Rong Zhi had originally wanted to find an opportunity to sneak away, but outside the imperial city was a vast expanse of wilderness. Even if there were trees, they were very sparse, and with so many guards outside, there was nowhere to hide. Thus, she had to suppress her urge and wait patiently.
She had a bad feeling in her heart, especially about the face of the young girl from last night, which was so similar to hers. And the fleeting images in her mind, what were they?
Since her rebirth, the memories of waking up were already very vague, but Rong Zhi vaguely remembered that she seemed to have woken up in a wilderness, then entered the imperial city, begged for a while, and only then began to seek a master.
Could this be the wilderness from back then?
Just as Rong Zhi was trying hard to recall, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye. It flashed by and turned into a residential area.
Before she could even discern who the figure was, her body had already reacted, and she stood up to follow.
It was a rather dilapidated courtyard, looking like it had been neglected for years. There were many such courtyards on the edge of the imperial city, and this one appeared inconspicuous. A large lock hung on the door, and passersby would surely assume that no one had lived there for a long time.
There was also a room next door, a small tavern, separated from the dilapidated courtyard by an alley. Rong Zhi quietly slipped into the alley and cautiously peeked over the wall. She saw a person in a gray robe, wearing a bamboo hat, emerging from the room. The person moved with extreme speed and made no sound as they walked, heading directly towards where Rong Zhi was hiding.
With a light touch of her toes, Rong Zhi, like a butterfly, flew to the rooftop, sticking close to the wall. The moment she leaped onto the rooftop, the person wearing the bamboo hat also leaped over the wall. She reached out, and the bamboo hat and gray robe were in her hands, revealing a pink dress underneath.
It was actually... the clothes of a maid from the Grand Tutor's mansion!
The maid was clearly trained, and although her gait was no different from an ordinary person's, her speed was extremely fast. In no time, she had disappeared into the crowd. Rong Zhi hesitated for a moment, deciding to go into the room to take a look.
Just as she was about to descend, she suddenly felt a gaze on her.
It turned out that Xiao Jianli, at some unknown time, was standing among the crowd, signaling to her.
Rong Zhi had no choice but to go down. Xiao Jianli pulled her towards the city gate.
"I just saw..."
Rong Zhi wanted to tell him what had just happened, but Xiao Jianli moved too quickly, and she couldn't hear his voice. Seeing how anxious he was, Rong Zhi knew it must be something important, so she had to suppress what had just happened for the time being.
The maid's figure was very familiar. The only maid Rong Zhi recognized from the Grand Tutor's mansion was Jasmine.
She had felt that Jasmine was somewhat familiar before, and she had also disguised herself. Perhaps her secret was hidden in that room. Rong Zhi made a mental note of the location and decided to come back later to investigate.
When they arrived outside the city gate, the guards who had been stationed there were gone. They passed through unhindered, likely arranged by Xiao Jianli.
After walking for a while, Rong Zhi saw two rows of corpses lying neatly on the ground in the distance. Each corpse had varying degrees of decay, but what was the same was that they were all girls, and none of them were older than ten years old.
So many young girls, not exceeding ten years of age, lying on the ground in tragic states, sent shivers down one's spine.
As they got closer, Rong Zhi finally understood what fear was – the few girls whose appearances were relatively well-preserved all had almost identical faces, identical to Rong Zhi's.
Rong Zhi felt as if her mind had exploded, as if struck by lightning. She stood frozen in place.
"What is going on? Where did these corpses come from?"
Xiao Jianli's voice also trembled slightly. Even he, who had seen much, had never witnessed such a bizarre scene.
"I sensed a strong Yin energy underground, so I had people dig up the ground. It turned out that the ground was densely packed with buried corpses."
After hearing this, Rong Zhi felt goosebumps all over her body.
"Why do these corpses look so much like me..."
"This is precisely what I cannot understand." Xiao Jianli frowned, looking at Rong Zhi. "Zhi'er, do you remember how you came back to life?"
Rong Zhi shook her head. "I can't remember clearly. I only remember that when I woke up, it was bitterly cold, and there were many people wrapped in cloth around me. But those people... seemed to have the same face as well."
Xiao Jianli fell into thought. He seemed to have thought of something and muttered, "Could the legend be true?"
"What legend?"
Xiao Jianli shook his head.
"Someone's coming, hurry!" He pushed Rong Zhi, who nodded and immediately used her Qinggong to leave the area.
After he left, a man in white with thick eyebrows and large eyes walked over. Xiao Jianli immediately knelt respectfully. "Your Highness."
"Plum Blossom Guard? Why are you here?"
Jin Yunfei only glanced at Xiao Jianli before shifting his gaze to the distance. Seeing the group of corpses, his pupils contracted. "Where did so many corpses come from?"
"Replying to Your Highness, your subordinate accidentally discovered a corpse here, and the cause of death seemed somewhat suspicious, so I ordered people to excavate. These corpses were originally buried underground."
Jin Yunfei strode quickly towards the group of corpses. Upon seeing those identical faces, his eyes darted back and forth a few times, and then he calmed down, turning to Xiao Jianli and saying, "This was originally a mass grave. What's strange about having corpses? I think you're just making trouble for yourself."
Xiao Jianli lowered his head. "Your subordinate admits his guilt."
"With so many corpses placed here, it's easy to cause panic. Take all these corpses away and burn them. You are not allowed to mention today's events to anyone. If any rumors spread in the city, be prepared to face my wrath."
"Yes!"
Jin Yunfei's expression improved slightly when he agreed so readily. He made sure not to leave the area, as if intending to supervise Xiao Jianli himself.
Xiao Jianli had no choice but to summon the guards he had previously dismissed. He had them find sacks to put the corpses in, and then found carriages to load all the corpses onto. They were covered with tarpaulins and transported into the city as a batch of goods.
While they were doing this, Rong Zhi sat at a wonton stall by the roadside, watching the carriages pass by. She felt something was amiss.
Although she had avoided them earlier, she hadn't gone far. She had heard everything Jin Yunfei and Xiao Jianli had said. Logically, wouldn't a normal person feel scared upon seeing so many identical faces? Wouldn't they want to investigate? But Jin Yunfei was so eager to burn these corpses, did he know some inside story?
Xiao Jianli followed at the rear of the carriages. When he passed by Rong Zhi, he discreetly made a gesture to her where others couldn't see.
Rong Zhi understood. He was telling her to wait for him at this spot tonight.
As the carriages gradually moved further away, Rong Zhi's thoughts also drifted. In a daze, she seemed to see a dim room, where under the flickering candlelight, many children, about five or six years old, were cowering in the corners, looking bewildered and terrified. Around them were many people, tall and with indifferent faces, guarding them like statues, instilling fear.
When she tried to recall more clearly, Rong Zhi felt a throbbing headache.
She vaguely felt that those corpses were related to her rebirth. If they were all burned, wouldn't the evidence be destroyed?
No!
Rong Zhi suddenly felt that she could not let this happen. With this thought, she immediately got up and chased after them.
The city gate where she was located was very far from the imperial palace. Rong Zhi had initially thought that the First Prince would take the corpses to the execution ground. The execution ground was where criminals were punished, so if so many corpses were to be burned, they would naturally be taken there.
However, Rong Zhi was mistaken. The carriages traveled through the main road in the center of the imperial city and arrived at another city gate. When they reached the city gate, not to mention Rong Zhi, even Xiao Jianli was stopped. Only Jin Yunfei, with a few trusted guards, passed through the gate.
As the city gate closed, Rong Zhi could see nothing more.
Xiao Jianli respectfully saw Jin Yunfei off and then quickly turned back the way they came. Rong Zhi directly stopped him.
"Where is he taking the corpses?"
Xiao Jianli was startled by Rong Zhi's sudden appearance. He didn't speak, but walked forward quickly. Rong Zhi hurried to catch up.
When they reached a crowded place, Xiao Jianli finally found a corner to explain to Rong Zhi.
"Ten li outside that city gate is the Qianji Pavilion."
"Qianji Pavilion? Isn't that where the Grand Tutor of Tianque Kingdom resides? Isn't it already sealed?"
Rumor had it that after the Grand Tutor of Tianque Kingdom retired more than ten years ago, Qianji Pavilion was also closed, and no one was allowed to go there. Even the royal family was turned away.
"That's just what's said publicly. It's not difficult for the Emperor to see the Grand Tutor, let alone that today's matter cannot be resolved by anyone but the Grand Tutor."
"Why?"
"Those corpses carry the aura of Xuanmen disciples and have the risk of reanimation."
"Reanimation?" Rong Zhi had heard of it. After death, corpses could move like living people, but without consciousness. This was called reanimation. Unlike puppet manipulation, reanimation was when the corpse moved on its own, whereas puppet manipulation required someone to control it from behind.
"Then how will those corpses be dealt with in the end?"
"Burned."
"No, they can't be burned!" Rong Zhi was a little anxious. "I always feel that those corpses are related to my rebirth. We have to find a way to stop this."
"We can't stop it." Xiao Jianli shook his head. "Zhi'er, you know who the Grand Tutor of Tianque Kingdom is. We can't fight him. Moreover, if we forcibly stop him, my identity is very likely to be exposed."
If the royal family knew that he was once a friend of the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley and knew Xuan arts, he would surely die a terrible death.
A hint of regret appeared in Rong Zhi's eyes. The truth was almost revealed.
"Zhi'er, how you were reborn is not important. As long as you are alive, that's all that matters." Xiao Jianli gave Rong Zhi a comforting look.
"Listen to me. I will investigate this matter. You just need to be safe and sound."
Rong Zhi's expression was conflicted. She hesitated for a moment, then finally shook her head. "I don't want to live in ignorance."
She had initially thought that rebirth was a gift from heaven, but now it seemed that it might be the work of human hands. This feeling of her fate being controlled by others was too suffocating.
Seeing this, Xiao Jianli knew that Rong Zhi had made up her mind. She was a stubborn person, and no one could change her decisions.
He did not object, only saying, "This matter needs careful consideration. The First Prince doesn't want us to know, so we have no way to investigate. If there are any clues, I will tell you."
No matter what decision Rong Zhi made, he would support her unconditionally.
Rong Zhi showed a grateful expression. "Thank you."
"Between us, what's there to thank each other for?"
Xiao Jianli smiled sheepishly. Despite his weathered appearance, Rong Zhi seemed to see the clear-eyed youth of the past through the person in front of her.
Her heart was complicated, and finally, she added, "If there is danger, it's okay not to investigate. You also need to be well."