Xia Yunting sat still as a bell, his gaze fixed coldly on the ground, like a statue.
"Stubborn as stone? Then don't blame us for being impolite."
The jailer snorted and clapped his hands to the outside.
Another jailer handed over a red-hot branding iron. The first jailer unlocked the cell, grinned menacingly, and strode in, waving the branding iron in front of Xia Yunting.
"General Xia, one last chance. Will you confess or not?"
Xia Yunting lazily lifted his eyelids, a fierce glint in his eyes. The jailer's hand trembled, and the branding iron nearly slipped from his grasp.
"You dare threaten me? You won't shed tears until you see the coffin!"
The jailer gritted his teeth and pressed the branding iron against Xia Yunting's body. A sizzling sound filled the air as flesh seared and white smoke rose from the skin.
Xia Yunting didn't even flinch, his eyes only growing more murderous.
The jailers in the Ministry of Justice's prison wouldn't resort to torture without reason. He had only been imprisoned for a day, and the investigation was far from complete. This jailer dared to act, unless he was instructed.
Grand Tutor, I didn't expect your influence to reach even the Ministry of Justice's prison.
Rong Zhi had waited for three days and three nights in that desolate earthen house, with no news arriving.
During the day, she would venture out to assess the situation. The imperial city was as bustling and lively as ever, with people coming and going endlessly, as if nothing had happened.
The only difference was that the gates of the General's manor were sealed.
Rong Zhi, her face veiled with white gauze, watched the crowds on the street with a puzzled expression.
Strange, even if Cheng Yichen wasn't releasing people, he would surely have revealed her identity to the public.
Either action would have caused a stir. The streets wouldn't be this peaceful, and there would be no news from the palace.
Could something have gone wrong?
She wove through the crowd, unknowingly arriving at the Grand Tutor's manor. As expected, the manor was also sealed.
The last time Xia Yunting had used the Seven Kill Blood Array, it had been against Li Hao. A little investigation would have revealed Li Hao's connection to the Grand Tutor's manor.
This move seemed to be a mutual destruction. She wondered how Xia Yunting was faring in the Ministry of Justice's prison.
She approached the imperial palace, gazing at the heavily guarded walls. She wished she could pierce through the layers of buildings, find the dragon throne, and drag the one in the dragon robe off it to question why he had done this.
Without him, this massive upheaval would not have occurred.
Jin Jinghong, Rong Zhi murmured the name in her heart.
In her past life, she hadn't heard much about this name. Because among the surrounding nations, the Emperor of Tianque Kingdom had little presence. Tianque Kingdom's power stemmed from Cheng Yichen.
Back in the day, when Tianque Kingdom's national strength was still weak and it was on the verge of being annexed by other countries, it was said that Cheng Yichen had altered the destiny of Tianque Kingdom's army, thus preventing its annexation.
Later, Tianque Kingdom produced two War Gods: one was Prince Xiao, and the other was Xia Yunting.
One after the other, they guarded the borders for many years, allowing Tianque Kingdom to recuperate and grow increasingly powerful.
From beginning to end, the ones who had kept Tianque Kingdom free from war and allowed it to prosper were rarely Jin Jinghong. It was always Cheng Yichen, Prince Xiao, or Xia Yunting.
Rong Zhi had heard that Jin Jinghong had poor health and assumed he was merely an ineffectual emperor.
Now, it seemed that few who became emperors were simple. The fact that he could devise this plan showed his ruthlessness and his hard heart.
Sooner or later, Rong Zhi vowed to pin him down and make him pay for his blood debts.
"Miss, I see you have extraordinary bones, one in a million. You're clearly a genius. Would you like me to tell your fortune? It's very cheap."
An old man with a white beard suddenly blocked her path, his wrinkled face splitting into a smile like a blooming chrysanthemum.
A fortune teller?
Rong Zhi snapped back to attention. The patrol guards had increased in recent days, and now there was even someone openly offering fortune-telling.
This fellow was truly living on borrowed time.
However, looking at the old man's simple attire, his clothes looked opulent, yet there was no trace of a charlatan about him. It seemed he was also in disguise.
Even so, the old man's words just now were incredibly bold.
She tugged at the white cloth covering her face and turned to leave.
"Miss, please wait. I'm being sincere. I guarantee you won't regret hearing what I have to say."
The old man blocked her path and glanced around. "This is not a good place to linger. Let's talk somewhere else."
With that, he grabbed Rong Zhi and pulled her away.
Rong Zhi frowned and struggled fiercely twice, but found she couldn't break free.
How could this old man have such strength?
She had just used her internal energy.
This old man was not simple!
The old man dragged her all the way to the Drunken Immortal Pavilion.
The first floor was crowded with people, but the second floor was eerily quiet. The old man led her directly into a private room.
Upon entering, Rong Zhi looked around suspiciously.
If her guess was correct, there were at least a dozen people guarding the surroundings.
Who was this old man?
Judging by his appearance, he was at least seventy years old, with a face full of wrinkles and age spots, and he didn't look like someone who could walk so swiftly.
Could he be someone from the imperial palace?
She heightened her vigilance.
"Miss, do you want to know why I brought you here?"
The old man sat down with a smile.
Rong Zhi shook her head.
The old man didn't seem to mind her silence and continued, "Let me tell you a story."
Rong Zhi's eyebrows shot up. This person was in high spirits, even having the mood to tell stories.
Since she couldn't leave anyway, she might as well listen.
She gestured invitingly.
"This is a story about a snake immortal."
The old man poured a cup of tea and began to narrate in his aged voice.
It was, in fact, a well-worn legend.
In the past, when beliefs in gods and ghosts were not entirely suppressed, tales of immortals and monsters were prevalent in Tianque Kingdom.
Legend had it that on a certain immortal mountain, a pair of demon immortals emerged: a male and female snake immortal who had cultivated for over a thousand years.
For a millennium, they had roamed the seas and lakes, building bridges and paving roads in various prefectures and villages, healing the sick and helping people, performing many good deeds.
The common people were deeply grateful to the demon immortals, building temples for them and worshipping them during festivals.
Receiving the incense offerings from tens of thousands of people, the demon immortals' cultivation accelerated. If they could reach Penglai Island, they would officially ascend to immortality.
However, on the way to Penglai Island, the male demon immortal perished during the tribulation lightning. The female demon immortal, heartbroken, abandoned her path to immortality, returned to the immortal mountain where they had cultivated, and never appeared again.
A hundred years later, a legend suddenly emerged among the populace, claiming that traces of the male demon immortal had been found in a remote small county.
The story spread with increasing veracity, eventually reaching the ears of the female demon immortal. She appeared in that place to search for him, only to discover it was a mere rumor.
Disheartened, she returned to the immortal mountain. Not long after, an unprecedented catastrophe befell the human world.
"Do you know what happened?"
The old man smiled at Rong Zhi, who nodded but couldn't speak.
It turned out that after the female demon immortal appeared in that small county, a charlatan had emerged who impersonated her.
This charlatan possessed some skill in divination and knew she would appear at that time. He disguised himself and pretended to be the reincarnation of the female demon immortal, fooling the surrounding populace.
Even more terrifying, this charlatan, with malicious intent, used the faith of the local people to eliminate his rivals.
He induced the villagers to willingly contract plague and then blamed it on opposing sects, causing widespread suffering among the people. The sects, filled with mutual suspicion, ultimately led to war.
"Do you know how many people died in that catastrophe? Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions, countless numbers! It's truly lamentable."
Rong Zhi was lost in thought.
This old man claimed to tell her fortune, yet he told a completely unrelated story.
What was he trying to say?
"Miss, that's all I have to say. Take care of yourself!"
The old man rose leisurely and walked out. At the same moment, the oppressive aura that had surrounded them vanished instantly, indicating that the guards had departed.
Almost as soon as they left, a figure leaped through the window.
Rong Zhi instinctively assumed a defensive stance.
However, the person who entered knelt on one knee.
"Miss, Commander Xiao sent me with a message. The State Preceptor did not reveal your identity. The First Prince has become suspicious and is preparing to send people out to investigate."
So, it was a messenger.
Rong Zhi raised her hand, signaling him to rise, and offered him a smile of gratitude.
The person didn't linger, leaping back out the window, vanishing like a gust of wind.
Rong Zhi was somewhat surprised that Cheng Yichen had not revealed her identity.
Jin Yunfei, knowing that Cheng Yichen had left the Qianji Pavilion, would surely investigate her if he was out investigating.
Chu Qingze might also be implicated.
She had to go and warn him.
She arrived outside the Gushen Tang clinic. Rong Zhi initially intended to deliver a discreet message by dart, but upon arriving, she discovered that the clinic was empty and the door was locked.
Had Chu Qingze been abducted again?
Rong Zhi instinctively considered this possibility but then dismissed the thought.
If he had been abducted, he wouldn't have had time to lock the door.
Perhaps he had left on his own. She hoped he had gone far away and wouldn't be found by Jin Yunfei's men.
Rong Zhi then went to the Baicao Pavilion. There, Fang Tianhua, Zhang Yajing, and Cui Xi were packing herbs.
"Why are you here?"
Fang Tianhua's gaze was as impatient as ever upon seeing Rong Zhi.
The next moment, his eyes fell on her neck, which she was deliberately covering.
"You're injured?"
Rong Zhi didn't answer. She found a brush, ink, and paper from the counter and quickly wrote a few words, handing them to Fang Tianhua. After he read them, she exerted a little force, and a sheet of white paper disintegrated into dust.
"What's wrong this time?"
The paper had only contained a few words: "Don't say you know me."
Normally, Rong Zhi was very discreet when treating patients, but she wasn't entirely without enemies. Sometimes, when she offended influential people, she would hide for a few days. Each time before leaving, she would say this to Fang Tianhua.
Before, Fang Tianhua would have been glad for her to leave quickly, but today, he felt something was amiss.
"Were you poisoned into silence? Why don't you speak? Why write it down?"
Rong Zhi threw down the brush and left without a word.
Fang Tianhua dropped the herbs in his hand.
"Cui Xi, follow her and see."
Cui Xi nodded and followed.
After about the time it takes for a cup of tea to steep, Cui Xi returned. "Master, I lost her. However, the Gushen Tang clinic is locked, and Divine Doctor Chu is not at home. I don't know if something has happened."
Upon hearing this, Fang Tianhua's brows furrowed.
Zhang Yajing also looked worried.
Divine Doctor Chu...
After delivering the message to Fang Tianhua, Rong Zhi returned to the earthen house.
For some reason, the old man's words replayed in her mind.
It was an ordinary mythical legend. Rong Zhi had never paid it much attention before, but now, she inexplicably felt that this mythical story had something to do with her.
In the mythical story, a malicious charlatan used the snake immortals for his selfish desires, causing suffering to the people. Now, the Emperor of Tianque Kingdom, in his attempt to revive her, had also caused many deaths. What was the connection?