Passing the screen, there was a small room behind, where a wooden-faced man sat in front of a wooden table, which was filled with wine and dishes.
Including the chair the man was sitting on, there were a total of 6 chairs, evenly distributed around the table, and 6 small wine cups were placed correspondingly on the table, each brimming with wine, and a delicate jade wine pot was placed beside the man’s hand.
It was on his right side, for the man had only his right arm left; the left sleeve dangled naturally, empty and hanging in mid-air, creating an indescribably solemn scene.
Missing a left arm, blinded in his left eye, the man appeared to be around 40 years of age, with rugged and angular facial features. He bore a faint resemblance to the man described in the wanted notices, and Fang Zhou had to look closely to connect this man sitting before him to the old beggar he had bumped into near the Land Temple – the disguise was simply brilliant.
The man’s eyes were lowered, showing no reaction to the arrival of Nalan Shuo and Fang Zhou; neither side broke the quiet atmosphere, and the scene beca frozen in ti.
After a dozen or so seconds, Fang Zhou grew increasingly uneasy, the oppressive atmosphere compelling him to do sothing.
"Senior, please accept my condolences." Nalan Shuo gave a formal salute to the man. By age, Nalan Shuo was the elder, so this address of "senior" gave the other full respect.
Now Fang Zhou understood: the untouched wine and dishes on the table, the 5 empty wine cups, they were not prepared for their visit but were offerings for the man’s master and four senior apprentices who had just been executed - a morial feast.
Hearing this, the man lifted his head, first glanced at Nalan Shuo, then shifted his gaze to Fang Zhou. Sensing the man’s look, Fang Zhou promptly bowed respectfully and said, "I am Fang Zhou, thank you, senior, for saving my life!"
"We are fated to et; no need for such courtesies. Did you bring the Jia Xi?" the man said, cutting through the formalities with a straightforward question.
Instead of answering imdiately, Fang Zhou stealthily glanced at Nalan Shuo. After all, the Divine Turtle Shell was with Mr. Nalan, and if Nalan Shuo did not wish to give it up, Fang Zhou would simply say he forgot to bring it and try to bluff his way out.
Reaching into his bosom, Nalan Shuo took out the Divine Turtle Shell and handed it to Fang Zhou, who received it with both hands, quickly stepped forward, and respectfully presented it to the man, "Senior, may the item return to its rightful owner."
The man unfolded the cloth wrapping the turtle shell, took a glance, and nodded, "Since you were able to find this place, it ans you used the Jia Xi to cast divinations. Who is the practitioner? Call this fellow practitioner out; I have instructions for them."
"It was , Senior. Feel free to speak directly." Nalan Shuo spoke calmly.
Unexpectedly, the man sized up Nalan Shuo for a mont and slowly shook his head, "Not you. Your body is too heavy with Evil Qi, and your heart harbors hatred. Had you used this Jia Xi, you would have been backlashed and not survived until now."
"Please call the person out, I have important matters to explain." The man’s expression was serious, indicating the great importance of this issue.
Footsteps echoed from outside the door, not very distinct as the individual intentionally kept them low. After a short ti, the door was pushed open, and Yang Xiao peeked in with a sneaky expression.
Upon seeing Nalan Shuo and Fang Zhou, he relaxed and gestured towards Jiang Qingluan, who was behind him. The two entered the door together and ca to stand behind Nalan Shuo.
"To tell the truth, the Feng Shui Master capable of using the Divine Turtle Shell has died, murdered by so Evil Technique employed by the people from the Earl Mansion," Nalan Shuo said.
"My junior brother is still as ruthless as ever, in pursuit of wealth and status, he did not even spare our master and brothers. He must have sensed sothing; your friend’s death is my responsibility," the man sighed.
From the man’s story, everyone learned the context of the events: the man had since childhood followed his master to study the art of Feng Shui deep in the mountains. They were direct lineage inheritors of Feng Shui magicians, and their master was one of the only three grand Feng Shui Masters of the ti.
"Months ago, our master foresaw a great surge of demoniac and evil energy coming from the southeast during his practice as if sothing evil was stealing the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth. Thus, he cast the Jia Xi in a secret chamber for divination, and the result was so dire it shocked the master."
"This object carried the imperial destiny; an extrely rare and defying entity. Once it appeared, it would undoubtedly unleash a catastrophe: mountains of corpses and seas of blood, a change in dynasties, people heaped like fields of dead, cities destroyed, clans annihilated; these were not empty words."
"Such an evil entity was only seen once in a lifeti by our master. So, he cut off one of his fingers to leave in the Spiritual Mountain Blessed Land and personally led and my six brothers, rushing overnight to where the evil entity was about to erge. On the way, the master himself divined the path, eventually locating this remote area—Fushou Manor."
"Through our investigations, as well as the celestial thods of the master, we learned the identity of this evil entity, who was a surviving mber of the forr dynasty’s Royal Family, the Ninth Prince rumored to have been captured, humiliated, and died in self-immolation."
"That year, the Old Marquis executed a switch of the Crown Prince with a cat, and with a ploy of a martyred deception convincing everyone, he saved the Ninth Prince bringing him back to live secretly within the Marquis Mansion, never again stepping foot outside."
"Perhaps disliking that prison-like life, the Ninth Prince succumbed to depression, dying young—destroying the Marquis’ dream of restore the dynasty. So, a century ago, they found a sage to conduct a forbidding Forbidden Technique, built a temple to worship the evil, using countless incense and hundreds of lives to resurrect the Ninth Prince."
"According to their plan, once nine temples were built and the Evil Technique completed, this evil entity would be born, unstoppable, walking the earth freely. Even a million-strong army would be no match, like moths to a fla; moreover, with the destiny of an Emperor, ordinary Magic Artifacts couldn’t harm it. My master had personally ntioned that this evil entity would destroy the root of our Feng Shui Lineage."
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