People in the Imperial Music Bureau: The Storytelling Demon Child Nezha

He was toying with a bronze bell in his hand, which made a clear, ringing sound from time to time.

"Elder, the bronze coffin that Li Qiye described is almost identical to the records in our sect's ancient texts." A tall, thin man said respectfully, adding that he suspected Li Qiye might know the coffin's whereabouts.

A glint of greed flashed in the white-haired elder's eyes: The ancient bronze coffin is a relic from antiquity, containing the power to change the world. If we can obtain it, what worries will our sect have about achieving our great cause?

He gripped the bell tightly. Tonight at midnight, he would send his shadow guards to summon Li Qiye. If he resisted again, kill him without mercy!

"The content of the storytelling..." the black-robed messenger hesitated.

"Searching for souls and stealing spirits, one can know for sure." The elder smiled sinisterly, revealing a mouthful of black teeth. As for his physical body... it would be perfect nourishment for the sacred insect.

Outside the window, Song Tingfeng felt a chill run down his spine. He was about to back away when he accidentally stepped on a dry branch and snapped it. The sharp cracking sound was particularly jarring in the quiet courtyard.

"Who?!" A sharp shout rang out from inside the hall.

"Let's go!" Li Yuchun grabbed Song Tingfeng, and the two leaped onto the wall.

A jumble of footsteps and curses came from behind, and several dark figures rushed out of the hall.

A poisoned crossbow bolt pierced the air, whizzing past Song Tingfeng's ear before embedding itself in a tree trunk ahead, its fletching still trembling.

"Let's go our separate ways!" Li Yuchun shouted in a low voice, and the two of them each chose a direction and ran quickly.

The pursuers behind them split into two groups and kept close behind.

Song Tingfeng ran swiftly through the narrow alleys, the wind whistling in his ears.

He made a sharp turn and suddenly crashed into a dead end.

Oh no! He abruptly stopped, and heard the cold laughter of his pursuers behind him: Run, why aren't you running anymore?

Three men in black robes blocked the alley entrance. The leader held a short knife that gleamed with an eerie light, and dark green venom was faintly visible on the blade.

Song Tingfeng leaned against the wall, his right hand stealthily reaching for the bronze gong at his waist—the night watchman's warning device. He grinned: "Gentlemen, chasing me in the middle of the night, perhaps you want to invite me for a midnight snack?"

"You're courting death!" the man in black robes roared, brandishing his sword as he lunged forward.

Just as the blade was about to touch Song Tingfeng's throat—

clang!

A flash of silver light appeared, and the black-robed man's dagger was blocked by a longsword. Li Yuchun appeared at the alley entrance without anyone noticing, and with a swift turn of his sword, he aimed straight for the man's throat.

"Old Li!" Song Tingfeng exclaimed in surprise.

Enough with the nonsense, let's deal with them first! Li Yuchun's sword strikes were like a rainbow, forcing back the two men in black robes.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Song Tingfeng struck the gong, the crisp clanging sound particularly jarring in the night.

"Oh no, he's calling for reinforcements!" The man in black robes' expression changed drastically.

The sound of orderly footsteps came from afar—it was the Golden Gong Guard patrolling the city!

"Retreat!" The man in black gritted his teeth and gave the order. The three of them quickly scaled the wall and escaped.

Li Yuchun did not pursue, but instead helped Song Tingfeng up: Are you alright?

"It's alright." Song Tingfeng patted his clothes, but we need to inform Lord Wei immediately, the Witch God Cult is going to target Li Qiye!

Li Yuchun nodded: Let's go to the yamen!

The two had only run a few steps when suddenly a dark figure descended from the sky and blocked their way.

"Where are you two in such a hurry?" The newcomer, dressed in white with a handsome face, was none other than Li Qiye!

Young Master Li? Song Tingfeng's eyes widened. What are you doing here?

Li Qiye smiled slightly: If someone wants to kill me, I have to prepare in advance.

Li Yuchun stared at him warily: You've been following us?

"No." Li Qiye shook his head. "I just happened to be passing by and overheard someone talking about searching my soul. I found it interesting, so I came to check it out."

Song Tingfeng swallowed hard: "Young Master Li, the Witch God Cult is planning to attack you at midnight tonight..."

"I know." Li Qiye interrupted him, a cold glint in his eyes. "So, I plan to strike first."

Li Yuchun frowned: What do you want to do?

Li Qiye did not answer, but took out a bronze token from his sleeve and handed it to Li Yuchun: Give this to Wei Yuan and tell him not to approach the west of the city before midnight.

The token felt cold to the touch, and it was engraved with an ancient character for "town".

Li Yuchun wanted to ask more, but Li Qiye had already turned and left, leaving only one sentence drifting in the night wind:

Tonight, I will let the Witch God Cult know that some stories are not for everyone to hear.

Li Yuchun looked down at the bronze token in his hand, feeling a chill run from his palm up his spine. The character "镇" (zhen, meaning "to suppress") on the token gleamed with a faint blue light under the moonlight, as if it contained some ancient and dangerous power.

Old Song, this... He looked up at Song Tingfeng, only to find that the other man was staring into the depths of the alley, his face ashen.

Old Li, look...

Following Song Tingfeng's gaze, Li Yuchun's pupils suddenly contracted—

Nine blurry figures appeared out of nowhere in the shadows at the end of the alley.

They wore long black robes, bronze masks, and bronze tokens identical to Li Qiye's at their waists.

What's most chilling is that all nine of them maintained the exact same standing posture, and even the way their robes swayed was exactly the same.

Nine, nine Li Qiyes? Song Tingfeng's voice trembled.

The leader slightly raised his head, his eyes beneath the mask flashing with an eerie red light: "Go tell Wei Yuan that tonight, no unauthorized personnel are allowed in the west of the city."

Before the words were finished, the nine figures simultaneously transformed into black mist and dissipated into the night, leaving only wisps of green smoke slowly drifting away under the moonlight.

What kind of sorcery is this...? Song Tingfeng's legs went weak, and he almost knelt on the ground.

Li Yuchun gripped the token tightly: "Go quickly! We must report to Lord Wei immediately!"

The two stumbled and rushed out of the alley, running wildly towards the government office.

The lanterns along the way went out one by one behind them, as if some invisible force was devouring the light.

Meanwhile, inside the stronghold of the Witch God Cult in the west of the city.

The white-haired elder sat cross-legged in the center of the altar with his eyes closed, surrounded by seven eerie green soul lamps. Suddenly, all the lamps shook violently at the same time, crackling and popping.

"Oh no!" The elder suddenly opened his eyes, his face contorted with wrinkles. Someone had broken through the outer barrier!

The black-robed messenger rushed in in a panic: Elder! All the sacred insects in the courtyard...all of them are dead!

He was holding a bronze box, inside which the poisonous insects he had kept were now all stiff and motionless, their carapaces covered with frost.

Chapter 105 Destroying the Branch Altar of the Witch God Cult, Huaiqing Accompanying the Drinker

The elder's expression changed drastically, his withered fingers rapidly calculating: It's not midnight yet, why...?

boom!.

With a deafening roar, the entire courtyard shook violently, and roof tiles rained down. The century-old locust tree in the courtyard suddenly withered at a visible speed, turning into a charred, dead log in the blink of an eye.

"Form the formation! Form the formation now!" the elder roared hoarsely.

More than ten followers scrambled to their positions, frantically shaking the copper bells in their hands. However, before the sound could even spread, it was abruptly cut off by some unseen force—

All the copper bells shattered at the same time, and the fragments pierced deeply into the palms of the bell-bearers.

Ah! Screams of agony rose and fell.

The floor in the center of the hall began to rise, the blue bricks turning over one by one to reveal the crimson soil beneath. A pale hand emerged from the earth, its five fingers opening and then slowly clenching.

"Playing tricks!" The elder bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of blood mist. The blood mist condensed in the air into a hideous ghost face, lunging towards the hand.

With a soft "poof," the ghost face vanished the moment it touched the palm.

The elder staggered backward, his face filled with disbelief: How could this be...

The ground split open completely, and a bronze coffin slowly rose. The nine chains on the coffin lid rattled, each chain ending in a skeleton of a different form—some with horns, some with wings—all legendary ancient species!

The coffin lid opened slightly, and thick black mist billowed out. From within the mist came Li Qiye's voice, tinged with laughter:

I heard you want to hear the story of the ancient bronze coffin?

The black mist instantly filled the entire hall, and wherever it passed, the cultists froze in place one after another. Their skin rapidly turned ashen, their eyes became empty, and in the end, they all transformed into lifelike terracotta figures!

"You...who exactly are you...?" The elder slumped to the ground, his crotch soaked with sweat.

The black mist gradually condensed into the shape of Li Qiye. He gently stroked the ancient bronze coffin, his tone as tender as if he were speaking to a lover:

Me? Just a storyteller. It's just that some of the stories, those who heard them… He looked up at the elder, his eyes seeming to hold the shifting stars, and they were all dead.

As the last word fell, the elder's body suddenly began to petrify. He watched in horror as his hands turned into grayish-white stone, and his desperate wail froze in his throat.

When Wei Yuan arrived with his large army, the entire mansion had been transformed into a desolate terracotta warrior garden. Each terracotta warrior retained the expression of its last moments, lifelike fear frozen on its face.

In the center of the courtyard, the ancient bronze coffin stood silently. A recording stone rested on the coffin lid; after Wei Yuan channeled his spiritual energy, Li Qiye's voice rang out leisurely:

Please forgive me, Lord Wei, I've cleaned up some trash. The storytelling will continue as usual tomorrow; remember to come listen.

Wei Yuan shook his head with a wry smile, his gaze sweeping over the terracotta figures. Suddenly, he spotted several familiar faces among them—all of them were evil cultivators wanted by the imperial court for many years.

"My lord, this..." Jinluo, standing beside him, hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Clean up the scene. Wei Yuan put away the recording stone, turned and walked towards the door, remembering that nothing had happened tonight.

As he stepped out of the courtyard, he looked up as if sensing something. On a distant rooftop, a blurry figure tilted his head back and drank the wine in the pot, then turned into wisps of smoke and vanished in the moonlight.

A night breeze blew by, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible melody:

Storytellers, recounting the past and present, all speak of soul-stirring tales...

The following morning, at Princess Huaiqing's residence.

The maid tiptoed into the study and found Princess Huaiqing already sitting at her desk, a thick stack of secret reports spread out before her. The candles on the candlesticks had long since burned out, clearly indicating that the princess had not slept all night.

"Your Highness, you should rest now..." the maid said cautiously.

Princess Huaiqing raised her head, her eyes slightly dark, but the glint in her phoenix eyes was sharper than ever: Had the matter in the west of the city last night been investigated?

Your Highness, Lord Wei has suppressed the news, but according to the secret guards... the maid lowered her voice, "The Witch God Cult's branch in the capital was completely wiped out overnight. Only a bronze coffin remained at the scene, and..."

And what?

Along with nine corpses wearing bronze masks, their deaths were said to be exactly the same as the soul-searching and spirit-stealing techniques described by Li Qiye in his storytelling.

Princess Huaiqing tapped her fingers lightly on the table, making a rhythmic tapping sound. She suddenly chuckled softly: "Well done, Li Qiye..."

She stood up and walked to the window. In the morning light, she could faintly hear the sounds of commotion coming from the direction of the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment venue)—the storytelling was proceeding as usual, as if the bloodshed of the previous night had never happened.

Prepare the sedan chair. Huaiqing suddenly turned around, "I'm going to listen to a storyteller."

"Now?" the maid asked in surprise, "but the storytelling doesn't start until noon..."

No, to the Xu residence. A resolute glint flashed in Princess Huaiqing's eyes as she took my treasured jar of Nine Heavens Jade Dew.

The maid gasped: That was a gift from the late Emperor to His Highness...

That's precisely why he's worthy of her. Princess Huaiqing's lips curled slightly. "I'd like to see just who this storyteller is, who can wipe out a branch of the Witch God Cult in one night."

Meanwhile, in the backyard of the Xu residence.

Li Qiye was leisurely lounging in a wicker chair, basking in the sun, toying with a bronze mask in his hand. His dog, Xiaotianquan, lay at his feet, occasionally nuzzling his boots with its nose.

Young Master. Xu Lingyue approached carrying a teacup, her eyes filled with worry. It seemed something terrible had happened in the city last night...

"Oh?" Li Qiye lazily raised his eyes. "What important matter?"

Xu Lingyue bit her lip: I've heard that the people of the Witch God Cult...

Her words were interrupted by a knock on the door. When the door opened, Princess Huaiqing, dressed in an elegant palace gown, stood at the entrance, personally carrying a wine jar. The sunlight gilded her, making her appear even more graceful and noble.

Mr. Qiye, I apologize for the intrusion. Huaiqing smiled slightly and brought a jar of fine wine to share with you.

Li Qiye narrowed his eyes, his gaze lingering on (Zhao Qianhao)'s wine jar for a moment: Nine Heavens Jade Dew? Your Highness, what a generous gesture.

Huaiqing walked gracefully towards her, her skirt brushing against the bluestone pavement: Compared to the masterpiece the gentleman made last night, this is nothing.

Xu Lingyue tactfully withdrew, leaving only the two of them in the courtyard.

Huaiqing poured the wine himself, and the amber-colored liquid rippled in the glass, emitting a refreshing fragrance.

I've always been curious: why did you choose to tell stories at the Jiaofangsi when Huaiqing pushed the wine cup towards Li Qiye? With your abilities, where in the world couldn't you go?

Li Qiye took the wine cup, his fingertips inadvertently brushing against Huaiqing's jade-like hand: What does the princess think?