Rebirth: The flatterer prince I raised couldn't be so clingy

Gu Qingzhi's heart moved, and she squatted down and carefully picked up the pottery jar.

Those maroon symbols seemed to come from ancient times, containing unknown and terrifying mysterious powers.

Storytellers in Kyoto occasionally tell strange stories, saying that in ancient times, some tribes that believed in gods would use pottery jars in sacrifices.

However, in order to attract attention, the stories they tell are often about evil monsters hidden in the pottery jars, which will be released to wreak havoc on the world if the seals are opened.

Gu Qingzhi always felt it was distorted when she heard this.

"Old man, look at this."

She tilted her head and handed the clay pot to the old man.

Unexpectedly, the old man was shocked when he saw the symbol on it, and hurriedly said: "Don't touch this thing! Quick, throw it away!"

Gu Qingzhi didn't understand, but seeing that the old man was so excited, she still did as she was told and threw the jar aside.

The old man finally breathed a sigh of relief and stared at the jar solemnly and said, "Do you know what that is?"

Gu Qingzhi shook her head.

The old man did not rush to explain, but asked: "Since you know the black snake head, let me ask you, how much do you know about them?"

Gu Qingzhi thought about it thoughtfully and decided to just give a general idea.

"We've had a few encounters, but that's it."

The old man sighed and said, "Then you should have seen how they died, and the totems on their bodies like mine."

Gu Qingzhi looked at the pottery jar and nodded slightly, unable to deny it.

"They call that thing 'Ashe'. The way they and I look is caused by the 'Ashe' in the pottery jar."

"'Asher'...what is it?"

The old man looked up and recalled: "I was imprisoned here and tortured for days. I was already unconscious. When I was unconscious, they brought a jar like that and opened the seal on it."

"A black mist rose up, and I fainted for no apparent reason. When I woke up, there was the black snake head totem on my chest."

"You may have seen it too. I've seen quite a few of them die before. This thing is similar to a chronic poison, but it's very strange. It leaves no marks on the dead, but it can torture me to madness every day."

"They also have a special spice that can cause poisoning and cause people to die suddenly in a short period of time. For decades, they used that spice to torture me repeatedly every day in small amounts, and that's how I became what you see now, a half-human, half-ghost."

Gu Qingzhi suddenly remembered the several times she had encountered the black snake heads. When they went crazy, she could always smell a sweet smell.

Looking back now, it turns out that it was not a coincidence, but someone did it deliberately.

But at the same time she was also sweating.

The use of incense meant that the group of black snake heads were always being monitored, and their every move would be seen by the monitor.

No wonder Zuo Chengyu was so sure about her identity. If that was the case, wouldn't her every move be under their control?

Just as her thoughts were drifting, a voice came to her ears.

"Girl, girl? What's wrong with you? If you are tired, put me down and rest your feet."

Gu Qingzhi shook her head and pulled her thoughts back to her senses.

The old man patted her shoulder and said, "If you are not tired, carry me over there and take a look. I just saw something buried in the broken pottery. Maybe it can be useful to you and me."

Upon hearing what he said, Gu Qingzhi took a few steps in the direction of his finger, and saw something covered in mud lying among the broken porcelain pieces at her feet.

She squatted down and picked up the thing. It was a rotten and torn printed cloth bag. It was heavy inside and made a clanging sound when it was shaken. It seemed to be filled with something made of bamboo.

"It sounds like a bamboo slip. Open it and take a look, but don't use your hands. If you find anything wrong, you can react in time."

Gu Qingzhi nodded, picked up a piece of broken porcelain that looked relatively clean, and cut the cloth bag open.

Nothing happened and no black fog floated out, which means there was no "Ashe".

She gently opened the bag, and a rotten smell hit her face. She held her breath, reached into the jar, fumbled for a while, and took out a yellowed paper roll.

The scroll was densely covered with words, but due to its age, the handwriting was blurred.

Gu Qingzhi used the light from the tinder to try to make out the contents.

"...Black Snake Head...Sacrifice...Rebirth..." She read out a few words intermittently, frowning, "It seems to be a sacrificial ceremony related to the Black Snake Head, but I can't quite understand the specific content."

The bamboo slips have been corroded by a lot of water stains, and the words written on them are almost unrecognizable. In addition, there are some differences from the characters of the current dynasty. I don’t know if it is some kind of secret code, so it is really difficult to recognize.

Hearing this, the old man's eyes flashed with a strange look: "Sacrifice...rebirth? What on earth are they planning to do?"

Gu Qingzhi's heart was shocked. She remembered the mechanism box and the black snake head totem inside it that she saw in Zuo Xiang's study that night, as well as how much importance Zuo Xiang and his son attached to the totem.

If the paper scroll in the pottery jar is really related to the black snake head, then they have undoubtedly touched upon the core secret of Zuo Xiang and his son.

"No matter what, we can't leave this thing here." Gu Qingzhi rerolled the paper and put it in his arms. "Maybe it can be the key evidence for us to fight against Zuo Xiang and his son."

The old man nodded in agreement: "In that case, let's get out of here quickly. If we are discovered by the guards, we will be in trouble."

Gu Qingzhi carried the old man on her back, and the two continued to move forward along the tunnel. When passing the hole, she paid special attention to the surrounding environment, trying to find a possible way out.

However, apart from the slight sound of water seepage, there was deathly silence all around, without any clues.

Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps came from a distance.

Gu Qingzhi's heart tightened, and she immediately extinguished the fire, then hid in the shadows on the side with her back to the old man.

I saw several people dressed in black, who looked like jailers, holding torches, walking hurriedly through the tunnel, as if they were looking for something.

The sound of their conversation reached Gu Qingzhi and the old man's ears clearly.

"Someone saw a flash of fire here just now. Could they have escaped here?"

"Search quickly! We must find the person!"

Gu Qingzhi held her breath, her heart beating like a drum.

Fortunately, the guards did not notice them and quickly left the tunnel.

Gu Qingzhi breathed a sigh of relief only after the guards' footsteps completely disappeared.

She lit the tinder again and continued walking with the old man on her back.

The tunnel suddenly made a sharp turn and extended in another direction.

The end of the tunnel is not far away. Suddenly, the view becomes wider and voices and tool sounds can be heard from inside. Bright lights illuminate the nearby tunnels.

The cellar construction site in front should be what the two people just mentioned.