Slender willows sway in the breeze

Chapter 150 Don't Touch the Empress

Gu Changzhou comforted him, "Si Jun, don't worry. We've already found so many clues. As long as we follow them, we'll eventually figure everything out."

At this moment, Min Rui, Tong Lei, and others also gathered around.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said, "My lord, Miss Liu, this was truly a close call. However, it seems we need to reconsider the matter of Xuanji Hall and the Blood Fiend Demon God."

Tong Lei nodded in agreement: "Yes, and there may be even more forces involved behind the Empress and Consort Shu."

“You’re right. Next, we’ll split into several groups. Min Rui, you’ll take a portion of the Shadow Guards and continue investigating the Empress and Consort Shu’s forces. Tong Lei, you’ll go and investigate the news about the Cold Pool.”

The two replied in unison, "Yes!"

After making the arrangements, Gu Changzhou turned to Liu Sijun and said, "Sijun, you have a deep understanding of elixirs and spells. Why don't we go to the medicine storehouse together and take a closer look to see if we can find any clues related to the drug trials?"

"Alright."

I was so focused on finding the array's core that I didn't pay attention to anything else, and I might have missed some important clues.

Everyone accepted their orders and quickly began their work.

Liu Sijun and Gu Changzhou stepped into the medicine storehouse again. Although the storehouse had been through a fight, its basic layout and the arrangement of medicinal herbs were not greatly affected.

They searched every corner carefully, leaving no possible clue unchecked.

Suddenly, Liu Sijun discovered a tattered ancient book on an inconspicuous shelf.

The cover of the ancient book was engraved with strange patterns, faintly exuding a mysterious aura. She gently opened the book, which contained ancient spells and elixir recipes, much of which was related to the Blood Fiend Array and the strange events they had experienced.

Gu Changzhou leaned closer, looking at the words on the ancient book with a solemn expression: "Lord Si, look here..."

What they saw was a forbidden alchemy method that required the essence and blood of a living person as a catalyst. The resulting pills were said to grant people great power, but had severe side effects.

Could this be the medicine test the Empress was referring to?

Liu Sijun carefully studied the relevant content, a chill running down his spine: "Very likely. If Xuanji Hall is really conducting such evil drug trials, then their ambitions are quite large. Moreover, the methods for refining these pills are so cruel; if they were to spread, the consequences would be unimaginable."

The two continued to peruse the ancient books, trying to find more clues.

Just then, a yellowed parchment suddenly fell out of the ancient book.

Liu Sijun picked up the parchment, unfolded it, and saw a mysterious map drawn on it. The map marked several strange locations, one of which was the imperial city where they were, while the other locations were scattered in various mysterious corners of the continent.

Gu Changzhou looked at the map, his brows furrowed: "The places marked on this map might be important strongholds of the Xuanji Hall, or closely related to their conspiracy."

"But if that's the case, why would something so important be in the medicine storehouse?"

"Perhaps this medicine storehouse is not as simple as it seems on the surface. It may be a key contact point for the Xuanji Hall, or perhaps this map was deliberately placed here, waiting for us to discover it."

Liu Sijun pursed her lips. If it really was the latter, then Xuanji Hall's scheming was truly too deep.

Could it be that their actions along the way were all under the control of Xuanji Hall?

Just as the two were deep in thought, a series of noisy footsteps suddenly came from outside the medicine storehouse, followed by the sounds of fierce fighting.

Gu Changzhou and Liu Sijun exchanged a glance, quickly put away the parchment, and headed towards the direction from which the sound came.

Upon exiting the medicine storehouse, they saw Min Rui leading several shadow guards in a fierce battle with a group of men in black. These men were all exceptionally skilled, emanating strange fluctuations of spiritual energy; they were clearly not ordinary assassins.

Without saying a word, Gu Changzhou drew his sword and charged into the battle.

His swordsmanship was fierce, each strike carrying powerful spiritual energy, instantly forcing back several men in black.

Liu Sijun wasn't idle either; he took out his magpie feather fan and, taking advantage of a moment when one of the men in black was off guard, swung it forcefully.

Under the combined attack of the group, the man in black gradually lost ground.

However, at that moment, the leader of the men in black suddenly let out a sharp whistle, and the other men in black all self-destructed, turning into clouds of blood mist.

The blood mist quickly coalesced, forming a massive blood-red shield that pressed down on Gu Changzhou and the others.

Gu Changzhou's expression changed, and he shouted, "Everyone, be careful!"

He formed a hand seal, and an ice-blue spiritual energy shield instantly appeared in front of everyone.

The blood-red shield collided with the spiritual energy shield, producing a loud bang, and the powerful impact shook the surrounding buildings so badly they were about to collapse.

When the blood mist dissipated, the man in black had vanished, leaving behind only a scene of devastation.

Min Rui said with some frustration, "My lord, these men in black are too cunning. We couldn't capture a single one alive."

Gu Changzhou nodded slightly: "It's alright. Since they dared to come, they must have already prepared to die. However, their appearance shows that our actions have attracted the attention of Xuanji Hall, so we need to be even more careful from now on."

After saying that, he turned to look at Min Rui: "Did you find anything during your investigation into the Empress and Consort Shu's strength?"

Min Rui's expression was grave: "My lord, we have discovered that the Empress and Consort Shu are secretly raising a group of assassins. The training methods for these assassins are extremely strange, and they seem to be related to some kind of evil magic. Moreover, we have also found some strange letters in the Empress's palace. The contents of the letters are covered by a special rune, and we are trying to find a way to decipher them."

Gu Changzhou's eyes sharpened: "It seems the conspiracy behind this is more complex than we imagined. Continue your investigation and decipher the contents of those letters as soon as possible."

"Yes!"

Min Rui accepted the order and left.

Gu Changzhou then looked at Liu Sijun: "Sijun, we can't stay in this medicine storehouse any longer. Since Xuanji Hall sent people to attack, there will probably be follow-up actions. Let's report to His Majesty about the Empress and Consort Shu."

Previously, Bei Chenyao had instructed that the Empress should not be touched unless absolutely necessary.

In just one or two months, the Empress has orchestrated so many things behind the scenes, which are related to the Wuji Tower incident three years ago, and she even attempted to awaken the Blood Demon God. Based on these things alone, the Empress deserves to die.

However, I still need to report this to His Majesty.

Bei Chenyao's condition worsened, so Liu Sijun quickly channeled the Five Elements Qi into him and fed him a Grade 4 Yuan Yang Pill, which helped him recover somewhat.

Bei Chenyao was panting heavily. He wanted to get up but found it difficult, so he simply lay half-reclined on the dragon bed to rest.

"The Empress deserved to die. I hope that Minister Gu will investigate the matter of Xuanji Hall thoroughly before I close my eyes."

He didn't want his son to be troubled by the Xuanji Hall matter after he ascended the throne.

Happy Chinese New Year! May all my darlings have their wishes fulfilled in the new year.