His words surprised Lin Yanxi. He knew about curse masters? And from their conversation just now, it was certain these people belonged to the Crown Prince.
A faint smile curved her lips, appearing somewhat eerie in the dark night. Her pale violet pupils flashed with an otherworldly allure.
Those men, realizing the gravity of the situation, were so terrified their legs went numb. They scrambled and tumbled back towards the mansion.
However, before their hands could even touch the Grand Tutor’s mansion gate, before they could open it, tongues of crimson and orange flames suddenly engulfed them.
"Ah, help, save me!"
His last vestige of consciousness weakly knocked twice on the Grand Tutor's mansion gate. Then, the entire person was consumed by fire, his pained cries choked within his throat. Only his eyes, wide with terror, watched the seemingly harmless young girl walk step by step towards him.
She bent down slightly, her violet eyes returning to normal. Her clear black and white pupils looked at these men with an innocent and guileless demeanor.
A foul smell of burnt flesh permeated the air, quite nauseating.
Several guards lay motionless on the ground, leaving behind only skeletal frames.
Only then did she straighten up, pinching her nose with her fair hand, and glared at the white bones on the ground with disgust, muttering, "Stinky."
Two lanterns hung from the beams. Lin Yanxi took them down and threw them at the men. The candles inside spilled onto the ground, quickly burning through the paper lantern covers. It looked as if the lanterns themselves were burning their bodies.
She coldly glanced back at the bloody, mangled corpses. With a satisfied smile, she pushed open the grand doors with her slender white arm and walked into the mansion.
The Grand Tutor's mansion was now filled with unfamiliar faces, and many guards patrolled the courtyard.
As a group of guards approached, Lin Yanxi lowered her head slightly. There were other female residents in the mansion, so she didn't arouse any suspicion from the guards.
The Grand Tutor's study was heavily guarded. Lin Yanxi knew a hidden path that led directly to the study's back window.
She slipped into the study through the back window and scanned the surroundings. The study appeared no different. Her gaze fell upon a small inkstone on the desk.
Last time, when her father had retrieved the broken blade of the Zhenshan Saber from a hidden compartment, he had turned this small inkstone. She tried turning the inkstone on the desk, and sure enough, a hidden compartment revealed itself on the wall.
Inside the compartment lay a white jade tablet. She had seen it in books; jade talismans looked like this.
She picked up the jade talisman and placed it in her clothes. If she were to take the talisman away like this, it would undoubtedly cause trouble for the Grand Tutor's mansion. After some thought, she took out a short flute from her clothes, holding it in her hand. She then deliberately left some traces before exiting the study.
She hadn't walked far before startled shouts from guards echoed, "Bad news, someone has broken into the Grand Tutor's mansion! The guards at the front gate are all dead."
"Quick, hurry to the study! Seal off all entrances!"
With this announcement, the entire mansion lit up, and a commotion ensued.
She saw the Crown Prince and her father hurrying towards the study with grim faces from a corner. Soon, the Crown Prince's personal guards would likely be dispatched to track her.
If she simply left the short flute behind, the Crown Prince might not believe it. She had to quickly lure away a small group of people and then kill them under the guise of the Black Cloak.
"A... Older Sister?"
Just as Lin Yanxi was about to leave the Grand Tutor's mansion, Lin Ruoyan emerged from her room. She was startled to see her.
Lin Ruoyan's gaze flickered to her hand, and she asked in surprise, "Older Sister, you..."
Lin Yanxi hid the jade talisman behind her back and said, "Ruoyan, help me. This jade talisman cannot fall into the Crown Prince's hands."
Lin Ruoyan stood frozen, her hand tightly clutching Lin Yanxi's sleeve.
Her eyes were filled with helplessness and hesitation, "But Crown Prince Brother said this item is very important to him and Father, and that there can be no mistakes."
"This is the jade talisman?" she finally realized. This was the lost jade talisman?
"Older Sister, stop fooling around!"
Lin Yanxi glanced at the approaching footsteps in the distance. She had no time for lengthy explanations. "Ruoyan, there's no time. I must leave now, and I must take the jade talisman."
In her previous life, after the Crown Prince ascended the throne, the matter of the jade talisman was attributed to the Grand Tutor's mansion. Therefore, no matter what, this jade talisman could not be handed over to the court by her father.
Lin Ruoyan was still hesitant. Her Crown Prince Brother was so good to her; how could she let Older Sister act so recklessly?
"No, Older Sister. Please put it back. I'll pretend I saw nothing. I know you dislike Crown Prince Brother and want to defy him. But if you take the jade talisman, you'll be stealing it, and it will cause trouble for the Grand Tutor's mansion."
"Listen to me, Crown Prince Brother won't force you to marry him anymore. He's a good person. I beg you, don't harm him anymore."
Lin Yanxi was momentarily at a loss as to where to begin explaining. She sighed. Her sister was truly too naive.
The Grand Tutor's mansion was already under strict lockdown. If she didn't leave soon, she wouldn't be able to get out.
Lin Ruoyan continued to persuade her, "Older Sister, return it. I'll explain to Crown Prince Brother for you, and he won't blame you. On the contrary, he will protect you."
Shen Qingyun protecting her?
This was simply laughable.
"Search over there, there's movement that way." A group of guards ran towards them.
Lin Yanxi tried to pull her sleeve free, but Ruoyan held onto it, refusing to let go, crying, "No, Older Sister, don't be foolish anymore."
On one side, Ruoyan was crying tearfully. On the other, the approaching footsteps of the guards grew louder.
The jade talisman in her hand felt cool. She thought of Shen Muzhou's pale face, his mouth stained with blood. If he were imprisoned now, it would undoubtedly be sending him to his death.
"I'll explain later. If you still consider me your Older Sister, then believe me, Ruoyan. I have no choice." After speaking, she conjured a yellow talisman with her fingertip and lightly touched Lin Ruoyan's forehead.
"Sleep Talisman."
Lin Ruoyan's tear-filled eyes flickered, and after a few wobbles, she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Forgive me, Ruoyan.
Lin Yanxi cast one last look at Ruoyan and climbed out of the Grand Tutor's mansion through a side gate.
"There, catch her!" The guard at the side gate of the Grand Tutor's mansion pointed in the direction Lin Yanxi had fled and gave chase.
Lin Ruoyan's delay bought Lin Yanxi some time, but another group of guards who arrived discovered her trail and pursued her.
Twenty to thirty guards simultaneously chased Lin Yanxi.
Fortunately, she was agile. She grabbed a horse tied by the roadside and led the group towards the outskirts of the city.
When Shen Qingyun and the Grand Tutor arrived at the study, the hidden compartment was open and empty.
"Where is it? I'm asking you, where is it!" Shen Qingyun roared, questioning all the guards in the room.
The guards knelt one after another. One said, "Reporting to Your Highness the Crown Prince, the guard ran towards the city outskirts. We have already sent people to pursue."
The Grand Tutor remained calm and asked, "How many people came? Were their appearances clearly seen?"
The guard replied, "Only, only one person came... Third Miss should have seen that person, but she was knocked unconscious."
Shen Qingyun glanced at Ruoyan, who lay unconscious on the ground, and frowned. There was no warmth in his eyes. He impatiently said, "Hurry and send for the imperial physician! If anything happens to Third Miss, can you afford it?"
This statement seemed more directed at Lin Ze. Lin Ze sternly instructed the servants of the Grand Tutor's mansion, "Take Third Miss back to her room first."
Shen Qingyun then swept his gaze over the kneeling guards.
Enraged, he pointed at them and scolded, "Useless! Are you all useless? With so many people in the courtyard, one person easily stole the item?"
"What use are you to me? If this jade talisman is lost, none of you will survive!"
The guards were so terrified they dared not look up, stammering, "Your... Your Highness. The personal guards who died at the entrance... their deaths were gruesome. It looked like... not the work of ordinary people."
A sense of foreboding arose in Shen Qingyun's heart. He immediately headed towards the mansion gate.
As soon as he stepped out, he saw four charred skeletons. Ordinary fire would at most leave a body bloody and mangled, but these corpses were reduced to mere skeletons. How was this possible?
He glanced at Lin Ze, whose eyes were unfathomably deep, giving no clue to his thoughts.
Shen Qingyun suppressed his anger and probed, "Grand Tutor, I heard that the Jiang clan of Talisman Masters indeed possessed such abilities."
Lin Ze narrowed his eyes and glanced at him, "What does Your Highness mean? After my father-in-law, Jiang Qi, there were no more Talisman Masters. Moreover, my mansion is filled with your appointed personal guards. If something is lost, you suspect me?"
"Furthermore, Lin Yanxi is currently in Prince Mu's mansion. What? Are your informants there useless?"
With that, he let out an angry 'hmph' and swept away his sleeves.
Shen Qingyun, seeing Lin Ze's firm stance, didn't seem to be lying. Even Jiang Wan couldn't cultivate talisman techniques, let alone the two young girls left behind.
Moreover, his informants in Prince Mu's mansion had not reported any activity from that side.
In that case, could it be the work of the Black Cloak?
Now was not the time to anger the Grand Tutor. He quickly chased after him, plastering a smile on his face, "Grand Tutor, wait..."
---
A young girl rode a tall horse. As she rode, she conjured a Soul Breaking Talisman in her hand and flicked it backward.
"Ah..." The closest guards, struck by the Soul Extinguishing Talisman, fell to the ground in agony.
The guards relentlessly pursued her. As they drew closer, the magical techniques within her soul ring grew weaker. No, she couldn't keep this up.
She glanced back roughly. More than twenty guards were still behind her. Her techniques were not enough to deal with so many.
Just then, an iron chain was swung, wrapping around the horse's hooves. The guards pulled back hard.
"Neigh—"
The horse neighed and fell to the ground. Lin Yanxi was thrown off the horse's back without warning, rolling a couple of times on the ground. She gasped in pain.
"Attack them! If we lose the jade talisman, we all die!" The guards, mounted on their horses, surrounded Lin Yanxi.
They brandished their long sabers and slashed at Lin Yanxi.
She conjured a Body Freezing Talisman. With a swipe of her palm, the talisman split into three, flying towards three individuals. Three of them were frozen in place on their horses. The remaining guards were startled and paused for a moment.
But it was only for a moment before they recovered, "No matter what she is, kill her first."
She desperately dodged, but four or five bloody gashes appeared on her body. Several holes tore in her clothes, and blood instantly dyed a large area red.
"Body Freezing Talisman!"
The invisible talismanic art flew towards the guards again. Lin Yanxi picked up a broad saber from the ground and, seeing an opportune moment, delivered a fatal blow to the throat.
However, she didn't know any martial arts, and the broad saber was not easy to wield. She soon became exhausted.
After a fierce fight, her light apricot-colored long skirt was completely stained red. She panted, facing the remaining ten-plus guards, retreating a few steps.