Longevity Candle

Chapter 144 The First Emperor of All Time
Jiang Zhu fell into a deep sleep once more, and the Nine-Colored Deer took care of Jiang Xiyue.

In the eleventh year of the Xianyuan era, the West reported frequent victories, bringing some former kingdoms into its territory.

In that same year, problems arose in temples across the Ming Dynasty, with incense being stolen and demons causing havoc in the area.

Jiang Yunmeng summoned various Daoist sects and discussed the matter for several months in the imperial palace, establishing the Demon Slaying Bureau to patrol the world and eliminate demons.

They also established a competition for the position of Imperial Preceptor: whichever lineage slays the most demons will be chosen as the Imperial Preceptor from among the Qi Refiners of that lineage.

In an instant, cultivators from various Daoist lineages entered the mortal world, patrolling the land and searching for demons.

Because of Jiang Zhu and the Nine-Colored Deer, Qinghe City is peaceful and free from demonic disturbances.

Of course, the Crimson Lotus also played a role; with him here, virtually no demons dared to come.

In the twelfth year of the Immortal Era, the scourge of demons and monsters became even more rampant, causing great casualties among Qi cultivators.

Various Taoist sects joined forces to forge immortal artifacts to suppress demons.

In the thirteenth year of the Immortal Era, Qi Refiners gained the upper hand due to their possession of immortal artifacts, and all kinds of demons and monsters retreated.

The Nine-Colored Deer also captured one or two demons, but they weren't real demons; they were mutated corpses.

It cultivates by absorbing human blood and moonlight, making its body strong enough to rival that of an ordinary martial artist. It is also highly poisonous and extremely contagious.

Jiang Zhu also checked it out; it resembled a zombie.

Like the blood-red lotus, it is completely unafraid of karma; or rather, such beings represent the karma of heaven and earth.

Killing them would also bring merit.

These demons are also terrified of the power of merit.

The nine-colored deer found it very strange and even caught a few to study, but they didn't figure anything out.

She asked the Crimson Lotus, but it didn't give her an answer, so she had to ask Jiang Zhu.

"Immortals perform good deeds, while they create karma. They belong to the realm of heaven and earth, and are the product of karma."

Jiang Zhu pondered for a moment and said, "They represent karma, which is the opposite of merit, and they are on different paths."

The Nine-Colored Deer said, "The world is truly wondrous. But why seal away the Floating Life? With them around, the spirits will have something to do."

"Is it possible that the elves can't defeat them?" Jiang Zhu asked calmly.

"Can't beat them? Or is there some old turtle..."

The Nine-Colored Deer couldn't continue. It was indeed possible that there were demons comparable to the old tortoise.

In that era of floating life, the only option was to seal them away. If they weren't sealed away and allowed to run rampant in the world, would the spirits have any chance of survival?

It's likely that the elves were eaten by demons as soon as they appeared.

“Releasing them out now will solve the problem,” the Nine-Colored Deer added.

She was confident that even if those things on the eighteenth floor regained their strength, they wouldn't be able to rival the old tortoise.

It's been too long; they've long since been reborn, and they no longer possess their peak magical power.

"You want to do good deeds?" Jiang Zhu asked.

"When Xiao Xiyue grows up, she'll be all hers." The Nine-Colored Deer smiled and picked up Jiang Xiyue.

Jiang Xiyue, who was eating candy, looked at them blankly: "Father, Mother."

"Good girl." The nine-colored deer patted her little head: "When you have completed your cultivation, go and help your older sister to wipe out all the demons in the world."

Jiang Zhu chuckled and teased Xiao Xiyue, then flipped his hand, revealing a bright red peach: "Here, have a peach."

Xiao Xiyue hugged Tao'er, squinting her eyes: "Father is so good."

"Is your mother any better? You were won over with just one peach?" the Nine-Colored Deer said discontentedly.

“Mother is fine too,” Jiang Xiyue said quickly.

"What a clever little devil," the Nine-Colored Deer chuckled.

Jiang Zhu stood up and said, "I'm going fishing. I'll make fish soup tonight."

He picked up his fishing rod, left Qinghe City, and went fishing in the Qinghe River outside the city.

The tributary of the Qingjiang River is called the Qinghe River by the people in the city.

Just as Jiang Zhu arrived, Peach Blossom Daoist was holding up a carp: "Fellow Daoist, you've returned from your travels?"

“Yes, I have a family now, so I can’t go too far. I come back every year.” Jiang Zhu smiled as he baited his hook and sat down not far from him. “You fish every day, but what about your disciples at the temple?”

"Isn't it because I have an apprentice? My eldest apprentice is honest and straightforward, so he's perfect for managing things for me."

Peach Blossom Taoist chuckled and said, "I'm just stealing half a day of leisure from my busy life."

"I'm pretty much the same. I leave my child with her mother and go fishing too," Jiang Zhu said with a smile.

The two chatted while looking at the river.

A moment later, Jiang Zhu and Peach Blossom Taoist both cast their lines and caught carp.

Jiang Zhu glanced at the bulging carp in his hand, released it casually, and continued fishing.

"Why did you release it?" Peach Blossom Taoist asked.

“There are seeds,” Jiang Zhu said.

Peach Blossom Taoist laughed and said, "Then you're unlucky. I caught a male."

As they were talking, Jiang Zhu cast his line again, and caught a black-striped fish weighing five pounds. It was a carnivorous fish with few bones, just right for Jiang Xiyue to eat.

Peach Blossom Taoist suddenly asked, "A month ago, there was a demon causing trouble upstream. It seems that a demonic snake appeared and swallowed several people in one gulp."

"Is that so?" Jiang Zhu frowned.

"Yes, my senior brothers went, but they couldn't find the demon snake," Peach Blossom Taoist said, frowning.

"You want to invite me to exorcise demons together?" Jiang Zhu asked.

"I have this idea, but I don't know if you, fellow Daoist, are interested in it," said Peach Blossom Daoist.

Jiang Zhu glanced at the river: "I'll give you an answer tomorrow."

“Alright.” Peach Blossom Taoist nodded.

Jiang Zhu just sat there, no longer casting his line. Several times the fishing line was pulled taut, but he didn't make a move.

Peach Blossom Taoist reminded him several times, but Jiang Zhu just smiled and said it wasn't the fish he wanted.

As evening approached, Peach Blossom Taoist stood up and said, "It's getting dark, I have to go back to cook and serve those young masters. What kind of fish are you waiting for?"

He was a little curious; apart from the black-striped fish, Jiang Zhu had been sitting still the whole time, refusing to take any fish that was available.

"Wait for the fish that willingly take the bait," Jiang Zhu said.

At the bottom of the river, a catfish with four limbs had just hooked a carp on its fishing hook, but upon hearing this, it took the carp off its hook.

For a moment, he was conflicted, unsure of what kind of fish to hang on Jiang Zhu.

Seeing that he had stopped, Jiang Zhu prepared to pack up his fishing rod and go home.

To his surprise, the catfish got impatient and bit the hook.

The fishing rod pulled the catfish up; its limbs had vanished, leaving only the large, fat catfish thrashing about on the ground.

Jiang Zhu asked curiously, "We are complete strangers, why did you help me bait the hook and then take the bait yourself?"

"This little demon greets the immortal master." The catfish transformed into four limbs and quickly bowed.

"Remove the fishhook first," Jiang Zhu said.

The catfish then carefully removed the fishhook from its mouth.

"Speak, what do you want from me? And who sent you?" Jiang Zhu said.

“I came here on my own,” the catfish demon hurriedly said. “The river has been quite turbulent lately. I used to live upstream, but since that serpent demon came, most of the demons in the river have been eaten by him. A few, like me, are hiding and fleeing everywhere. We really have no other choice.”

"Even a lowly demon like myself wouldn't dare go to the Ming Dynasty's Demon Slaying Division. And the King has left Qingjiang again; I don't know when he'll return."

"Who is your king?" Jiang Zhu asked.

“The King is a spirit of the Qingjiang River. He has been invited by the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty to participate in a Daoist conference. It will probably be more than ten years before he returns,” the catfish said helplessly. “Can’t you contact him?” Jiang Zhu asked.

"The King doesn't concern himself with anything in the river; he only imparted cultivation methods," the catfish said.

The Qingjiang spirit has returned, but it basically doesn't concern itself with Qingjiang affairs. It passed on the cultivation method and then left.

Jiang Zhu had also heard the Nine-Colored Deer mention that the Qingjiang Spirit was now getting along quite well with the Jingwei Bird and even planned to travel together to spread the Cloud Wandering Sect.

Although the Nine-Colored Deer never leaves the city, her magical powers are boundless, so it's still easy for her to learn about things.

"Go to Qinghe Temple and ask the celestial officials there to help," Jiang Zhu said calmly.

"Thank you, Immortal Master," the catfish hurriedly bowed.

He wanted to invite the immortal official, but since he had not registered with the imperial court, he could not go to the immortal official's temple.

Now that Jiang Zhu has spoken, we should be able to go tonight.

"Why did you come looking for me?" Jiang Zhu asked.

"When the King imparted his teachings, he also imprinted your appearance in our minds, saying that you are an immortal with boundless magical power," the catfish said.

Jiang Zhu suddenly realized, and casually sprinkled a bit of Taiyin magic power: "There's no need to inform the celestial official of my whereabouts or activate my magic power. You can send a message to the celestial official in a dream tonight."

"I understand," the catfish replied respectfully.

Jiang Zhu left with the black-striped fish, returning to Qinghe City.
"Why are you so late? And it was just one fish?"

As soon as they entered the courtyard, the nine-colored deer asked in confusion.

"I encountered a little demon." Jiang Zhu smiled and recounted the story.

“With demons rampant, there’s really nothing to worry about,” said the Nine-Colored Deer. “Just kill them directly, why bother with all this trouble?”

“The celestial officials are doing good deeds, so I have no use for them,” Jiang Zhu said. “As for Xiao Xiyue, she will have to do good deeds herself in the future. We can’t give her everything.”

The nine-colored deer nodded.

Little Xiyue said in her childish voice, "I did good deeds for my father and mother."

"Haha, you're such a good child of your mother." The Nine-Colored Deer patted Little Xiyue's head with a smile.

Jiang Zhu stewed a pot of fish soup, which tasted delicious.

After dinner, Nine-Colored Deer held Jiang Xiyue as they fell asleep, while Jiang Zhu stayed in another room.

And the temple of the immortal official.

The statue shone with divine light, and the celestial official guarding the Qinghe River inexplicably entered a dream.

"Hmm?" The celestial official frowned. Since becoming a celestial official, he had never dreamed.

Looking up, a catfish swam over, its gaze narrowing slightly: "Bold fish demon, how dare you enter my dream?"

"My Lord, please calm your anger. It was the Immortal Master who sent me." The catfish quickly bowed and said, "A snake demon has appeared in Qinghe City and has already harmed many people. I am grateful for the Immortal Master's guidance and have come to ask my Lord for help."

"Which sect of immortals do you belong to?" the immortal official asked gently, his expression softening.

“They are from the Wandering Sect. They have a past connection with my king. The immortal said that if you kill demons and evil spirits, you will gain merit. So he sent me to find you,” said the catfish.

The celestial official smiled and said, "I will register you and put you in the lineage of the Dao. As long as you do not cause trouble, you may come to the temple at will."

As a celestial official of Qinghe City, he naturally knew who the King of Qingjiang was.

That was an elf, belonging to the Wandering Spirits.

Those who can befriend the King of Qingjiang are mostly spirits who wouldn't care about such meager merits.

But since this celestial official took a liking to him, he naturally wouldn't pass on the merits.

Moreover, those who make meritorious contributions will be promoted in the future, enjoy more offerings, and receive better spiritual practices.

"Thank you very much, Celestial Official." The catfish was overjoyed.

The celestial official took out a token and handed it to the catfish demon: "If you encounter a snake demon, infuse it with your magic power, and I will descend upon you."

The catfish demon accepted the token, left its name and aura, and departed from the dream.

Half a month later, the catfish demon found the snake demon and asked the celestial official to enter the Qingjiang River to kill the snake demon.

Unexpectedly, the snake demon possessed extraordinary magical power. It took the celestial official activating the national fortune and dragon energy, and the combined efforts of many aquatic demon cultivators, to finally suppress and kill the snake demon.

However, the snake demon's soul was difficult to destroy, so it could only be brought back to the temple of the immortal official to be suppressed.

In the thirteenth year of the Xianyuan era, the immortal official of Qinghe slew a snake demon, and his deeds spread widely.

In the spring of the fourteenth year of the Xianyuan era, the army marched south to attack Rong Kingdom.

In the north of Rongguo, the people opened the city gates to welcome them, and the officials surrendered without a fight, which made Emperor Rong so angry that he vomited blood.

The name of the Ming Dynasty had long been known in the south.

Back in the Ningguo era, there was a saying: "I'd rather be a dog of Ningguo than a human in a chaotic world." How much more so in the current Ming Dynasty.

Jiang Yunmeng hadn't expected Rongguo to vote so readily; she had thought they could put up some resistance.

The generals who had been fighting were somewhat dissatisfied; he still wanted to make meritorious contributions and be posthumously granted a celestial official title.

Fortunately, Emperor Rong had some backbone and immediately mobilized troops to fight against the Ming army.

The result was, naturally, that they were routed by the Ming army.

The Rongguo army had lost all will to fight; their morale had long been shattered.

When Ningguo split up, Rongguo didn't benefit at all. It was only because of the intervention of the mountain and sea spirits that they were able to penetrate into the heart of Ningguo.

Now that the Mountain and Sea Spirits are gone, Rongguo doesn't even have the strength to struggle.

In the winter of the fifteenth year of the Xianyuan era, the Rong Kingdom was destroyed, and the entire south was incorporated into the territory of the Ming Kingdom.

The Ming Dynasty today is bordered by the East China Sea to the east and the South China Sea to the south, and the Qi cultivators are still heading west and north.

Jiang Yunmeng's first national policy was to connect the country's territory to all corners of the world!

Inside the palace, upon receiving intelligence from the south, Jiang Yunmeng smiled.

"Throughout history, I am the only one with such a vast territory!" Jiang Yunmeng laughed, his imperial dragon aura stronger than ever before: "In just over a decade, I have surpassed the former Ning Kingdom and will build an even stronger nation."

"Once your territory connects the four seas, what do you want to do?" the tabby cat asked.

Jiang Yunmeng said, "Of course, it is to go out into the world, sweep across the land, and make everything under the sun and moon our territory, so that the Ming Dynasty can shine like a candle in the dark for thousands of years."

"Come on, are you crazy? Aren't you afraid Jiang Zhu will slap you to death?" The tabby cat shook its head.

“This is the path the Ming Dynasty must take, and of course I know it’s impossible for it to last forever.” Jiang Yunmeng rolled her eyes at him: “Once everything stabilizes, I will step down.”

The tabby cat said, "I'm really afraid you've gone mad, pursuing some kind of eternal reign, and stubbornly clinging to the throne."

"I'm not that stupid. Being the emperor is meaningless, and my cultivation hasn't improved in a long time."

Jiang Yunmeng blinked: "How about you create another 'Emperor's Immortal Cultivation Method'?"

"You think I have that ability? If I did, how come I was almost killed by your mother back then?" The tabby cat rolled its eyes.

His grudges with Jiang Yunmeng had long been resolved, and he hadn't gotten any advantage back then.

"There's news that the fish demon of Qinghe City, with the help of a white-robed immortal, appeared in a dream to the celestial official," Jiang Yunmeng said.

"Jiang Zhu?" The tabby cat's eyes lit up.

“Possibly,” Jiang Yunmeng said.

"I'll go check it out. If he's been controlled by some elf, I'll rescue him," said the tabby cat.

“You can’t go now,” Jiang Yunmeng sighed. “The Dragon Blood Serpent and the Old Dragon are here. The Old Dragon is fine, since the matter is settled, but I don’t want to see the Dragon Blood Serpent.”

The old dragon only wanted to compete with the real dragon, but now that the matter is settled, she can just wait to raise the real dragon.

The Dragon Blood Serpent was purely there to take advantage; the Rong Kingdom was gone, and it wanted to share in the nation's fortune and dragon energy.

If it weren't for the karma that would result from killing elves and immortals, she would have loved to kill that greedy serpent.

"I'll take them to Qinghe City." The tabby cat clapped its paws and disappeared into the void.

(End of this chapter)