N-A-A Chapter 1774 Life Stealed
Chapter 1774 Life Stealed
The Golden Palace looks both solemn and luxurious.
Although no ministers were attending court at the moment, Lu Zhaoling looked at the dragon throne in the center of the hall, then turned around to look at the main hall, imagining the officials lined up and standing here to report on important matters to the emperor, or the officials expressing their opinions on a certain matter. She found it quite novel.
Yin Changxing, on the other hand, immediately began to carefully search for anything amiss upon entering, without having the mind to think about anything else.
Zhou Shiyue looked at Lu Zhaoling, followed her gaze and scanned the room, then asked, "Want to try sitting in that chair?"
"Huh?" Lu Zhaoling was stunned for a moment, looked at the dragon throne, and immediately shook her head, "No, no, no, I have no interest in that position."
With great power comes great responsibility. She knew she was lazy and rather sentimental, and that if she were in that position, she might be even more incompetent than the current emperor.
However, Lu Zhaoling remembered how those ghostly soldiers had addressed him before—
My King.
She looked at Zhou Shiyue.
"you......"
"Hmm?" Zhou Shiyue looked at her intently, waiting for her to continue. He sensed that Lu Zhaoling was about to ask a serious question.
Faced with his serious expression, Lu Zhaoling couldn't bring herself to ask any further questions.
Forget it, let's not ask now. Let's wait until they return to the palace tonight.
"We'll talk about it when we get back," she said.
Hearing her say that, Zhou Shiyue roughly knew what she wanted to ask. He simply nodded, "Okay."
"Little Ling'er, come here." Just then, Yin Changxing called out to Lu Zhaoling from the other side.
What did you see that was wrong?
Lu Zhaoling quickly walked towards her master.
There was a low cabinet with some booklets neatly arranged on it.
The presence of these things in the main hall struck her as odd.
Zhou Shiyue followed, and seeing the cabinet full of books, he explained, "Some things that are frequently discussed and need to be looked up are placed here. There are also descriptions of the various prefectures and cities of the Great Zhou, as well as the deeds of some officials who were sent to other places."
"Master, is something wrong?" Lu Zhaoling asked Yin Changxing.
However, as soon as she asked the question, she sensed something strange about the cabinet, as if there was some discordant atmosphere.
It's a sign of life!
Logically speaking, these are all books, inanimate objects, so how could they possibly have any life?
Yin Changxing had already reached up and taken a thick book from above.
Upon seeing the book, Zhou Shiyue frowned and exclaimed in surprise.
"This is the first time I've seen this book."
He hadn't noticed the books on the cabinet for a long time. Thinking of this, Zhou Shiyue remembered that after his elder brother ascended the throne, people didn't seem to pay much attention in court. If there were things they didn't know, his elder brother would just wave his hand and order them to investigate after court.
But nothing came of it.
It has been a long time since anyone has come to retrieve the books on this page to look through and check them.
He had no recollection of ever seeing this book before. It was so thick, what could it contain?
Yin Changxing took out the book, and Lu Zhaoling's gaze also fell on it.
That's right, the glimmer of hope lies here.
Is there life in the book?
After taking down the book, Yin Changxing glanced at Lu Zhaoling.
“Master, let me do it.” Lu Zhaoling immediately understood and cleverly reached out to take the book.
Then she took the book and walked to the open space in the middle of the hall.
Zhou Shiyue couldn't understand it.
"Sect Leader Yin, what's wrong with that book?"
“Take a closer look.” Yin Changxing glanced at him. “Your merit has increased significantly; you must have some innate cultivation.”
Innate cultivation?
Zhou Shiyue thought about how he used to sometimes see ghosts and some kind of energy. Maybe he really did have some talent? But when Yin Changxing said that his merits had greatly increased, his expression turned slightly serious, as if he had thought of something.
He didn't ask any more questions, but instead focused his attention on the book.
Lu Zhaoling placed the book on the ground in the middle of the main hall, and then took out the Golden Diamond Brush.
Seeing how carefully she handled it, Zhou Shiyue knew that the contents of that book were not so simple.
He became increasingly engrossed in the book, and unexpectedly, as he read, he actually began to understand something.
He saw several glowing, insect-like stripes appearing on the otherwise unremarkable book. At first glance, they seemed motionless, but upon closer inspection, it became clear that the glowing stripes were slowly wriggling.
"Insects?" he asked, frowning.
“I’m afraid it’s not an ordinary insect.” Yin Changxing continued, “Although ordinary insects have life force, it’s different from large animals, birds or humans; the life force on their bodies is not visible.”
"But these insects are teeming with life, which is abnormal."
As Yin Changxing was saying these words, Lu Zhaoling was already holding the Golden Diamond Brush and drawing talismans in the air above the book.
What she's drawing now isn't an ordinary talisman; it looks like a talisman array, octagonal, suspended above the book.
The talisman was completed, and a golden light flashed.
Suddenly, several streaks of green light appeared on the book, as if drawn out by the rune array, and rose vertically.
As she rose, Lu Zhaoling pinched her fingers together, her expression changing slightly.
"Popularity?"
She turned to them and said, "This is the life force of a person, some of it has been drained away."
Zhou Shiyue reacted almost immediately.
"This thing is placed in the main hall, and every day those who come here are civil and military officials. If this thing is said to drain people's life force, then it is draining the life force of all the officials?"
Lu Zhaoling reached out and grabbed at the air, and the talisman swiftly closed up and disappeared into her palm.
Lu Zhaoling opened her palm, and a small golden octagonal talisman slowly rotated in the center.
A few wisps of green light could be faintly seen flowing inside; that must be the life force sucked from the insects earlier.
"I've taken it back."
Seeing this, Yin Changxing walked to the middle, reached out and fanned the air, and the book opened. Although it was indeed a thick book, there were several hollowed-out grooves in the middle, and in each small groove was a fleshy black worm.
Although they're called insects, just looking at them is enough to send chills down your spine.
Because the insect, about the thickness of a finger, is black with several white rings on its body. The pattern in the middle of each white ring looks like an eye, and the colors and patterns inside are disgusting. The green circle in the very center looks like a hole if you look at it for too long.
Needless to say, Zhou Shiyue could guess that the life force was being drawn in through these small holes.
They are still slowly undulating, and with each movement of the rings, the small eye seems to emit black mist.
This shouldn't be looked at too closely; if you look at it too closely, you might want to vomit.
Even Zhou Shiyue, a self-proclaimed well-traveled and calm man, found it unbearable.