212: Taoist Priest

Chapter 210: Daoist

At the foot of Tianshou Mountain.

Lu Liner, Lu Xiangqing, Zheng Xuanyue, Wang Anshi, Li Changfeng, and the others looked at each other in dismay.

Never did they expect that an investigation into an auspicious sign would actually draw out an Immortal!

Moreover, this Immortal seemed to reside here, treating this place as a Forbidden Ground.

Even Chen Liancang... an old eunuch in the palace, seemed to be someone who could Cultivate!

In the past, words constantly flowed out from the palace about Your Majesty Cultivating and Immortals haunting the place, but most people considered those to be mere rumors.

Never had they imagined... that it was actually true!

It was simply... too shocking!

Lu Xiangqing said with a trembling voice, "Is Your Majesty really Cultivating? What should the likes of us do?"

Zheng Xuanyue also hesitated and said, "Indeed, when Your Majesty Cultivates, Your Majesty's figure disappears for dozens of days on end without a trace. What about major affairs of the state?"

"Now that the great battle in Xu Province is imminent, some of our military orders must seek Your Majesty's approval. If this continues..."

Wang Anshi suddenly said, "My lords, have you forgotten where our identities as the Cabinet came from?"

"Your Majesty established the Cabinet long ago, commanding us to administer the state for the country. It was precisely for this purpose."

"It seems Your Majesty had foresight long ago. Even if he stays in seclusion and does not come out, the imperial court's decrees can still be smoothly issued."

"This is truly... a wise and brilliant move!"

Lu Xiangqing shook his head and said, "That is incorrect. Although our Cabinet can administer the world on behalf of Your Majesty, the entire Great Yu still needs Your Majesty!"

"Otherwise... the country will no longer be a country!"

The expressions of the few changed drastically. These words... were truly treasonous!

Wang Anshi frowned and said, "Lord Lu, mind your words."

"There are only a few of us here, so you may speak freely. But these words must never be spread outside."

"This old man understands."

Wang Anshi cupped his fists and said, "Your Majesty is in seclusion, and Tianshou Mountain is also a Forbidden Ground. This official still has some matters to attend to, so this official will take his leave."

"This official also has some matters to attend to. Elder Lu, farewell."

Zheng Xuanyue, Li Changfeng, and the others also offered their farewells one after another, and soon led their men away from Tianshou Mountain.

Only the grandfather and granddaughter pair, Lu Xiangqing and Lu Liner, remained.

"Grandfather, what should we do?"

Lu Liner covered her injured left cheek with a handkerchief, and tiny wisps of fresh blood seeped out.

"W-We forcefully barged into Tianshou Mountain and were even injured by the Immortal of Tianshou Mountain. Your Majesty will definitely be very heartbroken."

"It is fine."

Lu Xiangqing said, "Everything we did, wasn't it for the Great Yu Dynasty? Your Majesty will not blame us."

"At worst, you can shift all the blame onto this old man."

"Besides, this old man is already advanced in age, and it is time to retire."

"Grandfather...!"

"Rest assured, Liner."

Lu Xiangqing said, "Although Your Majesty Cultivates, the Great Yu still cannot do without our Lu Family today."

"Even if this old man retires, there will still be people from our Lu Family in the imperial court, so you can rest assured."

"Yes, Grandfather!"

"There is one more matter."

Lu Xiangqing said, "Your Majesty Cultivates. Did you know about this long ago?"

"Yes, Grandfather."

"Then why..."

"I had people tell Grandfather, but Grandfather didn't believe it..."

Lu Xiangqing frowned and said, "Forget it. It seems this matter is true."

"Liner, could you ask Your Majesty whether you can also Cultivate..."

Lu Liner said awkwardly, "I-I asked Your Majesty, but Your Majesty said I don't have, don't have... Spiritual Roots. Right, without Spiritual Roots, there is no way to Cultivate."

"Spiritual Roots, huh..."

Lu Xiangqing stroked his beard and said, "It seems the matter of Cultivation is true. Our Lu Family must also secretly search and see if we can find any people who Cultivate to act as retainers."

"Grandfather?"

"Mm."

Lu Xiangqing said, "Alright, Liner. The matter of auspicious signs is only a trivial affair. What you should do now is properly nurture Jier."

"Since Your Majesty wants to Cultivate, Your Majesty will inevitably ignore state affairs for a long time."

"And Jier is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate."

Lu Liner's eyes suddenly lit up: "Grandfather, you mean..."

"Mm."

Lu Xiangqing nodded and said, "Some matters must be planned for as early as possible."

"Mm-hm, I know, Grandfather..."

Quiet room in the White Jade Capital underground palace.

Dense bloody mist continuously surged out, and under Zheng Yi's incantation gestures, it poured once again into the Reincarnation Nine Infant Fruit.

I do not know how much time had passed before the quiet room returned to calmness once more.

Picking up the Reincarnation Nine Infant Fruit to take a look, sure enough, extremely faint threads of blood appeared within it.

Just like a trace of Impurities appearing within exquisite crystal.

Yet it was precisely this trace of Impurities that made the entire crystal become even more alluring.

"It seems that once the Reincarnation Nine Infant Fruit is completely filled with vital blood, this Reincarnation Nine Infant Fruit can be successfully blood-sacrificed."

"By then, I wonder if it will grow out?"

"Hoo..."

After exhaling a long breath, Zheng Yi looked toward his side once again.

Over there, a figure draped in a black robe was standing upright.

It was precisely the Puppet Xuan Ye!

At this moment, the Puppet Xuan Ye stood blankly in place without any breathing.

But Zheng Yi's gaze was still filled with pleasant surprise.

Because during this month and more of seclusion, aside from daily using vital blood to blood-sacrifice the Reincarnation Nine Infant Fruit, he had also been utilizing the sacrificial refining method of the Puppet Xuan Ye to refine it.

At this moment, the Puppet Xuan Ye had been completely refined by Zheng Yi and could be freely manipulated by him.

Unfortunately, because this Puppet Xuan Ye lacked the support of Spirit Stones, it could neither move nor engage in combat.

Mid-Grade Spirit Stone.

At the very least, it had to be a Mid-Grade Spirit Stone to support the Puppet Xuan Ye's combat for a quarter of an hour.

As for moving freely, Low-Grade Spirit Stones would do.

However, the time would also be greatly shortened.

Regardless, he now had a trump-card treasure in his hands.

But the premise was... he had to have Spirit Stones!

Moving his body slightly, Zheng Yi then stood up and walked out of the quiet room.

Liu Chengen's light requesting an audience had shone who knows how many times, but Zheng Yi had been in the middle of refining the Puppet Xuan Ye and could not divide his attention at all.

At this time, after the Puppet Xuan Ye was successfully refined, Zheng Yi finally had time to go out and check.

"What did you say...?"

When Zheng Yi summoned Liu Chengen and learned about what had happened over the past few days, even with his temperament, he could not help crying out in surprise.

"An abnormality in Tianshou Mountain?"

"Spiritual Qi turned into a Phoenix?"

"The Empress led people to forcefully barge into Tianshou Mountain?"

"The Empress and Xuanjizi had a conflict?"

"Chen Liancang also blocked the Empress?"

Message after message left Zheng Yi immensely shocked; he never expected the Empress to get involved.

"Where is the Empress?"

"She is in Kun Ning Palace."

"To Kun Ning Palace!"

"Understood!"

Soon, Zheng Yi arrived at Kun Ning Palace, where Lu Liner, having long received the news, led a group of people waiting outside Kun Ning Palace.

"This concubine greets Your Majesty!"

"We subjects greet Your Majesty..."

Lu Liner led the people in paying respects, and Zheng Yi waved his hand to signal everyone to withdraw.

Only then did Zheng Yi notice that Lu Liner's left cheek had a faint red line, which would truly be hard to detect without looking closely.

"Liner, what happened to your face?"

Lu Liner's expression changed, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "Your Majesty, you must uphold justice for this concubine!"

"A few days ago, a phantom of a Phoenix suddenly appeared on Tianshou Mountain. This concubine and the others thought it was an auspicious sign, and specially sent people to investigate."

"Who would have thought that... on that mountain, there was actually a woman blocking the way, and she, she even injured this concubine..."

"Audacious!"

A cry of audacity frightened Lu Liner into hastily kneeling on the ground: "Your Majesty..."

"I have said before that Tianshou Mountain is a Forbidden Ground. Without my command, no one is allowed to go up the mountain!"

Zheng Yi said indifferently, "You actually led people up the mountain under the guise of an auspicious sign. What are your intentions?"

Lu Liner hastily said, "Your Majesty! Th-This concubine did it for the sake of our Great Yu's rivers and mountains."

"Matters of auspicious signs can ensure favorable weather, bountiful harvests, and deflate the rebel army's morale for our Great Yu, which is why this concubine discussed it together with important ministers of the court. This concubine did it all for Your Majesty..."

Zheng Yi shook his head and said, "I have long said that I am mandated by Heaven, and may my reign be prosperous and eternal."

"Our Great Yu is also favored by Heavenly Mandate, possessing long-lasting Luck. Mere auspicious signs, what is there to make such a fuss about?"

"Furthermore... did you and the others go up the mountain truly to investigate the matter of auspicious signs?"

On Tianshou Mountain, there was not only the Grand Progenitor's mausoleum, but it also included the Zheng Clan Treasure Trove, the three major Formations, Emperor Wen's mausoleum currently under excavation, and many other secrets.

If Lu Liner, Lu Xiangqing, and the others discovered them, they would inevitably spread out.

By then, who knows how much speculation and prying eyes it would attract.

Lu Liner hastily said, "Your Majesty, it is as true as can be. We truly did it for the matter of auspicious signs. Please examine the facts clearly, Your Majesty!"

Zheng Yi carefully sized up Lu Liner, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts, and then said, "Liner, it is not that I do not believe you, but rather that Tianshou Mountain also holds many of my secrets, which concern the prosperity of our Great Yu."

"I am afraid that you were deceived by others."

"Your Majesty..."

Lu Liner raised her head, her pretty face covered in tears: "Th-This concubine did everything for Your Majesty and Great Yu. S-Since it is like this, t-then this concubine shall confine herself in Kun Ning Palace and no longer go out..."

"There is no need for that."

Zheng Yi helped her up and said, "As the master of the harem, how could I punish you when you haven't committed a grave mistake?"

"In that case, you shall remain in the harem. Without my command, you are not allowed to leave the palace. How about that?"

Lu Liner lowered her head and said, "This concubine obeys Your Majesty's decree."

"Alright, I still have important matters to deal with. Liner, rest first."

"Respectfully sending Your Majesty off!"

Looking at the retreating figure of Zheng Yi, Lu Liner murmured, "Your Majesty, you haven't said how to deal with that crazy woman yet..."

She subconsciously touched her left cheek and murmured, "Did this concubine suffer the injury on her face for nothing?"

Zheng Yi arrived at Tianshou Mountain at the fastest speed and saw Chen Liancang and Xuanjizi.

The very first sentence upon meeting was asking, "Tianshou Mountain, what on earth happened?"

Chen Liancang shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, this old slave does not know. Presumably Senior Xuanjizi should know a thing or two."

Xuanjizi nodded and said, "This Immortal Master has indeed guessed it, but this Immortal Master dare not be certain of the specific circumstances."

"Oh? I wonder what the reason is?"

"Spiritual Qi surges and transforms into sound. This represents... a Spiritual Vein has emerged in Tianshou Mountain!"

"However, as for where this Spiritual Vein is located, how to unearth it, and how to utilize it, I truly do not know."

Xuanjizi smiled bitterly and said, "If Fellow Daoist Tian Xingzi were here, it would be easy to talk about."

"Tian Xingzi?"

Zheng Yi asked with doubt, "Who is this person?"

"Tian Xingzi..."

Xuanjizi said with full admiration, "Fellow Daoist Tian Xingzi is the descendant of the Tianji Sect, one of the Righteous Path Sects from over three thousand years ago. The Disciples of this Sect are extremely few, but every Disciple is skilled in divination and fortune-telling, incantation spells, and even peeking into the Heavenly Dao and suppressing people with momentum, and is even more proficient in celestial astrology, Fengshui, and the Great Dao of Formations. He is a top-tier figure."

"I once had a chat with him on the Canglong River and learned that he also came to the capital."

"If we can find Fellow Daoist Tian Xingzi, the matter of a mere Spiritual Vein will be easily attainable!"

"Oh? Daoist Tianxingzi has come to the capital?"

Zheng Yi's eyes suddenly lit up and he said, "Elder Chen, quickly order the Shadow Guard and Jinyi Guard to dispatch and search for Daoist Tianxingzi..."

"Reporting...!"

At this moment, a Jinyi Guard figure hurried over and respectfully said, "Your Majesty! There is an old Daoist priest at the foot of the mountain calling himself 'Tian Xingzi', holding a handwritten letter from the Old Celestial Master of the Taiyi Sect, and wishing to seek an audience with Your Majesty!"

"Daoist Tianxingzi? Quickly invite him in!!!"