The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 316: Establishing Xuanzheng Temple

Chapter 316: Establishing Xuanzheng Temple

At that time, their only thought was to get rid of Nanli. Not only could they earn a sum of silver, but they could also restore Sanqing Temple to its former bustling state.

Those three Daoists had already begun cursing incessantly, their language vulgar and unbearable to hear.

Ming Hao had brought this upon himself, but he had also dragged them down with him.

Now, tainted by malevolent energies, there was little hope for them to return to the righteous path after years of diligent cultivation were ruined in an instant.

Ye Siheng spared no mercy either, piercing through their excuses, "If you didn’t want to do it, no one could have forced you. You chose the wrong path yourselves; don’t blame others."

The three men exchanged glances, their faces burning with shame.

Indeed, they had wanted to restore Sanqing Temple’s prestige, like in the past when they could earn over ten taels of silver with a single talisman. That’s why they reluctantly joined forces with Ming Hao.

Nanli asked, "What about the other four?"

She asked this because the young Daoists of Sanqing Temple were not skilled enough to activate the Soul-locking Formation together.

Ming Hao looked despondent as he sat slumped on the ground, saying, "They were brought by the Duke of Jin. From their attire, they seemed to be sorcerers from the Jianghu, with average skills."

Another Daoist also spoke up, "Yes! We were responsible for capturing ghosts and turning them into malevolent spirits. The Eight Trigrams Soul-locking Formation was prepared by them. When the evil spirits inside the formation were defeated by you, we sensed something was wrong and escaped together."

Nanli raised an eyebrow, "They were together?"

"Yes, it was a master with three disciples," Ming Hao said, "I haven’t seen them since that day. I don’t know where they went."

Nanli fell silent for a moment.

Based on her investigation, Liang Zhen had assistance from sorcerers before finding Fan Guizong, likely them.

However, after their plan failed, these four individuals disappeared without a trace.

Combining their accounts, Nanli speculated that this master and his three disciples were cunning and avoided direct involvement in dark deeds, leaving Fan Guizong and the Daoists of Sanqing Temple to do the dirty work.

Ye Siheng remarked, "Since it’s confirmed to be one master with three disciples, it should be easier to find them."

Qing Feng immediately arranged for the skilled artists among the Black Armor Guard to draw portraits based on their descriptions. After all, these four aided Liang Zhen in wicked deeds; who knew what they might do in the future? They couldn’t be allowed to escape.

After handling these matters, Qing Feng instructed the Black Armor Guard to take Ming Hao away for execution, so as not to delay Your Highness’s return to the capital.

But at this moment, Ming Hao suddenly felt weak.

Upon examining him, the Black Armor Guard exclaimed, "He’s been poisoned!"

Nanli was stunned, stepping forward to check. She saw Ming Hao’s lips blackened, his eyes lifeless, clearly deeply poisoned.

She grabbed Ming Hao’s hand and inspected it. Indeed, there were remnants of powder under his fingernails, which seemed to be the poison he intended to use to end his own life.

Ming Hao looked at Nanli and forced a dry laugh, "the Ninth Princess, I am truly incompetent and cowardly. Since that night, I have been restless, fearing... fearing that the Ninth Prince would come looking for me and cut off my head..."

"I didn’t want to die in such a brutal manner, so I hid poison under my fingernails. I didn’t expect to use it today..."

"It was my moment of confusion that led to a great mistake, harming my junior brothers. I earnestly... implore the Ninth Princess to have mercy, to save them, to cleanse the malevolent energies from their bodies, to let them..."

Ming Hao coughed up blood mid-sentence, too weak to continue speaking, his head drooping.

"Senior Brother!" the other Daoists cursed and blamed him, but seeing Ming Hao’s death, they were overwhelmed with grief and began wailing.

Nanli stepped aside.

Several grown men surrounded Ming Hao, crying inconsolably.

Despite their grievances and resentment, they had grown up together, cultivated together as brothers in the Dao.

Ye Siheng’s gaze flickered slightly as he turned to Nanli and asked, "How do you decide? I was just thinking of exiling them to the northwest."

The three men were still grieving, aware of their sins, and knelt before the two of them.

"the Ninth Princess, we captured ghosts and turned them into malevolent spirits. We know our sins are grave. Can you give us a chance to redeem ourselves?" one of them pleaded.

The other two echoed, "Please, let us redeem ourselves!"

Nanli stared at them and said, "If you had plotted against me, I wouldn’t have spared your lives. But capturing ghosts and turning them into malevolent spirits is extremely malicious, which goes against the original intention of your Daoist practice. The ones you’ve wronged the most are not just the ancestors of the Three Purities but also your master who taught you."

The three men felt deeply ashamed upon hearing this, wishing they could just die to atone for their sins.

"But death is easy; redemption is difficult. We know our sins are grave, and we are willing to spend the rest of our lives atoning for them!"

Nanli’s expression softened slightly, and she crossed her arms.

"Since you have this intention, I will give you this opportunity." She glanced at the three men. "Pack your things. Come back with me to the capital. I will have the Prince establish a Xuanzheng Temple. You will work there, helping the people solve their problems."

The three men were stunned.

One of them asked, "Princess, do you not trust us? There are limited people in the capital. If we want to atone for our sins, we should go everywhere."

Ye Siheng understood his wife’s intentions immediately. His eyes turned cold with disdain. "You’re old in age but lacking in skills. You can’t even draw a talisman to suppress an evil spirit. How dare you think of traveling to seek redemption?"

The faces of the three men immediately fell into embarrassment.

Qing Feng was also annoyed. "The Princess is not only concerned about your reliability but also intends to teach you some real skills! What are you still staring blankly for? Are you brainless?"

The three men suddenly realized and became excited.

They hadn’t learned much from their master before he sacrificed himself in a ghost-catching mission. It wasn’t because they were talented, but because they lacked proper guidance.

Immediately, they all knelt down to kowtow to Nanli, on the verge of calling her "Master."

Nanli looked at them with an expression of disdain as she activated a prohibition symbol. "Don’t disrespect your own master. You already have your own master. Besides, you’re not that young anymore!"

The three men couldn’t open their mouths, their faces flushed red. They could only kowtow to Nanli three more times.

It didn’t matter; they just treated Nanli with as much respect as they would their master.

But at this moment, more than a dozen young Daoists had red eyes and choked out, "Master and the senior brothers are gone. What should we do?"

They were either orphans or from poor families who sent them here to study Daoism, just to have a full meal.

Without their senior brothers and uncles, Sanqing Temple would be even less sustainable.

The three men looked at Nanli, their eyes pleading.

Nanli rubbed her forehead helplessly and said, "You can follow us, but the Capital is not only haunted by spirits but also by wicked people. You must always protect the people. If you can’t do that, you might as well leave now and find another way to live."

Some of the young Daoists hesitated, but soon they all made up their minds.

"We can do it!" they shouted one after another, their faces determined.

Nanli looked at their expressions and their determination, nodding in satisfaction. These children were all talented and could be molded.

There were many people with ulterior motives, and both Qi Nation and Border Nation were eyeing them covetously. Her abilities were limited, so she intended to recruit and train the Daoists of Sanqing Temple. In the future, she could entrust the safety of the people to them.