Chapter 132: The Soul Returns
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
As night fell, a chilling presence spread across the land, bringing with it malevolent spirits. The Marquis Zhongyong’s estate echoed with cries of distress.
“Marquis, what have you done?” Madam Pei cried out, tears streaming down her cheeks. A royal decree had demoted Lu Yuan Ze by one rank, and his face was a ghastly sight—bruised and swollen, making him drool when he spoke.
Lu Yuan Ze remained silent, and the servants kept their lips sealed.
“Weren’t you searching for Madam Xu? What did you do to anger His Majesty?” Madam Pei’s eyes blazed with fury. After eighteen years as a hidden mistress, bearing children for him, she had hoped to oust Madam Xu and become the principal wife. But now, the marquisate was in shambles, her dreams dashed.
“Don’t speak of it!” Lu Yuan Ze barked, wincing with pain. Madam Pei bit back her words, silence taking over.
Since their scandal, Lu Yuan Ze hadn’t stepped foot in her quarters, denying her even the courtesy due to a wife. Her eyes darted to Su Zhi Qing, heart seething with betrayal. *The weapon I honed against Madam Xu has turned on me!* Remorse haunted her sleepless nights.
On the other end, Su Zhi Qing remained stoic and distant, despising both Madam Pei and Lu Jing Huai. After losing her child and the revelation of the Marquis’s impotence, her dignity was shattered.
“My son, how could His Majesty be so merciless…” the old Madam lamented, seeing her son’s pitiful state.
“Where is Jing Huai?” Lu Yuan Ze asked weakly, barely able to raise his eyes.
A sly smile crossed Madam Pei’s face. “He’s warding off the evil spirits tonight.” She shot a smug look at Su Zhi Qing. “Jing Huai is revered by the capital’s scholars, a true pillar of our estate.”
Lu Yuan Ze’s heavy gaze shifted to Su Zhi Qing, suspicion gnawing at him. *Could they be betraying me behind my back?* He clenched his fist, the thought unbearable.
That evening, Lu Jing Huai and Lu Yan Shu departed the estate.
“Mother, fear not. I shall return safely. It is my duty as a scholar,” Lu Yan Shu reassured, his voice echoing the valor of scholars whom King Xuan Ping esteemed for their spirit-banishing abilities.
Madam Xu watched him leave, anxiety in her eyes. As darkness deepened, servants hurried to secure the estate against the encroaching black mist.
Meanwhile, Lu Chao Chao was peering out the window. “Huh…” She murmured, sensing something amiss.
Despite the summer heat, Fourth Prince Xie Jun An shuddered, his eyelashes frosted. “Something’s off tonight, Chao Chao,” he remarked, drawing a talisman from his robe. But it crumbled to ashes, alarming the young prince. “It’s just begun, and already the talisman is destroyed?”
No sooner had he spoken than the twin maids, Yuhua and Yuqin, fell to the ground.
“Sista Yuhua?” Lu Chao Chao called out, receiving no answer.
She stood hastily, abandoning her milk bottle, urgency etched on her tiny face. She dashed off. “Mama?”
Silence hung in Madam Xu’s bedroom. Pushing the door open, Lu Chao Chao found everyone inside unconscious.
“Mama? Mama?” She checked for breathing and sighed in relief upon finding them only asleep. She called out across the estate, only to discover that all had succumbed to a deep slumber.
Shivering, the Fourth Prince murmured, “It’s so cold, Chao Chao, so very cold.”
Lu Chao Chao’s eyes sparkled as she touched his forehead, casting a small, warm glow that dispelled the cold. Amazed, Xie Jun An watched her, realizing the gravity of the night.
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
Her expression grave, Lu Chao Chao suddenly inquired, “Whewe is my dog?”
Confused, the Fourth Prince replied, “Your dog? It’s asleep…”
Realizing his misunderstanding, she patted her legs, “Shawt wegs, can’t wun…”
Understanding, the Fourth Prince knelt to carry her. “Where to?”
She pointed outside, urgency in her gesture. Together, they ventured into the silent capital, finding it eerily deserted, as if all life had paused.
“What’s happening?” Lu Chao Chao whispered.
The Fourth Prince looked grim. “We face a catastrophe unseen for centuries,” he explained, recalling a prophecy from the National Temple’s archives. “Every few centuries, evil spirits plunge cities into slumber, searching for something unknown, leaving devastation in their wake.”
Lu Chao Chao’s eyes widened in shock. “What kind of spirits are these?”
He shook his head in uncertainty because the rest of the text was lost to time.
Now, these spirits threatened North Zhao’s capital. If unchecked, disaster would follow.
“There’s a noise over there—let’s go,” urged Chao Chao as the Fourth Prince carried her towards the sound.
They found scholars collapsed, drained by their efforts to repel the spirits. Among them, Lu Jing Huai lay pale and exhausted.
“Find Big Brother,” Lu Chao Chao urged, her heart racing. *He cannot face this alone.*
Guided by her, they approached a sinister chill in the air. Around a corner, a group of scholars stood chanting, their spells casting a faint glow against the dark.
Lu Yan Shu was among them, his face set in determination. Opposite him stood a man in black, his silver hair and daunting presence suffusing the night with dread. His whispered words chilled the bone.
“The soul returns… The soul returns…”