The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife-Chapter 457: The Most Important Thing Now Is to Bring Back A’Yuan

Qi Xuan cursed in pain, "You killed your own father and king, and you think you’re fit to be emperor?! There is righteous energy in the heavens and earth. You’ve cultivated dark arts, but you won’t live for many more years!"

"Haha, with my grand accomplishments, how could I not live long?" Qi Hong squatted down slightly, grabbed Qi Xuan’s jaw, and with a forceful twist, dislocated it, rendering him unable to speak another word.

He wouldn’t let those who cursed him die too easily.

Qi Xuan, drenched in cold sweat from the pain, glared at Qi Hong, but a look of joy flashed in his eyes.

Qi Hong sensed something was wrong.

But it was too late.

A gust of wind swept in from the side. Qi Hong immediately realized there was someone else, and just as he tried to manipulate the black mist to defend himself, that hidden person struck first, causing a sharp pain in his chest!

Qi Hong lashed out with his sleeve, knocking the hidden person away.

Looking down at his chest, he saw a peachwood dagger embedded there!

The black tide within him was surging wildly.

Having practiced such dark arts, his body was no longer like that of an ordinary person--ordinary weapons couldn’t harm him, and even regular peachwood could only scratch his skin.

But this peachwood dagger...

He couldn’t touch his chest to suppress the black tide because he couldn’t touch the peachwood dagger.

"This... must be peachwood a thousand years old," Qi Hong said, his face growing deathly pale. "You actually managed to get your hands on this."

He had underestimated this Qi Xuan.

With Qi Hong injured and suppressed by the peachwood, he could no longer control the black mist.

Qi Xuan broke free from the palace servants’ grasp, forcibly setting his jaw back in place.

The situation had reversed. Now, Qi Xuan looked down at Qi Hong with a triumphant grin. "Your Majesty, the White-Browed Priest once set up an array in the palace to ward off evil spirits. Aside from safety talismans, all other talismans were rendered useless. But now that you’ve completed your dark arts, you’ve become an evil spirit yourself. You had to have the array removed, which allowed me to succeed in my plan!"

The imperial guards heard the commotion and rushed in to protect the emperor.

Qi Xuan, however, dashed forward and grabbed the peachwood dagger, shouting, "Take another step, and I’ll end His Majesty’s life right now!"

The guards hesitated, not daring to act rashly.

Qi Hong, however, said, "Qi Xuan, you won’t leave this palace alive."

"The emperor’s life is now in my hands. Why wouldn’t I leave the palace alive?" Qi Xuan gloated. "As soon as you ascended the throne, you began a reign of terror, killing many officials who refused to submit to you. Today, I act on behalf of heaven, and the entire court will follow me!"

He bore the surname Qi!

He was a member of the Qi royal family!

Why couldn’t he ascend to the throne of Qi Nation?!

Qi Hong, drenched in cold sweat and losing power, still managed a cold, sinister smile. "I haven’t seen A’Yuan yet. How could I let you succeed?"

Qi Xuan, meeting his icy gaze, couldn’t help but shudder.

To avoid giving him time to recover, Qi Xuan moved to drive the peachwood dagger deeper. However, before he could react, a chilling wind swept through the hall, and Qi Xuan was sent flying by a powerful kick.

He slammed into a pillar, writhing in pain, and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

A ghostly woman in red appeared before him, her face filled with fury. "Your Majesty, how should we deal with him?"

"Kill him," Qi Hong ordered coldly.

Qi Xuan’s pupils constricted, and he shouted, "No! I command ten thousand troops in Jianggu! If I die, they will surely--"

Mu’er didn’t let him finish. She drained his soul and essence in one swift motion.

Qi Xuan’s body shriveled like a dried husk, and Mu’er casually tossed him aside.

She quickly returned to Qi Hong’s side, seeing the pain on his face, and moved to pull out the peachwood dagger.

Qi Hong warned, "Stop. With your ghostly power, touching this thousand-year-old peachwood will harm your soul."

Mu’er bit her lip and then yelled at the guards, "What are you standing there for?! Quickly pull out this damn peachwood dagger from His Majesty!"

One of the guards stepped forward and easily removed the dagger.

The black mist clinging to it was instantly purified and destroyed by the powerful peachwood. freeweɓnovel.cøm

Mu’er watched with deep concern, her heart aching even more. "Your Majesty, are you alright?"

Qi Hong suppressed the leaking black tide, staggered to his feet, and walked to the incense burner, where he immediately sat down to meditate and stabilize his condition.

After a long while, his complexion still hadn’t improved, but at least the black tide had stopped leaking.

"Your Majesty?" Mu’er called out worriedly.

Qi Hong leaned weakly against the cushion, closing his eyes as his lashes trembled slightly. "This Ghost Dao... is too easily countered."

Mu’er was heartbroken. "Who would have thought Qi Xuan could get his hands on a thousand-year-old peachwood? If it were anything else, Your Majesty wouldn’t have been so severely injured."

Thousand-year-old peachwood was not something easily acquired, yet Qi Xuan had managed to obtain it.

Suddenly, Qi Hong recalled a report from Mu Nation, saying that Ye Siheng had been on a patrol for over a month.

He opened his eyes and couldn’t help but laugh. "Well done, Ye Siheng. You actually came to Qi Nation personally to deliver this peachwood dagger."

Mu’er was confused. "Your Majesty, this peachwood dagger... was sent by Ye Siheng?!"

Qi Hong snorted. "Ninety percent likely. And even this tactic was probably taught by him."

Mu’er was instantly enveloped in ghostly energy, her ghostly face becoming terrifying. Her voice turned sinister. "He has plotted against Your Majesty repeatedly. I will go and kill him right now!"

"It’s just one lost battle. No need to be so angry. I’ll win it back," Qi Hong said, holding the incense burner, from which wisps of black mist slowly entered his body, healing the wound on his chest. But he was still somewhat annoyed. "But to fully recover, it’ll take at least a year or more. Ye Siheng probably did this to delay us, preventing a war between the two nations at this time."

Mu’er added, "The Mu Nation emperor’s health is deteriorating. Once he passes, the court and the people will surely be in turmoil. By delaying Your Majesty, the stability of Mu Nation could reduce our chances of victory."

"It doesn’t matter..."

Qi Hong took out the red jade pendant again, his gaze softening. "We can discuss war later. The most important thing now is to bring back A’Yuan."

Mu’er, always putting Qi Hong’s wishes first, naturally complied. "Congratulations, Your Majesty. You’ll soon be reunited with your brother!"

Qi Hong, despite his injuries, managed to smile broadly.

"Indeed. Once A’Yuan is back, I will give him the best of everything."

Meanwhile, in the Mansion of Marquis Anyang, Chu Yan sneezed.

He touched his chest, his face looking uneasy.

His attendant noticed and asked, "Fifth Young Master, have you caught a cold?"

Chu Yan shook his head. "I just felt a moment of discomfort, but it’s nothing now."

The attendant continued preparing gifts. "Fifth Young Master, are you really not going to apologize to the Cheng family?"

Sending gifts alone to the Cheng family made him feel nervous.

Chu Yan stood up and picked out a cloak to wear outside. "No, just send the gifts as an apology."

He had come to terms with it. Even if Cheng Wei found out about his birth mother, so what? He had been raised by Madam Shen, who treated him as her own. If he secretly sought to learn about his birth mother and tried to reconnect with her relatives, Madam Shen would be deeply hurt if she found out.