In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

"It's alright, please sit down."

"This is an order!" Li Yuanchang said.

Pei Xuan looked hesitant, and under his gaze, he had no choice but to sit down cautiously.

"What are you standing there for?"

"Eat up," Li Yuanchang said with a smile.

Pei Xuan was both amused and exasperated. She picked up her chopsticks but didn't know where to start. This overturned her understanding and was the first time she had felt the warmth of someone in a superior position.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"It is I who should thank you. You cured my eczema, and hundreds of people can sleep well because of you. You have done me a great favor."

"I haven't had a chance to reward you yet. Tell me, what do you want?"

Pei Xuan put down her chopsticks and immediately became serious: "Your Highness, I dare not ask for any reward. It is already a great favor that Your Highness allows me to stay by your side."

"This is what I should do."

"No need to be so nervous. Merit will be rewarded; this is my principle," Li Yuanchang said.

Upon hearing this, Pei Xuan looked over and gently pursed his lips.

"If Your Highness insists on bestowing a reward, then please grant me a chance to share more opportunities with Your Highness."

"Hahaha!"

Li Yuanchang couldn't help but burst into laughter at Li's high emotional intelligence.

"You are very sensible and deserve to be promoted."

Pei Xuan looked down at the hand on her thigh, feeling somewhat embarrassed and flustered.

Some people's scoundrels are utterly despicable, but others' scoundrels are strangely charming.

Clearly, Li Yuanchang belongs to the second category.

Pei Xuan didn't say anything, completely pretending not to know, turning a blind eye.

"Your Highness, please eat more."

"After you finish eating, I will apply the medicine for you again."

"it is good."

"..."

This time, Pei Xuan didn't come out again until the middle of the night while the medicine was being applied.

Ten days later.

The weather was clear and the sea was completely calm, a world of difference from a month ago.

coastline.

Two enormous, restored treasure ships stand tall on the shore.

As the last rivet was driven in, hundreds of sailors erupted in a thunderous cheer.

The news quickly reached Li Yuanchang's ears.

"good!"

"very good!"

"Everyone should be credited for one achievement!"

"Have Lao Hu and the others quickly launch the treasure ship for a sea test. If there are no problems, set sail within two days!" Li Yuanchang stood up abruptly, his whole body brimming with excitement.

It's finally fixed!

"yes!"

"Your Highness, what should we do with the treasure vault here? Should we leave someone to guard it?" Guo Chao asked.

Li Yuanchang didn't even hesitate: "No need. We won't bring anything except for essential supplies like food, and there's no need to send anyone to stay behind."

"What the treasure ship can't take with it, let's distribute it to the locals on the island."

He really didn't care about those things; money was just a number to him.

"Yes."

"However, we should destroy those weapons to prevent these locals from forming cliques again once we leave."

"yes!"

That very day, the treasure trove was divided up by Li Yuanchang.

Thousands of islanders were incredibly excited, and the scene became chaotic at one point.

Although they had acted as accomplices to evil, they were mostly enslaved. The land was occupied by people like Ijiro, and they could only get a bite to eat by being his henchmen.

Now, before leaving, Li Yuanchang gave them a great opportunity and even distributed the fields on the island to them.

The islanders were extremely grateful. They not only knelt down and worshipped, but also sent Li Yuanchang women from their homes, begging him to stay.

In their understanding and worldview, wiping out the pirate gang and then giving them a share of the spoils is like being a god!

But Li Yuanchang certainly couldn't stay; he was just a passerby.

On the afternoon of the second day, after all the officers and soldiers of the division had their roll call on the shore, they quickly boarded the treasure ship and then disappeared into the sea.

In just one month, the weather changed from extreme to clear blue skies. The pirates on Tsushima Island disappeared, and the Tang army also left. It all seemed like a dream.

The quest for the elixir of immortality has officially entered its second half.

The two treasure ships sailed on the boundless sea, solitary and steady, as if completely isolated from the world.

During the day, Li Yuanchang would sunbathe on the deck, enjoy the sea breeze, and play chess with Ji'an.

I was really bored at night.

Li Yuanchang then asked Pei Xuan to play cards.

The day went by fairly quickly.

Day after day, more than half a month passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, Li Yuanchang witnessed the magnificent landscapes of the East China Sea in the 7th century.

He saw a whale, a creature often referred to by fishermen as a sea monster.

He saw countless wondrous islands, which would cease to exist a thousand years later.

The legends left by our ancestors are not all false. There are indeed great differences between ancient times and later generations. The oral traditions, coupled with a lack of knowledge and a tendency to rely on ghosts and gods, naturally added a mythical element to them.

Late December.

As they drew closer to Japan, the treasure ship began to encounter fishing boats, Japanese people, and merchant ships, and their numbers increased!

December 27th, finally!

The coastline of the mainland began to gradually appear in the view of the treasure ship.

"Your Highness, we've arrived. Is that Japan?" Bae Hyun stood on the deck, slightly excited, and stood on tiptoe.

Her complexion was extremely rosy and very well-hydrated.

Li Yuanchang held a telescope and gazed at the coastline on the horizon.

You can vaguely see a large number of ships docked, and rows of low, overlapping wooden houses are situated in the harbor. Japanese people and coolies are densely packed like small black dots.

The unique Japanese culture seems to form a huge microcosm.

"We've finally arrived!"

He couldn't help but sigh. The two-month journey across the ocean felt like two years had passed, and the hardships and difficulties involved were far more than just encountering pirates.

He never imagined that he would one day be able to stand here.

"Congratulations, Your Highness! Congratulations on your safe landing!" Ji'an said with a broad smile.

"Hahaha!"

"This voyage was made possible by the master; otherwise, we would have had to wait for who knows how long to get here."

"No, even without me, Your Highness will surely arrive."

"It is Your Highness who should thank me. Without Your Highness, it would have been a long time before I could return to my homeland."

Ji'an sighed, his eyes filled with intense homesickness, and even a few tears welled up in them.

This is not the first time.

A few days before they arrived, Li Yuanchang had seen Ji'an standing alone on the deck late at night, gazing eastward, and even crying to himself.

"Master, is something troubling you?"

"If you miss your homeland, I will send someone to escort you back home after we reach the shore. We can set off together then." Li Yuanchang was very understanding and treated Ji'an as a friend, not as livestock.

Ji'an immediately forced a smile.

"Your Highness, no, no need."

"When I became a monk, there was no one left in my family, and I had nothing to worry about except for missing my homeland."

"Once the ship docks, I'm home."

"Don't waste time because of me. I will accompany Tang Jun to purchase supplies and head to Penglai Island as soon as possible." He clasped his hands together.

Li Yuanchang always felt that Ji'an was hiding something from him, but seeing that Ji'an didn't want to talk about it, he didn't press him for an answer.

"Alright, when the ship docks, let's all go for a walk together."

"I'll buy some supplies and experience the local customs and culture of Japan."

"yes!"

Everyone on deck responded in unison, their voices tinged with excitement.