Banished Immortal

"He's not here. Went traveling."

Qing Nü ate a fruit and shook her head.

Ji Fa heard this and then asked, "How does the scenery of my Great Zhou compare to that of Yin Shang?"

Qing Nü swallowed the fruit and glanced at Ji Fa.

"Mountains are the same mountains, waters are the same waters. Three years ago, this realm still bore the name Shang. Cang Hai Sang Tian doesn't happen that fast."

"King Shang was of the Zi Clan."

Ji Fa reminded Qing Nü.

Qing Nü was silent for a moment, then took the fruit from Ji Fa's hand, feigning anger. "I'm not letting you eat anymore."

"You have lived a thousand years, yet your heart remains as innocent and pure as a Child's. That is rare."

Ji Fa watched Qing Nü take the fruit from his hand and forced a faint smile. He spoke slowly, "Speaking of clans, I have always had a question in my heart, and I wish to seek your guidance."

"Ask away. I may not answer."

Qing Nü looked at Ji Fa. Seeing that his time was short, she did not refuse.

"Your name is Shao Dian Qing Nü. Does the Shao Dian Clan have any connection to the legendary Yellow Emperor?"

Ji Fa stared straight at Qing Nü.

If Qing Nü truly had ties to the Yellow Emperor, who was said to have ascended to heaven on a dragon, then wouldn't she be a true Banished Immortal?

Qing Nü nodded and said, "Yes. He gave me my name."

Her True Form was a green snake, hence the name.

In those days, she had even served as the totem of the You Xiong Tribe!

But later, as the tribe grew and expanded, more and smaller tribes merged into it, and the totem's image gradually blended.

She also witnessed the birth of the "dragon."

"You are truly a Banished Immortal of this world!"

Ji Fa sighed in admiration.

Qing Nü waved her hand and smiled with narrowed eyes. "What Immortal? Immortal Snake."

Ji Fa grinned, then suddenly hesitated. After stammering for a moment, he asked, "In your view, have I been a good king?"

A king cares about his legacy, and Ji Fa was no exception.

Qing Nü thought about the evaluations of Later Generations. "Capable, ambitious, farsighted. A Chosen One."

"Chosen..."

Hearing Qing Nü's assessment, Ji Fa coughed a few times.

"It was you who came to my Xi Qi back then and helped me seize this realm. So... are you heaven?"

Qing Nü spread her hands.

"See? You've killed the conversation again."

"Cough, cough..."

Ji Fa coughed and laughed.

The night grew deep. Ji Fa felt his consciousness growing hazier.

He understood that death was near.

He looked at Qing Nü, his gaze murky, and spoke softly, "In this world... is there truly no Art of Longevity?"

After asking, Ji Fa seemed not to expect an answer from Qing Nü.

His breathing grew faint, until it stopped altogether.

Qing Nü watched Ji Fa. After a long while, she sighed. "I told you... there isn't."

At dawn, when the Palace Staff entered the bedchamber, Qing Nü had already left. Ji Fa lay with his eyes closed, limp on the bed, his breath long gone.

But in his hand, he still clutched a deep red fruit.

"The Great King has passed!"

A shrill cry rang through the halls of Hao Jing, inside and out.

The entire realm was shaken.

Qing Nü left Hao Jing, traveling east along the Wei River until she reached Ying Qiu in the Qi State.

Inside the palace at Ying Qiu, Qing Nü met Jiang Ziya.

"Ji Fa is dead."

The Snake Girl's first words were these.

Jiang Ziya was so startled that the Carving Knife in his hand fell to the ground. He looked up in shock toward the door, and when he saw Qing Nü standing there, he was even more surprised.

"You... how could you be here?"

"I've come from Hao Jing to see you."

Verdant Green Maiden stepped inside, taking in her surroundings. "This palace room of yours, Qi State Ruler, is rather crude. Plenty of books, though."

Jiang Ziya watched her enter, his brow tightly furrowed.

"You said just now, the Great King, he...?"

Verdant Green Maiden gave a hum of affirmation. "Dead. Half a month ago. The messenger is probably still on the road."

Once confirmed, Jiang Ziya fell into silence.

After a long moment, he suddenly asked, "Does this matter have anything to do with you, sir?"

Verdant Green Maiden shook her head.

"Nothing to do with me. He died of illness."

Hearing her say that Ji Fa's death had nothing to do with her, Jiang Ziya finally let out a breath of relief, then sighed deeply.

"I knew the Great King had been ill for two years. I never imagined..."

"No, Ziya must go to Hao Jing at once!"

Jiang Ziya immediately called for the attendants outside and ordered them to prepare his carriage for Hao Jing.

Then, he cupped his hands and bowed to Verdant Green Maiden.

"Many thanks for informing me, sir!"

Verdant Green Maiden walked up to him and waved a hand to stop him. "Don't rush off. I didn't come just to deliver news."

"Is there something else, sir?"

Jiang Ziya looked at her in confusion.

Verdant Green Maiden said, "I heard from Ji Fa that you declared to him the Great Zhou would have eight hundred years of rule?"

Jiang Ziya, though puzzled, nodded. "That's right. I did tell the Great King this. According to the results of my divination, the Great Zhou's rule indeed spans eight hundred years."

Verdant Green Maiden's eyes lit up. She took out a small bundle of sacrificial meat and shook it at Jiang Ziya.

"Could you teach me how to divine future events?"

Jiang Ziya was even more baffled.

"Sir, haven't you already seen through all future matters? Why would you need to learn this Art of Divination from me?"

Back when Verdant Green Maiden first came to Xi Qi, everything she said came true. In Jiang Ziya's eyes, she was an Immortal who knew five hundred years past and future.

Now this Immortal said she wanted to learn a Mortal's Art of Divination from him?

How strange.

Verdant Green Maiden raised a finger and wagged it. "That's different."

She had merely skimmed the History Books and recited a few major events by rote.

That was the skill of a court historian, not her own.

Jiang Ziya didn't understand what was different. While he was still puzzled, Verdant Green Maiden directly pulled out a turtle shell.

"I even specially went to invite a few Turtle Elders to kindly provide these shells!"

"I can't let their contributions go to waste!"

"This..."

Seeing that Verdant Green Maiden was truly determined to learn, Jiang Ziya had no choice but to nod. He said to her, "Learning the Art of Divination cannot be accomplished in a day or two. I still need to go to Hao Jing. How about I teach you after I return to Ying Qiu?"

"Then I'll stay in Ying Qiu. Go quickly and come back soon!"

Verdant Green Maiden put away the turtle shell and no longer blocked Jiang Ziya.

Jiang Ziya arranged lodgings for her and then rushed to Hao Jing without stopping.

A few days after he left, the messenger from Hao Jing finally arrived in Ying Qiu. When he learned that Jiang Ziya had already departed days ago, he was equally bewildered.

He could only sigh in admiration—truly Tai Gong Wang, with the ability to foresee the future!

Jiang Ziya stayed in Hao Jing for over a month.

After returning to Ying Qiu, he didn't even have time to wash up before heading straight to Verdant Green Maiden's residence.

At that time, Verdant Green Maiden was roasting seafood in the courtyard.

"Back?"

Verdant Green Maiden glanced at Jiang Ziya, dusty and travel-worn, looking much haggard, and waved at him. "Don't just stand there. If you want to eat, go grab a stool yourself."

Jiang Ziya brought a stool over and sat down.

Verdant Green Maiden generously shared some of the roasted seafood with him, but noticed his expression was somewhat somber.

She cracked open a crab leg, eating as she asked.

"What's wrong? Don't like it?"