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

This is a dead end, because life cannot be lived again.

Lin Li only had the opportunity to be a princess's study companion because she was the eldest daughter of the Lin family, which led to everything that followed.

No one can say for sure what she would be like now if she hadn't been born into the Lin family.

From the perspective of traditional Chinese etiquette, parents naturally have the dominant position over their children.

No matter what environment a child is born in or what kind of education they receive from childhood, everything they have comes from their parents. Therefore, it is only natural that a large part of their lives belongs to their parents.

You cannot disobey, you cannot rebel, and you cannot do anything that does not meet your parents' expectations.

Even if someone is beaten and scolded from childhood, and then works hard and achieves some success, in the eyes of outsiders, it will be seen as the result of those beatings and scoldings.

Even in his time, many people held such ideas, let alone in this era where traditional ethics and morality prevail.

From the moment a child is born, they are naturally marked by their parents.

If you succeed, it's because your parents taught you well; if you die on the road, it's just a few words of regret, or at most a few idle words from others.

In more serious cases, even if someone dies, they will still be gossiped about and called disloyal and unfilial.

Thinking of this, Mu An's thoughts became somewhat scattered, and he stared blankly at the starry sky.

Realizing that Mu An had no intention of listening to her, Lin Li didn't bother him.

She was willing to express her gratitude to Mu An for helping her, but she didn't actually like Mu An very much. She only had so many interactions with Mu An because of Jun Yunxin.

She couldn't understand Mu An, nor did she comprehend his thoughts; she even felt that Mu An was very dangerous.

The marble tiles were exceptionally cold on this winter night, making Lin Li feel a little uncomfortable. She moved her slightly icy toes and then brought up the matter at hand.

"Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. The palace will hold a grand banquet to celebrate the arrival of the new year. The entire Qi'an City will be very lively. Lord Mu can look forward to it."

"With the palace in such chaos today, will there still be a celebration tomorrow?"

"Of course we will. The celebration is not only for enjoyment, but also to dispel bad luck and unite people's hearts. So much has happened today, and we need a grand banquet to show the people of Qi'an City that the Great Qi is still peaceful."

Mu An nodded, acknowledging Lin Li's statement. He took a sip of wine and looked up at the night sky.

"Then I must see for myself just how prosperous this prosperous Qi'an must be."

"That's certainly the case. However, the princess will probably be celebrating the festival with His Majesty and the Third Prince tomorrow. If you feel the atmosphere in the palace is just so-so, you can use this token to find a few friends to climb the Star-Picking Pavilion and see the magnificent scenery of Qi'an City."

As she spoke, Lin Li handed a token engraved with star patterns to Mu An.

Mu An accepted the token without hesitation.

For a fleeting moment, he thought of the faces of at least a dozen courtesans, but he suppressed the thought.

No, no, a woman I've only met briefly isn't worthy of drinking Mu An's wine.

Such a joyous day should be spent with my good brothers from the Dark Feather Guard; that would be truly wonderful!

Enjoying a glass of fine wine at the Star-Picking Pavilion while watching the magnificent fireworks display – what could be better!

He spoke up expectantly, "Please ask Miss Lin to give the order that I would like to fetch some fine wine from the palace."

"Of course, leave this to me. Consider it a token of my gratitude for tonight's events."

……

In just one night, all the corpses under the Vermilion Bird Sect were cleared away, and even the bloodstains on the ground were washed away, leaving no trace whatsoever.

If it weren't for the soldiers on the city gate retreating in unison when Mu An reached the Vermilion Bird Gate, crouching down and using the battlements to cover their bodies, he would have almost thought that everything that happened yesterday was just a dream.

But the terrified soldiers and the gate that was pulled up just 500 meters away made Mu An realize that they had won, and the palace was now under the control of their Yongning County faction.

Just yesterday, he killed more than two thousand imperial guards under this city gate; his hands were sore from hacking.

Even after he walked out of the city gate and stepped out of the palace grounds, he was still somewhat dazed. So much so that when he looked back again, he met the eyes of a soldier, who was so frightened that he covered his head and squatted down on the ground.

Standing beneath the Vermilion Bird Gate, Mu An shook his head and swaggered towards the east side of the Second Ring Road.

There is a Dark Feather Guard stationed there. Five Golden Tokens have arrived this time, and three of the Vermilion Bird Sect members have died in battle.

His two good brothers, Geng Wu and Geng Liu, were both lucky, but they were injured and are now recuperating at the Dark Feather Guard's garrison.

I'll take this opportunity to pay them a visit and invite them to have drinks at the Star-Picking Pavilion that evening.

Compared to the flower-arranging grandmother, who was in charge of these elderly people, he still felt that Geng Wu and Geng Liu were more in line with his temperament.

I imagine these two good brothers will be very moved when they see me.

Enjoying wine at the Star-Picking Pavilion is a privilege not everyone can have.

"Have they left?"

"Why don't you get up and take a look?"

"My legs are weak, why don't you take a look?"

"Never mind then, just to be on the safe side, let's wait a little longer."

……

In the twenty-third year of the Great Qi Dynasty, Mu An left Qing'an County for the first time and spent the Spring Festival in Qi'an City, thousands of miles away.

Plans can't keep up with changes. Mu An vaguely remembers that a few years ago, he was thinking of surviving until he became invincible, thinking of first spending ten or twenty years to become a Grandmaster of the Innate Realm, and then spending several decades or even hundreds of years to become a Celestial Martial Saint.

Unexpectedly, at the age of twenty-three, he had already stormed into the palace, slaughtering his way through the Vermilion Bird Gate and enjoying the treatment of a great man.

From scheming against the county magistrate, inspectors, and gang leaders in the county town, to now being able to frighten the imperial guards into trembling and retreating at the foot of the city gate.

This enormous transformation took only three short years.

Ultimately, it was all because he met Princess Yongning and gained her favor.

It can only be said that fate is completely unreasonable. No matter how hard you work, or how much effort you put into achieving your future, it's not as good as seizing an opportunity when things are going well and following the right people.

Compared to the uncertainties of the next century, the past three years have been truly exhilarating.

Standing atop the thousand-meter-high Star-Picking Pavilion, gazing at the seemingly endless Qi'an City, Mu An couldn't help but sigh.

He made some minor modifications, omitting some of the core content, and recounted his difficult journey to his two friends, Gengwu and Gengliu. Gengwu and Gengliu listened with tears streaming down their faces, and were about to kneel down on the spot.

Mu An, who prided himself on loyalty, would not let the two of them bow down. Looking at his two friends who were still wrapped in bandages, Mu An felt deeply shocked.

He had always known that Geng Wu and Geng Liu admired him, but he never imagined that the two of them were so sincere.

Despite being injured and trembling like this, she still insisted on coming to be with him.

Yes, in terms of official matters, he is the Kaiyang Envoy of the Dark Feather Guard, and is their superior.

Privately, the three of them had participated in the Battle of Qishan and the Battle of Huangcheng together, fighting two life-or-death battles, and had become sworn brothers.

His respectful treatment of his subordinates as a superior naturally surprised and delighted the two of them.

No wonder the two men were so excited when they saw him, trembling and constantly deferring to him.

She was saying something about not being worthy of eating with him, and that she could ask Commander Zhang and Granny Flower Arranger to drink with her.

Just kidding, how could Mu An not know who his true friends are?

Having drawn his own conclusion, Mu An's smile widened, and he gestured to pour wine for Geng Wu and Geng Liu.

"Don't get agitated. These are all trivial matters that have already passed. They're not worth mentioning!"

"This Star-Picking Pavilion is a wonderful place! The palace has so many rules and regulations; it's nowhere near as pleasant as this!"