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The outcome was smooth, fully aligning with the commoners’ expectations.

The tale of the King of Qin capturing and releasing, then defeating the enemy with one move, spread through the Capital City by the afternoon, and Princess Mingxue was also announced as the King of Qin’s Princess Consort without a hitch.

Everything was as perfect as in the tales told by storytellers, making the previously somber Capital City much livelier.

But many members of the noble families found something odd about it all.

They always felt that the whole affair was resolved too smoothly...

The Emperor had mustered such a grand display, luring the delegation from Jiangnan to come, was he really placing all his hopes on a fair duel? Was he truly counting on a Southern Barbarian to deal with the King of Qin, who could divide and rule Jiangnan?

Although the Southern Barbarian exhibited incredibly unbelievable strength, to say that this was the Emperor’s only tactic seemed overly simplistic...

But the fact was that the whole affair indeed passed smoothly, without the slightest ripple!

On the Martial Arts Field, Chen Qing did not use the Barrier Technique to do anything, and the Emperor did not continue to make things difficult, everything seemed to have been perfectly resolved by Wutu Gu’s lost duel, everything... seemed to have calmed down!

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Imperial Palace...

Many had not seen the Emperor since the Martial Arts Field event, including the members of the Imperial Army who had escorted him there, and even they couldn’t find their Emperor for a time.

And at that moment, that unreadable king, with a gloomy face full of anger, was heading toward the palace that once belonged to the Empress.

But the closer he walked, the uglier his expression became.

The stench of blood permeated the Empress’s chamber, and even before getting close, the Emperor sensed it instantly. All the palace maids in the chamber were dead. A gleam of chill passed through his eyes as he quickly entered the chamber.

His once humble Empress decorated her chamber quite modestly, but after that woman arrived, everything turned excessively luxurious, the floor of the chamber was paved with a type of jade bricks special to Jiangnan—dazzling and splendid.

Yet now, that previously extravagant floor was covered in fresh blood and flesh.

A profoundly unsettling scene, along with the sound of chewing, was taking place in the hall inside the chamber, where countless beautiful palace maids lay dismembered, and a monster covered in dragon scales was devouring the most foul-smelling entrails.

One could vaguely make out that it had the face of the former Empress.

The darkness in the Emperor’s expression dissipated, his features turned cold, but deep in his eyes was a hint of disgust.

It was hard to imagine... he had actually been intimate with such a thing for three long years!

"You’ve finally returned, haven’t you?" the monster’s voice was still the Empress’s, but with a roughness unique to beasts.

"What happened?" the Emperor asked bluntly, "I couldn’t make use of any of the Ghost Temple’s powers. If Chen Qing wanted to kill me, he could have done it at any time!"

"He didn’t dare to make a move..." the Empress shook her head, "That would have been mutually destructive. But the reason you could not use the powers of the Ghost Temple is indeed because of him."

"What exactly happened?" the Emperor asked, frowning upon hearing this.

The Empress swallowed the liver she held in her hand and stood up, looking behind her.

The Emperor hurriedly followed her gaze.

The true core of the Ghost Temple was not any of the four famous temples in the Capital City, but was located inside the Imperial Palace—a sealed ancient temple at the very foundation of the palace!

And now, visible tears could be seen around the perimeter of that temple, spiderweb-like.

"That fellow... is not simple..." murmured the Empress softly, "It seems... he knows our secrets completely!"

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Five hours earlier...

"Thank you, Empress Dowager..."

Chen Qing visited Cining Palace for the first time, facing the last remaining elderly member of the Siao family, the first to marry into the family and give birth to Siao Mingyue, the old lady of that year.

Before coming, Wang Ye had already mentioned that this old lady played a decisive role in their successful reentry into the Path of Yin and Yang, saving himself.

Yes, on the Path of Yin and Yang, his only chance to escape was the Flying Star Seal Wang Ye had left behind.

The Twilight Sorcerer wouldn’t use the Flying Star lightly, for the seals were limited.

At the location in front of King Xiang Tomb on the Path of Yin and Yang, Chen Qing felt that Wang Ye wouldn’t just erase it without good reason.

With his intellect, he should have deduced that it was an important place.

As expected, Chen Qing found the seal there.

Chen Qing’s body bore a Flying Star Seal, applied by Wang Ye the first time he saved him. Chen Qing believed the other party wouldn’t easily erase it either.

So when the two seals touched, Wang Ye would surely be alerted, and with his cleverness, he would definitely guess that Chen Qing was trapped on the Path of Yin and Yang.

As for whether the other party would come to save him,

Chen Qing was uncertain.

Wang Ye was the first person in this world willing to risk his life to save Chen Qing, though it was for a mission, and he had determined Chen Qing was key to breaking a certain situation. Yet, that kind of risk-taking was still baffling.

For a demon-born to be willing to stake his life on a human—Chen Qing still found it somewhat incomprehensible.

And now... the roles had reversed, with Chen Qing entrusting his life and fate to the other.

Touching the seal would let Wang Ye know his location. The other could save him, but also plot against him. Under such circumstances, he was quite in a passive position.

Chen Qing still didn’t understand Wang Ye’s intentions, as, in the end, he had gotten mixed up with Liu Yu.

This was a measure of last resort, but fortunately... Chen Qing’s gamble paid off.

"Are you Chen Qing?"

The Empress Dowager looked at Chen Qing with curiosity. After Siao Mingxue went to Jiangnan, she had maintained contact with her mother using a special method. She remembered that her daughter held this man in high regard.

Of course, she had sternly scolded her daughter’s absurd wish to conceive a child with this junior.

"The junior is indeed Chen Qing..." Chen Qing genuflected with sincerity.

The other was a senior in Siao Mingyue’s family, and although his acquaintance with Siao Mingyue was somewhat strained, the aid given by the other party in escaping the Path of Yin and Yang, regardless of their motives, was a lifesaving grace for which Chen Qing couldn’t afford to be discourteous.

"Do you know the current situation?"

"The last intel I received was that my men, under pressure from His Majesty, impersonated me and came to the Capital City. Beyond that, I do not know."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager nodded, "Then let the old lady tell you what she has learned."

After some time, when Chen Qing heard about what happened in the grand hall—that Ao Zhen had caused trouble but then suddenly disappeared—he fell into deep thought.

"Do you know what happened?"

The Empress Dowager asked, watching him.

After Siao Mingxue awakened her Golden Crow Bloodline, her personality had greatly changed, yet she seemed to still hold expectations towards Chen Qing, a scholar.

The Empress Dowager mused that this temperament truly followed her aunt’s.

Her own daughter, so full of spirit, also couldn’t get past the issue with men. Now her granddaughter was the same.

But to entrust the Siao Family’s only Golden Crow Bloodline to this young man was not a decision she could take lightly.

This was virtually entrusting the fate of the Siao Family.

This young man had carved out his own territory in Jiangnan, and in the future, he might very well confront the Emperor.

Whether he had the qualifications to stand against the Emperor, whether he could keep Siao Mingxue safe—these were factors she had to consider.

At the very least, he must first resolve the current predicament. Otherwise, if he couldn’t even handle this, how could he assure Mingxue’s future?

"Before coming here, Wang Ye briefly informed me about the situation in the Capital City. The city has built many strange temples and regularly offers boys and girls from outside the capital as human sacrifices..."

The Empress Dowager nodded, "Indeed, that has occurred. Do you know the details?"

"Mother and Child Ghost Temples!" Chen Qing said with certainty: "Ancient human sacrifices were many, but those specifically selecting boys and girls are rare.

I received some information while in the Dragon Palace.

The forces behind His Majesty are highly likely connected to the Serpent Mother who allied with the Ghost Domain, and if they are using the Mother and Child Ghost Temples, I might guess the method they used to seal away my subordinate. "

"Are you confident?" the Empress Dowager looked at Chen Qing seriously.

"Please rest assured, Your Highness," Chen Qing replied with great solemnity. "I will ensure Princess Mingxue’s safety!"