Jiang Changsheng began inheriting the memories of the Mystic Sect Dharma Form. As its name implied, it was a type of dharma form that could condense into a tangible state, capable of both defense and attack. This art could serve as martial arts or as a spell; its effects differed entirely depending on whether it was wielded with True Qi or spiritual power.
Immortal cultivators could use martial arts, but martial artists could not cast spells. It was rather interesting for an ultimate art to be usable by both.
Perhaps it could even become his personal inheritance.
Jiang Changsheng thought silently. Once he had finished inheriting the memories, he began tidying the room while keeping Calamity Buddha barely alive.
The rebellion within the capital did not end until dusk. Only after the disciples who had gone out received word did Meng Qiushuang lead the others back to the temple along the mountain path.
General Hong Lie had rebelled, only to die miserably in the palace. The reversal had come too swiftly, catching them entirely off guard.
No matter what, the Hong Family army had disbanded, and they could return to peaceful days.
Late at night, Jiang Qian woke up. His face was already wrapped in clean bandages, and when he saw Jiang Changsheng meditating cross-legged in midair, his mouth fell open.
Jiang Changsheng had given him the bed, leaving himself no choice but to meditate in the air.
Jiang Qian did not dare disturb Jiang Changsheng. Looking to the side, he spotted Calamity Buddha lying on the floor as though dead.
"Awake? You may go outside and look around, but you cannot leave the courtyard. If anyone comes, hide immediately. In a few months, I will arrange for you to become a Taoist in the temple."
Jiang Changsheng spoke without opening his eyes.
Jiang Qian hurriedly rose and kowtowed to Jiang Changsheng on the floor. In a soft voice, he said, "Wang Chen wishes to serve the Daoist Master forever. Thank you for saving my life, Daoist Master. Thank you for granting Wang Chen a peaceful life."
Within the imperial palace, he had been restrained by soldiers. That helplessness had filled him with rage.
When his throat had been cut and death had closed in step by step, despair had made him yearn to live. When he was in agony and all hope had turned to ashes, Jiang Changsheng's appearance had driven away his despair. He would never forget such grace for all eternity.
From then on, he was no longer Jiang Qian. He was Wang Chen.
Jiang Changsheng suddenly descended to the ground and said, "Perfect. I'll interrogate him."
He pointed through the air, and Calamity Buddha woke with a great gasp, startling Wang Chen into a shudder.
Calamity Buddha instinctively looked around, only to meet Jiang Changsheng's gaze—those golden eyes.
Illusory God Eyes!
Calamity Buddha immediately became dazed, standing blankly where he was.
When Wang Chen saw the change in Jiang Changsheng's eyes, he nearly fainted from fright. Fortunately, the Illusory God Eyes had not been used on him, so he did not lose consciousness.
Jiang Changsheng had already cultivated the Illusory God Eyes to the point where they could make others answer questions unconsciously. He merely needed to make them mistake him for the person they trusted most and alter their perception.
"Tell me, how many Divine Human Realm experts are there in the Great Vehicle Dragon Tower?" Jiang Changsheng asked.
Divine Human Realm?
Wang Chen swallowed. In his understanding, the Heaven Arrival Realm was already the pinnacle of martial arts. He had never even heard of the Divine Human Realm.
Calamity Buddha answered numbly, "I do not know the Divine Human Realm..."
"Then what is the strongest realm within the Great Vehicle Dragon Tower..."
"Above the Venerables. The Twelve Venerables are all in the God Heart Realm, but the Tower Master and the two Great Protectors are higher still..."
Jiang Changsheng frowned. In other words, the possibility that the Great Vehicle Dragon Tower possessed Divine Human Realm experts could not be ruled out.
He continued asking, "How many disciples does the Great Vehicle Dragon Tower have, and how many dynasties does it control?"
Calamity Buddha answered, "I do not know either. As for the dynasties, that is classified information. We merely obey orders. I came to help Jiang Yu seize the throne..."
Wang Chen's expression became complicated. He had not expected Jiang Yuan to have chosen the Seventh Prince.
He had always believed that the Second Prince and Fourth Prince posed the greatest threat. Jiang Yu was usually mild-mannered and seemed to have no ambition. Since he was a martial artist himself, Wang Chen had thought that Jiang Yu's recruitment of experts was simply for sparring in martial arts.
Jiang Changsheng continued, "Tell me everything you know about the Jiang imperial family."
Calamity Buddha immediately replied, "I know that the Jiang Emperor once became a disciple of the Great Vehicle Dragon Tower and learned the True Dragon Qi. Only then did he gain the foundation to stand firm in those chaotic times. But in troubled times, martial strength alone was not enough; money was needed as well. He gained the Yang Family's support and promised to make a Yang Family daughter Empress in the future. Yet the Great Vehicle Dragon Tower needed to control the new dynasty in order to gather more martial cultivation resources. So they disrupted the court, then sent the Jiang Emperor's junior sister to aid him and stabilize it. Later, she would bear a son to become Emperor. The two agreed to switch the Crown Prince, then take the opportunity to suppress the Yang Family for not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth. The Jiang Emperor pitied the Empress, so he had the Fourth Prince with her. Later, the Jiang Emperor and his junior sister had the Seventh Prince..."
Wang Chen listened in stunned silence. He already knew that he had been switched at birth, but he had not expected the Great Jing Dynasty to be entangled with a martial arts faction behind the scenes.
He could not help asking, "I... where did the fake Crown Prince come from?"
Calamity Buddha did not answer, forcing Jiang Changsheng to repeat the question.
Calamity Buddha answered, "The fake Crown Prince was an infant His Majesty had the White-Clothed Guard casually exchange for from the poor district of the capital. The dynasty had only just been established then. He was bought with nothing more than a sack of rice..."
Wang Chen fell silent.
Jiang Changsheng had no time to sympathize with him and continued questioning him about the Great Vehicle Dragon Tower.
Only after half an hour of questioning did Jiang Changsheng end his life. He threw the body outside for White Dragon to eat, but White Dragon disdainfully refused. Left with no choice, he flew on his sword and tossed Calamity Buddha into a pack of wolves in the mountain forest beyond the city. Only after watching the wolves tear apart and devour Calamity Buddha's corpse did he return in peace.
Wang Chen remained in the room. White Dragon watched him closely, so he did not dare make any rash moves.
Jiang Changsheng gave him the room beside Devil Master's, and Wang Chen settled down just like that.
Hong Lie rebelled and was slain by a mysterious expert! The Crown Prince and the Second Prince had vanished!
These incidents spread through the capital and across the world, causing the common people to worry that the position of Crown Prince might bring civil unrest. Upon hearing the news, the Emperor immediately rushed back.
After the Emperor returned, the capital underwent several major searches, including Dragon Arising Temple. But several months had already passed. Wang Chen had removed the bandages from his face, revealing scars everywhere. He had grown much thinner over the past month, and his gravely injured throat had left his voice hoarse. Dressed in a Taoist robe, he looked entirely like an ugly Taoist, bearing not the slightest resemblance to the Crown Prince.
Chen Li had also visited Jiang Changsheng midway through, sighing over the mysterious expert's strength. That person had actually killed Hong Lie, who commanded one hundred thousand iron cavalry.
Thus, Dragon Arising Temple gained an inconspicuous Taoist named Wang Chen. He usually swept the Daoist Master's courtyard and cultivated the Dao alongside Meng Qiushuang and the other disciples, quietly nourishing his body and mind.
With Wang Chen and White Dragon around in daily life, Jiang Changsheng no longer needed to care for Ping'an. Between cultivation sessions, he tried creating a low-grade version of an immortal cultivation method for Wang Chen to practice. The result was that Wang Chen nearly had his meridians burst apart from spiritual energy, frightening Jiang Changsheng into revising it again.
The year passed just like that.
In the thirty-first year of Kaiyuan, the Emperor named the Seventh Prince as Crown Prince, shocking the world. The other princes did not dare object. The only one who still threatened the Seventh Prince, Jiang Yu, remained at the border resisting Gu Han and cleaning up the Emperor's mess.
Jiang Changsheng's days became leisurely. After confirming that the Empress was safe, he remained in the temple and cultivated with peace of mind.
In the thirty-second year of Kaiyuan, Little Prince Wei turned three. Hua Jian Xin arrived at Dragon Arising Temple with a group of servants and him. From that day onward, Little Prince Wei spent three days each week at Dragon Arising Temple, where Jiang Changsheng taught him martial arts.
Wan Li and Ming Yue, who could be considered half Jiang Changsheng's disciples, had both become Peerless Experts. Yet they did not enjoy going down the mountain, so in their spare time, they also helped Jiang Changsheng look after Little Prince Wei and Ping'an.
In the thirty-third year of Kaiyuan, Gu Han breached Great Jing's northern frontier. The military crisis was as urgent as a blazing fire, and Great Jing was completely dragged into war. The people seemed to see the shadow of chaotic times once more—and this time, it was not civil war upon Great Jing soil, but an invasion by foreign tribes.
Many commoners cursed the Emperor. If he had not insisted on attacking Gu Han, how could things have come to this?
During autumn, within Dragon Arising Temple's courtyard.
The Earth Spirit Tree had already grown taller than the buildings. Fallen leaves drifted down in profusion, while a great white snake as thick as an adult's thigh coiled around the tree, its length impossible to gauge. Several people sat beneath it.
Jiang Changsheng was telling a story. Little Prince Wei, Ping'an, Wan Li, and Ming Yue sat listening, while Wang Chen swept the ground.
"The Yuan army surrounded Yashan. The Chancellor carried the eight-year-old young Emperor Zhao Bing on his back and leaped into the sea. One hundred thousand soldiers and civilians followed them into the sea, dying for their nation. Thus, the Song drew its final stroke in history. That was the story of the Song Dynasty."
After Jiang Changsheng finished, he smiled. He had finally finished it. What exhaustion.
Half a year ago, he had begun telling Little Prince Wei stories about the ancient rulers of China. Later, Wan Li and Ming Yue had joined them to listen.
Little Prince Wei wore luxurious brocade robes. His features were exquisite, and he was exceptionally handsome. Especially the birthmark between his brows, which resembled a third eye and could not be ignored. Ping'an sat beside him with a tangled mess of hair and a somewhat rumpled Taoist robe. Their appearance and bearing could not have been more different.
Ping'an had been born incomplete. Wang Chen and Ming Yue tidied his hair and clothes every time, but he loved playing and quickly dirtied and disheveled himself again.
Though foolish, he had been born with immense strength. At four years old, he could already lift the sleeping Wang Chen right up. That had terrified Wang Chen badly.
Who said Little Prince Wei was the reincarnation of the Golden Winged Great Peng Bird? This silly boy was the real one!
Little Prince Wei propped his chin up with both hands and smacked his lips. "The Song Dynasty's story was not good. I still prefer the Tang Dynasty. I want to become the Heavenly Khan. I want to flatten Gu Han."
He turned to Ping'an, patted Ping'an's shoulder, and laughed. "Ping'an, in the future, I'll be Li Shimin, and you'll be Li Yuanba. The two of us brothers will conquer the world together."
Though only four, he spoke like an eight- or nine-year-old. His words were clear and coherent, making him seem exceedingly clever.
Ping'an hugged him and rubbed his face against his, giggling. "Good, good, good! Li Shimin, Li Yuanba..."
Ever since the two boys had met, they had been very close. Perhaps because they were similar in age, they got along exceptionally well. They even fought with the other young disciples in the temple together. With Ping'an around, Little Prince Wei had never suffered a loss.
Ming Yue shook her head. "Li Shimin truly achieved magnificent feats and could be called an emperor for the ages, but the Xuanwu Gate Incident was a stain he could never wash away. He killed his brothers and forced his father aside—there was nothing glorious about it."
Little Prince Wei stood up in anger. "Sister Ming Yue, Li Shimin was forced into it, and he should have been Emperor anyway! Why should the first one born get to be Emperor? Shouldn't whoever is most capable become Emperor?"
Jiang Changsheng could not help looking at him in surprise.
Well, well, this kid...
Come to think of it, Little Prince Wei was not the eldest son under the Seventh Prince. The eldest was an illegitimate son and was also deeply loved by the Seventh Prince, since his mother was the woman the Seventh Prince truly loved. Little Prince Wei's mother, on the other hand, had been arranged by the Emperor. Less than a year after Little Prince Wei was born, the prince's consort died, and the eldest son's mother successfully rose from concubine to princess consort.
Could he have been mistreated in the prince's residence? Hua Jian Xin had never mentioned it.
Jiang Changsheng thought silently.
Little Prince Wei and Ming Yue began arguing. Seeing Little Prince Wei grow furious, Ping'an suddenly stood up, swung his fist, and punched at Ming Yue. Fortunately, Ming Yue practiced martial arts as well and easily caught it. Before long, beneath the tree, the scene became as chaotic as chickens taking flight and dogs leaping about.
Wang Chen swept his way over to Jiang Changsheng's side and asked curiously, "Daoist Master, the Zhou Dynasty, Qin Dynasty, Han Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, Song Dynasty... where were all these dynasties? Why have I never heard of them?"
He had once thought Jiang Changsheng had made them up, and Jiang Changsheng had said as much. But after listening for so long, they seemed far too real.
Today's first update. Someone actually said I was trying to pass off today's first update as yesterday's third update. Hey, hey, hey! The original schedule was updates at noon and six in the evening. I suddenly moved the day's update forward to 12:02 a.m.; it was not that I delayed the second update of that day until midnight! QAQ
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