Through the senses of Yuan Zhongzhou and Zhu Xiya, the existence and truth of the curse gradually surfaced: a soul was used as a sacrifice, it was unsolvable, and its medium was this palace. In other words, everyone who entered this palace would be killed by the curse!
Was this really the case? Was there really such an absurd and bizarre thing in the world? Old Liang felt that his three views were about to collapse, and the rest of the scholars were also sweating, their hearts anxious.
Old Lu was the calmest, and found a few yellowed tomes from the library pavilion and pondered, “According to historical records, ever since the end of Emperor Min’s reign, Ziwei Palace frequently began to select maids. Originally this happened once every three years, but it later changed to once every two years, and by the time Emperor Hui was enthroned, it was once a year. The frequency of this annual selection lasted for nearly a hundred years, and it was not until Emperor Chun moved to the palace that it became once every three years. However, palace maids had the choice to be released from service when they reached 25 years of age. If these palace maids could only enter but not leave, how could this imperial city accommodate so many people? Where did they all end up?”
Old Lu’s question woke everyone up like a heavy hammer. Yes, where did all the selected maids end up? Was it because they had stepped into this palace, so they all died of madness? Too many people died, so they had to continuously pick replacements?
Old Lu was still analyzing, “You see, from the beginning of Emperor Min’s reign until Emperor Chun moved to the palace, it took 113 years, but there were 17 emperors. On average, each emperor only reigned for a little more than 6 years, and all ended up dying of madness. Emperor Hui beheaded his officials and then killed himself, Emperor Heng died amid the ice on a snowy night while looking for immortals, Emperor Ren fell from a platform on the ninth floor of the pagoda while watching the stars… Looking at them, they all either committed suicide or died of hallucinations. Can this be explained as a ‘hereditary disease’? If it’s really a hereditary disease, then why were the emperors after Emperor Chun healthy again?”
Old Lu placed these precious historical materials into a box and let out a long sigh. He originally didn’t believe in gods and ghosts either, but after his daughter recounted her experience, he had a new understanding of the world.
Perhaps in this vast world, there were really things that human cognition couldn’t understand, and this strange palace was one of them.
As Song Wennuan listened to Old Lu’s words, she began to feel a chill in even her bones. Everyone else was also pale and trembled like reeds. The “Harry Potter Quartet” who had clamored to finish the program were now green with regret. All four of them had ascended the throne dais, so they were cursed the strongest. No one could imagine the painful feeling as their brain cells continued to explode. Their souls were being slowly torn apart by the unimaginably painful feeling. The god of death had wrapped a noose firmly around their necks, and it was tightening every second.
Even with the ice pack, the nauseating dizziness couldn’t be alleviated, and even became increasingly intense. This unbearable symptom was not good, as head injuries were always the most difficult to treat. Old Liang had already said that they hadn’t been able to find the cause of illness for the restorers who had fainted previously, and the most seriously injured patient had been in a coma for five or six days.
Despair destroyed the faith of many people, and several staff members covered their heads and sat down on the ground. They were still conscious, but they began to cry and scream, pulling on their hair as they repeatedly chanted in a remorseful manner, “I should not have come here.”
The entire program team, including Old Liang’s group of scholars, were crushed by this inexplicable and poisonous curse.
Yuan Zhongzhou and Zhu Xiya’s hearts were filled with pity, but there was no way for them to help these people. They could only turn around and look into the distance with a silent sigh. Ah Huo curled up in a corner away from Jinluan Hall, clutching his head and shivering like a frightened puppy.
Ding Puhang, the most cowardly, was now the calmest person on the scene. He quietly glanced at Song Rui, who was staring at the palace city peacefully, and then at Fan Jialuo, who was standing at the bottom of the long series of stairs in the same posture, and reminded, “Don’t panic. The strongest person has not appeared yet! Dr. Song already arranged the finale for us, hasn’t he?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Song Wennuan’s eyes shone for a moment, and she pressed her temples forcefully with her knuckles and shouted, “Xiao Zhao, quickly bring the last two participants up.”
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“You have been cursed,” Fan Jialuo said in a deep voice.
“Well, it doesn’t matter.” Song Rui laughed quietly next to his ear. It was just a little tingling and dizziness, not enough to drive him crazy. The anger, violence, and desire for destruction that constantly filled his heart was far more terrible than this curse.
“It is indeed nothing to you.” Fan Jialuo was really the person who knew Song Rui best, and he hooked up the corners of his mouth in relief, quickly putting the matter of the other party’s curse behind him, but the involuntary concern that flowed out still made Song Rui very happy.
The two stood together, and the tacit and harmonious atmosphere seemed incompatible with the surrounding despair and helplessness. Song Wennuan, who was suffering from a splitting headache, gritted her teeth and was about to ask Mr. Fan to help, but He Jinglian, a sincere child, had already reached out her hand and began sensing.
“This, what is this?” He Jinglian finally realized that the situation was not good, but her arm seemed to be held by some invisible monster and she was dragged straight into the palace. While struggling, she cried and screamed, “Mr. Fan, there is something inside, and it wants to devour me!”
When she said this, she had already been dragged by that invisible force to the entrance of the palace, and she would fall headfirst as long as she crossed the threshold. She firmly clutched the door panel with her other hand, with half of her body struggling and the other half sticking straight into the palace, as if she was about to be torn apart. The cameraman who was in charge of following her pulled at her hastily, and was almost dragged down.
Hearing her daughter’s cries, Mother He rushed up the steps, ignoring Song Wennuan’s previous threats.
“Hurry up and grab her, quickly! Don’t let her get pulled in!” Song Wennuan also came to her senses and rushed forward, hugging He Jinglian’s legs. Ah Huo also darted from some corner and grabbed the girl’s waist tightly.
“Ahhh! My, my hand!” He Jinglian wasn’t pulled into the palace again, but both of her hands suddenly opened flat, her ten fingers spreading straight before twitching violently. In a short period of time, each of her knuckles began to show blue-purple bruises, as if she had been pinched by something.
Old Liang took a closer look and was shocked. “These, these are marks left by torture! But she appears fine…” At this point, he couldn’t go on, because He Jinglian didn’t appear fine at all. She was currently in a state of being tortured, but how was this possible, as there was no one around to torture her!
But soon, He Jinglian stopped shouting about the pain in her hands and curled up at the doorway, arching her back and scratching the floor tiles as she begged bitterly, “Stop hitting, please stop hitting!”
Mother He’s expression changed drastically when she heard these words after just rushing up the stairs, and after seeing Song Wennuan and Ah Huo pressing on her daughter, she didn’t know what they were doing and shouted angrily, “Let her go! Did you hit her? Get out of the way, get out of the way!”
She tore the two off her daughter and took her daughter into her arms, but as soon as her palms touched her daughter’s back, she felt a warm and sticky sensation. “Ah! Blood! So much blood!” She turned her daughter over and saw streaks of blood slowly soaking through the fabric, revealing shocking traces of injuries.
But why was her daughter fine one second, then bleeding the next? What was even more terrifying was how her clothes were intact, but her body was inexplicably injured. How was this possible? Mother He quickly lifted her daughter’s t-shirt to check the situation, only to see welts from whipping slowly appearing on her originally fair and smooth back. From none to numerous, they began to accumulate on top of one another, slowly turning her back into a bloody mess.
He Jinglian’s tragic situation stung everyone’s eyes and caused them to fall deeper into fear.
Even Mother He, who had seen numerous strange scenes, couldn’t help but scream, “Ah! What’s wrong? How did this happen? Lian Lian, what did you sense? Wake up, my child! Wake up, Mom is here, can you hear me? Wake up!”
He Jinglian, who was trapped in the painful emotions that had survived for thousands of years, couldn’t wake up at all. Following the pinch and whip wounds, dense bloody spots appeared on her body, quickly covering up her originally intact skin. Her hands waved wildly in the air, and she scratched her body viciously, wailing repeatedly, “Don’t come over, don’t come over, go away, go away, go away!” She seemed to be trying to drive something away.
Seeing this, Old Lu finally came to his senses and said in horror, “Old Liang, do you think these injuries appear like they came from rat bites?”
Old Liang endured the abnormal palpitations of his heart and took a closer look. It only took a second before he reacted and exclaimed, “The abolished Empress Luqiu!”
The rest of the scholars suddenly understood, and their fear increased.
Song Wennuan gritted her teeth and hissed, “What kind of riddles are you saying? Is this the time to be speaking in riddles? Speak human words!” Such an angry reprimand to a group of highly respected scholars was probably the pinnacle of her life.
Old Liang didn’t feel offended at all, and explained while wiping his cold sweat, “What this little girl is now experiencing is everything the abolished Empress Luqiu experienced. According to historical records, Empress Luqiu was removed from the throne for the crime of treason and was sent to prison, where she was tortured and whipped, but she would rather die than confess. Her three sons and daughters ran around pleading for her, but they were all framed and sent to death row. In order to save her children, she confessed, and was then imprisoned in the Cold Palace. Emperor Min’s favored concubine was next to ascend the throne, becoming Empress Liu, and had a longstanding grudge against the former Empress Luqiu and threw her into a rat pit to suffer the bites of a million rats. After being dragged out of the rat pit, Empress Liu forbade anyone from treating her, so her body began to rot slowly. She would have died in her bed, but her sons and daughters were pure and filial, and were willing to die in order to save her. To test the three’s filial piety, Emperor Min gave them white silk, and the three passed away like this. All 368 members of the Luqiu clan were poisoned, and none of them survived. After learning the news, Empress Luqiu dragged her rotting body up Cuiping Mountain and hung herself on the tallest pine tree, and the curse she left behind before her death also spread wildly in Ziwei Palace.”
Seeing that Old Liang was overwhelmed by fear, Old Lu finished his words, “This little girl’s injuries are exactly the same as what happened to Empress Luqiu. Look at these bloody spots. They are consistent with the bite marks of rats, but there are no rats here!”
The words of the two scholars made everyone freeze in place, and Mother He was so scared that she felt her intestines were spilling out. If something happened to her daughter, what would their family do? It cost so much for her son to attend school, and wouldn’t the plan for him to go abroad also be in vain?
Yuan Zhongzhou and Zhu Xiya wanted to help, but couldn’t, and could only stand to the side and pray silently. Ah Huo refused to leave He Jinglian and trembled as he held her hand, calling her name over and over again.
Ding Puhang retreated again and again, almost rolling down from the high steps. For the hundredth time, he regretted his decision to join the program. How could he be so unlucky to attend this program to make money! It was alright if he didn’t get any money, but he was afraid he might even lose his life!
While He Jinglian sank into hell, Fan Jialuo was using his seven senses to silently find out what had happened in the past, while also noticing what was happening in the present. After obtaining enough information, he strode towards He Jinglian. When he passed by Yuan Zhongzhou, he said quietly, “Lend me your soul bell.”
Yuan Zhongzhou’s heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously clutched the bell pinned to his waist. No one knew that this was his soul bell, which was connected to his life, but the young man in front of him revealed his secret with one sentence, which showed that he had seen through him early on. Everyone was probably as shallow and transparent as cellophane in his eyes.
The young man’s ability was terrifying, but Yuan Zhongzhou didn’t refuse. After struggling for a second, he silently untied the bell and handed it over.
“Thank you, I will take good care of it,” Fan Jialuo solemnly promised before quickly walking to He Jinglian’s side. He pushed the bewildered Mother He away, and held He Jinglian’s hand that was covered with bite marks.
“Follow my voice and leave slowly. Don’t hesitate, and don’t look back.” He began to turn the bell slowly, and in his hands, the originally crisp sound of the bell had now become incomparably solemn and heavy. The sound of the cascading bell slowly traveled into the distance, converging with the majestic Qi above the imperial city. It blended with the purple Qi that had survived for thousands of years, the smokey wind above the roof tiles, the grass covering the broken walls, and the solemn pine trees on Cuiping Mountain. The grand sound turned into a pillar that pierced the clouds, shaking away the painful memories left by the ancient dead souls with decisive momentum.
This soul bell, which could only be used as a medium in Yuan Zhongzhou’s hands, had become an infinitely powerful magic weapon!
Everyone’s minds were cleared, and the stabbing pain that was capable of driving people crazy disappeared in an instant, instead replaced by feelings of comfort and indulgence, like a dry soul being moistened in a gentle rain. Not to mention how Song Wennuan almost let out a loud groan, even the “Harry Potter Quartet” began to eagerly feel around their own bodies, before revealing ecstatic expressions—This, did this mean the curse was lifted?
Only He Jinglian was still suffering, and her neck began to lift upwards, showing strangulation marks. It seemed that the memories of Empress Luqiu had reached the scene where she hung herself. If she didn’t wake up now, it would soon be too late.
Ah Huo was so anxious that he burst into tears, but Fan Jialuo didn’t lose his composure. After ringing the soul bell, he began to recite scriptures, first the Great Compassion Mantra, then the True Words of Seven Buddhas for Eradicating Sins Mantra, and finally the Untying Karmic Knots Mantra and Pure Land Rebirth Mantra. The extremely fluent and solemn Sanskrit pronunciation left even Ah Huo, who grew up in a temple, far behind. He had only heard scripture full of the sound of Zen Buddhism come from the mouth of the living Buddha.
“First, he used the Great Compassion Mantra to mobilize He Jinglian’s spiritual power, so that she could break free from her predicament. Then, he used the True Words of Seven Buddhas for Eradicating Sins Mantra to erase the sins she had inadvertently been contaminated with. Next, he used the Untying Karmic Knots Mantra to untie the knot of resentment, before finally using the Pure Land Rebirth Mantra to save the dead. This set of transcendental methods require extremely large amounts of spiritual power and devout faith to support them. Over the years, I have only seen Master Huiji, the head of Ashoka Temple, perform them once, with the object of salvation being a 100 year old ghost. Since then, Master Huiji went into seclusion, and it was said that he injured his vitality.”
Zhu Xiya stared intently at the young man chanting sutras with awe. “Our big star doesn’t seem to be just a top spiritualist, but also a profound Buddhist practitioner. How old is he, is he even 25 years old? How on earth did he grow up? I can hardly imagine!”
As soon as she finished speaking, He Jinglian, whose neck was about to break, actually woke up, opened her mouth to gasp for air, and then flung herself into Fan Jialuo’s arms and wept loudly.
Take He Jinglan away from her family please
And this show!!😭😭Thanks for the chapter Thrynki sama~~
Looks like the mom is not remorseful and still only concern about her son 😔💔
Loved this chapter ❤️❤️❤️
After a few days, I am all caught up and now the long wait. This is a good story so far and I will revisit this at the end of the year to read a group of chapters. Thank you translator
I hope He Jinglian is able to put her foot down with her family. This show is crazy scary… but I would watch it.