The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 197: Xuanyuan Cang Remained Hidden

Chapter 197: Xuanyuan Cang Remained Hidden

Upon seeing the lifeless body of his daughter, he hesitated for a moment before instinctively giving it a kick.

"You lazy girl, what are you lying around for? Get up!" he scolded.

Qin Zheng, quick-witted, grabbed him and angrily rebuked, "Your daughter is already dead, and yet you still want to beat and scold her?"

People like this one, lazy and impoverished, were the easiest to bully.

Even though he was drunk, upon seeing Qin Zheng’s official attire, he immediately trembled in fear and knelt down, begging for mercy, "Master, spare me! Spare me!"

Qin Zheng’s face turned cold, and seeing that he was still inebriated, he ordered someone to bring a basin of water to sober him up.

"No need for the trouble," Nanli said, pulling out a talisman.

With a flick of her wrist, the talisman dissipated, and water splashed onto man’s face.

Hanzi sobered up a bit, shivering, and upon seeing his daughter’s pale face on the ground, he finally reacted and crawled over, "Zhaodi, Zhaodi! What happened to you?"

"She’s dead," Nanli’s expression was icy, her voice devoid of emotion, "She didn’t have much time left to live anyway. You made her sell her own life force, so she died suddenly."

"What do you mean by selling life force? I don’t understand what you’re saying," the man pretended to be confused, remembering the man’s warning and pretending to be ignorant.

He still had a few children, and if each of them sold a bit of their life force, they would have money.

It was a good deal, and he was even waiting for the second time to sell life force.

Zhi Mi, infuriated, stepped forward and grabbed the man by the collar, "Don’t pretend here. By selling your life force, you deviate from the records in the Book of Life and Death. When you die, the ghost messengers won’t come to take you away, and you won’t even be able to touch the gates of the underworld!"

The man couldn’t understand at all.

But he only knew that by selling life force, he didn’t have to work and could have money for three to five years.

What was the big deal?

"We’re willing to sell, what business is it of yours?" the man pushed Zhi Mi away, "Zhaodi died because she had a short life and bad luck!"

Zhaodi, who was standing nearby, was stunned upon hearing this.

As a girl, her father already didn’t like her, but she didn’t expect him to be so heartless, saying that she had a short life and bad luck.

Nanli knew she couldn’t reason with this man, so she asked, "What did the person who bought your life force give you?"

If they were storing people’s life force, there must be some kind of treasure involved.

Zhaodi was still young and couldn’t explain clearly, so she woke up the man to ask him.

The man narrowed his eyes.

The eyes of the poor were always sharp, and although Nanli was dressed plainly, she couldn’t hide her nobility.

He simply said, "One question, three taels of silver!"

Zhi Mi was so angry that smoke seemed to come out of her seven orifices.

Qin Zheng’s eyes narrowed.

But before they could take action, more people arrived outside.

It was another small group of black-armored guards and black wooden horse carriages.

The onlookers had craned their necks to watch the commotion, but upon seeing this, they quickly withdrew and moved aside.

Ye Siheng wore a black round-collared robe, his figure tall and outstanding.

On his head was a purple jade silver crown, his handsome face captivating, just one glance was enough to enchant people.

But no one dared to look at him for too long.

Because his usual countenance was always cold and stern, a single glance from him could send shivers down one’s spine.

He walked into the pastry shop, and when he saw Nanli, his frosty expression finally relaxed, replaced by a smile as warm as a spring breeze, "A’li."

"Prince, why are you here?" Nanli was a bit surprised.

At this hour, Ye Siheng should be in the cabinet for discussions.

"I heard something happened, so I came to take a look," Ye Siheng said, turning his gaze to the man, his eyes sharp as knives, "Who would have thought that I would hear someone who doesn’t know what’s good for them, demanding silver in exchange for answering a question."

Just as the words fell from his lips, Qing Feng strode forward.

He tossed a hefty silver ingot and drew his sword, saying, "So greedy you are, ten taels of silver to buy your hands."

The man’s eyes widened in fear, trembling all over.

"N-no..." The black-armored guards pressed him down.

The cold light shimmered. Qing Feng’s eyes gleamed with icy determination, the sword about to descend.

"I dare not! I dare not!" the man hastily cried out. "I will answer immediately, no need for the silver!"

Qing Feng sheathed his sword, waving his hand to release the man from the guards’ grip.

The man still trembled as he spoke, "He had a device resembling an incense burner. He asked us to speak our willingness to sell years of our life force in front of the burner."

Nanli breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed that the artifact was not a wanton evil, requiring consent to absorb life force.

No wonder that man specifically targeted the impoverished.

Though the poor may have their faults, what does it matter when someone seizes their vulnerabilities and takes away their precious life force?

The man didn’t know much, so Qin Zheng ordered his men to take him away.

Seeing her troubled expression, Ye Siheng asked, "Are you worried that someone is using life force to create sinister artifacts?"

Nanli gently shook her head.

"That artifact still relies on mutual consent, not a complete evil. But I suspect that man has already purchased a significant amount of life force in the slums, resulting in an influx of restless spirits unable to enter the underworld. No wonder the Yin energy in the slums has grown stronger recently."

"And how does that affect things?" Qin Zheng asked, puzzled.

"It naturally does. Humans and spirits follow different paths. If one constantly lives in a place with heavy yin energy, their body will be tainted by it, affecting their own fortune and making them more susceptible to premature death," Nanli sighed.

"The sky is growing dark; I must go to the slums with Zhi Mi and subdue some lost souls and wandering spirits."

This commotion was not insignificant, and that man must know he had been exposed.

He probably wouldn’t target the slums again.

But what remains unknown is the purpose of the life force he acquired.

Knowing she was busy, Ye Siheng didn’t hinder her and simply nodded.

"Alright, finish your tasks and return home early." Nanli smiled faintly.

"Very well." She used a pouch to collect Zhaodi’s spirit and left the pastry shop with Zhi Mi.

Since the innocence of the pastry shop had been proven, Qin Zheng ordered the body to be taken away and the shop to be unsealed.

Having left the palace, Ye Siheng had no intention of returning to listen to the nagging of those cabinet ministers.

He ordered the kitchen to prepare the dishes that Nanli usually enjoyed.

However, the evening grew late, and Nanli still hadn’t returned.

Qing Feng advised Ye Siheng to have a light meal, but he insisted on waiting for Nanli.

After all, Nanli was busy outside, and if he couldn’t help, the least he could do was wait for her to have a meal together.

But before he could wait for Nanli, Ye Chengyan arrived at his door.

Since reclaiming his identity as the Crown Prince, Ye Chengyan had been cautious and diligent in his duties.

He received a confidential report and immediately brought it to Ye Siheng.

"Uncle, the spies of our nation report that Xuanyuan Cang has not attended court for several days and has not been seen at all," Ye Chengyan said.

Ye Siheng lowered his gaze, reading the report, a flicker of candlelight in his eyes.

Then, he raised his head slightly, his voice calm and composed.

"Are you suspecting that he is no longer in our nation?"

"You’re right!" Ye Chengyan nodded.

"Xuanyuan Cang has always had connections with the Qi Nation. It’s hard to say he hasn’t gone there to conspire with the Qi Crown Prince."