Chapter 4

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Chen Li only brought some gifts with him for this visit. After chatting with Jiang Changsheng for four hours, he left. He was already working in the capital, so it was not easy for him to squeeze out time to visit him.

During this period, Chen Li also asked him if his martial arts had improved. He kept a low profile and replied that he was still improving, but he did not specify how strong he was.

He could not guarantee that Chen Li was not an enemy, so he was very careful when interacting with him.

Half a month after Chen Li left, the new year arrived.

There was also a New Year’s gift in the Jing dynasty, indicating the change between the old and the new.

Longqi Temple was a place of cultivation, so the new year was not lively.

After the new year, Meng Qiuhe returned with his fellow disciples. When he left, there were sixteen of them. When he returned, there were twenty of them. Among them, there were three infants in swaddling clothes and five sloppy youths. In other words, they had lost four disciples.

Qing Ku had also lost an arm and was no longer as lively as before. When Jiang Changsheng saw him, he was shocked and asked with concern. However, Qing Ku smiled freely and casually recounted his encounters in the pugilistic world.

“Senior Brother, you’re right. Outside the mountain is not as good as here. There are no wars, but the human heart is unpredictable.”

Qing Ku sighed. Jiang Changsheng could not comfort him and could only pat his shoulder.

The next morning, Qing Ku trained in the courtyard early in the morning. The disciples of the same academy already knew of his plight, so they did not disturb him. After Jiang Changsheng knocked the bell, he trained on the side.

He was used to training alone, which made him feel safe.

The return of this batch of disciples had shocked Longqi Temple for a long time because even Second Senior Brother was injured. The dangers of the pugilistic world far exceeded their imagination.

A month passed before the topic of the underworld at the foot of the mountain completely disappeared. Longqi Guan also became lively because of the addition of eight new disciples and three young children, causing the disciples to often revolve around them.

Jiang Changsheng had completely mastered the Diamond Howl and the Qi Finger and was focused on the Dao Technique.

Martial arts focused on one’s internal strength. With powerful internal strength, it was easy to cultivate outer sect martial arts. However, Jiang Changsheng cultivated an immortal cultivation technique!

Jiang Changsheng’s senses were exceptionally strong. He had sensed that the true energy of his three eldest disciples was far less than half of his. Even Daoist Priest Qing Xu’s true energy was only about the same as his. From this, it could be seen the difference between immortal cultivation and martial arts.

However, he was not arrogant. True energy was only one aspect, and strength had to be measured by other factors. Furthermore, his body was still growing.

Chen Li maintained the same frequency as he did once every half a year. Every time Jiang Changsheng saw him, he could feel his fatigue. The top scholar who once solved a murder in high spirits had become a stressed and tired official.

The emperor’s pursuit of immortal arts became more and more serious. He would often get angry in the court, and officials would be sacked at the drop of a hat, causing the hearts of the officials in the court to be in turmoil.

Time flew by.

It was the fourteenth year after the founding of the dynasty.

The fourteen-year-old Jiang Changsheng was almost 1.7 meters tall, and he had a handsome appearance. His long hair was tied up behind his head with a straw rope, revealing his forehead and his temples. His appearance was extremely outstanding in Longqi Temple. Some female disciples were secretly fond of him, but he was only obsessed with cultivation.

According to the rules of Longqi Temple, if one wanted to start a family, they had to leave the temple.

It was a summer day that year.

On the bell tower, Chen Li sat on the ground and wiped the sweat on his forehead. His face was full of worry as he said, “Changsheng, aren’t you hot? Why don’t you stay in the house to avoid the heat?”

Jiang Changsheng sat on the railing. He looked as if he would fall at any time, but he was as stable as Mount Tai. He closed his eyes and answered, “If my heart is calm, it will naturally turn cold.”

“You’re getting more and more like Priest Qingxu.”

Chen Li sighed with emotion and then began to complain. “The Emperor is getting more and more muddle-headed. He actually asked someone to dig a canal that runs from the north to the south and extends as far as the sea. This is not something that can be done in ten to twenty years. I heard that he only wanted to use it to facilitate the transportation of medicinal pills. This is ridiculous, simply outrageous!”

Jiang Changsheng opened his eyes with a strange expression.

Canal?

Wasn’t this Yang Guang’s operation in Chinese history?

The more Chen Li spoke, the more indignant he felt. Digging a canal required too much manpower and resources. Not only would the state treasury be tight, but the people would also not have a good time.

“If this continues, we will have to fight again and attack the surrounding dynasties. Alas, the golden age is gone.”

Chen Li said with a worried expression. Jiang Changsheng could not comfort him.

From the looks of it, if the Jing Dynasty were to fall into chaos, Longqi Temple would not be safe.

Jiang Changsheng felt a sense of urgency. Even though his true energy far exceeded Daoist Priest Qing Xu, he had many enemies.

He had to make the best use of his time to cultivate to the fourth level of the Dao Technique!

Chen Li left after an hour. He could not take it anymore and was about to faint from the heat.

Jiang Changsheng watched him leave and noticed that Chen Li was starting to hunch his back.

It was really a waste of time.

Even though Jiang Changsheng was fourteen years old in this life, he was more than forty years old after combining the age of both his past and present lives. Thus, he had always been sensitive to the passage of time.

His body was in the prime of his youth, so he had the feeling of time being much slower in the mountain than outside the mountain.

A month later.

Eldest Senior Brother Li Changqing found Jiang Changsheng and asked him if he was willing to go down the mountain to train.

Jiang Changsheng directly rejected him.

Another trap to kill him?

Li Changqing left in disappointment. After all, the matter of going down the mountain could not be forced.

Three days later, Li Changqing led his fifteen disciples down the mountain. The youngest of them was only thirteen years old.

Jiang Changsheng had been waiting for the notification.

As expected.

At noon the next day, a line of words appeared before his eyes.

“In the fourteenth year after the founding of the dynasty, a spy persuaded Eldest Senior Brother to lure you down the mountain, but you refused. Hence, you avoided a calamity and obtained a survival reward—the miscellaneous ‘Time Calligraphy’.”

Calligraphy?

Jiang Changsheng was disappointed. It seemed like the size of the calamity would determine the reward.

In his spare time, he had completely mastered the alchemy that he had obtained previously. Unfortunately, he did not have a medicinal cauldron to refine pills.

Calligraphy was pretty good. Longqi Temple had always had guests from high-ranking officials coming to recite poems and have fun. There were many Four Treasures of the Study in the temple, all gifted by the guests.

It was not a bad thing to cultivate one’s feelings when one had nothing better to do.

After all, other than training, life here was really boring.

On that day, Jiang Changsheng would come back with a brush, ink, and paper. He would practice calligraphy in his room while thinking about the spy.

This was the second time that he was called to come out of the mountain. Fortunately, he had already found a way to find the spy. After all, he had asked Jiang Changsheng to leave the mountain twice. He only needed to ask his Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother.

At night, Qing Ku returned to his room. He had just washed his feet. As he sat on the bed and wiped his feet with a cloth, he said, “Senior Brother Changsheng, the Emperor is coming to Longqi Temple tomorrow. Do you want to take a look? That’s the current Emperor after all. He is a person who is very hard to meet.”

Hearing this, Jiang Changsheng’s right hand trembled slightly. He calmly asked, “What’s so good about the Emperor? Does he have one more mouth than us?”

Qing Ku forced a smile and said, “Don’t say that. Be careful not to spread the news. Since you don’t want to go, then don’t go.”

Jiang Changsheng raised his hand and admired his writing. He smiled and said, “It’s not that I don’t want to go. In any case, I have nothing to do.”

Three words were written on the paper.

Not a gentleman!

…

The next afternoon, Jiang Changsheng walked on the stone path between the courtyards. He had just finished cultivating his Dao Technique and was prepared to see his father.

From a thousand feet away, he could already hear the discussions of his fellow disciples.

“Is that the Emperor? He’s so wise and mighty!”

“That’s right. I heard that the Emperor has trained in the aura of a true dragon, just like a living dragon.”

“I’m curious if the Emperor has found any immortal pills.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. If you are heard, you will be beheaded.”

The closer Jiang Changsheng was to the Mingxin Palace Hall, the less he heard. Soon, he heard the conversation between Emperor Jiang Yuan and Daoist Priest Qingxu.

The two of them were reminiscing about their glorious days. Most of the time, it was Jiang Yuan who spoke with much emotion. On the other hand, Daoist Master Qing Xu just agreed with him calmly.

Outside the courtyard near the Mingxin Palace Hall, there were golden-armored imperial guards guarding it. No outsiders were allowed to approach.

Meng Qiuhe and a group of disciples waited on the Emperor’s path. It was a small stream that ran through Longqi Mountain. There was a small bridge that spanned across it, and the flowers and plants on both sides of the stream were extremely dense. There were dozens of people in the stone pavilion by the small bridge, and it was so crowded that the pavilion seemed to be breaking.

Meng Qiuhe was bragging about what he had seen and heard during his previous outing. When he saw Jiang Changsheng walking over, his eyes lit up and he said, “What a rare guest. Junior Brother Jiang, why are you here? Come in and make way.”

The three seated disciples hastily stood up while the other standing disciples made way for him.

Jiang Changsheng was the only disciple that Daoist Qingxu allowed to cultivate freely and not need to listen to the Dao. His status was special and coupled with the fact that he usually acted alone, the disciples were very distant from him and did not dare to offend him easily.

Jiang Changsheng sat down in the pavilion and asked with a smile, “Second Senior Brother, why are you in the mood to tell a story?”

The three eldest disciples of Longqi Guan were all martial arts fanatics. Eldest Senior Brother Li Changqing was talented, while Meng Qiuhe’s talent was average. However, the latter relied on his diligence to make up for his lack of talent and had won against Li Changqing.

Meng Qiuhe smiled and said, “Naturally, I’m here to take a look at the aura of a true dragon. Rumor has it that the Emperor is like a dragon. How can I not pay my respects?”

The word ‘pay my respects’ was said with some skill.

Jiang Changsheng and his fellow disciples began to chat. The disciples were refreshed by his arrival, and Meng Qiuhe was even more so.

Meng Qiuhe was curious about Jiang Changsheng’s current strength. He had looked for Jiang Changsheng last year and proposed a spar. However, Jiang Changsheng directly admitted defeat and said that he was not qualified. As a senior brother, he could not forcefully attack, so he could only forget about it.

An hour later.

A group of golden-armored imperial guards walked over, and Daoist Priest Qing Xu and Jiang Yuan appeared in their line of sight. The disciples walked out of the stone pavilion one after another and knelt down to pay their respects. Jiang Changsheng was the same. After all, there was nothing wrong with kowtowing to his biological father.

When Jiang Yuan approached, Jiang Changsheng could not help but look up and meet Jiang Yuan’s gaze.

Jiang Yuan wore a golden dragon robe and a light crown on his head. He had a dignified expression and there were gray hairs on his temples. He happened to walk over and his gaze lowered. When his gaze met Jiang Changsheng’s raised gaze, Jiang Changsheng stiffened and hurriedly lowered his head.

He had imagined countless scenarios of meeting Jiang Yuan, and he had even thought of laying his cards on the table. However, how could he convince Jiang Yuan?

There were no witnesses.

Priest Qing Xu only happened to save him outside the palace.

“Little Daoist, look up.”

Just as Jiang Changsheng’s mind was in a mess, Jiang Yuan’s voice sounded. He did not look up, thinking that Jiang Yuan was calling for some other disciples.

Daoist Priest Qing Xu’s voice sounded, “Changsheng, His Majesty is calling for you.”

Jiang Changsheng subconsciously looked up and met Jiang Yuan’s gaze again. He did not hide his nervousness, as it would be strange if he was not nervous when he saw the Emperor.

He noticed an old eunuch behind Jiang Yuan with his head lowered and his back bent. His physique was extremely weak, as if half of his body was buried in the ground.

What powerful vital energy! It was even stronger than Daoist Priest Qing Xu!

Jiang Changsheng remembered him. It was this old dog that brought him out of the palace. However, it was not this old dog that fought with Daoist Qingxu. On the way, he was handed over by many people.

Jiang Changsheng did not pay much attention to the old eunuch. Instead, he lowered his eyes and said, “Greetings, Your Majesty.”