Reincarnation Girl Becomes Immortal

"On the contrary, I came here specifically to remind my senior sister that the government has been cracking down on the so-called blood-clothed woman recently. Most women with some martial arts skills have been affected, but fortunately they are all young ladies from noble families, and they were only questioned a few times."

"Please wait until the government's recent crackdown has subsided before taking any further action, Senior Sister," Hongji said.

"Tsk, I get it."

Xi Heng sighed helplessly and sat back down in front of the dressing table to continue dressing up.

Hongji curtsied slightly behind her, then quietly left the room.

"The sword intent is just a little bit short... If only one more martial artist could exchange a few blows with me, or someone I truly want to kill, that would be enough."

Xi Heng sighed softly: "But the soldiers outside are searching more and more strictly, making it difficult to kill people at will."

"The amount of Qi and blood is still a little short of breaking through the last few tendons and bones, but this is simple. Just circulate the Life-Taking Technique one more time."

Xi Heng looked at himself in the bronze mirror and murmured to himself.

"Speaking of which, I wonder how Senior Sister Hongmiao is doing now, whether she has killed her enemies... Will we ever meet again in this life?"

"Whether I can or I can't, it doesn't matter." Xi Heng had decided to use the Life-Taking Technique one more time; her physical lifespan in this life wouldn't be very long.

After that, you can reload the save file and go see them whenever you want.

As I was pondering these things, a few soft knocks came from the already closed door.

dong dong.

"Come in," Xi Heng said easily, glancing at the crowd.

The wooden door swung open with a clatter, and Yan Hongji strode into the room once again.

This time, however, her eyes were clearly panicked, and her posture was not as natural and relaxed as before.

"Senior sister, um, someone's coming up downstairs..."

Her tone was also somewhat uneasy, and she became unusually hesitant.

It seems that in an instant, Yan Hongji went from being the behind-the-scenes boss who had a comprehensive view of everything to the hesitant girl in the martial arts school who didn't know what to do.

"Have the constables arrived yet?" Xi Heng wasn't too afraid; if all else failed, she would simply reveal her identity as a princess.

"No, it's that...that person." Yan Hongji realized her lapse in composure and took a deep breath to compose herself.

"Yes, there is a distinguished person who wants to see Senior Sister." She finally made it clear.

"A benefactor? The former Miss Chu Xiao?" Xi Heng asked in confusion.

“It’s not her, it’s hers, hers.” Yan Hongji struggled to say, “Her father.”

"Father...?" Xi Heng was also stunned.

Chu Xiao is actually a royal princess who came to the palace to enjoy herself while hiding her identity, so her father must be...

"Zhao Qianyuan?!"

"Shh!" Yan Hongji, a commoner from the capital, was startled upon hearing the name and immediately said, "Senior Sister, do not address the Emperor by his name directly!"

Especially when the emperor is downstairs.

"How did he find us?" Xi Heng asked in surprise, then puzzled.

Yan Hongji said, "He only said that he wanted to meet the poet who wrote the line 'The clouds remind me of her clothes, the flowers of her face'..."

"what?"

Xi Heng never expected that the mad emperor would come to her not because he had discovered her identity, but because of this matter.

Could it be that she and that mad emperor are actually destined to be father and daughter?

“He’s waiting downstairs. If you don’t want to see him, Senior Sister… I can take you out the back door.” Yan Hongji swallowed.

Xi Heng really didn't want to see him.

However, if one still wishes to live in the capital, one can hide for a while, but not forever...

"Why isn't he here?" Xi Heng suddenly stood up. "Let's go, let's go meet him!"

……

Chapter Thirty-Seven: To Become an Immortal

Flowers fill the building.

After entering the building, you pass a lotus pond and a small bridge, and then walk past an intricately embroidered sandalwood screen into the main hall.

The ground was covered with a red carpet with gold trim and painted with orchid and plum blossom patterns. Many wide red beams and pillars supported the pavilion evenly. The four sides were covered with portraits of women or pictures of flowers, pavilions and mountains. Strings of glowing lanterns hung in various places in an even and symmetrical manner.

On both sides are many porcelain vases and flowerpots with intricate designs. The large pots are planted with orchids and hibiscus, while the small pots are planted with chrysanthemums, camellias, and so on, adding a touch of dignified and magnificent beauty to the room.

It was early morning, and there were only a few guests inside.

The other guests were fine, but at this moment, the guest sitting at the round table in the very center of the hall, gently turning a folding fan, was treated with the utmost respect by the steward, like a jackal or a tiger.

This man was dressed in a blue brocade robe, covered with a white jade light fur coat, and tied with a light gold belt at his waist. Judging from his appearance, he was just a handsome rich man.

"Carriages flow like water, horses like dragons, flowers bloom and the spring breeze blows... Jinli is bustling with prosperity. Surrounding palaces and ancient residences, exotic flowers bloom in layers. Handsome guests and enchanting beauties vie for attention, their golden bridles gleaming, all halting their fragrant carriages." A middle-aged man dressed as a wealthy young master recited softly, then leaned back and laughed:

"Anyone who strolls through this Qin-Xie alley will surely marvel at this prosperous and flourishing era, a sight rarely seen in thousands of years."

“What you say is absolutely right,” the white-haired butler could only agree from the side.

"What Shiyilang said is absolutely right," said a companion who had come with him.

"Here, flowers bloom and willows sway, carriages carry wine, and people sell their fur coats—everywhere you look, you see the indescribable prosperity of the Great Zhao!"

"Haha—" Zhao Qianyuan suddenly slammed his hand on the table, startling the steward next to him: "Bring the wine! Bring out the best wine in your establishment! Today, we're going to drink until we drop with Brother Shimei!"

"Please wait a moment, sir." The steward bowed and quickly retreated from this dangerous place.

He went into the wine cellar, took a deep breath, had a maid bring out some fine wine, and took several deep breaths before returning.

Zhao Qianyuan had just finished drinking a cup when he waved his hand again: "Men, start dancing!"

The steward hurriedly made arrangements, as if the place had become the other party's palace.

Before long, dancers gracefully came onto the stage, holding fans and dancing, while musicians plucked strings and played flutes.

The music and dance were in perfect harmony, and during a pause in the middle of the piece, the man below, whom Zhao Qianyuan addressed as Brother Shimei, raised his hand in applause in praise:

"Hua Man Lou truly lives up to its reputation. The dancers in the building are gentle and graceful when performing the fan dance, and they are unrestrained and free when they should be. The details of their movements are mostly satisfactory, but they are still lacking in the tenderness in their eyes and brows."

After praising him, he turned to the steward standing nearby and said, "Shopkeeper, may I go up to the stage to get a fan and perform a dance for my brother, Eleven Lang?"

"Even you can dance, sir?" Even though the steward was old and had seen a lot, he couldn't help but feel puzzled by the man's dancing.

The other party said cheerfully, "I created this fan dance. If I don't know it, no one in this vast capital city knows it."

"Brother Shimei, your talent is truly remarkable!" Zhao Qianyuan echoed from below, "Let's raise a toast to you!"

"Thank you, Eleven Lang!" Li Shimei shouted loudly, went up on the stage and took a round fan. Then he raised his hand to order the musicians to play again, and he himself moved with even posture, making graceful and gentle movements.

And judging from her movements, postures, and expressions, she really does have more charm than the dancers in the building.

Zhao Qianyuan, who was drinking below, laughed heartily and shouted "Bravo!" repeatedly.

The usually quiet and deserted main hall of Hua Man Lou became much more lively thanks to the noise of these two people.

Most of the scattered guests around didn't recognize the mad emperor. They were caught up in the atmosphere, laughing and clapping as they watched the man on stage dance. The emperor, however, didn't seem to mind.

Seeing that the atmosphere was relatively safe, the building manager quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

As the dance on stage gradually came to an end, Li Shimei, holding a fan, walked off the stage with a slight sway, occasionally covering his mouth and face as he faced Zhao Qianyuan, a smile playing on his handsome face.

"Brother Shimei, you are truly a man of both talent and good looks, skilled in singing and dancing. Many scholars below have called you unrestrained and carefree, but now it seems that they are simply lacking in talent and refinement. Brother Shimei is clearly a free-spirited and unconventional romantic like the great poet of the previous dynasty!" Zhao Qianyuan poured two cups of wine: "Let's toast you again!"

"Brother Shiyilang, you flatter me." Li Shimei said simply and politely, then opened his mouth and drank the cup in one gulp.

“Speaking of poets,” Zhao Qianyuan said as if he had suddenly remembered something, then looked at the steward who was waiting for instructions: “Two dances have already been performed, why hasn’t the poet we came to find arrived yet?”

On stage, musicians played another tune, and dancers moved to the melody.

The building manager said, "That guest has only booked a room here. My young lady has gone upstairs to call him, but we don't know if he is in the building or if he will come down to meet the guest."

Zhao Qianyuan chuckled lightly and said arrogantly, "In this vast land, is there anyone I want to see but cannot?"

"Please wait a moment, sir." The butler barely suppressed his nervousness and calmly replied with his years of professionalism, "I'll go and inform them again."

"No need." Xi Heng had just arrived and walked out from behind the wall of a pavilion. Upon seeing Zhao Qianyuan's face, he felt hostile and said, "If I don't want to see anyone, I won't board the ship even if the emperor summons me."

She wore a white veil that vaguely covered the lower half of her face. If she wasn't recognized this time, she could continue to stay in the Flower Pavilion.

"The Emperor..." Zhao Qianyuan chuckled coldly, while Chao Xiheng narrowed his eyes and said, "Little girl, you have quite the nerve. If you really met the Emperor, would you still be able to say such things?"

"What is there to be afraid of?" Xi Heng said casually.

The other person stared coldly at Xi Heng for a few seconds, then burst into unpredictable laughter, clapping his hands and saying:

"Excellent! Truly a rare and talented woman. A poet should possess such courage to defy the heavens!"

"Come, come! We've been waiting for you here for a long time. Come to the table and have a few drinks with me! What joy in the world can surpass watching the dance and getting drunk?!" he called out loudly.

Even though Xi Heng had killed this guy once in his previous life, he still couldn't figure out this person's bizarre personality.

"No need for wine." She sat in a seat further away and asked directly, "Why did you seek me out?"

"Why? There aren't that many whys in the world," the other person retorted, adding:

"Where my heart leads, I will go; where my heart desires, I will obtain."

“I have heard your poems from my daughter since I was a child, and I have savored them countless times. The lingering charm has been lingering in my heart for a long time.” Zhao Qianyuan closed his eyes slightly, raised his head and softly recited: “Clouds remind me of clothes, flowers remind me of beauty, spring breeze brushes the railing… heavy dew.”

"If we don't meet atop Jade Mountain, we'll meet beneath the moon at the Jade Terrace..."

He recited the poem with great emotion, squinting as if he could already see the scene in the poem.

"This poem is effortless, completely natural, as if it were written by nature itself. A few casual strokes and lines, yet every word is rich and vibrant, every phrase a gem..." The other person sighed softly and commented, "I've come to see who wrote such verses, and how they were able to write such verses, expressing the essence of beauty to the fullest in just four lines, making it unattainable for most. This is true talent..."

"Did you really write this poem?" Zhao Qianyuan asked.

"Is there anyone else in this world who can write this?" Xi Heng's words were not entirely a lie; indeed, only she in this world could copy this poem.

"Girl, you seem so confident. Could you perhaps compose another poem today?" Zhao Qianyuan revealed his purpose for coming: "If you do well, I have a little wealth to offer as a reward of a thousand taels of gold."

"No." Xi Heng would not bow down for a thousand pieces of gold.

The other party wasn't surprised. He chuckled and continued, "I admire your indifference to money, young lady... How about this? If your poetry is good, I can use my connections in the court to secure you a sinecure as a Grand Academician of the Hanlin Academy, a third-rank official position!"

"Don't do it."

"You want neither money nor power, what does the young lady desire?" Zhao Qianyuan's gaze became more serious.

"I want to become an immortal," Xi Heng said calmly.

"..."

The music on stage continued, with the strings playing a complex and rhythmic melody and the flute playing a melodious and lingering tune.

The dancers' movements were graceful and charming, slow and beautiful, and when they stepped and turned, they were like swirling snowflakes in the wind, which was quite moving.

"Become an immortal?" Zhao Qianyuan was stunned for a few seconds, carefully chewing over the two words several times.

He stared at Xi Heng for a long time, finding the words "becoming an immortal" utterly absurd. He found Xi Heng's words increasingly humorous, first chuckling softly, then bursting into unrestrained laughter.

The loud laughter surpassed the faint echoes on the stage, reverberating throughout the Flower Pavilion.

"Become an immortal! Haha! Become an immortal—!" He slammed his hand on the table, making a loud thud.

The wine glasses on the table trembled, causing the slender purple ceramic wine jug to tip over. The round bottle rolled to the edge of the table and paused for a moment.

The next instant, the wine jug continued to roll down, crashed to the ground with a crack, and shattered into pieces, releasing a rich aroma of wine.

"How do you plan to become an immortal?" Zhao Qianyuan suddenly changed his attitude, his gaze fixed on Xi Heng: "How can you possibly become an immortal?!"

"I don't know," Xi Heng replied, "but I am destined to become an immortal."

The mad emperor gritted his teeth, picked up his wine glass, drank it all in one gulp, and then smashed it on the ground—

"The Heavenly Way has collapsed, and the spirit cannot endure. I am the greatest being under Heaven! Even I have failed to become an immortal! What right do you have to become one?!"

He raised his hand and pointed directly at Xi Heng, repeatedly questioning him.

"Who knows? But if there are truly immortals in this world, I will surely be one of them." Despite the deafening roar, Xi Heng maintained a remarkably calm demeanor.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qianyuan stared coldly at Xi Heng for a long time.

In a hazy, dreamlike way, a figure from my memory overlapped with the image of the girl before me.

He strained to see through the veil covering the girl's face, and through the hazy vision, he suddenly had a chilling guess.