Secular world: My destiny has no taboos

Chapter 540-550: Rumors
"well-done!"

Fang Xiangyi let out a soft sigh, patted Huo Jun on the shoulder and said, "When you're in a position of power, you always have to do things you have to do. This is for the sake of the bigger picture. Those who died won't blame you."

Huo Jun glanced at Fang Xiangyi, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

"Grand Tutor Fang should just focus on his own work; I, Huo, don't need any lectures."

"Hehe..." Fang Xiangyi stroked his beard and smiled, seemingly not annoyed by Huo Jun's words at all.

He summoned his attendants and instructed them, "Inform our friends in the martial world that the Northern Expeditionary Army has decisively defeated the barbarians, and the Emperor is in favor of the Dragon."

"Yes!"

The attendant nodded in agreement and rode off on a fast horse toward the pass, not daring to linger for a moment.

……

A cold wind blew through the night, the shadows of the trees swayed, and the moonlight shone on the bare branches, turning the mass grave below into a ghostly and desolate place.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from the soil, startling the birds on the ground.

He dug through the loose soil around him, and soon a head popped out.

Li Jin crawled out of the grave mound with a gloomy face, still wearing the military uniform that had been worn by countless enemies throughout history.

"Silence them!"

His voice was hoarse, like a demon crawling out of an abyss, almost ready to devour someone.

"I never imagined that one day I would be abandoned like a pawn."

A crow perched on a branch, cawing sharply and shrillly, its cry seemingly carrying a hint of irony.

His life of fighting and killing enemies throughout the dynasties led to his body becoming highly secularized, but in the end, he was ordered to be killed and buried in this mass grave.

Li Jin slowly turned his head and looked around, his tone eerie, like a ghost whispering: "How many more people will this kill?"

The scene rotates, showing the mass grave stretching across several hills, containing the bodies of ordinary people, barbarian soldiers, and many soldiers from various dynasties.

The bodies of soldiers from past dynasties should not have been found in this mass grave. Their ashes should have been taken back and returned to their respective families.

However, they did not die at the hands of the barbarian army, but in the end they lost their lives at the hands of their own people.

"Fine, that way I can give up."

As he spoke, Li Jin took off his military uniform and casually picked up a coat from the ground next to him and put it on.

He tidied up the soil around him for his fallen comrades, most of whom were soldiers from various dynasties like himself.

“If you don’t want this to get out, then I’ll make sure the whole world knows about it.”

The night wind was cold and bleak, and Li Jin's tone was even colder.

After doing all this, he went into hiding in the city under an assumed name and eventually entered a theater.

Before long, an old play was replaced by a new one.

……

Meanwhile, Lin Beixuan, wearing a straw raincoat, walked alone in the vast snowstorm.

He followed the trail to this remote ancient temple. The temple was dilapidated, and there were many gaps in the plaque in front of the temple gate.

"crunch..."

Pushing open the temple door, Lin Beixuan placed his raincoat on the stone table outside the temple and slowly walked in.

Unlike the scene outside the temple, the interior was very warm, with a few candles illuminating the main hall and a bonfire dispelling the dampness brought by the blizzard.

A faint scent of incense wafted out, almost imperceptible, and entered Lin Beixuan's nostrils.

"Have you come to worship the gods?"

The blind old woman held a tinderbox in her hand and relit the candle that had just been blown out by the wind, her voice drifting out softly.

"No," Lin Beixuan said calmly.

"Are you here to steal the incense money?"

"Not at all."

"Oh..." The blind old woman bent over and carried the candle to Lin Beixuan: "Then the guest must be here to look for someone."

Lin Beixuan lowered his head slightly and looked at the short, ragged, blind old man in front of him.

The Guanghan Temple was originally located north of Longzhou, a place that had been ravaged by barbarian troops.

However, since the Guanghan Temple looked like it had no money, whether viewed from the inside or the outside, they didn't bother with it after looting it once.

"I'm here to find someone," Lin Beixuan said.

"I'm afraid there's no one here who the customer is looking for."

“I’m looking for Huang Shifu; I’m her friend.”

Upon hearing this, Granny Shang showed no unusual expression on her face, but simply shook her head gently.

"She's already gone. You'd better look for her elsewhere."

"The temple keeper should know where she went, right?"

"I don't know what path to take next. She has her own ideas. Your Excellency, please don't make things difficult for this old woman."

Granny Shang raised her cloudy eyes and quietly looked at Lin Beixuan.

Lin Beixuan met his gaze but did not sense any hostility in the other's emotions.

He was somewhat surprised that Granny Shang knew his identity, but that was all surprise; it wouldn't affect his purpose for coming here.

After a long silence, he said directly, "There is one more thing I would like to see the Moon Immortal Lord."

Upon hearing this, Granny Shang's movements suddenly slowed down, but after a half-second pause, she still fumbled in her cloth bag to take out tea leaves and brewed a pot of hot tea for Lin Beixuan.

"Please have some, Your Excellency!" She pushed the tea towards Lin Beixuan.

Lin Beixuan glanced at it, reached out and took the hot tea, took a sip, and the warm tea flowed down his throat into his lungs, soon transforming into a rolling stream of clear and spiritual energy that flowed through his entire body.

Lin Beixuan raised an eyebrow, his expression unchanged, put down the teacup, and praised, "Good tea!"

Granny Shang smiled and said, "A mere cup of tea is nothing compared to the Lord's expulsion of the barbarian army. It's like fireflies compared to the bright moon."

"My purpose was not to drive out the barbarian army; it was just a coincidence," Lin Beixuan said calmly, ignoring Granny Shang's flattery.

He had no intention of driving out barbarian armies or helping dynasties reclaim lost territories; he had never even considered such things.

"Regardless, the Lord has ultimately done something to save many people from suffering, and what you did in Luozhou has also given hope to those trapped in Himi."

"I'm not here to hear your flattery." Lin Beixuan narrowed his eyes and stared at Granny Shang, his tone somewhat cold and hard, making his point clear.

Granny Shang's expression stiffened, then she chuckled and said, "Alright, this old woman won't say any more. The Immortal Lord knew you would come and has been waiting for you."

As she spoke, Granny Shang picked up the candle and slowly walked into the dimly lit temple room.

Lin Beixuan sat alone in the temple hall, surrounded by flickering candlelight. He picked up the hot tea in front of him and took a sip. When he placed the teacup on the tea table with a soft 'snap', the scene around him suddenly changed.

He was no longer in the ancient temple, but instead sitting on a small boat floating on the water. The lake beneath the boat was as calm as a mirror, reflecting the sky and the earth. There was no wind, and the lake was undisturbed, yet the boat sailed quietly, carrying him toward the island in the middle of the lake.

Suddenly, the pouch at Lin Beixuan's waist vibrated, and a shrine inside transformed into a stream of light and flew out, condensing into a human figure beside him.

Shenhou lay leisurely on the lake, holding a bright red gourd in his hand, and took a big gulp into his mouth.

"Good scenery goes well with good wine. Having grown accustomed to the mountains and grasslands of northern Xinjiang, the riverside and lake views are quite nice too."

Shenhou muttered to himself, a hint of pleasure on his face.

Lin Beixuan glanced at the crimson gourd in his hand a few more times before looking away.

He sensed that this wine gourd possessed the same aura as the purple jade gourd.

"Seven fruits on one vine, is it a spiritual object from the same source as the Purple Jade Gourd?" Lin Beixuan thought to himself.

As the small boat sailed into the island, Lin Beixuan saw an enormous ancient tree on the island.

The tree's canopy is so dense that it almost covers the entire island, surrounded by lush green grass and interspersed with purple and yellow flowers.

Beneath this enormous ancient tree stands a wooden house, its roof covered in blooming flowers, their sweet fragrance carried on the breeze.

A beautiful woman, dressed in a long palace dress, stood outside the house, seemingly waiting for Lin Beixuan's arrival.

Lin Beixuan disembarked and stepped onto the soft lawn, slowly walking towards the other person.

As for Shenhou, he had his arms crossed behind his head, a smile on his handsome face, looking very familiar.

The beautiful woman's gaze lingered on Lin Beixuan for a moment before falling on Shen Hou.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

Shenhou counted on his fingers: "Only fifty years, not that long."

"If it weren't for this little guy saving me, it might have taken even longer."

Are you blaming me for not rescuing you earlier?

Beneath the ancient tree, a stunningly beautiful woman chuckled softly. Behind her, the flowers on the rooftop rustled gently, and a breeze brushed past her ear, lifting a few strands of her hair.

A beauty as lovely as jade, yet also as ethereal as a dream.

Lin Beixuan dared to swear that this was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.

Unlike the alluring and seductive Zigu Goddess, the woman before them seemed to have stepped out of a fantasy or painting, with a face as beautiful as jade and eyes like clear spring water. Every smile and frown could resonate with the surrounding environment.

"Rabbit - Guanghan Immortal Lord!" Lin Beixuan took a deep breath in his heart.

The Monkey seemed completely unsurprised by the Rabbit's stunning figure; a lucky cloud drifted by and caught his falling body.

"I knew you wouldn't save me, so why should I blame you?"

"Sigh..." Rabbit sighed, "It's not that I don't want to save them, it's just that the reasons are complicated."

As she said this, she looked at Lin Beixuan with a strange gaze, as if the reason was caused by him.

Lin Beixuan was puzzled by that look and coughed twice before saying, "I came to see the Immortal Lord this time on someone's behalf."

The rabbit nodded to Lin Beixuan, then gently raised its hand, and the vegetation beneath Lin Beixuan's feet grew wildly, quickly transforming into a flower chair.

"It was Yin Hu who sent you, wasn't he?"

As if they already knew, several butterfly-like sprites fluttered around Lin Beixuan for a while, then picked up a few flowers and handed them to him.

Lin Beixuan accepted the flowers and found that they contained clear nectar. The fragrance of the flowers filled his nostrils and actually relieved some of the effects caused by the Book of Life and Death.

Looking at Lin Beixuan's gray hair, Mao Tu said softly, "You are not yet comparable to the Lord of the Underworld. If you forcibly use the power of the Book of Life and Death, it will damage your destiny fire, and the disadvantages will outweigh the advantages."

"Wildflower honey can slightly alleviate the damage to your destiny, but that's all; taking more won't help."

Lin Beixuan raised an eyebrow and swallowed the honey in one gulp.

In fact, just as Mao Tu said, after using the Book of Life and Death to forcibly confront the Desolate Ancestor, his destiny fell into a strange silence.

The original situation where the main destiny element was incompatible with the others and had to be restrained by the other destiny elements has temporarily disappeared. All the destiny elements are as if they have been drained of energy and are now dull and lifeless.

Lin Beixuan hadn't expected that Mao Tu would recognize it at a glance.

On the other hand...

Lin Beixuan glanced at Shen Hou, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Shenhou noticed Lin Beixuan's gaze and paused in his drinking: "What are you looking at me for? Isn't it enough to have a mortal like me as your personal protector?"

Lin Beixuan smiled helplessly and looked at Mao Tu, saying, "It seems that the Immortal Lord knows about the great battle that day."

"It's so close to my doorstep, how could I not notice?"

Mao Tu went inside and took something out, handing it to Lin Beixuan.

Lin Beixuan took it and saw that it was a jade talisman.

"As long as you carry it with you, you can contact me at any time. If necessary, I can also create an incarnation to help you, just like Yin Hu."

Upon hearing this, Lin Beixuan's eyes widened slightly, and he looked at Mao Tu with some surprise.

Even Shenhou looked at the other party with a strange gaze: "You didn't participate in the Battle of Destiny that year, why did you decide to join this time?"

The Rabbit just smiled at the Monkey's sarcastic remarks.

"Your choice that time cost Chenlong most of his life and wasted his plans, forcing him to start all over again."

"That's why."

Shenhou frowned: "What exactly is Chenlong doing? Why won't he tell us?"

Mao Tu said calmly, "Because he knows your temperaments. Rather than wasting time talking to you, which might disrupt his original plans, it's better to let things take their course, which is more under his control."

"I just didn't expect that Lu Chenjiang would appear that year, forcing him to start all over again."

"Lu Chenjiang is already dead, why are you blaming a dead man?" Shen Hou's expression hardened, and his aura suddenly surged.

The Rabbit smiled, showing no fear of the Monkey, and turned to look at Lin Beixuan, saying calmly, "Are you sure he's dead?"

Lin Beixuan: "???"

"What do you mean?" Shen Hou also looked at Lin Beixuan, his gaze sharp as lightning, his eyes burning like flames.

Lin Beixuan frowned and slowly covered his pounding heart with his right hand.

Lu Chenjiang is not dead?
Could it be hidden inside his heart?

Lin Beixuan felt a sense of doubt and looked at Mao Tu with a strange expression.

Because he couldn't quite figure out whether the other person was looking at him or at the heart in his chest.

"It seems I'll have to study this Heart of Earth-Overturning further. If it really is related to Lu Chenjiang's life or death, I'd rather dig it out and throw it away than become his substitute," Lin Beixuan thought to himself.

For some reason, he always felt that the Twelve Zodiac Gods saw through many things about him, but kept them hidden, as if there were some taboos involved.

Besides the Lord of the Underworld, the people associated with him now include not only Chenlong, but also Lu Chenjiang.

(End of this chapter)