Chapter 10

Ning Changjiu said, "A person, a familiar one, I can vaguely sense that he is in the imperial city. I feel that as long as I meet him, I can unravel many of the mysteries in my heart."

Ning Xiaoling listened with growing curiosity and asked, "What kind of mysteries does Senior Brother have in his heart?"

Ning Changjiu replied, "Who am I, really?"

Ning Xiaoling felt a chill in her heart but maintained a smile, "Senior Brother, don't scare me... By the way, who are you looking for?"

Ning Changjiu said uncertainly, "It might be a junior brother, or it could be a cute junior sister like you. In any case, he is also in this imperial city. I can't pinpoint his location, but I can vaguely sense him."

Ning Xiaoling pouted, "So Senior Brother is looking for a junior sister."

Ning Changjiu smiled and ruffled her hair, "Take good care of yourself. Your innate spirit has shattered again and needs to recover properly."

Ning Xiaoling was slightly surprised and asked, "You know about that?"

Ning Changjiu smiled, "Being able to form a spirit is something to be proud of. Now that Master is gone, you don't need to hide it from anyone."

Ning Xiaoling muttered, "It's a pity my little fox is now like a little mouse, and it was born without a tail."

Ning Changjiu said, "Except for those twelve, all spirits in the world are innately incomplete."

Those twelve... Ning Xiaoling's heart skipped a beat.

People always feel a great fear and reverence for mysterious and unknown things, but at the same time, an irresistible curiosity grows in their hearts. She was just a thirteen-year-old girl, and since forming her spirit, she had become extremely curious about these matters. She couldn't help but ask:

"Do the twelve deities and their hidden countries really exist?"

She looked at her senior brother with wide, expectant eyes.

Ning Changjiu ruffled her hair and laughed, "I'm your senior brother, not a god. How would I know?"

"Uh..."

She looked at Ning Changjiu in shock, feeling that the 'Senior Brother' had changed too quickly, making it hard for her to adapt.

She didn't give up and asked, "Then what do you know?"

Ning Changjiu thought for a moment and said, "I've read some legends about the twelve rulers of the hidden countries. Go to sleep obediently, and I'll tell you about them when there's a chance."

Ning Xiaoling puffed out her cheeks and grumbled, "Oh."

Ning Changjiu chatted with her for a while, then rubbed her forehead to calm her spirit. After she fell asleep, he cleaned up the broken porcelain and wood chips on the floor, then returned to his bed. He looked at the faint red light from outside the window and remained silent for a long time.

After a while, he wiped his mouth.

It was blood.

Earlier, he had broken the woman's formation in one breath and quickly saved Ning Xiaoling. As the assassin left, he pushed the knife back into its sheath and shattered it with a single strike.

After doing all this, he felt extremely exhausted.

That night, the one who had killed Ning Qinshui was not only a reanimated corpse but had also absorbed all of his cultivation.

These days, he often wondered how far he could go with one burst of energy.

So tonight, he took the opportunity to test it, but the result was not satisfactory.

He was far from the self in his memories. The vast sea of spirit that should have been had shrunk to a small pond.

He was gradually losing confidence in whether he could leave the stormy imperial city unscathed.

But he had to find that person and unravel the mysteries in his heart. Otherwise, his Dao heart would never be at peace.

Once in the game, the pieces have been played, and there's no room for regret. But now, he found it difficult to cultivate, and his cultivation was dwindling with each use. After today, he must not waste it recklessly.

He thought about these things and looked out the window.

"The time should be about right."

Sure enough, as soon as he spoke, cries for help came from a small courtyard two corridors away, in the direction of the woman's bedroom.

The one crying for help was Zhao Shisong.

...

...

The lights in the National Master's residence were still on, and the patrolling guards looked at the sky with some fear.

They knew who was in the residence at this moment.

Three years ago, Zhao Xiang'er had earned a fearsome reputation by standing in blood before the Gan Yu Hall. Now that the grand hall was destroyed and her loved ones had died, what kind of madness would the blood-stained girl in the twilight have become?

Since Zhao Xiang'er entered the residence, there had been no commotion. The burning lights in the residence seemed unusually quiet.

At one moment, a guard suddenly glanced at the night sky.

He had just heard a faint bird call.

The guard beside him also heard it but didn't think much of it: "Recently, there have been all sorts of strange birds in the city. It's said they have something to do with the sparrow ghosts. Those houses attacked by sparrow ghosts are said to have blood crows circling at night, making noise all night long."

The other guard sighed, "I heard that the Great Shaman has emerged from seclusion. I hope the Great Shaman's Dao is powerful enough to resolve this matter soon, so we don't have to live in constant fear."

In the National Master's residence, a window was slightly open.

A small red bird perched on the slender, white hand of a young girl, spitting out a note it had been carrying.

Zhao Xiang'er played with the bird's feathers with her fingers, and the red bird chirped contentedly before flying away.

She walked to the table, opened the small note, and her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she read it.

"Little Taoist?"

The National Master, dressed in a loose robe, had calmed down after drinking the medicinal soup. He sat cross-legged, meditating, and when he saw the girl's expression change, he couldn't help but ask:

"Is there a change?"

Zhao Xiang'er rolled up the note and threw it into the fire.

"No."

She thought about the little Taoist. She had seen him at the young general's residence today. At the time, she thought he was just infatuated when his eyes met hers, so she didn't think much of it.

Now, it seemed that the one who had risked having the red bird deliver a message must be someone extraordinary.

But if the tide truly rises, even she would be swept along, seeking a chance to turn the tide.

What could a young and talented little Taoist change?

She suppressed her unease, silently recalling the little Taoist's face, and decided to be more cautious in the future.

For now, she needed to use the protection of the National Master's residence to recover.

"The imperial city is now a gathering place for many people, not just from Rong and Jin, but also from other countries. It's said that a disciple of the Sword Saint from Rong has come to avenge his senior brother, and many assassin organizations have mobilized. Do you really have the confidence to handle it?" the old man sighed.

Zhao Xiang'er said, "If it were just me, of course not."

The old man was even more puzzled: "The Gan Yu Hall is destroyed. Although you control the National Master's residence's formation, it's only a temporary refuge. Ultimately, it's just a shell, which may seem hard but will shatter when hit by a stone."

Zhao Xiang'er looked at him and said calmly, "Sir, are you really unaware, or are you afraid to think in that direction?"

These words were like a knife, piercing through the old man's last hope. His eyes, which had been cloudy, quickly filled with bloodshot veins, but the medicinal soup suppressed the surging spiritual energy in his body, leaving him unable to channel it into his physical strength.

He stared at Zhao Xiang'er, his voice slow but almost desperate, "Do you want to destroy a country? But don't forget, you are not of the royal family and lack the royal bloodline. Even if you obtain the Vermilion Bird's Fire Staff, how will you control it? The current emperor won't listen to you, and his frail body can't withstand the backlash of the Fire Staff."

"Give up... What you're doing is just a pipe dream." The National Master sighed deeply, as if using up all his strength.

Zhao Xiang'er looked at him calmly, her delicate and beautiful face smiling like melting snow:

"Soon, the world will be turned upside down, the phoenix fire will burn the city, and the Vermilion Bird will spill blood. Sir, wait and see."

...

...

As dawn approached and the thin window paper began to let in light, Zhao Shisong touched his neck, still disbelieving that he had survived.

A young Taoist in a blue robe stood before him, looking at him calmly: "I've negotiated with her. She agreed to spare your life, but from now on, no matter what happens in the imperial city, you must not let the Prince's people interfere. When necessary, you must stand by the Prince's side."

"If you agree to this, drink this bowl of talisman water. If you break your promise, the talisman will take effect." Ning Changjiu handed him a bowl of water, "This is what I negotiated for you. If she wanted to kill you, no one in the residence could stop her except me."

Zhao Shisong was still in shock. After a moment of struggle, he took a deep breath, took the bowl, and drank it.

He leaned against the wall, looking dejected, "Thank you, Taoist, for saving my life."

Ning Changjiu asked curiously, "Your residence is so large, yet you don't have a few high-level cultivators hidden here?"

Zhao Shisong sighed, "Twenty days ago, two of our resident cultivators were killed in the Gan Yu Hall, so... I've been very anxious these days."

Ning Changjiu asked, "Why did you have to kill that lady?"

Zhao Shisong said helplessly, "The pressure from Jin, the border war, the pressure from Rong, the emperor's pressure, and even the people, who have raised banners to kill the country's calamity, there are dozens... This is decades of accumulated resentment. Zhao has supported the Gan Yu Palace for twelve years, and the lady has given no response. Three years ago, the alliance between Zhao and Rong was shattered by the Prince's own hands. And this time..."

Ning Changjiu asked, "What happened this time?"

Zhao Shisong hesitated for a moment and then said, "This time, even if we had the courage, we wouldn't dare. The source of everything was a month ago when a deity from Jin manifested, claiming a divine decree from the Hidden Country to kill the country's calamity."

Ning Changjiu was slightly surprised, "The Hidden Country? According to the laws of heaven and earth, why would the Hidden Country care about the world?"

After Ning Changjiu spoke, he suddenly realized that unless one reached the pinnacle of cultivation, they couldn't touch the laws of heaven and earth.

This world had countless powerful and mysterious spirits, such as the one protecting Jin.

But the true pinnacle deities were only the twelve rulers of the Hidden Country.

Ning Changjiu asked again, "What else did the deity say?"

Zhao Shisong said, "He said that if Zhao cooperated in killing the lady, they would stop the war, and from then on, Zhao would be a vassal of Jin, and Jin would protect Zhao's safety."

Ning Changjiu asked, "Did the deity act when the lady was killed?"

Zhao Shisong closed his eyes, recalling the scene, and nodded with lingering fear, "The night before the incident, a painted human puppet was secretly brought into the city. It was the vessel for the deity's manifestation. On the day the Gan Yu Palace was surrounded, the puppet came to life. We were ordered to set fire, and we watched it float in."

Ning Changjiu asked, "So the one who actually went in to kill the lady was the deity-possessed puppet?"

Zhao Shisong nodded, "Of course! The lady, who could raise someone like the Prince, is no ordinary person. Even the top ten experts of Jin together wouldn't be a match. In this world, only a deity can kill a deity."

Ning Changjiu asked, "What happened in the end? What about the puppet?"

Zhao Shisong laughed bitterly, "Until the fire was extinguished, we never saw the lady or the puppet. We just did what we were told beforehand."

Ning Changjiu nodded thoughtfully. He couldn't be sure if the so-called deity and the legendary lady had any connection to his resurrection, but in his mind, the complex web was beginning to take shape.

Ning Changjiu asked, "What kind of person is Zhao Xiang'er in your heart?"

Zhao Shisong was taken aback, then smiled bitterly, "Princess Xiang'er is naturally extraordinary, but even the lady couldn't escape... She is so young, even if she could kill us all, how could she influence the tide?"

Ning Changjiu nodded. No matter how strong Zhao Xiang'er was, she was still too young and just an ordinary cultivator. Only by cultivating her innate spirit to its peak could she truly wield power over the secular world.

Ning Changjiu suddenly thought of something and asked quickly, "Is Princess Xiang'er married?"

Zhao Shisong was stunned, looking straight at Ning Changjiu, stroking his beard, and smiling meaningfully, "No wonder the little Taoist is getting involved in this mess..."

Ning Changjiu shook his head, "I'm just asking, not out of admiration."

Zhao Shisong laughed, "Ah, young love, especially for a beauty like the Princess. You're about the same age, so I won't mock you for having such thoughts."

Seeing the young Taoist in blue looking at him calmly with no impure desires, he didn't continue, coughing awkwardly and shaking his head:

"There were some rumors over a decade ago, but there's been no news for years, so it's probably just a rumor."

Ning Changjiu looked at the gradually brightening light outside the window and said, "I would appreciate it if Mr. Zhao could show me around the imperial city."