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

On the last day of the 99th year of Qiming, Mu An and Mu Ling'er, just like every New Year's Eve before, ate hot pot around the bonfire.

In the firelight, Mu Ling'er blushed and handed a folding fan to Mu An.

In the dim light of the campfire, the painting on the folding fan came into view.

The two, one big and one small, snuggled together, looking up at the shooting star in the sky.

Below the shooting star was a large heart, accompanied by a line of neat text.

"Da'an will always, always, always love Xiao Ling'er."

Looking at the words on the painting, Mu An smiled and gently patted Mu Ling'er's head, whispering softly.

"Is this the wish you made when you watched the star shower last time, Little Ling'er?"

Mu Ling'er gently pressed her head against Mu An's hand and said softly.

"How about it? Pretty good wish, right?"

Mu An smiled and nodded earnestly at Mu Ling'er.

"That's a pretty good wish."

Mu Ling'er, who had returned to her seat, smiled slyly and blinked at Mu An.

"Okay, then it's a pinky promise!"

It was a starry night, and under the starlight, two fingers were clasped together.

Looking at the tiny Mu Ling'er, Mu An gently tapped her on the head.

"Small head, but lots of ideas. There's no need to make a wish for something like this... Next time we watch the starry sky together, we'll have to make a more realistic wish..."

Mu Ling'er smiled brightly, moved over and sat down next to Mu An, resting her head on his lap, giggling happily.

"I don't care! If you say that, I'll wish for a star next time!"

Mu An chuckled and pinched Mu Ling'er's chubby cheeks into a ball.

"You want the stars too? Why didn't you just ask for the moon instead! Silly... You're still the same as before, you never seem to grow up."

……

June, the 100th year of the Enlightenment.

Qi'an City, Imperial Palace, Court Assembly Hall.

"The rebel army is advancing fiercely, surrounding the capital to the west and south, and also poised to strike from the north... Your Majesty, we earnestly request that you make a decision as soon as possible and relocate the capital..."

"What the Grand Master of Ceremonies said is very reasonable. The three rebel armies are unstoppable, and Qi'an City is on the verge of collapse. I believe Your Majesty should make a decision as soon as possible..."

"With nowhere else to go if we move the capital, I humbly believe that we should feign peace talks with the rebels to buy time and establish contact with His Majesty Emperor Shun, Minister Meng, and Minister Lin as soon as possible. Only in this way can the Great Qi Dynasty return to its peak and become great again..."

"We second that proposal!"

The noisy court assembly came to an end, with the same content and the same infuriating atmosphere as always.

After all, it is an ancient capital that has stood for thousands of years. Even after three years of continuous fighting, Qi'an City still stands firm.

To this day, the troops in Southern Xinjiang and Qishan Road are still circling around the Eighth Ring Road.

In the imperial study after the court session, Jun Huayang sat silently.

Su Xiang stood in front of him, his face expressionless.

Thick stacks of official documents lay on the table, piled up in heaps, looking chaotic and disorganized.

Looking at the sunlight shining through the gauze window onto the carpet, Jun Huayang suddenly tapped on the table.

"Prime Minister Su... tell me, in this vast city of Qi'an, how many people still support me?"

Upon suddenly hearing Jun Huayang ask such a question, Su Xiang bent over and lowered his head considerably.

Under the emperor's somewhat vacant gaze, Su Xiang chose to answer in the most tactful way possible.

"Why do you say such things, Your Majesty? Aren't all the civil and military officials in this court your loyal subjects? Everyone is determined to die for Your Majesty, so why say such things?"

Jun Huayang chuckled coldly a few times, then looked at Su Xiang in front of him and asked in an extremely calm tone.

"If that's the case, why did Prime Minister Su send those twelve juniors out of the city some time ago?"

The moment he finished speaking, Su Xiang suddenly raised his head, his face full of astonishment as he looked at Jun Huayang.

He hurriedly controlled his emotions and knelt down on the ground.

"I am terrified!"

"Knock knock knock!!!"

Jun Huayang, sitting at the table, didn't dwell on the question but instead tapped the table repeatedly.

The sound wasn't loud, it could even be described as slightly muffled, but it was precisely this sound that made Su Xiang's heart almost jump out of his chest.

After a long, long time, until the warm summer breeze blew into the room through the window and ruffled Su Xiang's long hair, Jun Huayang's voice rang out again.

"We have known each other as ruler and subject for nearly a hundred years. There's no need to kneel anymore. Stand up."

"Your Majesty, I am filled with trepidation."

Su Xiang remained lying on the ground, not getting up as Jun Huayang had instructed.

Jun Huayang didn't take it seriously and just kept talking to himself.

"It is only natural to send the younger members of the family out to seek refuge, so it is not surprising that you, Prime Minister Su, would do such a thing."

Jun Huayang spoke very calmly, seemingly not angry at all because of Su Xiang's betrayal.

"The Great Qi Dynasty is about to perish. You understand, I understand, and all the ministers in the court understand."

We are all mortals, and it is perfectly understandable and human nature to want to continue our bloodline.

Rather, this is the normal thing to do...

If you all put righteousness before family and are willing to die without hesitation, I would find it terrifying.

That's really abnormal.

After all, we are human; we will always have things we care about. How could we be as heartless and ruthless as those immortals and gods?

As he spoke, Jun Huayang sighed.

"Not to mention you, even I have given away several of my favorite young grandsons."

Several ambitious ones were sent to their desired destinations, to be fought for themselves; two simple-minded ones were sent to Qishan Road, to serve under my twelfth brother.

At this point, Jun Huayang suddenly slapped his thigh and burst out laughing.

"It's funny to think about... Among all my brothers and sisters, I had the best relationship with my twelfth brother back then."

My twelfth brother is lively and loves to play, while I am much quieter and prefer reading and studying.

At that time, I often criticized him for neglecting his duties, spending his days idly, and only thinking about love and romance, thus wasting the great talent that Heaven had given him.

Even the throne was originally intended for the twelfth brother, but unexpectedly, that kid turned around and ran off to Qishan Road with his princess and his family.

After a while, the throne eventually fell to me. I even wrote a letter to scold him for it back then.

Time has passed and no one could have imagined that my twelfth brother would be so lucky.

When the Five Elements True Lord opened up a new realm, the fortune of heaven and earth flourished. His queen also took this opportunity to become a terrestrial immortal and became close friends with the Five Elements True Lord's daughter.

A century later, I am now forced to bow down to Jun Changning, begging him to allow my two descendants to live out their remaining years in comfort and wealth…

"Truly, fate is unpredictable, and destiny is fickle..."

Jun Huayang rambled on and on, and Su Xiang listened quietly for a long time.

After Jun Huayang finished speaking, Su Xiang stood up and cupped his hands in greeting.

"In my opinion, what happened today is not Your Majesty's fault, but rather the will of Heaven... Your Majesty need not be so concerned. It would be perfectly acceptable for you to leave this murky place now and find a beautiful place to spend the rest of your life."

Jun Huayang did not respond, but stared blankly at the Qiming Sword placed on the table.

After a while, a slightly hoarse voice finally rang out in the room.

"Does Prime Minister Su have anything else to attend to today?"

"I am at Your Majesty's command."

"If there's nothing else, then accompany me for a stroll around the city today..."