Chapter 5: Even if More People Die, I Don't Care!

Because of bathing, Dongfang Yan was late for the morning court and was reprimanded by the Emperor.

At night, he drank with several officials he had just recruited, and didn't return to the mansion until after midnight, exhausted.

As soon as he stepped in, he heard a servant report: Princess Qing'an is in trouble!

When he rushed to the back garden, he saw Princess Qing'an trying to rush into the lake, and five or six guards were pulling her so she wouldn't jump.

Dongfang Yan thought she was making a scene because of being grounded, and shouted: "Qing'an, what are you doing? Come over to this King!"

Princess Qing'an's movements stalled, and she looked at Dongfang Yan gloomily.

Although she still looked like Qing'an, the smile on her face was exceptionally eerie.

She grinned and said: "It's so cold in the lake, my body is rotten. Come down and keep me company, I'm really so cold..."

The voice was filled with an indescribable chill.

Dongfang Yan felt something was wrong, that wasn't Qing'an's voice!

"Someone, go to the Xuanjing Division and invite the Evil-Appraising Envoy!"

The Xuanjing Division was founded ten years ago to observe the strange energy of heaven and earth and exorcise demons and monsters in the human world.

The Evil-Appraising Envoy was the official in charge of the Xuanjing Division, a fifth-rank official.

Most of his subordinates were capable people recruited from the folk, who understood yin and yang and caught demons and monsters.

In less than half an hour, a man in his thirties with a fair face and a long beard arrived in a hurry with several subordinates.

This person was the second-in-command of the Xuanjing Division, the fifth-rank Evil-Appraising Envoy Xie Shouzheng.

Before Xie Shouzheng even got close, his voice came loudly: "Where is the evil spirit? Under the Emperor's feet, daring to commit crimes, do you think our Xuanjing Division is eating shit?"

Dongfang Yan heard this rude shouting from afar, and couldn't help but frown:

He had long heard that the people in the Xuanjing Division were all from the mud-legged background of the rivers and lakes, with no education or rules. They did shady work, and noble scholars didn't like to deal with them unless necessary.

But since he had something to ask for today, Dongfang Yan naturally had to be polite.

"Sorry to trouble Envoy Xie for running around in the middle of the night, my sister Princess Qing'an suddenly changed into a different person, trying to jump into the lake, and her strength has become very great. I suspect she is possessed by an evil spirit."

"Prince, don't panic, let this official investigate."

When they arrived at the lake, they saw Princess Qing'an with disheveled hair tied to the pillar of the pavilion to prevent her from jumping into the lake again.

She was still struggling violently, her hands and feet were strangled with bloodstains by the rope, but she didn't know it, just roaring, not looking like a human at all, clearly like a trapped beast.

Xie Shouzheng took a look and understood: "It is indeed possessed by an evil spirit, and the resentment is quite great."

Dongfang Yan hurriedly asked: "Then what should be done?"

"It's okay, it's okay, Prince, you step back, watch carefully." He reached out and shouted, "Where is my Blood Thorn Whip?"

A subordinate hurriedly handed over a whip that was red all over.

Xie Shouzheng took the whip and waved it in the air, "Clap," deafening.

Dongfang Yan's face changed: "Envoy Xie, what are you doing?"

"Exorcising evil." Xie Shouzheng felt he had asked a stupid question, "Prince, please move aside, don't block the way."

Dongfang Yan asked: "You don't want to whip my sister with that whip, do you?"

Xie Shouzheng held the whip and said: "This is not an ordinary whip, it specializes in beating demons and monsters. Let this official whip her a few times, and the evil spirit will come down from the Junzhu."

Dongfang Yan asked worriedly: "Will it hurt people?"

Xie Shouzheng said: "It will definitely cause some injuries."

Dongfang Yan said: "That won't do? Change to another method!"

"Can't change, this is the only way. Prince, do you not trust this official? If you don't trust this official, then this official won't care. It's the middle of the night, being plucked out of my nest by your people, is it easy for me!"

He babbled, and really put away the whip, preparing to go home.

Dongfang Yan had no choice but to say: "I trust you, it's just that my sister's body is delicate, please, Envoy Xie, show mercy."

"Don't worry, just a few whips, she won't die."

"Junzhu, this official offends you."

Saying polite words, he swung the whip, but didn't show any mercy.

Princess Qing'an screamed immediately, and a bloody whip mark appeared on her body.

Dongfang Yan felt a pang of heartache, but couldn't stop it.

Xie Shouzheng whipped one after another, scolding while whipping: "One whip on the hand, for your poisonous hands. Two whips on the heart, for your cruel heart. Three whips on your soul, think about your mistakes and don't harm people..."

Dongfang Yan frowned while listening: "Envoy Xie, do you have a grudge against my sister?"

Xie Shouzheng hurriedly said: "Your Highness, please don't misunderstand, this official is beating the evil spirit on the Princess, not targeting the Princess!"

"Alright, look, isn't the Junzhu quiet now?"

Princess Qing'an was indeed not struggling or roaring anymore, but she was also on the verge of death.

Xie Shouzheng handed the whip to his subordinate, took out a gourd, uncovered the seal, and shouted: "Enter my treasure gourd, ferry you to the afterlife, come, come—"

"Hey, won't come? Why are you so stubborn, you're already dead, why bother making trouble?"

"Enter my treasure gourd, ferry you to the afterlife, come, come—"

"Come, come—"

After shouting a few times, Xie Shouzheng helplessly said to Dongfang Yan: "Your Highness, that evil spirit has deep obsession and great resentment, this official can't call her over for a while."

Dongfang Yan asked: "Then what should be done? Envoy Xie wouldn't be unable to deal with a little ghost, right?"

Xie Shouzheng said: "This is not an ordinary little ghost, but has already turned into a 'Ferocious'. How about this official performs a ritual to ask her what grudge she has with the Junzhu, and why her obsession hasn't dissipated. If she can be properly transcended..."

"Evil spirits harm people, why transcend them? I want her soul to fly away and scatter, soul to fly away and scatter!" Princess Qing'an had regained some consciousness and roared loudly.

Xie Shouzheng said: "Even if it's an evil spirit, she was once a human. Scattering her casually is against the harmony of heaven, it's the worst policy."

Princess Qing'an turned to Dongfang Yan and begged: "Brother, she is entangling me so bitterly. I don't care, I want her soul to fly away and scatter, never to be transcended!"

Dongfang Yan said to Xie Shouzheng: "Did you understand what the Junzhu said? Whether human or ghost, daring to harm my sister, I won't even let her go to hell!"

The next moment, the eerie wind wrapped in dead leaves suddenly pounced on Princess Qing'an, Princess Qing'an's face became ferocious again, and she roared to the sky, only to hear a "Bang!" sound, and the ropes on her body all snapped.

Xie Shouzheng's expression changed drastically: "Oh no, the evil is about to manifest!"

When a person dies, the soul remains, newly dead is a wandering soul, obsession creates a "ghost," after mutation it is called "Ferocious," and above "Ferocious" is "Sha."

"Ferocious" is fierce, but still has two or three parts of humanity.

"Sha" completely loses humanity, and its strength will skyrocket, attacking anyone it sees indiscriminately.

Turning into "Sha" requires strong obsession and resentment, so it is relatively rare.

I don't know why it happened tonight.

Xie Shouzheng was also very troubled, but could only bite the bullet and go up.

He swung his whip, but was grabbed by the tail by Princess Qing'an, and then she threw him away with force.

Xie Shouzheng climbed up with a carp jump, and while digging into his sleeve, he scolded: "Grandma's bear! I said resolve, resolve, now it's forced into a Sha! Oh, this official is going to be killed by you!"

Princess Qing'an slapped a dozen Wangfu guards away, and pounced on Dongfang Yan.

Dongfang Yan also learned good martial arts, but at this moment, before he could use his moves, he was grabbed by the neck by Princess Qing'an, like a chicken.

"Die, all die! All die!" Princess Qing'an roared, her eyes red, sharp fangs growing in her mouth, her face extremely ferocious. Obviously, she was possessed by "Sha."

"Qing'an, wake up... Envoy Xie, save, save this King..."

Xie Shouzheng was still digging into his sleeve, muttering: "Where is my Demon-Catching Hammer? Did I forget to bring it? Oh, Your Highness, you hold on for a while, this official is looking for the Demon-Catching Hammer, where is the hammer... Oh, found it!"

He took out a hammer the size of a fist, his expression solemn and shouted: "Evil spirit, die!"

A hammer fell, carrying the power of thunder, and half of Princess Qing'an's body immediately caught fire.

She screamed "Ouch—" and threw down Dongfang Yan, hurriedly going to put out the fire on her body.

Dongfang Yan shouted: "Do not harm my sister!"

Xie Shouzheng came over and kicked Princess Qing'an into the lake, and the fire on Princess Qing'an's body was extinguished.

But she was also floating in the water, on the verge of drowning.

Dongfang Yan shouted: "Save the Junzhu!"

Xie Shouzheng said: "It's like this, the evil Sha still won't come down from the Junzhu. It seems it's really going to be a fight to the death."

Dongfang Yan asked: "What does a fight to the death mean?"

"If the evil Sha is not removed, it will soon slaughter the entire Wangfu, it's better to sacrifice one person to save the whole situation."

As soon as the words fell, his subordinates quickly lined up and aimed their bows and arrows at Princess Qing'an in the lake.

Xie Shouzheng's tone suddenly became cold: "Although this official is not willing to burn both jade and stone. But the Xuanjing Division is ordered by the Emperor, to ensure the peace of one side, when there is no other way, it can also..."

Before he could finish, Dongfang Yan pulled out his sword: "No one is allowed to harm my sister!"

"Save her!" He ordered, "At any cost, save the Junzhu!"

The Wangfu guards received the order and jumped into the lake one after another.

Princess Qing'an was still struggling in the lake, but when the guard who saved her approached, she suddenly reached out and pressed their heads into the water.

They were trying to save people, but Princess Qing'an was possessed by a ferocious Sha and wanted to drown them!

And Dongfang Yan only cared about his sister's safety, ignoring the lives of the guards, and was still ordering more people to salvage Qing'an.

Xie Shouzheng was angry: "Jin Wang, Dongfang Yan! Those guards are also human, born of mothers and fathers, how can you sacrifice so many lives for one person?"

Dongfang Yan said coldly: "People have noble and lowly status. If their lives can be exchanged for my sister's life, even if more people die, I don't care!"

"You!" Xie Shouzheng was dumbfounded, but helpless.

Just then, a clear voice came leisurely: "Although yin and yang are separated, sincerity can connect. Three souls are faint, seven souls are confused, gather and return to spirit, listen to my order! Dongfang Qing'an, come ashore!"

Lin Qingyue walked out of the darkness, a black dress like night, the dark gold feather butterflies on the skirt seemed to come alive when the skirt fluttered.

Princess Qing'an, who had been going crazy and ferocious, trembled when she heard her voice, and actually obeyed, crawling ashore.

Those guards who almost drowned also luckily survived.

Princess Qing'an walked to Lin Qingyue's side, wet all over, lowering her eyes, exceptionally well-behaved.

Xie Shouzheng was surprised: "She, she, she actually listens to you? How did you do it? Oh, collect her first, in case she goes berserk again, it will be troublesome!"

Lin Qingyue said: "No need to collect, fulfilling her obsession will naturally send her away."

"But she has already turned into a Sha, how to fulfill her obsession? Could it be..."

Xie Shouzheng stared at Princess Qing'an and looked carefully, instantly surprised, "Her resentment has faded a lot, and she has changed back? How is it possible?"

In Xie Shouzheng's cognition, any ghost that has turned into a Sha is like a living person who has stopped breathing, and cannot be saved.

"Who are you? What did you do to be able to call back her humanity?"

Could it be just because of those few sentences she just recited?

Lin Qingyue didn't bother to explain too much to him, and turned to Dongfang Yan: "Her obsession is with you, do you want to know?"

Dongfang Yan was full of suspicion: "Why is it with me? And how do you know these things? Since you can stop this thing from harming people, why waste time?"

Lin Qingyue sighed: "Your Highness really doesn't have any thirst for knowledge."

"I am indeed not interested in those lonely ghosts. But if I must cooperate to save Qing'an, I naturally won't refuse."

I don't know why, Dongfang Yan felt a little strange seeing Lin Qingyue like this.

"Good 'not interested'." Lin Qingyue smiled, and then suddenly pulled out the golden hairpin from her head and stabbed it into Dongfang Yan's chest unexpectedly.

Dongfang Yan was shocked, hurriedly blocked, but was still scratched by the hairpin on his chest, and bright red blood spilled out.

"Lin Qingyue, you are bold!"

Lin Qingyue didn't say much, and backhanded the hairpin into Princess Qing'an's chest.

"Lin Qingyue!" Dongfang Yan was furious and pointed his sword at her.

Lin Qingyue said: "Just taking some blood, it won't kill her. If we delay any longer, she will turn into a Sha again."

Sure enough, as soon as the words fell, Princess Qing'an's face showed a tyrannical look again, baring her fangs and roaring at Dongfang Yan.

Lin Qingyue took the blood of the two of them, and asked Xie Shouzheng: "Are there any empty talismans, lend me one."

"Yes, yes!" Xie Shouzheng hurriedly pulled out a few yellow papers and handed them to Lin Qingyue.

Lin Qingyue drew a talisman with the blood on the golden hairpin with a few strokes.

Then she threw it into the air, quickly formed seals with both hands, and shouted: "Past lives, floating dreams. With blood as a guide, trace the dream and return to the shadow!"

In an instant, everything around was like a reflection in the water, shaking a few times, and suddenly it became a long bluestone street, with bright lights on both sides of the street, and people everywhere.

It looked like the Lantern Festival.

"What is this place?" Dongfang Yan felt a bit familiar.

Lin Qingyue's voice floated over: "Your Highness, don't panic, this is the flashback of Princess Qing'an's past memories."

"Tracing the Dream and Returning to the Shadow" was a unique skill created by Immortal Lord Qingyue when she was bored in the Immortal Cultivation World.

It can make people feel as if they are in someone else's memories, and then be trapped in the memories. ===== CHAPTER 6 =====