The dead of night lay deep and quiet.
Wei Yuan walked slowly along the broad avenue toward the royal palace. Heavy snow fluttered down in thick blankets, reducing the world to total stillness; on such a snowy night, the surroundings were bright as if a full moon hung overhead.
He walked at an unhurried pace, leaving crisp footprints behind him that were gradually filled and leveled by the snowfall.
Ahead, beneath the stone archway at an intersection, an old man leaned casually with a pipe in hand. As he puffed away, a spark of ember flickered between bright and dim in the snowy night.
Wei Yuan continued down the avenue toward the archway. Every step he took fell precisely on the moment the ember flared bright.
The old man finally looked up and said, "There is no way through here. Pick another path."
Wei Yuan said calmly, "There were originally many roads forward, and I never had to walk this one. But now, this is the only road left for me."
The old man said, "The world is vast. Where can one not go?"
"Originally, I could have gone anywhere else, but there are always fools who insist on trying to direct my life. So now, though endless roads lie ahead, this is the only one I care to walk."
The old man said slowly, "Young man, being too eager to outdo others is no virtue."
Wei Yuan replied, "Whether one pushes ahead depends solely on oneself. With my innate talent and my achievements, why should I behave like a mediocrity, treading cautiously and walking on eggshells? Would that not be squandering my prime?"
The old man sighed. "The rigid is easily broken. A tree that towers above the grove, the wind..."
Before he could finish, a peculiar rifle appeared in Wei Yuan's hands. He produced a bullet, loaded it with a sharp click, and chambered the round.
The rifle was a fine weapon, but that alone meant little.
Yet the aura radiating from that bullet sent a bone-chilling shiver through the old man. Something suddenly surfaced in his memory; his pupils constricted sharply, and he slowly lowered his pipe.
Wei Yuan then drew the demonic blade Qiyue and mounted it beneath the barrel. Dragging the rifle behind him, he continued toward the royal palace. The blade's tip scored the snow, leaving behind a scorched trace as if seared by roaring fire.
Seeing Wei Yuan draw nearer and nearer, the old man finally tapped out his pipe and stepped aside, yielding the path.
Narrowing his eyes, he watched Wei Yuan's silhouette recede into the wind and snow, vanishing into the towering palace halls. The old man suddenly felt Wei Yuan's retreating figure hurt his gaze, and he could not help rubbing his stinging eyes.
Behind him, someone suddenly spoke: "Why has the esteemed True Monarch Dayan Huanshi dressed himself in the garb of a common street peddler?"
The old man turned slowly and saw a woman in red standing across the street. She held a small umbrella of sheer silk, appearing as though she stood amidst spring rain south of the Yangtze.
"Yuan... Jin?" The old man's voice trembled slightly.
The woman in red stood quietly. All the strife in the mortal world seemed entirely detached from her, yet also seemed to wind around the tips of her fingers.
The old man again felt an itch in his eyes and rubbed them with his sleeve. He said softly, "So it is you who watch over him. And so it is such a figure whom you protect. Good, good, good!"
He praised repeatedly, then burst into a long laugh. His laughter rang clear and pure, soaring straight into the firmament. The world around him shifted, and countless stars manifested in the air.
He strode away upon the stars. In that fleeting instant, his silhouette transformed from an ordinary street elder into a dashing, peerless young nobleman, though only for a heartbeat.
The woman in red finally turned her head, gazed at the dissipating stars, and walked toward the royal palace.
On this snowy night, the royal palace lay equally hushed. Snow stood a foot deep across pavilions, towers, and flying eaves; the winding corridors, ornamental rockeries, and garden pools were frozen inch by inch in solid ice. Throughout the vast palace, no lamp burned and no voice sounded; it was so quiet that only the falling snow could be heard.
Wei Yuan walked across the snow until he reached the gates of Chunhua Hall. He pushed open the courtyard gates, stepped inside, and closed them behind him with a backhand swing.
The moment the doors shut, fresh blood splashed against them from an unknown source! The blood spattered across the pristine snow, blossoming like crimson plum petals.
Wei Yuan crossed the courtyard and ascended the stone steps.
Figures finally appeared in the courtyard: palace maids and supervising eunuchs stood with heads and shoulders heaped with snow, having remained motionless for who knew how long. With stiff, jerky motions, they slowly turned their heads toward Wei Yuan, their faces stretching into bizarre smiles.
Wei Yuan swept his rifle. The demonic blade Qiyue at the muzzle vanished, and when it reappeared, the edge was drenched in blood. With a flick of his wrist, a string of blood droplets whipped off the blade tip, etching a red streak against the courtyard wall.
Every maid and eunuch froze stiff, then collapsed without a sound. One palace maid's head suddenly severed and tumbled to the ground, rolling to Wei Yuan's feet.
Terror and bewilderment covered her face as she rasped, "How... how could you possibly locate my true soul?!"
Wei Yuan gave no answer, merely stepping forward to crush the head beneath his boot.
Naturally, he would not bother explaining. Ji Liuli had personally laid down an array utilizing the Hall of Heavenly Secrets' guarding immortal artifact, further bolstered by numerous immortal herbs; his karmic luck had surged to a terrifying height, such that beyond three feet around him lay an abyss of doom for enemies. For assassins who lived by stealth and ambush, approaching Wei Yuan was pure suicide. Even walking normally, Wei Yuan could very well inadvertently crush an assassin masquerading as an ant.
Wei Yuan pushed open the doors of Chunhua Hall and finally stepped into a space touched by warmth.
***
Meanwhile, within a secret hall of the Crown Prince's Estate, the Crown Prince sat in the seat of honor. Around him, eight elders of varied appearances occupied grand armchairs arranged in groups of four.
Dozens of bronze lamps were scattered across the floor in the center of the hall, most of them already snuffed out. Only the two distinctive ancient lamps at the center still flickered with candlelight; yet the flame of one of them was steadily dimming, gradually dwindling to mere mortal fire.
The Crown Prince's expression had long turned exceedingly grim. Seeing the change in the ancient lamp, he blurted out, "What does this mean? Has he died as well?"
A person beside him said, "True Monarch Huanshi is unharmed. He has simply left the royal city."
"What?! He left?" The Crown Prince's voice shot up in pitch. Leaping to his feet, he shrieked, "I deployed eleven lines of defense, dozens of hidden outposts, and countless top-tier assassins! How could they fail to stop a single Wei Yuan?"
An elder on the other side said in a measured tone, "That Wei Yuan is not acting alone. We detected at least seven or eight dharma idols accompanying him, all belonging to peerless prodigies."
The Crown Prince roared, "Even if our dharma idols were outmatched, what about Scenery Command? Why did True Monarch Huanshi flee so abruptly? With him gone, what am I supposed to do?"
At that moment, an elder who had kept his eyes shut spoke up: "Wei Yuan has already entered Chunhua Hall. Huaying's vital essence still lingers, but the physical body no longer responds; his divine soul is presumed destroyed."
The Crown Prince kicked over his chair in fury. "Was Huaying not hailed as a genius assassin seen once a century? A late Dharma Idol genius assassin—how could he fail against someone who has only just entered the Dharma Idol realm?"
Seated opposite the Crown Prince, the Left Prime Minister opened his eyes only now. "When matching high-level cultivators against the Palace of Grand Beginning, it is entirely normal to be bested. The matter is already settled; we need only watch how things unfold."
Realizing his loss of composure, the Crown Prince gritted his teeth and demanded, "Instead of rushing to the Jingang Zen Temple, what did he go to Chunhua Hall for?"
No one answered.
The corner of the Crown Prince's eye twitched violently, as if a venomous serpent were gnawing incessantly at his heart.
Yet with the Left Prime Minister present, he had no outlet for his rage. In the end, he forced himself to say, "I am fatigued. I shall rest awhile; we will meet at tomorrow's morning court."
Seeing the Crown Prince withdraw, the Left Prime Minister slowly rose and walked outside. A man emerged from the outer side room to greet him and accompanied him out of the estate. That man was Li Weisheng.
After leaving the Crown Prince's Estate, Li Weisheng joined the Left Prime Minister in his carriage.
Once inside, fatigue finally surfaced on the Left Prime Minister's face, and he gently massaged his temples.
Li Weisheng asked, "True Monarch Huanshi's sudden departure is rather suspicious. And how could Huaying have perished so easily?"
The Left Prime Minister said indifferently, "What is there to find strange? The Palace of Grand Beginning is the foremost immortal sect, while our state sits at the very bottom among the Nine Kingdoms. If we cast aside the Dao of the Sovereign to compete in prodigies and high-level cultivators against the Palace of Grand Beginning, how could we not lose? Besides, placing True Monarch Dayan Huanshi before the royal palace meant conceding half the game from the outset. How could a figure of that caliber ever be used to guard a woman? What a waste of the favor I painstakingly accumulated."
Li Weisheng asked, "Then what should we do now?"
The Left Prime Minister unfurled a scroll depicting a moonless night sky sprinkled with countless stars. He stroked his hand across the painting, and specks of starlight rose from the parchment, hovered in midair, and then tumbled down one by one like rain.
The Left Prime Minister studied the rain of starlight intently, a faint sheen of sweat breaking out on his forehead. Moments later, as the stellar rain cleared, the painted night sky appeared noticeably dimmed, many of its stars gone.
He fell into pensive silence before saying, "Come, I will take you to see someone."
Then he instructed the driver, "Leave the city. Go to the Jingang Zen Monastery."
Hearing 'Jingang Zen Monastery,' Li Weisheng naturally understood whom they were going to see. A profound jolt went through him, and he asked, "My Lord, did you see something just now?"
The Left Prime Minister shook his head. "I saw nothing at all. But I believe it is time to take a step back."
Li Weisheng pondered the words carefully, feeling as if he grasped some meaning, yet also as if he understood nothing at all.
The carriage began to roll forward. The Left Prime Minister spoke: "Weisheng, state affairs are precarious; this is precisely when capable men are needed. That Sun Chao'en you mentioned to me last time—have him prepare himself and come to the capital before long."
Li Weisheng hurriedly said, "He has been growing rather close to the Right Prime Minister lately..."
"All the more reason for you to speak with him. How could such talent be handed over to the Right Prime Minister?"
Li Weisheng nodded.
The Left Prime Minister yawned softly, allowed his eyes to close, and began to doze.
The carriage traveled onward through the darkness.
***
Inside Chunhua Hall, the air was warm as spring.
Wei Yuan lifted a cup of hot tea toward his lips. Yet his hands trembled uncontrollably, spilling a generous splash of tea down the front of his robe.
Consort Yuan sat nearby in an aura of dignified grace and sanctity, appearing almost luminous. She moved to steady his hand, but hesitated and drew back, asking with deep concern, "Are your injuries severe?"
Wei Yuan said, "He was a late Dharma Idol cultivator, after all; some price had to be paid. Hmph, since the Crown Prince covets a clean reputation, I will ensure he never gets it! You need not worry; remain here safely. I must make another trip outside the city. This time, I will force his hand into open rebellion!"
Wei Yuan stood up, exited Chunhua Hall, and vanished into the distance in an instant.
Where he had just been sitting, a slender, graceful figure materialized—pure, youthful, and innocent: Bao Yun.
The moment she appeared, she bowed to Consort Yuan and said, "Tonight, Sister Tingyu and I will remain here to protect you, Elder Sister. Only today did I realize how difficult it truly is for you to navigate among so many factions."
Consort Yuan smiled faintly. "Then I shall trouble you, Younger Sister. My safety is of secondary importance; should danger arise, please watch over the child."
Feng Tingyu stepped out from the shadows, surveying everything within Chunhua Hall with curious eyes.
Yet as she listened to Consort Yuan and Bao Yun trading cordial sisterly addresses back and forth, she found it rather bizarre: why did two people speaking so warmly to each other harbor such immense hostility in their postures?
***
The heavy snow fell throughout the night without pause.
Wei Yuan strode through the snow into the Jingang Zen Temple; none knew what he did inside or when he departed.
The following morning, the snow ceased and the clouds parted. A radiant sun broke through Mount Yun and bounded into the sky, ushering in a rare fine day.
Well before the hour of the morning audience, more than half of the civil and military officials had already arrived. Word had spread long before that the wind had blown fierce and the snow had fallen heavy last night, bringing monumental upheaval.
The Crown Prince's carriage and Wei Yuan's carriage reached the palace gates at the very same moment, and the two walked into the palace side by side.
Wei Yuan sized the Crown Prince up and down, then laughed. "As expected of the Crown Prince, such robust health! You must take good care of yourself. In another twenty years or so, when you celebrate your eightieth birthday, I might finally have to address you as Your Majesty and kowtow before you."
The Crown Prince clenched his fists, his hands trembling violently. Ignoring Wei Yuan, he marched straight toward the audience hall.
With a hearty laugh, Wei Yuan followed him inside.
In the winter of that year, Wei Yuan presented an elixir of agelessness, extending the life of the King of Jin by twenty-four years.
The King of Jin was overjoyed. He conferred upon Wei Yuan the title of Military Commissioner of Qingyang, granting him supreme command over the military affairs of the surrounding commanderies, alongside the Nine Bestowments, the authority of the imperial battle-ax, the privilege of entering court without hurried steps, exemption from being announced by name during audiences, and permission to wear his sword and boots into the throne room.
Aside from the post of Military Commissioner of Qingyang, Wei Yuan firmly declined all other honors.
Several days later, the Crown Prince rose in rebellion, but found almost no followers.
Seeing that his cause was doomed, the Crown Prince finally set fire to his estate and immolated himself. In the ashes, only a charred corpse remained. In his final moments, not a single soul joined him in death.
Chapter 686