But Li Cai’s words continued to circle through Juxi’s mind, like a clingy shadow stuck to his heels, impossible to shake off.
The next day, Emperor Xianfeng ordered civilians to stop staying overnight in the outskirts, and gathered a whole host of Heavenly Path Masters from every corner of the country, hoping to wipe out the mutated creatures in one sweep.
If His Majesty really intends to send in the heavy hitters, that’s going to be quite an interesting lineup!
The Heavenly Path Institute was now full of women with something wrong in the head, cripples who liked visiting brothels, and lice-ridden beggars. Even looking at them was enough to make people feel sorry for them.
Don’t let their appearance fool you. They were actually quick at casting their skills—most of them just happened to be aimed at eating and drinking.
Of course, His Majesty and his ministers quickly exposed several people’s lies. They even hung a few of them from the railings for public display—but only a few? If it were up to me, I’d hang every last one of them! That would comfort all the Heavenly Path Masters who were falsely accused, myself included!
And now I’m going to Harrilan to prove that we’re far more reliable than those exorcists…
Harrilan had once been a small country with a population of six hundred thousand. Before this journey began, Yuanhui was practically frantic with worry. He absolutely didn’t want Juxi to take the job.
It was the rainy season, and the heavy rain had already been falling for two days straight. Even now, it showed no sign of stopping.
Juxi was currently staying with Yuanhui and the others in Ying Tian Tower, an annex of the Heavenly Path Institute. He lived on the third floor—the highest floor—in the room at the very center of the south side. Yuanhui, who lived on the floor below, only came to check on him from time to time.
But today was different.
Yuanhui had learned that Juxi wanted to visit a place so remote that not even birds laid eggs there. What’s more, the Western barbarians had declared it a forbidden zone long ago, calling it something—the City of Devils.
As for Yuanhui, he insisted that they shouldn’t go just yet. They needed to prepare properly and wait until everything that needed to be done was finished before setting out. Until then, he absolutely didn’t need this…
Juxi’s face immediately crumpled. He wasn’t furious because Yuanhui was trying to stop him. It was simply that he really wanted to take this job.
“I really don’t understand. Why do you want to help someone we don’t even know? Is it just for those thirty thousand gold coins? Let me tell you, we’re not short of money to spend!!!”
Even though Yuanhui tried to fob Juxi off with every excuse he could think of, Juxi still intended to investigate Harrilan. This was extremely important!
The mystery of Harrilan had left him completely lost in his own world. The terrifying curse had made him look nearly fifty despite being not even thirty. That was absolutely not how a normal person should look. This fear had become an unsolvable curse in his heart, gradually falling silent beneath the night breeze.
Even when he tried not to think about it for a while, Harrilan—and the thirty-thousand-gold reward it offered—still kept Juxi from falling asleep.
The weather suddenly turned much colder again. Something was wrong. Summer had only just begun, yet cold winds had already started blowing, making the beggars on the streets of the Capital shiver.
The chill forced them to retreat into deep pits and narrow alleys. They were the first to notice that something was off.
At the same time, another group of people was far less concerned about the sudden changes in the weather. They continued feasting and reveling inside the imperial palace alongside the current emperor. In Xianfeng’s arms, a petite consort was nestled against him.
As the dancers twirled in the center of the palace, Xianfeng held his consort close and whispered softly, “Do you know what you resemble?”
“I don’t know. Whatever kind of woman Your Majesty thinks I am… then that’s the kind of woman I am.” (Manchu people in the Qing Dynasty did not use the term “your servant” to refer to themselves.)
“Hahahaha, good!” Xianfeng stroked his chin and pondered for a long while before saying, “You’re like flawless white crystal, the most beautiful gift Heaven has ever bestowed upon me. You’re the one I’ve been looking for.”
“Juxi—oh, no… I mean, are you really sure you want to go to Harrilan?”
“That’s right. I don’t think I need to tell you that those frauds’ spells are completely useless. The monsters are alive and well, and they can bite a person to death in just a few seconds.”
“That’s not important…”
Juxi tried to argue back, but Yuanhui still steamrolled over him with nothing but twisted reasoning.
“Fine. Let’s set the danger aside for now. The people who once lived there have long since left the palace. No one lives there anymore.”
Yuanhui still showed no intention of stopping. Instead, he angrily added, “…”
That left Juxi, who had been about to speak, suddenly falling silent. He took a sip of wine, and Yuanhui also grew somewhat quiet.
No matter what he said, Yuanhui wouldn’t believe him. Juxi himself had a premonition that this matter might be closely connected to his past. If he failed to find even a single clue, the trail could very well go cold.
But if I say it outright, he won’t believe me. I caught a glimpse of the future. I can see a disaster connected to me unfolding, and the answers I’m looking for are in the Harrilan Empire… I have to investigate the Heavenly Path Institute until the whole truth comes to light!
Ancestor Ye’s past had always been his greatest motivation to keep living. That was precisely why he was willing to devote himself to the Heavenly Path Institute.
“Hmm, perhaps this is why that old ancestor wrote down this genealogy. Maybe it was so we would remember our past?” (Female voice)
