Chapter 367: Cat and Mouse

Chapter 367: Cat and Mouse

Before long, a middle-aged Taoist priest dressed in deep blue robes was led inside.

His face was gaunt, his eye sockets deeply sunken. He stepped forward and bowed to Emperor Jingyang.

"Your Majesty, this poor priest is Master Yuqing of the White Cloud Temple. Today, I was sent down from the mountain to impart teachings to my disciples. As I passed by the imperial palace, I happened to notice a mass of black mist condensed above it, thick with dark energy."

"I've divined that a thousand-year-old demon might be hiding within the palace, and I've come to ask permission to exorcise it."

Master Yuqing knew that Emperor Jingyang had always trusted the temple's abbot, and worried the emperor wouldn't believe him, he tacked on another line.

"The abbot of White Cloud Temple is my senior martial uncle. He's the one who sent me down to preach today."

As he spoke, he produced a jade token to prove his identity.

After seeing it, Emperor Jingyang was somewhat convinced, though he still had his doubts.

"How do you plan to prove there's a demon in the palace?"

Even though he was the Son of Heaven with the dragon's aura protecting him, he had also committed many misdeeds over the years, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't scared.

So whenever something like this came up, Emperor Jingyang was extra cautious.

Luo Qingge couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Father, you can't seriously believe this old fraud. There's no such thing as a thousand-year-old demon. I think he's just here to scam people out of money. Let me have someone toss him out right now!"

Master Yuqing didn't flinch at all. He pointed at the flock of crows in the sky.

"Believe it or not, Princess, it doesn't change the fact that there's a demon in the palace. These crows were drawn here by the smell of a thousand-year-old fox spirit."

"Once I cast a spell to drive them off, you'll see!"

With that, Master Yuqing pulled a yellow talisman from his cloth bag and tossed it into the air.

He muttered unintelligible incantations, and the talisman burst into flames on its own.

"Ma ni ma ni hong, break!"

Something miraculous happened!

The second he yelled "break," the talisman burned to ash, and the crows in the sky scattered completely, letting the sunlight pour back in.

After the sky had been darkened and then brightened again, Emperor Jingyang was now completely sold on Master Yuqing's story.

He blurted out, "Does the master know where the demon is?"

"Your Majesty, hold on. Let me take a look."

Master Yuqing whipped out a compass from his robes. The compass spun a few times on its own, then the needle suddenly stopped, pointing somewhere.

It pointed straight at Ji Yuntang.

Luo Qianxue gasped and covered her mouth. "Princess Ye is really a thousand-year-old fox spirit! No wonder she's got my third imperial brother wrapped around her finger."

Her tone was barely concealed excitement, her face pure glee at someone else's misfortune.

Ji Yuntang flashed her a sinister grin, showing a row of little white teeth.

"Tenth Sister, if I were really a thousand-year-old fox spirit, you'd be the first person I'd eat!"

Luo Qianxue: "..."

Luo Qianxue: "!!!"

She stumbled back a few steps, and once the fright wore off, she was both shocked and furious.

"Did you hear that? She just admitted she's a thousand-year-old fox spirit!"

Luo Qianxue turned to Master Yuqing and pointed at Ji Yuntang. "Master, hurry up and take her down!"

Ji Yuntang crossed her arms and beckoned Master Yuqing with her finger.

"Hey, old fraud, let's see what you've got!"

Ji Yuntang had a feeling before coming to the palace that today's grand banquet wouldn't go off without a hitch.

There were always people out to get her.

Now even some con-artist Taoist priest dared to come after her!

And he'd come up with such a lame excuse—a thousand-year-old fox spirit.

Hah. Couldn't this Master Yuqing tell that her soul didn't belong to this world?

Since he couldn't tell, his cultivation must not be worth much. So Ji Yuntang naturally had nothing to fear from a fraud like him.

Seeing how cocky she was, Master Yuqing flew into a rage.

"How dare you talk such trash, you wicked fiend! Watch me take you down today!"

He pulled a stack of yellow talismans from his robes and chucked one at Ji Yuntang's face.

The talisman burst into flames again, and just as the fire was about to hit Ji Yuntang, Xie Liuzheng appeared out of nowhere. He drew the sword at his waist and, in a flash, flicked the burning talisman away with one stroke.

"You stinking Taoist, if you touch a single hair on my sister's head, I'll chop you up and feed you to the dogs!"

Ji Yuntang was touched by his words, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Emperor Jingyang's face darken at what Xie Liuzheng said.

She quickly yelled, "I'll handle this myself! You don't need to get involved!"

After yelling, she didn't wait for Xie Liuzheng to respond. She marched up and snatched the yellow talismans right out of Master Yuqing's hand.

"Isn't this just a contest of spells? Anyone can play that game!"

Master Yuqing: "..."

All he felt was a gust of wind, and the stack of talismans in his hand was suddenly gone!

He reached out to snatch the talismans back from Ji Yuntang. "Wicked fiend, give me back those talismans right now!"

Ji Yuntang smiled sweetly. "Give them back? Sure!"

The next second, something horrifying happened!

Everyone watched as Ji Yuntang grabbed three talismans and chucked them at Master Yuqing's face.

Voices rang out in disbelief. "Master Yuqing's talismans are bursting into flames on their own in Princess Ye's hands too?"

"Look! The crows are flying back!"

"Master Yuqing's hair was actually burned off by his own talisman!"

"..."

The murmurs grew louder, but Ji Yuntang ignored them completely.

A faint, mocking smile curled on her lips as she trailed leisurely after Master Yuqing.

Wherever Master Yuqing ran, Ji Yuntang threw a yellow talisman, yet she always kept about three meters away from him.

And every talisman that floated in mid-air would, without exception, burst into flames on its own.

Luo Sinian had a complicated look on his face as he watched the Taoist's clothes full of holes, revealing the black undergarments underneath, and he shook his head slightly.

"Third sister-in-law is really hooked on playing cat and mouse!"

Luo Qingge said indignantly, "Serves him right! Why did this stinky Taoist have to mess with my third sister-in-law of all people? Burning him to death would be too good for him!"

In the end, Ji Yuntang still had one yellow talisman left in her hand.

As for Master Yuqing, he was covered in soot, his hair burned away, and his clothes were in tatters, with just a few shreds covering his private parts.

He looked utterly miserable, with none of his former immortal aura left.

With so many women present, Eunuch Zhang quickly had the guards bring a robe to cover Master Yuqing.

After dressing, Master Yuqing immediately said, "Your Majesty, you see, this fox spirit isn't afraid of my talismans at all. Clearly, her cultivation is profound."

As he spoke, black smoke poured out of his mouth, making Emperor Jingyang frown in disgust.

The Empress said with displeasure, "Your Majesty, don't listen to this Taoist's nonsense. Princess Ye cannot be a fox spirit."

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