The Forbidden Path to Immortality - Chapter 22

Chapter 3: The Crowned Woman

In Songjing City, the East District was home to many high-ranking officials, princes, and nobles. The city’s busiest hour was the daily morning court session. Even before daybreak, one could witness the bustling scene of carriages and sedan chairs thronging the city.

The Vice Minister gave way to the Minister, the Minister gave way to the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister gave way to the Prince—amidst the tumultuous flow of traffic, certain patterns operated, lending the bustling city a sense of order amidst the chaos.

Li Xun huddled in the shadows of a corner, observing the scene coldly. He was no more than five feet from the nearest wheel. Yet, the elite warriors flanking the carriages never once glanced in their direction. Even if they had, they would have seen only the ordinary shadow of a high wall.

The Mingxin Sword Sect’s forbidden pattern technique, used on these mortals, was like casting a pearl in the dark!

The traffic cleared after half an hour. Li Xun then stood up, gazing in the right direction, and walked along the corner, the shadow of the high wall providing him with cover.

He passed through several streets in silence, a feeling of familiarity yet strangeness lingering around him. The vague memories of his childhood troubled him, but after an incense stick of time, he finally reached his destination: Prince Fu’s Mansion.

This was the capital’s residence, bestowed upon Prince Fu by the current emperor. It was one of the most luxurious in all of East City. The servants standing tall before the gates alone would have made the less courageous dwarf half their height.

“I’m back…”

Gazing at the gates of Prince Fu’s Mansion from afar, Li Xun felt a mixture of emotions. But all these feelings only stirred briefly before settling back into his heart.

In a life-or-death situation, such thoughts always seemed absurd!

Suddenly, he paused, frowning. He wasn’t worried about the servant guarding the gate, but rather a sudden, uneasy feeling within him, which filled him with a chill.

The blood nightmare had moved!

There were still more than two hours before the daily Blood Nightmare’s heart-devouring time, and it actually began to get a little restless! Moreover, this was still under the suppression of the Jade Evil-Repelling Technique!

Li Xun even had a feeling that the Blood Nightmare seemed to be coming!

It seemed to have resonated with something in the outside world, and slowly opened its “eyes”.

This sudden change made Li Xun’s scalp numb. Without thinking, he turned around and fled outside, running for seven or eight blocks before stopping.

The Blood Nightmare returned to normal.

Li Xun stroked his chest, speechless.

In fact, his behavior was simply ridiculous! Didn’t he come back this time just to find the Blood Sanren, to fulfill the ten-year appointment, and to relieve the suffering of the Blood Nightmare? The matter was already at hand, so why should he run away in fear?

This was because, on the one hand, he had never held any faith in the promise made to the Blood Sanren; on the other hand, at this moment, he had an unspeakable throbbing in his heart!

Completely detached from rational deduction, he was just afraid of the impending ending from the bottom of his heart.

He looked back at Prince Fu’s palace. He didn’t know if it was an illusion, but he felt as if, in the fading morning light, a thin, blood-red mist enveloped the palace, as if countless wronged souls were tearing and howling within.

He shuddered, and when he looked again, he saw only the faint red glow of the rising sun.

Even so, he felt the little courage he had so hard-won vanish in that moment.

He rushed off, as if fleeing.

The snow had arrived particularly late this year, only a few days before the winter solstice, when it reluctantly fell. The entire Song capital was buried in snow, and the temperature plummeted. Countless beggars froze to death in the streets and alleys of Kyoto’s southern city. On any other day, it would have been fine;

a few officials could have collected the bodies and dumped them outside the city walls.

But today, no such rashness was allowed.

Before dawn, the Jingzhao Yin personally led his troops, working with the Jinwu Guards, and like casting a net to catch fish, they swept the entire southern city from beginning to end no less than three times.

When they encountered frozen corpses, they immediately dragged them out of the city and buried them carefully. When they saw some gangsters or rebellious people, they arrested them without saying a word. In just two or three hours, the huge South City was cleaned up like an imperial city, and the security was tight.

All the idlers wandering on the streets were taken back to the prison by the yamen runners. As for the civilians, they were blocked in their homes by the Jinwu Guards and could not go out at will.

Is this… the emperor going out for a trip?

Li Xun stood in the shadows and made a guess. I seemed to have seen this kind of scene in my memory. Estimating the date, tomorrow is the winter solstice. I think the emperor is going to the southern suburbs to worship the sky!

The ceremony of worshiping the sky in the human world is so solemn that even the emperor has to move into the southern suburbs palace early, burn incense and take a shower, abstain from all s*x, and eat vegetarian food for several days to show his sincerity.

Emperor Longqing, on the other hand, had hurriedly arrived the day before the winter solstice. In the bustling Forbidden Palace, fasting and sensual practices were a complete waste of time.

Had the absurdity of a human emperor reached this point?

But the thought only flashed through his mind. His own troubles were unresolved, so how could he have the leisure to attend to imperial affairs?

His current annoyance was that the entire city was under martial law due to the emperor’s travels. If someone like him, without a permit and with unknown identity, were to encounter an official, he would be in a difficult position. Consequently, his movements were severely hampered.

Desperate, he resorted to a game of hide-and-seek with the city’s throng of soldiers, avoiding the heavily guarded streets and lingering in obscure corners.

Over a month had passed since the disaster on Tiandu Peak. For over thirty days, Li Xun had been wandering around Songjing. Aside from the first day, when he tried his luck at Prince Fu’s mansion, he had spent the rest of the time holed up in the southern city, agonizing over a foolproof plan.

However, how could there be such a thing as a foolproof plan?

The foundation of all strategy lies in the relative strength of both sides. If the gap in power is small, strategy might be able to compensate. However, if the difference in power is drastic, it’s like an ant trying to shake a tree. Even a thousand schemes are useless.

Li Xun and Xue Sanren are like an ant and a tree. No matter how he plans, Xue Sanren can crush him with a single finger if he chooses! Such a gap cannot be bridged by strategy.

Li Xun understands this reality, but his current mentality is that of a gambler who, with only one chip left, bets on the most unlikely outcome, hoping to win back all he has lost.

This conviction is fueled by the despair of having no other options left, and by the desire to secure a year’s worth of time—there’s still a “long” time left until Xue Sanren’s ten-year promise.

After letting a patrol pass, Li Xun emerged from the shadows of the street corner, staring at the soldiers’ backs with an expressionless face.

His attire was no longer tattered; over the past month or so, he had been quite successful in making money, having made a fortune thanks to his ability to slingshot around high and low.

Human psychology is such a strange thing. While Li Xun wasn’t considered a “gentleman,” he came from a wealthy family, and theft had always been something he looked down upon. However, once the first day of the month came, the fifteenth day followed. People’s inner limits, once breached, were often uncontrollable.

Li Xun was just like that. His first theft was a desperate act, simply seeking some small change and a nice coat to cover himself. However, once he experienced the unprecedented thrill and profit from his thefts, it was too late to control his habit.

Within a month, he had been committing crimes throughout the capital. Though he didn’t take much money, he often broke into people’s homes on a whim, taking whatever he needed, feeling more at ease than in his own backyard.

Li Xun now dressed like a nobleman, complete with Sichuan embroidered brocade robes and pearl and jade belts. Even in his childhood, this attire was as natural as breathing, and even now, he felt no qualms.

He hid his jade sword in a secluded spot, so as not to alert the soldiers.

After a thorough search of the southern city, he still couldn’t find a good place to stay. Every inn, restaurant, and other public places was searched repeatedly by yamen runners and soldiers. Anyone without a pass or valid identification would be brought to justice.

This forced Li Xun to wander the city like a wandering spirit. As darkness approached, he began to consider whether to seek shelter in the West or North City, where inspections were less stringent.

While he was measuring, the entire South City erupted in a commotion, concentrated in a few blocks. Li Xun happened to be caught in the middle of it. Quickly seizing the opportunity, he slid into the shadows.

Within a few breaths, the flow of people on these streets suddenly thickened. A large number of civilians converged on both sides of the street, facing a wall of heavily armed Jinwu Guards. At first,

Li Xun couldn’t understand what was happening, but seeing the expressions of helplessness or perhaps just wanting to join in the fun on the people’s faces, he suddenly understood.

This was officialdom!

Perhaps these people were being used for some kind of “three cheers of long live!”

Caught in the crowd, Li Xun could no longer hide. He simply emerged, blending in with the crowd, avoiding the attention of the Jinwu Guards.

With his sharp ears and eyes, he could already hear distant noises—the emperor’s procession approaching. A moment later, even the common people heard the resounding “Long live!”

Someone, no one knew who had struck the first blow, but the people on both sides knelt. Li Xun followed suit, frowning, but a certain discomfort remained within him.

As the procession drew closer, the chants of “Long live” rang out more and more, stirring the crowd, some even trying to straighten themselves for a better look. The Jinwu Guards in front immediately raised their spears and halberds, and slammed them to the ground with a loud sound, effectively suppressing the chaos. The “buzzing” sound could not be stopped.

There were many people around Li Xun, talking about what the emperor looked like, what auspicious signs were around him, etc., all of which were foolish and made people laugh.

But there were also some people who talked about various anecdotes about the emperor, including rumors about the harem, interesting things in the court, and some of the emperor’s preferences. Word of mouth in the streets and alleys was a bit absurd, but it was also interesting to listen to.

During the more than one month that Li Xun stayed in Songjing, he did not just think hard every day, but also went to places like restaurants to relax in his spare time.

He had heard a long time ago that the emperor believed in alchemy and had rewarded various Taoists in recent years . , and those masters who claim to be able to refine “immortal pills” are treated extremely generously.

I heard that it was because two years ago, a very powerful national teacher was appointed, who could call the wind and rain, and make soldiers out of beans, and was omnipotent. It was also said that he could refine the elixir of immortality and had a magic method to be immune to all evil – this kind of image is simply the appearance of a necessary evil Taoist around a tyrant!

Thinking of those so-called princes and grandchildren he saw in his childhood, and looking at the various behaviors of the current emperor, Li Xun sneered in his heart.

However, what really made him curious was that it was said that the national teacher was not a Taoist priest, but a young female Taoist priest, and she was born with a beautiful face and was the most famous person in the capital. This made the story of “the emperor refining pills” more e*otic and frivolous.

Female national teacher? Li Xun’s curiosity was completely aroused.

“Long live! “

The uneven voices of praise rang out, and soon merged into a torrent. For a moment, the streets were full of shouts of “Long live the emperor”. The front of the ceremonial procession had already passed this section of the street, and the canopy at the back was held high, and the bright yellow color was very eye-catching.

Li Xun was sharp-eyed, and at a glance, he knew that next to the canopy that symbolized imperial power, there was also a light blue tasseled canopy, and its beauty was no less than that of the emperor’s canopy.

According to the convention of the Great Zhou Dynasty, when the emperor went on tour, except for the empress who could ride in a phoenix chariot, all ministers had to accompany him on foot. Just by looking at the color of the canopy, you could tell that it was not the empress, but who else could be on equal footing with the emperor?

“The national master’s Daluo Qingmiao umbrella…”

“Is the national master here too? The

crowd stirred again, each with a subtle anticipation for the rumored female imperial tutor.

Amidst the small commotion, the Emperor’s chariot had already passed. As expected, to maintain the Emperor’s majesty and mystery, or perhaps for safety reasons, only a vague figure could be seen behind the dense gauze curtains. At first glance, there was nothing surprising about it.

However, a few steps behind the chariot, beneath the Daluo Treasure Canopy, that figure was far more charismatic than the Emperor himself, and so everyone on the street turned their attention there.

Li Xun also looked over curiously.

What he saw was still a gauze curtain, but this pure white, almost transparent one was… The curtains could not effectively block people’s sight, and Li Xun ignored them as if they were nothing, his burning eyes first fixed on the face of the female national teacher.

A layer of mist appeared in front of his eyes, just like the faint wisp of water smoke on the lake in the early morning, as if it were there and not there, but confused. Through this layer of mist, everything seen was almost unreal – Li Xun was stunned, his mind was a little confused, this strange feeling came so strangely!

And the next moment, he suddenly realized that he had not seen the face of the female national teacher at all!

What happened?

When he was sorting out his confused thoughts, the green canopy was already close to him. He frowned and looked at the He took a look inside, and at this moment, his heart suddenly trembled!

At this moment, the jade evil-repelling aura suddenly felt a sense of coolness, and a cool air turned in his heart and suddenly spread throughout his body. Its speed was unprecedented!

Li Xun only felt cold all over. This might be because of the effect of the jade evil-repelling aura, but more importantly, the cold current bursting out from the depths of his heart, so strong that even the jade evil-repelling aura could not resist, and it spread straight into his limbs and bones.

A light exclamation sounded in his ears, and the sound was so clear, like a drop of cold water dripping from a stalactite in a cave deep underground. The sound was so long and cool that it made people’s pores all over their body relax. Just when it closed again, the camera… The air was filled with a chilling cold.

In just a moment, Li Xun felt as if all the blood in his body was frozen!

He stared at the Daluo Qingmiao Umbrella that had just arrived in front of him. Behind the veil, a pair of bright eyes were looking over here. There was a hint of curiosity in these eyes, but more of it was a kind of indifference and indifference that treated all living beings in front of him as straw dogs, controlling their life and death in the palm of his finger.

Li Xun was almost scared to scream when he was met with such a look.

For a moment, he thought he had seen the Sky Demon Phoenix again!

After his eyes faded, Li Xun fell to the ground, his whole body soaked in cold sweat, so weak that he couldn’t even move his fingertips!

As the emperor’s procession receded, the common people rose and left under the control of the Jinwu Guards.

Li Xun drifted forward with the crowd like a walking corpse, a single thought lingering in his mind: “How could such a terrifying person exist in the capital? Who is she?”

“I can’t stay here for long!”

As his mind gradually cleared, Li Xun’s rationality warned him.

That female Imperial Master was definitely not from the mortal realm. Even in the Tongxuan Realm, she was probably on the same level as a demon phoenix. If she simply ignored him, it would be fine, but if she developed an interest, the consequences would be disastrous!

Li Xun had a vague feeling that someone who abandoned his duties as a soaring immortal to become an Imperial Master in the mortal realm, and with such a look in his eyes, must not be a righteous person.

“Why not go out of the spotlight for a while?” Li Xun pondered.

He couldn’t stand staying in the capital any longer. He’d been hiding every day, living like a dog, fearing the Blood Sanren would discover his whereabouts. And now, as luck would have it, he’d run into this unfathomable female Imperial Master.

If he insisted on staying, his life would be in jeopardy!

Furthermore, deep down, he was worried—what if he ran into someone he knew?

Qi Bi must have brought news of Lin Ge’s death back to the mountain. The sect would be deeply shocked, and they would surely send someone to Tiandu Peak to investigate.

Tiandu Peak was only a few dozen miles from Songjing, and could be reached in an instant by flying on a sword. If he were to be encountered by a teacher or senior brother while wandering the streets, what would he say?

And how would they view him?

These were things Li Xun dared not and could not face.

These past few days, he’d been constantly gazing at the sky, fearing a sword beam from his own sect might fly by. The mixture of guilt, shame, and fear had become too much for him. Leaving now might be the best option.

As for the Blood Nightmare, it was still early, and even if he lingered, he wouldn’t make any progress. It would be best to go out and relax.

With his mind made up, he immediately packed his belongings and headed for West City—for the Blood Wanderer was in East City, Tiandu Peak lay beyond North City, and the mysterious female Imperial Master resided at the Heavenly Sacrifice Site on the outskirts of South City. Thinking it over, he concluded that West City was the safest option!

Li Xun didn’t dare fly his sword. After retrieving the jade from a hidden location, he hurried on, determined to leave the city before the evening gates closed. He would run as far as he could, returning after a while.

With the emperor’s passing carriage, South City finally regained some of its life, and pedestrians could be seen on the streets. Li Xun’s “rich young man,” his head down, finally drew no more attention as he walked.

His cultivation had already achieved some success, and he now employed a subtle gait technique. While seemingly walking normally, his pace was surprisingly fast. It took him only half an hour to reach the West City gate. As the sky grew darker, he dared not delay any longer. With a breath, he prepared to leave.

Once he gets out of here and finds a quiet place with no one around, he can fly on his sword. Then, no one will be able to do anything to him!

At this time, the control of the Songjing city gates was loose on the outside but tight on the inside. People entering the city were mostly strictly checked, but those leaving the city were not too concerned. Li Xun finally got out of the city smoothly. He couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief. He stepped hard and in the blink of an eye, he had left the city gate far behind.

Seeing that the number of pedestrians was gradually decreasing and the sky was getting dark, Li

Xun held the hilt of his sword and began to look for a quiet place, ready to fly away on his sword. “Are you leaving now?” A voice that seemed familiar yet unfamiliar sounded in his ears. At first, Li Xun couldn’t make out the gender difference. He only felt that this soft and pleasant voice was as cold and deep as an underground river, making it difficult to fathom its details and difficult to grasp its boundaries.

He stiffened and swallowed dryly, then turned his neck and looked in the direction of the voice.

Ten steps away from him, a female nun was standing with a smile on her face. Her face was just like the one she had seen on the street before, illusory and unrecognizable.

She had a bun on her head with a purple phoenix hairpin in it, and a cotton whisk in her arm. She wore a plain cotton shirt inside and a dark blue Taoist robe outside. The wide sleeves of the robe swayed gently in the cold winter wind, as if she was riding the wind home.

At first glance, she really looked like a Taoist!

Li Xun forced himself to smile, trying to ease the atmosphere, but the smile on his face was extremely stiff.

In the unfathomable smile of the female nun, he felt that all his secrets would be dug out, and it would be as uncomfortable as being n*ked in the snow!

He was never a person with poor words, but at this moment, he could not utter a word. Under the eyes of the female nun, all his sweet words were useless.

The nun looked him up and down, her eyes filled with an indescribable expression. Li Xun only heard her speak again, “Are you a disciple of the Mingxin Sword Sect?”

Li Xun was not surprised that she could tell his origins, and simply nodded stiffly. He had originally wanted to take the opportunity to ask her about her origins, but unfortunately, he lacked the courage and had to give up.

The nun took a few steps forward, closing the distance between them, and asked again, “You, a lowly child, what are you doing here without a teacher?”

Xun opened his mouth, but suddenly something moved his mind. His thoughts raced, and his reaction was quite fast. As the words were about to come out, he changed his words: “I don’t know…”

This was a disjointed statement, which was originally the worst, but his face showed a “hard-hearted” look, which made his words more sincere and without pretense.

The nun, curious, stepped forward and asked with a smile, “You’re so young, what’s on your mind? Why don’t you tell me?”

Li Xun’s face showed hesitation, a touch of shame added to it, and hesitantly uttered a word.

Seeing his expression, the nun’s doubts eased a bit, and she simply smiled, “There’s nothing in the world that can’t be told! We’re fellow cultivators. If you truly have any difficulties, perhaps I can help you.”

Her tone was sincere, but full of uncertainty. Li Xun cursed inwardly, but he didn’t dare to pretend anymore. Instead, his eyes reddened and he choked out, “I don’t want to cultivate anymore…”

He had intended to use the nun’s words, “We’re fellow cultivators,” to open his mouth. However, as soon as he said this, he felt the pent-up resentment and fear in his heart could no longer be suppressed. The bitterness burst out, and he couldn’t help but burst into tears.

Amidst his sobs, he recounted the events on Tiandu Peak in a “brief” manner. In Li Xun’s words, he became a terrified cultivator, driven to flight by the demonic phoenix’s might, too ashamed to return to the mountains, forced to wander the mortal realm.

Most of these words were true events, though certain details like offending the master, begging for mercy, and the bloody nightmare were omitted, making it difficult for the nun to discern them.

He knew they were only a few dozen miles from Tiandu Peak. That day, when the demonic phoenix arrived, a thousand-fold inferno raged across a thousand miles, witnessed even by the common people. The subsequent fierce battle, which had decimated half of Tiandu Peak, was impossible to conceal. It was better to speak directly to allay the nun’s suspicions.

Furthermore, he was almost certain that the nun before him was not from a legitimate sect within the Tongxuan Realm. No matter how gentle and calm her appearance, her strange demeanor and cunning words were unbecoming of a righteous person.

Because of this, he defined himself as a “cowardly young man.” Only by giving the other party a handle in this way could he retreat in order to advance and minimize the other party’s suspicion.

He cried for a whole incense stick of time, and he deliberately made his story incoherent. However, because what he said was nine-tenths true and one-tenth false, it could withstand careful scrutiny.

After he finished crying, the nun replied indifferently, “I see.” Although her tone was calm, Li Xun felt that the oppressive feeling of thorns in his back had dissipated a lot. Obviously, the other party also believed it.

He had done his best. The development of the matter was beyond his control. After so many life-and-death moments, he also knew that at this time, the only way was to accept his fate.

At this time, he had already knelt on the ground, listening attentively to the other party’s verdict.

“You’re quite an interesting kid. You don’t seem like one of those idiots obsessed with exorcising demons… I haven’t seen anyone like you in ages.” The nun’s tone remained unpredictable, but her words were all geared towards Li Xun’s advantage.

However, her final decision surprised Li Xun: “Practicing Taoism is a trivial matter. If you don’t practice, that’s fine. You can practice again someday if you want to… I’m actually in need of a clever disciple to serve me. Would you be willing to stay with me for a while?”

While she spoke politely, she didn’t actually give Li Xun any choice.

Fortunately, Li Xun had anticipated similar situations and knew she wouldn’t let him go easily. He remained composed, hesitating only briefly before humbly saying, “I have nowhere else to go. Master, I’m deeply grateful for taking you in!”

He raised his head and, with a hint of hesitation, asked, “May I ask Master’s name?”

The nun smiled faintly, her face, previously obscured by secret techniques, gradually becoming clearer. Li Xun peered intently, and his mind was struck.

Describing her as delicate and graceful, her eyebrows and eyes as picturesque, were merely generalizations. Within this general beauty, the woman before him exuded a calm and profound aura.

Perhaps it was her eyes, shimmering and unpredictable, that this majestic and noble presence was tinged with a dark, boundless haze, like a thousand-mile evening cloud, dark and gloomy, seemingly enveloping the entire world.

Looking into her eyes, all Li Xun could think of were the overwhelming dark clouds, the howling cold wind, and the frozen wasteland.

In a trance, he heard the nun respond, “I think you’ve heard of me in your sect too. The thirty-three sects and millions of cultivators in Tongxuan all call me…”

“Yin Sanren!”

Li Xun’s face turned deathly pale in an instant.