荔枝影院

Edited by: Michyrr

A few moments later, Master Yinshan lowered his head and took up the rhino horn and elephant teeth pieces that had fallen to the ground.

The First Prince had no idea that Master Yinshan was not divining the fortune of a person.

The Heavenly Spirit Sect had a law that fortunes targeted on people could only be done three times per year, or else there would be unfathomable consequences. But there was no such restriction on objects.

He had been divining the fortune of the Central Plains. As a successor of the Heavenly Spirit Sect, a little more than a year ago, he had sensed that the Central Plains was facing an unprecedented calamity, but at that time, it had still not been obvious.

Around half a year ago, that sensation had intensified, so he had left the capital to focus on his divining, but his harvest had been poor.

But just now, when he had been divining for the First Prince, Master Yinshan had made a surprising discovery.

“The mountains and rivers destroyed in a single morning!” Master Yinshan muttered. The First Prince had no idea of what Master Yinshan’s attention had been on.

In the middle of his thought, Master Yinshan suddenly trembled, his face turning red. Plush! A great mouthful of blood ejected from his mouth, and then his entire body seemed to drain of blood. He swayed for a few moments before falling unconscious.

A mortal attempting to glimpse the destiny of the world would have to pay a price.

......

After the meeting with Master Yinshan, a small sedan chair surreptitiously left the Eastern Palace and headed toward the northwest corner of the capital.

There was a deserted compound here, the perimeter walls overgrown with green bamboo. When it came to size, the compound was larger than the residences of most high nobles, but there was not a single person inside.

This was the capital’s illustrious Ghost House.

Many years ago, a merchant bought this large compound with the intent of making it his residence, but not long afterward, the merchant died a bizarre death, and his maids and servants eventually scattered.

After that, some people ventured into this building and all died bizarre deaths, and the legend of the Ghost House began to take form.

There were many people in an important place like the capital who did not believe in superstitions. Wanting to know the truth, they investigated the residence. Some people found nothing and left unharmed.

But others remained within for eternity.

As more and more people began to die, the people finally began to grow afraid, and even those who did not believe in superstitions began to avoid the place, until, at last, the place became completely deserted. Even during the day, the place gave off a sinister aura.

The capital’s City Guard had once sent a large force of cavalry to this place and turned it inside out. But in the end, they concluded that this was an ordinary, if uninhabited, compound.

There had been nothing special about the place.

As for why people had died, the City Guard had found no reason. Given that the master of the home was dead, the compound was ownerless, so to prevent anyone from mistakenly getting inside, the gates were locked and warning signs were posted forbidding approach.

This only made the Ghost House even more sinister, and no one dared to go inside.

“Stop here!”

The sedan chair stopped, and the First Prince, wearing leisure clothes and a large fur cap, stepped down and walked past the City Guard’s warning sign.

The guards behind remained motionless. It was clear that this was not their first time here.

The First Prince passed through the gate and traversed the corridors, going past the abandoned gardens and ponds and entering the main hall.

The room was dark, but the First Prince seemed to know the layout like the back of his thumb.

He took three steps forward and extended his palm. Clack! The sound of flint being struck rang out, and a candle on a table suddenly blazed to life. In this dim light, several objects became visible in the pitch-black room. There was a decaying table and several groaning wooden chairs on the verge of collapse.

The light of the candle failed to brighten the place. It only made the place seem even darker.

There was no one in the room besides the First Prince, and the First Prince was unsurprised. After placing the flint on the table, he stood to the side and closed his eyes.

No one knew why the First Prince had sneaked out of the Imperial Palace to wait in the Ghost House, nor why the First Prince had closed his eyes after lighting the candle. All of this was extremely bizarre, brimming with the air of a mysterious ceremony.

“You’re here!” After some time, there was another voice, hoarse and scratchy, like the buzzing of a zither string. It was difficult to tell purely from this voice whether the owner was a man or woman, old or young.

And the softness of the voice made it seem even more bizarre within the Ghost House.

But when the First Prince opened his eyes, there was happiness within them.

“Senior, you’ve finally appeared!”

The First Prince suddenly had deep respect on his face.

Had anyone else been present, they would have certainly been stunned by the sight. The First Prince was the child of the Sage Emperor, bearing the blood of the True Dragon, and he was also the current regent, standing above almost everyone in the empire. In all of the Great Tang, there was barely anyone worthy of such respect from him.

Moreover, the First Prince’s personality disinclined him toward respect and deference to others.

But from the tone of that mysterious man hidden in the darkness, the two were apparently very familiar with each other and had seemingly been interacting for a very long time.

“Many thanks, Senior, for the matter of Master Yinshan!”

The First Prince bowed.

“How was it? After capturing that little girl, was the Heavenly Spirit Sect Master finally willing to talk?” the scratchy voice asked. It was constantly moving around, making it impossible to tell where its owner actually was.

“Just like Senior said, Master Yinshan was finally willing to make an exception and perform a divination,” the First Prince sternly said.

Master Yinshan excelled in divination, and finding him was no easy task. Not even the First Prince knew how this mysterious senior who had been instructing and assisting him since his youth had managed to find him. His senior even knew about Master Yinshan’s little girl.

Before today, the First Prince did not dare to imagine that Master Yinshan would actually break his sect’s rules for the sake of a seven-year-old girl.

“How was it?” the voice indifferently asked.

“The time has come! Senior, please assist me!”

Li Ying bowed, his eyes aimed at the very edge of the light.

Those who wanted to accomplish great things needed the help of others. What he wanted to do was not something he could accomplish alone.

“Good! I was waiting just for these words! You’ve finally made up your mind. Relax! No matter what, I will do all I can to help you ascend to the seat of the Nine and Five!” the voice sternly said, an unusual tone within it.

“Senior, I remember that you promised me that once I made up my mind, you would send someone to help me. He could develop plans and schemes that resolve all my problems and foes. I’ve made up my mind now and the time is ripe. Senior, please realize your promise!” the First Prince respectfully said. He was trying his best to remain calm, but there was still a hint of anxiety in his voice.

“Ah, it is because of that child called Wang Chong?”

The figure chuckled.

A vicious killing intent flickered through the First Prince’s eyes.

The First Prince had said nothing, but his reaction had been enough for the figure in the darkness, and they bizarrely laughed.

“Heh, relax. When have I ever gone back on my promises with you? The man is ready and waiting. Go—follow the lanterns, and you will see him. But this man is rather unique. It will depend on you to see if you can convince him.”

Fwoosh! The candle on the table several feet away from the First Prince instantly extinguished. At the same time, an oil lamp on a wall eighty feet away suddenly blazed to life.

The First Prince glanced over in shock. This was not his first conversation with his senior, and he had only believed that this place was just a convenient out-of-the-way place to meet. But from what his senior had said, that person who could resolve all his problems was also here?

But what did those last words mean? Although his senior had sent him someone, that person wasn’t his senior’s subordinate?

This was far too strange!

The two had worked together for a long time, but this was the first time something like this had occurred. The First Prince’s curiosity was piqued.

The First Prince left the table and began to walk toward the lantern.

Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

As the First Prince reached the lantern, the same thing happened. The lantern above him went out and a lantern some forty feet away lit up.

The First Prince continued on the path set out by the lanterns.

Boom!

After some time, the First Prince finally arrived in front of a door. The door opened with a bang, revealing a mysterious underground passage.

The First Prince was dumbstruck.

The rumors in the capital had long said that this compound belonged to that deceased merchant. The First Prince had once investigated the place, but he had found nothing unusual about it. He had never imagined that there was a hidden room underneath the compound.

Although the First Prince was confused, he swiftly descended into the passage.

It was quiet and serene under the earth. A few moments later, the First Prince finally saw the place his senior had spoken of.