Chapter 773

His hair was tied into a bun with a Daoist hairpin, and he wore a bright yellow Daoist robe. Emperor Ai Hong, who was over fifty years old, had a thin face and resembled the Fourth Prince somewhat. If not for the dignified bearing he had gained from being the ruler of the world for over thirty years, he would have looked like a cultivator with extraordinary grace.

Unfortunately, he did not look dignified or extraordinary at all. His eyes were half-closed, and his face was flushed. He looked as if he was on cloud nine, and there was even an unknown liquid shining at the corners of his mouth and nose. He did not look like the ruler of millions of people at all.

Seeing him like this, Zhen Xuzi felt an itch in his heart. He wanted nothing more than to take a Celestial Ascension Pill himself. That feeling was truly memorable, and he thought to himself, 'Before I retire and return to my hometown, I must make these two Daoists refine a few cauldrons of Celestial Ascension Pills for me as compensation.'

After a while, Ai Hong sniffed and pursed his lips. He slowly opened his eyes, which were cloudy for a moment before becoming clear and full of vigor. He laughed loudly. "As expected of the Celestial Ascension Pill. Not only did it allow me to feel the joy of immortals, it also greatly improved my health. I'm no longer as powerless as I was a few years ago. Who knows, I might be able to prolong my life one day. Spiritual Master Zhen Xuzi, open the cauldron and refine another cauldron of Celestial Ascension Pills. Once you succeed, I'll confer you the title of Imperial Preceptor. Hmm, I'm afraid it won't be easy to refine celestial pills. You can stay in the side hall of Pure Flowers Palace for today. "

Having been the Emperor for over thirty years, he had seen all sorts of ups and downs. Ai Hong was not someone who could be easily deceived. He did not have any suspicions at first, but when he saw Zhen Xuzi bring in two unfamiliar Daoists and say that they were his newly accepted disciples who were proficient in refining pills, he felt that something was off. These two unfamiliar Daoists were probably offering the celestial pills. However, they could not meet him directly and could only go through Zhen Xuzi. The two of them must have secretly reached some sort of deal. However, Ai Hong did not expose them. It was fine as long as these petty actions and thoughts were beneficial to him.

Of course, he still had to warn them. Zhen Xuzi almost broke out in a cold sweat. Thankfully, he had promised them and brought them into the palace. Otherwise, if the Emperor acted on a whim, he could only use the excuse of not preparing the herbs to delay for a period of time or wait until he had completely mastered refining pills before offering the celestial pills. However, that might attract Imperial Preceptor Zhu's attention and bring danger.

"The two of you, quickly go control the fire and prepare the herbs." Zhen Xuzi turned around and spoke to Shi Xuan and Mo Jingqiu, who were standing quietly behind him.

Ai Hong clasped his hands behind his back and watched with a faint smile on his face. However, at this moment, a young eunuch walked to the door of the alchemy room and knelt down. "Your servant greets Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty.

"What?" Ai Hong asked calmly.

The young eunuch replied in a clear voice, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince is requesting an audience. He has also brought along a woman who is skilled with swords."

"Fourth Brother, he risked his life to rush back just to offer me a good swordsman? "At least he has some filial piety." Ai Hong's expression softened. He muttered to himself, "Since that's the case, give a banquet to the officials and summon all the swordsman experts in the palace. We want to see what's so special about that woman that Fourth Prince would act like this."

After giving the order, Ai Hong did not allow Li Emperor to have an audience with him. He turned to Zhen Xuzi and smiled. "It's a coincidence that the Enlightened One is here. Why don't you watch the swordsman dance with us tonight?"

Zhen Xuzi was overjoyed. Normally, the Emperor would have Imperial Preceptor Zhu accompany him. He replied with a smile, "This subject thanks Your Majesty for your grace, but what about the pills?"

"The celestial pills will definitely take a long time. It won't be too late to refine them tomorrow," Ai Hong said carelessly. After all, there were still a few pills left. "Ming'en, invite Imperial Preceptor to the banquet."

Zhen Xuzi was slightly disappointed that he was not alone, but he quickly became happy again. No matter what, compared to before, he had taken a big step forward. However, he was worried about another matter. He turned to look at Shi Xuan and Mo Jingqiu, afraid that they would force themselves to follow him. That would be very troublesome.

However, Shi Xuan and Mo Jingqiu stood quietly at the side. Their eyes were focused on their noses, and their noses were focused on their hearts, like wooden statues.

"They know when to advance and when to retreat. They know that they have to plan slowly. They can't be impatient and ruin Emperor's impression of them." Zhen Xuzi relaxed. His impression of Shi Xuan and Mo Jingqiu improved slightly.

Not long after, a middle-aged man in a vermillion robe walked in with Chief Eunuch Ming'en. It was the current Imperial Preceptor Zhu Shang. He looked dignified and serious. He had short hair on top of his head. He looked neither like a monk nor a Daoist.

As soon as he walked in, Shi Xuan's heart trembled. It was as if a stone had been thrown into his heart, causing slight ripples.

Zhu Shang's eyes looked at Shi Xuan and Mo Jingqiu. They were deep and bottomless, as if they wanted to devour souls. He did not believe that Zhen Xuzi, a Lao Dao Daoist who only knew how to brag, could refine any celestial pills. These two unfamiliar Daoists must be strange. They were waiting for him to shock their souls and embarrass them!

Seeing Zhu Shang's appearance, Zhen Xuzi cursed inwardly. He had suffered a great loss under Zhu Shang's soul-sucking eyes. If it wasn't for his experience, eloquence, and the fact that his pills were useful, he would have been pushed out of the Meridian Gate and beheaded by the Emperor. Previously, he had been forced to cooperate with Zhu Shang. Due to his resentment, he did not tell the two of them that Zhu Shang's eyes were supernatural. If they had been absent-minded and done anything out of line, or leaked the information, they would have been beheaded for the crime of deceiving the Emperor.

He wanted to warn Zhu Shang, but his throat seemed to be suppressed by something, making it difficult for him to make a sound. He understood that Zhu Shang's cultivation had improved again. Even without looking at him, he could still do this. Cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.

However, what Zhu Shang saw was a pair of smiling eyes. His pupils were dark and deep, and specks of starlight twinkled in a mysterious orbit. Looking at this pair of eyes was like looking at the starry sky above his head. However, there was a big difference. It was vast and boundless, grand and eternal, and it made people fearful.

Zhu Shang did not have the strength to distinguish the difference. He only felt that his entire soul was dizzy as the stars revolved.

A moment later, Zhu Shang's mind cleared up. He realized that he was still looking at the young man. His pupils were dark, but there was nothing strange about them. The starry sky just now was like an illusion.

"Alright, Imperial Preceptor, Spiritual Master, follow me to Qian Yang Palace. Since we have nothing to do, why don't we talk about the path to immortality and wait until evening?" Ai Hong could see through Zhu Shang's thoughts, so he spoke up to smooth things over so that Zhu Shang did not dare to try again.

Seeing that Shi Xuan and Mo Jingqiu did not do anything out of line, Zhen Xuzi heaved a sigh of relief. He only felt that his palms were full of sweat.

After leaving Pure Flowers Palace, Ai Hong saw that Imperial Preceptor and Spiritual Master were both respectful and proud of their emperor's art of balance. He could not help but ask, "I heard that Imperial Preceptor has been studying the path of alchemy recently. Have you made any progress?"

After asking, no one answered. Ai Hong became angry. He turned around and saw that Zhu Shang's face was lifeless and flushed red. He muttered to himself, "So hot, so hot …"

As he muttered to himself, he began to remove his robe. In the short span of two breaths, his upper body was naked. Ai Hong, the eunuch, the guards, and Zhen Xuzi were dumbfounded.

When Zhu Shang was about to remove his underwear, his entire body shook and he came to his senses. He looked in front of him and then at his body. Instantly, he was so embarrassed that he wanted to die. He hurriedly put on his clothes, understanding that he had fallen for the young man's trick. This was his hint to make them look bad!

"This official is not feeling well. Your Majesty, please allow this official to take his leave." Zhu Shang felt completely humiliated. All the gazes around him carried a strong sense of mockery.

Ai Hong did not know much about Imperial Preceptor, but it did not prevent him from understanding that Imperial Preceptor had failed to harm others and ended up harming himself. Thus, he smiled and said, "It is indeed very hot during the dog days. Imperial Preceptor, please go to Qian Yang Palace to avoid the heat. If you feel unwell, you can call for an imperial physician." In his heart, he thought, 'Those who can refine immortal pills are indeed not ordinary people. After this beating is over, I'll have to give them some benefits.'

The Emperor strongly invited him, but Zhu Shang could not bear to give up the position of Imperial Preceptor, which had a very promising future. Thus, he could only thicken his skin and follow along. Zhen Xuzi, on the other hand, suppressed his laughter and walked briskly. "How can someone who can subdue the Lao Dao be easy to deal with? Zhu Shang, you really deserve it."

…

In a side hall of Pure Flowers Palace, Shi Xuan and Mo Jingqiu sat opposite each other.

When there was no one around, Mo Jingqiu smiled and said, "I didn't expect Imperial Preceptor to be so gifted in the soul. The power of his soul intimidation is close to that of a sorcery. It's a pity that he encountered us, who have mellow and clear Dao hearts. Not only was he unable to shake the soul in the slightest, but he was also bounced back."

"The Land of Dharma Ending has gone through tens of thousands of years of evolution. In a situation where the path towards' Dharma 'has been blocked, there will naturally be various other paths of change. For example, there may be people who specialize in cultivating the soul. However, no matter which direction they walk, it will be difficult for them to break through the shackles and reach the level of Dharma. For example, our temperament is the result of thousands of years of cultivation. There is no one here who can achieve this." Shi Xuan speculated with great interest.

Mo Jingqiu nodded. "The Land of Dharma Ending is not just about Dao techniques." After a pause, she laughed softly and said, "Tonight should be smoother than expected."

Originally, Shi Xuan and Mo Jingqiu had planned to use the darkness of the night and their telepathic abilities to sneak into the ancestral shrine if they had the opportunity to refine pills in the palace. If they could not stay the night, then they would find a chance to sneak in during the day. After all, the Imperial Palace was vast. Even if there were many guards, there would definitely be places that they would overlook when patrolling, especially places that were far away from the Emperor. However, they did not expect that not only would they be able to successfully stay the night, there would also be a sword dance tonight that would attract most of the attention.

"Then let's recuperate our bodies and minds and quietly wait for evening," Shi Xuan said with a nod.

…

Outside Clear Light Palace Hall, the lights were brightly lit. There were many tables set up. The ministers, princes, and generals were already seated, waiting for the Emperor's arrival. Some were filled with anticipation, some were filled with disdain, and some had even prepared their stamps.

The Fourth Prince sat behind the table at the bottom of the steps. He did not react to the hostile, disgusted, or respectful gazes. Even when the Third Prince deliberately walked past him, he remained the same.

He only stared at the square in front of him in a daze. It was as if there was a beautiful and delicate figure standing there with a sweet smile on her face. In his heart, he said resolutely, "Jing'er, you have made such a great sacrifice for me. Your thoughts are all for my imperial ambitions. I, Ai Zheng, will not let you down. If I can ascend to the throne, I will definitely follow you and not let you be blasphemed by so many men."