CHAPTER 83: CHAPTER 82: MIXED SPIRIT ARRAY

"Zhaozhao, you’re not leaving yet?"

Song Caiwei affectionately held her hand and shyly asked, "Can I call you Zhaozhao?"

"Of course you can!" Yu Nianzhao lifted her hand to tuck her hair behind her ear, making Song Caiwei’s heart pound wildly, her face blushing red.

"Wow, your fiancée got wooed by Princess Consort Su! Tsk, her actions are so spontaneously natural, I’m embarrassed by my own attempts," Xu Qingzhou watched in awe, itching with envy.

Luu Shaochen’s eyes flashed with a mysterious light, as he calmly walked towards them.

"Caiwei, let me escort you back," Luu Shaochen offered with a gentle smile, sweeping away the previous indifference from his face.

Song Caiwei awkwardly said, "Isn’t that kind of improper?"

"You and I are engaged, what’s improper about it?"

"What about Zhaozhao..."

"I’m not leaving; I need to stay and make some money!"

"Huh? Make money?"

Xu Qingzhou leaned over, hearing this, completely bewildered.

Making money at the An Nan Royal Mansion?

Did they hear incorrectly?

Song Caiwei knowingly smiled, "Alright, then I won’t disturb Zhaozhao making money."

Turning shyly, she said, "Thank you, Mr. Lu."

"No worries, it’s what I should do," Luu Shaochen left with Song Caiwei.

Xu Qingzhou initially wanted to introduce himself to Yu Nianzhao, but as soon as he coughed twice, Xie Yunzhe came over.

He stared at Yu Nianzhao unkindly and asked, "What exactly did you do to my mother?"

Yu Nianzhao innocently replied, "What could I do? The invitation was sent by you guys, I just brought a birthday gift. Can that cause you to have a persecution complex? Perhaps you should think about what’s been happening at An Nan Royal Mansion recently. Is there any evil spirits lingering here? You know clearly in your heart."

Gazing into those clear eyes, Xie Yunzhe felt exposed and defenseless.

He said with humiliation and rage, "An Nan Royal Mansion is perfectly fine; there can’t be any evil spirits here. Look around, from inside out, Daoists have been invited to arrange everything here; they’re all exorcism formations! How could there possibly be evil spirits?"

"Exorcism formations?" Yu Nianzhao mocked, "Who told you that? Was it the Daoist who arranged them, or perhaps your mother, Princess An Nan?"

Xie Yunzhe was taken aback; he furrowed his brows and said, "Are you suggesting that this isn’t an exorcism formation?"

"Nonsense! If this can even be considered an exorcism formation, I’ll screw that guy’s head off for you to use as a ball!" Yu Nianzhao casually pointed at Xu Qingzhou.

Xu Qingzhou, bewildered, pointed at himself, "What? Why screw off my head? I... I... I’m just standing here, innocent. I didn’t say anything!"

Yu Nianzhao gave him a sidelong glance, "Your gaze is mischievous, and your lips curve in an evil smile. Obviously, you’re a schemer, knowing I already have a fiancé yet still trying to hit on me. If I don’t screw off your head, who else should I?"

Seeing through his thoughts, Xu Qingzhou sheepishly rubbed his nose and awkwardly said, "I just wanted to get to know you, not out of malicious intent."

Yu Nianzhao ignored him, confronting Xie Yunzhe with a cold laugh, "Your so-called exorcism formation is set beneath our feet, isn’t it? This isn’t an exorcism formation at all; it’s a genuine Mixed Spirit Array. This formation requires three bones to be buried near water, either human or animal bones, suppressing the Spiritual Energy within the mansion, turning it into stagnant water."

"Just like this pond - no matter how many fish you raise, they’d all die within three days. Even the lotus you forcefully cultivate will at most sprout leaves, but never bloom!"

"How do you know?"

Xie Yunzhe blurted out, then awkwardly said, "The pond indeed is stagnant water, and the lotus really hasn’t bloomed before, but that doesn’t prove what you’re saying is correct."

"You can dig, then!"

"Alright, let’s dig!"

Xie Yunzhe felt uneasy inside. He took a deep look at Yu Nianzhao, biting his lip and instructed others to dig at the three locations she mentioned.

Not long after, indeed three large bones were excavated.

"Princely Heir, these seem to be tiger or lion bones!"

The guard beside Xie Yunzhe had hunting experience; he carefully examined them and recognized them as beast bones indeed.

"It’s actually true?" Xie Yunzhe trembled, murmuring.

"And they’re ferocious beast bones, so the purpose isn’t to suppress Spiritual Energy but to suppress malicious spirits!" Yu Nianzhao pinpointed the problem, her tone chilling, "There surely is a place in An Nan Royal Mansion where a Soul-locking Array is set!"

"Soul-locking Array?"

"As the name suggests, it’s where the soul, after death, can’t reincarnate, forcibly holding her soul here, preventing her from ever being reborn."

Yu Nianzhao’s ethereal words made Xie Yunzhe’s face even paler.

"Oh my, is it really that terrifying? Even Prince Su Mansion has such a situation? Who could be so deviously cunning?" Xu Qingzhou never imagined he’d stumbled upon such a dramatic revelation after staying.

"Princely Heir, something happened at the Princess’s courtyard. The Prince invites you... and Princess Consort Su to come." The steward rushed over anxiously, looking quite tense.

"I’m on my way!" Xie Yunzhe glanced at Yu Nianzhao, "Did you anticipate that my father would invite you over?"

Yu Nianzhao shrugged, "Sort of, after all, someone as capable as me is a valuable asset if not invited."

Xie Yunzhe, "..."

He rubbed his temples and sighed, "Does my imperial uncle know about your audacity?"

Yu Nianzhao looked at him peculiarly, "That’s called confidence, understood? Not like you, lacking spirit, foolishly taking on dangerous tasks - that’s what ’a moth to a flame’ means, understand?"

Xie Yunzhe gritted his teeth, "I don’t understand and don’t want to! Let’s go!"

He flicked his sleeve and strode ahead.

Yu Nianzhao didn’t care, leisurely following behind him.

No one came to invite him, so Xu Qingzhou had to rub his nose and leave, taking glances back repeatedly.

What a pity, he couldn’t eat the melon this time.

Outside the Princess’s courtyard, layers of maids surrounded the place, all craning their necks to see what was happening inside.

"Evil Qi is overwhelming; you all dare to linger here? Soon you’ll be tainted by it, and unfortunate things may happen, from a few days to over a month." Yu Nianzhao’s cool voice sounded behind them, making the maids jump in fright. Although skeptical, no one wanted to risk bad luck.

Believing that it’s better safe than sorry, they obediently made way.

Whoosh!

The courtyard’s eerie wind blew out, while Wei Zhao’s ghostly shadow remained immobile under the locust tree.

"Miss, help! Ever since entering this courtyard, I somehow got pulled to this tree and can’t break free," Wei Zhao pleaded with a troubled expression toward Yu Nianzhao.