Chapter 182: This is Really Twisted

Chapter 182: This is Really Twisted

"Where is the old monk? Bring him here to recite the mantra for the dead!" Ruo Xi Baby turned and saw Master Jing'en walking into the hall.

"Young Master, Master Jing'en is here!" Master Jing'en approached the wall adorned with gold foil.

Outside, the palace maids and eunuchs were acting like they were out of their minds.

"Princess, the people outside have gone mad, it seems the poison is taking effect!" an attendant reported.

"Thankfully, the princess was quick-witted and had them all tied up; otherwise, they would have rushed in recklessly." Dong Ju said.

"Yes, the poison of the spring flowers, also known as the Mind-Control Powder, can make people obey the poisoner's commands, recognizing them as their master and following them!" Xiaoyue nodded.

"Even now, the emperor ordered them to protect the imperial seal. So, does that mean the old emperor knew he wouldn't die?" Ruo Xi Baby thought.

She couldn't rely on historical accounts anymore.

After all, she had already altered history. Shangguan Jinghong was dead, the Great Wei would not perish, and Beiling had turned the tide.

She couldn't predict the old emperor's fate.

Lady Zhao had the poisoned women locked up in the dungeon and led Xiaoyue, Dong Ju, and a few others toward the Nourishing Heart Palace.

"Huh, what's that smell?" Dong Ju went in first but quickly retreated. "Princess, don't go in yet, we shouldn't expose the little princess to it."

"Alright!" Xiaoyue stood outside, holding Ruo Xi Baby.

Lady Zhao, along with Dong Ju, Master Jing'en, and a few Black Armor Guard soldiers, entered the Nourishing Heart Palace.

A dark, ominous aura hung in the air. "The old emperor lived here, probably nurturing corpses. He spent his days surrounded by dead bodies, so he must have been poisoned by corpse toxins, yet why hadn't he died?"

Ruo Xi Baby thought, her little brows furrowing tightly.

"So, this old emperor probably got poisoned by corpse toxins long ago and has been nourishing it with blood!"

Xiaoyue listened to her daughter's thoughts and felt that her daughter knew far too much.

In reality, the common folk knew nothing of such things, nor did they know about the so-called art of immortality, which was essentially the refinement of zombies.

By refining a zombie to the state of a drought demon, one could achieve immortality.

However, this refinement process took centuries to accomplish.

The Seven Colors Palace used this as a lure, boasting that they possessed the art of immortality, capable of granting eternal life.

Regarding immortality, when Xiaoyue was at Cangming Mountain, Bai Cangming had already informed them.

Bai Cangming had been searching for the leader of the Seven Colors Palace, his lifelong goal being to eliminate the head of the Seven Colors Palace. However, that person was elusive, with many subordinate branches and infiltrations into the populace, which troubled Bai Cangming.

Fortunately, most people knew that the Seven Colors Palace was a menace and would neither follow them nor join them easily.

"Only those with ulterior motives and impure hearts would want to join the Seven Colors Palace!" said Nurse Jin.

"Yes, once you join the Seven Colors Palace, your nature becomes evil, and you are shunned by the world." Xiaoyue nodded.

About a quarter of an hour later, Dong Ju hurried out of the hall.

"Oh!"

Dong Ju bent over and started vomiting.

"What's wrong?" Nurse Jin hurriedly stepped forward, while a subordinate handed over a water bag for Dong Ju to rinse her mouth.

"This is absolutely horrifying," Dong Ju said after rinsing her mouth. "Beneath the Nourishing Heart Palace, there’s a secret passage leading to a massive underground prison. Inside, there are children around the age of ten. Both boys and girls are kept in cages, their wrists stuck outside, and they are bled every day!"

Xiaoyue felt a chill run down her spine, her scalp tingling with horror.

"Dong Ju, don't say anymore," Nurse Jin quickly supported the princess and took the little princess from her arms. "We shouldn’t let the little princess hear this. Princess, let's go outside."

"Well, actually, I'm not afraid. Nurse, you don't need to take me out. I want to see if those children have been infected with corpse poison! I have medicine that might be able to suppress it!"

"But how can we give them the medicine?"

"Let's not worry about that for now. We need to see the children first!"

Hearing her daughter's thoughts, Xiaoyue steadied herself. She realized she wasn't as calm as her daughter, who was already concerned about the children and wanted to help them. What a brave and kind-hearted baby!

With this thought, Xiaoyue turned and ordered, "Quickly rescue the children. And since they’ve been in the dungeon for so long, cover their eyes to protect them from the light."

"Wow, mother is so great, wise and thoughtful!" Ruo Xi Baby gazed up at her stunning mother and smiled brightly.

"Oh, the little princess has grown teeth!" Dong Ju, looking at Nurse Jin's arms, immediately noticed a small white spot on the little princess's gums.

"Yes, she's about three months old, so it's normal for her to start growing teeth. This shows that our little princess will soon become a big baby and will be able to eat lots of delicious food!" Nurse Jin happily hugged the little princess even tighter.

Xiaoyue was also happy. The more her daughter grew, the more sensible she would become...

Well, her daughter was already very sensible. As she grew older, she would definitely become even more remarkable!

Thinking of this, Xiaoyue couldn't help but straighten her back.

Dong Ju went to call more people, soldiers from the Beiling Palace who had been persuaded to surrender by Prime Minister Lin BuHuai. These soldiers, who had families back home—parents and siblings—had seen their loved ones suffer while the royals lived in luxury. With the emperor's heavy taxes funding the Imperial Tutor's quest for the elixir of immortality, these soldiers didn't hold much loyalty to the royal family.

Lin BuHuai had been praised by the people of Beiling for being an honest and upright official. So, at his urging, the soldiers laid down their weapons.

A foul smell permeated the entire palace.

The children were infested with insects, and some had white maggots crawling on their wounds. Their expressions were numb, and even if their wounds were accidentally torn open, they wouldn't feel any pain, showing no expression on their faces.

"First, take them to a palace. Quickly go to the Imperial Pharmacy and bring all the herbs to clean their bodies and wounds," Xiaoyue instructed.

Ruo Xi Baby looked at the dozens of children, clenching her small fists, her anger swelling as she silently vowed, "When I grow up, I’ll find a way to destroy the Seven Colors Palace and make sure that old monster pays for what she’s done!"