Before Wan Ziyang could reach the crime scene, the girls' corpses had already been burned. All the eyewitnesses had also been killed. The magistrate, with the courage of his convictions, had argued to Wan Ziyang that he had gotten rid of the evil for the greater good.

Wan Ziyang had been so angry that he had almost killed the idiot with a slap. For now, the idiot magistrate was imprisoned in the Justice Department, but Wan Ziyang wanted him locked up for life.

"Did the Su Clan do it?" This was Ye Jiuge's primary concern.

Wan Ziyang shook his head and said, "I could not find any concrete evidence that the Su Clan was responsible." 

Lately, Su Junqing had been as obedient as a baby. He had not stepped outside his residence, and the brothels and properties suspected to be connected to him were keeping a low profile. They had not bought or sold any small girls, and Wan Ziyang could not find a single clue.

Ye Jiuge frowned. Su Junqing was someone who planned rigorously. If he were deliberately hiding something, it would be even harder to obtain information to use against him.

Suddenly, Ye Jiuge thought of something. She immediately said, "Oh, the Elderly Lady Xu, who fought me in the palace yesterday, is a sorceress!"

"What?" Bai Songling was startled. 

He had heard of the Elderly Lady Xu from Lady Hongxiu. Apparently, she was the Empress's right-hand woman, and she handled all the Empress's matters involving human lives. In recent years, countless palace maids and court eunuchs had died at her hands. They had thought that the Empress used such b.l.o.o.d.y means to make a statement without realizing that the real purpose of this cruelty was to enable Elderly Lady Xu's Black Magic practice.

"The background of this Elderly Lady Xu must be thoroughly investigated." Wan Ziyang's sculpture-like facial features were as grave as a stone statue.

Ever since he had seen the small girls in the underground room who had been tortured and killed by the sorcerer, he had possessed a deep-seated hatred for sorcerers and wished that he could eliminate all of them in a single stroke.

"Yes, I fear that this Elderly Lady Xu is not simple. Investigate her thoroughly. Perhaps, something can be found. However, the two of you need to be careful. Although she is only an Advanced Spiritual Pract.i.tioner, she has formed the Spiritual Light of Protection around half of her body. Dealing with her won't be so easy."

Ye Jiuge recalled her fight with Elderly Lady Xu: had Lady Hongxiu not arrived in time with Emperor Xuanwu, it would have cost her dearly.

"She has formed the Spiritual Light of Protection?" Bai Songling exclaimed in quiet alarm.

Both he and Wan Ziyang were Intermediate Spiritual Pract.i.tioners, but they were gifted and possessed extraordinary spiritual powers. As such, they were usually able to hold their own against Advanced Spiritual Pract.i.tioners in a fight. However, if Elderly Lady Xu had already formed the Spiritual Light of Protection, even if they joined hands, they would be no match for her.

"The two of you don't need to worry so much. These sorcerers cultivate using the grudges of the dead. An item with adequate masculine energy, Yang Qi, can subdue them." Ye Jiuge recalled something that Zi Shang had once said to her.

"What is an item with adequate Yang Qi?" Bai Songling asked. If it was not challenging to obtain, he wanted to carry a dozen at all times in case of emergency.

"Probably the prayer beads of the Buddhist Pract.i.tioners, the amulets of Daoist Priests, swords made of peach wood, the blood of a black dog, and so on." Ye Jiuge recalled the zombie movies she had seen. These items tended to be the treasures used in exorcisms. 

"There are neither Buddhist Pract.i.tioners nor Daoist Priests in our Lei Country. What is a black dog? Is it a spiritual beast?" Bai Songling asked, puzzled.

Although there were temples and monks in the Lei Country, these monks were not Spiritual Pract.i.tioners. To become a Buddhist Pract.i.tioner, the aspirant needed to start by seeking enlightenment in the Tianchan Mountain of the West. After that, he had to deliver all living beings from suffering. The cultivation process was arduous and could not be accomplished simply by sitting in a temple and chanting Buddhist texts.

Daoist Priests, on the other hand, gathered in the Qingyun Mountain of the East, which was a hundred and eight thousand miles away from the Lei Country. As for black dogs, there were no such spiritual beasts in the Lei Country. They could only be found in the Wanshou Mountain.

Ye Jiuge used to think that spiritual power alone was revered on the continent. She had not realized that so many different forces were entrenched. Sure enough, the world was vast and full of extraordinary things. Ye Jiuge had only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg.

"Oh, there is some peach wood. Although, how can swords be crafted using peach wood?" Wan Ziyang asked.

They couldn't just chop branches off the peach trees and use them directly, could they? If they could, wouldn't sorcerers be too vulnerable? 

"I have only heard about it; I am not so sure about the specifics." Ye Jiuge suddenly regretted putting her heart and soul exclusively into completing missions. She had never bothered to learn more about exorcism.

"Stupid!" Zi Shang could not bear it anymore. He took the initiative and said, "Both of them have an abundance of Yang Qi already; they don't need to find a black dog's blood. They just have to bite the tip of their tongues and spit out their spiritual blood when they face the sorceress, and they will be able to subdue her."

Especially Wan Ziyang—his spiritual root was Lightning Fire, the most powerful of all Fire Spiritual Roots, and it had a natural subduing effect on sorcerers. However, his cultivation was insufficient; hence, he could be suppressed by sorcerers. When his cultivation increased, his Lightning Fire would be capable of burning up all these filthy things. 

Ye Jiuge quickly relayed Zi Shang's words to Wan Ziyang and Bai Songling.

"Many thanks to Eldest Miss Ye for the advice!" 

Bai Songling and Wan Ziyang were not afraid of sorcerers, but they were uneasy when it came to the unknown. Now that they knew how to subdue the sorcerers, they felt more confident about handling them. 

"It's getting late. Let's conclude our discussion. Stay in contact if there is any news," Ye Jiuge said.

They had been conversing for more than an hour. All the information they needed to discuss had been exchanged.

"Do you need us to escort you home?" Wan Ziyang asked.

"No need." Ye Jiuge was not a child anymore.

She got onto the horse-drawn carriage and returned to the Zilin Residence, where she found Fifth Concubine and Ye Ruyi waiting inside.

"Eldest Miss—your face?" Fifth Concubine was startled when she saw Ye Jiuge.

"Father hit me." Ye Jiuge took a seat, prepared to impart a lesson to Fifth Concubine and her daughter.

"How could Father do this to you?" Ye Ruyi frowned. 

Her adorable face was filled with outrage. Her Eldest Sister was the person she respected the most; n.o.body, not even their father, could bully her. 

"There is nothing to be done, it's my fault for not listening to him and kowtowing apologetically to the Empress and Crown Prince." Ye Jiuge sighed. The pretense of her sorrowful and grievous look appeared genuine.

Fifth Concubine opened her mouth, but she did not know how to comfort Ye Jiuge. She understood Ye Yuxuan's violent tendencies better than anyone. Ever since Ye Yuxuan had kicked her, her body had not been as nimble. 

Ye Ruyi said indignantly, "Eldest Sister did nothing wrong. Why should he make you go and apologize to the Empress and Crown Prince?"

Father is trying to humiliate Eldest Sister by making her grovel and apologize. It is clear that the Crown Prince and Second Sister are fooling around. They abhor Eldest Sister and have even tried to kill her. 

Father clearly knows that it was not Eldest Sister's fault, but he has directed all the blame to her. He is unable to distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil. He is not worthy of being their father!