Great Zhou Martial Immortal

Chapter 91 Guilty conscience exposed, living a life worse than death

Danxiao Academy.

This place was built specifically for the emperor to practice alchemy.

The three courtyards are all laid out according to the orientation of the Book of Changes, and the central alchemy room is built at the yin-yang intersection of the Taiji diagram.

The courtyard is filled with ancient cypress trees, and from time to time, you can hear the calls of strange birds. It is said that the red sparrows are tributes from Lingnan and can distinguish the authenticity of medicinal materials.

Wearing an apricot-yellow Taoist robe with the Big Dipper embroidered on the lapel, Wei Shifang was sitting cross-legged on a futon in the alchemy room.

The three-foot-tall bronze alchemy furnace in front of him was covered with cloud and thunder patterns, and the embers at the bottom of the furnace flickered, casting an unpredictable shadow on his face.

On the table beside the stove, various rare and precious materials were piled up haphazardly—the snow lotus stamen from Kunlun Mountain still had ice crystals on it, the pearl formed from the tears of mermaids in the South China Sea shimmered with a deep blue, and the most eye-catching was the human-shaped He Shou Wu, which was said to be a thousand years old, with its roots intertwined like the beard and hair of an old man.

"Senior brother."

The nun Jingyin lifted the curtain of the alchemy room, the gold bracelet on her wrist clinking. Although she had shaved her head and become a nun, she wore a crimson silk skirt, and the vermilion dot between her eyebrows was three times more vibrant than the Buddha's seal: "How is the Longevity Pill being refined?"

"No hurries."

Without even lifting his eyelids, Wei Shifang gently flicked the whisk in his hand towards the southeast corner of the alchemy furnace. Suddenly, a cluster of green flames burst forth from the bottom of the furnace, illuminating the bronze mirror hanging above it. In the mirror, the face of Wu Zetian in her youth appeared, and in an instant, it transformed into a sky full of stars. "The Golden Elixir Classic says: 'If the timing of the fire is different, the medicine will be incompatible.'"

He deliberately raised his voice so that the palace servants watching from the outside could hear him clearly: "Although the [Eternal Spring Pill] does not take as long as the 'Nine-Turn Golden Pill', it still requires the same care in controlling the heat. This furnace uses luminous sand, a tribute from the Western Regions, and the pill can only be collected when the Pleiades are in the sky!"

After saying that, he turned to Jingyin and lowered his voice, asking, "What is it?"

The nun Jingyin leaned closer and said, "Just now, Princess Taiping entered the palace."

"Go ahead and take it."

Veshfang scoffed: "Is that all?"

The nun Jingyin said, "She went straight into Yingxian Palace, saying she had something important to report and asked the Emperor to dismiss his attendants... I had a bad feeling; I sensed she was coming for us..."

"Targeting us..."

Halfway through his sentence, Veshfang realized something was amiss: "Who else was in the hall at that time?"

Jingyin said solemnly, "It's just me and a few maids. They're definitely after us!"

"hiss……"

Wei Shifang's expression changed, his eyes rolled up, and he thought rapidly: "What weakness could we possibly have? After 'rejuvenation,' we're already invincible! Didn't Princess Taiping have to tolerate what you said before? Would she dare to offend the Martial Emperor? Unless she can find the elixir of immortality, nothing we do will be of any use! Don't be afraid!"

He pulled a pill from his sleeve and sneered, "The [Mysterious Crane Rejuvenation Pill] is gone, but I still have this [Radiance Rejuvenation Pill] and [Hibiscus Powder]. That should last for a few months. Then I can find an excuse to go out and gather herbs, and take all the rare treasures with me to leave this place of trouble!"

"Having said that..."

Jingyin's expression darkened, and her voice lowered even further: "I'm worried about what will happen to the Lord..."

As if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head, the smugness on Wei Shifang's face vanished, replaced by a tense expression: "But he hasn't gotten what he wants yet, so he shouldn't make any moves..."

Jingyin shook her head: "Senior brother, do you think he really cares about the letter in the secret pavilion?"

"Why don't you care?"

Wei Shifang immediately said, "He gave us so many miraculous medicines! There were even two Xuanhe Rejuvenation Pills! If he had offered them up himself, he would have looked more like a celestial master than I have! If he didn't have some ulterior motive, how could such a good thing have fallen into our laps?"

Jingyin sighed: "If it was really for those letters, why did he force me to provoke Princess Taiping? Shouldn't we have waited until we honestly gained her trust and obtained the Hidden Immortal's secret letters before taking action?"

"..."

Wei Shifang opened his mouth, sensing something was amiss, but still said, "So what? Even a good-for-nothing like Xue Huaiyi dared to have the Prince of Liang lead his horse. We are ten times, a hundred times more important than Xue Huaiyi. What's wrong with asking her for a male concubine to refine elixirs? Back then, Emperor Wu of Han..."

"Let's not even talk about Emperor Wu of Han!"

Jingyin impatiently interrupted him, glanced around, and whispered, "I suspect that the Venerable One's purpose from beginning to end has only been one thing: that male favorite! You and I are just a decoy, or rather, a side job... These pills are divine objects to you and me, and rare treasures to the Martial Emperor, but what do they mean to him? He can even put the [Mysterious Crane Rejuvenation Pill] in a gourd!"

Wei Shifang's expression changed slightly, and the scene of seeing that person under the Qixia Thatched Cottage immediately flashed through his mind.

He casually waved his hand, and four or five gourds floated out of the mural.

It's full of fourth- or fifth-grade, and even third-grade, miraculous medicines, all of which are novel and wondrous medicines that have never appeared in the martial arts world before!
Jingyin continued, "Also, after I met the Goddess, I kept thinking about something... I felt like I'd seen her armor, made of Xuanming Cold Iron, somewhere before, and this morning I remembered..."

Weisfang asked, "Where?"

Jingyin said in a deep voice, "It's the mechanical hand that the Venerable Master used to demonstrate the 'Six Harmonies Pivot' when he taught me the art of puppetry! The same woman's arm, the same Xuanming Cold Iron, except that hand is decorated with golden patterns, and the skeleton is more like a normal person's. Now that I think about it carefully, after that hand was taken out, he always did things with only one hand... I'm wondering... could that hand be..."

"impossible!"

Veshfang's face turned pale, and he said decisively, "Don't be paranoid! He's covered in a black robe from head to toe, you must be mistaken!"

"Do not……"

Jingyin swallowed hard, her eyes widening in shock: "The Lord isn't a profound person. Sometimes he asks strange questions, like, 'Is it fun?', 'Is it delicious?', 'Is it beautiful?'... When he asks these questions, he makes gestures. Since he's missing a hand, his gestures are different..."

"..."

Wei Shifang could no longer deceive himself. His body trembled, and he muttered to himself, "I heard that during the great battle at the Mechanized City not long ago, a hidden immortal forged mechanical puppets—the Goddess and Taiyi appeared in the world. Could he also be...? That's impossible! Why is he just one person? Don't the Goddess and Taiyi have to follow people and take their orders?"

Jingyin shook her head: "I don't know, but if he were a puppet, he would understand why he gave you and me pills and let us enter the palace... The [Mysterious Crane Rejuvenation Pill] has no effect on him..."

People in government offices can't turn back the clock!
Wei Shifang was startled and jumped to his feet: "What does he mean? Could it be that what you said was his real goal? To anger Princess Taiping, to anger Lu Chenyuan? Or to get Lu Chenyuan into Danxiao Academy? To attack the Empress? Yes, the Empress is practically his sister... 'her' sister..."

Jingyin said, "Princess Taiping is in charge of the Inner Guard. If she is displeased and goes to Mount Song to investigate our background, and if the Lord has made any moves... could her entry into the palace this time be......"

Vesh's face turned deathly pale instantly!
Just then, light footsteps sounded outside the alchemy room, followed by the whispers of the apprentice medicine boys:

"Rumors are circulating in the palace that something happened at Mount Song... Is it true?"

"I'm not quite sure. Isn't Mount Song the location of Shaolin Temple? Would something happen in Shaolin?"

"I've heard there are thirteen monks who are exceptionally skilled in martial arts! They even helped Emperor Taizong conquer the world!"

"How stupid! That's Shaoshi Mountain. There's also Taishi Mountain in Songshan. The accident happened on Taishi Mountain. Songshan is so big, how many people does Shaolin have? With seventy-two peaks, it's not like there can be many of them. Why can't something happen there?"

"But they said it was someone from the princess's residence who died..."

"That...that must be just a rumor...Shaolin wouldn't dare kill anyone from the Princess's residence."

"It seems to be the traitors from the Netherworld Palace, the same group that conspired with the Turks to assassinate the emperor a while ago... If it's them, they might actually dare to kill them, they've got guts!"

"That's not all. There are also rumors that the two immortal immortals are actually from the Netherworld Palace, deliberately deceiving the Martial Emperor to sneak into the inner court to steal chickens and dogs, plotting an assassination..."

"Shh, keep your voice down..."

"I'm not making this up. They even went to the treasure vault today and took a lot of spiritual herbs..."

"Shut up! Are you out of your mind?!"

The sound faded away.

Inside the alchemy room, Wei Shifang and Jingyin felt weak in the knees and their faces were ashen.

Something really happened at Mount Song!
Wei Shifang's fingers dug into the handle of the whisk so hard that his knuckles turned bluish-white. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, but he couldn't make a sound. Jingyin was even worse. His legs went weak and he almost knelt down. His eyes, which always held a seductive look, were now wide open, his pupils contracted to pinpoints, and his lips trembled incessantly.

"Senior brother..."

Jingyin's voice was so hoarse it sounded inhuman, as if it were being squeezed out of her throat, "W-how..."

Suddenly, Veshfang sprang up, covered her mouth with his hand, and turned his head away.

Another series of footsteps approached, this time accompanied by the sound of armor rubbing together, the bronze scales intertwining and emitting a fine, ringing sound.

The two were terrified.

Are they here to arrest someone?!
Just then, Shangguan Wan'er's voice came from outside the room: "His Majesty the Holy Emperor has decreed—"

She paused deliberately, waiting for Wei Shifang and Jingyin to leave.

Jingyin swallowed hard and immediately looked at Weishifang.

Veshfang took a deep breath, wrote a few words in her palm, and gestured with his eyes: Now we can only continue and deny it to the death, otherwise the slightest slip-up will be the crime of deceiving the emperor, which will surely lead to death, so we must keep the peace!
Jingyin understood and nodded.

The two took a deep breath. Wei Shifang stood up, his expression changing as he regained his composure. He flicked his whisk and strode out of the alchemy room, ignoring the armored soldiers behind Shangguan Wan'er. He knelt respectfully and said, "Your humble servant Wei Shifang respectfully receives the imperial edict and will obey the decree of His Majesty the Holy Emperor!"

Jingyin followed and walked out. Seeing the dozens of soldiers behind Shangguan Wan'er, her legs went weak. She tried her best to steady herself and also knelt down: "Your humble servant Jingyin respectfully listens to the imperial edict and obeys the decree of His Majesty the Holy Emperor!"

Shangguan Wan'er, expressionless, unfolded the imperial edict: "...I have heard that a sorcerer is causing trouble at Mount Song, killing twenty-five officials of the Princess's residence. The traitor's lair has been discovered at the former site of the thatched cottage, your former place of cultivation. Therefore, I hereby order Immortal Master Wei and Zen Master Jingyin to immediately depart for Mount Song to witness the grand ritual and prove their innocence. If there is indeed a grievance, I will uphold justice for the two Immortal Masters; if there is any treachery..." Her voice paused subtly here, her gaze sweeping over the two men like lightning: "...they will also be punished according to the law!"

"Your Majesty clearly shows you!"

Weishfang knelt down with a thud, his forehead pressed against the cold blue bricks.

He secretly calculated the time with his fingers hidden in his sleeve, then suddenly kowtowed heavily: "Please, Attendant Shangguan, convey this to Your Majesty: Your humble servant dares to report! The Changchun Pill is currently at the 'Nine Revolutions of Fire' stage. If it is removed from the furnace now, not only will all previous efforts be wasted, but there is also a risk of the pill's poison backfiring..." He glanced at Shangguan Wan'er's expression, seeing that she remained as cold as ice, and had no choice but to continue, "I humbly request a three-day extension. Once I have collected the pill, I will immediately set off for Mount Song to prove my innocence!"

Danxiao Courtyard fell silent for a moment.

Wei Shifang and Jingyin knelt respectfully, not daring to rise.

Shangguan Wan'er suddenly chuckled and said lightly, "Didn't Master Wei say... that the newly added tribute of Night-Shining Sand can only be collected when the Pleiades are in the sky? Three days... is that enough?"

Her words, though spoken softly, struck my heart like a heavy hammer!
Veshfang's back stiffened abruptly, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his inner shirt.

He felt a wave of dizziness, and Shangguan Wan'er's insightful eyes appeared before his eyes—it turned out she had arrived long ago!

The young apprentice who spoke medicine earlier, and those words...

Jingyin swayed, her nails digging deep into her palms, yet she felt no pain.

"This this……"

Veshfang's voice was dry, like sandpaper scraping. He swallowed hard. "Your Excellency, I... this humble Taoist priest..."

The guilty look and gesture speak volumes.

Shangguan Wan'er suddenly turned around and knelt down respectfully with the most standard palace etiquette.

Suddenly, a soft tinkling of jade pendants came from outside the hall. The sound was unhurried, yet it made the air in the entire alchemy room freeze.

Wu Zetian, accompanied by Princess Taiping Li Lingyue, slowly stepped into Danxiao Courtyard. Their auras flowed around them, and their clothes fluttered even without wind.

Wu Zetian did not wear a crown today, but simply tied her hair in a bun. Yet, she exuded an unparalleled killing intent. With each step she took, Wei Shifang felt as if he had been struck in the chest, and his internal energy almost stagnated!
"How is the refining of my Longevity Pill progressing?"

Wu Zetian's voice was very soft, yet it made the alchemy furnace in the alchemy room buzz loudly.

Li Lingyue sneered, flicked her jade finger, and the door swung open, causing the lid of the alchemy furnace to explode!

There was only a clump of murky dregs in the furnace, emitting a pungent, burnt smell.

A hint of disappointment flashed in Wu Zetian's eyes, which then turned into a raging fury. The atmosphere of the entire Danxiao Courtyard suddenly froze, and the rare and precious materials on display—Kunlun Snow Lotus, South China Sea Pearl, and Thousand-Year-Old He Shou Wu—suddenly trembled violently, and a layer of pale white frost condensed on their surface!

"I treated you as a national hero, how will you repay me?"

The Empress's voice made Vesfo feel as if a thousand needles were piercing his bone marrow at once. The midday sun shone down, and he was so cold that his teeth chattered.

Jingyin's face was ashen, blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and she curled up in a ball, trembling.

Li Lingyue stepped forward, the golden bell at her waist ringing crisply in the quiet alchemy room: "Your Majesty, such a treacherous scoundrel should be handed over to your son..."

Wu Zetian raised her hand and waved it, and the medicinal herbs on the table instantly turned into powder.

An invisible wave of energy swept across, abruptly silencing the chirping of the Dan Que birds outside the wall, plunging the entire Danxiao Courtyard into a deathly silence.

"deliver an imperial order."

The Empress's voice was eerily calm, and Shangguan Wan'er awaited orders respectfully.

"Danxiao Academy shall be sealed off immediately."

Wu Zetian's gaze swept over the two limp figures: "All the people are to be dealt with by Princess Taiping."

Upon hearing this, the last glimmer of light in Wei Shifang's eyes vanished.

He knew that compared to Wu Zetian's thunderous wrath, falling into Princess Taiping's hands would be a true fate worse than death!

"My son, take your orders."

Li Lingyue turned to look at the nun Jingyin, smiled slightly, and the killing intent in her eyes was almost tangible: "Zen Master Jingyin, I thought you could keep up the act for a while. After all, it's rare to see someone who dares to swagger around in my residence!"

Jingyin was terrified: "Your Highness...I..."

Li Lingyue coldly said, "Take her away and imprison her in my manor's dungeon. Whatever you do, don't let her commit suicide. Even if she dies, bring her back to life! One hundred and twenty-eight sets of tortures, let me use them on her in turn!"

"Yes!"

Eight guards immediately stepped forward.

Upon hearing this, Jingyin trembled violently. As the guard's iron-like hands gripped her shoulders, she suddenly let out a scream that was not human. Her legs kicked wildly, and one of her monk's shoes flew off as she cried out, "I confess! I confess everything! There are mechanical puppets on Mount Song! She gave me all the medicine! Princess, spare my life! Princess, spare my life!"

Li Lingyue grabbed her chin and turned to look at Wei Shifang: "What does the 'Immortal Master' think?"

Veshfang reacted swiftly, immediately kneeling down: "I'll confess everything too! Princess, spare my life!"

"Did you hear that?"

Li Lingyue turned around and looked at Jingyin: "You don't need to confess. You just need to endure the torture. Take her away!"

"No—no—!"

Jingyin let out a heart-wrenching wail and tried to move again, but Li Lingyue kicked her, and Jingyin immediately lost consciousness.

The guards dragged her away like a dead dog.

After witnessing the entire process, Weisfang was terrified and his soul nearly left his body.

Looking at the mess in the alchemy room, Wu Zetian suddenly said, "Summon Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi to the palace!"

Shangguan Wan'er responded softly and waved for a guard to leave the palace immediately to deliver the imperial decree.

"Mother."

Li Lingyue said solemnly, "The matter of Mount Song is of utmost urgency, as it concerns the 'Heavenly Crafts Scroll' and the Divine Craftsman..."

Wu Zetian nodded: "Issue the decree. Order Wang Xiaojie to lead 5,000 elite cavalry of the Eagle Guard to Mount Song immediately, lay a net of heaven and earth, and surround Xuanlian Peak! Also, draft a Juntian Decree, bestow upon the Abbot of Shaolin a purple-gold kasaya, and order him to lead the Eighteen Arhats and 500 martial monks to Xuanlian Peak to await orders... The thirty-six peaks of Shaoshi Mountain are not to be trifled with!"

Li Lingyue breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you, Mother!"

Wu Zetian turned to look at her, a hint of weariness flashing in her eyes. She softened her expression and smiled, "This must have been taught to you by Lu Qing. Even after his mechanical puppet was taken away, he was still able to come up with such a clever plan. He remained calm in the face of danger, which truly shows the demeanor of a general."

Li Lingyue laughed and said, "Mother, you flatter me. It's just a little trick of spreading rumors. It can't be called a 'miracle plan' at all. It's just that those two swindlers are not careful enough, which is why they lost their composure... Lu Chenyuan isn't much better. He couldn't wait any longer and rushed to Songshan to scout ahead. He lost his composure after losing the mechanical armor. What kind of general is he? At best, he's just a vanguard who rushes into battle!"

Having said that, he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, if there is nothing else, your son—"

Wu Zetian laughed: "What? Are you in such a hurry to help the vanguard officer?"

"..."

Li Lingyue's face immediately turned red, and she lowered her head shyly.

Wu Zetian sighed softly. A cold wind swept past the palace gate, carrying withered chrysanthemums, and a strand of frosty hair at her temple was blown away.

She raised her hand as if to tidy her hair, but paused in mid-air before simply placing it lightly on her daughter's shoulder.

"You did very well this time."

These words were spoken softly, yet they sent a shiver down Li Lingyue's spine.

She saw a fleeting vulnerability in her mother's eyes—the first time she had shown any weakness in front of her.

"This time, I..."

She paused, then curled her lips into a self-deprecating smile, "I was completely fooled by two charlatans."

Li Lingyue opened her mouth to speak, but didn't know how to offer advice. She exchanged a glance with Shangguan Wan'er.

The sound of the water clock came from outside the palace. Wu Zetian straightened her back, and all her weakness instantly turned into a sharp edge: "Go, let the world see—what punishment should be given to those who deceive the emperor!"

"My son, please retire."

After solemnly performing the grand ceremony, Li Lingyue turned around with a solemn expression and, without stopping, headed towards Mount Song.

……

(End of this chapter)