The cannon fodder heiress trembled with fear after being recognized as a member of her family.

The second and third princes were the biggest winners in this distribution of fiefdoms.

After the eldest prince was effectively placed under house arrest, those who had previously pledged allegiance to him were gradually separated from him.

After the Ghost Festival, the emperor dealt with some officials, and monks from royal temples were sent to perform rituals to pray for the souls of those who died without cause.

However, these monks were not highly skilled enough to uncover the truth.

Later, they had no choice but to give up and wait until the following year to invite an expert to come and investigate the cause.

Emperor Chu Yuan learned from Luo Jingqian's secret letter that the deaths of so many civilians during the Ghost Festival might have been caused by human intervention.

He had deliberately distanced himself from Mo Changdao, using his age as an excuse to temporarily let Xu Tianyun take Mo Changdao's place.

Fortunately, Mo Changdao was also preparing to go into seclusion, wanting to improve his cultivation level and extend his lifespan, so he didn't mind.

Since Mo Fan left, he has been in seclusion at home and has not participated in court affairs.

At the ancestral hall, the Mo family's ancestor calculated and deduced every day, trying to find a glimmer of hope.

After the matter at the Imperial Estate was resolved, there was also some activity at the ancestral hall.

The Mo family patriarch woke Mo Changdao, his voice somewhat excited, "The Han Cuiyin you mentioned the other day, does she have the bloodline of the Yan family?"

"The dark-faced girl's biological mother is indeed surnamed Yan, but I don't know if she is the Yan family that the ancestor mentioned."

Mo Changdao had doubts; Yan was just a girl from a small town with no background.

The Yan family was nothing special; they were just an ordinary middle-class family.

"As expected! Haha~ Heaven has not forsaken me!" The Mo family patriarch's soul laughed until it dissipated, then he quickly returned to normal.

"Ancestor, what's so special about the Yan family?" Mo Changdao was somewhat surprised to see him lose his composure for the first time.

"A thousand years ago, I helped the founding emperor of the Great Ye Dynasty seize the world. Those formations were against the natural order and suffered a backlash. The Yan family's collateral branch is famous for its formations, and those formations were obtained from the Yan family, though I modified them somewhat. That collateral branch of the Yan family bore most of the consequences. Hehe~"

The laughter of the Mo family patriarch echoed in the ancestral hall, but fortunately, there was a protective array here, so the sound would not be transmitted.

"We've only suffered a partial backlash and we're already in this state, with our descendants dwindling. Wouldn't the Yan family be in an even worse situation?"

Mo Changdao searched through his memories but had no idea that such a family existed in the Daye Dynasty.

"In order to avoid being wiped out, the collateral branch of the Yan family fled to the main family, which implicated the main family as well. They were sealed in the Pinglian Mountains by many powerful figures from a thousand years ago. You should have passed by there when you went there recently."

The Mo family patriarch seemed to be recalling something, speaking rather slowly, and after a while continued:

"After so many years, that sealing formation should have loosened, and the Yan family should be able to come and go freely now."

Mo Changdao recalled for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before saying, "Ancestor, I went to and from the Pinglian Mountains twice. The first time was almost a year ago, when I caught that white fox. The last time was about a month ago, when I was preparing to catch that red fox. The village called Yanjia Village had already been reduced to ruins."

"Is this really true?" The Mo family patriarch was so excited that his soul cracked and dissipated again.

"Yes, I caught the red fox near Qingshuang Mountain. A girl named Yan Ruyi knew it."

Mo Changdao's capture of the redwood was also accidental.

When Luo Jingqian was still the heir of the Duke of Dingguo, he was assassinated at Qingshuang Mountain, an event that alarmed Emperor Chuyuan.

It was at that moment that he learned that Geng Rui was recuperating at Qing Shuang Mountain. If it weren't for a coincidence, he would never have activated the formation, lest he be stopped by Geng Rui.

If it weren't for the perfect confluence of favorable timing, location, and people, this attempt would have been doomed to failure.

"If that's the case, keep an eye out for where Yan Ruyi is staying. The Yan family should be there. A branch of the Yan family used to have a cultivation cave near the capital. I wonder if it still exists after a thousand years."

After the Mo family patriarch finished speaking, Mo Changdao had no choice but to agree.

“Ancestor, Fan’er is heading towards the border. How about I find you another body? Han Cuiyin is quite good. She was the one who took action this time. Otherwise, Fan’er would have been even more powerful.”

Mo Changdao brought up the matter of his health, subtly trying to give Mo Fan a chance to survive.

"I can hold on for a few more days. If I can lure the Yan family here, it's not like I absolutely need Mo Fan." With the Yan family's health, he doesn't need Mo Fan.

Mo Changdao did not notice the deeper meaning in the words of the Mo family patriarch. "If that's the case, patriarch, rest assured, I will definitely find the whereabouts of the Yan family and find you the most perfect body."

After they finished speaking, they went back to their own business.

After the fourth prince returned to the palace, in addition to studying literature with his teachers every day, he also practiced martial arts with the royal family's servants.

Mo Changdao refused to accept him as a disciple, saying that his master was someone else. The fourth prince had no choice but to give up his idea of ​​entering the Dao through martial arts.

However, Emperor Chuyuan couldn't stand him idling around all day, so he brought him to his side to learn how to handle state affairs.

After the second and third princes were granted the title of kings, they also entered the court.

A month passed quickly, and as the Mid-Autumn Festival approached, Luo Jingqian opened his eyes.

The black aura that had been entangled in the spiritual energy was completely removed, proving that the past month of cultivation had not been in vain.

He didn't have many spirit stones, so he focused on dispelling the dark energy during the day and drawing down the power of the stars at night to increase his cultivation.

Han Cuiyin was right across from them.

Her body was covered in a layer of black mud, making her look completely black.

They underwent another thorough cleansing and marrow-removing treatment, but this time they still didn't know the reason.

Han Cuiyin shut down her five senses and was completely unaware of what was happening outside, let alone that Luo Jingqian had also come here to go into seclusion.

Luo Jingqian felt much lighter after this period of seclusion. He had a feeling that if he were to be exposed to the sun again, without taking any medication or entering the icy pool, he could last for another hour.

He walked gently to Han Cuiyin's side and used the cleaning technique he had just learned to remove the dust from her.

She had only used it once when Han Cuiyin opened her eyes. "What are you doing here? How much time has passed?"

Luo Jingqian calmly withdrew his hand, took out a handkerchief and gave it to her, "It's been almost a month. Today is the 13th of August, and the Mid-Autumn Festival is the day after tomorrow. Half a month ago, when we were cultivating, we encountered the same situation as last time on the left peak. You should pack up."

After regaining her five senses, Han Cuiyin noticed what was happening and immediately rushed out of the pool.

After Luo Jingqian came out, she was nowhere to be seen.

"That Miss Han seems to have recovered her cultivation, though it's slightly weaker than yours." With the ice coffin nearby, Geng Rui reminded his still-foolish grandson, "You should hurry back; something's happened to the Yan family."

Without saying another word, Luo Jingqian disappeared into the cold pool and returned to his villa.

"What about the green hills and the green river?"

The servant in the courtyard said respectfully, "They haven't returned from the estate down there these days."

Luo Jingqian quickly washed and dressed, then grabbed a servant and asked, "What happened at the estate? How are the Yan family members?"