Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 375 The wild goose plucking its feathers
But if you look closely, you will find that the hazy light on the jade seal has dimmed a lot.

In fact, after Chen Qingzhi drew out the divine fire, the imperial seal had turned into an ordinary piece of jade and was no longer a treasure unique to this world.

That's why he was able to be taken on the thousand-mile ship by Chen Qianzhi.

"This is the imperial seal, how can it be destroyed just like that?" Zu Chongzhi couldn't help but smack his lips and said, "There won't be any serious consequences, right?"

"No, because it has long been out of control." Chen Qingzhi shook his head and showed the broken corner of the jade seal inlaid with gold, saying: "In the late Western Han Dynasty, Wang Mang ordered Anyang Marquis Wang Shun to force Empress Dowager Xiaoyuan to hand over the jade seal. The empress dowager threw the jade seal to the ground in anger, and when this corner fell off, the destiny was revealed."

He continued, "In fact, if the jade seal was intact, there wouldn't be any demons descending into the world."

"Indeed, the imperial seal fell just as a meteor shower occurred in the Battle of Jinyang. Those old witches were just waiting for this opportunity." Zu Chongzhi nodded.

"Because the Ten Witches believe that the royal family smashed the jade seal themselves, which marks the end of the Human Emperor's rule." Chen Qingzhi said softly.

"Who knows if they are behind Wang Mang? I think they are most likely involved in Wang Mang's crazy actions." Zu Chongzhi snorted.

"That's unknown." Chen Qingzhi said with a smile, "Follow Master's instructions and refine the divine fire for you. I will take the jade seal back to report."

"Can you still deliver this thing?" Zu Chongzhi said with some worry: "Xiao Yan is very careful and can definitely see the changes."

"Yes, it certainly did not escape the emperor's eyes." Chen Qingzhi smiled faintly and said, "But I can completely push the responsibility to Xiao Zong and Xiao Baoyin. I don't think the emperor will force anyone to do anything."

"That's right. It's good enough to be able to find the jade seal." Zu Chongzhi agreed and said, "Who cares about that?"

"That's exactly what I mean." Chen Qingzhi nodded and smiled, "Brother, how long will it take you to refine it?"

"One year." Zu Chongzhi thought for a moment and said, "I mean one year in reality."

"So long?" Chen Qianzhi felt a little overwhelmed.

"What are you talking about? This is the Human Emperor's divine fire. If I don't refine it completely, will that kid be able to bear it?" Zu Chongzhi said speechlessly, "It will take ten years to completely refine the Human Emperor's divine fire. Even if it's just a part of it, I've already risked my life, okay?"

"That's true." Chen Qingzhi nodded and smiled, "I am impatient. Time really doesn't wait for us."

“Yes, we must finish everything before the Dream God wakes up, otherwise there will be no hope at all…” Zu Chongzhi nodded in understanding.

After saying that, the two said goodbye and went their separate ways.

~~
Ren Yuan also led his troops to sneak out of Xingyang City, retreating 500 miles without stopping.

As soon as they entered Xuzhou, they encountered Liang army scouts. Upon asking, they found out that the main camp was indeed twenty miles southwest of Pengcheng.

Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief, the mission was successfully completed.

Ren Yuan then ordered Song Jingxiu and Yu Tianmin to lead the team back to the camp.

"Captain, where are you going?" the two asked hurriedly.

"To do some personal business." Ren Yuan chuckled and kept the question in suspense.

"Are we going to deal with that person?" Yu Tianmin asked after a moment of hesitation.

"Don't ask." Ren Yuan said vaguely: "Some things are better left unsaid."

The two thought that Xiao Zong was really going to be dealt with, so they nodded and stopped asking questions.

After Ren Yuan watched the pursuit team go away, he turned back to Chen Baxian and Yang Zhong and said, "We are the only ones left."

"It's better to stand out with fewer people." Chen Baxian laughed, "With more people, I don't even have a chance to show my face." "Just don't show your butt." Yang Zhong stabbed him and said to Ren Yuan, "Let's go."

"Let's deal with that person first." Ren Yuan said in a deep voice.

~~
Although Chen Qingzhi instructed Ren Yuan not to get Xiao Zong's blood on his hands.

But in public, he was a thief who stole the seal and committed treason; in private, he was the culprit in the tomb robbery of Duke Donghun, killing Liu Zhongjun and so many villagers. Ren Yuan absolutely could not let him go.

So Ren Yuan didn't let the princess treat Xiao Zong's injuries, and he didn't treat him himself either.

Although the wound from the ribs was not fatal, it was deep and severe enough that it had become infected after a few days and caused a high fever...

"I was planning to wait until you were seriously injured and passed away." Ren Yuan looked at Xiao Zong, whose face was as pale as gold paper and lips were as white as a sheet of paper.
"But I'm in a hurry, so I decided to give you a break and send you on your way early."

"Thank you." Xiao Zong smiled with resignation, and begged, "Can I make a request?"

"Go ahead." Ren Yuan nodded.

"I don't want to die in the Northern Dynasty. This is a foreign land." Xiao Zong said slowly, "But I also don't want to die in the Southern Dynasty. That's not my home either."

"Then where do you want to die?" Ren Yuan rolled his eyes and thought, should I launch you to the moon?

"East China Sea." Xiao Zong said softly: "If my soul can return to the East China Sea, I will tell you a huge secret, and it is related to you."

"Do you want to go to the East China Sea to see the moonlight?" A Yao behind Ren Yuan suddenly asked.

"Yes." Xiao Zong did not deny it.

"You tell me first. If the value is high enough, I can consider it," Ren Yuan said.

"Okay." Xiao Zong had no bargaining power, and he didn't even have the energy to bargain.

"I have checked your background. You are the head of the Shangqing Sect of Taoism, right?"

"..." Ren Yuan's pupils shrank. It was not surprising that Xiao Zong could find out that he was from Shangqing Sect. But he didn't expect that he could even find out something that only a few people knew, such as the Sect Leader.

"I learned about it from the Ghost King's people." Xiao Zong did not keep the secret.

"I followed the thread of your appearance and found that you once fought against the Ghost King's army in Wuling County. You may not know that the Ghost King was once Xiao Yan's ally and even sent the Ghost King's army to help him rebel."

"I've heard of it." Ren Yuan said softly.

"That's good, I don't have to waste my breath." Xiao Zong forced a smile and said, "To put it simply, the Ghost King and Buddha were both gods who helped Xiao Yan start his army, but after the founding of Daliang, they fell out because of the uneven distribution of spoils - in fact, it was a question of who should be the state religion."

"In the end, Xiao Yan chose the less sinister Buddhist religion, but he didn't feel too bad about the Ghost King, and he gave the entire southwest to the Ghost Kingdom to manage. Of course, he didn't have any good intentions, he just hoped that the Ghost King could check and balance the Buddha to prevent the Buddhist religion from dominating."

Xiao Zong coughed twice and sneered, "It was all in vain. He didn't restrict the Fu Tu Sect at all. Now in the eyes of others, he is just a dog with a broken spine."

"I know all this, don't go off topic." Ren Yuan reminded him.

"Okay." Xiao Zong nodded and said, "Anyway, the Ghost King and Xiao Yan stick together for warmth, so I have some connections with the Ghost Kingdom. They told me your identity."

"I was clearly wearing a vest at that time." Ren Yuan muttered softly, but he also knew that he did not hide his identity at the time, and still left some clues. As long as someone is interested, they can always find out that the younger version of Sun Youyue is himself.

(End of this chapter)