It was truly astonishing.
Nan Shiying seemed to have found a new toy, her demeanor no longer despairing. She reached into his abdominal cavity, searching. A surge of nausea churned within Xuan Lin; if he hadn't eaten much today, he would have surely vomited.
Her Highness had not changed, still as formidable as ever.
Ji Hong’s expression flickered. Fortunately, he had used the fragrant scent, sparing him the dual torture of sight and smell that Xuan Lin endured.
Nan Shiying let out a soft hum of curiosity after turning his heart over.
The posterior left atrium of his heart was almost completely rotted. Within the decay, she faintly glimpsed a twisted pattern, resembling a flower, or perhaps a winged serpent coiled around a stem.
"My Lord, look at this."
Nan Shiying directly excised the Ghost Mask’s heart and presented it to Ji Jinmo.
Truly, she presented his heart for him to see!
Ji Jinmo lowered his head, examining the nearly putrid pattern behind the heart. After a moment of thought, he said uncertainly, "This pattern is more than half decayed. I can only say, it bears a resemblance to the mark of the Ghost Fiend Sect."
"Ghost Fiend Sect?"
The Ghost Fiend Sect again?
But it shouldn't be. How could the mark of the Ghost Fiend Sect appear in the heart of the Ghost Mask, especially in the decayed portion? It couldn't be that this Ghost Mask had also pledged allegiance to the Ghost Fiend Sect. Was his heart so moved by loyalty that it displayed the sect’s mark?
Utter nonsense... Wait, a mark?
Nan Shiying’s eyes lit up. She asked Ji Jinmo, "My Lord, you said the Ghost Fiend could turn people into pools of blood. Is it perhaps..."
"You mean, this is a trace left by Asura Ghost Fiend?" Ji Jinmo immediately understood Nan Shiying’s implication and fell into contemplation.
Asura Ghost Fiend, the ultimate technique of Gui Sha, the sect leader of the Ghost Fiend Sect.
Apart from those he controlled, no one knew how Gui Sha manipulated people and turned them into pools of blood. However, whether it was poison or something else, to control and harvest the lives of his subjects at will, Gui Sha must have injected something into their bodies.
Perhaps, Ying’er’s guess was correct.
"Assuming this mark is indeed from Gui Sha’s Asura Ghost Fiend, does that imply that Yu Chengxuan is connected to the Longevity Sect?"
Nan Shiying nodded.
Ji Hong stated, "If that's the case, does it mean the Sect Master of the Longevity Sect has chosen Yu Chengxuan."
Xuan Lin: "..."
"Your Majesty, My Lord, Your Highness, I do not understand. If the Ghost Mask was a subordinate of Gui Sha, then shouldn't the mastermind of this assassination be the one connected to the Longevity Sect?"
Since the Ghost Mask was ordered to assassinate Yu Chengxuan, how could Yu Chengxuan be the one connected to the Longevity Sect?
Nan Shiying glanced at Ji Hong, truly an instance of the strong encountering the stronger. Compared to the big-browed, big-eyed Xuan Lin, Ji Hong appeared exceptionally intelligent.
"Because the Ghost Mask's heart was rotting."
"I mentioned earlier that the Ghost Mask was killed by Yu Chengxuan’s sword piercing his heart, and he offered no resistance before death. Either Yu Chengxuan’s movements were too fast, or the Ghost Mask was immobilized at the time."
Xuan Lin parted his lips, "And so?"
Nan Shiying pursed her lips and looked at Ji Hong again. Ji Hong suppressed the slightly bulging veins, took a deep breath, and explained, "The Ghost Mask's heart began to decay from the location of the mark. This indicates that after the Ghost Mask appeared beside Yu Chengxuan, the mark left by Gui Sha within his body activated."
"In other words, the Ghost Mask died at the hands of both Gui Sha and Yu Chengxuan."
Xuan Lin listened, feeling rather dizzy. One thing was clear: Gui Sha and Yu Chengxuan were on the same side. The Ghost Mask was ordered to assassinate Yu Chengxuan, but he didn't know Yu Chengxuan was involved with Gui Sha... Pfft, no, he had dealings with Gui Sha. So, at the moment the mark within his body activated, he was pierced by Yu Chengxuan’s sword.
"Wait, doesn't that mean Gui Sha is in the capital?" Xuan Lin exclaimed, as if discovering a momentous secret.
Ji Hong sometimes genuinely wanted to ask Xuan Lin how someone without any discernible thought processes could achieve rapid progress in martial arts cultivation. Zero comprehension, relying solely on talent?
Heaven was being rather whimsical!
Seeing that no one was paying him any mind, Xuan Lin mumbled a few words. Knowing that everyone present had sharp hearing and keen sight, he wasn't foolish enough to voice them aloud.
Based on the discovery within the Ghost Mask, Nan Shiying dissected two other corpses. She found nothing. This meant that the Ghost Mask was an anomaly in this assassination. Nan Chaoyin likely did not know about the mark Gui Sha had planted within the Ghost Mask’s body, or even if he did, he wouldn't have expected Yu Chengxuan to have any connection with Gui Sha.
In any case, that old bastard had failed.
...
"Father, are you truly allowing your daughter to be married off to Da Li?"
Nan Yuan’er suppressed her tears, gazing stubbornly at Nan Chaoyin. She couldn't believe that her father had not uttered a single word of refusal in the imperial hall today. He listened, he allowed, and he even asked her to kowtow and thank the emperor for his grace. Yet, all her life, everyone had told her that she would be the Emperor’s wife, that she would be the Empress of Lin Yuan, that she would become the most honored existence. She had listened, she had believed. But what was the result?
The Emperor had never even looked at her properly. She had reached maturity two years ago and should have been welcomed into the imperial palace by the Emperor. Yet, the Emperor seemed to have completely forgotten about it, making excuses time and again. She had thought that once Ji Jinmo attempted to force her marriage, the Emperor would immediately welcome her into the palace. But no, he hadn't.
In the end, it was that lowly, long-dead wretch who caught Ji Jinmo's eye. Relying on her status as the Regent's Consort, she had subjected Nan Yuan’er to endless humiliation.
She refused to accept it, she refused to yield. Why should she be sent to Da Li like a piece of merchandise!
A fire flickered in Nan Yuan’er's eyes, as if it could incinerate everything.
Nan Chaoyin, however, did not show anger. He put down the brush in his hand and looked up at her, asking, "His Majesty's decree, how can it be defied?"
"Since His Majesty has ordered me to marry Yu Chengxuan, then let Yu Chengxuan become a dead man." Nan Yuan’er’s voice was sinister and cold, her flashing eyes like those of a venomous snake, inspiring dread with a mere glance.
Nan Chaoyin hummed, "It's a pity that the person I sent to assassinate Yu Chengxuan today failed."
"Father, you..." Nan Yuan’er’s eyes widened. She truly hadn't expected her father to have sent someone to assassinate Yu Chengxuan ahead of time. So, Father hadn't done nothing!
But, how could he have failed?
"We can try again..."
Nan Chaoyin raised his hand, stopping Nan Yuan’er’s question, and gave an answer she couldn't accept: "We cannot. The assassination of Yu Chengxuan today likely has already aroused His Majesty's suspicion. Therefore, Yuan’er, do not act rashly!"
Nan Yuan’er gritted her teeth, and finally nodded, "Father, rest assured, your daughter will not act on her own and disrupt your plans."
Hearing this, Nan Chaoyin suddenly smiled.
Since assassination of Yu Chengxuan was not possible, they would solidify the accusation of 'harming the nation's fortune'!