sword to protect that incomparably fierce girl, following her, destroying one mechanism installation after another.

The girl wielded her staff, sweeping all before her; wherever she went it was like a violent storm uprooting the earth and a prairie fire, all things and all difficulties she did not even regard, all who witnessed and followed submitted to her courage.

Yet flesh and blood mortal bodies, injuries were unavoidable; by the time the group returned to Yi Ming Gongzhu's residence it was past the Zi hour, and now the intruders' clothing had gradually darkened in the dark chamber, while outside the sky gradually brightened.

In the Xian Tai Gong, bell sounds were clear and secluded, every corridor swept spotless, and there were Daoist-robed figures passing through, like a true immortal palace.

Ming Dan had changed into a brand new cyan-gray Daoist robe, covered with a layer of light gauze, soft and flowing.

After a physician's medicinal care, plus a change of mindset, Ming Dan's complexion was much better today; she arrived at the Xian Tai Gong's Shen Dian to offer incense, surrounded by a crowd.

The first incense stick each day in the Shen Dian is often offered by the National Preceptor; when the National Preceptor's position is vacant, it is handled by a venerable elder Taoist of high prestige in the Xian Tai Gong.

Bathed in this special glory, as Ming Dan inserted the incense into the censer, she suddenly thought that perhaps she should thank that Baili State National Preceptor who had shed his mortal coil; the heavenly prophecy he left behind at his passing could be said to have long ago buried this turning point for her.

This is a heaven-great turning point, which will bring a heaven-great change to her life.

Finishing the morning incense offering, Ming Dan left the Shen Dian; she was about to enter the palace to face the sovereign, the Imperial Guard escorting her were already waiting respectfully outside the Xian Tai Gong.

Accompanied by Qiao Jiang who walked with respectfully lowered head, she passed through straight and clean corridors, many Taoists seeing her off behind; Ming Dan walked at the very front, countless aspirations rising in her heart; today is the Heavenly Mechanism, tomorrow the Crown Prince's consort, the day after she can become the person in that position...

Though she cannot compare to Consort Qu in awe-inspiring the world, nor necessarily possess the Ling Empress's talent, as the Great Qian Empress, by the principle of first move she can likewise have her own army, and can issue orders to anyone... when that time comes, she will certainly remove Feng Xu, no longer constrained by him.

As for Shaowei who bears the Witch God name... if the other party cannot tolerate her, shows signs of contention, then do not blame her for being ruthless.

In these successive conjectures, Ming Dan for the first time comprehended the beauty of power; she need fear no one, no longer be cautious and timid; this feeling is far more joyful and maddening than possessing countless skirts and jewels.

The girl's ambition broke through the soil under the morning sun; as she walked her spine gradually straightened, inner cowardice vanished, she actually came to possess the composed bearing a Heavenly Mechanism ought to have.

At this moment she only saw many figures ahead waiting to see her off; the youths who were once fellow Heavenly Mechanism candidates all avoided to the sides, not daring to approach and chat with her, only casting eager, admiring gazes.

Ming Dan's gaze indifferently swept over the crowd; a gaze carrying some yearning yet also some dejection was noticed by her, that was precisely Qiu Wen, whom she had always regarded as having designs on climbing to her, whom she despised from the bottom of her heart.

Ming Dan only glanced once before withdrawing her gaze; after all, in the future she would have little chance to meet these lowly people again, no need to bother remembering them.

Gripping the wooden tablet in her sleeve tightly, walking out of this Xian Tai Gong, from now on everything will be thoroughly different.

The Xian Tai Gong has many fake mountains and high pavilions; at this moment in a high pavilion to the front-side of the crowd, a Taoist was bending over the railing sweeping, hearing the commotion, the Taoist raised his head, also looking toward the approaching Heavenly Mechanism girl.

But unlike the others, his gaze held no admiration or hope.

The broom made of fine bamboo strips was set down, the sleeve crossbow revealed beneath the Daoist robe sleeve, aimed, trigger pulled.

The crossbow bolt tore through the air closing in; Shaowei's feet did not stop for an instant, she swung her staff and knocked it down, her sweat-bloodshot eyes fixed dead ahead, charging straight for the source of that final crossbow bolt.

Ming Dan did not retreat either.

That crossbow bolt appeared too suddenly; she could not react in time, the sharp bolt pierced her chest, she lowered her head, only to see a patch of fresh red blooming before her, the brand new Daoist robe stained.

Countless cries of alarm rang out by her ears, but this time there were not countless hands surrounding her; the youths were all frightened frozen by this sudden change, the Taoists behind had not yet realized what happened, Qiao Jiang screamed and fell sitting on the ground in fright.

In a split second, all sounds of heaven and earth became slow; Ming Dan only saw one person immediately run toward her, surprisingly it was Qiu Wen.

Another crossbow bolt followed closely, shooting toward her; Qiu Wen who had reached her front blocked this bolt with his back, stumbling forward.

Ming Dan fell backward, thud, the impact shook her whole body trembling, pain incomparable.

Tears welled in her eyes from the pain; she widened her eyes, face full of shock and bewilderment, who, she is the Heavenly Mechanism, why, how could this be? Everything clearly hasn't even begun yet!

Fear drowned her; so the heaven-great turning point is accompanied by such a heaven-great crisis; the so-called Heavenly Mechanism coexists with killing intent.

Finally people surrounded her, the nearby Imperial Guard were also alarmed, everyone shouted urgently for physicians, more people rushed to encircle and suppress the assassin's location.

However that spy assassin hidden in the Xian Tai Gong for many years had a death resolve; regardless of success or failure the decision was already made, that Taoist slit his own throat while vaulting over the railing, blood scattering, body falling.

The Heavenly Mechanism assassinated, life hanging by a thread, the Xian Tai Gong in uproar and chaos, no one at peace, the news secretly transmitted to the palace by Imperial Guard fast horses.

This news cannot reach He Pingchun's ears for the time being; he is in Lianqing Guan leading people to search and take inventory, and is also somewhat worried about the Sixth Prince and the Great Witch God in Yi Ming Gongzhu's Jing Yuan.

After he rushed back from the palace, he heard that Jiang Tai Zhu and the Sixth Highness had returned to the princess's Jing Yuan An Shi again, and the Sixth Prince had the Imperial Guards stand guard outside, yet said the Great Witch God had entered a state of inspiration, and before the outcome was clear, no one was allowed to disturb them.

Invoking such names of gods and spirits, He Pingchun also could not intervene; merely looking at the bright sky at this moment, he could not help but worry whether there might be some other harmful mechanism in that Jing Shi, so he decided to wait another half an hour; if there was still no news, he must go inside to check the situation.

Not allowing anyone else to follow in — this was Liu Qi's intention.

Before finding the person she wanted to find, he wanted this place to be under her control; if she smoothly found the person and needed to take that person away, he could also help her deceive the world, even if she herself had to escape and leave.

All mechanisms have been destroyed, all killing intent has been neutralized.

Liu Qi's body was stained with not a little blood; this blood he shed very willingly; if she left, she would surely remember his appearance today, and perhaps one day when she thought of it, she would come to look at him.

This thought was not pure, faintly showing signs of obsession, filled with contradictions he himself could not resolve.

But the truly demonic existence was still what was seen before his eyes.

Because Shaowei was clearing the way at the very front, and those following were all Liu Qi's elite subordinates; although most were injured, fortunately none had fatal wounds.

Someone leaned against the wall and sat down, bandaging and stopping the bleeding on the spot; Deng Hu led a few people to relight some torches that had fallen and gone out, illuminating the way ahead brightly, but the firelight not only failed to bring warmth, instead it made everyone feel a chill all over.

What lay ahead was the end of the Mi Shi; strange patterns were drawn on the stone walls, and talisman papers were hung everywhere, but those talisman papers were not the common bright yellow; under the torchlight, they showed a pale yellow, hardened texture, and the cinnabar color on them was pale, speckled with fine granules.

"It is human skin and bone powder." Liu Qi said in a low voice.

Chi Yang lied; he did not consume children's bones and skin, and this substance was also not in Yi Ming Gongzhu's elixirs and face creams.

Liu Qi looked at Shaowei; she had previously made Que'er tell a lie, claiming Chi Yang killed children to set up an evil array; this lie merely revealed the true ugliness early.

Talismans made of human skin, arrays drawn with bone powder; the faint sound of small copper bells was like the crying and laughing of children imprisoned here.

Shaowei looked at the huge copper bell hanging directly above that array ahead; it seemed to represent some kind of suppression and absorption... beneath the bell's shadow, who knew what was hidden, but it certainly was no ordinary thing; that was the array eye.

Such a bloody, rare evil array — who knows how many unimaginable methods it cost; what extraordinary thing would serve as the array eye?

Shaowei could not see the array eye at a glance, because around it stood one ferocious stone statue after another, also looking like some kind of guardians.

With a "Clang" she set down the iron rod she had been dragging; Shaowei, who never feared ghosts, spirits, or sorcery, for some reason had hesitant steps toward that array eye.

Perhaps because it was too quiet, she could not distinguish any living person's breath; but perhaps her five senses had declined from fatigue, or perhaps someone was up to their old tricks again, pretending to be dead to toy with her...

Shaowei approached that array eye, stepped further forward, stood between the two stone statues, and looked together with them at the earth pit before them, about nine chi long and three chi deep.

Liu Qi watched quietly from behind, only seeing the young woman standing between the two stone statues, as if she had become a third stone statue.

Above the Di Shi, many Nuguan were escorted away from Lianqing Guan and sent into Xiuyi Yu.

These Nuguan were mostly Yi Ming Gongzhu's close attendants; they all wore Nuguan green robes, and as they were escorted past, even Chi Yang, whose gaze was dazed, could distinguish their identities.

"It seems they found it..." Chi Yang seemed to sigh with regret, but his dry, pale mouth corners curved into a satisfied arc, muttering: "... wonder if it was as wished?"

Then, he knew not where the strength came from, suddenly lying on his back he let out a strange laugh, drawing the Yu Qiao to frown and rebuke.

Zhao Qie'an also entered that Mi Shi.

He had been lingering secretly near Lianqing Guan all along, until half an hour ago, still not seeing Shaowei come out, so he borrowed clothing and an identity token from Dou Shiyi, infiltrated the Guan as a Sixth Prince Imperial Guard, and arrived here.

But he came too late; the road had already been leveled, the person had already...

"Found it." Mo Li, sitting on the ground, having just staunched the blood on his arm, saw Zhao Qie'an and pointed at that array eye: "I've seen it, the Head of Household is right there."

Zhao Qie'an looked at Shaowei standing dazed and motionless, walked toward her, and then looked at the same spot with her.

In the pit lined with lime and such lay a human figure; the clothing was the green shirt from the day of departure, but its original color could no longer be distinguished; face and body were both rotted and withered, parts already showing white bone; time of death should be more than half a year ago.

Zhao Qie'an leaped into the pit, examined for a while; under the torn clothes at the corpse's chest, skeletal penetrating wound marks could be discerned — the cause of death.

Bone structure, body shape — all were familiar.

On the feet there was only a single shoe; at the waist a jade pendant hung a longevity knot that had long since discolored and been damaged.

After a long time, Zhao Qie'an finally came out of the pit, stood beside Shaowei, and said: "Alive to see the person, dead to see the corpse — done, seen; take her and go."

Shaowei did not speak, still looking at that corpse.

Found her, but how could it be her like this?

Is it definitely her?

Didn't Chi Yang say he wanted her to exchange her life, didn't he say "may not be able to find her before she dies"? So it was all lies, merely tricking her into self-destruction, merely wanting to kill her heart, merely using a life that never existed to toy with, humiliate, and take revenge on her? He didn't want to exchange lives because he simply couldn't produce a living Jiang Fu? Jiang Fu had already died on the day she disappeared? From the single shoe on the Third Day of the Third Month, to the strand of black hair on the Fifth Day of the Fifth Month, Chi Yang had been deceiving and bullying her all along?

Shaowei ought to feel anger, but at this moment another enormous emotion covered everything; she actually couldn't be bothered with anger.

Blankly raising her stiff head, Shaowei looked at that large copper bell above.

"If you feel it's not her, then it's not." The household slave said hoarsely: "We can keep looking, keep looking for however long it takes."

Shaowei's eyelids trembled slightly; she actually felt a trace of longing for this proposal; only now did she know that searching endlessly wasn't that painful; her constant talk of "dead must see corpse" was like a kind of self-satisfied naive big talk.

But how to prove this corpse isn't Jiang Fu? The corpse's skeletal traces have no flaw; the physical features have vanished; then we can only negate from other aspects — for instance... Chi Yang using a fake corpse to deceive her? But why would Chi Yang do this? Such an evil array that exhausted years of effort and implicated so widely, just to deceive her? Where is the reason? To make her give up hope? That doesn't make sense.

Chi Yang even has only one last breath left; he is about to die...

He created the illusion in his words that Jiang Fu was still alive, making her search anxiously; one day finding her way here, falling from the clouds of hope into purgatory — perhaps that was precisely his revenge.

Seeing Shaowei still not speaking, the household slave felt uneasy, and could only ask her: "What do you think?"

Shaowei did not know.

She sat down.

Not having slept peacefully for a long time, searching and searching, yet never feeling fatigue; but at this moment endless weariness wrapped around her; this weariness was formless and soundless, weightless, yet vast as the sky, pressing her down without negotiation, giving her no possibility of escape.

She really wanted to rest a bit.

Shaowei wearily leaned against the stone statue; her soul seemed to detach and float out, seeing her own wretched, bedraggled appearance at this moment.

And the green clothes in the pit had rotted, no longer laughing at her, no longer caring about her.

Tears not subjected to mockery seemed to have no meaning anymore; so Shaowei did not want to cry; her throat was dry and parched, even her voice was lost.

She bent her knees, closed her eyes, and moved no more.

The household slave also dared not move rashly; he silently walked to Liu Qi's side.

Liu Qi looked at that shadow hiding in the stone statue, and said softly: "Let her rest a bit before making a decision."

?? See you all tomorrow.