Ming Dynasty: pacifying the rebellion and defending the border, dominating the world

Chapter 425 An Unexpected Encounter, Zhu Jinzhen's Question

The third floor of the State Guesthouse.

Princess Zhao Fengya of the Liyang royal family stood by the window, watching the departing group of people, her brows furrowed: "Strange, who exactly is that person? Why is the Western Depot making such a fuss?"

Behind her, everyone shook their heads.

Emperor Tianwu, Xiao Yi, was a figure from hundreds of years ago. Apart from Zhao Huangchao, very few members of the Liyang royal family knew him, so how could they possibly recognize him?

They couldn't guess the real reason why the Western Depot came to their door overnight.

After all, her noble status was only relative to ordinary people; in the eyes of true top-tier experts, it was only relative to ordinary people.

Let alone her, a mere princess of the Liyang royal family.

Even the Emperor of Liyang was not considered worthy of many people's attention.

At this time, envoys from other countries were also speculating about what had happened.

Unfortunately, no one is destined to answer their questions.

……

Qianqing Palace.

Xiao Yi was invited here, completely bewildered.

He met someone he never expected.

"What are you doing here?" Xiao Yi asked, frowning.

The person being questioned shrugged, looking helpless: "I think I came here the same way you came here."

Li Changsheng.

His original name was Ji Hubian, and he was one of Xiao Yi's best friends.

They were also among the few close friends Xiao Yi had left in his former life in the martial arts world.

Even those who had accompanied Xiao Yi for a period of time have been buried in the past by time and years.

but……

Shouldn't Li Changsheng be in Beili?

"I'm worried about you!"

"Plus, there was a tiny bit of curiosity..." Li Changsheng cracked his knuckles, gave a wry smile, and said, "Who would have thought that as soon as I arrived in the capital, His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty sent someone to 'invite' me here."

When he said the word "please," Li Changsheng emphasized it.

He had a strong urge to give Xiao Yi a piece of his mind right then and there.

Who knows?
A single thought between heaven and man can traverse a thousand miles and ten thousand miles; one can roam freely between heaven and earth.

As soon as Li Changsheng's Celestial Realm consciousness arrived in the capital, he discovered that within a radius of less than a hundred feet around him, there were more than twenty terrestrial Celestial Realm beings, all of whom were in their true forms.

There were also two of them whose true and false realms Li Changsheng couldn't discern.

Xiao Yi felt an urge to facepalm. He had agreed to let Li Changsheng investigate the situation, but he hadn't let Li Changsheng come along because he thought that if anything went wrong, Li Changsheng could still protect Beili for a while.

Who would have thought that Li Changsheng would also walk right into the trap?

As for Li Changsheng's statement that he came over out of curiosity,

Xiao Yi didn't believe a word of it.

He knew that Li Changsheng had witnessed the astonishing phenomena and changes and, out of concern for his safety, had traveled here in spirit despite the danger.

The two of them are already here.

No matter how much you say or think, it's all useless.

Xiao Yi took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Zhu Jinzhen, who was watching the show with amusement: "Xiao Yi of Beili pays respects to the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty."

"Emperor Tianwu, Xiao Yi, was the founding emperor of the Northern Li Kingdom."

"He was a contemporary of my Great Ming Emperor Taizu Gao."

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would hardly have imagined that you were still in the mortal realm. Moreover... you already possess cultivation no less than the peak of the Celestial Realm. Compared to Mr. Li from the Jixia Academy of Beili beside you, you are not much weaker."

In Zhu Jinzhen's eyes, Xiao Yi had no secrets.

That's why he was surprised.

He was familiar with all the songs, whether they were about youth, middle age, old age, or even the very old age. He knew that Xiao Yi was once a peerless genius who, by practicing the Nineteen Forms of Embroidered Sword thousands of times, created the Split Kingdom Sword Technique and swept across the chaotic world, establishing the Northern Li Kingdom.

However, normally speaking, no matter how talented Xiao Yi is...

He couldn't possibly be Li Changsheng, a genius who had mastered the Immortal Book and possessed the peak cultivation of a terrestrial celestial being.

Unfortunately, Xiao Yi from the Martial Arts World possessed a powerful and unparalleled sword intent, capable of shattering the heavens with a single strike, despite his surging true qi and extremely restrained inner strength.

They were almost on par with Li Changsheng. "The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty has discerning eyes." Xiao Yi nodded slightly. He couldn't see through Zhu Jinzhen's true strength, just as someone facing the starry sky at night knew that the difference between the two was terrifyingly large.

It is probably no less beautiful than fireflies or the bright moon.

He naturally knew that hiding it was pointless, so he simply admitted it honestly.

Upon hearing this, Li Changsheng couldn't help but laugh: "Hahaha, this guy passed on his knowledge to his son twelve years after the founding of the Northern Li Kingdom, and went into seclusion to meditate for three hundred years without ever venturing into the human world."

"He's much better than me."

The palace maids serving in the hall and Yu Huatian and the others couldn't help but frown.

They felt that Li Changsheng was too dissolute.

Zhu Jinzhen didn't care. Instead, he smiled and said, "I invited you two here tonight because I have some doubts in my mind. They concern me and the common people. I hope you two can help me resolve them."

"Come here, give me a seat."

Soon, a palace maid brought over a chair.

Li Changsheng and Xiao Yi exchanged a glance, both noticing that the other had quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Judging from Zhu Jinzhen's attitude, he at least didn't consider them enemies or threats.

After thanking them, the two sat down without any hesitation.

Then, Xiao Yi spoke up: "I wonder what Your Majesty the Emperor of the Great Ming wishes to ask? As long as it is something that the two of us know, we will tell you everything without reservation."

"Easy to say."

Zhu Jinzhen nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Li Changsheng: "I heard that Mr. Li, back then, your sword shook the heavens and attracted immortals from the nine heavens to the mortal world, saying that you were not a talent of this world and should go to heaven to live a carefree life?"

"Later, the legend of the immortal touching my head and bestowing upon me immortality came about."

"I'm curious about those immortals..."

"Are they immortals from the heavens above or below?"

"Or is he the peerless immortal who lives in the legendary ends of the world in Beili?"

Li Changsheng's pupils contracted, and Xiao Yi's body trembled as well. Both of them looked at Zhu Jinzhen in disbelief.

Zhu Jinzhen took in the reactions of the two men and continued to ask, "At the end of the heavens, in the most desperate place on earth, there are saints from all directions. The Mo family in the east, the Lü family in the south, the Ye family in the west, and the Su family in the north."

"Are they guarding this desolate place against celestial beings, or immortals from beyond this realm?"

"besides……"

"Besides Su Baiyi, who guards the northern border, who else in the Su family is there?"

Upon hearing this, Li Changsheng sighed deeply: "Your Majesty the Emperor even knows such secrets; you are truly all-powerful!"

"What, is this problem difficult?"

"Do not."

Li Changsheng shook his head and smiled wryly: "It's not difficult, but where should I begin?"

Zhu Jinzhen remained unmoved and quietly watched him.

"Back then, when I had mastered my skills, I thought I had reached the pinnacle of martial arts. It is true that my sword shook the heavens and attracted immortals from the nine heavens to descend to earth. But people spread rumors and misinformation. Those immortals wanted to touch my head, not to grant me immortality, but to cut off my immortality with their fingers."

Recalling that past memory, Li Changsheng's languid air vanished, replaced by a spirited and arrogant demeanor: "But I am Li Changsheng! So what if I am a celestial being? To cut off my immortality? A fool's dream!"

"In that battle, I fought alongside Xiao Yi and Li Xuan..."

"Poet Sword Immortal, I know."

The Tang Dynasty in the world of martial arts has not yet appeared, nor has the Azure Lotus Sword Immortal Li Bai.

The Poet Sword Immortal is Li Xuan of Beili.

He was also a poetic genius of his generation.

Upon hearing this, Li Changsheng continued, "The three of us fought a great battle with the celestial beings, and then several hidden immortals joined us. The battle raged for three days and nights, and we were truly no match for them. So we thought of my master guarding the northern border at the ends of the earth, and lured the immortal to the northern border."

"Unexpectedly, this played right into the hands of those immortals, or rather, the celestial immortals."

"It turns out that my ancestor, Su Xinghe, shattered the heavens with a single sword strike, fought his way to the upper realm, and battled the celestial immortals so fiercely that they dared not descend to the mortal world. Because of my reckless sword strike that opened the gates of heaven, they found an opportunity and thus descended to the mortal world to fight their way down."

"I want to take this opportunity to see the truth and falsehood of the human world."

"Fortunately, at the critical moment, the Heavenly Condensation Sword Technique left by the Ancestral Master killed all the remaining immortals, thus preventing a major mistake."

"But people spread rumors and believed that I shook the heavens with my sword, which attracted an immortal to descend to earth and bestow immortality upon me."

In the end, Li Changsheng was somewhat speechless.

The idea that an immortal would stroke my head and bestow upon me immortality is a fantasy of mortals.

A true immortal descending to the mortal realm can sever one's immortality with a snap of their fingers.

(End of this chapter)