The Ninth Lady is a rebellious person.

Chapter 245 Self-reflection: Avoid Preconceived notions

Hearing the words "pillar of strength" from Lang Jiuchuan, Gong Qi felt uneasy. This meant that the three thousand Fu family soldiers were unable to pass away because of intentional suppression. If the Xuan Clan wasn't behind this, it would be fine. But if the Xuan Clan was, how could it be considered a righteous path?

Suppressing the souls of soldiers and preventing them from being reborn defies the cycle of Yin and Yang. How is this any different from controlling ghosts?

And those were not just one or two ghosts, but a large group of them, the souls of soldiers who died for their country and were burdened with merit.

Gong Qi felt uneasy and guilty. She stole a glance at Lang Jiuchuan and swallowed hard.

He was extremely flustered and said dryly, "To guess that it's an array pillar just based on a single stele is a bit too frivolous, isn't it?"

“I guess there’s some basis to it.” Lang Jiuchuan unfolded a map for him, gestured for a moment, and said, “Look at the structure and layout of the Bagua City, what do you see?”

People are prone to preconceived notions, and Gong Qi himself was no fool. He had studied the clan's collection of books extensively and had an excellent memory. The layout of the Bagua City was clearly in the shape of the Tai Chi Bagua, and following Lang Jiuchuan's gestures, he had already come up with a formation diagram.

"The Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation." Gong Qi's voice was slightly cold as he said, "But the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation is a trapping and killing formation, mostly used in battle to trap people, trap..."

His words suddenly stopped, and his face turned pale.

The Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation is not only used to trap living people, but also to trap evil spirits. Taoists even have such a formation plate as a ritual artifact, which is extremely rare.

Now, a city laid out in the shape of a nine-palace eight-trigram formation will not only trap people, but also trap their souls.

Gong Qi had nothing to say, but her heart grew colder and colder than the north wind.

Seeing his guilty look, Lang Jiuchuan said, "It looks like a formation now, but who set it up is still unknown. You don't need to think too much about it. Perhaps it wasn't your ancestor who did it."

Gong Qi tugged at the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile that was even uglier than a grimace.

This consolation feels utterly inadequate!

For two hundred years since its founding, Da Dan has been a stable nation. The previous two rulers were diligent in managing state affairs, which led to the flourishing of the nation, with all nations coming to pay tribute. On the contrary, the current ruler seems to be enjoying himself.

With the country at peace and the people enjoying prosperity, and this Bagua City having been rebuilt since the founding of the nation and always having this name, who else could have set up this formation?

Surely there weren't lunatics like Cong Bian back then, who were also plotting and causing trouble for some grand plan, right?

Gong Qi shuddered at the thought and said, "There was a madman like Cong Bian before, and he was even taught by that demonic Kong Jin. Could there be other demonic figures like Kong Jin doing such insidious things?"

Seeing Lang Jiuchuan looking over in surprise, Gong Qi's face flushed, and he said, "I'm not trying to make excuses for the ancestors of the Xuan Clan, but I just thought of this possibility. After all, Biandu has existed for a hundred years, and the Demonic Daoist Kong Jin should also be a figure from the same era as our Xuan Clan's ancestors. Two hundred years ago, the Xuanmen sorcerers and magicians were full of talents, and many of them walked in the secular world."

As he spoke, he sighed again. In those days, cultivators didn't have so many worldly desires; they were single-minded in their cultivation, and thus their cultivation levels were high and they attained the Great Dao. In the last two hundred years, the spiritual energy has declined year by year, and the quality of cultivators has become uneven. Alas.

Lang Jiuchuan said, "I didn't mean you were covering for someone. I just think you're quick-witted and can think of this. I certainly didn't. You're very capable."

She spoke these words with great sincerity and even bowed to Gong Qi, because Gong Qi's words were a reminder to her not to be prejudiced in anything, lest she be blinded by the fog and lose her judgment.

She generally didn't have a good impression of the Xuan Clan, and when she suddenly heard that the Bagua City was built by the ancestor of the Tantai Clan, she had a preconceived notion that the Bagua City was closely related to them. But Gong Qi's words just now reminded her that two hundred years ago, there were many outstanding cultivators. Later generations may not be able to fully inherit the achievements of their predecessors, but their predecessors truly left behind a legacy, proving their abilities.

So just because the cultivation level of the current cultivators in the Xuan Clan is not very high doesn't mean that the elders from two hundred years ago were not capable.

What about their fellow Daoists from the same period? Although Demonic Daoist Kong Jin has taken the evil path, he is also a man of real skill. How many more powerful figures like him are unknown to the public?

Therefore, before we can find out who was responsible for this Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams City and this stele, we really cannot draw a conclusion.

Lang Jiuchuan also secretly reminded herself not to look at people with prejudice in the future, otherwise she would have brought it on herself if she ended up in a mess.

If you make a mistake, admit it; if you have shortcomings, learn from those who came before you. This is the way to make progress.

Her life is precious; she can't let herself be foolish enough to lose it just because she's a little more capable than others.

Gong Qi was startled by Lang Jiuchuan's solemn and formal bow, and said, "You'd better stay arrogant. This sudden humility is making me even more uneasy!"

He appreciated the praise, but felt he couldn't accept it.

Lang Jiuchuan: "..."

She looked at the small tower at the very top, a cold glint in her eyes, and said, "No matter who did it, it must be for the purpose of suppressing the soul. If it is used to suppress these three thousand Fu family soldiers, their ambitions must be considerable."

It uses a Soul-Suppressing Spirit Talisman, which has extremely strong magical power; it's known that ordinary Soul-Suppressing Talismans are not powerful enough.

"So what should we do now?" Gong Qi followed her gaze and said, "If we destroy this array pillar, will we be able to free them from the Soul-Trapping Array?"

Lang Jiuchuan shook his head: "We shouldn't act rashly without figuring it out. This is just our guess. How do we know if this stele has any other uses? If it does, and we move it, we'll have to bear the consequences if innocent people are harmed. We can ferry the dead back to their rightful place, but we shouldn't sacrifice innocent people to do so."

Gong Qi felt somewhat ashamed and said, "It was my oversight."

He only thought about the suffering of the Fu family army in the inferno and hoped that they could be freed from their misery and be reborn as soon as possible. He did not think that some things could not be done with just passion, but also with consideration for other living beings.

“Let’s go into the city first and see what the purpose of this stele is. Surely someone in the city knows, and the city chronicles should also record it.” Lang Jiuchuan looked at him and said, “By the way, didn’t your Xuan clan record this important event? The reconstruction of a city should also be recorded, especially the reconstruction in which the Xuan clan’s ancestor participated.”

Gong Qi said, "I'll send a telepathic message to our young master to ask."

Lang Jiuchuan nodded, paused, and then said, "There's no need to say anything else. Just ask him if there are any records of this Bagua City being built two hundred years ago. I'm not trying to guard against him. You know that you want to overthrow the old system and inject fresh and resilient blood into the Xuan Clan. Some things will definitely go against the old people's wishes, and I don't want to make things difficult for you."

Her words sounded nice, but they didn't quite reflect the majority of the Xuan Clan's beliefs.

Gong Qi didn't expose her. Just as he took out the communication talisman, he heard the rapid clatter of hooves. People dressed in city guard uniforms rode out from the city gate and galloped quickly toward them.

"It's them! I noticed them a long time ago. They've been sneaking around the Martyrs' Monument without offering incense or paying their respects. They must be trying to kill themselves in front of the monument. Could they be spies?" the man who had been chased away by Gong Qi earlier shouted, brandishing his claws.

Gong Qi and Lang Jiuchuan exchanged a glance. Were they being treated like thieves?