Lord of the Renaissance

Li Hong woke from his cultivation, opening his eyes to see his eldest brother staring intently at him.

"Fourth Brother, how do you feel?"

Li Ye believed that a grandmaster wouldn't stoop to deceiving him, but Li Hong's changes would determine the subsequent instructions.

"Excellent!"

Li Hong had cultivated top-tier internal martial arts from a young age, had his bones and tendons cleansed by martial arts experts, and had taken many elixirs. Now, after being nourished and refined by spiritual energy, his physique and strength had greatly increased in a short period.

"After the senior saves you, find a secluded place to cultivate and break through to the Innate Realm, then seek an opportunity to avenge our family!"

Li Ye instructed, "If the Zhao family also has a grandmaster protecting them, then there's no need to risk revenge. Change your name and start anew, to continue the Li family's bloodline."

"Big Brother!"

Even though Li Hong was young, he understood the meaning behind those words and couldn't help but cry.

"A son of the Li family can bleed, can die, but must never shed tears!"

Li Ye scolded Li Hong for being petty and repeatedly told him to focus on cultivation in the future, be careful of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, prioritize survival over revenge, and so on.

"Thank you, Senior, for the grace of saving my life and imparting your skills. No matter how prosperous or declining the descendants of the Li family may be, we will always respect you as our parents and honor you as our ancestors!" Li Ye led his three younger brothers to prostrate themselves on the ground.

"No need for such a grand gesture."

Zhou Yi asked, "When do you plan to rescue him from the Heavenly Prison?"

Li Ye said, "Senior, please wait a few days. After the court issues its verdict, it's likely to be exile to the borderlands. If bandits attack along the way, Senior can take advantage of the chaos to rescue Fourth Brother."

Zhou Yi nodded slightly. Doing so wouldn't attract attention, and Li Hong's subsequent cultivation would be much more stable.

"How are you so sure the court will sentence him to exile? The current emperor is willing to sacrifice his own son to eliminate your family!"

Li Ye said, "The Hongchang Emperor is eager to be a sage and wise ruler, to leave a name in history. He certainly won't want to be known for mistreating meritorious officials. Pardoning the Li family's lives will earn him a reputation for benevolence, and then sending bandits to wipe them out is a win-win!"

Zhou Yi said, "Ignoring the Li family's misfortune, the Hongchang Emperor is indeed a restorer of the dynasty!"

During Emperor Chongming's reign, the Fengyang Kingdom was almost overthrown, with most of its territory falling into the hands of Great Yong and rebel armies.

In the eighteen years of the Hongchang Emperor's reign, he had swept away the decline and restored the prosperity of the dynasty.

Li Wu's contribution to this was significant, but war wasn't the only aspect of the country. The Hongchang Emperor was able to handle the mess left by Emperor Chongming and could be considered a truly capable and governing monarch.

"That dog emperor himself isn't much, but his eye for talent is extremely accurate. One Li Wu, one Hongchang."

Zhou Yi recalled Emperor Chongming's arrangements before his death, secretly nurturing Li Wu, using a scheme to kill Chancellor Long, and issuing an imperial edict to have the Third Prince ascend the throne. His calculations and arrangements were excellent.

"How could such a clever person become obsessed with cultivating immortality and seeking the Dao?"

"Senior..."

Seeing the change in Zhou Yi's expression, Li Ye thought he had overlooked something and added, "If the Hongchang Emperor sentences the Li family to be beheaded, then I'll trouble Senior to intercept Fourth Brother during the escort."

"Why not in the Heavenly Prison?"

Now, Zhou Yi was the oldest jailer in the Heavenly Prison, having outlived three wardens. Switching out a person would be easy.

Li Ye said, "My four brothers are thorns in the Hongchang Emperor's side. If something were to happen in the Heavenly Prison, it would inevitably affect the officials and jailers above and below, which would not be good for Senior's seclusion."

Zhou Yi looked at Li Ye deeply for a moment, nodded, and didn't say much more.

A person with such a clear mind could thrive anywhere. It was a waste for him to be born into the Li family.

As expected, things turned out as Li Ye had predicted.

The court's three departments conducted a joint trial, and because the evidence of treason was conclusive, a verdict was quickly reached.

The crown prince was stripped of his title and reduced to a commoner, imprisoned in the palace for life, never to be released. The other accomplices were either exiled or beheaded, depending on the severity of their crimes. Among them, the Li family was the main supporter of the treason case, stripped of their title of Duke, and their nine generations were to be exterminated!

After hearing the verdict, the Hongchang Emperor, lying in bed, summoned the chief minister, Zhang Zhengyang.

"The Li family has done great service to the dynasty. Even if Minister Li has betrayed me, I cannot betray Minister Li. Change the extermination of nine generations to exile, and be sure not to let Minister Li's line be cut off!"

These words spread throughout the court, and the officials praised His Majesty's benevolence!

When the common people heard about this, they had to admit that the current emperor was a benevolent ruler who remembered old favors.

In March of the same year.

The court dispatched imperial guards to escort one hundred and thirty-seven members of the Li family in prison carriages towards the Northern Frontier.

Zhou Yi had taken leave half a month in advance, citing the reason of visiting friends in the martial world, with no fixed return date.

Warden Liu approved it with understanding, saying sincerely that the jailer's salary and share of the profits would be kept for him, and he should remember to come back no matter how long he was gone.

After all, it was hard to find an expert who didn't compete for power and profit!

Longevity Mountain.

Emperor Chongming's mausoleum.

Zhou Yi's mana penetrated the soil, gently tapping on the top of the tomb, waiting for a long time without hearing a response.

"Could something have happened to Huang Yuniang?"

"That scoundrel Emperor Chongming, who ruled a country, used the pretext of birthday tributes to plunder all kinds of treasures. He may not have had any real methods of cultivating immortality. The Blood Refinement of Spirit Weapons technique is one of them!"

"Sending Huang Yuniang into this tomb rashly is somewhat imprudent!"

Zhou Yi pondered for a moment, then left Longevity Mountain, not daring to try entering the tomb.

Many methods related to immortal cultivation circulate in the mortal world. If there are formations or restrictions in the tomb, a moment of carelessness could lead to death and the dissipation of his Dao.

"I'll come back to investigate after I've achieved some cultivation!"

Zhou Yi bought a horse and headed north along the official road.

It was the first time in over twenty years that he had left the boundaries of Shenjing. Seeing the travelers and scenery along the way, his heart naturally opened up.

As the sages said, read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles!

He sheltered from the rain in a desolate temple. By the campfire, he told a traveling merchant a few ghost stories. The merchant was clearly terrified and unable to sleep, yet he kept urging Zhou Yi to continue the tale.

He also encountered heroes of the Jianghu, who turned to life-and-death struggles over a single disagreement.

Amidst the flashing of blades and swords, Zhou Yi cheered loudly and even kindly rewarded them with a silver ingot.

As a result, the two heroes didn't appreciate the gesture, considering it an insult, and attacked him together.

"Is Yi a person who likes to be brave and fight?"

Zhou Yi shouted, then fled in a panic.

He also saw a heroic and spirited woman of the Jianghu, who fell in love with Zhou Yi at first sight, declaring that she would marry none but him.

Zhou Yi always heard Lao Bai boast about how unrestrained the men and women of the Jianghu were, so he wanted to experience it for himself. As a result, he followed the woman to a residence, and before anything could happen, seven or eight burly, hairy men jumped out, shouting.

"Kidney removal...呸, robbery!"

"Lao Bai misled me!"

Zhou Yi sighed to the heavens and had no choice but to kill all the bandits.

Along the way, Zhou Yi didn't forget his goal, constantly keeping an eye on the Imperial Guards trailing a mile or two behind him.

"Almost to Serpent Coil Mountain!"

Zhou Yi shook the reins, and the horse galloped, revealing a continuous mountain range at the end of the plain.

He rode for another twenty miles.

The mountain range ahead was clearly visible, like a winding, coiling cyan python stretching across the horizon.

Serpent Coil Mountain!

This mountain range stretched continuously, with only one mountain road passing through it to the Northern Frontier.

The Fengyang Kingdom relied on Serpent Coil Mountain as a natural barrier, and even in Emperor Chongming's later years, the Great Yong soldiers were unable to break through it.

"Many mountains, deep forests, a good place to eliminate witnesses! If Emperor Hongchang doesn't act, there are quite a few generals in the Northern Frontier army promoted by Li Wu..."

Zhou Yi tied his horse at the foot of the mountain and, after attaching a Light-Body Talisman, flew towards Serpent Coil Mountain.

His body was as light as a feather. With a gentle tap on the ground, he soared into the air, crossing over a dozen yards before slowly landing.

"Lightness skill combined with talismans is already a taste of flying!"

About half an hour later.

Zhou Yi climbed an unnamed peak and gazed into the distance.

The mountains were like a sea, and the setting sun was like blood.

The mountain wind blew through the forest, and the green waves rolled, creating a magnificent and imposing scene.

Eagles flew in the sky, and tigers roared in the mountains.

Zhou Yi looked down at the mountain road below. The Imperial Guards and prison carriages stretched for a mile or two, and he faintly heard cries.

"In this situation, killing and bloodshed would be rather unseemly!"