Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

After everyone left the meeting, the council hall fell silent again, leaving only Jun Yunxin and Lin Li in the empty room.

Leaning back in the uncomfortable wooden chair, Jun Yunxin closed her eyes slightly, her nose twitching as if she were resting.

Lin Li felt like she had been holding it in for a long time, and her gaze toward Jun Yunxin became increasingly strange.

Today's events were very strange, and what puzzled her even more was that the princess had not told her about her plan to wage war alone.

Princess is always capricious and occasionally acts eccentrically, but she is not really ignorant. Rather, it is more accurate to say that princess has a wide range of knowledge, just slightly different from what the royal family expects.

Because of her frail health and frequent illnesses, the princess was unwilling to devote much attention to other matters.

But this does not mean that the princess did not understand the rules of the court or the obvious principles.

While the phoenix robe and jade pendant could be explained by personal preference, the fact that they secretly launched a military campaign behind His Majesty's back is rather strange.

After much deliberation, Lin Li lowered her body and asked softly.

"Your Highness, since you have decided to take military action, why not inform His Majesty in advance? You should know that Cui Yan is right."

Jun Yunxin didn't answer immediately. Instead, she yawned, covered her mouth with her small hand, and only opened her bloodshot eyes after a while.

"A daughter should always give her father a surprise!"

With her bright, curved eyes, she resembled the most innocent child, secretly dreaming of achieving something and then surprising her beloved parents.

Coupled with Jun Yunxin's gentle and delicate appearance, she is even more pitiful.

Yes, she must be overthinking it.

The princess probably just had a sudden whim, or perhaps she saw an interesting story and wanted to imitate it.

Just as Lin Li breathed a sigh of relief, the delicate fragrance of lavender wafted over, a familiar scent filling her nostrils.

A small, calm face came close to hers, so close they could touch at any moment.

Their eyes met, and a much gentler voice quietly sounded in her ear.

"I had a dream, a very vivid and real dream, so vivid that it was hard to tell what was real and what wasn't."

In my dream, my mother was still alive. She was holding me, humming a little tune and singing a folk song, just like before.

When I was a child, my health was even worse than it is now. Eating and sleeping were difficult things for me every day.

The Empress Dowager was very gentle, but she was, after all, a mother and lived in the palace, so she inevitably valued rules and etiquette.

When I was little, I didn't know how to take care of myself and was always sick, which kept her busy taking care of me all day.

Inevitably, she would get angry and yell at me, but it would only last for a short while, at most a few light taps...

"Clearly...clearly...it was only a few hits..."

The voice stopped abruptly, becoming hoarse and choked with sobs.

"She clearly had no intention of hurting me. It was just the simplest form of concern. When I was crying, she was still trying her best to comfort me."

"but……"

Tears silently welled up in her eyes. Jun Yunxin wiped them away and forced a smile again.

"In my dream, my mother was as gentle as ever. She said she never blamed me and was doing well in heaven."

She told me that she had only one wish, which was that my brother and I could live happily.

She also said that everything she has is a gift from God, not a curse or something that should be hated.

but……

Lin Li, I'm sorry to the Empress Dowager, and I won't live much longer either, but my brother is different. He and my sister-in-law are both good people, and they can't compete with those annoying guys.

"Tell me, what should I do if my elder brother wants to live a happy and peaceful life?"

Listening to Jun Yunxin's almost delirious murmurs, Lin Li's mind went blank, and her hands and feet trembled uncontrollably beneath her clothes.

Although she had long suspected that the princess knew how special she was, Lin Li was still inevitably thrown into confusion when she heard it from Jun Yunxin.

Worry, pity, doubt...

A mix of complex emotions overwhelmed Lin Li, leaving her feeling distraught.

Lin Li had never met the late Empress, nor did she know how the late Empress died, but it was not difficult to deduce some things from the princess's words.

But why would the princess have such a dream? Did someone do something?

Could this be the Third Prince's doing?

As one of the few people who know about the princess's abilities, how much of the Third Prince's affection is genuine and how much is fake?

Aside from herself, Lin Li unconditionally doubted everyone's goodwill towards Jun Yunxin.

Looking at the little figure sobbing incessantly, Lin Li took a deep breath and suppressed all the unease in her heart.

She embraced the princess and whispered in her ear in the gentlest tone.

"Don't cry, don't cry, I'll always be with you."

……

Lingzhou, the prefectural city.

As the sun sets, the crowds on the street finish their day's work and disperse in their respective directions.

In an era when people worked from sunrise to sunset, the setting sun often signified the end of labor, and for most people, this was the most pleasant time of the day.

Home is filled with warm meals and beloved family members.

However, in the past few days, a thick layer of gloom has shrouded Lingzhou City.

People returning home walked quickly, their faces devoid of the usual anticipation, and everyone on the road carried a hint of unease.

Only in front of the pharmacy was there a long queue that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. The people in line were all extremely anxious and unable to control even the simplest emotions, and fierce conflicts would break out from time to time.

Even when they fought in the street, no officials intervened, and there were very few onlookers.

The excitement that everyone usually loves to watch has become completely ignored today.

A courtyard for all four seasons.

The three-meter-high courtyard wall blocked the prying eyes, separating the small courtyard from the desolate street into two completely different worlds.

On one hand, there was fear and anxiety; on the other hand, there was peace and composure.

Beneath the small pavilion made of redwood sits a stone table, with wisps of steam rising from the teacups.

Two figures who had once appeared on Crimson Cloud Peak sat quietly on either side of the stone table. They were none other than Venerable Crimson Fire, who had escaped from the Blood Robe Sect's headquarters, and Zhao Liu, the steward who had become his number one lackey.

"Your Excellency, news has come from the followers of Yongning County that the followers carrying the poisonous green Gu encountered an accident while passing through Linjiang. They were attacked by a great demon in the river, and all the Gu worms sank into the river."

Venerable Crimson Fire sipped his tea, his face serene.

"It's alright. The poisonous green gu only targets young and strong people. Even if the epidemic spreads, it may not cause large-scale deaths. It's just icing on the cake."

The Child-Eating Gu, capable of devouring countless children's lives, is the very thing I painstakingly crafted.

The Child-Eating Gu has already spread in Lingzhou, and in the next half month, the epidemic will spread throughout the entire Lingzhou.

Lingzhou, with its nineteen prefectures and countless villages and towns, is the most prosperous prefecture in the Great Qi Dynasty. The nearly two million children living on this land are our prey.

The ritual has begun, and the source is being nurtured. The resentment, illness, and death accumulated from the deaths of millions of children, as well as the unique spirituality of children, will all be transformed into resources for my ascension.

The day I achieve my goal will be the day I ascend to the status of a terrestrial immortal!