Searching for the best path, starting from Renjia Town

Chapter 186: Keep the body but not the soul

"This was premeditated."

Returning to Commander Sun’s camp, Li Kunshan pondered in his heart, thinking about the magic circle in the underground palace.

This magic circle definitely wasn't built recently, not even a few months ago when the Ghost Queen just woke up. It must have been there much earlier, most likely when the underground palace was built!
Because those murals and talismans were clearly carved all over the nave a long time ago.

It seems that the revival of the Ghost Queen was not simply stimulated by the tomb robbery of General Sun, but was premeditated.

Otherwise, how could he have left behind the corpse-raising formation in advance?

Now that I think about it, that magic circle can gather Yin energy and greatly enhance the evil ghost zombies, which is very much like a Yin-nourishing formation.

Of course, the functionality is not that simple.

The purpose of setting up this formation is obviously to transform the corpse and return to the world of the living.

After thinking this through, Li Kunshan sneered again. The old lady was really obsessed with power.

"I'll trouble you to deal with this."

Li Kunshan has almost understood the situation on Commander Sun's side, and it's time to go to the other side.

Li Kunshan left behind the Blood God No. 1 who looked the same as him, and quietly left the military camp using the earth escape technique.

Wait until there is no one around, put on the shrinking talisman, and go directly into the city.

Around ten o'clock in the morning, we arrived at Prince Chun's Mansion in Xicheng.

"Master Li! You're finally here!"

Upon hearing that Li Kunshan had arrived, Prince Chun was overjoyed and walked out of the living room to greet him.

"Greetings, Taoist Priest."

Pu Jie stood by and saluted Li Kunshan with a happy face.

"Your Highness, Little Prince."

Li Kunshan returned the greeting, and then, under Prince Chun's warm invitation, they walked into the living room together.

The host and the guest took their seats and the maid served tea.

"Manager Wu should have told you about it."

After a brief greeting, Prince Chun got straight to the point with a serious expression.

"The man surnamed Sun actually dared to rob the Eastern Tomb, defying the wrath of the world. As a descendant of the Aisin-Gioro clan, I want him dead without a burial place!"

"Your Majesty, please calm down first."

Li Kunshan interrupted and spoke directly.

"If the prince wants me to kill someone, I think I can leave now."

"Master, you misunderstood. How could I possibly ask you to kill someone? Just mentioning this matter makes me feel indignant."

Prince Chun quickly explained and continued.

"The reason we invited the Taoist priest here this time is actually for the sake of the Buddha."

"The ghost queen."

"……Yes."

Although this term is a bit disrespectful, it is indeed true.

Moreover, the Qing Dynasty had fallen, and Li Kunshan was not a minister of the Qing Dynasty, so it was impossible to ask him to respect the Empress Dowager.

Prince Chun nodded and sighed.

"Whether alive or dead, she is the Empress Dowager we are waiting for. We absolutely cannot let someone named Sun harm her!"

"You want me to protect the ghost?"

"You can say that."

"Life is life, death is death. There is a difference between life and death, and there is an order between yin and yang. Your Highness is so insightful, how come you don't even understand such a simple truth?"

"This……"

Prince Chun frowned and was speechless for a moment.

"I'll take my leave now."

Seeing that Li Kunshan and Prince Chun had different opinions, Pu Jie said and left the living room to avoid an awkward situation later.

Immediately afterwards, another servant came in and whispered a few words to Prince Chun.

"Please come in quickly."

Prince Chun nodded and gave an order.

The servant quickly left, and then two middle-aged men dressed as lamas walked in.

"Master Li, let me introduce you."

Prince Chun stood up and was about to introduce the two people with a smile.

"No need."

Li Kunshan also stood up, turned to the two of them and greeted them with a salute.

"We meet again, Master Bomi and Master Bobo."

Among the two lamas, one was Master Bobo, the guest official at Prince Chun's mansion. Li Kunshan had met him there before.

The other Bomi master had a brief contact with him at a ghost-hunting conference.

"I didn't expect that Master Kunshan would be here."

Master Bomi returned the greeting and was quite surprised to see Li Kunshan.

Li Kunshan’s performance at the ghost hunting convention is still fresh in his memory.

"I didn't expect Master Bomi to be here."

Li Kunshan smiled, also a little surprised.

But when I looked at Master Bobo next to him, I understood.

In fact, Master Bomi is Master Bobo’s senior brother.

By the way, Master Bomi’s daughter in the movie is called Bobo, and now his junior brother is also called Bobo. I really don’t understand their naming routine.

"It's even better now that everyone knows each other."

Prince Chun smiled and then asked everyone to take a seat.

His expression changed and he continued with the previous topic.

"Although there are differences between yin and yang, should the old Buddha be more special?"

"hehe."

Li Kunshan smiled and glanced at Master Bomi next to him.

General Sun was looking for "experts" everywhere, so it was normal for Prince Chun to ask for people, but he didn't expect that they would invite Master Bomi.

As the saying goes, there is nothing to fear when there is confidence. With Master Bomi around, Prince Chun felt much more confident, so he dared to say this to Li Kunshan.

After all, if Li Kunshan doesn't help, he has others to help.

"Master Bomi."

In that case, Li Kunshan simply asked directly.

"What do you think?"

"I think it's inappropriate."

Master Bomi said directly with a calm expression.

"Even my teachings do not advocate the return of the dead to the world of the living."

"Master Bomi, you..."

I originally thought he was a support, but I didn't expect Master Bomi to sabotage it in public. Prince Chun was furious and looked at Master Bobo sternly.

Master Bobo lowered his head nervously, not daring to look Prince Chun in the eye, but he didn't say anything either.

Obviously, he couldn't make the decision for his senior brother.

"Your Majesty."

As a master, Master Bomi really knows the big picture. Li Kunshan smiled and turned to Prince Chun again.

"To be honest, I already had some understanding of Dongling's situation before coming here."

"You've met Mr. Buddha!"

Prince Chun widened his eyes slightly and looked at Li Kunshan with some surprise.

Li Kunshan shook his head and continued.

"I didn't see the Ghost Queen, but there were many other zombies and evil spirits."

"In life, he was a hero; in death, he was a hero. The Buddha ruled the country while he was alive, and naturally, he had many followers after his death."

"It's not that simple."

Li Kunshan's eyes darkened and his voice became stern.

"From what I've observed, those are all human sacrifices."

"This……"

Human sacrifice has been a common occurrence throughout history, especially in imperial families.

However, after all, it is against human ethics and has been abolished long ago. It is somewhat shameful to mention it now.

"I'm not blaming the incident itself, but I'm concerned about the issues behind it."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Your Highness, have you ever thought about why those who were buried alive and became evil ghosts and zombies still obey the Ghost Queen Mother's orders?"

"Of course I was impressed by the Empress Dowager's majesty." Prince Chun's voice became a little softer when he said this. It was obvious that even he himself did not believe this ridiculous excuse.

Li Kunshan sneered and pointed it out directly.

"It's more like being restrained than being impressed."

"Restrained?"

"I've been to the Eastern Tomb and seen a Yin-nourishing formation there. But it's different from ordinary Yin-nourishing formations. I think it's with this formation that the Ghost Queen is able to control those evil ghost zombies."

"How could there be such a formation in the imperial mausoleum?"

Master Bomi said this with a puzzled look on his face.

That's the imperial mausoleum. Although it's the abode of the emperor and empress after their death, it was actually already under construction when they were alive. Who dares to tamper with it? Aren't they afraid of being executed along with their entire clan?

Besides, how could such a large project be carried out without anyone noticing?

Thinking of this, both Master Bomi and Prince Chun's expressions changed.

There is only one possibility, that it was done by the emperor and empress themselves!
"Could it be that……"

"Yes."

Li Kunshan said with a serious expression and took a deep breath.

"Even before her death, the Ghost Queen Mother was thinking about continuing her great cause."

"Although it's a little inappropriate, it's understandable."

Prince Chun reluctantly said something, but his face was already extremely embarrassed.

Li Kunshan snorted again and continued.

"Do you think this is over?"

"Is there anything else?"

"Your Majesty, would you please think about it more deeply?"

Li Kunshan's eyes were cold as he spoke in guidance.

"How can we continue our great cause with only a few human sacrifices? Do you think your Lord Buddha would be content to play house in the underground palace?"

"This……"

Prince Chun frowned instantly. No one knew the answer better than him.

After all, he once held supreme authority, but now, he was confined to the mansion. Although his title and life continued as before, they were confined to this mansion. What difference was there between him and playing house?

In fact, it was not just him. The same thing happened to his emperor son, except that the location was changed to the Forbidden City.

If he had the chance, he would never go on like this!
If he is like this, how can the ambitious old Buddha stay safely in the underground palace?
Thinking of this, Prince Chun's face changed instantly.

"Do you mean that the old Buddha will rush out of the underground palace?"

“It’s not a matter of if, but a matter of sure.”

Li Kunshan snorted lightly, and seeing that he had aroused Prince Chun's vigilance, he continued to knock.

"The Ghost Queen Mother wants to regain her former power, just like the restoration you guys tried to do before. Since it's a restoration, the first step is to gather her old subordinates."

"That's right, it's not right!"

Prince Chun nodded subconsciously, then came to his senses.

"She's dead, how can we gather her together?"

"Yeah, what do you think?"

"Could it be..."

Prince Chun opened his eyes slightly, a hint of panic appeared in his eyes, and then he shook his head repeatedly.

"Impossible! There's no way the old lady would kill us all for this! Besides, this is the mortal realm after all. Even if she wants to harm us, it probably won't be that easy."

"It's natural, but everyone will close their eyes one day after living for a hundred years."

Li Kunshan sneered again and spoke slowly.

"I've seen the magic circle in the mausoleum. It's very strange. A hundred years from now, as a former subordinate of the Ghost Queen Mother, Your Highness will probably have difficulty entering reincarnation. Instead, he will be detained in the Eastern Mausoleum."

"This this……"

Upon hearing this, Prince Chun was completely panicked.

This is really a life of unrest even after death!

Ever since the fall of the Qing Dynasty, he had stayed in his mansion, chanting Buddhist scriptures and copying Buddhist scriptures when he had nothing to do, hoping to be reborn into a good family after his death. He hoped that he would not only enjoy half a lifetime of happiness like this time, but would be able to enjoy a lifetime of happiness in peace and stability next time.

If the ghost is detained in the Eastern Tomb after death and continues to serve as a slave to the Ghost Queen, there will be no chance of turning over a new leaf.

"Your Majesty, please think twice."

Seeing Prince Chun's reaction, Li Kunshan said in a deep voice.

In fact, Li Kunshan didn’t know whether the magic circle could capture souls.

What he said just now was basically half true and half false, deliberately trying to scare Prince Chun.

But that's enough!
Now, there is a ghost queen mother in Dongling, and she is extremely restless. None of these old people and young people can expect to have peace after death.

After all, although these people call themselves slaves, who really wants to be a slave forever?

It would be fine if he was second only to the emperor, but the Qing Dynasty has fallen, and the situation in the world is hopeless, let alone the underworld.

It’s obvious that there’s no good outcome, so who would choose?
"I understand."

After a moment, Prince Chun thought it through and his expression became serious.

Then he turned to Li Kunshan again, and his attitude instantly became much more respectful, even with a hint of pleading.

"Master, what do you think we should do about this?"

"Went out."

Li Kunshan spoke directly, looking nonchalant.

"Ghosts belong in the underworld. Now that you've escaped to the living world, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"This……"

Once and for all.

But Prince Chun also had concerns. After all, that was their Empress Dowager.

If he asked Li Kunshan to kill the Ghost Queen Mother, how would he survive in the circle of the old and young in the future?
After all, he is still the Prince Chun of Qing in name only.

"Well, I'll give you two choices."

Li Kunshan also knew Prince Chun’s difficulties and spoke directly.

"The first one is to keep the ghost but not the body. I will destroy the Ghost Queen's body and arrest her soul and hand it over to the underworld for custody and judgment. The second one is to keep the body but not the soul. I can keep the Ghost Queen's body and continue to display it in the mausoleum, but I must destroy her ghost!"

"This...can't we keep both?"

Prince Chun hesitated for a moment and then continued.

"Leave the body behind, and arrest the soul and send it to the underworld."

"Haha, Your Majesty, it's so easy for you to say."

Li Kunshan snorted lightly, then his face darkened.

"That's the Ghost Queen Mother. Who knows how many preparations she made during her lifetime, and how many hidden cards she has? I'm only trying to kill her, and I'm probably going to have to risk my life. Now you're essentially asking me to capture her alive, and you have to be careful about how you strike. You really don't care about my life or death."

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant."

Prince Chun waved his hands quickly, then frowned again.

If this is the case, it seems that we really only have one choice.

After pondering for a long time, he finally made up his mind.

"Then I'll choose the second one!"

"haha okay."

Li Kunshan smiled, it was pretty much what he expected.

For the Ghost Queen Mother herself, keeping her soul is better than keeping her body. After all, even if she can no longer be the Queen Mother, she still has a chance to reincarnate.

But if she stayed in her physical form, Li Kunshan would beat her to death and everything would be in vain.

Knowing this, Prince Chun still made this choice.

Without the Ghost Queen Mother in the underworld, he will naturally be free of this restraint after his death, which is actually better for him!

Besides, there is a corpse in the tomb, which can also stop people from gossiping.

It has to be said that if a person does not work for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth. There is no such thing as loyalty.

"Humph! Even so! That guy surnamed Sun will have to pay the price!"

After making the decision, Prince Chun snorted again, his eyes cold.

Without waiting for Li Kunshan and the others to speak, he continued to explain.

"Master and Taoist Priest, don't worry. You don't have to do this kind of dirty work. Just help me arrange for the Buddha. As for that guy surnamed Sun, someone will naturally deal with him. After all, although the Qing Dynasty has fallen, we are still alive!"

Yes, there are still many remnants of the Qing Dynasty, such as the former general with a pigtail.

Since Prince Chun had called them here, the others were naturally not idle either, and they might have also recruited some people with great skills.

However, as the regent at the time and the emperor's biological father, Prince Chun's words were still effective in this circle.

As long as Prince Chun agrees, the arrangement for Empress Dowager Ghost will be decided.

"That's good."

Li Kunshan nodded and smiled with satisfaction.

(End of this chapter)