Murim's Weakest Princess

Chapter 305: An Eye for an Eye, A Soul for a Soul

In the coming days, Mingshen was very busy investigating the truth behind Anji’s paranoia. Meanwhile, Yihao spent his days eating more than usual to recharge his energy. Although he had a vast reservoir of Extreme Yang Energy, charging hundreds of stones was no mean feat. Anji shut herself in the guest study to reverse-engineer the soul curse on the brainwashing hairpin.Many things were progressing on different fronts, and by the time Anji finally found a hint about the difference between soul curses and regular curses, a new letter from the Mystical Qilin Sect arrived at the Red Palace.

Once again, Anji set out to find her Godmother. This time, with some gifts in hand, thanks to her third brother.

"Godmother," she greeted politely and handed the small pouch of charged Yang Energy Gems back to her.

The lady in red squealed with delight at the high-quality products and hugged Anji. Both Yihao and Mingshen were extremely busy with interrogation and investigation. Hence, only Anji arrived at the Red Palace alone. Thanks to the Noble Consort escorting her previously, Anji knew her way around the secret passage and could move freely. The attacks on the Emperor and Empress resumed just last night, and while the matter was taken care of swiftly, it tied the Noble Consort to their side.

When Hong Nian Niang heard this, she hummed thoughtfully. Mingshen sent a brief message to her via pigeon. However, hearing the full story and theory from Anji was a whole new world.

"In your opinion, why would a general who killed an assassin’s family marry the only surviving daughter of that family, who is also an assassin, when they are not in love?"

The question came from the left field, and Anji had no immediate response. Her first thought was that it was a silly endeavour. Only people who flirted with death or have a sick thrill from flaunting power while tempting fate would do such a thing.

"Anji does not know," she answered truthfully. It was better to be honest than to pretend she had all the answers when she did not know any better. "Please enlighten me."

It was a classic tale, actually. Hong Nian Niang grinned. Anji was still young and pure-hearted. If possible, she would like this child to remain innocent forever. However, since Anji was the first to suspect the evil ploy, greater than anyone else’s imagination, Hong Nian Niang could no longer shield her from reality.

"It’s guilt, Anji. It’s guilt," Hong Nian Niang explained. "In the world of power, while there are sick people in the head, there are those who have no choice but to do something silly and obviously wrong as a means to atone for their sins. The general might not have killed her because he felt sorry for her. But he also had a duty that put him in a tough spot. Against the greater evil, he chose the lesser, even if it meant sacrificing himself."

Hearing this, Anji’s eyes widened in enlightenment. At first, she had no idea why Hong Nian Niang was telling her a love story. However, the more she thought about how it might apply in this situation, the clearer the parts of the puzzle that did not fit started to make sense.

"But... but the soul wither poison..."

If the Emperor or his ancestors were the general and the assassin he married was the unknown danger he embraced out of guilt in the ancestral hall, did that mean the Emperor was colluding with the demonic cult?

Here, Hong Nian Niang sighed.

"It would be good if he were just a dumb Emperor who knows nothing about it," she concluded. "And he likely is from your second brother’s investigation. However, you must know that the person who instigated the general to kill that assassin’s family might still want that daughter dead. I wonder who that cruel mastermind controlling the general is."

Handing Anji the new letter from the Mystical Qilin Sect, Hong Nian Niang smiled.

"I hope you might be able to find a hint in here about our mysterious mastermind. After all, you’ve been working very hard, haven’t you? Mingshen told me you have been working non-stop to reverse-engineer the brainwashing hairpin’s curse."

Of course, there was nothing to hide from the Madam of the Red Palace. Anji nodded and received the letter, reading it quickly. Hong Nian Niang must have already read it, hence the unprompted story time earlier.

After reading the letter transcribed by Elder Shen, Anji confirmed her suspicions. The person was not Pu Jianming but Song Min using Pu Jianming. The mastermind had to be him. Why else would a member of the Mystical Qilin Sect who was not interested in becoming the successor create something that would harm one?

From the letter, it seemed her teacher was equally upset about it. Anji was given permission to execute the traitor if her life was ever in danger, instead of merely apprehending him, as previously mentioned. Moreover, a text about soul spells was attached, and Anji studied that diagram.

Observing with keen interest at the side, Hong Nian Niang wondered if Anji would slip her some information about the only part in that letter she could not understand. The contents of the text and situation, she understood. However, she did not comprehend the diagram and calculations about the new soul spell. If anything, those symbols were probably very ancient, as they were not used in any modern spell talismans.

After reading the research notes they found back in the forbidden archives, Anji’s brain started to work in overdrive.

"Godmother, could I borrow some writing supplies?" she asked. "There is something I’d like to test."

As Anji’s previous discovery aligned with these research notes, she had a feeling she might be able to create the counter curse for the brainwashing hairpin. Although it was not a cure, she would be able to save innocent people by rebinding the souls attached to those pins and returning them to the caster.

"Song Min, just you wait..." Anji thought. "I’ll return everything to you."

Curses, poison and all, an eye for an eye, a soul for a soul. As long as Anji was here, the ghost general would never harm another innocent person. This much, she promised on Zhong Kui’s soul.