The Deposed Crown Prince had Three Lifelong Regrets - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

To be honest, Li Qinghuai knew far more about the Ghost Infant than they imagined, but it was currently inconvenient to reveal all her secrets.

She looked at the Ghost Infant in her hand and then at Mo Xianghao, whose expression was complicated, in the distance.

The Ghost Infant was extremely tricky to deal with. Without the legendary Eight Poisons Red Pill, the only way was to cut open the host’s abdomen, take out the fetus, and burn it with fire. However, the Eight Poisons Red Pill was said to be a lost art, and no one in the world could make it.

Li Qinghuai remained silent for a while, then turned her head and spoke softly with Lu Fengmian. There were clearly some disagreements between them, and it took a while to reach a consensus.

Lu Fengmian walked a few steps back to the woman surnamed Mo, whispered a few words to her, and before she could finish, tugged her arm, leading her outside.

She not only asked Mo Xianghao to leave and avoid the scene but also ushered out all the escorts in the cave.

However, Mo Xianghao didn’t agree easily this time, “You’re letting her handle it alone? What if she fails? Why can’t anyone watch? Is it some secret skill that can be learned just by watching?”

She spoke with apparent clenched teeth, trying to keep her voice down, but she didn’t manage to lower it much. As a result, Li Qinghuai could vaguely hear a few words. Although she didn’t know exactly what was said, she could guess that Mo Xianghao was unhappy.

Li Qinghuai saw Daoist Mo intending to come over for a friendly chat. She had just straightened up in preparation when she saw Lu Fengmian forcefully push the person back.

Lu Fengmian had to placate one side and restrain the other, working herself into a panic for a while before finally chasing everyone out.

Even though she was now alone in the cave, the snippets of chatter drifting in from outside didn’t allow her any rest.

She turned her back to the entrance, lifted her sleeve to reveal a smoothly toned, firm arm, and pulled a small razor blade from her sleeve pouch. She then sliced her skin and placed the dirty little figure against the wound.

At first, the Ghost Infant’s eyebrows furrowed, and it struggled to escape. But soon after, it stopped its faint wriggling and began to grow close to Li Qinghuai’s blood, even pressing its lips close and quietly sampling it.

Waiting outside, Mo Xianghao was emanating cold air, clearly infuriated.

Lu Fengmian wanted to offer a few words of comfort but was cut off, “Tell me what you were thinking! She got injured encountering a corpse wolf; how dare you hand the Abdomen Ghost over to her!”

“This, this, you, ah ya—”

Mo Xianghao couldn’t understand Lu Fengmian’s actions and was utterly shocked.

“It won’t hurt to let her try. After all, neither you nor I know much about that thing…” Lu Fengmian began to rationalize her decision. Although she was ostensibly arguing with Mo Xianghao, most of her attention was focused on the group of escorts.

She feared that these common folk would become terrified, lose faith in the two of them, and that their agitated state would give the demon a chance to strike.

The Records of the Hundred Ghosts categorized the Abdomen Ghost as a particularly vicious type. Although self-preservation was not a problem for the two of them, protecting this large group of people might be beyond their ability.

If Li Qinghuai could successfully resolve the situation, it would naturally be for the best.

“It won’t hurt! It won’t hurt! Do you actually believe her? You didn’t see how she was sprawled on the ground, unable to get up at first.” Mo Xianghao latched onto the fact that Lu Fengmian had forcibly dragged her out, causing her to selectively ignore the cries of the struggling Ghost Infant inside the cave later on.

Lu Fengmian was truly awkward. Sensing that the others’ faces were growing increasingly pale, she guessed they were terrified. However, she couldn’t simply tell her friend Mo to shut up, so she just nodded stiffly and agreed repeatedly.

It wasn’t until a bright, sharp cry echoed from inside the cave that Mo Xianghao finally quieted down.

The crying lasted only five or six seconds before abruptly stopping.

The two exchanged glances. The image of the certain Li person lying forlornly on the ground flashed through Mo Xianghao’s mind again, and she immediately wanted to rush in to help.

Lu Fengmian quickly grabbed her wrist, signaling her to wait.

The two had a significant difference in their perception of Li Qinghuai. For Lu Fengmian, she was a ghost with unknown intentions, while in Mo Xianghao’s eyes, she was a particularly annoying, easily killed fellow practitioner.

After several rounds of pushing and shoving, Mo Xianghao, relying on her brutal and unyielding actions, managed to gain a slight lead, breaking free from the entanglement.

Lu Fengmian only hesitated for a moment, missing the opportunity to grab her leg and hold her back. Just as she was about to give chase, she saw Mo Xianghao run into trouble.

Mo Xianghao was still secretly delighted at having broken free, unable to suppress the smile on her face, when she ran into Li Qinghuai, who had just walked out of the cave. She almost failed to stop and collided with her.

“You’re quite eager. Are you rushing to collect my corpse?” Li Qinghuai watched her quietly.

Her voice was clear and cool, like dropping jade beads, but the ending was drawn out, sounding quite impatient.

Mo Xianghao felt a chill all over. She felt Li Qinghuai’s complexion seemed worse than before, and her voice sounded similar to that of the critically ill patients barely holding on within her sect.

She quickly laughed awkwardly, sidestepped Li Qinghuai, and looked inside.

No one obstructed her; there was only the cave entrance giving way. Mo Xianghao didn’t hesitate and immediately went in for a closer look at the scene.

The few escorts who had been shrinking behind her also quietly followed.

Li Qinghuai had finished the work. When they entered, they only saw the Ghost Infant charred all over, lying lifelessly in the corner.

Facing the remaining people’s fearful or shadowed gazes, she suppressed the churning annoyance in her heart and slowly walked towards Lu Fengmian.

Lu Fengmian’s entry into the Daoist path was guided by Cangshanzi, who was Li Qinghuai’s martial uncle. The two were considered martial sisters.

Years ago, Cangshanzi, while traveling, picked up a small girl of thirteen or fourteen from a pile of beggars. At first, they thought she was mute, as she didn’t speak more than a few words for half a year, and those were all simple sounds like “ah” and “uh.”

Later, they learned from the girl herself that her nickname was Zhizhi.

Zhizhi possessed a natural Yin-Yang Eye and had spent half a year with Li Qinghuai, who was a few months younger. Later, based on a peace-lock she kept close, Li Qinghuai was recognized and taken back by the Minister of Rites’ family.

Her status changed from an unwanted child to Lu Fengmian, someone who was cared for wherever she went.

Logically, the two had lost contact three years ago, and a naturally cold-hearted villain like Li Qinghuai shouldn’t have remembered her. Unfortunately, the martial uncle was seriously ill and didn’t have much time left, and only Lu Fengmian was his personal disciple.

Even without considering the sick martial uncle, she had to save face for her master. If they met, she had to help somehow.

Even if this encounter was premeditated on her part, it was still the same.

Li Qinghuai’s arrival established a connection with her long-unseen martial sister. But this time, she merely wanted to show her face. She still had many things to arrange after going back. Furthermore, her body was too weak, and staying might not be helpful, so she decided to leave first.

She walked over and patted Lu Fengmian’s shoulder, saying only that she was going for a walk nearby to avoid trouble.

Lu Fengmian remained silent for a moment, ultimately saying nothing more.

She was not as straightforward as Mo Xianghao, secretly unwilling to be associated with Li Qinghuai. Li Qinghuai understood her; after all, the wicked aura around her was completely visible to Lu Fengmian.

Miao territory witchcraft, Maoshan soul-caging, and Huizhou medicinal puppets had always been infamous practices.

However, the former was remotely located with few travelers, and the Miao people rarely left the mountains, maintaining a subtle balance with the Central Plains. The latter had washed their hands of the practice a hundred years ago, actively outlawing the cruel custom.

Maoshan gained prominence through spirit mediumship (fuji) and soul-caging (juhun). It was originally a legitimate skill, but a past sinner named Xiao Yizhi had researched methods for caging living souls and creating living corpses.

Originally, the soul-caging technique was only used to call back the soul of a frightened child. Later, Xiao Yizhi repeatedly experimented on living people, eventually developing a secret technique for caging the souls of the living.

This secret technique once flourished in Maoshan, until the main culprit was ultimately devoured by ten thousand ghosts due to his insatiable greed.

Although the original secret technique has now been destroyed and no one knows the exact method, the fuji (spirit mediumship) method has become increasingly skewed, gradually evolving a means of “specifically inviting wild ghosts to possess a body.” This bears a frightening resemblance to the destroyed secret technique, making it hard not to worry.

Those who master this method can summon and drive lonely souls wandering the human world with nowhere to go. Frequent use of this method often leads to a chilling aura surrounding the practitioner.

When Mo Xianghao emerged from the cave, she completely shed her previous anxious look, excitedly sharing what she had seen and heard, “That infant ghost was perfectly burned, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. I wonder what kind of talisman was so powerful.”

“Do you think if we ask, she’ll teach us? Aren’t you two from the same sect? Maybe your masters even know each other—hey, where is she?”

Lu Fengmian said, “That’s not certain. Maoshan is split into five major branches, and the connections between the factions are not strong. The world is huge; how could everyone know everyone else?”

Maoshan’s history was best understood by Maoshan people. Outsiders were ultimately unaware of the secrets. It was normal to want to connect with a fellow practitioner. But for Lu Fengmian, she and Li Qinghuai were on different paths. Different paths cannot lead to the same destination, so it was better to cut off the relationship from the root.