Eternal Night

Chapter 642 What do immortals eat?
(PS: I feel much better now, I can try to resume two updates a day tomorrow.)
The dream world of the Song Dynasty was very special.

This is something Wu Pifu only realized after experiencing many dream worlds.

Other dream worlds, no matter how absurd and bizarre, such as the Mind Dream World, all have only one main storyline, which remains consistent from beginning to end. The overall structure of the dream world is crystal clear. Even if there is a large amount of external information erosion and seeding like in the Castlevania dream world, its main thread is still visible.

Only the Song Dynasty dream world seems to be a combination of multiple origins, civilizations, and forces. The extraordinary beings of the Song Dynasty, the extraordinary beings of the surrounding areas, demons, dragon energy, and monsters coexisted harmoniously together.

Of all these special cases, the one Wu Pifu couldn't understand the most was actually the one that existed initially but disappeared later...

Dragon spirit!

The dragon aura of the Song Dynasty emperors!
This power comes from all the people, protecting the emperor. It is scattered and invisible, yet it possesses the power to resist all supernatural beings that are not of the yin nature. This power is upright and righteous, with a sense of the vastness of the net of heaven, which is wide but leaves nothing out. It is masculine and fierce, and it has the appearance of traversing the sky and the sun. This power is the only one that Wu Pifu has ever seen in his life. Even after experiencing so many dream worlds, he has never seen it again.

Unfortunately, the Zhao family emperors of the Song Dynasty's dream world were truly inhuman, abandoning the people and using the dragon's energy for shady and secretive purposes. As a result, the dragon's energy backfired, and there was no longer any so-called dragon's energy protecting them. Even when Wu Pifu swept away the demons of the world, no trace of the dragon's energy was ever found again.

He never expected to discover traces of dragon-like energy in the Dream of the Red Chamber.

Indeed, the emperor of this world is actually protected by dragon energy!
The last time Wu Pifu personally entered the palace and saw the emperor, he confirmed this fact: there is also dragon energy in this world, and the dragon energy in this world is stronger and more complex than that in the Song Dynasty dream world. Wu Pifu understood all of this in the following days.

The dragon energy in this world is slightly different from that in the Song Dynasty dream world. The dragon energy in the Song Dynasty dream world is more about directly resisting and manifesting extraordinary power, similar to the gathering of extraordinary power from the masses. Although the dragon energy in this world also has the effect of protecting the emperor, it is more manifested in the concept of "heaven".

The Way of Heaven, the Rules of Heaven, the Laws of Heaven... these terms can all be used to describe the effects of the dragon energy in this world. It is truly like a net of laws that covers the entire world, connecting the unknown above and all people below, its power like a net of heaven and earth enveloping all things.

In layman's terms, the dragon energy in this world has somehow taken on some of the functions of cause and effect and destiny. Whether it is bewitching people's hearts or operating the universe, the dragon energy is always present.

To verify this, Wu Pifu spent the last few days not only training Lin Daiyu and helping her find old and potent medicines from the deep mountains for nourishment, but also traveling the world.

Since he mastered the Immortal Martial Arts Internal Energy, he has gained the ability to fly. This flight is a natural result of his internal energy, just as having internal energy gives one the ability to fly lightly. True internal energy-based lightness is not just about jumping high, but about actually overcoming gravity. Now he can fly freely for a whole day and night without fatigue. With this ability, even though China is vast, he can carefully patrol around it in two or three hours. In the past few days, he has patrolled the entire country countless times.

Thus, he truly confirmed that the dragon energy of this world had indeed replaced part of the rules of heaven and earth. However, because the upper limit of the extraordinary power in this world was extremely low, it could not yet truly become the rules of heaven and earth, that is, the so-called Heavenly Dao, but it did possess a certain prototype.

If we delve deeper into this prototype and continuously enhance its extraordinary level, once we reach a certain critical point, wouldn't it be similar to the Dragon King in Journey to the West, who must send down a few inches or millimeters of rain at a certain time and place?
This is truly a net of heaven and earth, a veritable law of the heavens and earth under the rule of the Heavenly Court.

Therefore, Wu Pifu was quite certain that this dragon energy system was indeed the extraordinary power of the Heavenly Court. Moreover, judging from its subtle influence and scale, this should be a means used by the Heavenly Court to erode the real dream world, similar to the subspace of the Spiritual Civilization, only more harmless, and even slightly adjusting the entire world. This is similar to parasitism and symbiosis, so it is subtle and the world's resistance to it is not intense. Over time, the entire world was shrouded and swallowed by this net of heaven and earth, becoming part of the Heavenly Dao.

His previous use of extraordinary power beyond the limits of this world, which attracted the Heavenly Court's investigation, was actually caused by the activation of the Heavenly Net formed by the dragon energy.

According to Wu Pifu's understanding, the entire net formed by dragon energy was the source of pollution for the Heavenly Court. However, the Heavenly Court itself was one of the strongest ancient civilizations, many times more advanced than the Lingxiang Civilization. Even its pollution was subtle and gradual, involving a symbiotic relationship, making it many times more advanced. One function was to devour the world in place of the rules of heaven and earth; another was to monitor whether there were any intruders. As for the third function, it was something Wu Pifu couldn't understand...

Why should certain people in this world be manipulated by "chance" such as cause and effect and fate?
To investigate this, Wu Pifu even used his super brain's emotional perception to travel all over China. He found about 150 people who were controlled by the Heavenly Net. Most of these people were officials, such as Lin Daiyu, and the most were from the four major families. A small number, such as Lin Ruhai, were also officials. There were also some from the royal family. Then there were some common women who appeared in the original Dream of the Red Chamber, and even fewer were ordinary people.

For example, the traces of being manipulated by a powerful network were very obvious on the body of a famous courtesan named Du Shiniang.

In short, some completely unrelated people, who have nothing in common and are neither extraordinary nor special, are all controlled by a net and experience the lives of the mastermind behind the scenes as if they were scripted... All of this is really incomprehensible to Wu Pifu.

The first two are quite obvious, and are no different from other root civilizations invading the upper dream world in the same way: to erode and corrupt the entire world and turn its reality into their own resources. They are just more sophisticated in their methods.

But why would such a powerful and prestigious force as the Heavenly Court manipulate the lives of ordinary people?

Wu Pifu was completely baffled. Even if some high-ranking official in the Heavenly Court wanted to manipulate ants, there was no reason for them to specifically add rules of cause and effect and destiny to the underlying code of the Heavenly Net used to erode the Dream World. Such a practice was as ridiculous as researching how to use an atomic bomb to wipe out ants.

"...The Divine Stone Attendant and the Crimson Pearl Fairy?"

The main storyline of Dream of the Red Chamber is actually this, and just by looking at the words, putting aside all the love and romance, the two are completely different in status. One is obviously a deity, or at least a disciple, servant, or disciple of a deity, while the other is very interesting... the Crimson Pearl Fairy Herb!
Herbs?

Wu Pifu would not hide anything from Lin Daiyu; that was his nature. He would lay everything out in the open. Although he couldn't say for sure that Lin Daiyu was a character from the novel *Dream of the Red Chamber*, he did mention that Lin Daiyu was extraordinary in her previous life, perhaps a fairy herb, while Jia Baoyu might be a celestial being. She and Jia Baoyu had formed a bond of "repaying with tears," and she had to repay it with tears in this life.

"This is what you asked before, what would have happened to you if I hadn't been there." Wu Pifu said frankly to Lin Daiyu, "Today I will tell you all this honestly. Firstly, you have established your authority in the military camp today, and your spirit and energy have taken shape. You can no longer turn back into the sickly girl you once were. You are now a decent human being. Secondly, I am not intelligent enough and need you to help me think about many things that will happen next."

Lin Daiyu was overjoyed. Everything else was secondary; Wu Pifu's affirmation made her very happy. After hearing all this, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "If there really is a Heavenly Court and a past life, why do you think the third function of the Heavenly Net is not to punish evil and promote good? There is cause and effect in the past life, and this life is to pay the price. Although it is unfair to the newborn in this life, the way of Heaven is just, and there is always retribution."

Wu Pifu sneered and shook his head: "You don't understand. The Heavenly Court isn't that simple. How should I put it? This Heavenly Court has a completely different meaning from the one you think of as a place of truth, goodness, beauty, and carefree immortals. But you're still too weak right now, unable to even leave this world, so it's useless for me to explain. In short, you should think of the Heavenly Court as a mountain of knives and a sea of ​​fire, or a netherworld hell. The so-called immortals there are all people who eat people without spitting them out... people who eat people..."

Suddenly, as if struck by a sudden thought, Wu Pifu's eyes narrowed sharply. His mind wasn't on *Dream of the Red Chamber* anymore, but rather on a game, or perhaps another version of one of the Four Great Classical Novels—not the original, but a deeper interpretation…

Black Myth: Wukong!
There is also a Heavenly Court in Journey to the West, and the protagonist of that book, the Monkey King, fights against all the gods and Buddhas in the sky.

A plot point suddenly jolted Wu Pifu awake.

Gods eat people, but they don't eat flesh and blood; they eat souls...

Soul, true spirit...

The Heavenly Court has cultivation methods for true spirits and souls!
If physical cultivation requires nourishment from blood and flesh, and spiritual cultivation requires nourishment from the spirit, then what does the cultivation of the soul and true spirit require?

The nourishment of the soul and true spirit...

Reincarnation, the soul, the inescapable net of fate that "cares for" certain special groups, manipulation, the predetermined destiny and karma...

The bond between Shenying Attendant and Crimson Pearl Fairy—a bond of "repaying tears"...

all of these……

Wu Pifu suddenly let out a cold laugh and said, "Daiyu, what do you think immortals eat?"

Lin Daiyu was momentarily confused, but after thinking for a moment, she said, "Immortal energy? And do immortals also need to eat?"

"Why not? Gods do eat people, but they eat in a more refined and elegant way. They eat..."

"It's just the human soul."

Upon hearing this, Lin Daiyu felt a chill run through her body. At the same time, Wu Pifu pulled Lin Daiyu out of the courtyard, saying as they walked, "The previous plan is scrapped. Just taking you to the battlefield probably won't lure out any Heavenly Court or Earthly Walkers, because it's just you alone escaping the Heavenly Net, which won't change the overall situation. If this is really the case, and the third function of the Heavenly Net is actually for the Heavenly Court to refine the Soul Elixir, then it must involve everyone in this world..."

Lin Daiyu, her face flushed with embarrassment, asked repeatedly, "Brother, it's so late, where are we going?"

“Go to the palace, see the emperor, and explain what happened today. Then we’ll change our approach, both to perfect you and to change the fate of this country… Speaking of which, Daiyu, you are incredibly intelligent. From what you know about this country now, what do you think the future holds?” Wu Pifu asked as they walked.

Lin Daiyu remained silent for a long while, then lowered her head and said, "Like cooking oil over a raging fire, or adorning brocade with fresh flowers..."

"...Yes, that's exactly right."

Wu Pifu sneered.

On the other side, the old eunuch from the emperor's side personally came to the Rongguo Mansion. He held a very high position. Even palace eunuchs would call him "Grand Ancestor," and high-ranking officials in the court would treat him with respect. However, at this moment, he had a humble smile on his face as he talked with the old lady. Although he had a humble smile on his face, everyone present, including the old lady, was full of fear and unease.

“Daiyu would never do such a thing, Chief Eunuch. How could such a delicate young girl like Daiyu possibly infiltrate the capital’s military camp?” The old lady still couldn’t believe it, and she said to the old eunuch with a blank expression.

The old eunuch just smiled humbly, while beside him, Wang Ziteng, lying on the bedsheet, was groaning incessantly: "Madam, don't be fooled by that... she forced her way into the military camp, acted arrogantly and domineeringly, and even humiliated me in front of the three major battalions, she really did it on the spot..."

What happened on the spot?

A voice rang out, and Wang Ziteng's face immediately turned deathly pale. He dared not speak again, but looked at Grandmother Jia with the pleading eyes of a small animal.

Then everyone saw Lin Daiyu's brother, Lin Ruhai's eldest son Wu Pifu, leading his sister over.

This is a true troublemaker. Compared to him, what kind of troublemaker is Jia Baoyu in the family? He has only been in the capital for a few days, yet he has alarmed the emperor, stormed the military camp, and even had Wang Ziteng, the highest military commander in the capital, spanked on the spot. It seems that Lin Daiyu was the one who did it, but if it weren't for this troublemaker's instigation, how could Lin Daiyu, who has been quiet and well-behaved in the capital for so many years, have done such a thing? Wu Pifu didn't bother with any of this. He chuckled and squatted down in front of Wang Ziteng. Without bothering to hide from others, he said directly, "Let me make some things clear to you, so I don't have to waste my energy later. First, your life is your own. Think carefully before you do anything. Second, no matter what power you have, no matter what the emperor is like, no matter what Lin Ruhai is like, and no matter what you are like, as long as I kill you, everything in this world will be irrelevant to you. Third, you've been in the military, managed military affairs, and understand politics. Let me ask you one thing: do you really want to threaten or restrict someone who can easily break a flagpole with one hand and lift it up with the other?

Wang Ziteng's eyes narrowed sharply, and he dared not look around again, but simply lowered his head deeply.

Wu Pifu laughed and turned to the old eunuch, saying, "Lead the way. We need to explain what happened today."

The old eunuch forced a smile and said, "His Majesty is considerate. He said it's late and Young Master Wu doesn't need to go to the palace. You can tell this old servant whatever you need to say."

Wu Pifu shook his head slightly: "You can't handle this. Besides, we're not seeing the emperor today. I'm afraid he might do something foolish. What could have been a good thing could end up with the country in ruins. Why bother? While I still have goodwill, I advise you to think it over carefully."

The old eunuch's expression changed drastically. He lowered his head in thought, and Wu Pifu did not disturb him. After a while, the old eunuch looked up and forced a smile again, saying, "Lord Lin Ruhai has already set off overnight and is on his way back."

Lin Daiyu didn't immediately understand the witty banter between Wu Pifu and the old eunuch, but upon hearing that Lin Ruhai was returning to the capital, she exclaimed with delight, "Father is coming back? Will he return today?"

The old eunuch's smile became a little more genuine: "At most five days, at most three days, Miss Lin and Young Master Wu will definitely be able to see their loved ones."

After saying this, the old eunuch did not hesitate any longer and bowed to Wu Pifu and Lin Daiyu, saying, "Young master, young lady, please come with this old servant. His Majesty has been waiting for a long time."

Wu Pifu nodded, ignoring everyone from the Rongguo Mansion, and pulled Lin Daiyu to follow behind the old eunuch. Lin Daiyu looked apologetically at everyone from the Rongguo Mansion, and then hurriedly followed.

After the old eunuch led Wu Pifu and Lin Daiyu away, Grandmother Jia stared at Wang Ziteng in disbelief and said, "What happened? What happened? It sounds like... it sounds like..."

Wang Ziteng looked up at the rest of the Rongguo Mansion. Apart from the women in their secluded chambers, the men of the Jia family all seemed bewildered. He smiled bitterly and said, "Why does the Grand Madam deceive herself? You were by the side of the Duke of Rongguo for a long time. What else could it be... His Majesty is worried about something unspeakable happening."

These words were spoken bluntly, and the expressions of the Jia family men present changed drastically. Jia Baoyu's father, Jia Zheng, exclaimed with a drastic change in expression, "How could this be? How could two mere children do something so unspeakable?"

Wang Ziteng sneered, "Brother Zheng, you don't understand these things. The Grand Madam only knows the size of the army and the urgency of the war... There's no need to say more about this. I'll just return to the Prince's Mansion."

Wang Ziteng was still scared. He knew that Wu Pifu's three points were the truth, given his intelligence and experience in leading an army. To put it bluntly, no matter what kind of politician you are, no matter what kind of people you represent, and no matter how powerful your background is, you can be crushed on the spot with a flagpole, and you will lose everything. What else can you say?
So close, yet everyone is an enemy!
And let's not even talk about the potentially more terrifying Wu Pifu. Just look at Lin Daiyu. No matter how many troops you have, it's useless. Like I said, a hardwood flagpole ten meters long and as thick as a bowl can be used to fight even in the middle of a large army. Even if you have thousands of troops protecting you, I'll just rush up with the flagpole and start beating you. So what if you're an emperor for all time? If you're going to die, you'll just be a pile of rotten flesh.
He was truly afraid, and it was only in fear that he truly came to his senses.

How incredibly foolish must he be to even think of using the power of Grandmother Jia to seek revenge?
At this point, they should have flattered the four great families, claiming they were of one mind and connected!

Confused, confused!

On the other side, Wu Pifu followed the old eunuch with long strides, paying no attention to the rows of soldiers standing guard after curfew. He simply walked along the avenue lined with swords and axes, and soon arrived outside the palace.

The old eunuch looked at the palace gate, smiled bitterly for a long time, and then took out his waist token to ask for the gate to be opened.

Then, he led Wu Pifu and Lin Daiyu into the palace for a long time. Lin Daiyu quietly reached out and tugged at Wu Pifu, who laughed and said, "Daiyu, that's not good of you. You're still confused by this worldly matter. There's no need for that. Why can't you just say what you mean? He's leading us in circles, isn't he? It's nothing more than mobilizing the Imperial Guards, and the real troops that are willing to fight to the death. How many? Five thousand? Or ten thousand?"

The old eunuch lowered his head and remained silent, continuing to walk forward. Unexpectedly, Wu Pifu stopped abruptly and said, "This level of activity shouldn't attract any attention... Come, I'll show you and the emperor behind you something good, and you'll see that your worries are completely unnecessary."

The old eunuch stood still, his gaze intense, his clothes fluttering even without wind, and for a moment he exuded a terrifying aura.

Wu Pifu ignored him and just laughed. His laughter echoed throughout the entire palace. Then, his eyes widened and a terrifying Conqueror's Haki suddenly surged outwards. In an instant, except for Lin Daiyu who didn't feel anything, the old eunuch staggered back dozens of steps, his face ashen. Meanwhile, in the secret passages, bunkers, open spaces, and training grounds around the three of them, tens of thousands of soldiers all foamed at the mouth, their eyes rolled back, and they fainted. In an instant, crackling sounds resounded throughout the palace.

Meanwhile, on a tall building far away from the three, a faint fluctuation arose around the emperor, resisting the invasion of the Conqueror's Haki. However, several eunuchs and seven or eight other Taoists, monks, martial artists, and generals around him all groaned and trembled. Some collapsed to the ground, barely able to stand, some had blood gushing from their mouths, ears, and noses, and some roared, their faces turning pale and blue.

The emperor stood at the window of the high building, looking down and seeing that all his personal guards had fainted. His face turned deathly pale. Seeing that the many royal guards and high-ranking retainers behind him were all in the same state, he exclaimed in shock, "What kind of sorcery is this?!"

"No, it's not sorcery."

A monk wiped the blood from his face. By then, the Conqueror's Haki had dissipated. He said with a look of fear, "Your Majesty, this is not sorcery. It is merely an aura, an aura that anyone can unleash."

The emperor, incredulous, pointed out the window and roared, "Is this aura? Is there such aura in the world?"

Another Taoist priest sat cross-legged, his face pale: "Your Majesty, it truly is an aura, or perhaps killing intent, or perhaps sheer power, but it is so terrifying that it is simply unbearable..."

The emperor fell silent. At that moment, a eunuch who had coughed up blood suddenly stared at the sky and whispered, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, look..."

The emperor looked up at the sky as the eunuch pointed, and he was utterly shocked because... the thick clouds in the sky had actually split open, revealing a full moon behind them!

"...Why am I okay...?"

The emperor murmured something, then paused, before laughing and saying, "So this is considered a gesture of goodwill? Well... well, since it is a gesture of goodwill, I have no choice but to reciprocate."

After saying this, the emperor actually started walking downstairs. Everyone was stunned and instinctively wanted to stop him, but when they thought of that god-like and demonic being, they couldn't utter a sound.

Alone, he entered the palace at night without even seeing the emperor's face. His mere presence was enough to wipe out the entire palace, yet the emperor was unharmed. What else could this be but goodwill?
The fact that ants are not trampled to death by humans is itself the greatest act of kindness!
On the other side, the old eunuch sat down and closed his eyes to await his death. Wu Pifu did not move him at all, but just stood there with his eyes closed. Lin Daiyu looked around in shock and confirmed again and again that it was Wu Pifu who did all this.

A moment later, a group of people carrying lanterns and torches quickly approached. The leader was none other than the emperor. He remained silent and stood ten meters away from Wu Pifu, looking over.

Wu Pifu sensed the emperor's emotions slightly and said, "Since the emperor has the courage to come see me, then I will speak frankly."

"First, I have no interest in the emperor's empire."

"Secondly, my father, Lin Ruhai, was loyal to the emperor and loved his country."

"Third, you must not scheme against my sister again."

Fourth, in exchange, I promise you that your kingdom will last for another hundred years.

The emperor remained silent for a long while: "You... no, what does the Lin family want?"

Wu Pifu didn't speak, but looked at Lin Daiyu.

Lin Daiyu was stunned for a moment before she came to her senses. Wu Pifu was not her biological brother, so he had nothing to do with the Lin family. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Your Majesty, please thoroughly investigate the story of my mother's death. I suspect that the salt smugglers and officials in Jiangnan were responsible for my mother's death!"

The Emperor nodded solemnly and said, "Investigate thoroughly. No matter who is found, even if they are a member of the imperial family, I will allow you to exterminate their entire family! But that is not enough, it will not put my mind at ease... So how about I grant your Lin family a royal title, officially enfeoffing them in the Northern Frontier, to guard it forever? Following the example of the Mu family, as long as the dynasty exists, the Lin family will also exist forever!"

Lin Daiyu stared in disbelief, while Wu Pifu burst into laughter.

That's really refreshing, and everyone's intelligence is on point, so at least we don't have to disgust him with a meal.

Wu Pifu said, "Then I will thank you on behalf of the Lin family."

Although the emperor was puzzled by Wu Pifu's use of the word "substitute," he breathed a sigh of relief, followed by a surge of excitement. But before he could speak, Wu Pifu said first, "Since you have received the emperor's favor, you should do something practical. Your Majesty, you can tell us about the threats to the dynasty, and my brother and I will take care of them for you."

The emperor paused for a moment. He wanted to say that the matter was not urgent, but seeing Wu Pifu's serious face, he said casually, "Actually, it is a matter of internal and external issues. Externally, there are enemies in both the north and south. In the north, there is the Wild Boar Skin Tribe, and in the south, there is the Southern Yuezhi Kingdom. In addition, there are Japanese pirates invading in the east. The west is temporarily peaceful, but the Tibetan tribes are also somewhat unstable. We need to plan for the long term."

Why take it long?

Wu Pifu said loudly, "Ten days... my brother and I will give you an explanation within ten days. Your Majesty only needs to make two preparations."

The emperor asked, bewildered, "What preparations?"

"Sending troops to occupy territory is the first preparation; as for the second..."

"Offering sacrifices to Heaven has swept away everything in the surrounding area, more than doubling the size of our dynasty's territory. In the future, it will surely surpass the Han and Tang dynasties. With such a great achievement, why doesn't Your Majesty perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to Heaven?"

In an instant, the emperor's face turned red.

(End of this chapter)