Immortalis

Meat Well Fifteen

It took Shen Qingshi a long time to realize that Yang Wujian truly had no intention of killing her.

The pain of the sword piercing her body felt too real, coupled with the lingering suffocation after waking up, that she once thought she had gotten her wish and died under Yang Wujian's sword.

She had hoped for it so much, but Yang Wujian gave her a bitter smile and said it was just a visual obstruction brought on by Tian Ting.

"I never expected that this thing couldn't affect you before when it was in the well, but now it's starting to make you see illusions... It seems Tian Ting might indeed be an Otherworldly Object, but it's definitely not some good thing that can make one ascend to immortality. All this time, what the entire martial world, and even the whole realm, has been pursuing might just be an illusion."

Yang Wujian sat by the campfire, his expression complicated.

Even though he had never believed in gods, having grown up in Longevity Palace and been influenced by it since childhood, he had never imagined that the final chapter of the Longevity Heart Sutra might even be a misinterpretation.

He looked at the still unconscious Zhuang Tianyou and said softly, "The reason he suffered a qi deviation was because what he was practicing was just something from his imagination... Earlier, when I asked him to circulate his energy, he didn't even know the first three chapters of the Longevity Heart Sutra, let alone practice beyond that."

It took Zhou Huai a long time to understand Yang Wujian's meaning, and he asked in surprise, "So, are you saying the Longevity Heart Sutra might not even have a fourth chapter? Even you people from Longevity Palace were deceived?"

Yang Wujian's mind was a tangled mess.

Everything he knew about the Longevity Heart Sutra came from Gu Yun. Although no one in Longevity Palace had ever seen the fourth chapter of the Longevity Heart Sutra, everyone could recount Zhao Jian's story, and they firmly believed that mastering the entire Longevity Heart Sutra would lead to immortality.

Yang Wujian couldn't help but wonder: Was this really a misinterpretation?

Before them, had no one known that the final chapter of the Longevity Heart Sutra didn't actually exist?

There must have been.

He immediately arrived at the answer.

The person who delivered Tian Ting to Zhuang Tianyou that day must have told him that this object was the Longevity Heart Sutra, which led Zhuang Tianyou to develop the delusion that he was practicing it.

And that person brought Tian Ting in a lead box, clearly knowing it was an Evil Entity that could cloud people's minds. Only by keeping it in a lead box could they prevent those around from being affected.

Who was it that, knowing the truth, still chose to release this object into the martial world, causing chaos across the realm?

And how did the White-faced Guest know that this so-called Longevity Heart Sutra was in Boundless Sword Manor?

He pondered deeply but hadn't yet figured it out when Zhou Huai suddenly said, "Yang Wujian, you mentioned earlier that you felt everything we've done has been manipulated. Although we still don't know who the other party is, have you considered what their goal might be?"

"Goal..."

Yang Wujian, caught in the middle of it all, only grew more confused no matter how he thought about it. But Zhou Huai clearly didn't overcomplicate it like he did and said, "Actually, it's simple. Don't think about the cause and effect, just think about the outcome. At first, we were looking for Longevity Palace, then for the White-faced Guest. And while searching for the White-faced Guest, we went to Handkerchief Street and Aconite Kiln. If all of this is a game of chess, what do you think the other party has achieved along this journey?"

"What the other party has achieved..."

Yang Wujian's head throbbed with pain.He felt he had vaguely grasped something, when the previously silent Shen Qingshi suddenly spoke: "This time returning to the palace to face the Emperor, I realized His Majesty is thoroughly informed about all that has happened in the jianghu over these years. He knows the various beliefs of the Northern Desert, and even knows about Cicada Molt and Tian Ting. Cao Zhao told me that my journey into the jianghu was to serve as the Emperor's eyes—everything I saw and heard was, to the Emperor, evidence."

"Evidence..."

Suddenly, Yang Wujian felt a chill run down his spine.

Evidence of what?

Seeking the Longevity Palace was to prove its existence, while pursuing the White-faced Guest was to confirm that the Longevity Heart Sutra truly existed.

Later, they went to Handkerchief Street and Aconite Kiln.

Zui Xiang had taken the White-faced Guest's elixir and retained her youthful appearance, while at Aconite Kiln, the fortune-teller had seen the Underground Heaven and told them the method to find Tian Ting.

To worship longevity, one must possess Cicada Molt and Tian Ting.

If everything was evidence, then their last two stops directly proved that Cicada Molt and Tian Ting truly existed in this world... the Path of Longevity could be pursued.

Understanding this, Yang Wujian couldn't help but tremble all over, murmuring: "What if all of this is a demonstration... a performance staged for the current Son of Heaven? Emperor Yongzhao, having experienced military turmoil, is inherently deeply suspicious. Even if Cao Zhao told him many jianghu rumors, he might not believe them. Only by witnessing with his own eyes would he believe that the Longevity Heart Sutra truly exists, and that the method to longevity... truly exists as well."

At these words, the other two paled dramatically.

Shen Qingshi frowned: "But if the final chapter of the Longevity Heart Sutra never existed and is a fraud, then both Tian Ting and Cicada Molt become deceptions. Zui Xiang and the fortune-teller, who testified to this, ended up in Zhaoming Prison, suffering extreme torture, yet never recanted."

Yang Wujian then recalled everything they had witnessed along their journey: Zui Xiang enduring humiliation on Handkerchief Street and losing her closest sister, and the fortune-teller forced to make a living by illegally mining private ore, only to be betrayed in the end.

He gritted his teeth: "Both of them hold hatred for Datong... If performing a play could deceive the Son of Heaven of Datong, they would see it through to the end, even if it cost them their lives, wouldn't they?"

Zhou Huai, perplexed, asked: "So you mean everything we encountered along the way was prearranged, with people even waiting specifically to perform for us? If the ultimate goal was to deceive the Emperor, then this scheme is far too grand. Who exactly..."

Before he could finish, seeing Yang Wujian's deathly pale face in the firelight, Zhou Huai's mouth fell open as he already realized.

Why did the White-faced Guest always appear at opportune moments, specifically when the Zhaoming Division arrived? And why did he cooperate with the Zhaoming Division...

He exclaimed in shock: "The White-faced Guest! His shadow has been with us every step of the way, but... what does he gain from this? Fifteen years ago, he used live humans to refine elixirs in search of Cicada Molt—wasn't he deeply involved himself?"

"No, if the Longevity Heart Sutra is a fraud, the White-faced Guest likely knew long ago. Even his actions fifteen years ago might have been bait... After all, only by committing large-scale abductions and stirring up bloodshed in the jianghu could he attract the palace's attention. It was precisely fifteen years ago that the Emperor began investigating matters of longevity."

Shen Qingshi was gradually piecing together the cause and effect within this deception.Initially, she had thought Emperor Yongzhao was the oriole behind it all, using her, the cicada, to lure out Longevity Palace.

But if longevity itself was a deception, and she, the cicada, was merely bait released by another party, then who was the true oriole?

She and Zhou Huai couldn't help but turn their gaze toward the rigidly frozen Yang Wujian.

The White-faced Guest was the Old Palace Master of Longevity Palace, and the Longevity Heart Sutra was also a treasure of Longevity Palace. All the rumors had originated from Longevity Palace.

Not to mention, it was Gu Yun who had led Yang Wujian and her to the Aconite Kiln in search of Tian Ting...

Suddenly, Yang Wujian frantically searched his person and pulled out two slips of paper. One was the note Gu Yun had given him back at Longevity Palace—the one "Tian Ting" had written to her fifteen years ago—while the other was the letter "Tian Ting" had sent to Sun Eryuan.

When he had looked at them earlier, he had noticed that the handwriting on these two letters was quite different. At the time, he had assumed it was because the fortune-teller was limbless and someone else had written on his behalf...

But in reality, the fortune-teller was perfectly healthy. In other words, if both letters were written by the fortune-teller, the handwriting shouldn't have differed so greatly.

Yang Wujian stared blankly at the black characters on white paper. Slowly, with trembling hands, he pulled out two more thin sheets.

These were the secret letters stained with his blood that Shen Qingshi had brought not long ago.

That day at the Aconite Kiln, he had completely lost his sanity and hadn't paid any attention to the handwriting on them.

And Shen Qingshi had said she hadn't written them—the handwriting was similar but not identical.

Yang Wujian placed the three letters side by side. Zhou Huai and Shen Qingshi leaned in and quickly noticed that the letter "Tian Ting" had written to Gu Yun fifteen years ago and this secret letter sent to the Zhaoming Division bore similarities in both the paper and the handwriting.

So... it was like this.

As if struck by lightning, Yang Wujian staggered back a step, his mind instantly going blank.

Indeed, the letter "Tian Ting" had written to Gu Yun fifteen years ago—in a place as dark and damp as Longevity Palace, where even wooden beds would rot away quickly—how could it have been preserved for fifteen years and still be carried on Gu Yun's person all this time?

Looking back now, all the suspicious signs had been right before his eyes. But how could he have ever doubted the person who had raised him since childhood?

And if both this note from "Tian Ting" and the anonymous letter to the Zhaoming Division were written by Gu Yun...

Yang Wujian thought of everything he had witnessed that day at the Aconite Kiln and felt the world spin around him. Zhou Huai and Shen Qingshi, seeing his state, grabbed hold of him. Shen Qingshi said worriedly, "If it's too much, don't think about it for now... Take a moment to calm down."

This person he had nearly strangled to death not long ago was now comforting him instead. Yang Wujian was momentarily speechless. After a long pause, he let out a bitter laugh. "We've come this far. Just let me figure it out... Otherwise, I feel no different from being dead."

The letters were written by Gu Yun to Cao Zhao.

At this point, the reasoning wasn't hard to deduce.

This chess game to ensnare the Son of Heaven was too grand—how could Guanri alone possibly sustain it?

In other words, from beginning to end, there had been more than one player setting the pieces. It was just that Guanri was in the open, while Longevity Palace operated in the shadows.

Just like every step they had taken along the way, Gu Yun's intention to have the Zhaoming Division eradicate Longevity Palace was also a form of validation. After all, a lie built upon human lives would only become more unshakable.No wonder his medicine had suddenly disappeared...

Yang Wujian felt his entire body turn cold.

He had previously believed Shen Qingshi stole his medicine to force him back to Longevity Palace, but now it seemed it was most likely Zui Xiang.

Zui Xiang, the strategist, White-faced Guest, even the entire Longevity Palace were all secret collaborators. They were all waiting for an external variable, because only then could they justifiably "march to their deaths."

And Shen Qingshi was that variable.

Yang Wujian closed his eyes, recalling how before he left this time, Gu Yun and Mingshan had uncharacteristically given him much medicine and instructed Shen Qingshi to accompany him properly.

They knew all along they were going to die, didn't they?

Just remembering the two standing at Longevity Palace seeing him off that day was unbearably painful for Yang Wujian. At this moment, he couldn't help but wonder: Did those palace members who only wanted to survive know about Gu Yun and Mingshan's desperate plan?

Did Yu Qiao, whom he brought back to Longevity Palace, know?

Had Gu Yun ever considered how utterly despairing everything at Aconite Kiln that day would be for him—forcing him to watch Longevity Palace slaughtered by Cao Zhao while pretending Shen Qingshi betrayed him through letters?

Did these people who watched him grow up ever truly regard him as family?

Thinking of this, Yang Wujian felt a surge of rage. His old wounds throbbed unbearably, and unable to endure it, he coughed up a mouthful of blood on the spot.

"Longevity Palace brought destruction upon itself... Only this makes sense. They used death to make Emperor Yongzhao believe everything he witnessed, thus making him more desperate to pursue longevity."

With blood in his mouth and eyes burning red, Yang Wujian understood everything in an instant.

Why did most Longevity Palace elders have Northern Desert bloodlines?

Why did Baihe stop him from seeking White-faced Guest and returning to Longevity Palace?

Why did Gu Yun and Mingshan never let him handle palace affairs?

And why... despite the Old Palace Master's madness fifteen years ago, the Ten Elders of Longevity still followed him and died for him?

All because Guanri was never truly mad, and Longevity Palace itself was a trap meticulously crafted by Northern Xiang remnants for the Son of Heaven of Datong.

Starting fifteen years ago, someone laid this chessboard, luring Emperor Yongzhao step by step into this deception, chasing an illusion of longevity that would only sink him deeper.

"What's so good about the outside world that kept you wandering all this time?"

Mingshan's voice echoed in Yang Wujian's ears. His head split with pain as he collapsed and cried: "If so... why did you pick me up that day? Why!"

His voice echoed through the empty cave, but no one could answer his question.

Gu Yun was dead, and no one in this world would ever know why she brought the completely unaware Yang Wujian back to Longevity Palace.

Regardless, this fifteen-year chess game was nearing its end.

Yang Wujian looked at the still-unconscious Zhuang Tianyou. Now realizing the Longevity Heart Sutra was always a fraud, he guessed Tian Ting was most likely brought to the Sword Sect by Guanri. This explained why Guanri spoke candidly with Zhuang Tianyou in the cave earlier, claiming everything was futile without Cicada Molt.

He had bewitched the Sword Sect, used the Four Seas Alliance to locate Longevity Palace, specifically demanded investigation into his past crimes to draw imperial attention, completing this demonstration.Now, if the White-faced Guest were to lead the Zhaoming Division to find Tian Ting and bring it back to Emperor Yongzhao, then the current Son of Heaven would become the next Zhuang Tianyou.

A nation cannot be without a ruler for even a day. If all this were to happen, it would spell the doom of the entire Datong.

Is this what Gu Yun and Mingshan are risking their lives for?

To turn Datong once again into a war-torn wasteland?

Yang Wujian swallowed the blood in his throat. Having thought it all through, his five viscera and six bowels burned with pain, yet his mind grew clearer than ever.

He had witnessed the days when the people lived in misery. He understood better than anyone that if the world fell into chaos, the streets would be filled with starving children just like he once was.

No matter what, even if it meant betraying the family he had known since childhood, he could not allow the events of that day to repeat themselves.

Yang Wujian clenched his jaw, and when he came to his senses, his palms were already pierced with bloody holes. "At this point, the emperor likely firmly believes in the existence of the Longevity. We must take Tian Ting and leave quickly. Leaving Zhuang Tianyou here as bait might buy us some time..."

"But where can we go?"

Under the vast sky, there is no land that is not the king's domain. Shen Qingshi was well aware of the current Son of Heaven's methods. Frowning, she said, "Fleeing blindly is not a solution. We must come up with a way to counter this."

Zhou Huai suggested, "What if we head north and cross the border? This Evil Entity was originally dug up by the Northern Desert. Returning it to them should be acceptable, right?"

The Northern Desert...

At this, Shen Qingshi seemed to suddenly recall something.

As early as the fall of Northern Xiang, the Longevity Palace had already existed, and rumors of the final chapter of the Longevity Heart Sutra had spread. This meant they had likely known even then that the Longevity was a deception.

They wanted to destroy Datong and restore Northern Xiang. Behind this struggle for territory, it couldn't be as simple as just the Longevity Palace.

Suddenly, Shen Qingshi gasped sharply. "Back then, it was Prince Li who led the Zhaoming Division to the White Rainbow Tower. As a prince, his connection with the immensely wealthy White Rainbow Tower aroused the emperor's suspicion, which is why he sent the Chaofeng Envoy to investigate..."

"And under the 'witness' of the Zhaoming Division, Yang Ye took the accumulated wealth of the White Rainbow Tower and then made it disappear on Handkerchief Street... Handkerchief Street is the domain of Young Master Guanhuo, and Young Master Guanhuo seems to be a Northern Desert native."

Zhou Huai recalled the incense he had smelled in the brothel on Handkerchief Street that day—it was definitely not of Central Plains origin.

Young Master Guanhuo was from the Northern Desert, and Prince Li was of the Northern Xiang royal family, the son of Princess Rilie...

The three of them almost simultaneously arrived at a terrifying realization. Shen Qingshi frowned deeply. "To shake the foundations of Datong, relying solely on the Longevity Palace and the Northern Desert people beyond the border is far from enough... Thinking back now, when the Emperor Beixiang left Princess Rilie behind, it probably wasn't abandonment but a deliberate move. He had guessed that the proud Datong emperor would take Princess Rilie into his harem to humiliate the Northern Desert."

After a moment of silence, Shen Qingshi murmured, "And Prince Li, who has been biding his time all these years... perhaps he is the true mastermind waiting in the wings."