Chapter 30

Xun Yi held a long-eared rabbit and, as soon as he entered the house, shouted to Liu Ziming, "Brother Ming, prepare a bamboo cage for me; I need to find a companion for the ginseng."

Suddenly, Xun Yi frowned and looked upstairs. He handed the long-eared rabbit to Li Lan and hurriedly ran upstairs.

Xun Tan interrogated Ma Jingyi, and by noon, she had extracted all the information, writing it down on paper. Finally, she raised her hand: "Sumei Ningsnow."

This was the January plum blossom technique from the Twelve Flower Laws, where her fingers lightly tapped, and the white plum blossoms seemed to exude a killing aura.

In the harsh winter, the solitary plum blossom exuded a cold fragrance. This move was the best flower law technique Xun Tan had mastered in the foreign continent. Many of the holy knights there had died under this move.

"Considering the information you've provided this morning, I'll give you a quick death!" Her fingertips pointed out, but before they touched Ma Jingyi,

A hand suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"Killing should never be the first resort." Xun Yi held Xun Tan's hand, his clear eyes calmly looking at his sister. "I only asked you to imprison Ma Jingyi, not to kill him, right?"

Xun Yi's sudden appearance startled Xun Tan: "Brother, but—"

"No buts. His crimes, even if reported to Uncle the Prefect, would only result in a few years in prison, not a death sentence. What virtue do we have to easily control someone's life and death?"

This was a difference in values.

Xun Yi grew up inland, where the most severe punishment for wrongdoing was usually a reprimand. Capital punishment was rare, even for major crimes, and required approval from the imperial court.

However, Xun Tan had seen death and life frequently in the foreign continent. If you didn't kill, others would kill you. You couldn't leave such a threat behind.

But with her brother insisting on sparing Ma Jingyi's life, Xun Tan had no choice.

Reluctantly, she dispelled the killing move. "So, are you going to keep him for life?"

Ma Jingyi nervously watched the siblings, subconsciously clenching his fists.

Xun Yi fell silent, hesitating between keeping him or sending him to the prison. Suddenly, he had an idea and extended his hand, forming a ring of peach blossoms.

"Shuotao Zui Chun." A burst of peach blossoms enveloped Ma Jingyi like a fog.

The peach blossom mark pressed against Ma Jingyi's neck, and a tingling sensation began to spread.

Ma Jingyi reached to scratch, but Xun Yi's fingers moved, and the peach blossom mark extended downward. Each spot it touched caused an unbearable itch, forcing Ma Jingyi to scratch all over.

"What have you done to me!" Ma Jingyi screamed, punching at Xun Yi's face. Xun Yi remained calm, using the power of the peach blossom to make Ma Jingyi scratch and claw himself, leaving him bloodied.

Xun Tan was also startled. The flower laws had only two effects for her: saving or killing. But in Xun Yi's hands, it seemed to have a new use?

"March peach blossom fog. This peach blossom curse is under my control. You've seen its effects. With a single thought, I can torment you for eternity."

Ma Jingyi gritted his teeth, but the itching was unbearable, leaving his body covered in scratches.

"Moreover—look at your chest."

Ma Jingyi pulled open his shirt and saw a peach blossom bud.

"This flower is your life. If I wish, I can use the peach blossom to extract your vitality to nourish this flower."

With a light tap, Ma Jingyi felt a chill in his chest, and the bud suddenly opened halfway. As it opened, he felt a sudden pain in his heart, and blood flowed backward to the peach blossom.

Ma Jingyi looked at Xun Yi in terror, who smiled at his creation. Without his control, the peach blossom would bloom in March next year, marking Ma Jingyi's death.

"I just adopted a rabbit and need someone to take care of it. I think you can work for me temporarily." He instructed Bai Shan to bring a set of servant clothes for Ma Jingyi: "Your life is in my hands. You should know what to do next."

With that, he pulled Xun Tan away.

Xun Yi's body temperature was lower than normal due to his heart condition. Holding Xun Yi's slightly cold hand, Xun Tan softly said, "Brother's nature would not survive in the foreign continent."

"On the first day in the foreign continent, I also thought that a tiger without teeth was harmless. But I was wrong, and it cost the life of a sister who took care of me. In the foreign continent, leaving a threat unaddressed is a form of cruelty to oneself."

"But this is inland." Xun Yi stretched lazily. "What's there to fear? There are no such dangers here. Sister, rest and relax. Our dynasty is based on benevolence and law. Your thoughts won't come to pass. Besides, our Xun family doesn't lack for food. Since I've cast the peach blossom fog, I'm not afraid of his retaliation. And there's Aunt Xue too!"

Thinking about the "Shuotao Zui Chun" Xun Yi used, Xun Tan was puzzled. Her brother's control over the "peach" curse was surprisingly strong. In just over a day, he had come up with this method?

"Enough, don't overthink it!" Xun Yi patted Xun Tan's back. "I saw some longan in the courtyard. They must be fresh. Let's try them and not worry about these external matters."

Xun Yi led Xun Tan to eat the longan. Xun Tan smiled when she saw the potted longan trees delivered to the courtyard.

These longan trees were cultivated by the Xun family. When the longan was nearly ripe, branches were cut from the tree, still bearing fruit, and planted in pots. Using wood control, the branches temporarily rooted, maintaining the freshness of the longan for about half a month.

Holding a three-foot-tall potted longan, the two returned to the house to slowly enjoy it.

"By the way, how's your preparation for the imperial examination going?"

"It's just the provincial examination for a junior degree, nothing to worry about." Xun Yi was indifferent. For him, it was just a formality. "Aunt sent someone to ask if I needed help, but I declined. If I can't pass the provincial examination, how will I handle the metropolitan and palace examinations?"

"Aunt? The eldest aunt's family?"

Xun Yi and Xun Tan's grandfather, Xun Yu, had four older sisters. The eldest married into the Rui County Duke's family, making the current Rui County Duke a cousin to Xun Yi and Xun Tan.

Because the two families were close, Xun Yu, before his death, entrusted Xun Yi to his eldest sister. It was also her who arranged for her grandson to influence the court, dissuading some people and securing an imperial decree to grant Xun Yi a title upon his coming of age.

In the current dynasty, there were fourteen ranks of titles for non-royal families: Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, and Baron. Except for Baron, which had only one rank, the other four had three ranks each. Above the first rank of Duke was the superlative rank. Since the dynasty did not grant titles to non-royal families, the only honor for those who had reached the highest rank was the superlative title.

But in the hundred-year history of the Great Zhou Dynasty, only three people had achieved the superlative rank of Duke. One of them was the Xun family's revered Maode Duke.

After Maode Duke's death, the title was passed to the second generation, maintaining the first rank due to the emperor's favor. Later, it was reduced to the third rank. By Xun Yu's generation, it was only a first-rank Count. Xun Yuan died young before he could inherit the title. Now, it was unclear what rank Xun Yi would inherit.

Therefore, Xun Yi started on the path of the imperial examinations. However, recently, his focus on the examinations had waned, as he was preoccupied with the city god's affairs.

"By the way, will Sister Ying come for the provincial examination?"

"Her?" Thinking about the arranged marriage his grandfather had set up, Xun Yi pondered. "She's studying at the Imperial Academy in the capital. She probably won't come. Besides, it's just a provincial examination; does she need to come and watch?"

Xun Yi was somewhat concerned about his reputation. What if he failed? It would be embarrassing in front of his fiancée.

But Xun Tan thought differently: "Maybe she's on her way to surprise you."

Xun Yi frowned and instructed Li Lan: "Take three potted longan, pack them, and bring a sealed letter to my study. Then send someone to the capital to see what Ying Xiu says."

While peeling the longan, Xun Yi suddenly slumped, his head hitting the table with a thud.

"Brother?" Xun Tan rushed over in alarm. Seeing Xun Yi's soul leave his body and enter the city god's temple, she inwardly cursed: "You gods can't just leave us alone! Why do you keep bothering my brother? Can't you do your own work?"

Xun Yi also looked helpless. He was eating, and suddenly his soul left his body. What if it happened while he was bathing?

Sitting on the throne, the city god's robe automatically draped over him, and he looked dignified. "Speak, what is it this time?"

The judge, Wen Pan, said cheerfully, "Young master, we have found the head of the headless ghost from yesterday."

"Found it?"

Looking around, the mountain patrol general held a human head and smiled. "This morning, I found a head rolling on the ground, still calling out for help. It seems to be the one we're looking for?"

Xun Yi stared at the head, which still wore a helmet. The helmet's design was familiar to him: "This is a guard from the Rui County Duke's family! The Rui County Duke is stationed on the border. How did his man end up in Qinglong City?"

Moreover, the face was familiar, another known figure...

"How did he die!" Xun Yi jumped off the throne, urgently saying, "Someone, bring the headless ghost here, reattach his head, and I need to ask him some questions!"