Chapter 1555: The ancient secrets of the Jing Family, the ancestor Yingming was destroyed by his descendants

“Reporting to Miss, the King and Empress went out to visit friends not long ago, but the prince has been staying in the palace for a while, reading various ancient books and records,” the two maids replied respectfully.

“Went out to visit friends?” Jing Xiao was taken aback, a hint of suspicion crossing her features. She couldn’t recall her parents ever mentioning any friends. Throughout her years in Jing Guo, such connections had never come up. Their sudden absence felt more like a pretext, leading her to believe they had left for a more pressing matter.

“Go to the palace and call my brother back,” she instructed after a moment’s thought.

The two maids nodded and hurried off. The vast Jing Mansion felt unusually empty; with only a few servants present, it was eerily quiet. As the host, Jing Xiao was intimately familiar with every corner of the mansion, despite her absence over the years.

Taking it upon herself, she prepared tea for Gu Changge, the comforting ritual momentarily distracting her. Yet, her heart was not in it, and she found herself unwilling to engage with Ling Yuxian. The tension in the air lingered, unaddressed but palpable.

Ling Yuxian paid little mind to the unfolding situation; she settled onto a nearby stone bench, her beautiful eyes gently closing as if she were resting. The strength of Jing Xiao’s parents was no trivial matter. Although they weren’t at the level of Ling Qiuchang, the master of Yu Xian Palace, they were nonetheless considered first-class powerhouses within the entire Xi Yuan civilization. Their unexpected departure from the Jing Mansion caught her off guard.

Ling Yuxian speculated that they had likely returned to the Jing clan’s ancestral land.

This must be connected to the news Ling Qiuchang relayed to them at that time. If I had known, I would have come here sooner; perhaps I could have caught them.

She mused, shaking her head slightly in regret.

Meanwhile, Gu Changge sat beside her on the stone bench, enjoying the fragrant tea that filled the air. After taking a sip, he couldn’t help but admire the taste. Jing Xiao, initially eager to converse with him, now saw an opportunity to invite him for a tour of the mansion, her enthusiasm bubbling beneath the surface.

Ling Yuxian, hearing this, opened her beautiful eyes and directed her gaze at Gu Changge. There was a subtle warning, mixed with something else, in her expression. Yet, Gu Changge seemed oblivious to it. Faced with Jing Xiao’s expectant gaze, he smiled and nodded. “Since Junior Sister Jing Xiao sincerely invites me, how can I refuse?”

These words elicited a cold snort from Ling Yuxian as she closed her eyes again, opting for silence. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Gu Changge was dismissing their prior agreement entirely.

Did he really believe that locating the Jing clan’s ancestral land would unlock the gates to eternal life?

The thought lingered, tinged with annoyance.

Without the support of Yu Xian Palace, Gu Changge knew he would never have acquired the Gate of Eternal Life. The Jing Mansion spanned several hundred kilometers, yet it had been meticulously renovated, exuding elegance. To an ordinary cultivator, it might appear unremarkable, but to someone with profound divine powers, it was filled with extraordinary features at every turn. Immortal energy intermingled, and colorful lights surged, creating a small celestial cave.

As Jing Xiao guided Gu Changge through the mansion, she shared numerous entertaining anecdotes from her childhood, her laughter echoing through the elegant halls. In this moment, she seemed to forget Ling Yuxian’s earlier words, lost in nostalgia. Gu Changge maintained a warm smile, listening attentively.

He understood that Jing Xiao’s stories served to set a pleasant atmosphere, likely to prepare for the more serious questions she was bound to ask later. For Gu Changge, however, Jing Xiao no longer held significant value. The truths of their relationship had been laid bare, and it was better for her not to harbor irrelevant feelings any longer.

He had no need to provoke her feelings further or deepen the rift between her and Ling Yuxian. After deducing Ling Yuxian’s background, Gu Changge recognized she posed little threat to him. Her only current utility lay in helping him pinpoint the location of the Yu Xian Palace’s patriarch, providing him the crucial information on where Liuhe Tianyuan was sealed.

It could be said that Ling Yuxian’s misunderstanding of Gu Changge’s origins and identity was purely accidental. He had never anticipated she would perceive him that way.

At this moment, in the capital of Jing Guo, outside the Scripture Pavilion, Jing Xiang squinted at the sun, which was now positioned high in the sky, his eyes glinting with anticipation. “It seems that today I will uncover many truths,” he murmured to himself, recalling the promise made by the voice yesterday.

After days of persistent questioning and pestering, that voice had grown impatient and finally revealed his identity. To his astonishment, he learned he was none other than the oldest ancestor of the Jing family. The revelation left Jing Xiang frozen in shock, grappling with the enormity of the truth.

The oldest distant ancestor of the Jing family? No wonder he possessed such extensive knowledge about them. Yet, he found himself puzzled by a deeper question: why did he harbor such resentment and anger toward the Jing family? Whenever he spoke of the younger generation, his tone was often cold and disdainful.

Moreover, it seemed he was still trapped in some obscure place, a fact that only added to Jing Xiang’s confusion. The absurdity of these circumstances compelled him to uncover all the secrets behind them. In light of this newfound understanding, the curse that had once seemed so significant now felt trivial in comparison.

In the blink of an eye, noon arrived, and the familiar scorching sun hung high in the sky, casting its radiant light over all living beings. Jing Xiang felt that familiar sensation again and took the initiative to converse with the voice in his heart.

“You claimed to be the distant ancestor of the Jing family, but why do you seem to be trapped in the sun?” he asked, his curiosity piqued. “Also, how do you know so much about the curse I bear? Does it have something to do with you?”

He poured forth all the questions swirling in his mind. Upon hearing his inquiries, the voice responded with a strange laugh, followed by a tone of disdain. “Why am I trapped? You should direct that question to those unscrupulous juniors of the Jing family. As for the curse afflicting you, ha! It is because it was left behind by me, your ancestor. I never imagined it would come to fruition on you, a hapless wretch.”

Jing Xiang was left utterly stunned, unable to believe what he had just heard. The voice grew colder and angrier as it continued, “I founded the Jing family with the intent of establishing an immortal and powerful force like the Yu Xian Palace. But who would have thought that, while I was severely injured in battle with an enemy, unscrupulous juniors would conspire against me? They sought to seize my body and refine all the divine power I had cultivated for countless years, taking it for themselves…”

“The ancestor Yingming was once the most outstanding figure in the world, and many gifted individuals surrendered to him. Yet, in the end, he was betrayed by his own descendants. His physical body was nearly destroyed, reduced to nutrients for others—how utterly ridiculous!”

With those words, an incomparably ancient secret was suddenly revealed, dripping with blood before Jing Xiang’s eyes. He froze in place, unable to recover for a long time.

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