I Was Originally a Heavenly Being

Chapter 15: I Was Originally a Heavenly Being

"Noodles eaten by immortals, a bowl of plain noodles, surpasses a living deity." The plump owner, with a cloth tied around his waist, spoke such nonsense without a blush, completely unaware that the immortal he spoke of was passing right by his noodle stall.

"Top-grade charcoal..."

"Perfectly intact fox fur..."

Gao Xian rode his donkey onto the street, heading out along North Gate Street. As the weather warmed, the street became livelier and more bustling, with vendors shouting with more vigor.

Most men on the road wore round-collared robes and wore caps, while women wore padded jackets and didn't seem to mind being seen. They argued and haggled with the vendors.

The status of women in the Great Zhou was not low; it wasn't uncommon for women to engage in business, carry swords, or serve as female officials. It wasn't like the storybooks Gao Xian had read, where women were confined to their chambers and couldn't show their faces in public.

There were even some bold and fiery women who stared at Gao Xian, pointing and whispering to their companions. However, upon seeing the long hair peeking out from Gao Xian's robes and the Daoist mark between his brows, they instantly blushed and dared not look directly at him.

It had been quite some time since he arrived in Gongzhou City, and this was the first time Gao Xian had truly seen the prosperity and vibrancy of Gongzhou City.

He felt a little reluctant to leave, after all, this was his first stop after descending the mountain, and many things had happened recently.

With spring just around the corner, Gao Xian had no intention of returning to Tianyun Temple. Instead, he planned to keep going.

Just as he had told Lu Canghai, he wanted to see the vast land, the high heavens, and the deep clouds, and hear the surging sea and its turbulent waves.

The mortal world was chaotic, and he had no immediate plans to return.

He intended to search for items that could be conferred the title of Guardian Deity and explore his own abilities.

As for his general route, he planned to head northwest.

Ultimately, he wanted to visit the legendary Sky-Reaching Divine Mountain in the northwest, which propped up the heavens, and Kunlun, which no one could climb to the summit.

As he saw the city gate in the distance, about to leave the city...

Suddenly, a tall horse galloped out and blocked Gao Xian's path on the street.

The person on the horse was wearing a brocade robe and official attire – it was Zhongxing Du.

Zhongxing Du had arrived excitedly at Xu Bayuan's residence, only to find Xu Bayuan and Lu Canghai, whose eyes had been restored, but the immortal had already departed.

Upon learning that the immortal could also refine elixirs and had used one to cure Lu Canghai's eyes, Zhongxing Du became both excited and anxious, fearing that the immortal would leave and all the credit would be lost.

Zhongxing Du spurred his horse onward, galloping furiously. Seeing the silhouette of a donkey in the distance, he shouted.

"Zhongxing Du of the Martial Rites Division."

"I've come to seek an audience with the immortal."

He dismounted and bowed, inviting Gao Xian.

Daoists were not uncommon, nor were people riding donkeys. However, a Daoist riding a donkey in Gongzhou City was different.

When Gao Xian had passed by earlier, he had already attracted the attention of many people on the street. Those who noticed only dared to glance, not confirm, and certainly not approach.

Now, hearing Zhongxing Du's shout, everyone on North Gate Street knew that this Daoist was the immortal rumored throughout Gongzhou City recently.

"An immortal! This is the immortal who came to our Gongzhou!" The noodle stall owner immediately revealed the truth behind his boasting.

"He truly looks like someone who walked down from the clouds," exclaimed several maids shopping on the street, filled with excitement.

"Oh dear, don't speak nonsense, the immortal might hear you," an older woman quickly admonished the younger maids.

The entire North Gate became chaotic, all eyes focused here. The previous hustle and bustle instantly quieted down.

It was the first time everyone had seen the appearance of an immortal. One had to admit, Gao Xian's appearance fit everyone's definition of an immortal, and a sense of inviolable reverence arose from the depths of everyone's hearts.

Gao Xian did not dismount, remaining seated on the donkey, and looked at Zhongxing Du, whose waist was bent almost to the ground. "Why have you blocked my path?"

The reply came: "Zhongxing Du wishes to invite the immortal to the capital."

Gao Xian: "What for, going to the capital?"

Zhongxing Du's eyes revealed a look of confident insight: "It is rumored that on Mount Lao of the previous dynasty, there was an unnamed Daoist who attained enlightenment and became an immortal, and lived in seclusion on Mount Lao. I presume it is you, immortal?"

Previous dynasty? Unnamed Daoist? Wasn't that the old Daoist priest?

Gao Xian felt that this person's thinking was wildly off track, why was he guessing randomly?

Talking nonsense, utter rubbish.

Seeing that Gao Xian's expression remained unchanged, Zhongxing Du assumed his guess was correct and immediately continued: "Immortal possesses this art of longevity, why not present it to His Majesty? The Current Emperor is virtuous and capable, and has the bearing of one who will unify the realm."

"If the immortal were to emerge and assist the emperor, founding an unparalleled dynasty, it would be an act of immeasurable merit."

As he spoke, Zhongxing Du's own face showed a hint of longing: "High official positions and generous emoluments, even the position of National Preceptor, is not impossible."

Gao Xian's lips curved upwards: "High official positions and generous emoluments? How generous?"

However, Zhongxing Du did not notice, completely lost in his own fantasies: "Glory and wealth, inexhaustible."

"The position of National Preceptor? Is it very high?"

"Of course, it's high. Second only to one, above ten thousand."

"Is it as high as an immortal?" Gao Xian suddenly asked.

Zhongxing Du's expression turned extremely unpleasant in an instant.

He felt he had misjudged. He could not view this immortal, who had already transcended the mundane world, with his own limited perspective.

The high officials, noble titles, wealth, and glory he had wholeheartedly pursued felt as if they were within reach before this Immortal, yet he couldn't even begin to imagine what the Immortal desired.

Gao Xian took one look at the person before him and understood their thoughts, as well as the entire sequence of events.

"And why are you only appearing now? You knew where the Silver Flower Palace's people were and how they planned to deal with me all along, yet you waited."

"This humble one doesn't know what the Immortal speaks of." Zhongxing Du broke out in a cold sweat. He suddenly realized how foolish it was to have plotted against this Immortal using mere worldly tactics.

"You wish to see how much ability I possess, to see if Kongchenzi is worthy of the name Sword Immortal."

The donkey stepped forward, and the very momentum of heaven and earth pressed down with it, breaking Zhongxing Du's spine. He immediately collapsed to his knees.

"Heaven and earth are the board, and you wish to play chess, taking me as a pawn?"

Gao Xian's question struck Zhongxing Du's heart like a thunderclap, and he slumped to the ground.

"Heh!"

From this laugh, Zhongxing Du heard a disdain for the mortal world and a mocking chuckle at his own ignorance.

"You only know of high office and generous stipends."

"Do you know how high the heavens are? How thick the earth is?"

The Daoist said no more and rode his donkey past Zhongxing Du's side.

Then, layers of flame coiled around him. Gao Xian tucked his hands into his Daoist robes, closed his eyes, and leaped into the air on his donkey.

The donkey trod on fire, soaring up to the city walls, and then transformed into flames, vanishing.

Only a few lines of poetry were left behind in the clouds, high in the sky, lost to sight.

"I was originally a Heavenly Being, a banished immortal descended to the mortal realm."

"Singing a song in the wind, my clear whistle reaches the cloud peaks."

"..."

As the lines of poetry swirled with the clouds and ascended to the highest heavens, they vanished along with the Immortal.

Within Gongzhou City, the populace knelt in reverence.

In an instant, the quiet erupted into a roar of exclamations and prayers for the Immortal's protection, like a tidal wave. The entire North Gate was a sea of kneeling figures, all facing the direction the Immortal had departed.

Zhongxing Du, kneeling in defiance of the crowd, stood out conspicuously. His face was deathly pale; the schemes and petty tricks he had played had utterly buried him.

Instead of glory and wealth, what awaited him was the Duke of Wei's thunderous wrath.