Taking a deep breath, Xiang Fengchen turned his head to look at Yang Xiao with an inscrutable gaze and a hoarse voice: "I really underestimated you."
"It’s not just my credit, Director Nalan, Jiang Qingluan, each of them had a part," Yang Xiao did not claim all the credit, this was the reality.
With Xiang Fengchen present, Yang Xiao dared to approach this ancestral figure of Earl Mansion up close. Xiang Fengchen observed for a mont, sensing sothing, he reached out and pulled down the collar of the Ancestor’s neck. The next scene made Yang Xiao involuntarily furrow his brows, only to see the Ancestor’s neck covered in scars, scale armor broken, with so areas even revealing the disgusting rotting flesh beneath the scales. The injuries were new and old, possibly spanning several years, or even decades.
Xiang Fengchen looked at the figure with a sympathetic gaze, then lifted the Ancestor’s sleeve. Underneath the wide sleeve were wrists covered in nurous scars, with the left wrist even showing a bite-like mark, almost biting through the wrist.
"Did it... do this to itself?" A feeling of unease in Yang Xiao’s heart was gradually becoming reality.
Xiang Fengchen sighed, restoring the sleeve, "Otherwise, with his Scale Armor, there are few weapons in the world that could harm him."
"He too is a pitiful person, at the age of 4 or 5, when he should be enjoying play, but he had to bear the heavy responsibility of restoring the country. Living a life of gloom, leading to an early demise. Yet, even so, those people were not willing to let him go, using Heaven-defying Evil Techniques to turn him into a Yin Corpse, continuously reinforcing him with the Blood Technique, transforming him into his current state by force."
"At the ti when this Ninth Prince had just died and revived as a Yin Corpse, he possessed certain spiritual intelligence. He did not want to beco the Emperor, nor did he care who beca the Emperor. He was only seeking death, but even this small request, those people were not willing to grant."
"The people of Earl Mansion truly do not care about him, whether he’s dead or alive doesn’t matter to them, as long as he appears to be alive. What they truly want is the bloodline of this Ninth Prince."
"After all, with the bloodline, they could rightfully claim to be part of the Heavenly Royal lineage. It’s clear that the Ninth Prince in this state would find it difficult to succeed the throne, and in the end, the imperial seat would still fall onto the heads of these people. They have been scheming for a hundred years, just waiting for this day."
After seeing this evil entity with his own eyes, the doubts lingering in Xiang Fengchen’s heart were finally revealed. Earl Mansion’s calculations were nothing short of ruthless, even though the evil entity before him had already fallen into a slumber, he was still unable to let down his guard.
"Can Earl Mansion seize the world with this evil entity?" Yang Xiao didn’t quite understand, "Can this being rival a million soldiers?"
"In a single night, it can slaughter a city, it’s no boast," Xiang Fengchen stared apprehensively at the face covered in scales.
Yang Xiao’s mission was already over, and he could leave the rest to Xiang Fengchen. What he was most concerned about now was the wellbeing of Nalan Shuo.
After all, Director Nalan was the first to co, and even if he survived, Yang Xiao could not be sure how many Life Incense sticks he had burned.
Walking down the staircase, Yang Xiao did not leave the pavilion, but instead turned to the room where Jiang Qingluan left the Blood Map. He was waiting, and it was also a form of verification.
A few minutes later, a figure appeared out of nowhere in the room, in a strange pose, almost squatting on the square table. As soon as the figure appeared, it beca unstable and fell forward. Yang Xiao quickly caught the figure, holding it in his arms.
At this mont, he could see clearly, the figure was indeed Jiang Qingluan, and at that mont, Jiang Qingluan’s hand was still tightly clutching a small half piece of Life Incense.
"It’s you..." Jiang Qingluan broke free, looking at Yang Xiao with a guarded gaze, then looked around, "Where are the others?"
"I’ve found the Ancestor, and now I’ve left it to Xiang Fengchen. He’s upstairs, let’s not disturb him," Yang Xiao quickly briefed her on the situation.
"You used three portions of ashes to find three Ghosts, including the Ancestor," Jiang Qingluan’s gaze softened and she nodded, "Impressive."
"One of them owes his good luck to you." Yang Xiao smiled and gave her a thumbs up, "Well done."
The blood map on the ground was still there, clues left by Jiang Qingluan for those who would co after, and Yang Xiao couldn’t help but be reminded of Tong Han by this decisive and ruthless woman.
Without further ado, the two of them left the Sleeping Gold Pavilion together, and soon encountered several other people, including Lou Huixiang covered in mud, Fang Zhou with a dusty face, and Nalan Shuo, wearing a faint smile, whom Yang Xiao was most concerned about.
"Director, are you all right?" Seeing Nalan Shuo safe and sound, Yang Xiao finally let out a sigh of relief.
"All is well, nothing happened." Nalan Shuo knew that the deadly situation had been resolved after being released from the Ghost.
It was from these people that Yang Xiao realized the terrifying aspect of the Ghost Hidden People, which was not simply hiding a person in a certain place; it was an indescribable, eerie space that was alive and constantly changing. Their survival was all thanks to the Life Burning Incense they held.
Once trapped in this strange space by the Ghost, the incense smoke would change and drift in one direction. Those trapped would have to follow the direction of the drifting smoke. If they stopped or the incense burnt out, they would be lost in it forever.
After waiting for a long ti, and the area remaining eerily quiet, they still didn’t see Chang Chuchu. Under the guidance of Jiang Qingluan, the group headed to the second area. It was there that Jiang Qingluan had found the Life Burning Incense left behind by Chang Chuchu.
There were objections within the team, such as Lou Huixiang, who opposed the search for people. Since there was no chance to use the Life Burning Incense, he argued that the person was definitely dead, and it was not worthwhile to go to great lengths for a dead person.
"Chang Chuchu is your ally, are you so heartless as to abandon her?" Nalan Shuo, walking in the middle of the team, asked indifferently.
Upon hearing this, Lou Huixiang put on a smile and was extrely respectful to Nalan Shuo: "Mr. Nalan, what are you talking about? We’re all in this together. It’s fate that brought us here, and we’re all tied to the sa string, inseparable."
"Brother Lou, you weren’t acting like this before, get a grip." Yang Xiao also smiled, "Otherwise, I’m really not used to it."
"Mr. Nalan, Brother Yang, I was thoughtless before, you... please don’t take it to heart, I swear, from now on... Lou Huixiang will never be disloyal."
Saying so, he seed to feel that he wasn’t convincing enough on his own, so he turned to Fang Zhou to pull him into his cause: "Brother Fang Zhou, from now on we’ll follow Mr. Xiang and Mr. Nalan wholeheartedly, right?"
Unexpectedly, the usually affable Fang Zhou did not respond to him at all and made it clear where he stood, saying in confusion, "Brother Lou, I don’t understand what you’re talking about. I have always respected Mr. Xiang and Mr. Nalan’s opinions."
Lou Huixiang was stunned, grinding his teeth in frustration. He didn’t understand how, overnight, without Chang Chuchu, he beca so isolated.
Cursing these few people dozens of tis in his heart, Lou Huixiang, feeling the tide of isolation, didn’t dare to speak out. He could only force a grin and swallow this bitter pill quietly.
A small loss ant nothing; the real skill was in surviving till the end.
Finally, they walked deep into the garden and arrived at the abandoned open-air ancestral hall, where they found Chang Chuchu.
Chang Chuchu was lying face down on the ground, bloodied on her head and clothes, motionless, with an extinguished broken lantern discarded nearby.
But when they checked on her, they found Chang Chuchu was not yet dead and was still breathing. Her forehead was almost smashed open, and half of her face was a bloody ss.
At this, a bad feeling arose in everyone’s hearts. After all, in such a place, without Life Incense and with such severe injuries, how did she manage to survive?
"Leave her, we can’t take her with us." Lou Huixiang retreated warily, pointing at Chang Chuchu with fear in his eyes, "She... She’s not right."
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