"The Cold Palace is filled with people whose wishes didn't come true..."
"There's quite a bit of lingering resentment, so a certain amount of eerie gloom is inevitable."
Wu Dafu's wrinkled face cracked open into a smile as he spoke.
"Indeed, which is why we have to trouble Master Cang..."
Xi Qing wore a festive, harmless smile that naturally disarmed anyone who saw him.
Cang Zhengkong pressed his lips together in silence.
The imperial palace and brothels were alike in being filthy places where countless souls suffered unjust deaths every year.
In this world haunted by demons and malevolent spirits, wandering ghosts were bound to linger.
Observing the stars and predicting heavenly secrets was the primary duty of the Imperial Directorate of Astronomy, but vanquishing demons and pacifying spirits to keep the palace clean was equally the responsibility of its sorcerers.
The residences of high-ranking royals were swept by sorcerers every half month, while the Emperor, Empress, Empress Dowager, Crown Prince, and favored noble consorts had dedicated sorcerers practically inseparable from their sides.
However, residences for eunuchs and maids—
or a place like the Cold Palace before them—were generally only cleared once every year or two.
After all, sorcerers weren't common cabbages growing in the fields; without spiritual roots and innate talent, one could not enter the path, and the restrictions were numerous. Compared to martial artists, they were far scarcer.
With a shortage of manpower,
they had no choice but to focus on major matters and let minor ones go.
Though there were still masters residing within the Cold Palace, they had fallen out of favor, and many high-ranking consorts practically prayed for their deaths.
Therefore, even when the Directorate of Astronomy knew of malevolent spirits wandering the Cold Palace, they turned a blind eye unless an assignment came from above or, as now, a favored official made a special request compelling them to come.
Strictly speaking, this trip was a private job for Cang Zhengkong.
The petitioner was Eunuch Xi Qing, a seventh-rank palace servant who was a rising star in Consort Mei's court. His sworn godfather was a fourth-rank supervising eunuch in the Imperial Stud Farm, rumored to have once served the Crown Prince, making his future boundless.
Naturally, Consort Mei herself stood behind the entire affair.
Before Emperor Shenwu entered seclusion to pursue immortality, Consort Mei had not been particularly favored. However, with the Shangguan Family of the Four Great Clans backing her, she had no need to curry favor with the Emperor the way backgroundless women like Consort Yi or Noble Consort Lan did.
In Great Wei, the realm was shared between the imperial house and the great clans.
Though Cang Zhengkong was a master from the Directorate of Astronomy with an orthodox sect lineage and a powerful summoned Spirit Deity, he still dared not refuse the Shangguan Family.
"Master Cang?"
Xi Qing called out softly.
"Hmm."
"Let's go."
Cang Zhengkong snapped out of his reverie and nodded.
Led by Wu Dafu, the group entered the Cold Palace gates, where several junior eunuchs in plain cyan robes hurried over.
Wei Xiaobao was among them.
He worked with exceptional diligence, so the tasks assigned to him and his companions had been completed ahead of time, and he had returned to the palace gate to await further instructions.
That was when he caught sight of Xi Qing,
and beside him, Cang Zhengkong in his sorcerer's robes.
Wei Xiaobao's heart skipped a beat.
He hurriedly lowered his head.
"Oh!"
"Xiaobao, hello!"
With his sharp eyes, Xi Qing spotted him instantly and waved with a smile.
"Eunuch Xi, you and Xiaobao are acquainted?"
Wu Dafu concealed his feelings and asked with a smile.
"Not particularly well, just a passing encounter..."
Xi Qing smiled.
"For some reason, the moment I saw this lad, I felt a strong affinity for him. We simply hit it off. Eunuch Wu, let's make a deal—why not tear your heart and give him up to me? Consider it a personal favor I owe you..."
Wu Dafu split his mouth in a grin, revealing a row of large yellow teeth.
"This old servant cannot make decisions for Xiaobao. Whether he goes to your place or not depends entirely on Xiaobao's own wishes..."
"Oh!"
Xi Qing smiled.
"Let's set this matter aside for now; business comes first."
He turned his gaze to Cang Zhengkong.
"Master Cang, take a careful look and decide where is best to set up the ritual altar. Today, I must trouble you to thoroughly cleanse the Cold Palace, completely eradicating all those wandering souls and malevolent spirits, and make sure not a single one slips through the net."
"Let me inspect the grounds..."
Cang Zhengkong nodded.
"Lengxiang Palace..."
Suddenly, a junior eunuch blurted out.
"Hmph!"
Wu Dafu let out a cold snort through his nose.
The man instantly dropped to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly.
"Godfather, this humble one was reckless! I beg Godfather to spare my life..."
"What's this?"
Xi Qing turned back to look at Wu Dafu, his smile unceasing.
"Oh."
Wu Dafu's tense, aged face instantly relaxed, shifting from anger to a smile.
"Several people died consecutively at Lengxiang Palace, and rumors started spreading that it was haunted. This ignorant wretch took it for the truth..."
"Whether it's haunted or not isn't something for us to decide; we'll only know the truth once a master from the Directorate of Astronomy takes action."
"Oh."
Xi Qing nodded thoughtfully, then continued asking.
"Is anyone living in that place right now?"
Wu Dafu looked slightly awkward.
He nodded and said,
"Noble Consort Lan currently resides there."
"Noble Consort Lan?"
Xi Qing frowned.
"The birth mother of the late Ninth Prince who passed away to the Western Paradise?"
Wu Dafu nodded.
Xi Qing turned to Cang Zhengkong with a smile.
"Master Cang, what do you think?"
Cang Zhengkong pondered for a moment, his expression grave as he replied,
"With so many deaths, we cannot rule out malevolent spirits at work. However, just like a physician treating an illness, one cannot simply treat the head when it aches and the foot when it hurts; we must get to the root cause and find the source of the ailment. Otherwise, even if we cure the symptoms, it won't be eradicated."
He waved a hand.
"I'll examine the feng shui orientations first and find a suitable spot to set up the altar."
"Understood."
Xi Qing nodded with a smile.
"Master, we defer entirely to you.
Eunuch Wu and I will assist you; whatever you need, just give the word."
***
Inside Lengxiang Palace.
Through Wei Xiaobao, Gu Xinchao had witnessed everything.
A mere ghost-blindness illusion had been enough to deal with Luo Wei and Laifu.
However, there was no dealing with Cang Zhengkong this time. Sorcerers in this world were not mere swindlers; they truly possessed supernatural power.
Xiaohong was likely no match for him.
She might well be facing unavoidable doom.
And he himself would be exposed before everyone's eyes.
Should he fight his way out in a bloody path?
He was merely in the Body Tempering Realm.
That path was closed!
What was he to do?
This time, Gu Xinchao was genuinely troubled.
***
The setting sun slanted
over the summit of Mount Bajing.
Crimson clouds were brewing in the western sky.
Cang Zhengkong found the optimal location for the ritual altar. Coincidentally, it was precisely the chamber where Consort Yi had died in difficult childbirth.
Visiting this old site stirred a touch of emotion in Wu Dafu.
His tool, Xiao Guizi, had been sent off to the netherworld by a single poisonous pill, and everyone else only knew that the infant had passed away along with Consort Yi.
The affair could be considered airtight.
Yet, for some reason, a lingering sense of unease still plagued Wu Dafu's heart.
What if Consort Yi and that infant had transformed into vengeful ghosts and malevolent spirits?
He lowered his head and let out a cold snort, his triangular eyes turning even more ferocious. Such resentful spirits were not things he had never encountered before.
If they had the guts to come looking for him, he would just kill them again!
As the people busied about, Wu Dafu raised his head.
He didn't see Wei Xiaobao.
Where had that kid gone?
Could it be—
Wu Dafu glanced at Xi Qing; he was well aware of that fellow's inclinations.
Wei Xiaobao might be a bit slow-witted and kind-hearted, but he wasn't an absolute fool; perhaps he had figured out Eunuch Xi's background.
Had he deliberately stayed out of the way?