Chapter Nineteen: The Four Yin Severance Formation

As soon as Xie Ning finished speaking, Xiao Lian’s face turned deathly pale.

She looked up with shifty eyes and stammered, "Y-Young Master, I... I do not understand what you are talking about."

"You don't understand?"

A faint smirk played on the corners of Xie Ning’s mouth. With a sharp flick of his fingers, he tore open the exquisite sachet.

With a soft rustle, a small pile of damp, black soil spilled out and scattered onto the floor.

Everyone in the room stared curiously at the black earth, confused as to what it could be. Only the elderly imperial physicians, upon seeing the color and texture of the soil, saw their expressions shift dramatically. One of them, bolder than the rest, stepped forward tremblingly. He pinched a bit of the soil, sniffed it, and then tasted it with the tip of his tongue.

In the next second, his face darkened.

"This is... this is 'grave-damp.' This is soil from a burial ground."

What? Grave soil?

As soon as these words were uttered, the entire room erupted in chaos. Everyone looked at the black soil on the floor with horror and disgust, as if it were some cursed, ominous object. To hide a pouch of soil dug up from a graveyard under the Princess's bed—what kind of malicious curse was this?

Nanny Rong’s face turned leaden. She whipped her head around, her eyes burning with rage as she glared at Xiao Lian. "Xiao Lian, you have some nerve! Speak! Who instructed you to do this?"

"Thump."

Xiao Lian could no longer hold herself up; her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the floor, trembling like a leaf in the wind. "N-Nanny, have mercy! Your Highness, spare me! It wasn't me, it truly wasn't me! I know nothing of this!"

She kowtowed desperately, weeping uncontrollably, but no one in the room felt an ounce of pity for her. It was well known that although the Eldest Princess, Li Qingning, was feared for her reputation, she was exceptionally kind to the maids and servants in her household. At the very least, compared to other estates, there had never been a precedent in this residence of a servant being beaten to death and discarded. Therefore, those who served Li Qingning treated her with genuine loyalty.

Yet, it seemed there was one exception.

"Still trying to lie."

Nanny Rong was trembling with fury. She stepped forward and kicked Xiao Lian squarely in the chest. "Guards! Drag this treacherous maid away and use the harshest punishment."

"I want to see if her mouth is tougher, or if my whip is."

Two guards immediately rushed in, grabbing Xiao Lian by the arms and dragging her toward the door.

"Wait," Xie Ning commanded.

"It is too early to interrogate her. There is more than just this that is wrong in this room."

The crowd was shocked again. There was more?

Everyone instinctively glanced around, feeling a sudden chill, as if the room were permeated with an eerie, malevolent energy. Ignoring the terrified Xiao Lian, Xie Ning stood up and began to pace slowly around the room. He walked to the window and pointed to a string of seashell wind chimes hanging there.

"These chimes look elegant, but shells carry yin energy. Hanging them in a bedroom is an invitation for spirits."

He then walked to the vanity and picked up an antique bronze mirror. "This mirror is facing the bed. At night, when the soul is vulnerable, it is easily drawn into the glass, leading to listlessness and endless nightmares."

Finally, he approached the incense burner in the corner of the room. He lifted the lid, pinched a bit of the ash, and sniffed it.

"This incense is called 'Nine Nether Sinking.' It is refined from nine types of cold, yin herbs mixed with corpse oil. Even a healthy person would fall deathly ill after breathing this for long, let alone the already frail Princess."

"These three items, combined with the grave soil under the bed, form a most vicious 'Four-Yin House-Extinction' formation. This setup is designed to drain the yang energy of those living here, leaving them to wither away and die a miserable death."

With every word Xie Ning spoke, the color drained further from the faces of those in the room. By the time he finished, everyone was deathly pale, shivering with cold. This was no longer just a room; it was a meticulously crafted, slow, and cruel site of a lethal curse.

Nanny Rong swayed, nearly collapsing to the ground, had it not been for Taohua catching her in time. She could not imagine what would have happened if Xie Ning had not come today to uncover all of this. She dared not think further. A mixture of overwhelming rage and lingering terror surged in her chest, driving her to the brink of madness.

"Investigate!" she roared with all her remaining strength. "Search everything! Start with Xiao Lian and dig out everyone behind her, one by one! I want them to suffer a fate worse than death!"

The entire villa was suddenly shrouded in a murderous atmosphere. Xie Ning glanced at Xiao Lian; he felt no pity. She was clearly a novice, terrified out of her wits by a single look. Who would be so foolish as to use such an inexperienced pawn against Li Qingning?

Upon reflection, however, Xie Ning let the thought go. Had it not been for his own arrival and the memories he possessed from his past life, it would not have been easy for anyone else to discover these things. It was simply the girl's misfortune to run into him.

As Xiao Lian was dragged away, Xie Ning walked slowly to Li Qingning’s bedside. He looked at the peerless beauty lying on the bed, her breath so faint she seemed on the verge of fading away forever. His brows furrowed.

The malevolent energy of the formation had already seeped into her marrow. Compounded by her extreme frailty, she had no way to resist. The situation was more棘手 (thorny) than he had anticipated.

But, that was all.

Xie Ning took a deep breath, his expression turning solemn. He turned to the crowd, who were still paralyzed with fear, and commanded in an unquestionable tone, "Everyone out. No one is to enter without my permission."

The group hesitated, but seeing the gravity in Xie Ning’s expression, no one dared to object and they filed out. Before leaving, Nanny Rong gave Xie Ning a deep look, her eyes filled with pleading and trust. "Young Master, I leave Her Highness in your hands."

Xie Ning nodded.

Soon, only Xie Ning and the unconscious Li Qingning remained in the room. Looking at her pale, beautiful face, he had no distractions.

Save her.

That was the only thought in his mind.

Without further hesitation, Xie Ning reached out, once again extending his hand toward her chest.

However, just as his fingertips were about to touch her clothing, his expression shifted.

"Oh no!"

He hissed, and without a second thought, he lunged onto the bed, pressing his entire body over Li Qingning’s.

Xie Ning’s movements were as swift as lightning.