In front of the ice coffin exuding a cold aura, a Taoist priest in a Taoist robe swayed the golden bell in his hand, chanting inaudible scriptures and seemingly dancing in the room.
This scene looked extremely strange no matter how one looked at it.
At first, Ye Wanmian was concerned about the situation of the yellow dog. Unconsciously, she was also attracted by the commotion in the room.
Daoist Yuanqi was chanting when suddenly he took out a handful of yellow talismans from his robe and scattered them into the air. The yellow talismans burned without fire, causing a gasp from those around. Ye Wanmian also covered her mouth in surprise.
This Taoist priest actually had quite a few skills! He was much more powerful than that stinky Taoist priest in the market who claimed that Dahuang was the Celestial Hound from Heaven!
Paying attention to the commotion in the room, she didn't notice at all that the condition of the yellow dog at her feet was getting worse and worse.
Listening to the scriptures chanted in the room, the dizziness in Xiao Jingcheng's mind became stronger and stronger, and his whole body began to tremble.
Was his soul really going to be summoned by this stinky Taoist priest?
No!
He, Xiao Jingcheng, would never be at the mercy of anyone.
He would never admit defeat!
A strong anger welled up in his heart. He resisted the invisible rope that was tugging at him, and his mind became a bit clearer. But even so, he still felt very uncomfortable, and his body trembled even more violently.
Ye Wanmian heard the whimpering of a dog and only then noticed something was wrong with the yellow dog. It was actually having convulsions all over its body!
Although she knew it was absurd, the thought "Dahuang is the Celestial Hound from Heaven" still involuntarily popped up in Ye Wanmian's mind. She immediately realized that it was scared by Daoist Yuanqi in the room.
Her concern for the yellow dog overshadowed her curiosity about what was going on in the room. She picked it up and went around to the next room where the corpse was placed. She sat on the ground and gently comforted the trembling body in her arms like she was holding a child. "Dahuang, don't be afraid. I'm here. As long as I'm here, no one can hurt you..."
Suddenly remembering something, Ye Wanmian quickly poured out a porcelain bottle from her small cloth bag. She opened the lid, dipped her finger in a bit of red, and smeared it on the yellow dog's forehead.
Cinnabar was poisonous, but it was also a traditional Chinese medicinal material and a good thing commonly used by the folk to ward off evil spirits.
After the night visit to the morgue last time, she was worried that her actions might disturb the souls of the dead, so she got some cinnabar from Dr. Wang and carried it with her. She didn't expect that there would really be a day when she would use it.
Whether it was Xiao Jingcheng's resistance that worked or the effect of Ye Wanmian's smear of cinnabar, after the cinnabar was smeared on its forehead, the yellow dog's convulsions actually improved a bit. Xiao Jingcheng's mind also became clearer, and he no longer felt dizzy.
Seeing that the yellow dog could raise its head and its eyes looking at her had regained their former vitality, Ye Wanmian secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Regardless of whether Dahuang was really possessed by the Celestial Hound from Heaven, in her heart, Dahuang was always more important than that so - called crown prince.
Anyway, the one inside wasn't the real crown prince. That stinky Taoist priest probably wouldn't be able to summon the soul of the crown prince either. But if he hurt Dahuang, she would never let it go!
"Dahuang, do you feel better?" Ye Wanmian asked while stroking the yellow dog's fur.
Xiao Jingcheng nudged her hand with his nose to indicate that he was okay.
"Then, do you still want to go over and take a look?" Ye Wanmian asked again.
Xiao Jingcheng snorted coldly in his heart.
Of course he wanted to take a look.
Unable to summon his soul, how would Daoist Yuanqi deal with the situation?
In the next room, after finishing the incantation, Daoist Yuanqi frowned slightly. He suppressed the surprise in his heart, recited the incantation again, and lit the yellow talisman in his hand.
However, after the yellow talisman burned out, there was still no movement in his body. The soul that should have been summoned by him was still hiding somewhere.
This shouldn't be!
That soul had been imprisoned by his magic and could be at his command. Today's plan was to completely confirm the fact that the crown prince was dead and dispel everyone's doubts.
However, he had tried twice without success. Where exactly had something gone wrong?
Sensing a sharp gaze on him, Daoist Yuanqi knew that his actions had annoyed the "master". He turned the golden bell in his hand and shook it at a faster frequency. His sleeves fluttered high as he pointed at the brazier on the ground. The flames suddenly flared up with a "bang", scaring even Eunuch Wang into letting out a scream.
Eunuch Wang quickly covered his mouth and nose, holding his breath as he watched Daoist Yuanqi in front of him. The person hidden among them finally squinted his eyes in satisfaction.
"The sky is clear and the earth is turbid. The yin and yang are separated. Qi is the guide, and the four - sided seals are respected. Obey my order—"
Daoist Yuanqi knelt on the cushion, his hands forming a seal as he pointed at the ice coffin. The next moment, Daoist Yuanqi trembled all over, and his facial muscles became extremely distorted.
This strange scene made everyone hold their breath.
Suddenly, Daoist Yuanqi opened his eyes. His expression was dull, his mouth moved slightly, and he said stiffly, word by word, "Uncle, I died so unjustly."
Hearing this voice, Xiao Jingcheng, who was carried outside the door by Ye Wanmian, sneered in his heart. It seemed that since they couldn't summon his soul, they had another way, which was to act.
He just didn't know if his uncle could see the clue.
Xiao Tianchi looked down at Daoist Yuanqi who called him "uncle", covered his lips and coughed twice hard, and asked, "Is it the crown prince?"
Daoist Yuanqi's face twitched, and he still said, "Uncle, I died so unjustly."
Xiao Tianchi seemed to believe that this was really the crown prince. His voice softened. "Don't worry, crown prince. Uncle will definitely avenge you. Can you tell me what exactly happened to you that day? Who exactly killed you?"
Daoist Yuanqi's body trembled, and he stood up stiffly, as if he was extremely excited.
"Chase, Ningzhou, private salt..."
After snarling out these few words ferociously, Daoist Yuanqi's eyes were blood - shot. He grabbed his own neck and let out two roars, and then fell straight down without any movement.
The scene was completely silent. Everyone seemed to be scared by Daoist Yuanqi.
However, Xiao Jingcheng outside the door was greatly shocked.
This time, he led people out of the capital to inspect the south of the Yangtze River. In Ningzhou, he investigated a case of private salt trafficking and oppressing the common people.
This case was extremely complicated and involved some ministers in the capital. He had spent almost three months on it. Although there were some twists and turns on the way, he had successfully closed the case. The people involved were either executed, imprisoned, or exiled without any omissions. Only then did he set off to leave.
He wasn't without suspicion that the killers who chased him were related to this case. But since he woke up in this yellow dog's body and learned that his soul had been imprisoned and there was a fake corpse replacing him, he knew that things were definitely not that simple.
Whether it was the mysterious residence of the Chen员外 or the sudden appearance of the corpse after the arrival of the Third Prince, there was only one purpose—
To confirm that he was dead and vacate the position of the crown prince.