Chapter 169: Chapter 169

"Does the princess mean to say that my father knew the consequences of doing this, yet didn’t stop it?"

Dongfang Chenyuan felt goosebumps rising all over his body. "If that’s really the case, unless... he was powerless to stop it, otherwise, he wouldn’t just stand by."

Yu Nianzhao spread his hands and said, "That, I wouldn’t know. You’d have to ask him yourself to understand. Anyway, Tomb Guard City is just a bane, only protecting this generation. As for the next generation... how they will suffer, you might not even live to see it."

Dongfang Chenyuan clapped his hands and said, "Even if the disaster doesn’t reach me, I can’t just stand by and do nothing. Though I haven’t married and had children yet, it doesn’t mean I should let my future generations endure all this suffering. Princess, is there any way to reverse it?"

His eyes were filled with trust towards Yu Nianzhao.

Yu Nianzhao dipped his finger in the tea and wrote a word on the tabletop.

Dongfang Chenyuan rubbed his eyes, murmuring the word, "Collect? Does the princess mean to go to Tomb Guard City and collect those demons and spirits? That’s indeed one method. In fact, the Mystic Gate had people who thought of it too. Actually, there’s a secret within the Mystic Gate family. It’s said that before sending people into Tomb Guard City every five years, the Mystic Gate family has already sacrificed quite a few mystics, and out of necessity, Tomb Guard City was established. This method was tried by some ancestors."

"The past is the past, and the present is the present." Yu Nianzhao softly said.

Dongfang Chenyuan was still savoring Yu Nianzhao’s words, pondering their meaning.

"Oh dear! What’s going on? These talismans are completely fake, none of them are consecrated, I can’t feel a trace of spiritual power, and you dare to sell them? You’re just scamming people! How can you be so insincere, storyteller? What if someone put on your talisman with full confidence, only to encounter a ghost, and the amulet didn’t work at all, how desperate would they be? Don’t come out to harm everyone and tarnish our mystic’s reputation!"

Dongfang Chenyue’s dissatisfied voice echoed throughout the tavern. She was holding a talisman in her hand, almost about to stand on the table and argue with someone.

The storyteller’s face turned from green to red, lowering his voice to reprimand, "Young lady, I don’t know what you’re talking about? These talismans were all brought from temples and Taoist temples, how could they be useless? Are you deliberately trying to cause a disturbance?"

"Haha, my surname is Dongfang, I’m from the Mystic Gate family, how could I not know if your talismans work? They’re no more than scraps of paper, they won’t last even half an hour, let alone a day." Dongfang Chenyue sneered at him, showing no intention of sparing him any face, making both him and the talisman worthless.

The storyteller rolled up his sleeves, "Oh really, you’re impersonating the Mystic Gate family just to cause trouble? If I don’t deal with you today, you won’t know whose turf this tavern is."

He clapped his hands, and several thugs surged forward, glaring at Dongfang Chenyue.

The other guests scurried away, clutching their talismans, doubtful of their authenticity, yet silently accepting the situation.

"Tsk, what kind of tavern is this? It’s clearly a den of thieves, having such arrangements!"

Dongfang Chenyue indeed jumped onto the table, placing her hands on her hips, looking disdainfully at the group of thugs.

"Young lady, besides being the storyteller here, I’m also one of the owners of this tavern. I tell stories here as a hobby, and these talismans are merely resold. It’s just a way to make a living. There’s no need to cause such a fuss here. I’m not some brute; if you’ll just apologize to me, you can leave."

The storyteller clasped his hands behind him, smiling slyly.

"Apologize? Apologize to a fraud like you? That’s absolutely not going to happen!"

Dongfang Chenyue stuck out her tongue and called out with her hands cupped around her mouth, "Cousin, Zhaozhao, I’m being surrounded here, aren’t you going to help me quickly?"

Dongfang Chenyuan sprayed out a mouthful of tea, seeing the thugs eyeing them suspiciously as they approached, and he shook his head, exasperated. "This is truly like seeing a ghost, Dongfang Chenyue is really the bane of my existence; she manages to get me involved in every unlucky thing? It’s crazy!"

He quietly said to Yu Nianzhao, "Princess, this time out, Mu Hongxuan didn’t , and now they’re many against us. Maybe you should leave first, and I’ll cover the rear?" Fresh chapters posted on noᴠelfire.net

Instead of answering him, Yu Nianzhao stood up, walking forward to meet them head-on with an imposing presence.

"In broad daylight, are you really thinking of using force to hit people?"

Yu Nianzhao’s eyes shimmered as she looked at the storyteller with a hint of a smile.

The storyteller immediately felt a chill run down his spine. "If this young lady hadn’t come to cause trouble, I would naturally treat her with courtesy. If you are indeed friends, advise her to apologize, and we can still talk this out."

"Oh? You may be easy to talk to, but I’m not one for idle chatter."

Yu Nianzhao casually picked up a talisman and sneered, "Dongfang Chenyue isn’t wrong; you’re using these worthless pieces of paper to swindle people, thereby bringing misfortune upon yourselves and your descendants. Now, with the Great Chao Country riddled with evil spirits, selling fake talismans is akin to harming others. Apologize? You indeed should be the one apologizing!"

The storyteller didn’t expect their eyes to be so sharp. Gritting his teeth, he signaled to the people next to him to close the doors and prepare to handle them properly.

Otherwise, if news of selling fake goods got out, how could they continue their tavern business?

"Zhaozhao, be careful!"

High up and with a clear view, Dongfang Chenyue instantly noticed their sly tricks and quickly called out to remind them.

"A bunch of riffraff!"

Yu Nianzhao faintly mocked, forming a seal with her left hand. A flare shot out, landing in front of the staff heading to close the door.

A firewall appeared out of nowhere, and with a ’boom,’ it set the door ablaze. The scorching temperature terrified the staff into screaming, "Fire, fire! Quickly put it out."

Everyone saw the staff staggering to fetch water, splashing it towards the onlookers outside the door.

"What’s going on? How is this tavern conducting business? Is this staff crazy? Where’s the fire, it’s intentional!"

The bystanders who got doused were soaked, shivering in the early spring chill, glaring angrily at the people inside the tavern.

"What, what, what... what’s going on here? There’s no fire at all?"

The storyteller was also stunned. After regaining his senses, he pointed at Yu Nianzhao, saying, "Could it be you know sorcery?"

Dongfang Chenyue’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Yu Nianzhao, exclaiming with joy, "Zhaozhao, was that an Illusion Technique? Where’s your Illusion Talisman? My father can also draw Illusion Talismans, and he’s the only one in the Dongfang Family with that skill. I never expected you to know it too. If he saw this move of yours, he’d be overjoyed beyond measure."