Bab 9: Who Taught You the Seven-Kill Formation?
Before Nanli could defend herself, a detached voice came from outside the main hall, "Marquis, she is the newly found sixth miss of the An'yang Marquis Mansion, not here to serve as a concubine for your son."
Qing Feng pushed Ye Siheng inside.
Since Ye Siheng's feet were unable to walk, the palaces and mansions of many royal and noble families had been renovated to facilitate his mobility.
There was no choice; the Ninth Prince deserved such treatment.
The eyes of Marquis Zhenbei lit up, "Excellent, the youngest daughter of the An'yang Marquis… that is a perfect match! Your Highness, you must grace us with your presence and have a toast when the time comes."
At this moment, Xie Beizhe and his mother also arrived at the main hall.
Marquis Zhenbei immediately discussed with his wife, preparing to send a marriage proposal to the An'yang Marquis Mansion tomorrow.
"Stop, stop!" Nanli shouted, glaring at Xie Beihan, "Have you lost your voice?"
Unexpectedly, Ye Siheng's inability to walk did not hinder his curiosity for gossip at all.
Although Nanli's small round face looked adorable, when her expression turned serious, Xie Beihan trembled and had to explain quickly, "Father, it's not like that…"
"You be quiet, this matter is settled." Marquis Zhenbei was very pleased at the moment.
Finally, he had found a girl who could control his son, and he would not let this opportunity slip away.
He would have to enter the palace tomorrow to request the Emperor's approval for the marriage and ensured everything went smoothly.
Ye Siheng also had a gloomy expression and spoke bluntly, "Sixth Miss, is the person who harmed Beihan here?"
Marquis Zhenbei and the others were stunned.
Only Xie Beizhe frowned and asked anxiously, "Brother, you are harmed? Who is it?"
"second young master, what's with the pretense?" Nanli retorted.
Xie Beizhe's face changed instantly.
The Marquis's wife protected her own son and said coldly, "Sixth Miss, what do you mean by that?"
"The one who set up the Seven-Kill Formation on Heir Xie is you." Nanli pointed at Xie Beizhe.
"It's… it's you?" Xie Beihan instinctively moved away from Xie Beizhe, keeping his distance.
He was shocked and a little scared.
This was his younger brother. How could he harm him? How could he want to take his life?
"What exactly happened?" Marquis Zhenbei realized that something was wrong and became serious.
Nanli briefly explained the situation.
"If I haven't spent half a year practicing at the Taoist temple, I'm afraid the heir would have died tonight."
Marquis Zhenbei turned to his youngest son and questioned, "Is it really you?"
Xie Beizhe remained calm and said, "Father, how could I harm my elder brother? Miss, you cannot randomly accusing me without evidence. This is Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, not a place for baseless accusations."
The Marquis' wife was also angry.
"That's right! What does a little girl like you know? I didn't expect you to be so malicious at such a young age. They are brothers who respect and love each other; you won't be able to drive a wedge between them!"
Xie Beihan was not hrt biological son. And though he respected her, he had no emotional attachment with her.
Hearing her speak so rudely, he frowned, "Mother, the Sixth Miss saved my life. Please show some politeness!"
The Marquis's wife sneered, "I understand now, you all want to conspire against my son. Beihan, you are already the heir, why would you want to exterminate us?"
"I… I didn't!" Xie Beihan, this big fool, was being falsely accused and could only stutter, "Father, you have to believe me!"
"I believe you, but…" Marquis Zhenbei glanced at Nanli.
This young girl hadn't even reached adulthood yet.
How much could she possibly learn about the Taoism? She was more like spending half a year sweeping the floor of the Taoist Temle, right?
Seeing his skeptical gaze, Nanli was not in a hurry and went to grab Xie Beizhe's hand.
"What are you doing!" The Marquis's wife roared, "Someone, drag her away and kick her out of the mansion!"
Xie Beihan was anxious and was about to speak up.
But Ye Siheng, who was beside him, said, "Who dares."
With just two simple words, there was an overwhelming sense of oppression.
The guards of the mansion had arrived at the door, but none of them dared to enter.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Nanli easily grabbed Xie Beizhe's hand and rolled up his sleeve.
His wrists bore several scars of varying depths.
"To harness the power of the Seven-Kill Formation and unleash its malevolent force, one must offer their own blood as sacrifice. It seems you have shed quite a bit," she spoke slowly.
A flicker of panic flashed in Xie Beizhe's eyes.
But in an instant, he regained his aggrieved demeanor.
"I acquired a new dagger, and I accidenly cut myself. It has nothing to do with what you just said," he retorted.
Xie Behan, who had harbored doubts just moments ago, now firmly believed it.
"Accidently? With so many bloodstains, who do you think you're fooling?"
"I was just playing with it and curious about how sharp it was. Am I not allow to?" Xie Beizhe continued to deny it.
The Marquis Zhenbei's head spun.
They were both his sons, whom should he trust?
Nanli smiled and suggested, "Your Highness, may I request your people to search the second young master's courtyard? I believe he may not have dealt with the talisman formation of the Seven-Kill Formation."
"Very well," Ye Siheng nodded and instructed Qing Feng to carry out the task.
Xie Beizhe's expression immediately turned grim.
He gritted his teeth and uttered, "No need. It was me who did it!"
Since he was bound to be discovered anyway, why not admit it openly?
Before anyone could respond, Xie Beizhe locked his gaze on Xie Behan and screamed, "Why? Why are you always so blessed? The main wife gave birth to you and you became the heir. And now someone is helping you in escaping this calamity!"
Xie Behan was completely stunned, never before had he seen such hatred in his younger brother's eyes.
However, Nanli calmly stated, "Being born to be the heir is a result of his accumulated merits and virtues from past lives. It is the same in this life, as I am here to assist him. But with your wicked deeds, do you not fear the consequences in your next life?"
"I simply refuse to accept it!" Xie Beizhe breathed heavily, his face turning pale.
"I am superior to you in every aspect, yet you, just because you were given birth by your mother, are entitled to be the heir. Why?"
Regardless of the harsh winter or scorching summer, Xie Beizhe diligently attended school without a day of absence.
And what about his elder brother?
He delegated his studies to servants, sleeping until midday, and his greatest interest was collecting crickets in his private quarters.
He simply refused to accept it!
Why couldn't he be the heir?
Xie Behan's face was hurt by his words and said, "Just because of this… you want to harm me and to see me dead?"
"Yes! Only when you are dead can I become the heir!" Xie Beizhe shouted in a frenzy.
The Marquis Zhenbei could no longer bear it and raised his hand to slap Xie Beizhe.
"You fool, how can you be so cruel to your elder brother!"
The Marquis' wife quickly shielded her own son.
She was heartbroken and said, choking with tears, "Zhe'er is right. Han'er lacks virtue and ability, yet you bestowed upon him the title of heir. You are so blind!"
She regretted marrying into this family, causing her son such pain.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't obtain what he desired.
The Marquis Zhenbei's anger reached its limit.
"Han'er mentioned to me a few days ago that he didn't aspire to this position and wanted to give up the title of heir. I hadn't had the chance to discuss it with you two, but who knew you would want him dead."
The Marquis's wife froze.
Xie Beizhe's eyes widened, disbelief written across his face.
"What? I don't believe it… I don't believe it."
Xie Behan's eyes reddened, "Whether you believe it or not, I will no longer recognize you as my brother."
If someone else had harmed him, he would have made them pay with their life.
But the person who harmed him was his own blood brother, and he simply couldn't bring himself to do it.
"Brother!" Xie Beizhe called out as he saw him turning to leave.
Xie Behan turned around, only to witness his younger brother spewing a mouthful of black blood.
Despite his strength being instantly drained, he persisted in moving forward.
Xie Behan hurriedly went to support him. Even if they fell together, he would still protect his younger brother as he always had.
Xie Beizhe continued to cough up blood and his face devoid of life.
He mustered all his strength to say, "I'm sorry, big brother… I was wrong…"
"I don't blame you. I should have told you earlier that I have given up the title of heir," Xie Behan pleaded desperately.
"Little sister, can you save him?" He spoke through tears.
No matter the cost, he had to keep his brother alive!
Nanli shook her head gently.
"The Seven-Kill Formation requires the sacrifice of one's lifespan to activate. I cannot save him."
The Marquis Zhenbei's face turned pale.
"How…?" The Marquis's fainted before she could finish the sentence.
Nanli approached them and squatted down and used a Soul-Binding Talisman to temporarily preserve Xie Beizhe's soul.
She asked, "The person who taught you this formation didn't mention this, did he?"
He only wanted the title of heir, not to gamble with his own life.
Xie Beizhe struggled to say, "No, he never mentioned it. He only said it cost a small amount of my blood."
He truly regretted it.
He now realized how much his elder brother cared for him.
Unfortunately, there was no remedy for regret.
"Who was the person who taught you this formation?" Nanli inquired once more.
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