Chapter 316: Solutions
Chapter 316: Chapter 316: Solutions
“You—”
Gu Qingli was furious. Why wasn’t Xiao Yunjing playing by the rules? Shouldn’t he agree to her request?
She immediately rushed out, but Wuqing stopped her. “Empress, you cannot leave Fengqi Palace for now. Please go back.”
“You’re stopping me?” Gu Qingli asked in surprise. Was she being put under house arrest?
“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, please go back,” Wuqing said expressionlessly.
“Wuqing, you should know that I saved you back then! Is this how you should treat me? You’re being ungrateful!” Gu Qingli angrily pointed at Wuqing and yelled.
Wuqing remained silent and let her rant. The Emperor had instructed him to keep her confined to Fengqi Palace. The goal was to provoke her and make her emotional so that perhaps her true self would reveal itself.
「Elsewhere」
After arranging for the three little ones in Taiqing Palace, Xiao Yunjing immediately summoned Master Jueliao to the Imperial Palace.
Master Jueliao was well-prepared. He knew the Emperor would call for him. Before entering the Imperial Palace, he had written to his senior brother, Master Juewu, detailing Gu Qingli’s situation and asking him to go to Five Flowers Mountain to seek Daoist Master Sanqing.
When it came to catching ghosts, Daoist priests were the experts, whereas monks could only chant sutras and guide souls to the afterlife. Each field has its specialists.
「Inside the Imperial Palace’s royal study」
The atmosphere was very tense. Xiao Yunjing’s fingers kept tapping the table while he stared at the bowing figure of Jueliao below.
Jueliao’s heart was unsettled by the tapping. The Emperor had summoned him but remained silent, leaving Jueliao in an anxious state as one sat and the other stood in silence. Please, just say what you want. It’s so nerve-wracking.
The Emperor’s martial arts skills had already become well-known throughout Capital City. At this moment, Jueliao felt that Xiao Yunjing’s domineering presence was even more intimidating than his martial arts prowess.
After a while, Xiao Yunjing finally asked the sweating Master Jueliao, “Master, do you have any brilliant ideas?”
Jueliao heaved a sigh of relief and clasped his hands together, saying, “Your Majesty, I’m afraid I cannot help. But I have already written to my senior brother, who will go to Five Flowers Mountain to seek Daoist Master Sanqing. Perhaps Master Sanqing will have a solution.”
“Five Flowers Mountain’s Daoist Master Sanqing, a Daoist priest?” Xiao Yunjing asked.
Jueliao replied, “Yes, Your Majesty. Daoist priests are skilled in ghost-catching.”
Xiao Yunjing nodded. “Alright then, Master Jueliao, I’ll leave this matter to you. Once Master Sanqing arrives, please have him enter the Imperial Palace immediately.”
Jueliao replied respectfully, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
After learning that there was still a chance, Xiao Yunjing had Liu Desheng escort Master Jueliao out of the Imperial Palace.
Once Master Jueliao left, Xiao Yunjing immediately summoned Yun No. 14.
“Your Majesty!”
“Hmm. Send someone to Five Flowers Mountain to invite Daoist Master Sanqing. Also, have the Secret Sect gather information on any powerful Daoist priests in the martial arts world. Bring them all here.”
Xiao Yunjing felt that it would be too slow for Master Jueliao to find Master Sanqing, so he decided to send someone directly. I know about Five Flowers Mountain; it’s close to Jiangnan. There are people from the Secret Sect there who can bring Daoist Master Sanqing directly. Using their lightness skills, they could return in just a few days. They could also recruit other Daoist priests along the way. If one doesn’t work, they can try two, or even three… The most important thing is to find a way to bring Li’er back.
Although there are Daoist priests in Qin Tianjian, they were all fake ones arranged by Qingchen. If Master Sanqing truly has skills, I want to keep him at Qin Tianjian and make him the national master of Daqian. I hadn’t believed in ghosts and deities in my previous life, but after my rebirth, Li’er’s appearance, and the Original Host’s resurrection, I have no choice but to believe.
Thinking of Li’er, Xiao Yunjing closed his eyes in pain. How is she doing now?
「Meanwhile」
Gu Qingli, who was being worried about by others, was indeed in her Space. The moment she was swallowed by darkness, she lost consciousness and woke up in her Pharmacy.
My guess was correct; as soon as I left Gu Qingli’s body, I returned to my Space. However, my current body is just a shadow, not a physical entity. Moreover, it has the appearance of my previous life, and I’m wearing the same clothes as when I died.
Gu Qingli was both shocked and overjoyed. I want to try leaving my Space… she thought, but after several attempts, she remained trapped inside.
Now I’m certain: the only way to leave my Space is to return to Gu Qingli’s body. But how can I return to Gu Qingli’s body if I can’t even leave my Space?
Gu Qingli floated over to a chair and sighed for a long time. How is Xiao Yunjing doing outside? I’m already missing him and the three little ones after just half a day. As for the Original Host Gu Qingli, I’m not worried about what kind of trouble she might cause; I already made various arrangements beforehand. Moreover, now that Xiao Yunjing knows it isn’t me, he won’t give her a chance to act unscrupulously.
Bored in the Pharmacy, Gu Qingli floated outside. As soon as she did, she felt a wave of spiritual energy rushing at her. She took several deep breaths.
“Huh?” She took a few more deep breaths. This spiritual energy… it has a significant effect on my spirit! Just these few breaths have refreshed my mind.
Without hesitation, Gu Qingli floated to the spring and began absorbing the spiritual energy above it.
An hour later, Gu Qingli slowly opened her eyes. She extended her hand to examine it and saw that it was more solid than before.
This discovery thrilled her. Does this mean that if I continuously absorb spiritual energy, my body will solidify like an actual entity? My current body is a spirit form, like a ghost. If my shadow-like form becomes solid like a real body, wouldn’t that mean my spirit will be very powerful? If I could regain that power and compete with the Original Host, would my chances of winning be much higher?
After thinking for a while, Gu Qingli decided to give it a try, whether her guess was right or wrong. Since there was nothing else to do in her Space, she sat above the spiritual spring, absorbing its energy.
「Outside」
The Original Host, Gu Qingli, had caused a commotion for a while, but her efforts were futile, and she grew tired. She, a woman without the strength to truss a chicken, was no match for Wuqing, a peerless martial arts master. Only then did she realize she couldn’t leave Fengqi Palace no matter what.
I originally planned to summon my parents to the Imperial Palace, but now that’s impossible. Xiao Yunjing will definitely not let me see them.
The Original Host, Gu Qingli, who had longed for her parents’ love since childhood, truly wanted to see Gu Xicheng and Ms. Su at this moment. She also wanted to experience the feeling of being loved by her parents.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t leave. After causing a commotion, she felt tired. Her spirit was already very weak, and the disturbance made her extremely drowsy, so she crawled onto the bed and fell asleep.
Yun No. 20 immediately reported this situation to Xiao Yunjing. After learning about it, Xiao Yunjing instructed Yun No. 20 and the others to continue keeping a close watch, ensuring the Original Host Gu Qingli had no opportunity to contact anyone outside or leave Fengqi Palace.
The Empress’s coronation ceremony had just taken place. Not seeing outsiders for a few days wouldn’t arouse anyone’s suspicion.