Chapter 290: Doubts as the Preceptor Turns Demonic
Within a single month, the first, third, and fourth princes of Southern Yun Kingdom died one after another. Although the old ruler ordered the news to be sealed, there is no such thing as a wall that doesn’t leak. Whether among the civil and military officials or the common people of Southern Yun, word of the strange events still spread.
It was like an ominous warning. For several months afterward, not a single drop of rain fell over Southern Yun Kingdom, and the people began to panic.
The National Preceptor sent Gong Liu to perform a heaven-offering ritual to pray for rain, which finally eased the people’s anxiety somewhat.
“Your Majesty,” an elderly official stepped forward and remonstrated at the cost of his life, “this humble minister believes that all the strange events of late are caused by a demonic figure lurking within the court! Why would several princes, perfectly healthy, suddenly die—one after another? I beg Your Majesty to seek justice for the deceased princes! If even at a time like this Your Majesty still shields that demon, Southern Yun Kingdom will sooner or later be destroyed by him!”
Who that “demon” referred to—every official present knew perfectly well.
The authority of the National Preceptor had been accumulated over generations of dynasties and was not to be challenged. Yet the current National Preceptor had already fallen from his pedestal after the incident of indulging in women. In recent days he had grown even more unrestrained—he no longer attended court at all, spending every day entangled with a courtesan from the pleasure quarters. More and more officials began to question him and provoke his authority.
After the old official finished his memorial, other officials stood up one after another to voice their agreement.
The old ruler had been sleepless these past few days because of the princes’ deaths, constantly dreaming that they returned with bloodied faces to demand his life. Now, hearing the officials bring the matter up again, he flew into a thunderous rage and pointed at the elderly official who had started it all.
“What demon?” he roared. “I say you are the one spreading demonic rumors! If not for the National Preceptor ordering the disciples of Mo Ran Hall to pray for rain and calm the people, would Southern Yun have the peace it enjoys now? You just can’t stand seeing me well, can you? If you dare say another word against the National Preceptor, you might as well smash your head to death right here in the great hall!”
The elderly official was heartbroken. “Every word this minister speaks comes from the depths of my heart! Why does Your Majesty protect that demon so fiercely? Southern Yun has gone months without rain—who knows whether that demon secretly manipulated matters, only to step forward later to pray for rain when everyone needed it, merely to build his own prestige…”
After finishing his speech, the old official removed his official hat, knelt deeply before the old ruler—and then truly smashed his head against a pillar in the great hall, dying on the spot.
The court erupted in an uproar.
The old ruler was furious and immediately ordered the official’s entire family confiscated: the men sent to the frontier as soldiers, the women reduced to servants.
This action chilled the hearts of all the civil and military officials. From then on, though anger simmered, none dared speak. Some officials attempted to persuade the emperor through the Fifth Prince, but unexpectedly, the Fifth Prince—like the emperor—held that “demon” in the highest reverence.
Mo Ran Hall, main hall.
Nan Xun accepted the tea Gong Mo Ran handed her and took a sip, saying worriedly, “My lord, there have been more and more unfavorable rumors about you lately. Is it really alright?”
Gong Mo Ran replied calmly, “It’s fine.”
“Duoduo, come—into my arms,” he said, reaching out to her.
Nan Xun moved with practiced ease and sat on his thigh, a book in her hands.
When Gong Mo Ran saw the ancient book she was holding, his brows lifted ever so slightly.
“My lord, it seems you’ve never explained the witchcraft and formations recorded in this book to me before. Is the formation on the last page really that powerful?” Nan Xun flipped the book to its final page.
Gong Mo Ran glanced at it. Seeing her curiosity, he explained, “This formation is called the Heaven-Scorching Formation. It traps the enemy within the array and uses powerful witchcraft to summon fire from the heavens. When the time comes, countless fireballs will rain down above the formation, burning everything inside to ashes.”
“How large can the formation be?” Nan Xun asked.
“The Heaven-Scorching Formation recorded here could burn down the entire palace. I studied it for several years and made some modifications—its power is enough to incinerate an entire imperial city.”
Nan Xun unconsciously tightened her grip on the book and murmured, “The entire imperial city? My lord is truly amazing.”
Gong Mo Ran took the book from her hands and tossed it aside. “This book records some forbidden techniques of my Witch Clan. It’s not suitable for you to read.”
After speaking, he lifted her eyelids to examine her eyes and asked, “Duoduo, do your eyes still feel uncomfortable?”
“They’re much better now,” Nan Xun replied. “It’s just that I still can’t see things clearly beyond twenty zhang (66.67 meters). But that’s fine—as long as I can see you. I know you won’t leave me that far away.”
Gong Mo Ran laid her down on the long couch. “I’ll open your acupoints again.”
Nan Xun lay there watching him. When she saw him take out the acupuncture set again, she clicked her tongue in amazement. “My lord, I thought you only knew witchcraft and gu techniques. I didn’t expect you to be a divine physician too.”
Gong Mo Ran smiled faintly. “When you live long enough, you want to learn new things. I have some knowledge of both poison and medicine—though I’m better at medicine.” As he spoke, he passed the silver needles through a flame. Only after they cooled did he walk over.
Nan Xun looked at him with starry eyes. “My lord is so amazing. If it weren’t for you, I might have been blind and deaf for the rest of my life.”
She obediently lay still. Once she saw he had finished sterilizing the needles, she immediately closed her eyes.
Gong Mo Ran inserted more than ten needles into the acupoints around her eyes, and nearly twenty silver needles into the acupoints on her head.
These areas had the most acupoints and were the hardest to distinguish; one careless move could result in a mistake. Yet every needle he placed was perfectly accurate, and Nan Xun felt no discomfort at all.
About the time it took to burn a stick of incense later, the silver needles were removed one by one. The moment Nan Xun opened her eyes, the entire world seemed brighter. She eagerly looked out through the window and found that she could now see things twenty zhang away—though after a while, they blurred again.
Nan Xun firmly believed that after a few more acupuncture sessions, not only would her vision recover, it would become even better than before.
Little Eight said regretfully, “To be honest, I kind of hoped you’d stay blind a bit longer. During the time you were blind and deaf, the big boss’s evil thought value dropped quite a lot. But lately, it’s been decreasing more and more slowly.”
“How much is left?” Nan Xun asked.
Little Eight sighed. “Twenty points remain.”
It had thought that once a big boss who had abstained for so long broke his vows, the evil thought value would plummet rapidly—and that was true at first. But the faster it dropped early on, the slower it became later. Overall, it wasn’t much easier than before.
After thinking for a moment, Little Eight suggested, “How about you work a little harder lately? Turn into a little seductress and cling to the big boss for some more… ahem, sweet moments?”
Nan Xun: “……”
“I think these remaining twenty points of evil thought value aren’t something I can exchange by sacrificing my dignity anymore,” Nan Xun said calmly. “The big boss has an obsession in his heart—an obsession with revenge. Only when that obsession disappears will the final evil thought value disappear.”
