Peach Blossom Immortal

The person shouting about the stolen carriage had already fallen to the ground, trembling uncontrollably, their face a mask of terror, like a lamb awaiting slaughter.

The guard swallowed hard, glancing at his subordinates who had retreated behind him. He wanted to retreat too, but he knew someone was watching from the city wall. If he was scared off, he'd surely face consequences later.

"Burn it!" Shang Chaozong uttered as he jumped off the carriage, making a gesture. Immediately, someone tossed a Zhanmadao over.

Catching the saber, Shang Chaozong twisted and slashed, sending a spray of blood that splattered his face and body.

The guard's eyes widened. He never dreamed Shang Chaozong would dare kill him right under the Son of Heaven's nose. Caught completely off guard, his head flew through the air before falling to the ground, his body twitching as he collapsed.

"Ah..." The soldiers outside the city retreated a few more steps in terror.

Lan Ruoting, who had just alighted from the carriage, looked at the scene and was utterly speechless. They were openly killing a city guard right under the Son of Heaven's nose!

Tao Xin slashed the carriage ropes, leaped onto a horse, and charged straight for the city gate. The guards parted, no one daring to block him, allowing Tao Xin to reach the gate, snatch a torch, and return. Tao Xin lit the torch and tossed it into the carriage through the window.

The fire quickly caught, and thick smoke billowed from the carriage.

Shang Chaozong, now mounted on a warhorse, turned his head sharply, his face covered in blood. He looked towards the two open windows on the city wall, saw Gaa Miaoshui and Song Jiuming, then turned back and shouted, "Go!"

He led the way, and the riders turned their horses and followed with a rumble!

"A tiger father has no dog son!" Gaa Miaoshui said calmly, a shadow in his eyes.

Song Jiuming, watching the group gradually disappear into the distance, sighed, "I just fear Prince Ning's influence still holds. I hope this isn't like releasing a tiger back into the mountains!"

A moment later, the deputy guard rushed into the pavilion, cupping his hands and saying mournfully, "Your Excellency, Shang Chaozong has killed General Li! I beg Your Excellency to do justice for General Li!"

"After all, he is a royal scion. How can the Imperial Family's bloodline be insulted by just anyone? Let him die, then!" Gaa Miaoshui said indifferently, flicking his black robe and turning away from the window. As he approached the deputy guard, an invisible force surged out, causing the deputy guard to stagger back and make way, falling over. Accompanying his departing steps was a cold snort, "Thousands of men were scared off by five hundred riders. A bunch of useless trash!"

Song Jiuming glanced at the dazed deputy guard who had fallen, said nothing, and left unhurriedly, unwilling to say more.

He understood that once the situation at the East City Gate reached the palace, the person in the palace would surely be enraged. Any excuse or reason would be false. The people guarding the East Gate of the Capital City for the Son of Heaven were so easily intimidated by a few hundred riders. What if there was a real enemy attack? Could they still count on these people to protect the capital? This deputy guard's head was likely forfeit, and a large number of the city guards would be implicated...

The faint scent of peach blossoms drifted, the spring scenery was bright, and a gentle breeze blew.

Niu Youdao lay on a lounge chair under a tree, engrossed in a herbal illustrated book. Occasionally, a few mischievous petals would drift down and disturb him.

The faint sound of hooves gradually approached from the foot of the mountain. He closed the book on his chest and turned his head, vaguely seeing several riders stopped at the foot of the opposite cliff. They didn't look like people from the Shangqing Sect. Someone was leading a knight up the winding stone steps.

He decided to just watch. Over the years, he had learned that no matter how many people came, it had nothing to do with him. He continued reading his book, enjoying the environment. He had never had such a good environment for reading in his previous life.

As he read, he felt sleepy again. After an unknown amount of time, he woke up groggily and lazily turned over, casually expressing his inherent laziness: "In Peach Blossom Haven, a Peach Blossom Hermitage, under the Peach Blossom Hermitage, a Peach Blossom Immortal. The Peach Blossom Immortal planted peach trees, and picked peaches for wine money. Awake, I only sit before the flowers; drunk, I sleep beneath them again. Half awake, half drunk, day after day; flowers fall, flowers bloom, year after year. I only wish to die amidst flowers and wine, not to bow before carriages and horses. The dust of carriages and the hooves of horses show the powerful's might; wine cups and flower branches reveal the hermit's fate. If the powerful are compared to hermits, one is on the ground, the other in the sky. If flowers and wine are compared to carriages and horses, why are they so busy, and why am I so idle? Others laugh at my madness, I laugh at their inability to see through it. Do you not see the tombs of the heroes of Wuling, without flowers or wine, only hoes and fields..."

His tone was incredibly lazy and drawn-out. After finishing, he stretched comfortably, opening his eyes hazily. His head tilted, his eyes opened, and he was instantly stunned.

Standing beside him were three people. The one in front was both familiar and unfamiliar, and very beautiful. It was none other than his wife, Tang Yi.

It wasn't just because she was his wife that he found her beautiful. He knew his wife's situation well; she was truly stunning. Dignified and cold, her skin was fair and delicate like fine porcelain, her chest full, her figure graceful. Dressed in a dark, sheer gauze gown, her hands clasped at her abdomen, she possessed an ethereal, immortal aura. She stood before him like a living landscape, a pleasure to behold.

Behind her was Tu Han, the one-eyed man leaning on his cane. Beside him stood a slender woman dressed as a warrior in a green tunic and short jacket. He truly didn't recognize this person. He didn't know many people in the Shangqing Sect, and this woman wore a veil, obscuring her face.

Tang Yi usually only visited at the end of the year. Why had she come now?

He thought he was still dreaming, so he rubbed his eyes to confirm. Seeing that it was indeed her, he quickly got up, casually flicked the long ponytail that had fallen onto his shoulder, and asked, "Why are you here?" He couldn't bring himself to call her "wife." Except for a polite remark on their wedding day, she hadn't called him "husband" since. He could only consider it his own lack of marital authority, his misfortune.

He broke out in a cold sweat inwardly. He had lived too peacefully and comfortably these past few years, losing even his basic sense of alertness. He hadn't noticed three living people approaching him, sleeping like a log. If someone had wanted to harm him in the martial world, he probably wouldn't even know how he died.

The three of them remained silent for a long time. Tu Han looked at him with an unusual gaze, as if he were looking at a monster, occasionally glancing at the peach tree.

Tang Yi's gaze was somewhat complex. Her thoughts were still immersed in the artistic conception of the poem Niu Youdao had lazily recited without affectation. Was this poem something this guy just blurted out? Or Song Yanqing's endless poems?

She couldn't help but glance at the ancient peach tree, its branches as wide as a canopy.

She had long suspected that Song Yanqing's poems were related to this guy, but she didn't believe someone of his age could write so many love poems. However, the poem just now felt so fitting. It felt as if it were written for his current situation.

She found it hard to believe that a poor boy from a mountain village could write such poetry!

She was aware of Niu Youdao's background.

Although Dongguo Haoran had provided ironclad proof, judging by the circumstances, Dongguo Haoran had clearly accepted him as a disciple in haste. The Shangqing Sect wouldn't blindly accept just anyone. After inquiring about Niu Youdao's origins, they immediately sent someone to the mountain village to verify. The information was confirmed.

From the first moment they met Niu Youdao, many people, including Tang Yi, realized this mountain village boy was extraordinary. Although his clothes were ragged and his shoes revealed his toes, the wisdom in his eyes was hard to conceal, and his speech and demeanor were not what one would expect from a mountain village boy.

This might be explained by the saying "children from poor families learn to be sensible early." But she was still skeptical about him being able to write poetry of this caliber.

Although it was discovered that a certain down-on-his-luck scholar had taught Niu Youdao some things in Xiaomiao Village, no one could say to what extent the scholar had taught him. Few people in the village were literate, so how could they judge the quality of his education? They were merely villagers speaking well of their own, praising him without being able to explain how good he was.

"Awake, I only sit before the flowers; drunk, I sleep beneath them again. A good poem, a true Peach Blossom Immortal!"

Tang Yi didn't respond. The woman wearing the veil couldn't help but exclaim sincerely. Her voice was elegant and pleasant, and her tone indicated she had received a good upbringing from a young age. As she lifted her veiled head, she seemed to be appraising the peach blossoms, which bloomed like a radiant sunset.

"Uh..." Niu Youdao scratched his head. He hadn't even realized he'd recited it himself in his daze. Hearing her repeat it now, he chuckled to cover his embarrassment, "Just a casual piece of work, not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning!" He clearly implied that he had written it.

Tang Yi tentatively asked, "Did you write this poem yourself?"

"..." Niu Youdao froze for a moment. Had he said something wrong? Did this poem exist in this world too? If so, it would be truly embarrassing. He chuckled again, "Just messing around when I was bored. Is there a problem?"

Tang Yi stared at him. Niu Youdao quickly changed the subject, looking at the woman wearing the veil, "May I ask who this distinguished guest is?"

The woman bowed slightly and said, "Shang Shuqing, greetings to the Peach Blossom Immortal!"

"Peach Blossom Immortal? Heh heh..." Niu Youdao smiled and waved his hand, acting as if he didn't deserve the title.

Tang Yi moved aside slightly, extending her hand to formally introduce, "County Princess Shang is the daughter of Prince Ning, Shang Jianbo. Prince Ning and Martial Uncle Dongguo are old friends."

Niu Youdao was somewhat surprised. This veiled woman was actually royalty from the Yan Kingdom!

Although he was unaware of the situation outside, he had heard about the general state of the world from Chen Guishuo and a drunken Tu Han. The Wu Dynasty had collapsed, and the feudal lords were vying for power. The hundreds of feudal states had now dwindled to seven dominant powers: Jin, Han, Zhao, Song, Wei, Yan, and Qi. That guy's description sounded a bit like the Warring States period in Niu Youdao's original world, but the land area of these seven kingdoms was not comparable to the Warring States period he knew. They had truly divided the entire planet, not just contended on one continent. The royal surname of Yan was Shang, said to be descendants of the Wu Dynasty Emperor Shang Song. This Prince Ning, Shang Jianbo, seemed to be the current emperor's own brother and one of the Three Excellencies, the Grand Marshal. This position was equivalent to a "Commander-in-Chief of the Military" in Niu Youdao's world, holding the supreme military power of the Yan Kingdom, a truly influential figure.

Given such a background, how could Niu Youdao not be surprised to see the Grand Marshal's daughter appear before him?