Chapter 60

The cat demon was so infuriated that its fur stood on end, and without thinking, it lunged forward, only to be forcefully pinned down by Li Hentian.

"What is Your Excellency searching for? And why pretend to be a member of my sect?"

Since he could neither defeat her nor wished to die, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and reason with the intruder.

"I have lurked in Chang'an for several years and have a fair understanding of the movements within the Nanyue Grotto-heaven. If I can be of assistance, might Your Excellency refrain from interfering in the feud between me and the Nanyue Grotto-heaven?"

Xie Chang'an pondered for a moment. "Have you ever heard of the Heavenly Artisan Furnace?"

A slight ripple passed through Li Hentian's heart. "Could it be the legendary Heavenly Artisan Furnace capable of smelting the illusory into reality and even forging divine treasures?"

Xie Chang'an answered, "Indeed."

Li Hentian continued, "That artifact is indeed in the hands of the Nanyue Grotto-heaven. Your Excellency has asked the right person; I even happen to know that the object is not currently within their sect. A few years ago, when Wanyuan Mountain assumed the position of State Preceptor, he brought the Heavenly Artisan Furnace with him to the capital, and it is kept right here in the Taiji Palace!"

Xie Chang'an remained unmoved. "How can I prove that what you say is true, rather than mere nonsense spoken to deceive me?"

Li Hentian explained, "I once sneaked into the palace intending to assassinate Wanyuan Mountain, and I happened to witness him refining something with that furnace. Strangely enough, I crossed paths with him twice. The first time was outside the palace, where, with my level of cultivation, we fought to a standstill. Had someone not come to his aid later, I would have slain him then and there. The second time was when I infiltrated the palace. Only a year had passed between the two encounters, yet his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, and I had to expend all my strength merely to escape."

"Upon reflection, even for a transcendent genius, such rapid progress within a single year is impossible. The change must be related to the Heavenly Artisan Furnace."

"If Your Excellency still does not believe me, I can accompany you to infiltrate the Taiji Palace and investigate for yourself. However, Wanyuan Mountain frequently travels between the Taiji Palace and the Bureau of Astronomy these days, and I cannot be certain whether he carries the Heavenly Artisan Furnace with him, or where it might be stored if he left it behind."

Naturally, the best way for Xie Chang'an to obtain the Heavenly Artisan Furnace would be for the people of the Nanyue Grotto-heaven to lend it willingly.

Yet, one could easily guess that the people of the Nanyue Grotto-heaven would not be so reasonable.

Initially, Xie Chang'an had intended to capture a few members of the Nanyue Grotto-heaven and force them to exchange the Heavenly Artisan Furnace for their lives. But how could a sect that was nearly wiped out over a single individual like Zhou Xin easily surrender its sect-guarding treasure for the sake of a few junior disciples?

Thus, her only option was to first track down Wanyuan Mountain, who possessed the artifact.

Li Hentian's words were indeed a valuable clue, saving her the trouble of traveling all the way to the Nanyue Grotto-heaven to investigate.

"I shall verify the truth myself. If you are lying to me—"

Li Hentian cut her off. "If I am lying, you may come and find me whenever you wish! Your Excellency can first investigate the whereabouts of the Heavenly Artisan Furnace. Once you confirm that my words are true, we can discuss cooperation further. You desire the Heavenly Artisan Furnace, while I desire the life of Wanyuan Mountain. In truth, our distinct paths lead to the same destination."

While speaking, two fingers held an additional talisman. With a flick of his wrist, the talismanic paper drifted toward Xie Chang'an.

"This is a tracking talisman. Whenever Your Excellency wishes to find me, simply burn the talisman."

Xie Chang'an's mastery of talismans was nothing short of scholarly; a single glance told her that Li Hentian had not tampered with it.

This was indeed a genuine and effective tracking talisman.

"I will find you."

Li Hentian asked, "I still do not know Your Excellency's honorable name?"

Without an answer, her figure dissolved into the darkness.

Li Hentian could feel the oppressive aura weighing upon him instantly dissipate. He let out a long breath, his back already drenched in cold sweat. The crushing pressure, akin to bearing Mount Tai on one's back, could only be understood by those who had experienced it.

The sheer, overwhelming pressure radiating from this person was enough to leave one breathless.

Yet, this was a fortunate turn of events.

This woman seemed almost like a heaven-sent ally.

The black cat rubbed against the hem of his robe.

Recovering his senses, Li Hentian bent down to stroke its head.

"Keep your temper in check. I barely managed to protect you just now; do not provoke this person."

"Could she possibly be stronger than Wanyuan Mountain?" the black cat asked, unconvinced.

"I do not know which of them is stronger, but I know they will inevitably clash. Did you not say she has companions? Perhaps they truly can slay Wanyuan Mountain."

Li Hentian's hand stroked the black cat's fur repeatedly and gently, yet the words he uttered were chillingly cold.

"Unless a few more members of the Nanyue Grotto-heaven die, how can we offer a sacrifice to the wronged souls of the Myriad Plum Blossom Pool, and how can the hatred in my heart be appeased?"

The black cat looked up. "Do you truly intend to help her acquire the Heavenly Artisan Furnace?"

Li Hentian replied, "The Heavenly Artisan Furnace is the guardian treasure of the Nanyue Grotto-heaven. It is not that I refuse to let her take it, but that the people of the Nanyue Grotto-heaven will certainly never permit her to take it. I have heard that their Sect Master has also arrived in the capital these past few days. When the time comes, a storm of blood and slaughter is inevitable. Tell me, do you think she can contend against such a massive sect as the Nanyue Grotto-heaven?"

The black cat answered, "Difficult! Even if a Grandmaster-level expert were to arrive—no, even if that immortalized Zhu Xuanguang were to come—it would be impossible for a single individual to oppose an entire sect."

Li Hentian smiled faintly. "Indeed. Then let them all perish together."

...

Xie Chang'an walked dozens of paces before catching sight of a figure lingering at the corner of a street alley.

The person appeared to have been standing there for a long time, as if waiting solely for her.

"When did you arrive?"

The other replied, "I followed you out. When you used a barrier to conceal your form just now, I lost your trail, so I waited for you here."

Xie Chang'an thought to herself that he could not possibly be this foolish.

"What if I had not returned?"

"Destiny binds me to my master; I would have waited until I did."

Li Chengying smiled, seeming forever joyful merely at the sight of her.

Too weary to correct the form of address, Xie Chang'an skipped the pleasantries entirely.

"What happened at the banquet? Where is Zhu Huan?"

Li Chengying answered, "Liu Xisheng has already sent a flying message to his sect, waiting for his elders to investigate the true culprit and uphold justice. True Person Zhu wishes to see what kind of reinforcements he can summon, so he has remained there for the time being, incidentally buying some time to make things convenient for whatever business you wish to conduct."

Xie Chang'an was not surprised by this.

Zhu Huan had always pursued advancement in martial cultivation. Having only recently ascended to the celestial immortal realm and remaining far from its peak, he would undoubtedly seize every opportunity to seek out formidable opponents.

A sudden thought occurred to her.

If Wanyuan Mountain had been lured out of the palace by the death of Zhou Lanqing, the Heavenly Artisan Furnace might still remain within the Tang Palace.

This presented a rare and valuable opportunity.

"Understood. You may return now."

Having formed her plan, she decided to make a nocturnal stealth visit to the Tang Palace directly.

"Does Master intend to cross the river and demolish the bridge?"

With the night deep and the dew heavy, Li Chengying gave a gentle sneeze, his tone carrying a hint of grievance.

"Wherever you wish to go, I can lead the way."

Xie Chang'an casually remarked, "A mountain of blades, a sea of fire, or the Avici hell."

To her surprise, Li Chengying beamed with delight. "Splendid! I have been wishing to explore those very places."

Xie Chang'an: ......

"You are not permitted to follow me, or I shall render you unconscious and discard you by the roadside."

Realizing reason would not prevail, she resorted to direct threats.

As their gazes met, Li Chengying perceived a trace of impatience in her eyes, devoid of even a shred of softening.

These words represented the limit of her patience and leniency, especially considering that the invitation to the night banquet had been provided by Li Chengying.

Without the banquet, so many pivotal figures would never have been drawn out.

"Very well, since Master dislikes it, I shall not follow."

The corners of Li Chengying's eyes curved upward, entirely free of any awkwardness or distress from being rejected.

"I shall wait for you here."

"There is no need."

Without turning back, she took a few steps, her red garments dissolving like smoke until she vanished completely without a trace.

Truly, she possessed a gentle exterior and a ruthless heart. Who knew when he might ever witness a soft and sweet smile from this beauty directed at him.

Li Chengying attempted a sigh, only for a gust of cold wind to rush in the moment he opened his mouth, provoking a soft fit of coughing that forced him to cover his mouth.

He tightened the fur collar around his neck and gazed up at the sky.

The pitch-black night was sparse with stars, yet the clouds hovering above the Taiji Palace glowed with a faint reddish hue, as though a new tempest was brewing.

"I had best leave some contingencies, just in case."

Muttering to himself, he withdrew several sheets of white paper from his sleeves, folded them swiftly into shape, and soon a few paper ravens took form. They quickly broke free from his grasp and soared into the boundless night.

Xie Chang'an walked with steps both light and swift, entering the Taiji Palace in a matter of moments.

Employing the most elementary blinding technique, she effortlessly bypassed the patrols of the night guards, moving as though wandering through an uninhabited realm.

This palace was all too familiar to her—so familiar that she could navigate it blindfolded.

The Taiji Palace stood on low-lying ground prone to flooding during the rainy season; ever since the Daming Palace was completed, the Son of Heaven shuttled back and forth between the two, spending most summer nights in the Daming Palace.

Yet, this place retained an irreplaceable function, as the sacrificial ministries and imperial storehouse officials could not be entirely relocated to the Daming Palace.

She stood amidst the snowy night for a brief moment.

The weather was so bitterly cold that even the imperial guards reduced the frequency of their patrols. The Taiji Palace, ransacked by rebel forces, had yet to fully recover, and within the darkness lingered a sense of decay and stale suffocation, akin to an empire inevitably sliding toward the abyss of decline.

Yet, Xie Chang'an's attention was not fixed on these things.

She lifted her chin slightly, sensing the chaotic ambient energy shifting around her. A trace of spiritual fluctuation mingled within it, so faint as to be nearly imperceptible.

That was the mark of a cultivator utilizing spiritual energy, and the fact that the aura could be captured indicated it was close at hand.

Ever since her journey through the Bone-Reflecting Realm—transforming from a mortal to a ghost, and subsequently cultivating into a united essence of umbrella and sword—her perception of spiritual energy had grown far sharper than before. Auras that ordinary human cultivators might fail to notice could be precisely captured by her.

When she used to walk as a palace maid through these heavily guarded gates, she had felt only an invisible shackle weighing down her shoulders, offering no means of struggle or escape. But now, returning to this former ground like a lone wild goose or a startled swan, she looked down as an indifferent passerby upon the peeling palace walls and that familiar aged tree. Every past memory from childhood to adulthood felt as remote as a past life, exceedingly difficult to recall.

Trusting her impressions, she walked past the Yeting Cold Palace, passed through the Chongde Hall into the Qianqiu Hall, and finally came to a halt, gazing toward the nearby Shenlong Hall.

The lighting there was dim and hazy, casting vague shadows that suggested someone was still present.

With neither the Emperor nor the consorts present, no imperial concubine would venture there.

Who could it be?

Glimmering light from a dim candle, faint shadows behind gauze screens.

The elderly man found even reaching out to touch the bowl of iced dairy close at hand to be a struggle.

His fingertips brushed against the bowl and slipped. He tried with all his might to pick it up, only to drop it once more, splashing milky-white liquid all over his garments.

Trembling, he used his fingers to scoop up a bit of the iced dairy from his clothes, brought it to his mouth, and smacked his lips in a daze as he tasted it.

Hearing movement at the entrance, he slowly raised his head, his cloudy gaze peering outward.

The senile Emperor tried his utmost to see clearly, yet discerned only the slender figure of a woman in red.

"......Yuhuan, is that you? Finally, you are willing to come and see Sanlang?"

Even though the old man before her was stained with filth, his wrinkles deeper than before, and the majesty built upon absolute power long since vanished to nothingness, Xie Chang'an recognized him at a glance.

The sovereign who had once fled in panic accompanied by his imperial concubine had now been reduced to eating iced dairy in the dead of winter, his garments left unwashed. His sprawling bedchamber stood utterly vacant, with even the servants who once attended him nowhere to be found.

Xie Chang'an spoke calmly, "Your Majesty surely forgets that the beloved imperial concubine whom you cherished above all others was personally ordered by you to be strangled at Mawei Slope. This place is rather far from Mawei Slope, and I fear even a wandering ghost could not find its way back."

"Who are you..."

The aged man struggled even to muster the posture of an emperor.

In the eyes of others, he was currently reduced to such a wretched state that no vestige of his former authority remained.

No one could imagine that decades prior, this very individual had been a shrewd monarch who inaugurated a golden age, only to shatter it with his own hands, dragging countless souls to their graves as rivers of blood and wails swept across the realm.

Xie Chang'an asked, "Do you remember Li Li?"

The old man remained blank for a long moment, seemingly searching his memory, before finally saying, "I do not remember."

Xie Chang'an continued, "What of Zheng Lüniang, Gao Xianzhi, Feng Changqing, GeShuhan, Li Ying, Li Yao, and the countless commoners who suffered tragic deaths because of you? Do you remember none of them either?"

"You—who on earth are you? Get out! Get out of here!"

Xie Chang'an pressed on, "The decline of the dynasty began with you, and the turmoil of the realm cannot be divorced from your guilt. To this day, do you feel any remorse?"

"Remorse? No..."

The old man shook his head repeatedly, suddenly revealing a look of gnashing hatred.

"Had treacherous ministers not misled me and rebel-traitor An not betrayed me, how could things have come to this! It is their fault, I did no wrong, the Emperor did no wrong! Who are you? If you seek vengeance and retribution, go find them! My imperial concubine was murdered by them—utterly unfilial, utterly unfilial!"

Flying into a furious rage, he flailed his limbs wildly, attempting to grab some sort of cudgel or staff, but after fumbling about for a long while, all he could touch was the bowl that had held the iced dairy, which he hurled forward with all his might!

As a result, the bowl failed to even clear the table before him, rolling off weakly and spilling the remaining traces of dairy onto the carpet.