315 Regardless of Age
At this moment, the air seemed to fall silent.
The Lingyun Emperor’s eyes were filled with surprise.
He suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned his neck, making a series of cracking sounds as he looked at the State Preceptor with a strange gaze.
“State Preceptor, what do you mean by this?”
“What do I mean? Your Majesty should understand.”
The State Preceptor’s reaction was quite calm. He placed his hands behind his back and spoke calmly.
At this moment, he had a thick beard and looked like a sage. However, if one observed carefully, one would realize that the face hidden behind the beard actually looked quite young. It could even be said that… he was a little too young!
“The last mastermind can be said to have gone through the entire history of Lingyun Kingdom. Throughout history, his existence can almost be found in every major event.”
The State Preceptor smiled faintly and said confidently, “Whether it’s the Xuantian Sect or the Starmoon Demon Sect, they can only be considered small threats. The real big threat is still the mastermind who is present throughout history.”
“As for who has the greatest impact on Lingyun Kingdom…”
At this point, the State Preceptor finally paused. He took a step forward and looked at the dignified emperor with a strange gaze. “In the entire world, other than Your Majesty, where can you find a second person?”
At this moment, the expression of the Lingyun Emperor, Lu Tiancheng, gradually relaxed.
He shrugged and smiled. “State Preceptor is right. Based on the current situation, I am indeed the most suspicious person as the emperor. After all, it’s almost impossible to hide something from the two of us at the same time, as well as the Heaven Supervising Bureau of Lingyun Kingdom, unless the mastermind… has been outside the scope of the surveillance from the beginning!”
He shook his head casually and said with a faint smile, “But State Preceptor, have you ever thought that if I’m a suspect… you’re even more suspicious than me! I don’t know where you came from, where your master came from, or what your purpose is! It’s just that everything you’ve done so far has indeed allowed Lingyun Kingdom to develop greatly, so I’ve never pursued the issue of your identity!”
“Your Majesty has a point.”
The State Preceptor’s attitude was still unhurried. He waved the horsetail whisk in his hand and chuckled. “So, I can also be that mastermind!”
As the two of them spoke, they suddenly burst out laughing.
“State Preceptor, aren’t you afraid that I will kill you?”
“Your Majesty, you can try.”
The State Preceptor laughed loudly. “If Your Majesty really wants to do it, you can come and try.”
The emperor could not help but shake his head. “You…”
If outsiders saw this scene, it would definitely be difficult for them to understand the situation. The emperor and his subject were not only chatting and laughing, but they even suspected each other of being the mastermind behind the scenes. Even so, they still chatted like close friends.
Yet, the emperor did not notice the inexplicable glint in the State Preceptor’s eyes.
It was a look of both satisfaction and regret.
“What a pity…”
The State Preceptor could not help but sigh.
His voice immediately attracted the attention of the emperor. “State Preceptor, why are you sighing? Even if we can’t find that mastermind, Lingyun Kingdom is already thriving. Not long ago, I had already formed an alliance with many forces to build teleportation arrays so as to facilitate trade. I believe that in the near future, the strength of Lingyun Kingdom will definitely rise to another level…”
“It’s nothing. I’m just lamenting that time is unforgiving.” The State Preceptor was stunned for a moment before he smiled and said.
“Time is unforgiving?”
Hearing this, the emperor could not help but scold jokingly, “State Preceptor, don’t pretend to be mature in front of me! Although I don’t know your identity and background, I can feel that your life force is quite young. At most…”
He hesitated for a moment before saying a number, “About 200 to 300 years old?”
The State Preceptor’s cultivation level was not high and his lifespan was far inferior to that of a Divine Bridge Realm expert, let alone the Lingyun Emperor who had entered the Deity Realm. With the State Preceptor’s current cultivation level, he could definitely be considered to be in his youth at the age of 200 to 300 years old. His blood essence was exuberant and he was at his peak state.
Hearing this, the State Preceptor smiled instead. “Your Majesty, you can be bolder with your guess. It’s about right if you remove a zero.”
“20, 20 to 30 years old?”
The Lingyun Emperor widened his eyes at first, then he suddenly shook his head and stared at the State Preceptor in disbelief. “State Preceptor, don’t joke with me. At the age of 20 to 30 years old, even those descendants of deities and demons… no one can reach the level to be a State Preceptor.”
“Your Majesty, look. You don’t believe me even when I tell the truth.” The State Preceptor shook his head again.
He raised his head and looked at the sky. The night was dark and a bright moon hung high in the sky. The moon seemed to have turned into the precious medicinal rock, the Di Liu Jiang, covering this mysterious Profound Origin World with a hazy veil.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m 200 to 30 years old or 20 to 30 years old…”
As he spoke, the Lingyun Emperor also laughed. He suddenly came forward and stared at the State Preceptor with a burning gaze. “State Preceptor, look. I have a total of seven daughters. If you like any one of them…”
“Your Majesty, I’ve had kidney deficiency since I was young and my vital Yang energy is lacking…”
“Bah!”
It took a while before the laughter in the room stopped.
“Your Majesty, there’s actually a reason why I don’t want to accept it.”
The State Preceptor thought for a long time before saying after some deliberation, “Although I only faked my death this time, I will still have to retire after I find out who the mastermind is.”
“You…”
Hearing this, the Lingyun Emperor could only shake his head repeatedly, not knowing what to say.
Which normal person would not be ecstatic to hear that he could marry a princess?
Only this State Preceptor of his had declined again and again. The emperor could not help but suspect that perhaps he needed to propose to betroth a prince, rather than a princess, to him?
Not only did he repeatedly decline, but he even bluntly said that after dealing with the mastermind, he would withdraw from the royal court and become a carefree hermit.
After throwing this thought out of his mind, the Lingyun Emperor extended a hand. Seeing this situation, the State Preceptor also extended his hand and held it tightly.
“State Preceptor, can you not retire?”
“I don’t want to retire either.”
The State Preceptor shook his head and said with a sigh, “Your Majesty, we can be considered friends regardless of age, right?”
“Friends regardless of age? We can indeed be considered as being friends regardless of age. However, for divine beings of my generation, the age difference of a few hundred years is nothing! It’s rare to have a confidant in life, so what if we treat each other as peers?”
The emperor laughed loudly and did not notice that the hint of loneliness in the state preceptor’s eyes seemed to have become even stronger at this moment. Only his lament could be heard again.
“It’s indeed rare…”
…