"Where is Immortal Marquis Li Changzhou?"

"This—" Huang Jin glanced at the ground for a moment, then peered at the Jiajing Emperor's expression, "Perhaps he has been injured and is healing."

"What place is better than the Imperial Palace for healing wounds? Does he fear that I would harm him?"

"Master, if you wanted to kill someone, would you need to wait for them to be injured? Marquis Li Changzhou must be well aware of this!"

"Then why hasn't he reported back?" The Jiajing Emperor turned his head to look at Huang Jin with a cold smile.

Huang Jin couldn't feel any Dragon Vein energy, but that didn't stop him from trembling there.

He said, quivering, "Master, if you don't wish to harm Marquis Li Changzhou, then naturally someone else does."

The Jiajing Emperor looked at him: "Who?"

"Master, when evil spirits first appeared in the palace, this servant speculated that perhaps someone wanted to frame Marquis Li Changzhou." After finishing, Huang Jin bowed his head, not daring to look at the Jiajing Emperor.

The Jiajing Emperor's voice, like that of the heavens, came from above his head: "Continue."

"Master, do you know who the sole survivor among the Divine Sect's five Heavenly Monarchs is? It's Marquis Li Changzhou's own younger sister. To fulfill your Majesty's decree, he must kill his own sister."

In the silent Nuan Pavilion, only the Jiajing Emperor's breathing grew heavier and heavier.

Bang!

As if unleashing the hidden divine power within him, the Jiajing Emperor kicked over the pine wood basin he was soaking his feet in, slamming it against the wall with a loud noise.

Amidst the hurried footsteps, a group of on-duty eunuchs rushed in and, seeing the Jiajing Emperor unharmed, quickly knelt down outside.

"Master, please don't catch a cold!" Huang Jin cried out, throwing himself on the ground to cover the Jiajing Emperor's feet with his body.

The Jiajing Emperor kicked him away again.

"Shao Yuanjie, how dare you deceive me!" The entire Nuan Pavilion resounded with the Jiajing Emperor's roars.

As if thunder was rolling overhead, or as if moving through a hail of bullets, Huang Jin crawled back and once again covered the Jiajing Emperor's feet with his body.

At the same time, in the Xianling Palace to the west of the palace city.

Along with the Jiajing Emperor's roar, "Pfft!" Shao Yuanjie spat out a mouthful of blood. The life that should have ended in 1539 ultimately could not make it to the first full moon of 1540.

"Quick, quick, call Master Tao!" His disciples panicked.

Tao Zhongwen, who was browsing through Daoist Books in the Lingji Palace, rushed over upon receiving the news, and found Shao Yuanjie on the brink of death.

"Brother Zhongkang!" Tao Zhongwen grabbed Shao Yuanjie's hand, calling out his courtesy name.

The two had studied the Dao together and were close friends. When Shao Yuanjie gained the Jiajing Emperor's favor, the first thing he thought of was to bring Tao Zhongwen to share in the glory and wealth and to read the supreme Daoist books within the palace.

"I've left a will for his Majesty, recommending you, *cough cough*, Zhongwen, you must stop the Demon Emperor, protect our Great Ming!"

After uttering his final words, Shao Yuanjie's body stiffened, his hands gripping Tao Zhongwen's like iron.

Tao Zhongwen's eyes were bloodshot as he said word by word, "Rest assured, I will personally slay the Demon Emperor and use his head to sacrifice for your revenge!"

The breath of life flickered, giving Tao Zhongwen a sense that he was almost departing from this world.

Inside the Xianling Palace, while Shao Yuanjie's disciples wailed in agony, unaware of the strange phenomenon, some hidden players looked at Tao Zhongwen with shocked and horrified eyes.

If he had the Dragon Vein within him, or were he in a different environment, this Tao Zhongwen might just become an Immortal on the spot!

No wonder he was able to be the Jiajing Emperor's favored Daoist for twenty years in actual history!

◇

On the eleventh day of the first month, Li Changzhou returned to the Forbidden City with five disguised corpses — it was easy to find bodies in this era, as Anda had invaded Xuanfu just last spring, leaving a landscape littered with thieves.

The Jiajing Emperor glanced at the "Roc Heavenly Monarch's" corpse, dressed in a green skirt and fairly pretty, but not qualified enough to be Li Changzhou's sister.

This was the Longevity Heavenly Monarch.

In reality, the Longevity Heavenly Monarch had become a young girl of twenty-eight years of age, but before the Jiajing Emperor, one could not talk about reality; one had to speak of logic, hence the Longevity Heavenly Monarch was another body, that of an old bandit.

The Jiajing Emperor withdrew his gaze from the bodies and waved his hand, and Huang Jin commanded the on-duty eunuchs to carry the bodies away.

"Immortal Marquis Li Changzhou has worked hard." The Jiajing Emperor picked up a Jade Cup from a tea table inlaid with mother-of-pearl, agate, jade, and Han jade, depicting a scene of fish playing among lotus flowers on rosewood. He took a sip of hot tea.

"It's nothing difficult. Your Majesty, when I killed those people, my objective was actually the same as when I first joined the Divine Sect and came to present myself before you in the palace," said Li Changzhou.

"Oh?"

"For immortality." Li Changzhou continued, "I neither covet wealth nor am afflicted by lust. Throughout my life, I have only sought two things: boundless mana and a long-lasting life. Joining the Divine Sect and learning its secret techniques were for the sake of immortality; challenging various great sects was also for immortality; entering the palace and serving Your Majesty was likewise all for the pursuit of immortality."

"Immortality, immortality," the Jiajing Emperor set down the Jade Cup, "How does one achieve immortality?"

Li Changzhou looked at the Jiajing Emperor: "Do you believe me, Your Majesty?"

"The Honorific One climbed thousands of feet up snow-capped mountains, trekked through deserts, and suffered in Hell, creating endless karma of slaughter— I trust you, I trust your heart in seeking the Dao," the Emperor replied.

"Good." Li Changzhou said, "Your Majesty, I have found my Method of Longevity, and the gate to your quest for the Dao."

The Jiajing Emperor narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Speak."

"Extract the Dragon Vein."

The Jiajing Emperor didn't ask how to extract it; he asked: "Will my Emperor's position still exist?"

"We divide the Dragon Vein in half, keeping one part for my immortality and the other for your Golden Crown. With the Dragon Vein removed, Your Majesty can cultivate; with the Golden Crown and the bloodline of the Zhu Clan, your position as the Emperor remains secure."

"Half?"

After a long consideration, the Jiajing Emperor said, "The ancestral heritage, let me think about it."

"Of course." Li Changzhou smiled, "Now that the gate to the Dao has been found, Foundation Establishment is no longer necessary, but Your Majesty can continue cultivating."

"Very well," the Jiajing Emperor nodded.

This time he did not take any palace maids or consorts with him.

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