When the commoners saw the rainbow light in the sky and Snow Spirit, dressed in spotless white cassock, bathed in the holy light, they immediately believed that Snow Spirit was the reborn saint monk.
"The Buddha has shown his divine presence! The Buddha has shown his divine presence!"
"May our ancestors bless us! May Heaven protect our lord and the Great Zhou Dynasty!"
"Exalted Saint Monk, please accept this humble one's worship. Please bless me and my family!"
"Exalted Saint Monk, I was misled by others just now and spoke ill of you. It's all my fault. I'll kowtow to atone for my sins!"
The commoners knelt down and kowtowed to Snow Spirit one after another, their eyes filled with supreme awe.
The national teacher was enraged by this scene. All these honors should have been his: the worship of the commoners and the courtesy of the royal family. It should have all been his alone.
Where on earth did this monk come from!
As soon as he appeared, he stole all the limelight that belonged to the national teacher!
Moreover, the Third Prince was now looking at him with a hint of scrutiny.
The national teacher was extremely panicked. He didn't know what to do. If he lost the worship of the commoners and the respect of the royal family, how could he survive here?
And! If he was no longer the national teacher, how could he fulfill that person's entrustment?
The Ling family hadn't been exterminated yet, and the Merit Stone hadn't fallen into his hands. His mission was only half - completed. If he gave up halfway, he didn't dare to imagine what would happen to him.
Thinking of this, fear flashed in the national teacher's eyes, and his gaze towards Snow Spirit was filled with more hatred.
"National teacher, it seems you're really outmatched. I'll have to consider whether to suggest to Father Emperor that we replace you in this position."
The national teacher's whisk almost slipped from his hand. He could no longer maintain his air of immortality.
"Your Highness the Third Prince, this evil monk's origin is unknown. Who knows if there are demons backing him up? I've always been loyal to you..."
"Enough, my national teacher. If you want to keep your position, find a way to get rid of this evil monk. Otherwise, I won't be able to protect you!"
The Third Prince snorted. In fact, he didn't really care who was in the position of the national teacher. As long as that person could help him get rid of the Ling family, he didn't mind supporting someone else.
It was just that he found Yuan Tongtian very useful for the time being and didn't want to replace him.
After threatening Yuan Tongtian, he walked back into the carriage, fanning himself.
If Yuan Tongtian couldn't handle the rest, then he was truly useless.
But before entering the carriage, the Third Prince glanced subtly at the private room where Yuan Zhao was.
Yuan Zhao felt the Third Prince's gaze and quickly stepped back behind the window. Her frightened little face wrinkled up.
Shen Qing steadied Yuan Zhao, preventing her from falling. "Are you really that afraid of your Third Brother?"
Yuan Zhao tightly grabbed Shen Qing's hand. Recalling a scene from her childhood, her voice trembled.
"Shen Qing, you don't know... The Third Brother is so evil. When I was a child, I saw him gut a corpse. The bloody scene is still vivid in my mind."
"He's a born villain! All my elder and younger brothers who were in good health have been harmed by him. That's why no one in the court can rival him."
"If... If I were a man, even though we're from the same mother, I'm afraid he wouldn't spare me either!"
Yuan Zhao's little face was full of fear. The reason she had been hesitant to act for so long was because of the national teacher and the Third Prince.
Otherwise, she would have risked her life to rescue Ling Yunchuan.
Shen Qing looked at Hong Chaoyang in surprise. He didn't expect that the seemingly unrestrained Third Prince was actually such a person.
Shen Qing's cultivation was still far from being able to see through a person's cause and effect. So he could only judge by appearance, but sometimes, appearance could be deceiving.
Taking advantage of the commoners' worship, Snow Spirit showed a provocative smile to the national teacher.
Then, in his deceptive voice, he said to the commoners, "Today, Heaven has shown its attitude towards the Ling family. As long as the Ling family is imprisoned, Heaven will vent its anger on you. Starting tomorrow, there will be natural and man - made disasters. You'd better take care of yourselves."
As soon as he finished speaking, Snow Spirit and Li Xian disappeared from the spot.
The commoners were frightened by Snow Spirit's words and turned to look at the national teacher.
But the national teacher returned to his carriage with an ashen face, ignoring the commoners' kowtows and pleas. The carriage quickly left under the escort of the black - armored guards.
Today's execution was successfully stopped. The younger generation of the Ling family watched Snow Spirit and Li Xian's performance in a daze, and then were taken off the execution platform in a daze and sent back to the prison.
Before long, Snow Spirit's prophecy spread throughout the capital. People in the capital, whether they were high - ranking officials, nobles, or ordinary peddlers, were all discussing Snow Spirit's prophecy.
The news soon reached the palace and was known to the emperor.
Xiao Chengye, the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, was in his prime, but his face was ashen, showing a kind of old age and fatigue that didn't match his age. He seemed to be on the verge of death.
He sat on the dragon throne, propping his forehead with his bony hand. His eyebrows were knitted in irritation.
"National teacher, Third Prince, tell me what happened on the main street today?"
"That evil monk caused trouble, but you failed to arrest him and let the rumors spread. What use are you to me!"
Even though he looked tired, the emperor in his bright yellow dragon robe couldn't hide his noble and imposing aura.
The imperial majesty was so powerful that just two sentences were enough to make the national teacher and the Third Prince break out in cold sweat.
Both of them knelt on the ground. The national teacher was so scared that he wanted to bury his head in the ground.
The Third Prince was also most afraid of his dying father. When the emperor got angry, he had no choice but to kneel.
The atmosphere in the imperial study was extremely oppressive. The eunuchs and maids waiting outside the study could feel the pressure from the emperor through the doors and windows.
The national teacher dug his nails into his palm. Just as the blood was about to seep out, he managed to calm himself down.
"Your Majesty, that evil monk is just trying to save the Ling family. The Ling family is a clan of immortal cultivators, so it's normal for them to know some strange people. But I can guarantee that the next time this evil monk shows up, I'll arrest him and burn him together with the Ling family as a sacrifice to Heaven!"
After saying that, the national teacher trembled nervously, waiting for the emperor's response.
But for a long time, the national teacher's sweat dripped from his forehead to his nose and then onto the soft carpet, yet the emperor didn't give him a reply.
This made the national teacher even more frightened.
The Third Prince had no choice but to speak up for the national teacher. "Father Emperor, you know the national teacher's ability. You can't completely deny him just because of the evil monk's words. You should give him a chance to atone for his mistakes."
Xiao Chengye stretched out his finger and tapped the table slowly and rhythmically.
The tapping sounds hit the hearts of the national teacher and the Third Prince heavily.
After kneeling for a long time, just when the national teacher and the Third Prince couldn't hold on any longer, the emperor finally spoke as if bestowing a favor.
"One last chance. Now, get out."
"Yes, yes, yes!"
The national teacher and the Third Prince were relieved as if they had received amnesty. They quickly got up and left the imperial study.
In the imperial study, the emperor sat with a gloomy face, his eyes fixed on a memorial.