Mars Guards the Heart

Seahorses can pull sedan chairs at extremely high speeds in the water.

It only took half a day to send Fang Zelin back to Yingping Peak.

Upon arriving at their destination, Fang Zelin alighted from the sedan chair.

The Aquatic Race shrimp soldiers then bowed and left.

Upon seeing him return, Bearing the Heavens was quite pleased. He dismounted from Fang Zelin and flew around nearby.

A moment later, he poked at a blade of grass in the medicinal herb field.

The young apprentice peeked out, glanced at Bearing the Heavens but ignored him; this was his elder brother, and he couldn't be spoken to.

"Immortal Master, you've returned so quickly?"

The boy pulled his feet out of the ground and ran towards the spirit rice with a joyful expression.

He was happy because, in his mind, it meant it was time to eat.

Seeing the boy's appearance, Fang Zelin shook his head and smiled, but still used the Lesser Cloud and Rain Technique.

"Bearing the Heavens, it's time to cultivate."

As Fang Zelin returned to the wooden house, he said something to Bearing the Heavens.

Upon hearing this, Bearing the Heavens immediately flew towards Fang Zelin.

"You also need to cultivate diligently. If you encounter a powerful demon and can't kill it, you'll be in trouble."

Fang Zelin said softly.

Bearing the Heavens brandished his sword to indicate that he had heard clearly.

Seeing this, Fang Zelin no longer hesitated and immediately sat down cross-legged with Bearing the Heavens to begin cultivating.

"You've arrived. Have a seat, and let's continue our game."

Upon seeing the Seeking Dao Mountain, Fang Zelin hadn't thought much of it when the old Daoist priest in front of him called him over.

Looking at the unfinished game in front of him, Fang Zelin scratched his head. "Playing chess is fine, but why not start a new game?"

"Oh, it's alright. We're playing a game anyway, so why worry about it?"

The old Daoist priest didn't seem to care, and simply told Fang Zelin to continue.

Fang Zelin glanced at the chessboard in front of him and realized that he was the black player and was already surrounded and on the verge of defeat.

In this situation, winning is by no means easy.

Fang Zelin looked around the chessboard for a long time before finally making his move.

He was trying his best to find a way out, but after thirty moves, he still suffered a crushing defeat.

Seeing this, the old Daoist smiled and gestured for Fang Zelin to start again.

Seeing this, Fang Zelin didn't say much; since they were already here at Seeking Dao Mountain, they were already here.

With nothing else to do, playing a few games of chess wouldn't hurt.

Time flies when you're practicing.

Before we knew it, after the farming season, early summer arrived.

The medicinal plants in the herb garden are all growing very well.

The spirit rice was already ripe. After harvesting the spirit rice, Fang Zelin used some to brew wine and stored the rest in a rice jar.

We usually eat simple meals, but now that the spirit rice has finally ripened again, we still need to save some.

Changing your taste is a good idea.

"Oh? The current emperor is nearing the end of his life?"

In the pavilion, Fang Zelin poured Zhang Weichu a small glass of wine, listening to the news the other brought with a hint of surprise.

"Yes, this news should be correct. It seems that another bloody storm is about to break out in the capital."

Zhang Weichu spoke of this with considerable emotion.

Having read many history books before, I naturally knew what would happen under such circumstances.

The infighting among the various aristocratic families, the mutual suspicion among the princes, and the factionalism among court officials, etc.

If you make a slight mistake, you might die today, or you'll face reckoning another day.

At this time, the political situation was extremely dangerous.

"I've heard that quite a few officials have already been exiled, and it's said that many of them are honest and upright. However, I don't hold any official position in the court, so I don't know anything about this."

As Zhang Weichu spoke, he took a sip from his wine cup. He was not an official in the court and knew nothing about its affairs, so he naturally did not make any unfounded speculations.

After drinking the fine wine, Zhang Weichu exclaimed in admiration.

Fortunately, I made a friend in Fang Zelin; otherwise, not being able to eat and drink would have been quite a loss of fun.

Fang Zelin nodded in agreement upon hearing this, and after thinking for a moment, he couldn't help but ask a question.

"How long do you think the Great Jin Dynasty can last? Throughout history, no dynasty has ever lasted more than three hundred years; it usually ends around two hundred."

Zhang Weichu was taken aback upon hearing this; why was Fang Zelin so concerned about this matter?

However, since Fang Zelin had asked, he thought about it carefully. "Last autumn, taxes were increased by 30%, and the people were indeed suffering greatly."

"I've heard that Yuanqing Prefecture treats its people fairly well, and quite a few are already preparing to flee there. Although the travel permits have been cancelled, allowing people to escape to Yuanqing Prefecture, the local gentry and clans are not keen to let people leave."

If all the people under my jurisdiction flee, who will farm the land? If there are not many people left in my territory, then something terrible will happen.

The importance of population is self-evident.

"If things continue like this, something bad is bound to happen sooner or later."

"As for when the Great Jin will be replaced, how could I possibly know? You might as well calculate it yourself, Brother Fang."

Can you do some calculations?

I don't know how to do that.

Even if it were possible, we don't know if it would backfire.

"Forget it, let's just wait and see. I'll just stick to my cultivation."

Fang Zelin took a sip of his wine. Worrying about this wouldn't get him anywhere, so he might as well wait and see.

If possible, he naturally hoped that the Great Jin Dynasty could last longer.

Seeing Zhang Weichu was about to say something when his expression suddenly changed.

From a distance on the horizon, an unbelievable scene unfolded.

"Hiss, something terrible is about to happen!"

Fang Zelin looked in the direction of the sound and saw a bright red star hanging in the sky in the distance, twinkling brightly.

The crimson stars looked extremely ominous.

"Suddenly, a madman sharpened his knife in the night, and the imperial star wavered."

Looking at the crimson stars, Fang Zelin subconsciously began to recite the poem, but after reciting half of it, Fang Zelin suddenly felt something was wrong and immediately stopped.

Zhang Weichu to the poem, then looked back with a puzzled expression. "What?"

"Nothing much, it's just... is this Mars Guards the Heart?"

Fang Zelin didn't understand celestial phenomena, but looking at the stars, they seemed remarkably similar to the Mars Guards the Heart.

Zhang Weichu's expression was somewhat solemn. He nodded emphatically, then sighed regretfully, "We were just discussing how long the Great Jin Dynasty could last. Now it seems its end is not far off."

The current emperor is already in poor health, and now this strange phenomenon has occurred— Mars Guards the Heart.

Regardless of whether this celestial phenomenon has any effect, it is certain that some people will take advantage of it.

At that point, rivers of blood will truly flow.

It's unknown how many innocent people will be implicated.

Fang Zelin silently gazed at the distant Mars hanging high in the sky, and could somewhat sense the sentiment within it.

Everyone says this is the most ominous celestial phenomenon, but no one knows what it foretells.