ragginovel Chapter 69: Penglai Immortal Mountain
Chapter 69: Penglai Immortal Mountain
Deep within the Immortal Temple.
The main hall, which should only be opened on the four seasonal festival days, now had three figures standing inside.
One figure was casual, another solemn, and yet another bowed deeply to the offerings inside the hall.
Before them, a wooden plaque symbolizing the Eight Gods was placed under the dome.
The dome was no ordinary dome either; it depicted the orbits of the sun, moon, and stars in a mysterious way, with tiny lights twinkling like stars, as if it encompassed a miniature universe.
Mysterious and solemn.
The ground directly below the Yagami is painted with ochre and azurite.
It depicts the magnificent landscape of the four seas and five sacred mountains, and the nine provinces of China. With every stroke of the brush, rivers meander and mountains and seas stretch endlessly, vividly condensing the Qin Empire into a single painting.
Looking up, you see the sky; looking straight ahead, you see the gods; looking down, you see the mountains and rivers of the world.
This is a form of praying on behalf of Heaven, a prayer for the Emperor to become an immortal.
At this moment, this magnificent hall, which could easily accommodate hundreds of people, only had three Grand Masters: Zou Yun, Shi Gong, and Xu Fu.
The vastness of the place adds to its sacredness.
"The two of you."
Xu Fu was the first to break the silence.
"I have invited you two here today because I hope you can accompany me to meet His Majesty and report to him a matter of great importance concerning the fate of the nation, which is also a long-cherished wish of our generation."
"Just say what you mean, don't beat around the bush..."
Shi Gong slowly straightened up and glanced at Xu Fu.
Xu Fu, who was rebuked, was not angry. Instead, his expression became more solemn, and he said in a deep voice.
"The Immortal Mountain of Penglai... I have found it."
"oh......"
Upon hearing this, Master Shi completely lost interest and turned his gaze back to scoff, "Ha! So... you're already planning to slip away?"
"What? Have you finally found an island in the vast ocean where you can live a carefree life and escape the world?"
"No, no..."
Xu Fu smiled faintly and shook his head slightly.
"Master Shi is mistaken."
"Before returning to Xianyang this time, during my voyage at sea in search of immortals, I was blessed by the heavens and encountered a true sea god on the vast waves!"
He paused slightly, as if savoring the incredible sight, and his voice unconsciously lowered a few decibels.
"That great god is of unfathomable divine power and calls himself the 'Envoy of the Western Emperor'."
"With His supreme power, He guided me through mist and storms, finally leading me to the legendary Pure Land overseas—Penglai!"
Xu Fu looked eastward and seemed to see a mythical mountain that seemed to be in the distance.
"That place is shrouded in celestial energy, incomparable to the mortal realm."
"The immortal herbs and flowers grew on their own, forming a magnificent palace. There were also messengers with bronze luster and resembling real dragons, shuttling and swimming among the mountain clouds and mist."
Xu Fu took a deep breath and continued.
"Upon witnessing this divine aura, I was overwhelmed with emotion and immediately bowed in reverence to that great sea god."
"I pray that Your Majesty may be granted the elixir of immortality."
But as soon as he finished speaking, his expression became somewhat complicated and helpless.
"However, the great god said: The gift offered by the King of Qin... is too meager. It is only enough to see the wonders of the immortal mountain, but not enough to take away the elixir of immortality."
"To obtain the treasure of immortality, one needs three thousand young boys and girls, and several thousand skilled artisans."
"Only by offering the seeds of the five grains can one's wish be fulfilled."
After speaking, Xu Fu straightened his back and looked intently at Shi Gong and Zou Yun.
"Therefore, the reason I rushed back to Xianyang overnight is to report this matter to His Majesty and prepare the gifts needed to obtain the elixir of immortality."
Xu Fulang recounted this bizarre encounter, vividly describing every detail.
However, Zou Yun showed little interest in what he said.
Zou Yun looked around with great interest. To be honest, this was the first time he, as a Grand Master, had entered the main hall of the Immortal Temple.
The hall features intricate star charts, massive landscape murals, and a solemn altar layout.
All of these were far more appealing to him than Xu Fu's so-called "adventures on the fairy mountain".
"Oh!"
Seeing that Xu Fu had finally finished speaking, Shi Gong once again let out a sneer without any attempt to hide it.
However, unexpectedly, he did not raise any objection to Xu Fu's explanation, and only said calmly.
"Let me make this clear first: my old bones are no longer able to withstand the turbulence, and I will not accompany you on your voyage to some so-called blessed land."
"Master Shi is quite old, and I dare not trouble you."
Xu Fu immediately laughed, and as he spoke, his eyes met briefly in the air, and they understood each other without saying a word.
After exchanging favors, Master Shi lowered his eyes and remained silent.
Seeing that Shi Gong had tacitly agreed, Xu Fu felt much more at ease and then turned his gaze to Zou Yun, who was standing to the side.
"Master Zou... what do you think of this matter?"
"ah?!"
Zou Yun seemed to have just come to his senses, and casually echoed, "It's good, it's good... I have no objection."
Then, as if remembering something, his eyes lit up, and he asked in a low, mysterious voice.
"Master Xu, are you preparing to go to the Chen Kingdom, or the coastal barbarians?"
Xu Fu's lips twitched, and he immediately straightened his face, speaking solemnly to Zou Yun.
"I am naturally going to the Three Divine Mountains to seek the elixir of immortality for Your Majesty. How could I harbor any other intentions?"
As he spoke, a sudden gleam of unwavering loyalty, a willingness to die for one's sovereign, even shone in his eyes.
His expression was as if he were Ying Zheng's most loyal and trusted advisor, willing to go through fire and water for him and give his life.
"..."
"...Heh, whatever makes you happy."
Zou Yun's lips twitched, but he did not comment on his remarks.
If Zou Yun hadn't known that Master Xu would later slip away faster than anyone else, given his superb acting skills, he might have actually been fooled by him without knowing the truth.
Seeing that Xu Fu still looked loyal and righteous, Zou Yun lost interest and waved his hand at him.
"Alright, I agree. Is there anything else? No, I'm going to continue refining pills."
"Master Zou, you've worked hard refining the elixir, please make yourself at home."
Xu Fu answered with unusually quickness.
Now that he has gained the approval of both Grand Masters Zou Yun and Shi Gong, his plan to escape by sea... oops, I mean, to seek immortality at sea is about to begin.
Essentially, this is equivalent to receiving the endorsement of the entire sorcerer community.
After all, the only recognized masters of the time, excluding Lu Sheng and Hou Sheng who were removed from the list, are the three present.
All that was left was An Qisheng, who barely paid any attention to Ying Zheng, and Han Zhong, whose whereabouts were long unknown.
Therefore, Xu Fu, having achieved his goal, was in a very good mood.
He then immediately shared this "exciting" good news with all the alchemists.
In a corner of the courtyard, Zou Yun stood with his arms crossed.
Looking at Xu Fu, who was surrounded like a star, he muttered something indignantly in a low voice.
"Tsk! Clearly, it was I who saved everyone from this predicament. Why is Master Xu more popular than me?"
『......』
Upon hearing this, Feng Zhixue, who was standing next to him, twitched violently at the corner of his mouth and was speechless.
"So, you have absolutely no idea how this water and fire came about, do you?"
"Great Master..."
Beside the two, Zheng Ze, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.
"I feel that everyone's willingness to keep their distance from you is already a great expression of gratitude for the Grand Master's... life-saving grace."
Zheng Ze, whose moral bottom line wasn't that low, had to go through a lot of internal struggle before he finally shouted out those two words.
"cut."
Zou Yun was momentarily speechless, then let out a sullen snort.
That expression clearly showed that she instantly understood Zheng Ze's subtext.
'???'
"...No! So, you knew all along!"
"Now that you know you caused this trouble, how could you possibly say that complaint?!"
For a moment, Feng Zhixue's inner storm of complaints intensified.
After saying that, Zheng Ze paused briefly before adding to his statement.
"Those surrounding Master Xu now are mostly clever and quick-witted people. They all know in their hearts that this so-called voyage to find medicine is just a way to escape the Qin Dynasty and find another way to survive."
His gaze swept across the crowd, targeting several figures with shifty eyes, their expressions suggestive.
"well......"
"These days, even alchemists... have a tough time making a living."
Upon hearing this, Feng Zhixue sighed with deep feeling.
After listening to their conversation, Zou Yun withdrew his gaze and said calmly.
"I'm off to refine pills."
I haven't finished today's check-in yet.
If he doesn't go to the alchemy room for a sauna soon, and seeing that no blue smoke is rising from the top of the Immortal Temple, Ying Zheng will probably send someone to inquire about him again.
"trouble!"
With his back to the two of them, Zou Yun complained.
Feng Zhixue and Zheng Ze exchanged a glance and followed.
In the courtyard, Xu Fu's impassioned voice, describing the mythical islands overseas, was gradually left behind.