Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 158: Immortals

The previous Imperial Preceptor had forgotten his own name.

He lived parasitically atop a flesh idol. As decades flowed by, it was so long that the faces of his relatives all blurred. The old man remembered the deep-rooted obsession carved into his mind; he remembered every detail about the Hundred Year Project. Yet when he tried to recall his own past as a human, only fog filled his mind.

At times, the old man thought that perhaps one shouldn’t live so long.

He clung to the flesh idol, feeling the perpetual sensation of decay and pain. His old and frail body, in poor health, was often rejected by the refined meat paste of the idol. Every few months, he had to consume an “immortal body” to pacify the flesh idol for a moment.

In the past, he was second to none, living in luxury and refinement. But now, he had to swallow human corpses whole, chewing through bones and organs, forcing them down his throat. The old Imperial Preceptor wasn’t one to cling desperately to life. He only wished to pass on the essential messages and witness the culmination of his grand cause.

To be born mortal was perhaps the greatest glory.

However, ever since the current Emperor unexpectedly surrendered, the situation had deteriorated rapidly. The core of the flesh idol was unexpectedly set on fire, leaving nothing but a mass of half-dead meat paste. Then the ground kept shaking, and the vital qi was interrupted. Without the source of vital qi, the living meat paste gradually lost its vitality, becoming swollen and stinky. With the warmer weather, maggots began to devour the decaying flesh, leaving him alone, barely alive.

Jiang Youyue didn’t return, and neither did Qu Duanyun. Even the servants stopped coming, leaving him with only swirling insects among the rotten offerings.

What happened to the Hundred Year Project? The old Imperial Preceptor didn’t know. How much time had passed? He couldn’t quite recall.

Decomposing flesh fluids spread on the floor, creating a deafening silence in the temple. Through the fly-filled curtains, he stared intently at the closed doors—he had to see an end to it all.

There was a soft creak.

Blinding sunlight filled the room, dispersing the fat flies in a cloud and leaving behind an overpowering stench of decay. Even so, the presence of the newcomer was formidable. The sound of armor rubbing against itself sent chills down one’s spine.

A general?

The old Imperial Preceptor struggled to open his eyes. Through his blurry vision, he saw a young man in armor, black hair flowing, with a majestic aura. The sunlight and breeze flowed in, making the man seem as if he had descended from the heavens.

For some reason, the old man felt the figure was familiar. He couldn’t vocalize properly, managing only a garbled murmur.

“…You’re still alive.” The newcomer’s tone was more of pity than surprise.

The man waded through the decomposing fluids, pulling aside the curtain. The hand that did so was long and beautiful, carved like jade. The only flaw was a scar at the base of his thumb, which, at a glance, looked like a peculiar ring.

The old Imperial Preceptor recognized that hand shape. He had chewed on it countless times.

The visitor was indeed the master of the immortal body. He had traveled through three centuries, once again standing on the land of Yidu.

“Ah… Ah…” The old Imperial Preceptor stretched out his hand, trying to express something. However, as soon as his fingers crawling with maggots stretched out, the man dodged lightly.

“The Hanging Tree is dead, and the Shirou is destroyed. Jiang Youyue and Qu Duanyun are in prison, and as for that Divine Saint of Luojiu…”

The man smiled coldly and delightfully.

“The Divine Saint is far from their Hanging Tree, unable to borrow its power. Compared to the True Immortal of Great Yun, he’s easier to deal with. You should understand, an army without its general is just scattered sand.”

The old Imperial Preceptor clenched his hand.

“I know that the Luojiu’s Hanging Tree will still bear fruit and nourish the next True Immortal. Our people will infiltrate Luojiu, waiting for that moment to destroy it. It’s best for something as wicked as the Hanging Tree to disappear as soon as possible.”

No wonder the Saint sealed this man underground. He truly could not comprehend the grandeur of the Hundred-Year Project.

Yet, the old man’s heart remained calm. He felt no anger, no sorrow. Maggots gnawed at his flesh, yet he felt no pain. He stopped mumbling, his deformed hand drooping, his eyes filled with endless fatigue.

The man across from him had lived even longer but now radiated life, shining brightly like the sun.

In a daze, the old Imperial Preceptor seemed to be back in Juyi Valley years ago. Red leaves fluttered as the young body of the Child of Desire was curled up. His face was flushed from a fever. The moment he held the child, he felt such vivid and burning vitality.

This was the person with whom the Child of Desire had chosen to live and die with.

So that’s how it is, so that’s how it is. The person who saved the child in the maple forest 24 years ago was you. The desire that the Child of Desire set early on was also…

A chilling sensation at the throat.

The old Imperial Preceptor opened his eyes wide, watching his darkening blood spurt out. The viscous blood mixed with corpse fluids stirred up a stench. Yin Ci’s move was as fast as lightning, showing no hesitation. By the time he reacted, the old man’s head had already fallen to the ground.

“I should have let you rot here slowly.”

The man crouched down slightly, his long hair sliding over his armor.

“But considering you brought Jingzhi to me, I’m willing to give you a quick end. Old man, after all, I’ve boasted to him—my life is tough, especially against evil spirits.”

The head of the old Imperial Preceptor rolled halfway, facing the window. Birds chirped outside, and the sky was clear and blue. Tears welled up in the old man’s eyes, either from the blinding light he hadn’t seen in 24 years or from mourning that the “Hundred-Year Project” had completely died.

From beginning to end, Yin Ci never gave him a chance to speak.

That day, the Imperial Preceptor Residence was engulfed in flames. From the temple behind the home to the mysterious underground chamber, everything was burned to the ground, leaving only ruins. Surprisingly, over a hundred headless male bodies were taken out from the underground chamber. Rumors flew, but there was never a conclusion. They became evidence that the Imperial Preceptor’s lineage was “privately raising demons and practicing dark arts”, with no further follow-up.

In these turbulent times, such matters were insignificant.

That spring marked the most turbulent period in Great Yun’s history. Xu Jingxing surrendered first, then a few days later there was an earthquake. Afterwards, Xu Jingxing publicly renounced his previous stance. The Divine Saint, who was initially advancing rapidly, slowed down after the earthquake, delaying their invasion into Great Yun.

As the Luojiu’s army hesitated, two new officials joined the Great Yun’s court.

The general was named Yin Zizhu, young and strikingly handsome. Nobody had heard of this military genius before. The civil official was named Shi Jingzhi, possessing a devilish beauty and notorious for a previous rebellion plot. Now, he got along well with his Emperor Brother, and no one knew why.

One thing was certain—their appearance marked a turning point in the war for Great Yun.

Yin Zizhu personally led the army against Luojiu, with Shi Jingzhi always by his side. They fought seamlessly, pushing back Luojiu’s massive army. They even penetrated the Divine Saint’s camp and somehow burned their undefeated Saint to ashes.

Luojiu, which had previously worshiped him as a god, was now demoralized. In less than two months, the duo recaptured all lost territories and drove out Luojiu’s forces.

During these two months, Xu Jingxing recovered significantly, at least enough to attend the court sessions. While many were concerned about the rapid rise of the two heroes, Xu Jingxing always dodged such discussions.

The conflict with Luojiu finally ended.

Contrary to expectations, the two heroes didn’t seek any power and immediately requested retirement. Shi Jingzhi even audaciously listed his demands in the court, asking for a multitude of rewards. As Xu Jingxing’s face turned greener, officials feared he might collapse from anger.

Thankfully, the Emperor held on.

And Yin Zizhu just looked at Shi Jingzhi with an unsettling smile. As they left the court, their hands were unashamedly intertwined.

That was the last time officials saw the two.

“…Isn’t it amazing?”

The storyteller took a sip of tea and cleared his throat.

“It’s as if two immortals descended from the heavens to save Great Yun. Even Luojiu’s ‘Divine Saint’ met his end at their hands! They were so close, certainly reincarnates of immortals. This is a recent tale; I swear by it.”

A sniffling child nearby said, “But grandpa, aren’t immortals selfless? You just said that Shi Jingzhi asked for a lot of things.”

The audience, previously enraptured, began voicing their doubts after the child’s comment.

Storyteller: “……”

Storyteller: “Well… even immortals need some offerings. Great Yun was in crisis, so the offerings the immortals asked for were also urgent. It’s normal, just normal.”.

The little boy wiped his nose with the back of his hand and continued, “Grandpa, grandpa, but mom said that our Great Yun used to have good weather, and when children got sick, they recovered quickly! This time, the immortals came and left, but why didn’t he make things better here?”

Hearing this, the onlookers became even more interested.

“That’s right, not long ago it rained heavily in my hometown, and the rice seedlings all drowned.”

“Our village is alright, but Lao Zhang’s place seems to be suffering from drought. It’s terrible.”

“My child caught a cold, which usually gets better in two or three days. But this time, he’s been on medication for half a month, and I don’t know why…”

The storyteller pinched his grandson’s face and tossed a few copper coins. “Go, go, go buy some candied hawthorns.”

He then raised his head, showing a toothy grin, and cleared his throat seriously.

“As for me, I used to have headaches for ten or eight days, but this time it got better in just two or three days! Maybe the immortals have their own plans. We ordinary folks should just live our lives. If we always rely on heaven’s favor, wouldn’t we all become lazy?”

Laughter erupted in the teahouse.

“Yeah, isn’t that the truth. My parents are feeling much better now.”

“If there’s flooding, so be it. I heard the Yueshui Pavilion got some new seeds from the foreigners. If it comes to it, we can change our crops.”

……

The little boy paid no attention to the chattering adults. He happily ran to the candied hawthorn vendor. Unfortunately, just as he was about to make his purchase, a hand reached out and took the last candied hawthorn on the stick.

The little boy was upset. He was about to throw a tantrum, but when he saw the face of the person, he immediately forgot about crying. Simply put, the person was too handsome.

Grandpa said that fox spirits were skilled at bewitching the minds of humans, so meeting a fox spirit must feel like this. The little boy stared blankly, tears forming in his eyes, with a long trail of snot hanging from his nose.

The fox spirit didn’t show any sign of bewitching. He just tightly held the candied hawthorn, looking very conflicted. This fox spirit didn’t seem to respect the old or love the young, as his face had an expression as if saying, “This is mine. I won’t share.”

But it seemed like something was keeping him from just walking away. His eyes narrowed, showing a hint of pain.

“Alright, stop struggling,” a voice trying to hold back laughter said. “Jingzhi, why not compromise and share half with him?”

The boy slowly turned his head to look at the person beside the fox spirit. Not only was his nose running, but his jaw also dropped.

This older brother was also very handsome. He must be another immortal!

“It’s not that I can’t,” the fox spirit hummed. “But this was what you bought for me…”

“You can have my share,” the other immortal said with a charming smile. “Isn’t it more fun for us to share it back at the inn than to eat it all alone?”

The fox spirit’s eyes lit up, and he stood straighter.

He took a copper coin from the boy’s palm and, with a flick of his qi, split the candied hawthorn in half. He took the top half for himself, while the boy grabbed the lower half. The boy’s eyes darted between the two “immortals”, not caring about eating at all.

It wasn’t until the two left hand in hand that he snapped back to reality and rushed back to the teahouse—

“Grandpa, Grandpa, I just saw two immortals!”

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