Where Immortals Once Walked

The Lord Emperor’s breathing grew heavier. “How many people are involved?”

“Three hundred and twenty-seven, of course. Each person could only take it once.” She looked up at the Lord Emperor. “If this list falls into the heavenly gods’ hands, I fear half of the Lingxu Imperial Court will collapse, and chaos will follow.”

If the imperial court became unstable, then the Lord Emperor’s throne would also be unstable.

The Lord Emperor’s voice carried anger. “You’re using this to threaten me?”

“I wouldn’t dare. This is also why I hurried to Sweet Spring Hall.” State Preceptor Qing Yang’s expression did not change. “If Bai Ziqi searched this out of me, Your Majesty would be in trouble.”

The Lord Emperor stared at the account book and stood there, saying nothing.

Those who bought the medicine had violated heavenly law, so by rights, they should be thoroughly investigated. However, there were far too many of them.

Of course, State Preceptor Qing Yang’s elixir of youth was not something one could buy simply by offering money. Even if someone were a wealthy merchant whose fortune dominated an entire region, they still could not walk into Qingfu Temple with a stack of silver notes and purchase this divine medicine.

Naturally, ninety-nine percent of people did not even know that Qingfu Temple sold elixirs of youth; such a matter simply existed beyond the level of their understanding.

The names recorded in this account book were undoubtedly famous and influential figures in Lingxu City. Behind each person often stood several old aristocratic families. To describe them as possessing overwhelming power would not be the slightest exaggeration.

If the heavenly gods obtained this account book, they would not care about interests, consequences, or the larger situation. They would only order a full investigation and mass arrests to prove that divine authority could not be defied.

But the Lord Emperor would be the one forced to swallow the bitter fruit of the epic shockwave this would create in Beijia’s imperial court.

Even someone as powerful as it found the matter difficult.

Anger was anger, irritation was irritation, but it did not want to raise the butcher’s blade and slaughter so many beloved ministers.

Fear of death was a living creature’s instinct. Was it not merely in one’s nature to do everything possible to extend one’s life?

“How do you plan to solve this trouble for me?”

State Preceptor Qing Yang said with absolute sincerity, “I beg the Lord Emperor to spare my life.”

True Monarch Tongming pleading for her alone would be too weak. At the very least, she also had to win the Monster Emperor’s mercy.

After all, no matter how much pressure the gods applied, the final judgment and decree would still come from the Lord Emperor.

If it did not want her dead, then she should be able to live.

“You...”

State Preceptor Qing Yang quickly continued, “In the end, this case only involved the deaths of some monster commoners. I am willing to compensate them. I beg the Lord Emperor to strip me down to an old woman of the marketplace. In any case... I do not have much life left.”

It was hard for ordinary mortals to live past 100 years, and even cultivators generally reached their limit at around 140. She was nearly 200 years old, making her extraordinarily long-lived. If not for her methods of preserving her appearance, her hands and face would probably look like dried orange peel by now.

Without origin energy, her remaining days could be seen at a glance.

The vicissitudes in her words left the Lord Emperor silent. It turned and paced into the garden.

After almost two hundred years of knowing and remaining close to one another, even stone would have been warmed through, let alone creatures of flesh and blood.

State Preceptor Qing Yang said nothing. She pushed the door open and walked through.

Because the Lord Emperor had long since dismissed everyone, this stretch of garden was empty and still. Only green trees greeted the wind, and the fragrance of flowers filled the nose, yet not a single birdcall could be heard.

With the Lord Emperor’s pressure here, how could the birds do anything but tremble?

Deep in the garden stood a dipterocarp tree in bloom, its pink-white flowers giving off an unusually rich fragrance.

State Preceptor Qing Yang naturally walked over, flicked her hand, and knocked down a small cluster of white flowers, then tucked them by her temple.

The Lord Emperor stopped and lowered its head to look.

It was as though its gaze had pierced through nearly two centuries of time, and once again saw that little girl plucking dipterocarp flowers and wearing them in her hair as she grinned at it, missing one of her front teeth.

After that, whenever State Preceptor Qing Yang passed through this garden, she would often come over to pick a flower and wear it. Only, the dipterocarp tree had grown larger and larger, from the lonely little sapling it had been back then into the towering tree before them now.

In the end, it still softened. With a long sigh, it said, “I can spare your life.”

State Preceptor Qing Yang suddenly looked up, then dropped to her knees with a thud, her voice faintly choked as she said, “Lord Emperor!”

“The deaths of those few monster commoners are not a major matter. The vassal monster states are merely using this opportunity to make trouble for Lingxu City, and a great many uninformed commoners are cheering them on.” The Lord Emperor’s voice turned dignified as it continued, “The ban on selling elixirs of youth is an iron law set by the gods. If I remove you from office and confiscate your property, that can still be considered an explanation. However, those subordinates of yours cannot be preserved.”

State Preceptor Qing Yang was overwhelmed with gratitude. “Lord Emperor is benevolent!”

The gods’ anger needed a channel for release.

In the matter of the elixir of youth, she had lost. Rather than saying she had lost to Shuang Ye, it was more accurate to say she had lost to Xi Yunhe’s more than ten years of patience and planning.

That man understood her far too well.

However, she had still managed to preserve her life. It was only by living that there would be hope of striking back.

“In truth, what the gods care about most is still the source of the divine blood used to refine the elixir of youth.” The Lord Emperor glanced at her. “Whether you obtained it from the mortal realm or the divine realm, you must explain it clearly.”

“Yes!” State Preceptor Qing Yang said in a grave voice. “The source of the divine blood is the monster puppet master Dong Rui!”

“Who?” The Lord Emperor dealt with countless affairs every day and found the name unfamiliar.

“More than ten years ago, he abducted the son of the Left Guard General and transformed him into a violent giant ape who recognized no kin and obeyed only his commands. Lingxu City issued a warrant for him because of this, but Dong Rui soon fled Beijia and disappeared.”

“In the process of transforming those monster puppets, Dong Rui had to use divine blood to trigger their mutations.” State Preceptor Qing Yang continued, “That was when I came into contact with him and obtained a considerable amount of divine blood from him.”

“By a considerable amount, how much do you mean?”

“A little less than half a jar.” Very little medicinal catalyst was needed to refine the elixir of youth. One needle-tip-sized drop of divine blood, after dilution, could be refined into more than a hundred elixirs of youth, and that was even taking the failure rate into account.

“Then where did Dong Rui obtain his divine blood?”

“I don’t know.” State Preceptor Qing Yang lowered her voice. “I intended to sound him out, but Dong Rui fled.”

The Lord Emperor shook its head. “Pushing the source of the divine blood onto a man of unknown whereabouts is not a good plan.”

“Dong Rui has not vanished without a trace!” State Preceptor Qing Yang hurriedly said. “The aberrant creature my wicked disciple Xi Yunhe used to hunt monsters, the snail toad, was Dong Rui’s monster puppet!”

The Lord Emperor’s gaze sharpened.

Dong Rui and Xi Yunhe are working together?

“Not long ago, Dong Rui even appeared in Yuan during the Battle of Han River. He cooperated with Hong Chenglue to attack Yuan’s army.” State Preceptor Qing Yang glanced at it. “He dared show his face openly because he had obtained Beijia’s pardon. Does Your Majesty know who proposed that pardon?”

The Lord Emperor lowered his head until his enormous eyes were almost right before her. “You’re saying that Dong Rui has divine blood in his hands, and he found State Preceptor Shuang Ye as his backer?” A fierce light burned in its eyes, and its voice shook like thunder. “So State Preceptor Shuang Ye knows the whereabouts of the divine blood?”

The Lord Emperor was furious, but State Preceptor Qing Yang’s expression remained as calm as water. With lowered eyes, she said, “Precisely!”

The Lord Emperor said angrily, “This accusation of yours... has no evidence at all! State Preceptor Shuang Ye can refute it without lifting a finger!”

As expected of State Preceptor Qing Yang, even in desperate straits, she still bit down on her opponent and refused to let go. “No, I have evidence! I just received a report that an abnormality appeared in the Main City District of Lower Lingxu City. A large tree suddenly grew strange branches like a monster, and a docile sheep monster abruptly transformed and chewed up a living person. These are very likely mutations triggered by contact with divine blood, similar to Dong Rui’s monster puppets. Unfortunately, I had only just received this clue when Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai brought men to besiege the Spring Palace, so I had no time to continue investigating. Therefore—” She then said conclusively, “Dong Rui is very likely nearby!”

After a short pause, she added, “State Preceptor Shuang Ye issued Dong Rui’s pardon, and Hong Chenglue was the last person to see him. I believe that as long as it is confirmed that the abnormalities in the Lower City are connected to divine blood, Your Majesty will be able to question State Preceptor Shuang Ye.”

Hong Chenglue had been found and brought back by State Preceptor Shuang Ye. All of Lingxu City knew that he counted as someone from State Preceptor Shuang Ye’s faction.

Dong Rui, Hong Chenglue, Shuang Ye. The Lord Emperor sneered. Is Qing Yang trying to bind all three together? “Hong Chenglue has already rushed to the eastern front.”

“It doesn’t matter if State Preceptor Shuang Ye cannot be dragged down. If he is also under suspicion, then he will not be suitable to temporarily administer origin energy. In that case, following the order of succession, the most likely person to take over would be the master of the Summer Palace.” State Preceptor Qing Yang said quietly, “Like me, he is of one mind with Your Majesty.”

“That’s all?” The Lord Emperor said coldly. “This Dong Rui you’re accusing, no one even knows where he is. Capturing him and bringing him to justice is nowhere in sight. For you, this matter will not pass.”

“That is fine. I can wait.” State Preceptor Qing Yang knelt before the Lord Emperor again. “After I am gone, State Preceptor Shuang Ye and the gods will certainly seize the chance to exert pressure and regain the upper hand in the imperial court.”

The Lord Emperor said nothing.

Within the court, State Preceptor Qing Yang was one of its most important supporters. She even helped it smooth over relationships, win over hearts, and integrate affairs. Her role was no different from that of the Sea-Calming Needle[1].

In truth, the Lord Emperor also understood why she had sold the elixir of youth.

Was it not all for the sake of winning people over and coordinating relations among the various sides?

To put it plainly, it was about controlling power.

Setting aside selfish motives, in the end she had still done it for the Lord Emperor.

It had never once doubted Qing Yang’s loyalty to itself.

Now that this thunderbolt had exploded from her side, her position as state preceptor could not be preserved. The heavenly gods and State Preceptor Shuang Ye would most likely take the chance to suppress the forces she had left in the court and purge dissidents.

The struggle surrounding imperial power and divine power had never stopped.

It was also precisely because of this that the Monster Emperor did not want the account book in State Preceptor Qing Yang’s hands to leak out. To the entire imperial court, her fall was already like an earthquake. If many important officials were further implicated because of the elixir of youth case, then a split in the imperial court and the hollowing out of imperial authority would be close at hand.

The storm gathering over Lingxu City’s imperial court was about to take shape.

Even as the Lord Emperor, if it mishandled the matter, it would face consequences too bitter to swallow.

“For the Spring Palace’s next state preceptor, I recommend Nie Xiaolou, the headmaster of Tongshan Academy, to take over. His cultivation is outstanding, he is shrewd, and he is also rare in that he understands the greater picture and considers the overall situation. Your Majesty has known him for a long time as well. Mm, his age is suitable too; he’s only in his forties.” State Preceptor Qing Yang added seriously, “Most importantly, he and I are mere nodding acquaintances. We have no ordinary dealings, so even the heavenly gods will be unable to find fault with him.”

First, they had to settle the successor to the Spring Palace. Otherwise, if the gods made suggestions later and forced in their own candidate, the Lord Emperor would be placed on the back foot.

The Monster Emperor smiled faintly. “He truly has no connection to you?”

“Yes.”

Whether he did or not no longer mattered. The Lord Emperor’s gaze fell on the account book in State Preceptor Qing Yang’s arms.

State Preceptor Qing Yang understood his meaning. She circulated a trace of true energy, and flames rose from the account book.

In a few short moments, this enormous knot in the Lord Emperor’s heart was burned to drifting ash.

She also knew what the Lord Emperor was worried about. “This was the only copy. There are no duplicates.”

1. This is actually another name for the Ruyi Jingu Bang, otherwise known as Monkey King or Sun Wukong’s weapon. ☜