Reborn as Powerful Minister's Beloved
Chapter 355 - 340: Second Update

Chapter 355: Chapter 340: Second Update

Zong Yunqian was groggy, having slept for an entire day and night, plagued continuously by nightmares, his whole being seemed to have fallen into a quagmire. Several times he woke up in alarm, with Gu Dao steadfastly guarding by his bedside.

"Princely Heir, how are you feeling?" Gu Dao, anxious, had blisters at the corners of his mouth. He brought some water over. Zong Yunqian took a sip but then spat it out, and Xi Feng hurried to clean it up, cautious not to make too much noise in the middle of the night.

Zong Yunqian went back to sleep. Since leaving Prince Duan’s Mansion, there hadn’t been a moment of lucidity; whenever he woke, he was disoriented and confused.

Gu Dao and Xi Feng, anxious as ants on a hot pan, after discussing with each other, decided to go to the Imperial Palace overnight to seek an audience with Master Yu Sheng.

When Gu Dao arrived at the gates of the Imperial Palace, he was stopped. Even the Princely Heir’s token was useless. Despite his pleas, he could not gain entry.

Gu Dao wasted another hour at the palace gates. By the time he returned, dawn was breaking, and suddenly, Zong Yunqian woke up.

Gu Dao and Xi Feng happily helped their Princely Heir to sit up. Seeing that Zong Yunqian was not as groggy as before and had regained consciousness, they were immediately overjoyed.

"Princely Heir, where do you feel unwell?" Gu Dao quickly asked, though he knew that common physicians would not be able to cure this condition. The thing was dreadfully strange; they had dealt with ghost shadows more than once, but this was the first time they encountered such a situation.

"No matter, get me a cup of tea." Zong Yunqian shook his head, feeling that his body was still fine; he must have fainted from overexertion.

"Princely Heir, here—" Xi Feng quickly brought the tea. Zong Yunqian, taking the tea, reflected on the serious nature of the ghost shadow. If he was not mistaken, it was likely one of those ghost shadows from the legends that had developed spiritual wisdom. If such a ghost shadow could be taken back to Qiandao Temple...

Xi Feng suddenly widened his eyes in shock as a visibly black shadow rose behind Zong Yunqian’s back and then rapidly disappeared, merging into Zong Yunqian’s body.

Gu Dao quickly pulled on Xi Feng, signaling him to remain silent. Although their minds were blank, the two managed not to make a sound.

"How is the situation at Prince Duan’s Mansion?" Zong Yunqian lifted his head and handed the tea cup back to Xi Feng.

Xi Feng’s mind was blank, and he only saw Zong Yunqian’s lips moving. He tried hard to understand what his Princely Heir was saying, but he couldn’t hear anything. Suddenly, he shivered and regained his senses.

Zong Yunqian frowned at Xi Feng, confused by his expression, as if he had seen a ghost.

"Princely Heir, what did you say?" Xi Feng hurriedly asked.

"Nothing much, all is quite calm," Gu Dao immediately responded. "Princely Heir, Xi Feng has been up all night and can fall asleep standing. Perhaps let him rest a while."

Zong Yunqian, upon hearing this, noticed that both Gu Dao and Xi Feng had dark circles under their eyes. Clearly, Xi Feng was not the only one who had been up all night, so he waved them off.

"Never mind, you both go rest. I’m fine," Zong Yunqian said. Gu Dao and Xi Feng did not persist and withdrew from the room.

Once outside the room, they immediately grabbed each other’s arms, looking into each other’s eyes, understanding unspoken thoughts.

Still unsettled and anxious, they were not simply being suspicious; the ghost shadow had appeared clearly before their eyes for the second time. The Princely Heir must be...

Gu Dao nodded, while Xi Feng shook his head, making a final attempt at resistance. The Princely Heir was a disciple of Qiandao Temple, so how could he easily be entangled by that ghostly entity.

"We must quickly find a way to have the Princely Heir return to Qiandao Temple," Gu Dao firmly stated. At this time, only Master Huo Yi could save the Princely Heir.

...

The rumors about ghosts in Zheng Capital had progressed from quiet New Year whispers to a widespread panic. In the temple within Zheng Capital City, which housed the seated physical remains of the Mage, the number of commoners had suddenly increased substantially.

However, this did not slow the spread of rumors about ghost possession. It started with the Aristocratic Gentry Clans and now had spread to the common folk. Sudden illnesses, madness, and unremitting high fevers prevailed; none found solace in medicine, and after suffering for three or four days, if one sought incense ash in the temple of Qiandao Temple, the fever might subside, but the person would lose their former vigor, although their lives were at least spared. Yet these days, such cases were increasingly frequent, and panic slowly turned into rumors.

There were all sorts of stories, the most common being the rumor that an Evil Spirit resided within the Imperial City. It was even said that this Evil Spirit transformed into a handsome man by day, and at night, it came out to suck the souls of people, described in vivid detail. The citizens ran themselves ragged, but the rumors within the city grew more and more rampant.

After many days of unrest, upon hearing that a Mage in the Imperial Palace was preaching, the citizens, not knowing who started it, had already gathered in large numbers in front of the Zong Sheng Residence, certain that Master Yunqian would conduct a ritual to expel demons and avert calamity.

In the preceding days, the Zong Sheng Residence had not issued an official response, but as the number of commoners grew, Old Lady Zong, while anxious, also thought that this could indeed be an opportunity for the Zong Sheng Residence to establish their reputation several times over.

Old Lady Zong didn’t care for official positions, power, or wealth, but she highly valued reputation.

Old Lady Zong had sent people to call for Zong Yunqian twice, seeing that Gu Dao and Xi Feng could no longer keep it a secret, and they even thought of secretly drugging the Princely Heir and then taking him to the main temple of Qiandao Temple.

Before they could act, Old Lady Zong had already personally come to find Zong Yunqian. She knew her grandson was used to living freely like an idle cloud and wild crane, but given the matter concerned the reputation of the Zong Sheng Aristocratic Family, Zong Yunqian, as a descendant of the Zong Sheng Aristocratic Family, naturally had to shoulder his responsibilities.

"The Princely Heir is ill?" Old Lady Zong was stunned. "Foolish, why didn’t you tell me about such a major issue?"

Saying this, she insisted on going inside. Seeing that they could not stop her, Gu Dao and Xi Feng let Old Lady Zong in.

"Grandmother, don’t listen to their nonsense. I’ve just been up for a few nights, and I’m already feeling better," Zong Yunqian said, standing up and deliberately turning in a circle.

Only then did Old Lady Zong feel somewhat relieved, and she brought up the matter of conducting the ritual.

"It’s not that it can’t be done. Rest assured, grandmother, when it comes to the affairs of the citizens, I will naturally not shirk," Zong Yunqian readily agreed, leaving Gu Dao and Xi Feng at a loss for words.

How could the Princely Heir agree, conducting the ritual was not his forte. Moreover, every night, as the Princely Heir slept, they saw more and more black aura accumulating on his body, which had already left both of them unable to eat or sleep, anxiously burning up inside.

"Princely Heir, you are not yet well—" Gu Dao blurted despite himself, "Moreover, we have not yet caught that thing, guarding your strength is necessary..."

Zong Yunqian laughed, shaking his head.

"You don’t understand, conducting this ritual doesn’t require consuming strength, just needs to attract some evil spirits, there’s no harm." Zong Yunqian had his plans. Since they couldn’t catch the Ghost Shadow, now that his grandmother had sparked an idea, why not lure it out? Then, it would be much easier to handle when it appears.

"Rest assured, grandmother, I will prepare now, and tomorrow I can start setting up the ritual," Zong Yunqian said, completely ignoring the despairing expressions on Gu Dao and Xi Feng’s faces.

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