Chapter 29

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Ghostly shadows?

Zhao Chen's face turned as if he had taken the wrong medicine when he heard this. If it weren't for Li Er's serious expression, Zhao Chen would have thought he had just experienced an auditory hallucination.

Li Er's face was dark, his eyes flashing with a terrifying cold light. Although he was extremely unwilling to admit it, he still had to nod.

No way! Zhao Chen's mouth opened wide, suddenly feeling an indescribable strangeness. No wonder Li Er had a thoughtful look on his face when he heard Zhao Chen's words in the Gannu Palace. It turns out there were ghosts in the harem!

"Boy, didn't you say that everything in the world has its principles, and that knowledge is incomplete because the principles have not been fully explored?" Li Er, seeing Zhao Chen's wide-open mouth, gritted his teeth and glared at Zhao Chen with a sinister look, his tone filled with a strong threat.

"That's right!" Zhao Chen, seeing Li Er's gaze, quickly put away his casual attitude and said earnestly.

Although he still didn't understand the situation, Zhao Chen was very sure of one thing: there were no ghosts in this world. So-called ghosts were just man-made.

"Does that mean you have a way?" Li Er didn't explain the situation but was eager to confirm Zhao Chen's attitude. If Zhao Chen showed any hesitation, he wouldn't take him along.

"Your Majesty, I don't know the exact situation yet, but I can tell you that I don't believe in the existence of ghosts and deities!"

He didn't dare to make a definite statement. There were many strange things in the world. If he made a firm promise to Li Er and couldn't solve it later, he wouldn't be able to explain to Li Er.

"I can tell you that it's definitely not someone pretending to be a ghost. I'm not so confused as to not be able to distinguish between humans and ghosts!" Li Er's attitude was very firm, his tone heavy, and there was no hint of jest. Zhao Chen even noticed a flash of pain in Li Er's eyes as he spoke.

It doesn't seem simple! Zhao Chen even began to doubt whether there really were such ghostly things in the world!

But he shook his head. The concept of ghosts and deities was just something fabricated by people with ulterior motives to deceive the ignorant masses. It couldn't withstand scrutiny.

"Your Majesty, I need to see it myself!" Not understanding the situation and seeing Li Er's hesitant and hesitant manner, Zhao Chen proposed to go and see it himself.

Li Er fell silent upon hearing this. It was clear that he didn't want this matter to become widely known.

While Li Er was silent, Zhao Chen stood quietly in front of him. This matter, whether man-made or not, involved some palace secrets. If he could avoid it, it would be best not to get involved!

"Let's go! I'll take you there!" After a moment of silence, Li Er suddenly looked up, took a deep breath, and, as if making a sudden decision, started walking towards the harem.

Zhao Chen, hearing this, sighed bitterly and followed Li Er step by step.

The two turned past the Taiji Palace and headed towards the Donggong Palace. Soon, Zhao Chen saw a large crowd gathered in front of a palace, with rows of fierce imperial guards standing around the hall.

In front of the hall, a Taoist priest in a purple robe and a seven-star crown was walking around with a sword, and a high platform was set up in front of him.

Li Chunfeng! Zhao Chen recognized Li Chunfeng from a distance. Almost instinctively, he reached for his crossbow under his robe, but found it empty, remembering that it had been confiscated by the eunuch when he entered the palace.

It was evening, and the sunset's afterglow shone over the palace.

Li Chunfeng's figure moved around the platform, his purple robe drenched in sweat, and sweat dripped from his chin onto his chest.

He looked as if he had just emerged from water!

"How is it?" After Li Chunfeng finished the ritual, Li Er looked at him, who was swaying, and asked in a deep voice.

Li Chunfeng's face was pale, and he walked unsteadily, almost unable to stand. Zhao Chen knew this was a clear sign of exhaustion.

Li Chunfeng, hearing this, showed a bitter smile. He had done his best, but he was powerless against the ghostly shadows in the hall!

Seeing Li Chunfeng's bitter smile, Li Er's fists, which were behind his back, clenched tightly. He then turned his gaze to Zhao Chen.

"Boy, it's up to you!" Li Er frowned, suddenly noticing that Zhao Chen was looking at Li Chunfeng with a wary expression, even a hint of killing intent in his eyes.

Since seeing Li Chunfeng, Zhao Chen's mind had been focused on him. He could respect heaven and earth but not believe in ghosts and deities. But facing someone like Li Chunfeng, he had to be extremely cautious.

The "Tui Bei Tu" had predicted the fate of China for five thousand years. Standing in front of such a person, wouldn't he be like a transparent man?

Hearing Li Er's words, Zhao Chen nodded slightly and silently walked towards the hall. No matter what terrifying thing was inside, he had to see it to know. He even felt a bit of anticipation, wanting to see what kind of ghostly shadow could scare Li Er so much and leave Li Chunfeng helpless.

The hall was eerie. It seemed to have been a residence for a concubine, with orange-red curtains hanging inside, and a faint scent of rouge filled the air.

The hall was silent, with only Zhao Chen's footsteps echoing in the vast space. His scalp tingled, and his back felt cold, but he knew it was all psychological.

Such a vast hall, under such special circumstances, it would be strange to treat it normally!

A breeze blew through the hall, causing the curtains to sway. Zhao Chen jumped in fright, but after confirming it was just the wind, he let out a sigh of relief, patting his chest in lingering fear.

Then, he saw the ghostly shadow. On the east wall of the hall, a huge image appeared, as if projected by a projector.

The image showed palaces and moving figures, though blurry, but he could clearly see armored warriors and palace maids and eunuchs. More importantly, the images were upside down.

If this were the future, Zhao Chen would think someone had placed the projector upside down and covered the lens with a piece of gauze, affecting the image quality. But this was the Tang Dynasty! Where would a projector come from?

If it wasn't a projector, there was only one possibility left!

At this thought, Zhao Chen's scalp tingled, and his body hair stood on end. The next moment, he let out a non-human scream and almost crawled out of the hall.

Since Zhao Chen entered the hall, Li Er had been standing there with his hands behind his back, his fists tightly clenched, his gaze fixed on the hall's entrance, filled with anticipation.

Li Chunfeng, standing nearby, also looked at the hall's entrance with a complex expression. He hoped Zhao Chen could solve the ghostly shadow but didn't want him to succeed. These conflicting thoughts made him even more anxious than Li Er.

At this moment, Changsun had also arrived, looking worriedly at the hall's entrance, her hands tightly clenched, her fingers pale, showing her inner torment.

Just as they were all watching the hall's entrance, they suddenly heard a terrified scream from inside the hall, followed by Zhao Chen's disheveled figure almost crawling out.

Failed! Seeing Zhao Chen's disheveled state, Li Er understood immediately. He sighed, his fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly, and then let out a bitter laugh, turning to leave.

Seeing her husband's state, Changsun's eyes welled up with tears, which rolled down her cheeks.

Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! Without a projector, how could a moving image appear out of nowhere?

Zhao Chen, almost crawling out of the hall, fell to the ground, his mind replaying the scene he had just seen, too lazy to stand up.

It couldn't be a ghostly shadow. Even seeing such an incomprehensible image, Zhao Chen refused to believe it was a ghost.

Then what could it be?

Zhao Chen's mind raced. This must be related to light, but why would light project such a moving image on the wall?

Theories in his mind were constantly being refuted, and he tried to find a breakthrough from his past knowledge.

Suddenly, his gaze fell on the Donggong Palace, where a large crowd of guards, maids, and eunuchs stood. A flash of inspiration struck him, and he quickly stood up, pointing at the people at the Donggong Palace's entrance, loudly ordering everyone to leave. Li Er, who was about to leave, stopped upon hearing Zhao Chen's loud voice.

Hearing Zhao Chen's order to clear the Donggong Palace's entrance, Li Er, though puzzled, waved his hand, and immediately, everyone at the entrance left!

In a moment, the large crowd at the Donggong Palace's entrance dispersed, leaving no one behind.

Seeing no one at the Donggong Palace's entrance, Zhao Chen lifted the hem of his robe and rushed into the hall.

He had a hunch, but he wasn't sure if it was correct. He had to see the image inside to know the answer.