Chapter 277: Another Wonderful Person

At midnight in the imperial city, both princes were in a state of despair.

Prince Wu, leading his troops, confronted his father outside the Imperial Study. Under these circumstances, the old eunuch Li Sizhe still held the imperial edict and read aloud the decree naming Prince Jin as the successor.

The subsequent events did not unfold as the furious Prince Wu wished. Among the three armies he commanded, the commanders of the Zhangjian and Beixuan battalions, the moment the old eunuch finished reading the decree, immediately switched allegiance on the battlefield. They loudly declared Prince Wu a rebel to their own soldiers and completely surrounded the Southern Army in the center.

After another round of fierce fighting, the commander of the Southern Army was killed. Coupled with the fact that the soldiers already knew they were not engaging in a "righteous defense of the emperor," their morale collapsed, and they surrendered on their knees. After all the experts from Prince Wu's manor were dead, Prince Wu, looking ashen, was also captured alive.

At the same time, Prince Jin had already escaped into the Jingji Prefecture Yamen, eluding his pursuers, and learned that Prince Wu had launched a rebellion to force the Emperor's abdication.

However, the information was not symmetrical. Prince Jin had originally thought that when his father killed Han Baishan last time, it would have severed some of Prince Wu's connections. But he never expected that the Zhangjian, Beixuan, and Southern armies—three military forces—would still respond to Prince Wu's command and march towards the imperial palace.

Under these circumstances, the imperial palace's defenses were very likely no match for Prince Wu's forces. Prince Jin did not know what fate awaited him and could only place his hopes in his father, the Emperor.

What saddened Prince Jin even more was that his teacher, Grand Tutor Li Mushu, who had accompanied him since childhood and imparted countless knowledge, did not survive the assassination and died from an arrow wound.

By the time Prince Jin escaped into the vicinity of the Jingji Prefecture Yamen and the experts from various capital yamen offices emerged, Li Mushu had already passed away.

"Your Highness, have some water!"

In the main hall of the yamen, a guard brought a bowl of steaming tea. Prince Jin, sitting beside Li Mushu's corpse, merely shook his head.

Men do not easily shed tears unless they are truly heartbroken. Since reaching adulthood, Prince Jin had been able to conceal his emotions in most matters, but Li Mushu's death made it impossible for him to hold back his tears.

"Your Highness, perhaps we should first find a way to hide. If Prince Wu succeeds, he will surely not spare us."

"Hide? Ha..."

Prince Jin stirred, aggravating his wounds, and winced in pain. He looked at his teacher's corpse beside him, then at his loyal guards, and smiled faintly as he spoke.

"There's no need to hide," he said. "I still have some pride. I have no interest in fleeing into exile. Those who contend for the world must be able to accept defeat! If the news from the imperial palace is unfavorable, then you can escort me to my elder brother."

Prince Jin chuckled self-deprecatingly as he said this.

"I just didn't expect that my elder brother would choose to act immediately, not even waiting for me to return to my residence. I thought those old officials would at least be able to persuade him to hold back for two days. What quick news, and what a decisive heart he has."

As Prince Jin spoke with a clearly sorrowful voice, Li Mushu's ghost was actually standing beside his own corpse, looking with reluctance at Prince Jin, who bore both arrow and blade wounds.

He had called out to Prince Jin several times, but received no response. He presumed it was because the living and the dead were separated and could no longer see each other.

'I never thought ghosts truly exist after death...'

As he was thinking this, he suddenly heard an eerie voice speak from the side.

"Li Mushu, since you have died, come with us."

Li Mushu turned to look and saw several officers in black robes and tall hats standing not far away. Their grim faces immediately revealed they were not living beings.

Even though he was already dead, Li Mushu instinctively felt fear.

"Who are you?"

"We are ghostly envoys under the jurisdiction of the City God of Jingji Prefecture, specially ordered to take you to the Underworld! Li Mushu, do not delay. Come with us now. Matters of the mortal world no longer concern you."

As the ghostly envoys spoke, they stepped forward. They did not shackle Li Mushu; rather, under the pull of their Yin energy, Li Mushu involuntarily followed them out.

"Wait! Please wait a moment!"

Li Mushu pleaded with the ghostly envoys to stop. The envoys did not forcibly take him away. They watched as Li Mushu's ghost walked directly in front of the despondent Prince Jin, bowed deeply, and paid his respects.

After Li Mushu completed his bow, the ghostly envoys then took him away with them.

They passed through the doors, left the Jingji Prefecture Yamen, and walked along the capital's streets in the dead of night.

As the saying goes, "the speed of ghosts and spirits." At this moment, Li Mushu could feel that their speed was far greater than that of an ordinary carriage.

"May I ask, sirs, did many people die in Jingji Prefecture tonight?"

"Yes, many died here, and even more died at the imperial palace."

"As for the imperial palace, do you sirs know the outcome?"

Li Mushu asked, concerned.

One of the soul-reapers responsible for taking him to the Underworld looked at him and gave an eerie smile.

"Alright, we'll let you be an understanding ghost, so you can rest in peace," the reaper said. "At the imperial palace, it's said that Prince Wu ultimately failed, and the decree names your Prince Jin as the successor."

The ghost of Li Mushu was stunned for a moment, then finally burst into laughter.

"Hahahahaha... hahaha... I can rest in peace now, I can rest in peace. Thank you, sirs, hahahahaha..."

Some of the other ghostly envoys shook their heads, wondering why he still cared about such matters after death.

The procession of souls continued to move rapidly. Along the way, Li Mushu even saw some ghostly envoys leading a large group of shackled souls. Since he was the only ghost in his own group, he assumed this was special treatment.

On the way from the yamen to Miaosifang, they had to pass by the largest inn in Jingji Prefecture. As they drew near, Li Mushu noticed that the inn's direction was unlike anywhere else; there was an honorable glow emanating from it, as if creating a small, slightly dim patch of daylight around it.

When the ghostly envoys reached this part of the road, they had already veered off course, walking around the area instead of maintaining a straight line.

"May I ask, sirs, why is there light at the inn?"

It was the same soul-reaper who looked towards the inn, then back at Li Mushu.

"Because that is where Lord Yin resides!"

Li Mushu naturally immediately understood who "Lord Yin" referred to, but he was somewhat surprised that the ghostly envoys used such a respectful address.

"But why, why..."

"Heh heh," the reaper said. "All ghostly envoys of Jingji Prefecture know that Lord Yin, in the mortal world, possesses immense righteous energy and carries the blessings of countless people. Evil spirits and dark magic cannot harm him; ordinary demons dare not approach him. He is favored by humanity and admired by gods and ghosts. He is truly a great scholar and sage of this age!"

The reverence in the ghostly envoy's tone was evident as he spoke.

Upon hearing this, Li Mushu looked with emotion towards the inn, clasped his hands, and bowed in that direction.

"Lord Yin, with you there, I can depart with a peaceful heart!"

After this bow, Li Mushu had no more lingering worries. He followed the ghostly envoys towards Miaosifang and entered the Gates of Hell.

At the same time, Ji Yuan, accompanied by Celestial Master Du Changsheng, was seated atop the bell tower on Yongning Street. During the day, the bell tower announced the time for the capital's residents according to the hours, but at night, this task belonged to the night watchman, so the bell tower was naturally deserted.

From nightfall until now, the two had discussed many things. Most of it concerned how, after the Grand Water-Land Dharma Assembly, the old emperor had consulted several Celestial Masters about immortal cultivation, how he had them refine elixirs of immortality, and some of the squabbles among the Celestial Masters themselves.

Du Changsheng also understood that he had encountered a true master. He spoke openly and dared not utter any falsehoods, feeling that he had earned a slight favorable impression from the master.

"Celestial Master Du, you are perhaps the only one among the Celestial Masters remaining in the capital who possesses true skill."

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare," replied Du Changsheng. "Sir, you know well that with my meager attainments, how could I claim to have true skill? At most, I am merely a little stronger than the others."

Ji Yuan smiled. Through two or three hours of interaction, he had come to understand Du Changsheng's character somewhat. He was not bad, and rather astute.

"My saying you possess true skill is not false," Ji Yuan said. "For instance, your paper strongmen are quite interesting; at least I have never seen them before."

Du Changsheng immediately felt honored and said happily:

"It's but a trivial skill. I never thought it would catch Sir Ji's eye. This method was developed by my master during his lifetime, and I refined it a little. Although it's not particularly grand, it can sometimes be used to assist with small tasks or as a display of power. Don't let it being just paper deceive you; its strength is considerable, equivalent to that of a robust adult man!"

"Interesting," Ji Yuan remarked. "However, seeing how nervous Celestial Master Du is about those yellow paper figures, it seems this method is difficult to master?"

Du Changsheng nodded with a sigh.

"Precisely," Du Changsheng said. "Over several decades, I have only managed to create six yellow paper figures. Two have been damaged through years of use. Now that my energy is diminished, I fear it would be difficult to replace even one if it were lost."

Ji Yuan looked at him and finally spoke his mind.

"Celestial Master Du, you likely do not possess a formal Qi cultivation method," Ji Yuan began. "Would you be willing to part with your self-developed method in exchange for a Qi cultivation manual from me?"

Du Changsheng's eyes widened instinctively as he looked at Ji Yuan.

"A formal, orthodox Qi cultivation manual? One that can transform Yin and Yang, distinguish the Five Elements, and point towards the Great Dao of immortality?"

"Immortality is not so easily achieved; it doesn't come just by obtaining a Qi cultivation manual," Ji Yuan replied. "However, it will certainly be superior to what Celestial Master Du practices. Your method of directly meditating and visualizing the heart fire to refine spiritual power is indeed too crude. With a proper Qi cultivation manual, one can at least establish a 'Golden Bridge Elixir Furnace' within their inner world..."

"Master!"

Du Changsheng cried out, immediately rose, and knelt before Ji Yuan.

This loud exclamation startled Ji Yuan.

"Celestial Master Du, why are you doing this?" Ji Yuan said. "Please rise quickly; I am not worthy of such a great ceremony."

"You are going to impart authentic immortal methods to me," Du Changsheng declared. "It is only natural that Du Changsheng performs the grand master-disciple ceremony. Anything less would not sufficiently convey my respect. Esteemed Master, please accept your disciple... *muffle... muffle...*"

Du Changsheng suddenly found himself unable to speak further. His mouth simply wouldn't open, and his tongue twisted and turned uselessly inside his mouth, unable to force it open.

Ji Yuan rubbed his forehead.

"Don't, Celestial Master Du," Ji Yuan said. "I cannot accept such a grand ceremony. How about we just drop the matter?"

Du Changsheng grew anxious. He pulled out a book from his robe and placed it before him, continuously kowtowing with loud thuds, which made Ji Yuan's mouth twitch.

"What an interesting fellow," Ji Yuan mused. "How about this: if you feel this exchange is a loss for you, I will impart the perfected method back to you in the future. But please, do not mention the master-disciple ceremony again..."

Du Changsheng knew when to stop. He quickly nodded, but when he looked up, no one was there. The book he had placed before him had also vanished, but in its place lay a thread-bound volume.

On the front cover of the volume, there were only two characters for the title: "Minor Practice." He opened the pages to find the text intricately and beautifully written, imbued with an endless stream of Daoist essence. Just a brief read captivated Du Changsheng's mind, and in a trance, he seemed to perceive a divine transmission of will. However, it only lasted for a short while before his spirit grew weary, and he could no longer concentrate.

Yet, in his excitement, Du Changsheng would rest to recover some energy, and then immediately try again.

Meanwhile, the sky gradually began to lighten...

On the 23rd day of the ninth month, in the autumn of the Dinghai year, Prince Wu of Dazhen launched a rebellion but failed and was eventually captured. His younger brother, Prince Jin, was named Crown Prince.

At the morning court on the 24th, Prince Wu, clean and unharmed, knelt in shackles in the imperial court. Prince Jin, still bearing several fresh wounds and without time to change his blood-stained clothes, stood in the same hall.

In front of all the civil and military officials, Grand Eunuch Li Sizhe once again loudly read the decree of succession before the Emperor.

After this incident, no one, either within the court or outside it, dared to defy.