The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 340: "Bad Luck and Avoiding Assignments"

Chapter 340: "Bad Luck and Avoiding Assignments"

Nanli’s face grew solemn. Without wasting words, she used a teleportation talisman to try and catch Chong Jiu again. But having just escaped, Chong Jiu wouldn’t give her another chance so easily.

The black mist flowed out from his body, which he controlled effortlessly. Although this malevolent energy wasn’t overly aggressive, few commoners had protective charms. The encroaching mist already made it hard for them to breathe.

Chong Jiu sneered, "The Ninth Princess, do you want to catch me, or save people?"

Before his words finished echoing, Nanli had already thrown several talismans. The golden light that erupted pierced and enveloped the malevolent energy.

Just these talismans weren’t enough. Nanli had to set up a talisman array to suppress the black mist leaking from Chong Jiu’s body. She didn’t aim to save Chong Jiu but wanted to ensure the commoners weren’t in danger.

Chong Jiu watched her, his gaze intense. He hesitated for a moment before using a teleportation talisman between his fingers to escape.

The black mist still lingered on the street, but Nanli couldn’t concern herself with him any longer.

Zhi Mi, who had been waiting at the mansion for news, sensed the change and rushed over. Only a few traces of black mist remained on the street.

Nanli cast another couple of talismans, dispersing the mist completely. The commoners were now unharmed.

"Sister!" Zhi Mi looked around, "Didn’t you catch him?"

"He had malevolent energy stored in his body. I didn’t anticipate that and missed catching him," Nanli shook her head lightly, feeling a bit regretful.

Zhi Mi’s eyes widened slightly, "Storing malevolent energy inside his body? Is he treating himself as a vessel? Won’t his internal organs be corroded? That could be fatal!"

Nanli said, "It’s normal for a madman not to care about his life."

No wonder Chong Jiu dared to show up today. After his defeat last time, he prepared a backup plan. However, that backup plan was so self-destructive—it’s truly ruthless.

Zhi Mi pouted, "I wonder why he’s going to such lengths."

Nanli looked towards the carriage. Xiao Yu was trembling as she stepped down from it. She still looked terrified and said, "Princess, who was that man? It seemed like he was... trying to save me."

To be precise, saving her mistress.

Nanli asked, "You’ve been with my sister-in-law for many years. Have you ever seen that man?"

Xiao Yu quickly shook her head, "No, this servant has never seen him."

Nanli understood. It seemed Chong Jiu wasn’t acting out of love but had other motives.

But now that they had alarmed him, it would be difficult to set another trap to catch him.

However, with Chong Jiu using his body to store malevolent energy, he wouldn’t have many days left to live.

Seeing the situation, Zhi Mi added, "Does this mean today’s efforts were in vain?"

Plus, the street was still a mess.

Nanli raised an eyebrow, "Not at all. I might not have caught him, but I have someone else."

She opened her hand, revealing the Bewitched Worm with broken wings. Its body was furry, displaying rainbow-colored bands.

Zhi Mi cautioned, "Sister, be careful. That insect looks highly poisonous."

"Indeed. A bite from it can send poison through the veins and flesh, causing death within a breath." Nanli examined it, "This Bewitched Worm seems to be a ’Rainbow Twin Dragon,’ usually raised in male-female pairs."

Xiao Yu gasped, feeling a chill run through her blood.

She realized just how close she had been to death’s door!

Luckily, after she boarded the carriage, Nanli used talismans to protect it; otherwise, she would have perished just moments ago.

Xiao Yu’s voice trembled, "Princess, why are you playing with that? It’s so dangerous."

Nanli reassured her, "No worries, I’ve already broken its wings. It can’t bite anyone now. Besides, its mate is dead, so it has lost all will to live."

Xiao Yu, slightly calmed, couldn’t help but sigh, "Who would’ve thought, sometimes even insects can be more affectionate than people."

"Affection is good, but it needs to be appropriate," Nanli replied, her eyes growing colder.

Nanli drew a wisp of energy from the Bewitched Worm, and Zhi Mi, understanding her intention, took out a tracking paper crane. As soon as the crane sensed the energy, it flapped its wings and began to follow the trail.

"Zhi Mi, I leave this to you," Nanli instructed.

"Don’t worry, sister," Zhi Mi nodded.

The paper crane’s tracking might not count as solid evidence, but it provided a pretext to use a truth talisman on Xue Shengnan, ensuring they could extract real evidence.

However, halfway through its flight, the paper crane began circling in place.

Nanli narrowed her eyes, "She actually altered her own aura. If she took the right path, she could gain merit and wealth."

Though her elder brother had attracted trouble, from Xue Shengnan’s perspective, he was a disaster to her—one that was life-threatening.

Nanli retrieved the paper crane and sent a signal. This signal was for mobilizing the Black Armor Guard, a force she alone could command in the capital besides Emperor Muwu.

Before long, Qingyang arrived with several Black Armor Guards. He bowed, feeling somewhat excited. The reason was simple: the Princess rarely called on the Black Armor Guard, making them sometimes feel like useless freeloaders.

"We need to capture Miss Xue; she may already have left the city," Nanli said.

"At your command!" Qingyang’s voice was loud, barely concealing his excitement.

He immediately ordered his men to split up, searching both within the city and starting from the four city gates.

Just as they were about to disperse, Nanli, struck by a sudden thought, called out, "Wait, let me draw you an unveiling talisman."

Using her celestial pen, she drew the talisman around their eyes. After a hand gesture, the talisman marks disappeared.

Qingyang was puzzled, "What’s the purpose of this unveiling talisman?"

"Xue Shengnan is likely skilled in talismans and might use a disguise talisman to avoid capture. This unveiling talisman will allow you to see through everything," Nanli explained, adding, "But it only lasts for twelve hours. If you can’t catch her by then, return to the capital."

Qingyang remembered Nanli’s instructions well, but two of the Black Armor Guards seemed less concerned.

To them, Xue Shengnan, even with talismans, was still a delicate noblewoman—what could she possibly do?

They were determined to capture her and make a name for themselves, seeing it as a path to success in the Inspectorate.

One of the guards said, "Princess, rest assured, we’ll bring her back!"

Hearing this, Nanli frowned and said, "You’re not going. Go back to the Inspectorate and sweep the floors. You too, go fetch water."

The second guard was taken aback, "Princess, why?"

What had they done wrong to be excluded from the mission?

Nanli crossed her arms and snapped, "Your foreheads are darkened—you’re having a run of bad luck today. You’re not suited for this capture mission. Don’t ask any more; the longer you delay, the further she’ll get."

Qingyang acknowledged her words and immediately sent the two unlucky guards back to the Inspectorate to stand by. The remaining Black Armor Guard captains sent out signals and gathered their teams, setting off without delay.