Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Hao Jixin drove Xie Qingfeng back to the hotel entrance.

If Xie Qingfeng hadn't refused, Hao Jixin would have liked to escort him right to his room.

Before leaving, Xie Qingfeng studied Hao Jixin's face and, after thinking, asked, "Has your family offended anyone?"

Hao Jixin was taken aback, "Eh? Why do you ask, Master?" With all that had happened, he wasn't foolish. The Master's question suggested he might have noticed something, making Hao Jixin nervous.

Xie Qingfeng didn't hide it from him: "I wrote you a peace charm before. Based on your destiny, tonight's incident shouldn't have happened, or even the earlier encounter with the malevolent entity. I initially thought it was just bad luck from the Xie family, but now it seems something else is amiss."

Hao Jixin's heart skipped a beat, his voice trembling, "It's not... going to be a big problem, right?"

"No big problems as such, but currently, it's unclear where the issue lies. When you get home, ask your parents if they have offended anyone. Wear the peace charm I gave you, and you should be safe." Xie Qingfeng rarely spoke so much. He hadn't taken Hao Jixin's situation seriously before, assuming it was just bad luck from Xie Weihuan's phone affecting Hao Jixin.

Usually, such misfortune would just cause a few days of bad luck, but tonight's occurrence was clearly a fierce ghost, not something mere bad luck could attract.

Unless someone tampered with Hao Jixin's birth chart.

Hao Jixin agreed repeatedly, gripping the peace charm tightly as he left, feeling a mix of fear and trepidation.

He now had two peace charms in his possession: one previously used to block the door and another recently acquired when Luan and the others sought peace charms, which he managed to snag for himself.

Initially planning to go home after dropping off Xie Qingfeng, Hao Jixin, feeling uneasy, decided to personally deliver the charm to his sister, who was staying in the lab and hadn't been home for a few days.

Better safe than sorry; if what the Master said was true and someone was out to harm their family, he would only feel relieved after ensuring his sister also had a charm.

When Xie Qingfeng returned to his room, it was already 4 AM, not long before dawn. He decided to take another shower and then sat on the bed to meditate.

He intended to simply rest with his eyes closed, but perhaps due to the excessive use of spiritual energy that night, his consciousness sank into endless darkness, giving him the illusion of falling into a deep sleep.

As he wandered forward in a daze, drawn to a distant light, he eventually passed through the light, and when he opened his eyes again, he was startled by the scene before him.

The surprise came from the familiarity of his surroundings – the exterior of the National Master's Temple from his time in the Da Jing Dynasty.

He had been brought to the National Master's Temple by his master as a child and essentially grew up in the palace, although he seldom left the temple due to his need for seclusion and study.

Looking down at himself, he saw his form was nearly invisible, confirming that this must be a dream.

After all, he had died, leaving not even a body behind.

The National Master's Temple before him was both familiar and strange.

Familiar because it had been his home for twenty years, yet strange because it was now draped in white banners, with white silk knots and lanterns adorning the corridors and nearby rockeries.

The temple's main gate was tightly shut, the whole place emanating a solemn air.

He glanced towards an open space not far from the temple, which used to be vacant but was later turned into the 'treasure vault' on a whim by the young emperor two years ago.

Xie Qingfeng remembered the jade that could absorb spiritual energy; he wouldn't need to use the treasures from his vault if he could afford to buy his own.

Although the vault now belonged to him, it was filled with treasures personally chosen by the young emperor, which somehow made him uneasy about using them.

If he could afford his own spiritual jade, he wouldn't need to rely on the vault, especially since the vault's proximity had made his cultivation around the National Master's Temple much more effective.

The vault, located near his temple, was also the place where he had died. As he walked past the palace servants, who were all bowing their heads in deep sorrow, he couldn't help but want to take a closer look at the vault.

Just as Xie Qingfeng was nearing the vault, a commotion arose behind him. He instinctively turned around and saw a horse galloping in his direction, kicking up dust and causing the servants to kneel in unease.

As the figure on the horse drew closer, Xie Qingfeng was blinded by the sunlight behind him, and in the next moment, he found himself back in his hotel room.

Opening his eyes, Xie Qingfeng's brow was furrowed. He couldn't distinguish whether it was a dream or reality, but it all felt too real. However, wasn't the young emperor leading troops in battle?

How could he appear in the palace? Or had a long time passed since his death?

Rubbing his temples, Xie Qingfeng looked up, his expression returning to normal. He was dead, and the past should no longer concern him.

But the lingering sadness from the last moment of his dream weighed on him, evident when he visited the hospital at six in the morning, and his foster mother noticed his distressed state.

"Did you not sleep well last night? You don't have to come so early tomorrow. I can manage on my own," his foster mother said, worried that he was overburdened.

Xie Qingfeng declined her suggestion, not wanting to worry her, and made up an excuse about chatting with a friend and not getting enough sleep.

After reassuring his foster mother, Xie Qingfeng checked on his foster father, whose condition was stable but still unconscious, possibly due to the shock from Xie Weihuan.

Fortunately, his foster father's health wasn't in critical condition and he just needed proper rest and care.

Xie Qingfeng spent the day in the ward with his foster mother. When he was about to go buy some food, there was a gentle knock at the door.

Looking up, he saw the door, left unlocked, being pushed open, revealing the grinning face of Hao Jixin: "Big... brother."

He had intended to call him 'Master,' but changed it to 'brother' upon seeing Xie Qingfeng's foster mother.

He wasn't sure if the other party knew about Xie Qingfeng's status as a master, so he thought it best to be cautious.

Surprised by Hao Jixin's visit, Xie Qingfeng stood up and asked, "Why have you come?"

Hao Jixin then pushed open the door, carrying a half-person tall fruit basket inside, "My sister is also in this hospital, so I thought I'd come and check on Uncle too."

After warmly greeting the foster mother and introducing himself, Hao Jixin hesitated, and Xie Qingfeng explained that he was a friend, leaving Hao Jixin pleasantly surprised.

Guessing Hao Jixin had something to ask, Xie Qingfeng quickly excused themselves from the room, heading to the end of the corridor. He looked at the downcast Hao Jixin and asked, "What's going on?"

Alone now, Hao Jixin no longer hid his worries, his face solemn, "Master, you were right, I think someone really is out to harm my family!"

Hao Jixin briefly recounted the events to Xie Qingfeng.

After dropping Xie Qingfeng off at the hotel around 4 AM, feeling uneasy, he went to C University in the suburbs to find his sister.

His sister, Hao Jizhu, was a teaching assistant at C University, usually busy with her professor's projects.

She had been immersed in an experimental project for several days and hadn't returned home, which wasn't unusual, so the family hadn't thought much of it.

This time, when Hao Jixin went to the teaching assistant's dormitory at C University, he found it empty. Hao Jizhu's roommate mentioned she had been inexplicably consumed with lab work all night, never returning.

Worried, Hao Jixin rushed to the lab and saw Hao Jizhu engrossed in an experiment. Since outsiders weren't allowed inside, he waited outside.

By noon, other group members had left for lunch, but Hao Jizhu remained busy.

Hao Jixin sent someone to relay a message to Hao Jizhu, but she seemed not to hear and continued working tirelessly.

Hearing Hao Jixin was her brother, a group member quietly remarked that she might be under too much pressure, staying in the lab without sleep, food, or water, and not talking to anyone. They suggested he persuade her not to exhaust herself.

Remembering Xie Qingfeng's words upon leaving, Hao Jixin rushed in, but Hao Jizhu acted as if she didn't see him and kept working on her experiment.

Calling her several times with no response, he thought of the peace charm and abruptly pressed it into her palm...

"Master, you didn't see it; the charm burst into flames as soon as it touched my sister's hand, scaring me out of my wits. Then she fainted, and I rushed her to the hospital, where they said she passed out from hunger. They put her on a glucose drip, and she hasn't woken up yet." He had brought her to this hospital near Xie Qingfeng's hotel, hoping the Master could also check on her if needed.

Once Hao Jixin's situation stabilized, he didn't dare ask Xie Qingfeng directly but inquired about the hospital room from a nurse. Xie Qingfeng, upon hearing this, suggested, "I'll go with you to check."

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Hao Jixin exclaimed, "Master, rest assured, whether there's a problem or not, I'll give you a generous red envelope!"

As they walked out, they turned to see a white-haired woman exiting a nearby room. She stiffened upon seeing them, then quickly headed towards the water room with a hot water bottle in hand.

Xie Qingfeng recognized her as the woman who had been secretly crying earlier, and let Hao Jixin lead the way to Hao Jizhu's ward.

Hao Jizhu had only fainted from hunger, so they were in a different building from the previous patient. Upon entering the ward, Xie Qingfeng was hit by a strong wave of Yin energy.

***

People knelt outside the Grand Jing Dynasty's National Master's Hall, extending all the way to the small treasury.

The treasury's doors stood open, eerily silent, with people kneeling outside.

Inside, a tall figure in armor stood still, covered in dust as if having traveled a long distance. From afar, he looked like a statue.

The chief eunuch behind him was trembling slightly, forehead pressed to the ground, too scared to breathe, wondering how the Emperor returned so quickly.

It usually took ten days for urgent news to reach the border, but it had been only sixteen or seventeen days since the incident.

The Emperor had been standing there since morning, and with the evening approaching, they worried about his health.

Just as the chief eunuch decided to speak up, a hoarse voice that hadn't spoken in a long time asked, "Where is the National Master?"

The eunuch trembled, knowing the National Master was gone, and the Emperor had received the news. He feared the Emperor was asking about the remains.

With a lowered head, the eunuch answered, "Your Majesty, traitors found several masters to shake the foundation of our nation using Your Majesty's birth information. The National Master set up an array to protect Your Majesty, the nation’s fate, and the people, and perished with the traitors, leaving nothing behind..."

He couldn't bring himself to say the last two words, but his meaning was clear.

After a long silence, the Emperor whispered, "Leave."

The eunuch, lips trembling, didn't dare to speak and slowly retreated, leading everyone out of the hall.

Just before closing the door, the eunuch caught a glimpse of the Emperor's back and was shocked, as if seeing something unbelievable.