Chapter 300: Buried Earth
Anji knew it would be unreasonable to show royalty disrespect by not providing an explanation. Hence, she chewed slowly and thought about what she would tell them. Not even Hong Nian Niang alone could help Anji. Of all the people Anji knew, she needed her shifu or her father’s expertise. Everyone else, while she appreciated their sentiments and desire to help, would only get in the way.
Although the Emperor and Empress were busy people, they did not rush Anji as she ate. If anything, they showed genuine concern for the young girl who seemed to have a frown as heavy as the weight of the world on her shoulders. What exactly did she see, and what did she mean?
After nearly another hour, it was late into the evening when Anji finally finished her cold meal. Normally, she would savour the well-prepared meal. However, not tonight. She tasted nothing on her tongue while her brain ran through many possibilities. Of the sea of tumultuous thoughts, only one made sense to her.
She had to confirm for herself the exact object in the ancestral hall causing the Emperor’s poisoning. She had some suspicions about the poison as it affected even Liu Guiya, a Heavenly Core cultivator. This was more than miasma, even if it seemed similar.
If Song Min truly meant to poison the Emperor through manipulations and cause his death, Anji would be relieved. They could thwart his plans easily and protect the emperor while hunting for Pu Jianming. However, if her fears came true, it would not end with the Emperor’s potential death.
"A long time ago, the world was created with all forms of creation in it," Anji began. "Mythical creatures, animals, evil spirits, Gods and even humans fought on the same land for survival."
Nobody expected a child to start a folk tale after seeing her mentally crumble just hours ago. Anji was truly a mysterious child, but they held their breaths and listened.
Starting from the age of the Gods involving the Jade Emperor and his ascension, Anji told the story that many philosophers and religious scholars knew by heart. The Jade Emperor was the only person who unified all three dimensions and separated them for peace and prosperity. Here, the story changed a little.
"The Jade Emperor dictated that mankind would live in the physical world that we know. Souls that have passed on here will fall to the netherworld for judgment and reincarnation after trials. However, for souls who have accumulated enough good karma, they will be given a gift for cultivation and a chance to pursue enlightenment the same way the Jade Emperor did to achieve godhood."
Hearing this, even Noble Consort Liu was surprised. Were these special texts from the Mystical Qilin’s long historical archive?
"The spirits and energy that we have are a symbiotic balance. Gods and humans are also in a similar relationship," Anji explained. "So are mythical beasts. And in this very capital city, a huge ancient array exists that has protected it from evil spirits. The four guardian beasts that guard each gate may no longer be here, but they continue to watch over the balance of this world in slumber. However, much of the knowledge to summon them has been lost in time. The array continues to work silently with one key difference."
The golden scale.
After inspecting the entire Forbidden City and a layout of Chang’an itself, even after the expanded territory, Anji concluded her previous selves had created this giant array using the Five Element theory. However, why were there only four elemental guardians for the gates? There was something else missing from the formula.
The four mythical beasts represent one element each. The Azure Dragon guards the east and represents Spring, the element of Wood. Vermillion Bird of the South, like the Phoenix, is a guardian of eternal fire. White Tiger facing the West is a fierce protector that demonstrates military might and metal. The last guardian is the Black Tortoise from the North, and it faces the river, representing water.
"Nowhere in this array is a fifth element representing Earth, the foundational stabiliser for all four elements to grow," Anji pointed out. "Any basic spell master will quickly realise this. Hence, it’s obvious that in the centre of this array is the real key to the formation."
Although Anji did not know where the golden dragon, the true guardian of the Earth element and stability, was buried, she knew it had to be in the Palace somewhere.
Pointing at the Emperor, Anji explained the reason for her collapse three days ago.
"There was a strange energy oppressing Your Majesty that I removed in the treatment. This strange energy only seems to affect you and nobody else. Noble Consort Liu and I concluded it must be in a place that only you have regular access to. I had completely removed it previously, but today, a faint trace has reappeared. It does not seem to affect mortals greatly, but higher-level cultivators are greatly affected due to quick corrosion after contact."
Perhaps it was due to her suppressed cultivation cores that prevented Anji from a quick death. The dose was not lethal, but even so, Liu Guiya suffered the most. Anji realised that it did not work on Extreme Yang energy. Nothing escaped her second sight and medical insights. Staring at Noble Consort Liu in the eyes, Anji gave her a faint smile. She knew it from the moment Liu Guiya stepped in to help stabilise her brothers. Thankfully, the flow of the strange negative energy through Yihao’s Extreme Yang energy had weakened it considerably before Liu Guiya attempted to purify it with internal arts.
After dropping such a huge truth bomb, Anji stood up and knelt on the floor, dropping her head low to beg.
"Please, allow me access to the ancestral hall for investigation. I understand it is not my place to intrude upon a sacred resting place and desecrate the dead. However, this concerns the lives of everyone in Chang’an. As a doctor before a cultivator, I cannot ignore the possibility of a great evil scheme endangering innocent lives."
