Chapter 944: Hatred Arts
Sang Qien was startled. She quickly called out, “Sister-in-law, what’s wrong?” But Zheng Dan only continued to twist and turn no matter how Sang Qien called out to her, with no signs of waking.
Zu An quickly stopped her. Then, he took Zheng Dan’s hand, slowly sending warm ki into her body. Sang Qien couldn't be bothered with the two’s skinship at the moment, however. She watched Zheng Dan nervously to see if her condition improved.
Zu An continued to pour his ki into Zheng Dan, but she didn’t get better at all. His brows furrowed tightly. While he was at a loss for what to do, however, he suddenly sensed a chill run through the other party’s body.
He was extremely familiar with the ice element because of Chu Chuyan. He quickly discerned that the chill wasn’t the kind associated with the ice element, but rather something familiar; it was something like a departed spirit’s yin energy.
He’d had encounters with departed spirits several times in his previous dungeon experiences already, even having faced something crazy like Xu Fu who had existed for over ten thousand years. This feeling was almost identical. Of course, compared to those big shots, the yin energy in Zheng Dan’s body was much weaker.
After he realized that, Zu An quickly used the Primordial Origin Sutra, sending primordial ki into Zheng Dan’s body. Primordial ki was the bane of such sinister existences.
Sure enough, when it sensed the primordial ki, that sinister energy seemed as if it had encountered something extremely terrifying. It immediately withdrew deeper into Zheng Dan.
Zu An obviously wouldn’t let it go so easily, however. He seemed to hear a miserable cry as that sinister energy completely disappeared. But he didn’t feel happy about that; he could sense that he couldn't completely erase it, and it had instead gotten away.
That wasn’t his fault either. When he had encountered such sinister things in the past, they had practically all developed bodies. But this thing was extremely weak and intangible, so he couldn't capture it at all.
Suddenly, Zheng Dan groaned. She slowly opened her eyes, her forehead covered in fine sweat. Even her back was soaked through with sweat. It was easy to see just how weak her condition was.
Sang Qien helped her wipe her sweat worriedly, asking, “Sister-in-law, do you feel better?” Zheng Dan voiced her confirmation. However, she still looked as if she had lingering fears.
Zu An quickly asked, “What exactly happened just now?”
“I’m not sure either.” Zheng Dan was in a bit of a daze. “I was able to fall asleep easily with you at my side, but then I suddenly had a scary nightmare… I wanted to open my eyes, but I couldn't. It was almost as if endless hands were trying to drag me into an abyss.”
“What did you dream about?” Zu An didn’t let the details go this time.
“I dreamt about…” Zheng Dan’s face turned red. She gave Sang Qien a look. She wanted to say something, but then hesitated.
Sang Qien almost laughed out of frustration. You can’t even tell your own sister-in-law, and yet you can tell a complete outsider? She stood there expressionlessly and said, “I’ll let father know. I’ll have to trouble big brother Zu to take care of my sister-in-law here.”
“Alright.” Zu An had to admire this girl’s ability to understand others.
…
When Sang Qien left, Zheng Dan had a worried expression as she said, “Little Qien seems to already know about our relationship.”
“Don’t think about those things. It’s alright,” Zu An patted her hand and said in consolation. He had actually already guessed certain things too, but there were many things that would be ruined if one actually talked about them. He asked, “Hurry and tell me, what was that nightmare about?”
Zheng Dan’s face blushed red. She pouted and said, “Of course, it was about our relationship being found out… Then, we were put into a cage and brought out in public to be berated. Even the Zheng clan ended up suffering because of it…”
Zu An was speechless. He eventually asked, “Were there malicious spirits of some sort in your nightmare?”
“How did you know?” Zheng Dan cried out in alarm. “There were times when we finally managed to break out of the cage, but everyone around us turned into ghosts and chased us down.”
Zu An thought, No wonder. “Then why didn’t you tell us before?”
Zheng Dan said in embarrassment, “How could I say these things to Little Qien? Also, I’ve always thought that things like ghosts were ridiculous, so there’s not really much to even talk about.”
“But that’s most likely where the issue lies,” Zu An said with a serious expression.
Just then, the sound of footsteps came from outside. Sang Hong had also come over. As such, Zheng Dan quickly separated herself from Zu An’s arms. After all, she was the Sang clan’s daughter-in-law at the moment, so she had to at least keep up basic appearances.
“Ah Zu, what’s going on?” Sang Hong didn’t come inside to avoid suspicion, instead remaining outside.
Zu An was a bit embarrassed too at that point. He gestured for Zheng Dan to come out, then gave them a rough summary of what had just happened.
Sang Hong was alarmed when he heard what Zu An said. “It sounds like the work of hatred arts.”
“Hatred arts?” Zu An had never heard of the term before.
Sang Hong explained, “They’re a kind of corrupt practice that can inhibit a person or object through curses.” Zu An suddenly understood. It was similar to the witchcraft he knew from his past world.
“These techniques are incredibly sinister. They used to appear often in the harem chambers’ struggle for favor. The concubines committed all manner of crimes. Later on, the techniques were was strictly prohibited by the court. All the people and things related to these hatred arts were destroyed without exception. That’s why these hatred arts haven’t been seen in the capital for a long time. Why would they appear again now?” Sang Hong continued, looking serious.
“Then is there a cure?” Zu An asked urgently.
Sang Hong shook his head after some hesitation. “They’ve already been gone for so long, so the number of those who know about them are few, let alone those who know how to treat them. The capital is a place filled with hidden talents, so there might be someone who knows the cure, but it’s a forbidden skill. For fear of the court’s punishment, they wouldn’t dare to admit it even if they did know the cure.”
After hearing what Sang Hong said, Zu An thought the situation might really be a bit hard then. He wondered if there was anyone in the Royal Academy who knew about such things. Based on his friendship with them, he believed that they would help him with this favor.
“By the way, what kinds of principles are these hatred arts founded on? Does the caster need a part of the target’s body or some personal object?” Zu An asked. The curses from his previous world all needed things such as eyelashes, fingernails, astrological information, or personal items that they had kept with them for a long time. If these hatred arts worked similarly, it would become much easier to find the culprit.
“There’s no need for those things. Normally speaking, those who practice hatred arts keep some small ghost-like things to use to harm others.” Sang Hong’s knowledge was extensive. He quickly explained, “It’s rumored that the hatred arts came from the fiend races. The fiend races have powerful beings who can even kill through dreams.”
“Fiend races?” Zu An thought of something. He suddenly remembered that woman from Scarlet Invitation and said, “I have an idea on how to solve this problem.”
Sang Hong and his daughter looked at him in shock. They didn’t understand what kind of solution he had.
Zu An said, “Danda... Ahem, Miss Zheng should use this chance to rest. I’ve scared that sinister creature quite badly, so I don’t believe it will return for some time. I’m going out for a bit.”
Zheng Dan bit her lip and nodded. If not because the Sang clan’s father and daughter were here, she would have tugged on Zu An’s sleeves. After what she just experienced, she really wasn’t willing to remain alone.
Zu An felt a bit of a headache too. When he saw that, he asked, “Then, why don’t you come with me?” Out of respect for the Sang clan, he couldn't just bring her out alone, so he said to Sang Qien, “Little Qien should come along too.”
“Sure!” Sure enough, Sang Hong and Sang Qien’s expressions improved when they heard Zu An’s suggestion.
Sang Hong asked, “Worthy junior, do you need this old one’s help in any way?”
Zu An said with an embarrassed chuckle, “There’s no need for that. I’ll seek out respected uncle’s help when the time comes.” He really couldn't bring Sang Hong to a place like that.
Sang Hong didn’t suspect him either and instead said with a sigh, “Junior has always been reliable when you do things. This old one feels at ease.” At the same time, he felt a bit aggrieved. If his son Qian’er had had even half of Zu An’s ability, they wouldn’t have fallen into such a state…
His mood sank. He turned around to leave after exchanging a few more words.
…
Only the other three remained. Sang Qien asked curiously, “Where are we going? Let’s leave right now!”
Zu An was instead completely calm. “I fear that you two might need to change clothes first.”
Sang Qien was confused when she heard that they had to cross-dress. However, her brain began to move quickly. It’s probably to hide our traces! We can’t let the mastermind find out, and there’ll be all sorts of rumors flying about if my sister-in-law is seen with another man.
Even though I’m not as pretty as my sister-in-law, I’m still pretty cute. I’d also draw a lot of attention outside.
That was why she agreed without much resistance. As for Zheng Dan, all she wanted just then was to stay at Zu An’s side, so she didn’t care if she had to cross-dress at all.
Sang Qien was about to look for men’s clothes when Zheng Dan said, “I have clothes here.” For better or for worse, she had been a gang boss who ruled over a large business. These were all preparations she’d made.
Sang Qien chased Zu An out. Then, the two girls began to change clothes. When they came out, Zu An’s eyes lit up. He couldn't help but say with praise, “Your features are so pretty, I’m sure you’ll catch the eyes of many girls on the street. They’ll wonder who these stunning young masters are.”
Sang Qien blushed. She was embarrassed after being praised by Zu An. She quickly said, “Let’s set out then.”
“Alright.” Zu An had a strange smile on his face, one that gave Sang Qien a strange feeling. However, she soon understood why he was acting so strangely.
…
Sang Qien’s entire body trembled as she looked at the Scarlet Invitation signboard overhead. “You brought us to this kind of place?”