I Can Reincarnate Infinitely

The Wu Kingdom Royal Palace, Celestial Heart Hall—Emperor Shunde’s private quarters.

"Xin’Er, you must help me." Though Emperor Shunde was over forty, he didn’t look his age in the slightest. Anyone would have simply taken him for a handsome, dignified man in his prime.

Emperor Shunde was certainly skilled at preserving his youthful looks, but compared to his cousin, Du Suxin, his efforts were child’s play.

Du Suxin was at the Qi Cultivation Late Stage. Though approaching forty, she looked as if she were sixteen—youthful, vibrant, and graceful.

Her cheeks were still as rosy and dewy as peach blossoms.

"Cousin, Master Baili is a great Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Even my own Sect Elders would not necessarily be his match. Supreme Elder Yi Huai’an has issued a strict command forbidding our sect from engaging in any conflict with Master Baili. My hands are tied! What’s more, by rights I shouldn’t even be concealing all this talk against the Celestial Master circulating within the palace walls. I’m obligated to report it all to him. Cousin, do not speak to me of such matters ever again!"

"Sigh!" Emperor Shunde let out a long, deep sigh.

"Your Majesty, Lord Zhai, the Commander of the Jinyiwei, requests an audience," a trusted eunuch reported in a low voice.

Emperor Shunde gathered himself. "Send him in!"

Soon, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed. A dust-covered Zhai Jing approached, taking the quick, shuffling steps of courtly etiquette. He arrived before Emperor Shunde and fell into a deep bow.

"My dear minister, rise!" Before Zhai Jing could even speak, Emperor Shunde was already out of his chair, gesturing as if to help him up. "What did you learn on your journey? Tell me, quickly!"

Zhai Jing glanced toward the screen behind the throne. Emperor Shunde cleared his throat. "Xin’Er, you may go and rest. I have no need of attendants for now."

A soft sigh drifted from behind the screen, followed by the sound of deliberately loud footsteps receding into the distance.

’Though unwilling to get involved, she is still family. She can’t bring herself to defy me outright, so she’s chosen to simply not be present for it. Out of sight, out of mind.’

In truth, Emperor Shunde never wanted things to come to this.

But not fighting was simply not an option.

’Imperial authority is slipping from my grasp. If Master Baili truly deposes the Du Imperial Family and I lose the foundation my ancestors built, what will become of me?’

’I have to fight back.’

Once Du Suxin was gone, Emperor Shunde said with great impatience, "My dear minister, tell me at once!"

"It is all thanks to Your Majesty’s immense fortune! I have finally met with them! And... they have agreed!" Zhai Jing said, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

Emperor Shunde slapped his thigh in delight. "You have rendered a great service, my dear minister! Quickly now, tell me everything in detail!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zhai Jing replied with a modest smile. "I was merely following Your Majesty’s instructions. Any credit I’ve earned is insignificant. Without Your Majesty’s brilliant stratagems, how could I ever have had the opportunity to distinguish myself?"

Emperor Shunde gave a self-satisfied smile.

No longer keeping the emperor in suspense, Zhai Jing began his detailed account.

It turned out that three months ago, Emperor Shunde had secretly summoned Zhai Jing and sent him on a mission.

And what was this mission?

To do something no one else would have even dared to imagine: travel to the Yue Kingdom, contact the Yue Imperial Family, and seek an audience with the Immortal Master Tributors who backed them.

This was no mere flight of fancy on Emperor Shunde’s part.

The truth was, within the Wu Kingdom, no one dared to stand against Master Baili.

Even the Tributors dispatched by the Immortal Sects were as silent as cicadas in winter before Master Baili. Some even volunteered to act as his eyes and ears, helping him gather intelligence.

Emperor Shunde couldn’t sleep soundly, terrified that the Immortal Master Tributors would lop off his head in his sleep—or, just as bad, that they would simply stand by and watch as Master Baili came to do it himself.

Under such dire circumstances, Emperor Shunde believed his only salvation lay in bringing in outside help.

So he dispatched Zhai Jing and two other high-ranking Jinyiwei officials to secretly infiltrate the neighboring Qi, Han, and Yue Kingdoms. Their mission was to connect with the Imperial City Departments of these nations, then request an audience with their respective Immortal Master Tributors and ask for help.

Even if the Immortal Master Tributors backing those countries were unwilling to help directly, the envoys were to plead with them to recommend other Immortal Masters who might be willing to intervene.

The two Jinyiwei Deputy Commanders sent north to the Qi Kingdom and west to the Han Kingdom both returned defeated.

The Immortal Sects behind these two kingdoms flatly refused Emperor Shunde’s request, with no room for negotiation.

But Zhai Jing, who had infiltrated the south, had finally returned with good news.

According to Zhai Jing, after the Immortal Master Tributors of the Yue Kingdom reported the matter to their sect’s elders, they were initially completely uninterested. They turned him down flat, ignoring his desperate pleas completely.

This account fit perfectly with Emperor Shunde’s impression of Immortal Masters: cold, indifferent, and utterly dismissive of mortals.

"Then what made them change their minds?"

’Damn it, how the hell should I know why they changed their minds!’ Zhai Jing inwardly rolled his eyes.

He had knelt for three full days pleading with the Yue Kingdom’s Immortal Masters, but they had completely ignored him, not even sparing him a glance.

Not wanting to lose his life in the Yue Kingdom, he had no choice but to start his journey home, preparing to deliver the unfortunate news to Emperor Shunde.

But just before he crossed the border out of the Yue Kingdom, the Immortal Masters caught up to him.

"Dealing with a single Foundation Establishment Cultivator isn’t difficult," she said. "But we won’t intervene in your battles for no reason." The speaker was a woman whose powerful aura terrified Zhai Jing. Though bewitchingly beautiful, he dared not steal more than a glance.

Zhai Jing was a wily old fox and knew exactly what to say. "Please, Immortal Master, name your price. Our emperor’s wealth is boundless. He is willing to pay any price to secure your help."

The woman wore a strange expression, as if desperately suppressing a laugh. "We have no interest in the things of your Mortal World. You could sell your entire Imperial Palace and it still wouldn’t be enough to afford my services for a single engagement."

Zhai Jing’s hopes fell, but her words implied that negotiation wasn’t off the table. He rallied his spirits. "Then what do you require, Immortal Master? Whatever our emperor has, he will surely offer it."

"War." A cruel word escaped her lovely lips. "I want a war. Give me war, and I will give you murder."

~~~~~~~~~

"War?" Emperor Shunde asked, confused. "Why would they want a war?"

Zhai Jing replied, "They did not say so explicitly, but based on certain details, I surmise they need to use the large-scale death and injury from a war to obtain something of great importance to them."

Emperor Shunde murmured, "I see... In that case, when the Qi Kingdom suddenly invaded our country several hundred years ago... could it have been because an Immortal Master wanted to obtain this ’important thing’ as well?"

Zhai Jing said, "I dare not speculate on such matters, but it is indeed a possibility."

Emperor Shunde frowned in thought for a long while before nodding with grim determination. "Then a war they shall have!"

Zhai Jing would never openly contradict the emperor, but as a loyal subject, he felt it was his duty to offer a different perspective. "They won’t... take the opportunity to destroy the Wu Kingdom themselves, will they?" he asked, his tone uncertain.

Emperor Shunde laughed. "Impossible! I’ve researched this. The names and territories of the Nine Countries are absolute and cannot be altered. Not even an Immortal Master would dare to cross that line. If that Immortal Master dared to destroy the Wu Kingdom, she would surely be made to pay with her life. Then, other, more powerful Immortal Masters would prop up a new Wu Kingdom, and the Yue Kingdom would obediently return every inch of territory it had seized."

"I see!" Zhai Jing said, the realization dawning on him.

"Then go and make the arrangements," Emperor Shunde commanded, his eyes shining with a delight he hadn’t felt in a long time. "Bring those Immortal Masters here as quickly as possible and finalize the terms. They are to act as my personal guard. If Master Baili appears, they must protect me with all their might and drive him from the kingdom!"

"Your servant obeys!"

Another month later, several gorgeously bewitching women entered the Imperial Palace in a carriage, led by Zhai Jing.

After disembarking, Zhai Jing led them to see Emperor Shunde and informed him of the negotiated terms.

Emperor Shunde thought for a moment and agreed on the spot, without any haggling.

’If I’m going to lose my throne anyway, what’s the point of haggling now?’

’And if this can save my throne, what does a small loss now even matter?’

The women were all dazzlingly beautiful, but Emperor Shunde didn’t dare to look too closely. After all, there was a great divide between immortals and mortals, and he didn’t want to anger these Immortal Masters.

The Immortal Masters, for their part, couldn’t be bothered to speak much with him. They simply requested a palace to reside in and kept to themselves. From then on, at least one of them remained by his side at all times—with no exceptions, not even when he was dallying with his concubines.

Emperor Shunde had no idea just how powerful they were, but he could sense their formidable auras. They didn’t seem to hold Master Baili in high regard, so he supposed they must have the strength to back up their pride.

Emperor Shunde couldn’t feel completely secure, but he had done all he could.

Time passed, day by day.

Soon, it had been nearly two years since Master Baili’s disappearance.

Emperor Shunde successfully consolidated his control over the imperial court. No longer living in constant fear, he began to believe that Master Baili must have met an untimely end somewhere.

’And even if he isn’t dead,’ he thought, ’when he returns, these Immortal Masters from the Red Lotus Sect will force him to leave the Wu Kingdom for good.’

Now, Emperor Shunde’s only worry was that the Immortal Masters of the Red Lotus Sect would grow impatient.

But fortunately, the Immortal Masters’ patience was far greater than he had imagined.

They never complained to him about anything, nor did they urge him to start the war.

Yes, the demand the Red Lotus Sect had made was for the Wu Kingdom to first invade the Yue Kingdom, and then later, for the Yue Kingdom to counterattack. In short, they wanted many, many people on both sides to die.

They also wanted the war to produce legions of loyal officials and brilliant generals, and countless moving, heartfelt tales of heroism.

Emperor Shunde didn’t understand the point of all this, but he didn’t have the leverage to refuse.

Time continued to pass. Another six months went by. Just as Emperor Shunde had begun to believe that Master Baili would never return...

One day, a soft sigh echoed high above the Imperial Palace. "Your Majesty... why did you have to rebel?"

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!