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Spring.

East gate of Divine Capital City.

A sea of people, bustling and lively.

After deliberate propaganda by the Imperial Court, the common folks had already forgotten Yu Qingtian; their attention converged upon the renowned border general “Zhou Hong”.

At fourteen, he was appointed as a skirmisher, during the year of the Renyin Disturbance, when the Northern Border suffered a major defeat that shook the National Dynasty.

“Zhou Hong” led three thousand cavalry in a night raid on Great Yong soldiers, setting their camps ablaze, and made a name for himself in that battle.

Thanks to his exploits, he was promoted to deputy general, stationed at Desolate City, and repelled the Great Yong army’s attacks several times.

After peace talks between the two nations, he was promoted to regional commander and took charge of military affairs in a state of the Northern Border.

Over the next forty-plus years, through two dynasties, he advanced to lead the troops in perennial warfare against Great Yong, winning more often than losing, truly a pillar of the National Dynasty.

The common folks naturally admired heroes, let alone a Great General who secured the nation’s safety, so they gathered at the east gate early in the morning to wait for “Zhou Hong” to lead his troops into the capital for inspection by the Orthodox Emperor.

Approaching noon.

The sound of horse hooves thundered; from afar, “Zhou Hong” was seen at the forefront, leading the way.

Closely following him were four columns of cavalrymen, all clad in mysterious black armor, appearing like rolling dark clouds that silenced the noisy crowd in an instant.

It was uncertain whether it was intentional or not, but the mysterious armored soldiers all cast a glance at the Capital Garrison troops maintaining order.

Their fierce and murderous aura caused the Capital Garrison soldiers to shudder, with the more faint-hearted collapsing to the ground, their legs having given way.

Hahaha!

After their initial shock, the commoners saw the usually arrogant Capital Garrison taken down a peg and burst into a thunderous gale of laughter.

As “Zhou Hong” drew closer, the commoners could finally see his appearance clearly, an old general with a full head of white hair and beard.

Broad-shouldered and stout, with a back like a tiger and a waist like a bear, his armor was covered in marks of swords and knives.

This sight made the commoners feel even more reassured; as the saying goes in folk wisdom: “Old but vigorous,” “Having an elder at home is like having a treasure,” and “Ginger gets spicier as it ages.”

In the crowd, there were dissenting views, with an old man with white hair sighing.

“Such an appearance, alas, is still no match for the Marquis of Zhengu. I, too, was in my teens, watching by this east gate as the Marquis came back to the capital. His demeanor was impressive indeed!”

“The Marquis of Zhengu? Which Marquis of Zhengu, was he fierce?”

“The one talked about in the plays, all made-up stories; no one is that accomplished at such a young age with military campaigns both south and north.”

“You don’t even understand, ever heard of hyperbole?”

Several young people, who believed themselves well-informed, argued noisily over who was more formidable between the Marquis of Zhengu and “Zhou Hong”.

The old man opened his mouth but didn’t know how to explain.

He remembered the year the Marquis returned victorious; the old man was just a youth then, tearing up at the inspiring sight that made a lasting impression on him, unforgettable to this day; it was also why he enlisted to serve his country.

In a daze, decades passed, and the legendary heroes of yore had faded from the memories of the populace.

At the street-side tavern.

Two elders sat by a window.

A few plates of vegetarian dishes, a pot of clear wine—all while overseeing the grand scene on the street.

Yuan Shun picked up a piece of tender tofu, laughing, “Your Majesty, I thought such a personage as yourself, immersed in seeking immortality, would have no concern for these mundane worldly affairs.”

Zhou Yi shook his head, “It was a casual effort, success or failure matters not; if I truly managed affairs, I’d probably end up a Dog Emperor.”

Envy flashed in Yuan Shun’s eyes; only those truly powerful could afford to disregard riches and power so casually because they could easily obtain them.

“Your Majesty, the Jinyiwei finally uncovered the truth about Yan Shangshu, just as you predicted, indeed one of Yu Su’s men.”

“That wasn’t difficult to deduce.”

Zhou Yi drank his cup of wine: “Yu Su revived his fortunes three times, took down the Zhang family; how could he not have a few loyal supporters? His earlier surrender to the imperial prison was merely because he was graced by two dynasties, not wishing to publicly break with the emperor!”

Yuan Shun clicked his tongue in admiration: “Yan Shangshu is truly extraordinary; I have never interacted with him before, and Yu Su had sent no word from prison, yet he was able to guess the Northern Border and go with the flow.”

“Fengyang Country has produced several exceptional figures over generations only to end up in its present state; truly lamentable!”

Zhou Yi sighed: “Before ascending the throne, every emperor reads stacks of history books, learns a multitude of principles on governance, yet no one can solve the cycle of dynasties.”

“Your Majesty, then when will…”

Yuan Shun’s eyes blazed with fervor as he gestured towards the sky.

“This world is not simple, accumulate grain slowly, claim kingship leisurely!”

…

Several months later.

The imperial prison.

Zhou Yi, as usual, carrying a food container, squeezed into the underground.

At the end of the corridor, where Ji Sheng should have been sitting cross-legged in the iron cage, he had unexpectedly disappeared.

Zhou Yi was suddenly startled, the Mountain and River Cauldron appeared at the mouth of his sleeve, ready to blast its way out at any moment.

Only upon drawing closer did he see clearly; enwrapped in the tattered Daoist robe was a small, dried-up skeleton, its muscles clinging to its bones as if all moisture had been dried out of a corpse.

“Finally dead?”

Zhou Yi carefully examined the skeleton’s sparse and uneven teeth like the teeth of a saw, and the fingers were black as ink, unmistakably Ji Sheng’s appearance.

Pulling out the Peaceful Home Talisman from his chest, he cast it, but detected no anomaly. He then took out the Soul-Settling Mirror, propelling mana to scan every corner of the dungeon, ensuring no ghostly spirits lingered.

Zhou Yi sat down on the steps, took out a wine flask from the food container, and sprinkled it in front of the iron cage.

This man had a tough fate, having stepped onto the path of the immortals at a young age, only to fall into the Dog Emperor’s schemes and remain imprisoned for life!

Putting oneself in another’s shoes.

Zhou Yi could imagine what would happen should his Longevity Dao Fruit be exposed; it could directly trigger a great war in the Cultivation World.

Thrice daily, one must examine oneself; be careful, be cautious!

…

Late into the night.

It was the time when the prison guards were most weary, and a shadow slipped into the imperial prison.

Zhou Yi snapped the iron lock of the cell and pulled out a dead prisoner, heading towards the second underground level.

Wisps of strange fragrance drifted, putting the Jinyiwei guards at the entrance to the hole soundly asleep.

Familiar with the route, he entered the underground area and slapped the prisoner at the outside of the iron cage. The prisoner groggily came to his senses, and seeing the shadowy figure that seemed ghostly, was frightened and about to shout loudly.

“Quietly listen to what I say, and you will benefit. Otherwise, you’ll die!”

The prisoner’s fear turned to joy, “Just give your orders, sir, and I’ll follow them to the letter.”

Zhou Yi pointed at the iron cage: “Go inside and rummage around to see if he left behind any relics.”

The prisoner gestured at the gaps in the iron bars, about to say he couldn’t fit, when he saw a palm-sized bronze cauldron rapidly expand between two iron bars.

Creak! Creak…

The steel bars bent outward, opening a gap wide enough for a person’s head.

The prisoner was astounded, daring not to disobey any further, and quickly crawled inside to search through Ji Sheng’s remains.

Although Ji Sheng originally was five to six feet tall, his skeleton had shrunk as if dehydrated, now only three to four feet. The prisoner wasn’t afraid and groped inside and out of the skeleton, indeed finding something unusual.

“Sir, there’s something odd about this rib bone!”

The prisoner pulled out the rib, which was purplish-red and translucent like jade stone.

Zhou Yi, noticing the change in the prisoner’s expression, said coldly, “Is there any message inside it?”

“Sir, I hear someone speaking.”

Feeling the chilling intent to kill, the prisoner did not hesitate: “He says he’s an Inner Chamber Disciple of the Dan Ding Sect, who cultivated under Master Xuan Yue of Xiao Dan Mountain, and that one can take this jade bone to Xiao Dan Mountain, to report the crimes of Emperor Chongming.”

“With this merit, those with a Spirit Root can join the Dan Ding Sect, and those without can establish their own kingdom and claim sovereignty in the secular world.”

The prisoner’s eyes flickered, and he couldn’t help but tighten his grip on the jade bone. Initially skeptical of the ethereal way of immortals, but with the shadowy figure before him and the magical bronze cauldron, he was forced to believe.

Zhou Yi asked, “Where is Xiao Dan Mountain?”

The prisoner responded, “Middle part of Yunshan in Xuzhou, enter the mountain from the east and travel seven hundred li, where you see Eight Peaks surrounding; that is where Xiao Dan Mountain lies.”

“…”

Zhou Yi fell silent for a moment, then said in a sinister tone, “Don’t you think about lying, for I can have others try.”

The prisoner quickly assured, “I wouldn’t dare!”

“Good! I will send you on your way to the next life, to be reincarnated sooner so that you do not continue to suffer in this imperial prison.”

Zhou Yi, indifferent to the prisoner’s look of shock, waved his hand and struck him dead.