novelhk Chapter 136 This place is the gate to the underworld.
Chapter 136 This place is the gate to the underworld.
No one else noticed the turmoil in Wu Zhao's heart.
Seeing that she hadn't spoken, Gu Chen whispered her name in her ear.
"It seems Miss Wu has other ideas about my script?" Ye Linyan looked at Wu Zhao curiously. "Does Miss Wu also think... that the ways of heaven are unpredictable and the gods are heartless?"
The ways of Heaven are unpredictable, and the gods are heartless.
Ye Linyan's words overlapped with the voice of the person from three thousand years ago, giving Wu Zhao a feeling of time and space intersecting.
She pressed her hand against the ring on her finger. "Does it matter what I think?"
"Isn't the focus today your script? Was Shen Jiaojiao's account accurate?"
Shen Jiaojiao's expression was not good, as if she felt that her spotlight had been taken away.
She looked at Ye Linyan expectantly and asked, "Mr. Ye, am I... right?"
To everyone's surprise, Ye Linyan shook his head and said, "That's not right."
He looked around and suddenly asked, "You haven't even met all the characters in this story, so how can you be so sure that my story is over?"
"Perhaps you should ask where Mr. Wu Xingyun went."
Wu Xingyun?
Wu Zhao looked up and could still see the sacrificial altar from a distance.
Flames had already been lit on the high altar, and a blurry figure was standing beside the flames.
"What? So Mr. Wu also participated in this recording? I thought that after my sister got together with the Gu family head... he withdrew from this recording." Shen Jiaojiao's expression was a little awkward as she touched the hairpin in her hair.
Ye Linyan looked at Wu Zhao and smiled, saying, "Miss Wu, the story isn't over yet. What... are you planning to do?"
"By the way, this story... is not as simple as it seems on the surface."
He made a pointed remark, and his smile became somewhat enigmatic.
Wu Zhao sensed a hint of murderous intent in his words.
Her gaze lingered on the altar in the distance.
Amidst the flickering flames, something seemed to be struggling...
Seeing that she had frowned, Gu Chen subtly blocked Ye Linyan's view.
"Why don't we go and see? Maybe he has some special mission." He glanced at Mo Dahai. "I don't think the director wants his show to have any problems."
Mo Dahai was a little nervous, but he still explained, "We didn't do any dangerous projects, and all the tasks were strictly vetted."
He's been through so much trouble that he'll never allow any unsafe elements to appear on his show!
Shen Jiaojiao couldn't understand Ye Linyan's cryptic remarks, but she still asked, "Mr. Ye, what I just said... is it also part of the script?"
"I think I'm only missing some important parts, but the general direction is right, right?"
Ye Linyan smiled at her, a rare occurrence for him, and his handsome face was exceptionally charming when he smiled.
Shen Jiaojiao blushed and her heart raced as she watched.
He said, "Ms. Shen is probably still in character from some TV dramas and has become obsessed with some... trivial love stories."
"The nickname 'Jiaojiao'er' is quite funny."
Ye Linyan's lips curled into a smile, "Is it possible that the letter... mentions Jiaojiao?"
Jiaojiao?
Wu Jiaojiao?
The Imperial Advisor's sister!
Why did His Majesty and the Imperial Concubine mention the Imperial Preceptor's sister in their letters?
Shen Jiaojiao's face was stiff, completely baffled.
Wu Zhao paused for a moment as he turned the ring. Why did Shen Jiaojiao think that it was a letter exchanged between the Imperial Concubine and His Majesty?
Consort Xie Buji stood with his arms crossed, his posture making his palace attire look somewhat strange.
"The letter was found in my room, and it was signed 'Your Majesty.' Isn't that enough to prove that it was a correspondence between me and His Majesty?"
Ye Linyan shrugged. "I can't say that. You'll have to find the answer yourselves."
The letter was in the Consort's room, but it was signed "Your Majesty".
The letter mentioned Jiaojiao and expressed His Majesty's affection for her.
Wu Zhao became somewhat puzzled.
Didn't Your Majesty fall in love at first sight when you saw the person performing the prayer dance at the rain-praying ceremony?
Why does His Majesty already know of Wu Jiaojiao's existence before the prayer dance has even been performed?
Her gaze then fell upon Ye Linyan, who gave her a playful smile.
Ye Linyan fabricated a new script...
Or was her memory wrong from the very beginning?
Gritting his teeth, Wu Zhao said to Gu Chen beside him, "In that case, let's go to the sacrificial altar!"
Qi An and his wife, along with Yu Chenhou, arrived a while later and happened to see Wu Zhao's departing figure.
Yu Chen asked, somewhat puzzled, "Where is Your Majesty going?"
"My answer was wrong, sister... went to find other clues." Shen Jiaojiao was a little disappointed, her hesitant gaze following Ye Linyan.
Unfortunately, the other party was focused on Wu Zhao's departing figure and completely failed to notice her expression.
"Isn't Mr. Gu going along?" Ye Linyan asked abruptly.
Gu Chen remained standing still, his cold gaze meeting Ye Linyan's.
"I will choose to ignore what she doesn't want me to know."
...He knows her very well.
Some truths she needs to face alone.
Upon hearing Gu Chen's answer, Ye Linyan's smile tightened for a moment.
He slowly clenched his fist, his eyes turning somewhat cold.
……
Wu Zhao walked up to the sacrificial altar alone.
When they reached the top, Wu Xingyun was adding firewood to the altar.
Upon seeing Wu Zhao, he exclaimed with delight, "Grandma, you've finally arrived! I've been burning firewood here all day!"
His face was blackened by smoke, making him look somewhat comical.
Wu Zhao remained silent for a moment before asking, "What is your... identity?"
Wu Xingyun, oblivious to the complexity in her emotions, honestly replied, "Oh, so you're from the Imperial Preceptor's residence, the Imperial Preceptor's brother? Your name is Wu Lan!"
Wu Lan and Wu Yan.
He was Wu Zhao's elder brother.
But my brother is dead...
How did Brother Wu Lan die again?
Wu Zhao's vision was somewhat dim, and she stared blankly at the flames before her.
A jumble of chaotic images flashed through my mind.
—Zhaozhao, what's wrong with you performing the prayer dance? It's just that His Majesty has gone a bit overboard.
—My sister is so wonderful, it would be easy for someone to like her.
“Zhaozhao, my sister…”
In a flash, some memory burst forth into her mind as if breaking through an obstacle.
Her first meeting with His Majesty was not during the rain-praying ceremony!
It was three months before the grand ceremony, when she was practicing the prayer dance at the sacrificial altar, and her brother Wu Lan lit the sacrificial flame for her.
He came secretly out of curiosity, but to his surprise, His Majesty wanted to bring her back to the palace the first time he saw her.
Wu Lan's elder brother rebuked him for disrespecting the gods and violating the laws of heaven, but this incurred the wrath of the emperor.
So when Wu Lan was inspecting the flames on the altar, she put flint in the firewood.
Caught off guard, Wu Lan was caught in the blast of flames the moment it was lit and fell off the altar, her bones shattering instantly and killing her on the spot.
This memory came suddenly, causing Wu Zhao's eyes to instantly fill with crimson.
How could she forget?
How could I forget?
Dark, yin energy spread rapidly from beneath her feet like a shadow, enveloping the altar in a chilling aura.
Under the influence of the yin energy, the flames changed from orange-red to an inky black.
It exudes an ominous and terrifying heat.
Wu Xingyun gasped, staring at her in shock: "Aunt, Grandma... what's wrong with you!"
……
Gu Chen felt the terrifying aura and moved his feet, but ultimately remained where he was.
Ye Linyan raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Gu, it seems you have some concerns?"
"If we don't go... it will be too late."
Gu Chen's eyes remained calm, and his voice was still indifferent: "Don't worry, that door... won't appear."
She is Wu Zhao, a divine witch.
Guarding the gates of the underworld is the duty of the shaman.
He believed her.
"Zhao Zhao..."
"I know you won't."