Mortals Seek to Capture Immortals

Mortals Seek to Capture Immortals

Time seemed to have hit the fast-forward button.

Li Fan carried out his plan methodically, step by step.

With the experience of two lifetimes, everything proceeded as smoothly as water flowing into a channel.

He still took the imperial examinations.

But this time, with several decades of experience in power, the essays he wrote naturally far surpassed those of his previous life. He took first place in the provincial examination, metropolitan examination, and palace examination alike, winning the triple first and making his name known across the land!

Afterward, citing his youth and need to build seniority, he requested an appointment as an official elsewhere. Naturally, his destination was still Wen County.

Though there was much confusion and regret in the Imperial Court, his request was ultimately approved.

Thus, in Anchoring Year 3, he arrived in Wen County once again.

This time was far better than his previous life. His reputation was too great, and he knew the temperaments of every official in the county, great and small, like the back of his hand. With barely any effort, he brought all of Wen County into perfect submission.

Then he began promoting and cultivating the trusted subordinates from his previous life, steadily expanding his own power.

At the same time, he drew up blueprints for flintlock guns, ordered craftsmen to produce them according to the designs, and told them every difficulty involved in their manufacture. Afterward, he sent people everywhere to secretly recruit skilled craftsmen, striving to develop even more advanced firearms.

Mining in the mountains did not lie idle either. Li Fan swept away every bandit in the mountain ranges near Wen County and dragged them all off to mine. Relying on the mining areas, he built many workshops deep in the mountains, producing handicrafts and ironware in bulk. At the same time, he secretly organized merchant caravans to travel and sell goods throughout the land, accumulating funds.

In Anchoring Year 4, Li Fan searched in secret and finally found Emperor Xuanjing's double. It was precisely the existence of this double that had nearly caused his assassination plan to fail in his previous life. Fortunately, he had always acted cautiously, and with many contingencies in place, he had avoided falling short at the final step. Li Fan personally trained the double. Half a year later, there were almost no flaws.

In Anchoring Year 5, the Jiangnan Drought struck. Li Fan ordered his confidants to disguise themselves as refugees and attack Langya Royal Mansion. Li Fan led his men in a feigned rescue, but in truth they coordinated from within and without, secretly slaughtering the entire Langya King's family. At the same time, he had the double make an appearance.

From then on, Li Fan had seized the magpie's nest and secretly taken control of Langya Royal Mansion.

News that the Langya King's family had been killed, with only the Langya King himself surviving, shocked both court and country. The emperor flew into a rage and dispatched troops to suppress the refugees. Li Fan, meanwhile, was rewarded for his merits and promoted to prefect of Jianghuai Prefecture.

Li Fan's power expanded further. Yet after this, he instead grew more cautious. He did not continue expanding outward, but kept a low profile as he advanced technology and developed productive capacity.

In Anchoring Year 7, the Locust Plague arrived as promised. Li Fan had long been prepared, so Jianghuai Prefecture naturally suffered no disaster. He also petitioned the court to open the granaries and distribute grain to aid the victims. The court agreed.

Taking this opportunity, Li Fan acquired a great number of people. Those disaster victims subsequently settled under Li Fan's rule, and his strength grew explosively with them.

In Anchoring Year 9, the wedding of the Langya King and the Chief Grand Scholar's granddaughter proceeded as scheduled. That night, Li Fan barged into the bridal chamber and frightened the Langya King's consort half to death. When she learned that Li Fan had killed the Langya King and used a double to seize the magpie's nest, she denounced Li Fan as a traitorous rebel. Li Fan did not care in the slightest. Instead, he burst into laughter and told her to write the horrifying matter down in full in a letter.

Carrying that letter, Li Fan disguised himself as the Langya King's messenger and secretly entered the capital to meet the Chief Grand Scholar.

Li Fan's expression remained calm as he laid bare the fact that he now controlled all of Langya Royal Mansion, claiming that he had consummated his marriage with the Grand Scholar's granddaughter on the night of their wedding feast. The Grand Scholar remained composed despite his shock and asked Li Fan what he wanted.

Li Fan spoke frankly. The Grand Scholar had governed for many years and made too many enemies. His several sons, meanwhile, were all useless. Once the Grand Scholar passed away, he feared they would be unable to protect the family's safety. So long as the Grand Scholar lent Li Fan a hand when necessary, Li Fan would certainly ensure his family a century of wealth and honor.

The Grand Scholar pondered for a long time before slowly asking what matter it was. Li Fan smiled and said only that the answer would reveal itself in time, then drifted away.

In Anchoring Year 10, the Langya King's consort gave birth to a son. It was obvious that the child was Li Fan's seed. Li Fan wrote a letter and sent it to the Grand Scholar Estate to announce the good news.

In Anchoring Year 15, the emperor finally fell gravely ill. After obtaining the edict of succession, Li Fan brought his confidants and raced day and night toward the capital.

After the Langya King's double ascended the throne, Li Fan used the emperor's edict to place his confidants throughout the Imperial Court on a grand scale. With the Grand Scholar secretly cooperating as well, he took control of the situation without causing much of a ripple.

In Anchoring Year 16, rebellions erupted across the land. Li Fan took the chance to insert his confidants into the army, then promoted them extensively on the strength of their military achievements in suppressing the rebellions. In only three or four years, the military too was firmly under Li Fan's control.

In Anchoring Year 20, the realm gradually recovered from the turmoil of the imperial succession. At this point, Li Fan decisively poisoned the false Emperor Kangning, strangling the final thread of possible threat in its cradle.

After supporting his own son's ascent to the throne, Li Fan named himself Grand Tutor. He stepped from behind the scenes onto the stage and once again held power that overshadowed the realm.

After that, the gears of Da Xuan Country's development not only did not stall, but spun at even greater speed under Li Fan's will!

In Anchoring Year 35, at the Grand Tutor Estate.

Li Fan looked over the secret letter handed to him by a subordinate. After reading it carefully for a while, he could not help frowning.

"So the mist over the Void Abyss disperses for half a day every fifteen years?"

"Reporting to Grand Tutor, that is indeed the case. Our Immortal Seeking Camp was ordered to station beside the Void Abyss and observe it day and night. At last, we made a discovery some days ago." The Immortal Seeking Official kneeling on the ground recalled the scene, his face still bearing traces of shock. "After the great mist dispersed, faint light shone up from the bottom of the abyss. We observed it through telescopes and unexpectedly discovered all manner of inverted sights."

"Though what each person saw differed somewhat, there were the Ten Thousand Mountains, rising and falling in endless succession, with majestic buildings hidden among them, faintly visible; there were towering cities standing upon the plains, their lights and smoke flourishing, with no fewer than a million inhabitants; and there was even Sky City, wreathed in streams of rosy light, with all kinds of rare birds and strange beasts flying within. It truly was..." The Immortal Seeking Official paused before finally voicing the awe in his heart. "It truly was inconceivable."

"So it truly came from the Void Abyss." Though he had long known this news, hearing it personally confirmed by his subordinate still stirred Li Fan somewhat. Yet his many years of experience had long taught him not to let joy or anger show on his face.

He asked blandly, "Have you found a way to descend to the bottom of the abyss?"

The Immortal Seeking Official's breath caught, and his face turned somewhat pale. He hurriedly kowtowed and begged forgiveness. "This subordinate is incompetent. We tried every method, but once we descended to a certain depth, sudden astral winds tore us to pieces. The astral winds are so fierce that even our hardest armor cannot withstand them for a moment."

Hearing this, Li Fan did not show much disappointment.

After waving the Immortal Seeking Official away, Li Fan muttered to himself, "It seems I still have to wait for you."

In Anchoring Year 50, Da Xuan Country, Profound Capital City.

The Profound Capital City, once incomparably bustling, was now eerily silent.

Under the decree of the current Grand Tutor, most of the city's residents had been forcibly relocated to nearby cities a month earlier, supposedly to avoid calamity. Naturally, some did not believe such a laughable excuse. Yet the Grand Tutor had not gone too far. Those truly unwilling to leave were not forced, only advised to dig basements beneath their homes and hide there. They took it as a joke.

After receiving the report, Li Fan did not concern himself with them. He had already done all he could.

Now, throughout every street and alley of Profound Capital City, lay the special forces he had carefully prepared over the years to deal with the two immortals.

Everything was ready; all that was lacking was the east wind! That night, beneath the high-hanging bright moon, the two cultivators arrived as scheduled!

"Dao Xuanzi! Do not bully others too far!"

Kou Hong's furious roar echoed through Profound Capital City.

"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat..."

Countless tongues of flame suddenly flared. Tens of thousands of bullets, like a crashing waterfall, struck the two immortals all at once!