"Disappeared?"
The Dowager Consort Beiyu left the palace and returned to the Beiyu Family almost immediately, without even having time to consult His Majesty. Of course, this also included Empress Yun.
At the Beiyu Family, Shen Qi was somewhat stunned upon hearing the intelligence brought back by the Dowager Consort Beiyu, appearing as if she hadn't quite grasped the situation.
Because that explanation was somewhat incomprehensible to some.
A second ago, the Dowager Consort was about to step forward and pretend to take down the Black Lantern, which was a rather bold test. Of course, she didn't dare to actually touch it; she just wanted to see the reaction of the people inside. If she could elicit a strange reaction from inside and reveal her secret, the Empress and the others could then openly mobilize the troops.
It must be said that at that time, the Empress Dowager was quite reckless, completely trusting the defensive formation that Chen Qing had set up for her.
But the result was something no one expected.
Qi Long was indeed problematic. He was provoked by the Empress Dowager's action of removing the Black Lantern, which caused a drastic change in his emotions. He even rushed out, but...
"It vanished right in front of you?" Chen Qing pressed.
"Yes!" The Dowager Princess nodded tremblingly, "They disappeared right in front of us, without making a sound."
To be honest, she had never seen such a bizarre scene in her life. A living person, just like dust being wiped off a mirror, vanished into thin air.
"This is..." Shen Qi frowned. He hadn't expected this outcome. The fact that the Black Lantern was still hanging must be extremely important. Qi Long's goal was to use his status to persuade the Empress and the Dowager Consort to back down. The Dowager Consort's feigned attempt to snatch the lamp was a good provocation, and she was indeed provoked. But what kind of plan was it to just disappear into thin air?
Surely he couldn't just use magic to conjure up a person on the spot to scare the Empress Dowager and the Empress, could he?
"At that time, did you have any other feelings?" Chen Qing suddenly asked.
"Other feelings?" The Empress Dowager was taken aback. "What do you mean, Senior?"
"Do you ever have that feeling that there's something around you?"
The Empress Dowager suddenly looked up at Chen Qing: "Senior, do you know what happened?"
She definitely had that feeling; she didn't even dare to mention it. When Qi Long disappeared, she could clearly sense that something was nearby. Although she couldn't see, hear, or even smell anything unusual, she could still feel that something was there—something extremely terrifying!
"Does Your Majesty know what it is?" Shen Qi asked Chen Qing.
"I can guess a little, but I still need to confirm. If it's that thing, this is really going to be a tricky situation."
"What could it be?" Shen Qi, somewhat curious.
"I can't say," Chen Qing shook his head.
Shen Qi was taken aback. It wasn't that she didn't know, but rather that she couldn't say?
"Was it a coincidence that Empress Yun went there today?" Chen Qing asked the Dowager Consort.
"Well... I didn't have time to inquire, but it shouldn't be a coincidence," the Dowager Consort shook her head. "I felt that she seemed to be intentionally helping me see the Empress Dowager, and was obviously looking for something as well."
"Where is Empress Yun? Has she left the palace?"
The Imperial Concubine was taken aback. "Senior, how did you know the Empress would leave the palace?"
"Take me to see Old Madam Yun," Chen Qing said without hesitation.
"Ah?"
--
"So it's His Highness King of Qin in person! I'm so sorry for not greeting you properly!"
Old Madam Yun was very polite to Chen Qing, and she was also extremely surprised by the sudden arrival of such an important figure.
The King of Qin, a figure who rose to prominence five years ago, forced the once-powerful Great Jin to acknowledge the status of a king of a different surname, becoming the first such king since the founding of the dynasty. The name of the Jiangnan Academy had long been known throughout the land, and now even His Majesty had declared his allegiance to Jiangnan. In reality, this man could be considered the ruler of the Northern Yan.
"Madam, you're too kind."
The reason I didn't contact the Yun Family or Murong Family immediately was because the intelligence was unclear, and I was afraid of alerting them. After all, there are so many sects hiding, and many guild players may have already won over these families. Even the Murong Family might not be on my side. Revealing my identity rashly would not do me any good.
But after roughly confirming that it was that thing, Chen Qing was no longer so cautious, because if it were that thing, players from any guild would probably be hiding by now!
"May I ask what brings you here from so far, sir?" Old Madam Yun looked at Chen Qing with some wariness.
His Majesty's decision to ally with Jiangnan came too suddenly; it must be some kind of maneuver by the people of Jiangnan. And this person has come in person; his purpose is probably not simple. These are turbulent times, and the master is in seclusion. To be honest, she doesn't want to have anything to do with this person.
"The situation is urgent, so please, Madam, answer a few questions I may have."
The old lady frowned; the other person's words were a bit too domineering, but she didn't refute them, given the other person's status.
"I humbly request Your Lord King of Qin's guidance."
" Beiyu Jing is a student at the Earth Academy of the Jiangnan Academy. She recently returned to the Northern Wasteland with a group of classmates to visit relatives. Where is she now?"
The old lady's heart skipped a beat. "Didn't she say she was going back to Jiangnan to continue her studies?"
Chen Qing looked at the other person, and the expression on their face didn't seem to be feigned.
They went back. At this point, how could Beiyu possibly go back?
When did you go back?
"Right after His Majesty announced the allegiance to Jiangnan, Jing'er returned from the palace that day, hurriedly taking her leave. She said that some academy tutor had a big project for her and wanted her to go back as soon as possible. I was reluctant to let her go, after all, she had been in a hurry ever since she came back, and I didn't know what she was doing. I didn't have a chance to have a proper chat with her. But thinking about Jing'er's future in Jiangnan, I couldn't stop her."
Did the old lady see her leave the city with her own eyes?
"No, not at all." The other person was taken aback. "The master had just returned and was in a hurry to go into seclusion, so I was busy preparing for him."
"Seclusion," Chen Qing murmured, then looked up and asked, "Could I please see Old Master Beiyu?"
"Huh?" The other person was taken aback. "No, sir, the master is still in seclusion."
"If the old lady trusts me, she may go and inquire. If there is a response from inside, I will not disturb her. How does that sound?"
"Sir, what do you mean by that?" The old lady's heart skipped a beat.
"The literal meaning." Chen Qing didn't hide anything. "I suspect that Beiyu Jing didn't go back, and I also suspect that Old Master Beiyu didn't go into seclusion."
"Does the adult not trust the old woman?"
"No," Chen Qing shook her head, "What I mean is, they kept it from you, Madam."
--
The answer was soon revealed. Although Old Lady Beiyu absolutely refused to believe that her husband would keep even his own secrets, the fact was that when the group arrived at the secluded place and tried to summon him, there was no response at all.
Determined to break through the barrier of seclusion, the old lady was nearly fainted by the eerie scene inside.
The seclusion room reeked of a foul stench, and was littered with human corpses. The food that had been brought in was all spilled on the floor, and there wasn't a single living person in sight.
"Master!!" the old lady screamed, while the guards stood protectively in front of her.
Chen Qing looked at the runes around the secluded cultivation chamber, which showed obvious traces of a magic array. The magic array looked very familiar.
"My lord, it's the Heavenly Yang Formation!"
Shen Qi recognized him at a glance. Shen Qi had studied the art of formations the most in recent years. As an old sorcerer who had lived for two hundred years, his learning ability was far superior to that of ordinary students, and he was proficient in many formations.
" The Heavenly Yang Formation is used to ward off evil spirits and avoid yin. It's used to defend against vengeful ghosts. That kid Bei Beiyu Jing..." Shen Qi frowned. This formation was used in the battle against the Underworld. It was developed by the Jiangnan Academy specifically to resist invading evil spirits.
"This magic array can't stop that thing," Chen Qing said quietly. "Now we can confirm that Qi Long's disappearance wasn't due to any magic technique; he was simply... eaten!"
"Did you eat it?" Shen Qi swallowed and looked at Chen Qing.