I changed the world.

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In front of the gate, Zhao Yuanxiu stood beside Li Huifeng, occasionally glancing at the enormous, Vajra-like ghost in the distance.

"Attention all units, I'll repeat it again: obey the rules and do not engage in any hostile behavior. I'll repeat it again: keep your weapons under control and do not engage in any hostile behavior..." He whispered the instructions to his surroundings through the headset.

At this point, he was quite worried that one of his foolish subordinates might accidentally pull a trigger, which would be a huge problem...

Even he himself didn't realize that he could be so long-winded, repeating himself tirelessly more than ten times in just over ten minutes...

Zhao Yuanxiu's mind raced with the highly classified documents he had previously encountered. Having been assigned to oversee the security of the Princess and the royal palace attendants, the Imperial Ceremonial Office had naturally provided him with a considerable amount of confidential information. However, even after reading that information, Zhao Yuanxiu still felt a sense of unreality until he witnessed a truly "grand scene." After all, unlike his colleagues in the Fourth Investigation Bureau, he had never been in close contact with similar events.

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 1043 This God Has Arrived Without Notice, True Man, Please Do Not Take offense!

This time, he truly witnessed firsthand that ghosts and spirits really do exist in this world!

He really wanted to go up and talk to the ghost, knowing full well that if he could get any information out of it, he would surely be sentenced to death.

However, at this moment, facing that sinister and terrifying giant ghost, he simply couldn't muster the courage to step forward...

Just as they were hesitating, the tightly closed mountain gate behind them was suddenly flung open...

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Yunxiao Temple is not a small temple. The distance from the Ancestral Hall to the mountain gate is not short. Even though everyone almost ran all the way, it took about fifteen minutes to get to the mountain gate.

At this point, the differences between the individuals became apparent. Li Jingxin walked at the very front, his robes fluttering, his expression calm, barely daring to breathe. Zhou Jingyuan and several other young and vigorous Taoist masters were only slightly out of breath, while the older Taoist masters lagged behind, panting heavily.

As for the Princess and her husband, as well as Qian Bushi, they did not fall behind. Perhaps because they exercise regularly, they kept up despite being out of breath. On the other hand, Rong Yu and the other palace maids also lagged behind, clearly due to a lack of exercise.

Li Jingxin strode to the mountain gate, where Wang Huizhong was waiting eagerly. Upon seeing the group approach, she hurriedly came forward to greet them. Li Jingxin stopped Wang Huizhong, who was about to bow, and asked directly, "How is it? Where are you now?"

"The City God's carriage is waiting outside the gate," Wang Huizhong quickly pointed to the mountain gate behind him.

Li Jingxin took a deep breath and glanced at Zhou Jingyuan, who was still breathing slightly beside him. He waited for a while until the high-ranking officials, the princess, the eunuchs, Qian Bushi and others who came to greet the guests were all in place. Xu Dequan then quickly adjusted everyone's positions.

"Open the mountain gates wide." Li Jingxin waved his hand.

Wang Huizhong and two other disciples rushed forward, lifted the horizontal bar on the mountain gate, and pushed the vermilion gate open slowly...

Standing slightly behind and to the side of Li Jingxin, Princess Chen Xuzhuo stared intently at the slowly opening door, as if a new world lay beyond it. In fact, not only her, but almost everyone, including Li Jingxin himself, shared this sentiment; they all watched as the door was fully pushed open…

Immediately afterwards, the enormous ghost-like figure, resembling a colossal statue of a heavenly king in a temple, came into view. The powerful visual impact of its massive size caused everyone to gasp in shock.

It's actually true!!!

Just as the mountain gate was pushed open, a middle-aged man in an official robe with a face as red as a jujube stepped down from the carriage in the procession outside. Behind him were two ghosts, one with a dark face and wearing armor, and the other with a fair face and wearing a green official robe.

The middle-aged man alighted from the carriage, and without any apparent haste, he was already on the steps of the mountain gate, walking towards the gate with a smile on his face.

"Hahaha, could it be the City God Fei Gong in person?" Li Jingxin laughed loudly as he went out to greet him. Zhou Jingyuan hurriedly followed beside him and went out to greet him as well.

The city god of Dinghai is named Fei Yingshan. According to local records, he was an official during the Northern Qi Dynasty. He led the people to repel pirate attacks many times and had a good reputation during his lifetime. After his death, the people built a temple to worship him, and he gradually became the local city god.

Li Jingxin, having once been the abbot of Yunxiao Mountain, was naturally aware of this, since the City God Temple was still managed by disciples of the Yunxiao Mountain sect.

"It is indeed me, Fei Yingshan, the City God of Dinghai. I have long admired you. I have come without prior notice. Please forgive me, Master!" The middle-aged man was Fei Yingshan, the City God of Dinghai, and he was all smiles.

Upon hearing this, Li Jingxin felt a sense of relief, realizing he hadn't misread it. In fact, when he first heard the disciples below say that the City God was visiting from the Ancestral Hall on the mountain, his initial reaction was that it was utter nonsense...

Then he thought of the annual City God procession, a custom common in many cities of the Great Zhao Dynasty, including Dinghai, though the timing varied from place to place. In Dinghai, every year on the fifteenth of the seventh lunar month, the City God Temple Fair would carry the City God's tablet and statue out of the temple, place them in a sedan chair, and parade them around the city in a grand procession. Afterwards, there would be a special City God Temple Fair, considered a means of warding off disasters and praying for blessings.

So his reaction was whether it was that kind of City God procession, but the disciple was extremely nervous and repeatedly declared that it was not a clay sculpture.

At that time, if Li Jingxin had repeatedly inquired or sent someone to check again, it would have inevitably wasted time and affected the image of the expert. Therefore, Li Jingxin made a decisive decision and went directly to greet him.

In fact, Li Jingxin wasn't entirely gambling. The fog that surrounded him, which appeared as just a hazy gray fog to ordinary people, was not simply fog to Li Jingxin, who had already embarked on the path of cultivation. Although he couldn't fully understand the nature of this fog at the moment, the fact that he couldn't understand it already spoke volumes.

"Come... let me introduce you, City God. This gentleman is my junior brother, Zhou Jingyuan, the new abbot of Yunliu Xiaoyi Temple." Li Jingxin smiled and gestured to the City God.

"Abbot Zhou, congratulations." City God Fei Yingshan was extremely polite, which made Zhou Jingyuan feel quite flattered. However, he also knew that at this moment, there were many eyes watching him from behind. So he smiled and chatted with the City God for a few words before extending his hand to invite the City God into the temple.

"The Yunxiao Temple is dedicated to the Three Pure Ones, while I am a spirit of the underworld. I will not visit the temples on the mountain. Let me have a cup of tea here at the foot of the mountain," the City God said with a smile.

Yunxiao Temple was built against the mountain. The entire temple is located at the top of Yunxiao Mountain, with the various halls and buildings winding along the mountain. The "halls on the mountain" mentioned by the City God refers to the Sanqing Hall and other halls located at the highest point of the mountain.

As he spoke, City God Fei Yingshan reached out and beckoned behind him, and two underworld officials brought over two exquisitely crafted wooden boxes.

"Please accept this small gift, Master Li and Abbot Zhou..."

"This...how can this be..."

"We can't let Mr. Fei come empty-handed..."

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Princess Chen Xuzhu stared wide-eyed at the scene before her, looking somewhat like a startled quail. She was standing at the back, which was her own request, so it wasn't considered impolite.

Clearly, Master Li had no intention of introducing her, and she made no move to approach him or ask any questions. She simply stared intently at the ghosts and deities before her. Compared to the City God Fei Yingshan, who was politely deferring to Master Li, her gaze was more focused on the enormous, armored ghost behind the City God and the chariot further behind.

P.S.: First of all, Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone! May your families be reunited! Ahem... Also, my family is going out for the Mid-Autumn Festival, so I need to ask for a day off... No updates tomorrow, normal updates will resume the day after. Finally, Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone again!

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 1044 Your Highness Wants to Become My Apprentice?

It must be said that, compared to the City God, who appears more "human," his retinue is more in line with the legendary descriptions of ghosts and deities. Of course, it must be said that even though it has been described in historical records, the indescribable shock of seeing it in person still stirs the heart.

The enormous ghostly figure, resembling a heavenly king in a temple, if not for the presence of numerous high-ranking Taoist masters in this place, Chen Xuzhuo was unsure whether he would have collapsed to the ground due to his weak legs if he were in that position...

Not only Princess Chen Xuzhuo showed such an expression, but also the eunuchs behind her and Qian Bushi, the director of the Religious Affairs Bureau. These people had only seen the information and had never personally witnessed the so-called ghosts and gods. Unexpectedly, today, they would have the opportunity to experience this miraculous thing firsthand...

In particular, Qian Bushi seemed more excited than the royal representatives. As the highest person in charge of the empire's religious administration in theory, the Bureau of Religious Affairs was responsible not only for managing the affairs of Taoist temples and monasteries in various places, but also for managing Buddhism, Shamanism, and various local minor beliefs.

Despite its seemingly large power and heavy workload, the Religious Affairs Bureau was actually quite a quiet, unassuming organization in previous years. Aside from organizing annual study sessions, meetings, and discussions, it mainly conducted routine visits and seminars across various regions. While it did allocate funds to various religious institutions annually, these allocations were fixed and rarely changed. The Religious Affairs Bureau was primarily a functional agency.

Qian Bushi, the former director of the Religious Affairs Bureau, had been sidelined for more than a decade and had long since lost his temper. He spent most of the year drinking tea and surfing the internet in his office, cultivating his mind and body, just waiting for retirement.

It wasn't until more and more extraordinary events began to appear in various places, and especially since various signs indicated that they were intricately linked to local traditional religions, that the Religious Affairs Bureau was reluctantly remembered by the central leadership. Recently, there have been rumors that the Emperor mentioned Qian Bushi's name during a cabinet meeting, giving him the evaluation of a "cadre."

Clearly, if it were the old Bureau of Religious Affairs, His Majesty would have been too busy with state affairs to possibly remember the name of a bureau chief. But now, this person has caught His Majesty's eye, and who knows, there might actually be a chance for him to join the cabinet in this lifetime...

Qian Bushi is now full of ambition, so he personally participated in the Yunxiao Mountain abdication ceremony, hoping to gain some unique insights.

Unexpectedly, this was like a pillow appearing when one is sleepy. He could already imagine that his report, once submitted, would surely reach the desks of His Majesty and the Grand Secretary...

While everyone was lost in their own thoughts, the formalities had been completed, and of course, the gifts were accepted.

All eyes were now on the two wooden boxes. However, the City God did not say what they contained, and Li Jingxin and Zhou Jingyuan obviously did not intend to open them right there at the gate. So, although everyone was curious, no one dared to ask to take a look.

"Come, Master Fei, please..." There was a place to receive guests at the mountain gate. Since the City God said he would not go up the mountain, Li Jingxin did not insist. He extended his hand to invite him, and a disciple led the way.

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City God Fei Yingshan did not linger. He simply drank a cup of tea and then took his leave, citing his busy schedule. Li Jingxin and Zhou Jingyuan tried to persuade him to stay, but in the end, they saw him off at the mountain gate.

The City God's carriage, just as it had arrived, gradually disappeared into the mist.

Strangely enough, the moment the City God's carriage disappeared, the mist atop Cloud Peak gradually thinned and vanished...

At this time, most of the guests were having their vegetarian lunch in the dining hall and were unaware that such a mysterious visit had taken place in front of the mountain gate.

However, for Qian Bushi and the others, especially for Princess Chen Xuzhuo, what they had just experienced was truly novel. Having grown up with a silver spoon in her mouth, she was already extremely wealthy, and there were very few things she hadn't seen or experienced.

However, what she had just witnessed was clearly something beyond her comprehension. Even though she knew beforehand that Yunxiao Mountain was extraordinary, knowing and actually seeing it created completely different perceptions. Not to mention, when that ghostly being, as tall as a giant from mythology, actually stood before her, the shock she felt, the associations that arose from the depths of her blood and from all the myths and legends of China…

Legendary tales of divine wars during the origins of the Chinese civilization, ancient times of giants chasing the sun, and the legendary fairy islands hidden in the vast ocean... all these things had never seemed so real in her mind.

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"What?! Your Highness wants to become my disciple?" On the way up the mountain, Li Jingxin turned his head and asked Chen Xuzhuo, who had walked up beside him, in a low voice.

"The Master privately calls me by my courtesy name, Yi Le. To be honest, I have been worshipping the Heavenly Venerable since I was a child, following my mother's example. I have always been a believer of the Heavenly Venerable, but I have never truly had a master or studied the scriptures. The Master is a highly accomplished person of our time, and I sincerely admire him. I wish to become his disciple and learn the orthodox methods of the Xuanmen..."

Li Jingxin glanced at Chen Xuzhuo's eyes, which, though calm, clearly suppressed excitement. It must be said that this princess, who had always been calm and elegant since their meeting, with the demeanor of a standard royal princess, had never shown such an expression before.

He instantly understood the reason behind it all; it was probably because he had just seen the City God. After all, as a member of the royal family, if there was anything that could attract them, then the legendary pursuit of immortality and longevity was definitely one of them.

Undoubtedly, accepting Chen Xuzhuo would be beneficial to Yunxiao Mountain, given her status as the eldest princess of the royal family, which is a valuable asset in itself.

But can we really accept it?

In particular, now that he has relinquished his position as abbot of Yunxiao Mountain and is preparing to formally join the Kunlun Sect as a disciple, would it be appropriate for him to accept a royal princess as a disciple?

In an instant, many thoughts flashed through Li Jingxin's mind, but to others, he always appeared calm and composed, displaying the demeanor of a wise man who was unmoved by praise or blame.

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind the History Books: Chapter 1045 A Gentle Refusal

After a moment's hesitation, Li Jingxiang bowed slightly and shook his head, saying, "I have decided to relinquish worldly affairs and enter the mountains to cultivate. I have no energy to teach disciples. Please forgive me for not being able to grant your request."

“Master, you may wish to reconsider. I sincerely wish to become your disciple. If you prefer tranquility, that is fine too. I can send someone to find another place to build a residence for you at your cultivation site, so I can seek your guidance in my spare time without disturbing your peace and quiet…” Seeing that Li Jingxin was unwilling, Chen Xuzhuo assumed that his own heart was not sincere, so he quickly added, “As for the Yunxiao lineage, I am willing to sculpt a golden statue for the Heavenly Venerable to express my disciple’s piety…”

In Chen Xuzhuo's view, times have changed. Unlike a hundred years ago, when building palaces and temples in the mountains would have been a huge undertaking, nowadays, it is incredibly easy to build a secluded retreat in the mountains. Once the house is built, it can simply be hoisted there by a flying vehicle. For her, this is not a problem at all.

“That’s not what I meant, that’s not what I meant…” Li Jingxin waved his hand and said.

Seeing that the princess seemed to want to make more requests, Li Jingxin thought it best to be more direct. After a slight hesitation, he continued, "The path of cultivation is not as easy as ordinary people think. As the patriarch said, monks should not concern themselves with worldly affairs..."

"In fact, the reverse is also true. In this world, the yin and yang are separated. If one simply believes in the Heavenly Venerable, does good deeds, accumulates merit, and sows seeds of good fortune, seeking a fulfilling life in the next, that is a good thing. But if one desires both wealth and honor in the mortal world and the attainment of immortality... how can one have both in this world?" Li Jingxin glanced at the Princess beside him, stroked his beard, and sighed, "I only ask Your Highness one question: if Your Highness were to abandon your royal status, forsake all honors and reputations as high as mountains, in order to seek the Great Dao, would you be willing?"