Porter's Immortal Cultivation: I Have Level 5 Full Inscriptions

Chapter 284 Dragon Girl

The crowd fell from the sky.

Sure enough, a plaque hung on this grand, imposing courtyard, inscribed with the words "Imperial Gift: Princess Yue'an's Residence".

Who is Princess Yue'an?

Everyone was filled with questions and doubts.

Because of the formation's obstruction, the group could not enter and could only stand outside the formation.

Just outside the formation, along the courtyard, stood a circle of wooden dummy sculptures, one every few steps.

Most of the wood carvings depict soldiers in full armor, including generals, captains, and other military officers of various ranks, as well as some dressed as servants and maids.

However, these are not living things, but sculptures covered with runes.

Hu Jiaoniang and Yang Silang said.

"They're all mechanical puppets; it seems they're guarding the courtyard within this formation."

Yang Silang nodded, for example, the stone statues in Jinghe Mausoleum are essentially mechanical beasts.

These mechanical puppets have little intelligence. Once the formation is activated, they will annihilate all external enemies according to the program. They are fearless and insensitive to pain, making them very troublesome.

Wang Xiaoyue suddenly cried out, filled with surprise.

It turned out that in front of the group of wooden sculptures, the leader was an old man wearing a three-peaked hat and a python robe, and his facial features were strangely familiar.

Isn't that the same Gong Yuanwai, whose entire family was wiped out just last night, and Eunuch Li Hongen?

However, this eunuch Li was clearly much younger, at least thirty years younger.

The deceased "Gong Tianbao" eunuch Li was a weathered old man, giving people a sense of desolation in his twilight years.

This eunuch, surnamed Li, was only in his fifties, and his physique was sculpted... He's in great shape.

"Master Li..." Wang Xiaoyue could no longer hold back when she saw this, and ran up to hug the wooden carving and cried.

She's just a young girl, and it's already quite remarkable that she's managed to hold back her tears until now after such a sudden and unexpected turn of events.

The two were nominally master and servant.

They actually became like grandfather and grandson.

In reality, they might be master and servant.

None of the above matters. What matters is that Li Hongen is dead and has been reduced to ashes.

This overwhelmed her with mixed feelings; she felt like the sky was falling.

Seeing Li Hongen's wood carvings again now, it's understandable that Wang Xiaoyue would lose her composure, as she would be reminded of him by the objects.

Everyone's expression changed.

Unbeknownst to Wang Xiaoyue, as she shed tears, sensing the fluctuations in her qi and blood, the wooden sculpture's eyes emitted light, and the runes all over its body lit up.

"Xiaoyue..." Fu Hongying called softly, pulling her arm to retreat, "Quickly back up, this formation seems to have been activated."

Despite her tears, Wang Xiaoyue remained rational and obediently took a few steps back.

Just now.

The wooden carving's eyes shot out light, and an invisible wave instantly swept over everyone.

thump……

The wood carving actually knelt down quickly and respectfully kowtowed.

"This old servant, Li Hongen, has a fragment of his soul, and has been guarding Yue'an Cave Heaven for twenty years by imperial decree."

"The princess has finally graced this celestial realm with her presence today."

"This old servant kowtows to Your Highness, Princess!"

Wang Xiaoyue was stunned.

Could it be that I really am the daughter of Emperor Yan Mo, a princess?

Yang Silang and Hu Jiaoniang exchanged a glance, not surprised at all.

That Yan emperor wasn't stupid. He was fighting against an entire nation sliding into the abyss. It was only natural that he couldn't turn the tide.

Seeing that the collapse of the dynasty was almost irreversible, it was possible that he would make some arrangements for a few years in advance.

even.

Perhaps Wang Xiaoyue is not the only princess who has lived in hiding for over a decade and escaped.

Perhaps there are other loyal confidants who led princes who have never been listed in the imperial genealogy to escape.

Leaving aside what everyone was thinking.

Bang bang bang!

Li Hongen, this remnant soul wooden sculpture, actually kowtowed three times in a very proper manner.

Because of his wooden body, his movements were somewhat stiff and his speech was somewhat stagnant and mechanical.

"Princess..." The wooden sculpture's voice was hoarse, its two round eyes sweeping over the crowd as it said in a strange tone, "Don't cry."

"Your presence here means that this old servant is already dead, but the scheme you orchestrated has succeeded."

"This old servant can finally rest assured; I have not failed His Majesty's trust..."

Hearing this, everyone finally had their doubts resolved.

All the illogical things that happened before suddenly came together.

Why did Li Hongen make such a splash when he moved to a new house?

Why did he intentionally send Wang Xiaoyue to hide in the neighboring courtyard beforehand, and why did he insist on becoming Fu Hongying's disciple?

Why did the headcount at the Embroidery Pavilion match up even though Wang Xiaoyue was not present?

It was all just a setup.

Li Hongen, after all, was the patriarch of the Imperial Treasury. He arranged for a few loyal followers to get involved and, at the cost of their own demise, finish the play.

From this perspective, he was also a loyal, brave, and resourceful person.

The fact that the last emperor of Yan could make such a person so devoted suggests that he wasn't entirely without merit.

At this moment, Li Hongen's wooden sculpture turned its two eyes toward the crowd, and its voice suddenly became shrill.

"Princess, are you being coerced by these people?"

"Should this old servant activate the formation to annihilate them?"

As he spoke, runes began to light up all over his body.

The runes on the many mechanical puppets behind him also lit up, and light began to appear in their eyes.

At the same time, the array on the princess's mansion behind it seemed to be under its control, buzzing and trembling incessantly, with terrifying energy gathering on it.

A ball of light began to form on it.

A ball of light began to form on it.

Hu Jiaoniang had already held the magic weapon in her palm.

Wang Xiaoyue hurriedly waved her hands frantically.

"Master Li, please dispel the formation immediately."

"They are my housewife, my master, and my mentor, just like you. From now on, they will be my family."

"You absolutely must not hurt them."

She succinctly explained the identities of the individuals and their relationships with her.

Seeing her resolute tone, Li Hongen slowly released the power of the array into the sky. The numerous mechanical puppets behind him then lost their light and returned to silence.

"Master Li... how did I become a princess?"

"Also, did you foresee all of this today?" Wang Xiaoyue asked, her face still streaked with tears.

After all, Master Li was just a fragment of a soul hidden within a puppet; who knew when it would dissipate?

Some questions are better clarified in person.

When the princess asked him a question, Li Hongen, though in front of "outsiders," knew that the princess's request was of utmost importance, so he slowly recounted a long-forgotten story.

It was pretty much as everyone had guessed.

It's simply that the emperor is in decline, knows that the dynasty is deeply entrenched in problems and beyond saving, so he makes preparations early.

Wang Xiaoyue's mother was just an ordinary maid in Li Hongen's outer residence. She was not particularly beautiful, but her curvaceous figure indicated that she was fertile.

Or rather, Li Hongen, acting on the emperor's orders, specially collected this group of women, all of whom had given birth before and had proven their fertility.

More than a decade ago, Emperor Yan was at the Li residence outside the palace when he took a liking to her among the many women. He then gave her a twin pill and had sex with her on the spot. Ten months later, she indeed gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl.

"Ah..." Wang Xiaoyue exclaimed in surprise.

Everyone was astonished; Wang Xiaoyue actually had an older brother?

Li Hongen continued.

"His Majesty knows that with the overthrow of the dynasty and the establishment of a new one, there will be extraordinary people who will come to serve him. There will be powerful figures who can use secret methods to trace bloodlines and veins, and his lineage will surely be wiped out."

"So they gave birth to twins, and then asked a royal master to perform a blood-exchange ritual, transferring all the essence and blood from the girl's body to the boy's body."

"In this way, the male infant's body is full of essence and blood, and he is born with a stronger foundation than others."

"Then a trace of essence blood was taken from the bodies of a hundred female infants born in the same year and month, and then injected back into this little princess's body, so that she would have the blood of a hundred families, in order to cover up the one point of imperial blood that could not be removed from her bones."

"After the spell is completed, this baby girl will be raised in this old servant's household. Yes, it's you, Xiaoyue!"

"His Majesty personally bestowed upon you the title of Princess Yue'an, and ordered the construction of a princess's residence in this blessed land, complete with a hundred puppets, specifically to await the princess's arrival after she comes of age and is officially recognized."

Wang Xiaoyue couldn't wait to ask.

"What about my mother, and my brother?"

Li Hongen remained silent for a moment, then spoke slowly.

"Your elder brother was recognized by His Majesty and brought back to the palace after his birth, and was granted the title of Prince Fu. After the fall of the capital, he was captured by the Embroidered Robe Pavilion and unfortunately died..."

Wang Xiaoyue shuddered upon hearing this.

"As for your mother..." Master Li's voice lowered, "...the one you used to call 'Grandma'."

"She gave birth to a prince and a princess. Although His Majesty cannot take her into the palace, letting her be my nominal wife is still a way to enjoy wealth and honor."

"However, after she gave birth, she was told that both of her children had died young. She had no idea that you existed and just thought that you were someone she had brought back from outside to comfort her."

Wang Xiaoyue's body trembled again.

Now that she thinks about it, she understands why that grandmother had such complicated feelings for her.

Sometimes he's overly kind, and other times he's cold and impatient with her.

"So...Grandma Li...my mother...how did she die..." Wang Xiaoyue asked through gritted teeth.

Li Hongen's wooden puppet spoke in a voice devoid of warmth.

"His Majesty has decreed that as long as one of his bloodlines can be preserved in the world, everything else can be abandoned."

"Therefore, Prince Fu, your mother, including this old servant, are all people who must die to save your life."

"This old servant is willing to give up his own life, let alone take another's?"

When Li Hongen said this, although he was just a wooden puppet and couldn't make many facial expressions, he was still speaking.

But his cold, natural tone sent a chill down everyone's spine.

Even Yang Silang thought that the old eunuch was ruthless.

The reasoning may be crooked, but it's still the same principle.

To fulfill His Majesty's wishes, I am willing to risk my own life; the birth mother of the Prince of Fu is nothing more than a stepping stone.

No matter how high you are, can you be higher than His Majesty's imperial edict?

No matter how valuable you are, are you more valuable than my own life?

His logic eventually came to a conclusion.

"Waaaaah..."

Wang Xiaoyue, now Princess Yue'an, suddenly squatted on the ground, buried her face in her hands, and burst into tears, crying so sadly...