Why do you wake up as soon as I call you?
Lingyan's eyes were also looking at her intently, and there seemed to be a glint in them.
"Because it's you."
Gu Zhong didn't know how to explain it; it was a call and resonance from her soul, the faith she had followed throughout her life.
—As long as it's you, I will only fight for you.
Lingyan's gaze softened, as if a layer of water rippled within it.
She didn't tell Gu Zhong that she had a very long dream while she was unconscious.
In her dream, she seemed to be searching endlessly, searching high and low, crossing life and death and time and space, just to find one person.
In the dream, that person stood on the horizon, only a blurry silhouette, the outline indistinct.
But with just one glance, she could hardly control her emotions and heartbeat, her heart pounding with joy and excitement.
That feeling almost brought her to tears.
When she woke up and saw Gu Zhong waiting by her side, that same feeling welled up in her heart again.
Gu Zhong was that person, her thoughts screamed.
Lingyan couldn't truly understand this feeling, but she could sense that Gu Zhong must be a very important person to her, just as she was to Gu Zhong.
"Gu Zhong, will you always stay with me?"
Suddenly, she felt compelled to ask that question, and so she did.
"I will always be there for you whenever you need me."
The answer came without hesitation from Gu Zhong, without a trace of falsehood.
This time, Gu Zhong was determined not to break his promise.
——
The following day, Chu Cheng, Ling Ying, and the others dragged their weary bodies back to the Imperial Preceptor's residence.
As soon as he entered the mansion, he searched everywhere for people to find out where Lingyan was.
When he brought a box of fresh pastries from the best pastry shop in the capital to visit her, Gu Zhong was holding a bowl of bitter medicine, coaxing Ling Yan to drink it while feeding her jujubes.
Upon seeing this scene, Chu Cheng felt for the first time that his presence was somewhat superfluous and unnecessary.
He banished the strange feelings and thoughts from his mind, put on a warm smile, and greeted the two of them.
"Miss Ling, Elder Gu."
Ling Yan rolled her eyes at him, while Gu Zhong didn't even bother to glance at her.
"Yesterday's battle was truly beyond my control, and I, Chu Cheng, apologize for it. May I ask how Miss Ling's injuries are?"
Thinking that Lingyan might be angry because of her injury, Chu Cheng apologized carefully, choosing his words carefully.
"Okay, it's not a big problem. Is there anything else?"
Ling Yan glanced at Gu Zhong and saw that although he didn't say anything, his face had visibly darkened. She then took on the responsibility of getting rid of him.
"Uh—actually, I've come here today to discuss something with Elder Gu."
Sensing Lingyan's unspoken message to send him away, Chu Cheng was reluctant to leave. He casually made up an excuse, as if he needed to take Gu Zhong with him to ease his frustration.
"What is it?"
Although Gu Zhong felt annoyed, he couldn't be careless if it was really important, so he spoke concisely.
"Well--"
Chu Cheng glanced at Ling Yan, somewhat hesitant.
"Is there some confidential matter that you don't want me to hear?"
Ling Yan put on a seemingly understanding and sweet smile, but it concealed a strong threat.
"Last night, when we were cleaning the palace, we found that, apart from the Queen, all the palace staff and exorcists had been murdered."
Having known her for many years, Chu Cheng could more or less sense the sense of crisis involved. He immediately stopped delaying and quickly voiced the doubts he had discovered the previous night, using them as an excuse to cover up his predicament.
"Apart from the Queen?"
Gu Zhong grasped the key points very well.
"Yes."
"How is the Queen doing now?"
"Still unconscious."
This whole affair is bizarre. Whether it's the sudden appearance of demons in the palace or the demons failing to kill the queen, it all seems too illogical.
"Could it be that the demon only escaped last night with serious injuries?"
Chu Cheng glanced at Gu Zhong hesitantly, then, with a do-or-die attitude, voiced a guess.
"Hey! What did you say?"
Such blatant attempts to sow discord, yet Ling Yan, unwilling to tolerate even the slightest doubt in Gu Zhong, immediately prepared to angrily refute Chu Cheng.
"It's not impossible."
However, Gu Zhong did not refute, but instead fell into deep thought.
"Your Majesty, have you ever left the palace?"
A moment later, she suddenly asked an unrelated question.
"What's the meaning?"
Chu Cheng frowned, somewhat puzzled.
"Because—only the Queen can bring demons into the palace."
When all questions remain unanswered, we might as well return to the very root of the matter—where do demons come from?
Within the impregnable royal palace, this most illogical explanation for the origin of the demons became the only one.
"...Qingxi Taoist Temple, the Queen led the women of the harem to worship there two months ago."
Chapter 126 Swordsman and Exorcist (Part 12)
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Qingxi Taoist Temple is located in the suburbs of the capital.
Since the rise of magic and the reverence of exorcists, many Taoist temples have sprung up on this land to worship the unknown ancestral magicians.
Most of the people in the royal city went to this nearest Taoist temple.
It is a long-standing tradition for the royal family to visit ancestral temples, so it is not surprising that the Queen would leave the palace.
"Shouldn't the Imperial Preceptor's residence also accompany them?"
As if struck by a thought, Gu Zhong asked again.
"Of course, my master was still healthy at the time, and he went there in person. With him there, how could the queen possibly bring demons back to the palace?"
Chu Cheng frowned unhappily, clearly not believing the speculation that Gu Zhong had damaged the prestige of the Imperial Preceptor's Mansion.
"Why are there demons in the palace?"
Gu Zhong gave him a half-smile.
"Perhaps...perhaps that demon—has been lurking in the palace for many years...or—it infiltrated sometime during that time..."
Chu Cheng carefully searched for reasons, but he couldn't help feeling guilty as he spoke.
The safety of the royal palace is the responsibility of the Imperial Preceptor's Office, and no matter how you look at it, this matter is a dereliction of duty by the Imperial Preceptor's Office.
"So, if we really want to find out why the Queen is being possessed by demons, we'll have to go to the Taoist temple?"
Lingyan didn't seem to object to Gu Zhong's conjecture; on the contrary, she seemed eager to try it out.
"Do you really want to go looking for trouble?"
Ling Ying appeared at the doorway without anyone noticing, looking at the group with an unwilling expression.
"Isn't it enough to just subdue the demons? What good would it do to dig deeper?"
He shrugged, clearly disapproving of their decision.
"The Queen is still not well, and it is unknown whether the demon has truly been defeated. This matter is not yet over."
Although unwilling to admit that the Imperial Preceptor's oversight led to the tragic scene in the palace, Chu Cheng still held onto the belief that he must eliminate the demon completely.
"You don't have to go if you don't want to. You can just eat, drink, and have fun here every day."
Ling Yan gave him a disdainful look, which only provoked Ling Ying.
"Who said I'm not going?! I'll go then, who's afraid?"
Ling Ying, who had been lazily leaning against the door frame, suddenly stood up straight, like a cat with its fur standing on end.
"Lingying..."
Lingyan suddenly called his name again.
"What's up?"
Ling Ying responded impatiently.
"Your magic seems to have improved considerably after last night's battle?"
Seeing that he looked the same as always, a hint of suspicion appeared in Ling Yan's eyes.
"What? Can't I become stronger? Are you looking down on me?"
Ling Ying immediately jumped up, her face full of anger.
"It's good that you know. After all, some people have been clamoring to teach me a lesson all day long, but they haven't made any progress in years. It seems that this trip has actually helped you break through your bottleneck."
Ling Yan felt no guilt about striking back at Ling Ying, after all, the two had always been at odds.