Immortal Travel of Longevity

"Yes, but True Lord Baichuan died shortly after this. He died because he could no longer tell truth from falsehood, losing himself to the Dream Method."

Zhao Yuqing stood up. "I stayed on Yunfu Mountain for a thousand years. How could I not know this?"

Manyue said, "There were no rumors to hear. After True Lord Baichuan turned his dreams to reality, almost all records of the Dream Method were destroyed. Many cultivators believed it to be a wicked art rather than the Righteous Path, so nothing was passed down."

Zhao Yuqing fell silent for a moment.

He paused. "Are you lying to me?"

"If I told you it was real, you would still believe it," Manyue replied. "Everything within the Dream Method is false. I only say this to warn you that you cannot go back inside. Otherwise, you might truly never escape."

Her gaze suddenly met his.

"Do you find that the world within the Dream Method seems quite pleasant, too?"

Zhao Yuqing stiffened. With his thoughts exposed, his expression darkened.

"I knew long ago that I shouldn't waste words with the Heavenly Dao," he said. "I should have simply drawn my sword."

Manyue looked at him. "What frame of mind makes you so willing to enter a false world?"

Zhao Yuqing paused, then asked in return, "In your eyes, between the Dream Method and the world outside, which is more false, and which is more tedious?"

Manyue did not deny it. On the contrary, she felt he made a valid point.

The world was inherently tedious—nothing more than a puddle of rotting mud.

Perhaps Chen Changsheng's dream had awakened Zhao Yuqing once again, or perhaps a profound weariness of the mortal world had left him unable to distinguish truth from fiction, driving him to actively seek out that dream.

It was not hard to understand.

Yet Manyue felt it was a pity.

Zhao Yuqing was a rare talent. For him to sink into that dream would be a tremendous waste.

"You haven't even pitted yourself against the Heavenly Dao yet. Are you truly giving up so willingly?"

"You do not need to lecture me."

Zhao Yuqing stared at her coldly. "Do you think me a fool? That I still haven't figured out the truth behind all this? Back then, when I clashed with the Heavenly Dao, dare you say your kind had no hand in it?"

Manyue paused, but shook her head.

"We did not."

"The matters at the very beginning had nothing to do with me," she said. "You should ask the Demon Sovereign."

Zhao Yuqing snorted coldly and said no more.

"I only know the gist of it," Manyue said. "He mentioned a little to me back then. You were seemingly meant to be a part of his original plan, but you failed to produce the effect he expected, so the idea was eventually dropped."

"I don't need your reminders!"

Zhao Yuqing's tone was heavy, laced with quiet fury.

He turned away, unwilling to speak with Manyue any further.

His divine sense plunged into Chen Changsheng's Dream Method, and who knew when he would wake.

...

Much had been happening in the Imperial Court lately.

First was the matter of Grand Secretary Qin. Because of his abuse of power and embezzlement, his entire faction of cronies met with disaster alongside him.

His Majesty had rarely attended court in recent years. Whenever he did, it boded ill.

Grand Secretary Qin was still standing in the imperial court at the time.

Yet the Imperial Guards had already arrived at his estate.

By now, Yan Nantian couldn't be bothered to observe formalities with them. Much of their corruption was already common knowledge, and these officials had grown incredibly brazen over the years. Even if he held his investigation after the fact, the proof would be plain to see.

Once the butcher's blade fell, heads rolled everywhere.

At first, it was only the Imperial Guards. But when traces of demons were discovered within the Qin estate, Daoists from the Quandao Palace were summoned to investigate. They found that Grand Secretary Qin had been secretly harboring demons in his home. After interrogating his servants, the truth came out: he had struck a deal with the monsters, offering up young boys and girls as sacrifices to pursue the Way of Longevity and Immortality.

Yan Nantian was utterly enraged. That day, all of Shangjing City shook with the sounds of slaughter.

They investigated the entire court from top to bottom—preferring to kill the innocent over letting a single guilty man slip away.

Because of this purge, the court was emptied of a massive swath of officials.

Far away in Chunhui Prefecture, Tong Nianyi received an imperial decree a few days later, ordering her to immediately set out for Shangjing to assume the post of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works.

The decree had arrived a little late.

Circumstances had changed, however, and Tong Nianyi was no longer so eager to go.

The waters of the world were too muddy now. The emperor was obsessed with immortal cultivation, and the Imperial Court had become a puddle of rotting mud. The closer one drew to the center, the deeper the rot penetrated the marrow.

Tong Nianyi liked Chunhui Prefecture. She had built this place up bit by bit, and leaving on a moment's notice made her deeply reluctant.

"You don't want to go?"

Tao'er seemed to sense her daughter's hesitation.

Tong Nianyi nodded. "The Imperial Court is no longer the court it used to be. There's no point going anymore."

Tao'er thought for a moment. "Then don't go."

Tong Nianyi paused and looked at her mother.

"I'll have someone deliver a letter to the Human Sovereign later," Tao'er said. "If anything comes up, just tell your parents. Your father and I have walked the world for a long time; we've accumulated some standing, after all."

Her single sentence set things in motion.

Outside Shangjing City, an eminent monk in secluded cultivation at Hanguang Temple descended the mountain, rushing straight to the imperial palace with a document in hand.

The document was soon presented before Yan Nantian's eyes.

Seeing it, even he couldn't help but feel a moment of disbelief.

"I still have a brother alive in this world?!"

"Quickly, invite him in!"

The eminent monk's Dharma name was Guangji, and he served as the abbot of Hanguang Temple.

But in truth, this man carried the blood of the House of Yan. He was a direct grandson of the Great Jing's Prince Zhao lineage, and his birth name was Yan Guangyuan.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

Yan Nantian could naturally verify the authenticity of the document. He hurriedly stepped forward and helped the man up.

"You and I are both descendants of the Yan family. There is no need for such formalities."

The eminent monk paused, then said calmly, "Your younger brother greets his imperial brother."

Yan Nantian burst into laughter. "Hahaha, good, good, good. Come, sit."

As the two spoke of the past, they couldn't help but recall many memories.

But soon after, Monk Guangji's words threw Yan Nantian into deep thought.

"Imperial Brother, during the chaos of our early years, I narrowly escaped death several times. Amidst all that, I was fortunate enough to be saved by a married couple. Now, after so many years, the two of them have a request and sent a letter. This poor monk could not ignore it. I came today because I have a favor to ask of you, Imperial Brother."

Yan Nantian paused, then asked, "Have you come regarding the matter of Grand Secretary Qin?"

His expression instantly darkened.

"No, no."

Monk Guangji said, "This couple has a daughter. She disguised herself as a man, took the imperial examinations, and entered officialdom. She is currently serving as the prefect of Chunhui Prefecture."

Yan Nantian said, "Tong Nianyi?"

"Exactly."

Monk Guangji continued, "Chunhui Prefecture is currently showing signs of new prosperity. After several reforms, the results are right before her eyes. It is a critical period. Their daughter does not wish to abandon her work halfway, so she asks Imperial Brother to rescind the transfer order."

Hearing this, Yan Nantian raised an eyebrow but fell silent.

How could he not know that these were all excuses?

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