Chapter 10: The Soul-Devouring Curse Has Already Been Cast Twice

The Imperial Astronomer leaned in, intending to get a closer look.

He watched as Qiao Niannian picked up the brush, and with a flourish of sweeping strokes, a peace talisman was completed.

Moreover, the effect of this peace talisman was even better than the one currently in the Emperor’s hand.

The skepticism the Imperial Astronomer had originally harbored vanished completely.

The Emperor looked at the freshly minted talisman, feeling very satisfied.

He would be able to get a good night’s sleep again tonight.

The Emperor reached out, about to take it.

Another hand was faster than his.

"Your Majesty, this talisman is quite effective. I’ll take it back to study. Little girl, are you interested in joining the Imperial Astronomical Bureau? It’s quite fun there; you just have to catch ghosts when you’re bored."

Qiao Niannian’s eyes widened.

No, she was only ten years old.

Child labor was not acceptable.

The Imperial Astronomer noticed the resentment in Qiao Niannian’s eyes and realized his words were indeed problematic.

But it wasn't entirely his fault.

Qiao Niannian’s abilities far exceeded her age, making him subconsciously treat her like a master.

"How about this: you can consider it. I’ll give you a token. Whenever you need high-quality talisman paper or cinnabar, just come to our Bureau to get it. The things we have here aren't available on the market."

With that, he fished a token out from his robes and handed it to Qiao Niannian.

Qiao Niannian did not refuse.

When she was drawing the talisman earlier, she had indeed sensed that the paper and cinnabar were top-tier goods—very good indeed.

The Imperial Astronomer stared at Qiao Niannian’s face for a few more moments and couldn't help but exclaim, "Strange."

"This fate of yours is truly unique. By all logic, you should have faced a great catastrophe in your life, yet it now appears to have been resolved."

But according to his deductions, that catastrophe should have been inescapable.

Qiao Niannian nodded. "Master Astronomer, your intuition is correct. Something did happen at home, and it just happened to be resolved today."

The Emperor had been irritable due to his headaches, and his mother’s use of witchcraft had struck at the Emperor’s principles, so he naturally showed no mercy.

And her having the Crown Prince deliver the talisman to the Emperor was also in the hope that the Emperor could calmly investigate the matter without making any mistakes.

After all, when it comes to fate, sometimes it comes down to a hair's breadth, and often that tiny gap is a pitfall ordinary people cannot cross.

Fortunately, everything was resolved now; the ending was perfect.

Thinking of Qiao Niannian’s skills, the Imperial Astronomer felt he had been worrying for nothing.

From Qiao Niannian, he could only see things that had already happened; as for what the future held, he couldn't calculate a single thing.

This meant Qiao Niannian’s cultivation was not below his own.

In the world of metaphysics, one cannot see through the fate of others unless they are several levels higher.

He clearly could not see through Qiao Niannian.

The Imperial Astronomer was not one to dwell on things, so he quickly pushed the matter of being unable to read her fate to the back of his mind and switched to asking about the talisman drawing.

"Little girl, besides peace talismans, do you know any other spells?"

The Emperor sneered, "Imperial Astronomer, what you should be doing right now is hurrying to handle the major case in your hands. As for Nian-ya tou, she has other things to do."

Having said that, the Emperor left with the Crown Prince and Qiao Niannian.

As they left, Xia Rongyu naturally gathered up the talisman-drawing tools and handed them to Qiao Niannian. She did not refuse.

These were all good things.

Most importantly, she could have physical contact while taking the paper.

Last time she had contact with Xia Rongyu, Qiao Niannian hadn't actively absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, so the effect was limited.

This time, she actively drew in the energy. The moment their fingertips touched, the spiritual energy seemed to grow eyes, surging madly into Qiao Niannian’s body.

Qiao Niannian went from active absorption to passive intake.

The feeling was like playing a game where everyone else relied on their own skills, but she was using a cheat code, sweeping through her enemies.

It was so powerful that she even doubted her own existence.

Thinking of how much she had benefited from Xia Rongyu, Qiao Niannian took the initiative to speak: "Later, I’ll give you a protective talisman. It can keep you from being invaded by evil spirits."

The Imperial Astronomer’s eyes widened.

No.

That thing seemed to be his.

The Crown Prince was using his property to offer a favor, and he was the one getting the benefits—why?

He wanted a protective talisman too.

But the Emperor was stingy and just took the people away. When he tried to chase after them, he was blocked by the eunuchs.

"Imperial Astronomer, the Emperor said you should hurry back and handle your official business."

The Imperial Astronomer walked away, looking back every few steps, still pondering whether he should sneak into the Eastern Palace tonight to steal the protective talisman and take a look.

He wondered what kind of effect a protective talisman drawn by the little girl would have.

He was simply too curious; not being able to see it made his heart feel as itchy as if it had been sprinkled with itching powder.

On the other side.

The Emperor brought Qiao Niannian and the Crown Prince to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

This was the Emperor’s bedchamber.

The Imperial Astronomer had previously said that the fading color of the cinnabar was definitely due to an attack by evil spirits, but he had looked for a long time and found no issues.

At the time, the Imperial Astronomer had suggested having the person who drew the talisman come to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to take a look, thinking they might spot something.

Qiao Niannian simply explained the matter of the voodoo dolls, mentioning that the other party intended to find a scapegoat. She had accidentally discovered the forbidden technique and replaced it with Buddhist scriptures; her parents knew nothing of it.

The Emperor hadn't expected that witchcraft was actually involved.

"So, my Imperial Father was actually under a witchcraft spell? If the spell is broken, will he be alright?" Xia Rongyu asked.

Qiao Niannian nodded. "Yes. However, this blood curse is extremely vicious. Generally, the person who casts such a curse must have a deep-seated hatred, because a blood curse requires the sorcerer’s own essence blood as a catalyst. Once the curse is broken, not only will they suffer a backlash, but their life will also be in jeopardy."

"Even for someone with profound cultivation, they would lose eight or nine-tenths of their power. Under normal circumstances, a sorcerer wouldn't easily use it on someone, because once started, it is a fight to the death."

"The blood curse the Emperor is suffering from is different from an ordinary one. It is a Soul-Devouring Blood Curse. The sorcerer needs to perform the ritual three times. After the third time, the Emperor will explode and die, his soul shattered, leaving no trace behind."

Hearing Qiao Niannian’s explanation of the blood curse, the Emperor felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. Who on earth was so ruthless that they would sacrifice their own life just to take his?

The Emperor had killed many people, but he couldn't think of who hated him this much!

Just as the atmosphere in the palace became incredibly tense, a "thud"—the sound of something hitting the ground—came from outside.

The Emperor composed himself. "Who is it? Come in!"

The next moment, the Imperial Astronomer walked in with a sheepish grin, scratching his head in embarrassment. "Your Majesty, you can't blame me for this. I was just curious about what was going on with you not being able to sleep at night, but you wouldn't let me listen."

That was why he had used a diversionary tactic.

Fortunately, he had run fast on the way over, so he hadn't missed Qiao Niannian’s brilliant remarks just now.

Thinking of the Soul-Devouring Blood Curse, the Imperial Astronomer looked at Qiao Niannian with sparkling eyes.

"Little girl, I didn't expect that not only can you draw talismans, but you are also so knowledgeable about witchcraft. Can you break this blood curse?"

Seeing the Imperial Astronomer ask the question he cared about most, the Emperor couldn't be bothered to be angry with him; his own life was what mattered now.

Qiao Niannian glanced at the Emperor and then spoke.

"Observing the Emperor’s physiognomy, this Soul-Devouring Blood Curse has already been cast twice. The other party’s plan was to use the Marquis’s estate as a scapegoat, but they didn't expect my parents to avoid it. Now that the plan has been exposed, they will likely perform the ritual again tonight."