"What sorcery?"
Rong Zhi's heart tightened.
She vaguely felt that the truth of her borrowing a corpse to return her soul was about to be revealed.
Unexpectedly, Chen An suddenly stopped talking.
"Why should I tell you so much?"
Rong Zhi paused, then suddenly smiled: "Indeed, I'm not particularly interested. Thank you for showing me such a good show. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."
As she spoke, she prepared to leave.
"Hey, hey!" Chen An grabbed her back.
"Don't you want to know? Why have you become like this?" His expression was somewhat surprised.
Wouldn't ordinary people be curious if they heard such a bizarre story?
Chen An felt that this young lady should be very interested.
This reaction was different from what he had imagined.
"Oh, since you're so eager to tell me, I'll reluctantly listen!"
Rong Zhi put on a look of great reluctance, as if she was only condescending to listen to the secrets because of Chen An's insistence.
No matter what, Chen An couldn't find any trace of interest on her face.
He thought of something and suddenly smiled: "It seems you still don't trust me. I've helped you so much for naught."
"I appreciate your help, but after all, we're just strangers who met by chance. If you tell me these things, my curiosity will surely lead me to investigate. In this imperial city, even mentioning such bizarre events could bring disaster. I don't want to cause trouble."
So that's how it is, she's afraid of causing trouble, Chen An understood.
"You don't need to worry about that. I'm just curious about you and reminded of a legend from many years ago. I want to verify it. As long as you cooperate with me, I can guarantee your safety."
"Really?" Rong Zhi looked into Chen An's clear eyes, not like he was lying.
She was indeed curious, after all, no one wanted to live their lives in confusion.
Earlier, Xiao Jianli had said he would investigate the secret of the female corpse outside the city looking identical to her, but relying on Xiao Jianli alone wasn't enough, and she couldn't do nothing.
"How do you want me to cooperate?"
"Follow me."
Chen An led Rong Zhi away from there. After she left, someone not far away quietly disappeared into the crowd.
"General, the madam has been with Chen An for the past two days," Chen Xing said to Xia Yunting with a somber expression.
The Chen family had always tried to harm the general. If the madam was with Chen An, could she be used by him to harm the general?
"Is she in danger?" Xia Yunting's face had become much more haggard, and stubble had appeared on his chin. Hearing this, he didn't seem surprised.
"She is safe, and Dr. Chu has been found. Chen An also helped with this."
Chen Xing recounted Rong Zhi's trip to the outskirts to save someone, but because Rong Zhi was highly skilled in martial arts and he feared being discovered, he didn't get too close. Therefore, he only saw her fighting with someone and then digging out Chu Qingze and Zhang Yajing from underground in the suburbs.
Xia Yunting wasn't too surprised and nodded, "It's good that she's alright."
"General, aren't you afraid... are you afraid the madam will harm you?"
Xia Yunting looked at Chen Xing in confusion.
"General, please forgive my presumption, but you have never trusted anyone so unconditionally before."
Although the madam had saved the general's life and had always unconditionally helped him in Changping County, the general shouldn't be so defenseless against her, right?
"You'll know in the future," Xia Yunting said indifferently, showing no intention of explaining. Chen Xing wisely fell silent.
Not long after, Zhang Can came to report.
"General, Xia Jin is ready. When should we activate the formation?"
"Tomorrow night. No one is allowed in or out during this time, including Xiao Mo."
"Yes!"
Zhang Can withdrew, and Chen Xing also took his leave.
After exiting, Chen Xing couldn't help but ask Zhang Can, "Did the general and the madam know each other long ago, and I didn't know? How can the general be so good to the madam?"
Zhang Can glanced in the direction of Xing Jiahui's room, quickly realized that the "madam" Chen Xing was referring to was not the one there, and replied, "The general's decisions are always right. We just need to follow them."
Chen Xing scratched his head. He thought the general simply liked Miss Lin, which was why he was setting up the Seven Kill Blood Array tonight, which was extremely dangerous. To prevent the madam from being involved, the general had not allowed her to enter.
But the madam was with Chen An, and the general showed no precautions. This was not like the general's cautious nature.
Unless... the general and the madam knew each other long ago.
Did he have amnesia? Perhaps the general and the madam had known each other for a very long time?
He scratched his head, still utterly bewildered.
Near the city gate, Chen An and Rong Zhi sat on a tree. From their vantage point, they could see a wide official road in the distance, extending to a towering manor.
Even from such a distance, they could see heavy troops guarding the manor, giving it a solemn and majestic appearance.
"Do you know what that place is?"
"Qian Ji Pavilion."
"That's right, Qian Ji Pavilion. It is the residence of the Imperial Advisor. Once upon a time, the Imperial Advisor refined elixirs and spiritual medicines within, claiming they could grant the Emperor immortality. With this alone, he secured a position second only to the Emperor, commanding respect even from the Prime Minister."
"Is what you want to say related to him?"
Looking at the magnificent architecture, Rong Zhi, despite her calm demeanor, felt goosebumps prickle her skin.
Who was the most powerful practitioner of Xuan Shu in the entire Tian Que Kingdom? Naturally, it was the Imperial Advisor.
If there was only one person who could bring the dead back to life, it would undoubtedly be the Imperial Advisor.
Could it be that her borrowing a corpse to return her soul was the Imperial Advisor's doing?
The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
"That's right, the Imperial Advisor Cheng Yichen is rumored to have the ability to bring the dead back to life. If we meet him, we can uncover the secret of your condition."
"How is that possible?" Rong Zhi stared at the layers of guards outside Qian Ji Pavilion, muttering to herself, "It is said that the Imperial Advisor has long since retired, and no one can see him. How can we get into Qian Ji Pavilion?"
In her previous life, Rong Zhi might have been able to force her way in with her martial arts skills, but she wouldn't have been entirely confident.
However, in this life, she only had seventy percent of her former strength, and her body was so weak. Faced with so many imperial guards, going there would be a suicide mission.
"Who says we have to go in? We can lure him out."
"How do we lure him out?"
Chen An curved his lips into a smile, "Although the Imperial Advisor has retired, his eyes are constantly fixed on the imperial city. If something earth-shattering happens, do you think he won't come out to manage it?"
"You mean..." Rong Zhi saw his cunning expression and had a vague premonition.
"Precisely. We will create a few ghost incidents in this imperial city. If the situation becomes so dire that only he can resolve it, won't he come out?"
"You're crazy! This is the imperial city."
Even though she had guessed his intentions, Rong Zhi was still startled by him.
Ordinary incidents could be handled by Chen An, and Xiao Jianli could also handle them. This meant there were many people like them in the imperial city.
To lure out the Imperial Advisor, an unprecedented chaos would have to be created.
Setting aside whether such a large commotion would arouse the Emperor's suspicion, if it were to involve the royal family or the nobility, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Rong Zhi had initially thought Chen An was genuinely curious, but he was willing to do something so dangerous just to satisfy his curiosity.
Unless he didn't want to live anymore.
This Chen An was always capable of surprising her.
"What are you afraid of? Let's take a gamble. If we don't succeed, we'll die."
Chen An fanned himself with his fan, sending a gust of cold wind on this cold day. Rong Zhi slapped it away.
"You play by yourself, I'm not playing with you anymore."
It wasn't that she was afraid of death, but if the commotion was too great, it would inevitably harm innocent people.
Since the target of suspicion had been narrowed down to the Imperial Advisor, there must be other ways.
She leaped from the tree, landing gracefully like a butterfly, drawing gasps of admiration from the surrounding onlookers.
Rong Zhi brushed the dust off her clothes and headed in the opposite direction of the city gate.
"Hey, you're not keeping your word! You said you'd cooperate with me, why are you backing out now?"
"That's right, I'm a coward, and I regret it."
"It's too late for you to regret it. I've already tampered with the mass grave outside the city. Tomorrow night, a large horde of zombies will invade the imperial city, so just wait and watch the show!"
Rong Zhi suddenly stopped.
"Mass grave?" Could it be that when Chen An buried the red threads in the ground last time, it wasn't to restrict their actions, but to stimulate them to wake up?
"Hey, don't look at me like that. I did use red threads to restrict their movements that night, but I secretly did some more tampering later. When the yin energy is heavy on the full moon, they will crawl out of the ground and into everyone's windows."
He laughed maliciously, giving people a chilling feeling.
Rong Zhi remembered the time when she and Dong Mei were trapped in the thatched hut, and a large number of white bones crawled out from underground. What a terrifying sight that was.
If these scenes were to appear in the imperial city, it would undoubtedly cause widespread panic.
"Chen An! You can't let the people of the imperial city fall into peril because of your curiosity!"
Her voice was loud, and a few people nearby glanced over. Chen An immediately pulled her into a less crowded alley.
"Don't get excited. Let me explain. I'm just bluffing, I won't let them hurt anyone."
"Can you control the actions of those ghosts?"
"Of course, it's a piece of cake."
Rong Zhi remembered Xia Jin from last time. He had summoned too many white bones and couldn't control them himself, almost being torn to shreds.
It was strange. How could Chen An, a young master from a noble family, know these things?
"Who taught you all these skills?"
"Don't forget, this is the imperial city. What kind of talent does the imperial family not have? It's not surprising that I learned a thing or two."
He was smug, seemingly proud of this matter.
"If this is exposed, you'll lose your head," she warned, actually trying to gauge Chen An's reaction.
She suddenly thought, if Chen An's skills were learned legitimately, did that mean he could use them legitimately?
After all, whatever prohibitions the imperial family issued usually targeted the common people. Didn't the Emperor himself secretly have Qian Ji Pavilion do things?
As expected, Chen An looked confident.
"I have this confidence, which is why I'm trying. It will be very lively then."
This look of not minding a lively scene, but rather enjoying the chaos, restored his former image as a profligate son.
Rong Zhi's heart sank. She couldn't let this young master act recklessly.
She had to find a way to stop him.
Now that Xiao Jianli was not around, it seemed that only Xia Jin could stop this matter.
Rong Zhi did not object to what Chen An said; it would be useless to object. She pretended to agree and, after parting ways with Chen An, returned to the General's mansion, intending to find Xia Jin to resolve the matter.
Unexpectedly, she was met with a closed door.
"Who are you?" a strange guard opened the door.