kvmb Chapter 126 The Murder Ritual
Chapter 126 The Murder Ritual
When Chu Ci arrived, good news came—the hallucinogen in the spices had been successfully discovered!
At this moment, the imperial physicians are working tirelessly, putting in extra hours to develop an antidote for this poison.
When Chu Ci looked up, the first thing she noticed was Zhang Ping's dark circles. Although her gaze was still sharp, her expression and condition were really not good.
Chu Ci stepped forward and patted her on the shoulder: "Since the imperial physicians are here to help, why don't you... go and rest for a while?"
Faced with Chu Ci's concern, Zhang Ping simply waved her hand wearily, "No need. I can't find peace of mind until this case is solved."
At this moment, a subordinate who was standing nearby saw Zhang Ping looking so exhausted and felt really sorry for her. He couldn't help but step forward and offer some words of comfort.
"Sir, you haven't slept for five whole days. If this continues, your body may not be able to take it."
However, even after hearing this earnest advice, Zhang Ping remained unmoved, as if she didn't care about her health at all.
Zhang Ping brought the Chu Ci (a collection of classical Chinese poems) into the study, then walked smoothly to the tea table and carefully brewed herself a steaming cup of fragrant tea.
She picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and the rich aroma of the tea instantly filled the air, calming her slightly tired mind.
Chu Ci sat down opposite Zhang Ping and directly asked what was on her mind.
"Is there any connection between the hallucinogens in these spices and the Bagua diagram burial case?"
Upon hearing this question, Zhang Ping's eyes suddenly sharpened, and she nodded without hesitation, saying in a deep voice.
"There are relationships."
She paused briefly before continuing.
“I had already successfully destroyed the Bagua diagram that the mastermind had ‘meticulously drawn,’ but they obviously wouldn’t give up. In order to re-arrange the formation, she urgently needed new corpses as sacrifices, so she naturally had to kill people again.”
Chu Ci seemed somewhat puzzled by Zhang Ping's explanation.
"If you're going to kill someone, why use such a complicated hallucinogen? And what's the point of the previous 'Thousand Gold Poison'? Wouldn't it be simpler to just kill them directly?"
Faced with Chu Ci's doubts, Zhang Ping calmly explained to her: "First of all, the key to the hallucinogenic drug's peculiar effects lies in the fact that the fragrance it uses contains an extremely precious and rare herb called 'Thousand Gold Corpse.' If this herb is worn on the body for a long time, it can prevent the body from decaying after death. However, everything has its advantages and disadvantages. The side effects of long-term exposure to this drug are quite significant. It can cause people to often feel dazed, anxious, and restless, and their emotions can fluctuate greatly and become unpredictable."
Then, Zhang Ping continued, "Secondly, this so-called 'poison of a thousand pieces of gold' is actually a cruel killing ritual meticulously planned by the mastermind behind the scenes. After a living person is poisoned, their internal organs will turn into minced meat, but their external skin will become radiant, as if they were still alive. In this way, the victim's corpse can be effectively kept intact, which is why they spend a lot of money to buy the poison. I have ordered people to investigate this poison and have made some progress. Finally, the conditions for being chosen by the mastermind to become their ideal offering are even more demanding and complicated. In addition to having a perfectly matching birth date and time, one must also have outstanding physical appearance. In short, this magic array made of piled-up corpses is extremely strange and must be guarded against."
"Oh, so that's what it was..." Chu Ci seemed to suddenly realize something, "Could it be that they wanted to kill my husband?!"
Having understood the whole story, Chu Ci immediately decided to go home to check on her husband's safety.
But just as she turned to leave, she was stopped by Zhang Ping, who was quick-witted and agile.
"You can rest assured. I have already dispatched soldiers to guard the areas around the men who have shown symptoms. The same has been arranged for your family."
Hearing this, Chu Ci was slightly relieved. "Were these soldiers all dispatched last night?"
"That's right, it was last night."
Chu Ci nodded slightly in agreement.
No wonder there was a lot of unfamiliar atmosphere around the courtyard last night; it must have been the people Zhang Ping sent.
Fortunately, she was always thinking of her husband and didn't get rid of those people, otherwise she would probably be in an awkward situation right now.
"Thank you, Minister."
Zhang Ping leisurely picked up her teacup, took a sip, and slowly said, "This is my duty, no need to thank me. It's just that the corpses were dug up, and the Bagua diagram was also severely damaged. The mastermind behind it is now as desperate as a stray dog. It just so happens that they chose this turbulent time to try to commit murder again. Their behavior is truly audacious and reckless! But it's good, it's a good opportunity to lure the real culprit out."
Chu Ci nodded slightly upon hearing this, indicating that he quite agreed with these words.
“I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment. But I wonder why the person behind this is in such a hurry? If it were me, and such a huge uproar had occurred, I would have hidden myself away to avoid the limelight and wait for the right opportunity to plot and act again. Why is this mastermind so impatient now?”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ping's lips curled up slightly, revealing a barely perceptible smile. "Your question hits the nail on the head."
Seeing this, Chu Ci shrugged and smiled with a hint of teasing, "It's all my fault for being too quick-witted."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ping smiled and nodded in agreement, saying, "How could someone who can draw such exquisite dam engineering plans be dull and clumsy?"
"Alright, let's get to the case. No need to praise me."
“Okay.” Zhang Ping took a sip of tea to moisten her throat and continued, “The reason why the person behind this is in such a hurry is that this sacrificial ceremony must be carried out on the Heyang day.”
"Heyang Ri? What's that? I've never heard of it."
"The Heyang Day is an extremely special day, occurring only once every sixty years. On this day, the yin and yang energies harmonize, creating a peculiar phenomenon where day and night are of equal length. Because of this, it is considered the best time to offer sacrifices to the evil god. If the person behind this misses this opportunity, they will have to wait another sixty years. And that person certainly cannot wait sixty years. Furthermore, there is probably no other person in this world who possesses both an extremely yang constitution and the talent of a top scholar. Therefore, they will not let you go easily, no matter what."