Immortality?

Immortality?

Zhongxing Du, wearing his official robes with a saber at his waist, hurried into Duke of Wei's Estate. His official cap sat perfectly straight, and his attire displayed the authority of the Martial Rites Division.

No one stopped him along the way. He went straight into the main hall to pay his respects to Duke of Wei, Li Guoyuan.

Li Guoyuan sat in the seat of honor, sipping tea. The entire Duke of Wei's Estate was packing up, preparing for the whole household to leave Gongzhou City.

An imperial edict had already arrived from the Capital City. Consort Li's favor showed no sign of waning; with the father rising through his daughter, Duke of Wei Li Guoyuan had, immediately after receiving his noble title, also been appointed Minister of the Imperial Treasury.

He would now head to the Capital City to take up his post, managing the Emperor's purse strings. It was a position of immense trust.

The Li family had truly struck it rich. From now on, they were not merely Imperial Relatives, but nobles of the highest rank. In recent days, officials from all across Gongzhou had come in an endless stream to pay visits and deliver gifts.

And Zhongxing Du, who had latched onto this thick thigh, ran before and after them with all his might. The Emperor had sent him to protect the Li family, and he bustled everywhere precisely because he wanted to climb higher on the Duke of Wei's influence.

The task Duke of Wei had given him concerned the sword immortal whose appearance had stirred all of Gongzhou City into a boiling uproar in recent days.

Through the Martial Rites Division's intelligence network, Zhongxing Du had gathered some information about this sword immortal. Though it was far from detailed, he had vaguely deduced his true identity.

Li Guoyuan was also deeply concerned with the matter. His family belonged to the Emperor's maternal relatives, and currying favor with the Emperor was the most important thing. From the moment he heard of this sword immortal, Li Guoyuan had keenly sensed an opportunity.

"Have you identified him?"

Zhongxing Du was covered in dust from the road, looking as though he had just returned from outside the city. "According to information obtained from Lu Canghai, this man came from Cloud Heaven Monastery of Mount Lao. His name is Kongchenzi."

"Granny Mountain stretches for thousands of li, and since ancient times, many recluses have lived there. This Cloud Heaven Temple may simply be some secluded dwelling hidden amid deep clouds and mist, unheard of by outsiders."

"Lu Canghai is rigid in both word and deed. Even after repeatedly asking around based on our past acquaintance, I learned little. But this Daoist does not seem young in his bearing either. Amid his maturity lies a carefree air of one who plays among the mortal world. His speech, conduct, and breadth of knowledge are beyond anything an ordinary man could possess. We cannot judge him by his face."

"The day before yesterday, the provincial governor sent Xie Zizhi with silver and gifts to pay a visit, hoping to meet this sword immortal. The man was arrogant and aloof. Not only did Xie fail to see him, he was frightened out of his wits by a donkey and returned home to lie seriously ill for three days."

Duke of Wei Li Guoyuan nodded as well. "I heard of that. They say the donkey can speak human words, and its strange eyes can bewilder men's hearts. It is a true demon. This Daoist really is an extraordinary man."

At this point, Zhongxing Du took out a booklet that had been delivered that morning, his expression turning several degrees graver.

"According to intelligence the Martial Rites Division has just collected, it is said that in the previous dynasty, an anonymous sword-wielding Daoist once roamed the land invincible. He ranked first on the Sword Ranking of the Heavenly Secrets Ranking. Later, he rode a donkey into Kunlun, the Ancestral Court of Daoism, acquired Immortal Technique, and retired to Granny Mountain. Whether he lives or dies is unknown."

"By calculation, that was already sixty years ago."

"I specifically checked the Heavenly Secrets Rankings from a century ago and discovered that this anonymous Daoist looked exactly like this sword immortal. He also used an Azure Dragon Short Sword."

As he spoke, Zhongxing Du unfolded an aged, yellowed album, turned to one particular page, and handed it before Duke of Wei Li Guoyuan.

The painting depicted a Daoist riding a donkey: the same Daoist robes, a strikingly similar face, and an equally obnoxious donkey.

The only difference was the Daoist mark between his brows.

Yet anyone looking at it would have no other thought. Their first impression would be that it was the very same person.

Even Gao Xian would likely have been startled upon seeing it, then begun to doubt the connection between this body of his and the Old Abbot.

After Li Guoyuan finished looking, he abruptly rose to his feet. "How is that possible? You are saying Sword Immortal Kongchenzi is a man from the previous dynasty?"

Li Guoyuan shook his head repeatedly. "By that count, he must be nearly a hundred years old. How could anyone live for a hundred years without aging?"

"If he were an ordinary person, of course it would be impossible. But if he had entered Kunlun, the Ancestral Court of Daoism..."

Though Li Guoyuan spoke of disbelief, deep in his heart he gradually came to accept this deduction. In the end, he could only say, "Could he truly be an immortal?"

Zhongxing Du hurriedly affirmed it. This was his achievement, after all.

If this succeeded, soaring to prominence would be just around the corner.

"Indeed. This Daoist must have completed his cultivation and emerged from seclusion. It matches what Lu Canghai said, and his bearing and conduct support the deduction as well. His appearance matches the Heavenly Secrets Ranking from a century ago, and then there is his sword and that strange donkey he rides. That is more than enough to prove it."

"There are countless martial artists under heaven, but I have never heard of anyone whose single sword strike could overturn heaven and earth, make winter trees meet spring."

"This is no longer swordsmanship. It is Immortal Technique."

Li Guoyuan sighed as well. "With one sword, an immortal flies; every tree bursts into bloom."

"This man, even if he is not an immortal, cannot be far from one."

Li Guoyuan and Zhongxing Du had mistaken Gao Xian for the old Daoist from before. Only that could fit their conception of an immortal.

Otherwise, a child barely in his teens possessing such swordsmanship and even cultivating into immortality simply did not fit anyone's image of an immortal.

Li Guoyuan was beside himself with excitement. He paced back and forth across the hall, then finally set the yellowed booklet upon the desk before sitting down. "You and I both know that His Majesty reveres the Dao. In recent years, he has constantly searched the world for Daoist scriptures and alchemical formulas. There are nearly a thousand Daoists in the Capital City alone, countless Daoist temples have been built in the outskirts, and he has even dispatched people to Kunlun in search of the former ruins of the Ancestral Court of the Daoist Sect."

"If..."

Their gazes met. Before either spoke the words, they immediately understood each other's thoughts.

Li Guoyuan felt they could begin. "The provincial governor sent people, yet they could not even meet him. Can you?"

Yet a trace of doubt remained in his heart. "This man appeared out of nowhere. Judging by how he killed Young Master Silver Flower with a single sword, made flowers bloom along all of West Gate Street, and possesses a talking donkey, he is indeed clearly an extraordinary man."

"But relying only on that strike of Flying Immortal Beyond the Heavens, we still cannot confirm whether he truly knows Immortal Technique. It is not quite secure."

"If something goes wrong before His Majesty, the consequences will be beyond what you or I can bear."

Li Guoyuan's gaze was profound, but Zhongxing Du was delighted at heart. This meant he had already entered this great man's eyes.

"A provincial governor is merely a provincial governor. Duke of Wei and Consort Li represent His Majesty himself. How can they be compared?"

"Furthermore, I will go as a representative of the court's Martial Rites Division and tell him that the Duke recommends him. That carries different weight."

"As for whether this sword immortal lives up to his name, Zhongxing Du will test him further over the next few days and find out."

"How will you test him? A man of such rare qualities has a temperament unlike ordinary people. Even if we cannot befriend him, we must absolutely avoid offending him."

"Please rest assured, Duke. Zhongxing already has a plan." Zhongxing Du's eyes lit up, as though he held wisdom's pearl in his grasp.

Among the desolate graves outside the city, twenty or thirty men and women gathered, dressed in dark garments with black scarves wrapped around their heads.

A carriage approached from afar and stopped before them.

They were all disciples of Silver Flower Palace. They had originally been stationed outside Gongzhou City to receive the master of Silver Flower Palace, but now that the master was dead, they had naturally fallen into a state of dragons without a head.

The person inside the carriage did not emerge, but issued orders directly.

"The master is dead. The elders have spoken: whoever avenges the master and kills that sword immortal will become the next master of Silver Flower Palace."

Then the voice shifted. "Most importantly, we must reclaim Silver Flower Palace's inheritance, the Depraved Flower Immortal Scripture."

Only moments ago, the speaker had sounded as though he bore a blood-deep hatred for the sword immortal. In the next breath, the person in the carriage exposed his true purpose.

"If we cannot prepare the antidote to Silver Flower Powder, all of us..."

At that moment, the person inside the carriage spoke with extreme urgency.

"Will die!"