Dragon Falls to the Mortal World, You Are the Murderer

[Kaiyuan Year 1, your father Jiang Yuan established the Jing Dynasty, and you, born in the same year, were made crown prince. However, you were kidnapped by treacherous people, but fortunately, a master saved you, and you escaped a disaster. You received a survival reward - the immortal cultivation technique 'Dao Follows Nature Skill']

[Kaiyuan Year 2, you were taken to the Dragon Arising Temple by the master Qingxu Taoist Priest. You accidentally encountered your eldest brother practicing martial arts and were almost beaten to death. Fortunately, your second brother saved you, and you escaped a disaster. You received a survival reward - the martial art 'Shadow Leg']

[Kaiyuan Year 4, an earthquake struck the capital, and the Dragon Arising Temple collapsed. You were almost crushed to death by a roof beam, but fortunately, your eldest brother saved you, and you escaped a disaster. You received a survival reward - the martial art 'Nine Seeking Heavenly Dragon Steps']

[Kaiyuan Year 5, a severe cold descended, and the flu raged in the capital. You unfortunately contracted the disease, but fortunately, your third sister collected medicinal herbs to treat you, and you escaped a disaster. You received a survival reward - the miscellaneous skill 'Spring and Autumn Medical Canon']

[Kaiyuan Year 6, the founding general Cao Hupao rebelled and was suppressed. He hid in the Dragon Arising Temple and was discovered by you. Cao Hupao attacked you, but fortunately, your master saved you, and you escaped a disaster. You received a survival reward - the magic weapon 'Kirin Whisk']

In the early morning, the first ray of sunlight pierced through the continuous green mountains, dispelling the darkness and shining on the top floor of a pavilion. An ancient bronze bell hung in mid-air, and next to it was a young Taoist priest in a daze.

It was the twelve-year-old Jiang Changsheng. Every morning before ringing the bell, he would review his life experiences to cheer himself up.

A night of martial arts practice made him sleepy, but fortunately, his duty was simple: to ring the bell on time every day to remind the Taoist temple to get up and recite the Taoist scriptures. Since taking on this task at the age of six, he had not encountered any more hardships, and life had become leisurely. However, with the techniques, martial arts, and medical skills he had already acquired, his life would not be boring.

Jiang Changsheng's survival system came from his previous life. In his previous life, he was a game developer. He developed a game with the gimmick 'If you could live forever, how long could you survive in the world of cultivation?'

The player's lifespan was infinite, but they could be killed. On the path of cultivation, they would encounter various hardships and temptations. Jiang Changsheng himself had tried it and lived for over ten thousand years at most, which was very challenging.

This game was not a simple choice game; it required actual operation and exploration. Even if you hid in one place, you might encounter natural disasters. In short, one sentence: life is unpredictable.

The game became popular shortly after it was launched. Due to being too excited about seeing the background data, Jiang Changsheng, who had been staying up late for a long time, died suddenly in front of his computer and was reincarnated in this life.

In this life, he couldn't guarantee whether he would really live forever. He would need to know in a few decades. Before that, he had to rely on survival rewards to become stronger, strong enough to face the calamities of life.

The Dao Follows Nature Skill was stuck at the second level, but the Shadow Leg and Nine Seeking Heavenly Dragon Steps had been completely mastered. The Spring and Autumn Medical Canon was profound and extensive. He had only memorized the contents and had not yet used it. As for the magic weapon, he had not yet cultivated spiritual power and could not use it. This treasure was kept in the depths of his mind. When he cultivated to the fourth level of the Dao Follows Nature Skill and refined spiritual power, he could master it. Now, he only had true qi in his body, which could make martial arts more powerful.

The sunlight shone on him, and Jiang Changsheng yawned, holding the wooden stake hanging next to him with both hands and began to ring the bell.

Dong—

The bell sound echoed in the mountains, long and drawn out, as if urging the flow of time, complementing the green mountains and rivers between heaven and earth, highlighting the pleasant atmosphere of peaceful years.

After ringing once, he paused for five breaths, and after ringing ten times in a row, Jiang Changsheng let go.

"Today's slacking off life begins again."

Jiang Changsheng hummed a little tune and began to go downstairs. He was wearing a gray-blue Taoist robe, and the hem of his clothes fluttered in the wind under the sunlight, giving off a unique immortal charm.

Just as he went downstairs, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old Taoist ran over, stopped in front of him panting heavily, covered in sweat. He said urgently, "Junior Brother Changsheng, something bad has happened... A guest died in the temple last night. Master has summoned you to the Hall of Bright Mind..."

A dead person?

Jiang Changsheng frowned. He knew that officials from the imperial court had come to visit recently, but he didn't expect someone to die. Judging from this senior brother's posture, the deceased's identity was not low.

He was used to practicing martial arts quietly every night, and the Dragon Arising Temple was not small. He really didn't notice anything unusual last night.

Without thinking too much, he followed his senior brother to the Hall of Bright Mind.

"Junior Brother Changsheng, you don't know, that Number One Scholar is too amazing. He calculated the time of death, cause of death, and the deceased's activities before death just by looking at the corpse..."

"The deceased was an official from the Ministry of Personnel. It is said that his power was not small. Someone actually dared to assassinate an official in the capital. Tsk tsk, it's really outrageous..."

Listening to his senior brother's words, Jiang Changsheng almost rolled his eyes.

This is outrageous?

I am the Jing Dynasty's first Crown Prince, yet I was swapped out, and the worst part is that it went unnoticed. The imposter is now sitting high on the Crown Prince's throne, renowned throughout the land.

Could anyone's experience be more outrageous than mine?

Jiang Changsheng sighed inwardly.

This was a different world, similar to ancient China. Jiang Changsheng could hear sounds from outside while still in the womb. They spoke Chinese in this world. Learning that he was born into the royal family excited him, especially since it was the early days of the dynasty. When his father told his mother that he would be named Crown Prince while still in her womb, he felt his life was about to reach its peak.

His mother and father were childhood sweethearts, who had risen from humble beginnings, endured hardships, conquered the land, and established a new dynasty. With such a background, he should have a fulfilling life once he ascended the throne.

Alas, fate is fickle, and villains are detestable!

The past is the past. Jiang Changsheng stopped dwelling on it. His name, Changsheng, meaning 'eternal life', was enough to show his current ambition.

Half an incense stick's time later, Jiang Changsheng followed his senior brother to the front of the Hall of Bright Mind. The Hall of Bright Mind wasn't too large, and the courtyard was filled with disciples from the temple. Hundreds of people had packed the place. Servants of the guests were guarding the hall's entrance, numbering twenty or thirty.

Seeing Jiang Changsheng arrive, the disciples turned to look at him. Although he kept a low profile within the Dragon Arising Temple, his handsome appearance made him quite noticeable.

"Junior Brother, go in. Master is looking for you."

A female disciple said. The Dragon Arising Temple wasn't a traditional Taoist sect; it was more like a martial arts school, with both men and women.

Jiang Changsheng nodded and walked into the hall.

He immediately saw the corpse covered with white cloth on the ground. To the right stood Taoist Priest Qingxu and three senior disciples, and to the left were six guests visiting the Dragon Arising Temple. Standing at the front was a scholar-like man, Chen Li, the top scorer in the imperial examination, as Jiang Changsheng had heard on the way.

As soon as he entered the hall, Chen Li began to size him up.

Jiang Changsheng went to Taoist Priest Qingxu, bowed, and said, "Master."

Taoist Priest Qingxu was the one who had saved him when he was a child, and he respected him greatly. Despite Taoist Priest Qingxu's stern appearance, the temple didn't have many rules. Everyone in the temple was his disciple, and there was no seniority among the disciples, so they got along harmoniously.

Taoist Priest Qingxu, with his white hair and Kirin Whisk in hand, looked like a celestial being. He nodded slightly and said, "Changsheng, tell Benefactor Chen where you were last night."

Jiang Changsheng turned to look at Chen Li and said, "Last night, I went to practice my skills. My fellow disciples and Master know I have this habit."

How could he have hidden it for six years? He had been practicing martial arts since he was six years old. At the end of that year, Taoist Priest Qingxu had stumbled upon him. He simply said that he had figured it out himself. Since his moves weren't coherent when he first started, Taoist Priest Qingxu didn't think much of it and even gave him a few pointers. In the following years, the Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, and Third Senior Sister also discovered this, but they didn't reveal it to the other disciples, allowing him to practice martial arts late at night.

In the eyes of ordinary disciples, Jiang Changsheng was just a low-profile fellow disciple.

In the eyes of the three senior disciples, he was a martial arts prodigy who could create his own martial arts at a young age.

The Eldest Senior Brother, Li Changqing, had created a type of fist technique when he was young, which is now taught to the younger disciples.

Chen Li asked, "May I ask where the young Taoist Priest practices his skills?"

Jiang Changsheng replied, "In front of the Dao Bell Tower. I'm used to going upstairs to ring the bell after practicing, and then touching... listening to Dao Follows Nature Skill during the day."

He was natural and not nervous at all. Anyway, he didn't kill anyone, and he didn't even know the deceased.

A middle-aged man next to Chen Li said, "I see that this young brother has delicate skin and smooth, uncalloused hands. He doesn't look like someone who practices martial arts. I wonder what kind of skill this young brother practices?"

His tone was aggressive, which grated on Jiang Changsheng's ears.

Chen Li smiled and said, "Young Taoist Priest, don't mind him. We've been investigating for an hour. Everyone beside me has proven their innocence. They are all ordinary people who don't understand martial arts, so we can only search within your temple. Of course, we're not suspecting your temple. It's also possible that a thief disguised himself as a disciple of your temple."

Disguise?

Jiang Changsheng had never left the capital since he was a child, and he had never left the temple since entering it, so he didn't know the extent to which disguise techniques had developed in the outside world.

He replied, "I practice internal energy."

Any disciple who reaches the age of six can choose their own name and learn the Dragon Arising Temple's internal energy cultivation method. Jiang Changsheng pretended to learn it, but in reality, he was cultivating the immortal cultivation technique, Dao Follows Nature Skill.

If one can cultivate immortality, why cultivate martial arts?

The reason for saying internal energy is because his martial arts are all leg and foot techniques. What if the deceased died from this type of martial art, wouldn't that be a lucky coincidence?

Chen Li asked with a burning gaze, "It is rumored that the Dragon Arising Temple's True Heart Sutra is unparalleled in the martial world. When His Majesty the Emperor's authority was still weak, Qingxu Taoist Priest used the True Heart Sutra to hold off enemies alone, saving His Majesty the Emperor from danger. Once the True Heart Sutra is activated, the eyes will become exceptionally bright, like pearls in the night. Young Taoist Priest, you have been practicing for several years, you should have already started. I wonder if you can demonstrate it?"

Second Senior Brother Meng Qiuhe laughed and said, "My junior brother is extremely talented, his internal energy has naturally already started, perhaps even achieved minor success. Changsheng, show them."

Jiang Changsheng was embarrassed.

He hadn't practiced the True Heart Sutra at all. Who told Qingxu Taoist Priest not to check the disciples' cultivation progress?

The True Heart Sutra has special effects?

How come I didn't know?

Jiang Changsheng began to brainstorm.

Hearing Meng Qiuhe's words, the disciples outside the hall discussed among themselves. To receive praise from the Second Senior Brother, could it be that Jiang Changsheng is truly a martial arts prodigy?

Under the gaze of the crowd, Jiang Changsheng could only confess, "I'm sorry, I don't practice the True Heart Sutra. I like to create my own martial arts. Currently, my internal energy is still under exploration, as for martial arts..."

Chen Li interrupted, "You happen to be practicing footwork, right?"

Jiang Changsheng was stunned, looking at Chen Li in surprise.

Chen Li bent down and lifted the cloth, revealing the deceased, a young and strong man with a jade thumb ring on his finger, indicating that it was not a robbery, but a vendetta.

Chen Li pulled open his chest, revealing that his sternum was collapsed, and the injury was long, as if he had been heavily stepped on.

What a coincidence?

Jiang Changsheng finally realized that he was in trouble. After six years of peace, misfortune had finally arrived.

The deceased involved officials. Once he was caught, Qingxu Taoist Priest wouldn't be able to protect him, and that would be a big problem.

Back when Qingxu Taoist Priest saved him, those treacherous people had seen Qingxu Taoist Priest's appearance, indicating that they knew where he was staying.

During the period when Jiang Changsheng was kidnapped by the treacherous people, he also heard about their identities. They included civil and military officials, and even founding heroes. This was a deep and shocking conspiracy, and they were definitely waiting for Jiang Changsheng to leave the temple.

Because Qingxu Taoist Priest had saved the Emperor Jiang Yuan before, the Emperor remembered his kindness and rewarded him, so the Dragon Arising Temple was the only martial arts sect in the capital. The yamen was not allowed to investigate without permission, and the army was not allowed to enter without permission.

"Young Taoist Priest, why are you not speaking? Could it be that you are the murderer?" Chen Li stared at Jiang Changsheng with a burning gaze.