Immortal Travel of Longevity

Jian Shenghua brought the Demon Sovereign's corpse to the Mortal World. Before his departure, the Prefecture Lord had lent him a touch of Heaven and Earth Dao essence to shield him, allowing him to evade the gaze of the Heavenly Dao and safely reach this realm.

"In the future, when the demonic path reigns supreme, there will be no need to sneak around like this."

Jian Shenghua murmured. He carried the corpse onward, heading toward the soul-summoning grounds.

In the Northern Wilderness Land, Wang He was leading a group of demonic cultivators in constructing an Altar. Formations had long since been laid down to obscure the heavenly secrets.

The towering Altar was already built, waiting only for the soul-summoning.

By the time Jian Shenghua arrived, a month had passed. Fortunately, everything had gone smoothly, and he had remained completely undetected along the way.

Upon reaching his destination, Jian Shenghua let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Wang He hurried forward. "Sword Heart, weren't you in the Underworld? Why have you returned?"

"The Demon Sovereign has orders," Jian Shenghua said. "Lean in and listen."

Wang He paused, then nodded repeatedly.

"Understood."

Yet he still seemed a bit hesitant. "But are we really just leaving like this?" he asked. "Won't the Demon Sovereign be angry?"

"Just act according to his orders," Jian Shenghua replied.

Wang He nodded. Asking no further questions, he went back to directing the Altar's construction.

Doubts still lingered in his mind, and he had initially wanted to press the issue, but after some thought, he decided to let it go.

Wang He couldn't shake the feeling that building this massive Altar made absolutely no difference. What was the point of constructing it? Wasn't it just a waste of time?

He couldn't figure it out. He truly couldn't make sense of it.

...

The day the Palace Examination results were posted.

The streets were packed with people, a babel of voices rising in a lively, bustling atmosphere.

"Make way, make way..."

"Stop pushing! Don't push!"

"Clang!!"

A gong sounded.

"The results are posted! The results are posted!"

"Who won the title of Zhuangyuan this year?"

The scholars, commoners, family members, and servants gathered before the notice board all craned their necks to look.

"I see it!"

"The Zhuangyuan is Young Master Xie Huan from Jiangnan!"

"Oh my, that's truly remarkable! I heard this Young Master Xie took first place in both the metropolitan examination and the Palace Examination!"

"The Bangyan! The Bangyan is Young Master Tong of the Tang Manor!"

"Ah?!"

"Quick, quick, quick, go report the good news!"

This was a job that depended entirely on who could run the fastest. Arriving at a household's door to deliver the good news always guaranteed a generous tip from the master.

...

"Second place, the Bangyan..."

Hearing the news from the butler, Tong Nianyi stared blankly for a moment. A trace of regret flashed in her eyes, but it was quickly eclipsed by joy.

Although she hadn't taken first place, she had truly given it her all.

She could only admit that her skills were simply inferior.

Tang Shijing said, "This Young Master Xie of the Xie Manor achieved first place in all three imperial examinations. His abilities are extraordinary. It would be hard to see another figure like him even in several centuries."

"You are mistaken there, Uncle," Tong Nianyi said. "There was someone else before who also swept first place in all three examinations."

Tang Shijing paused upon hearing this and chuckled.

Naturally, he remembered who she meant. It was Lord Wang. Back in the previous dynasty, he had achieved the very same feat, and now he had become the tower master of the Jianghu South-North Tower.

Later on, Tong Nianyi read Xie Huan's examination paper. After reading it, she was thoroughly convinced.

She conceded defeat from the bottom of her heart.

"It was truly just bad luck," Ruyi comforted her. "This Xie Huan is a monster. If you had just waited a bit, perhaps you could have swept all three examinations as well."

"As they say, each generation produces its own talents," Tong Nianyi replied. "Who knows, there might be even more capable people in the future. My skills just aren't quite enough yet."

Ruyi didn't press the matter, asking instead, "Are you prepared to enter the palace and meet His Majesty the day after tomorrow? Will you be too nervous?"

Tong Nianyi shook her head. "I'm not nervous. I imagine Aunt Ruyi has already put in a good word for me with His Majesty."

Ruyi smiled. "Yan Nantian has a bit of madness to him. If he says anything strange to you when the time comes, just ignore him."

"Aunt Ruyi, it would be best to keep your voice down when criticizing His Majesty like that."

"I'm not afraid."

Ruyi raised her chin, entirely unconcerned.

Living in this world, she cared only about following her heart.

...

The next day, Ruyi made another trip to the palace.

Upon seeing Yan Nantian, she said, "That girl simply had bad luck, running into a freak."

Yan Nantian naturally knew what she meant.

"It is indeed difficult to find a rival for Xie Huan's talent," he replied. "Your niece was certainly unlucky, but it was a fair loss."

Ruyi nodded. "I read Xie Huan's examination paper as well. It truly was extraordinary."

She sat up straight. "I should congratulate you first, though. You've managed to recruit quite the immense talent this time."

Yan Nantian shook his head, looking quite troubled.

Seeing his reaction, Ruyi asked, "What is it? Are you not happy to have such a talent in the palm of your hand?"

Yan Nantian opened his mouth but couldn't quite articulate a reason.

"This year's imperial examinations are very different from those in the past," he said. "You'll understand in the future."

Ruyi blinked. "It's so dull when you only tell half the story."

Yan Nantian chuckled, then changed the subject. "I was reading through the memorials submitted by the officials earlier. They mentioned the Cat Spirit Temple outside the city. It seems to be doing quite well; even the Metropolitan Governor went to pay his respects. Thanks to it, the rat infestation in Shangjing City has finally eased."

Hearing this, Ruyi remarked, "Lihua really is amazing. I was wondering why it hasn't been coming home these past few days."

"If the opportunity arises, I'd like to invite this Cat Spirit into the palace for a look," Yan Nantian said. "The Empress brought it up with me last night. She mentioned that the palace has been dealing with rats recently, and the noise has been keeping people awake."

"I'll mention it to Lihua later."

"But only the Cat Spirit is allowed. Other wild cats cannot be let inside. The palace is quite different from the outside."

"Is that so..."

Ruyi paused. "Then I'll have to ask and see if it's even willing to come."

Yan Nantian nodded. "That would naturally be for the best."

The day arrived for her to enter the palace and meet His Majesty.

Tong Nianyi dressed herself, tied her hair into a bun, and applied a light disguise. The bronze mirror reflected a rather handsome figure.

Taking a deep breath, she headed for the palace gates.

Upon arriving at the palace gates, she ran into someone.

The person stepped out of a horse carriage, dressed in fine brocade woven with cloud patterns. A Jade Pendant hung from their waist, giving off an air of noble magnificence.

The newcomer's gaze fell upon Tong Nianyi. "Are you Tong Nianyi?" the person asked, a hint of speculation in their voice.

Feeling a sense of recognition, Tong Nianyi asked, "Xie Huan?"

A smile appeared on the person's face. "That's me," Xie Huan nodded.

Tong Nianyi froze in a daze for a moment.

Looking closely at Xie Huan, she suddenly felt that the affairs of this world were nothing but one massive joke.

It was truly far too inconceivable.

...

She was waiting outside the palace gates.

Ruyi happened to emerge from within.

Seeing Nianyi, she called out a greeting.

"Aunt Ruyi."

Ruyi noticed that Tong Nianyi's gaze was fixed entirely on a certain someone.

"What's gotten into you?" she asked curiously. "No matter how handsome someone is, you shouldn't stare so blatantly."

"That is Xie Huan," Tong Nianyi said.

"The one who stole your title of Zhuangyuan?"

"Mm."

"Even so, you can't keep..."

"She seems to be a woman, too..."

"Huh?"

Ruyi blanked for a second. "Wait, what did you just say?"

Tong Nianyi turned to look at her, her expression completely serious. "She is just like me."

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