Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 380 - 378

Chapter 380: 378

Yang Yong escaped, and to say I wasn’t disappointed would be a lie, but Yang Yong is a person in an awkward position.

The fact that Xiyue Country had to eventually lay down their arms and surrender, was in part, because he failed to handle matters competently.

Carrying such a stigma, he wouldn’t receive a warm welcome even upon returning to Xiyue Country.

After suffering two major defeats in wars, Xiyue Country simply could not afford any more. What they needed now was a period of peace and recuperation.

However, for people living in a barren land, peace and recuperation were luxuries they couldn’t afford.

In any case, for the next few years, Xiyue Country posed no threat.

As for the signing of unequal treaties such as surrender letters and the payment of indemnities, the presence of General Li was enough to handle this.

Tomorrow, Xiao’er and Shangguan Xuanyi plan to set off back to the Imperial Capital.

After returning to her tent, Xiao’er found that her comb, which she had originally left on the table, had been touched by someone.

Her pillow had also been moved!

For someone with an excellent memory like her, there was no way she could forget what the belongings in this space, where she slept every night, originally looked like.

Nothing was missing from the tent.

Xiao’er walked over to the bedside, her pillow no longer held the impressions of her resting head from when she woke up in the morning.

Who had been in here? What were they looking for?

Being nothing more than a low-ranking soldier, well not even a soldier, soldiers can fight on the front lines! She was merely a servant of Shangguan Xuanyi. What could be of interest in a servant’s tent?

In this room, only the comb and the pillow had been touched, nothing else was moved. What was this person looking for?

Hair! They were looking for her hair!

Upon this realization, Xiao’er immediately went out and asked the guards on duty, "Did you see anyone entering my tent today?"

"Yao Bing came to look for you." After thinking for a while, one of the guards replied.

Xiao’er nodded.

Yao Bing was a confidant of General Dingyuan, did he take her hair to send it to Xiyue Country?

Stealing hair, in this era, couldn’t possibly be for a DNA test.

That only left the possibility of it being used for witchcraft.

Shangguan Xuanyi’s large tent was right next to Xiao’er’s, he heard what was happening.

He came out and asked Xiao’er, "What’s wrong?"

Xiao’er shook her head.

If she mentioned at this moment that her hair from the pillow was missing, she would be perceived by the guards as overstating minor issues, finding fault for no reason.

Seeing this, Shangguan Xuanyi said, "I can’t sleep, come in and play a game of chess with me."

Xiao’er nodded.

The two of them entered one after the other.

"Did you lose something?" Shangguan Xuanyi asked straight away.

"Someone moved my comb and pillow, there’s my hair on them."

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Xuanyi’s face grew serious. It was rumored that the wizards of Xiyue Country could use hair strands to summon demonic methods to snatch away people’s lives.

However, such methods severely damage one’s lifespan and cultivation; hence, wizards usually refrain from doing so.

"Feng Qing!"

"My Lord! Miss Rui’an!" Feng Qing came in and bowed.

"Take General Dingyuan and Yao Bing into custody! Interrogate them sternly! Find out the whereabouts of my sister’s hair." Shangguan Xuanyi’s voice held a hint of frost.

The whereabouts of Rui’an’s hair?

"Yes." Though Feng Qing was a little surprised, he responded immediately and hurriedly left.

Xiao’er remembered the golden python that was still monitoring Yang Yong in Xiyue Country, and quickly communicated with it through her thoughts.

"Xiao Huang, my hair from the pillow is missing, can you find it there?"

"Wait a moment, Master, I will look for it." The Master’s hair carries the Master’s aura, naturally it can distinguish it.

"Alright."

After finishing her communication with the Golden Python, Xiao’er began to experience a severe headache.

Unable to bear the pain, she squatted down clutching her head.

"Girl?!" Shangguan Xuanyi quickly approached and held her in his arms.

"What’s wrong with you?" Shangguan Xuanyi anxiously asked, seeing Xiao’er clutching her head in agonizing pain.

"My head is killing me!" Xiao’er resorted to hitting her head with both hands to alleviate the pain.

Shangguan Xuanyi quickly held her hands to prevent her from hurting herself, his heart aching and full of fury.

Unable to move her hands, Xiao’er was compelled to hit her head against her kneecaps due to the excruciating pain.

Shangguan Xuanyi promptly held her little hands with one hand and pressed her head towards his chest with the other hand.

"Feng Yang!" Shangguan Xuanyi called out loudly, the first time he had lost his composure so openly.

"Master!" The Feng Yang who had been waiting outside the door quickly came in.

"Order Feng Qing to interrogate officials in Rui’an County about the whereabouts of her hair strands, and do it by any means possible!" commanded Shangguan Xuanyi.

Feng Qing saw Xiao’er in absolute pain and recognized the seriousness of the situation. He quickly nodded in agreement and ran off to carry out the order.

"It’s ok, girl. It will be over soon." Shangguan Xuanyi comfortingly held her tighter.

After a good while, Xiao’er’s severe headache seemed to alleviate. She lay quietly in Shangguan Xuanyi’s arms, lost in her thoughts.

Believing that Xiao’er was no longer in danger of hurting herself, Shangguan Xuanyi released his hold.

But, to his surprise, he saw Xiao’er standing up and walking outside like a mindless puppet, her eyes vacant.

Shangguan Xuanyi’s heart sank. He didn’t interfere but decided to follow her. Perhaps doing so would lead them to the perpetrator.

Shangguan Xuanyi followed Xiao’er closely as they walked out of the military camp, and then directed towards the desert.

The golden python followed a faint scent leading towards the desert.

It moved swiftly, almost flying.

It was because it had lost contact with Xiao’er. This was a sign that her soul was controlled by someone else.

The golden python looked at the sky. It interpreted an eerie, unpredictable scene hidden in the pitch-black sky that was invisible to human eyes.

The golden python moved faster.

It must stop this ritual as soon as possible! If Xiao’er’s soul completely leaves her body, interrupting the ceremony could either end with her soul not being able to return or her body exploding.

The golden python arrived at the desert where the wizards were conducting the ritual.

It turned its body into a black substance, even finer than a silver needle.

It sensed Xiao’er’s hair soaked in holy water in a bowl engraved with strange patterns.

A wizard was holding a peach wood sword, chanting something under his breath.

Two women sat nearby, cracking melon seeds while watching the ritual funnily.

"Witch, as soon as she arrives, I will drip my essence blood on her heart and bind her soul. She will become my puppet and obey only me, right?"

"Correct." A young girl dressed in fiery red robes, embroidered with mystical symbols, nodded her head.

"Is there a way to break it?"

"Yes, by removing her heart and taking out your essence blood."

Could someone survive with their heart removed? Hearing the reply, the woman chuckled satisfactorily.

Remembering Shangguan Xuanyi’s protective attitude towards Xiao’er, the woman worried that someone might have followed them. She asked, "What if a person interrupts the ritual?"

"The girl will explode and die."

Perfect! The woman didn’t ask anything else after hearing this.

If the ritual is interrupted, Xiao’er dies! If the ritual is successful, she will gain a puppet!

This is definitely a profitable business!