"The elixir of immortality case has spread throughout the divine realm. You cannot escape this charge."
"I do not seek to evade guilt; I only wish to be spared death." National Preceptor Qingyang sighed softly. "Surely that much is still within your power?"
Tongming Zhenjun remained silent.
National Preceptor Qingyang knew he was calculating as well. These celestial gods sat high above, as if untouched by mortal desires, yet their minds were no less steeped in schemes than any human's. Heh.
She had come prepared. Rising at once, she drew seven short tubes from her bosom and gave them a wave before the smoke.
"This is my token of gratitude."
"Mm?" Rare astonishment colored Tongming Zhenjun's tone. "Dragon-Torture Pillars? Where did you obtain so many?"
The shape of those tubes, their luster, their design... What National Preceptor Qingyang had revealed were none other than seven Dragon-Torture Pillars!
She rotated the Dragon-Torture Pillars one by one for the smoke to inspect. "Look closely. Every single one is brimful of nightmare energy."
Tongming Zhenjun could naturally see the churning red substance within the Dragon-Torture Pillars.
Each Dragon-Torture Pillar could store the nightmare energy of two hundred thousand freshly deceased. These seven pillars thus represented one million four hundred thousand lost lives!
"How I got them is no concern of yours; they were certainly not easy to come by." National Preceptor Qingyang gave a faint sneer. "This much nightmare energy should be enough to sustain a single divine gestation, wouldn't you say?"
She casually tapped a Dragon-Torture Pillar. "Without these contraptions, if left entirely to natural conception, you celestial gods might not bear a single infant in hundreds or thousands of years."
Tongming Zhenjun did not dispute this, which amounted to tacit admission.
Had anyone else overheard this conversation, they would have been horrified:
The nightmare energy harvested from one million four hundred thousand living mortals was only enough for the celestial gods to gestate a single infant!
A life-to-life ratio of one million four hundred thousand to one.
There was no need to dwell on how precious nightmare energy was to the celestial gods. Tongming Zhenjun considered it. "I can try. Exonerating you will be difficult, but preserving your life holds great promise."
The corners of National Preceptor Qingyang's lips curved slightly, but Tongming Zhenjun added, "Even if I plead your case, you must still account for the origin of the divine blood. When I asked you days ago, you said you would think of something. Now that crisis is on your doorstep, have you come up with a solution?"
National Preceptor Qingyang gave an affirmative sound. "I have."
"Speak!"
"In all of Lingxu City, I am not the only one possessing divine blood."
Tongming Zhenjun let out a surprised sound. "Aside from the Heavenly Palace, who else?"
So far as he knew, divine blood never surfaced even in the ghost markets or underground trades of Lingxu City.
"Dong Rui."
"...Who?" The name was unfamiliar; he had never heard it.
"Remember my discarded disciple Xi Yunhe, who used a monster to hunt for pulp beads and even swallowed Zhongsun Mou before a crowd of witnesses?" National Preceptor Qingyang walked over to the table and sipped some hot tea. "That monster is called a snail-toad. Its shell was the Azure Palace's treasure from over a decade ago, the 'Snail Dwelling,' while the creature itself resembles both ghost toad and snail—no natural being. I have investigated many leads; it is an artificially crafted demon puppet, and its maker is very likely the demon puppet master Dong Rui!"
Tongming Zhenjun waited for her to continue. This woman always acted with methodical purpose.
"Years ago, this demon puppet master was wanted across Beijia, but later received a special pardon. Guess who procured that pardon for him?"
Tongming Zhenjun did not care.
"National Preceptor Shuangye!" National Preceptor Qingyang could not help a cold laugh. "Therefore, Dong Rui must be Shuangye's subordinate."
National Preceptor Shuangye's arrangements in the elixir of immortality case formed an interlocking chain, from Xi Yunhe to Dong Rui, every piece aimed squarely at her—yet he had kept himself utterly detached.
No matter how loud the furor over the elixir grew, on the surface, none of it touched him.
Tongming Zhenjun grew a little impatient. "You bring up Dong Rui, but what does that have to do with divine blood?"
"He has divine blood in his possession."
"Ah?" Tongming Zhenjun asked in surprise. "Where did he get it?"
"I cannot be certain," National Preceptor Qingyang replied. "However, I have studied the demon puppets he crafted in the past. To mutate an ordinary beast into a demon puppet, only divine blood can provide such potent impetus."
She enunciated each word: "Capture him, and we capture the source of the divine blood."
Tongming Zhenjun chuckled. "You mean National Preceptor Shuangye?"
If Dong Rui truly worked for National Preceptor Shuangye, then Shuangye was the source of the divine blood!
This woman was ruthless indeed—even cornered in a dead end, she did not forget to drag her mortal enemy down with her!
The more he thought about it, the more ingenious it seemed. He could not resist laughing heartily. "I knew you wouldn't simply admit defeat! But I didn't expect you to strike from this angle."
National Preceptor Qingyang said indifferently, "If I obsess over whether Kong Jiaxiang is real or false, or whether the evidence in the elixir case is genuine or forged, I would be playing right into Shuangye's hands."
National Preceptor Shuangye was bound to have made airtight preparations on those fronts, simply waiting for her to step into the trap.
She had no choice but to carve out a new path.
Tongming Zhenjun was quite pleased. "Very well. I will do my utmost to preserve your life. As for the rest, you must rely entirely on yourself."
If National Preceptor Qingyang could prove the source of divine blood was Dong Rui and Shuangye, Tongming Zhenjun would have zero connection to the elixir case.
Naturally, he was more than happy to see it happen.
National Preceptor Qingyang put away five of the Dragon-Torture Pillars. "These two are an advance payment. The remainder will be yours once my life is successfully secured."
Tongming Zhenjun snorted, but raised no objection.
This time, the smoke finally dissipated, and the celestial god's will departed.
National Preceptor Qingyang took a deep breath and pushed open the window to gaze at the sky.
Two hours remained before nightfall.
She ate a few slices of mandarin orange, peeled two bright red, soft-fleshed persimmons, and even had a few pieces of osmanthus fudge. Only then did she dust off her hands, lie down on the soft couch, and close her eyes to rest.
Life or death would be decided once night fell.
...
Barely an hour had passed before National Preceptor Qingyang heard movement outside Ganquan Hall.
With cultivation as profound as hers, such noisy footsteps and voices naturally could not escape her ears.
Who else could strut so brazenly through the palace here but the Demon Emperor?
That he had rushed back early showed just how seriously he took this matter.
National Preceptor Qingyang sat up immediately and channeled her true power in secret.
In merely three to five breaths, her eye sockets hollowed, fine wrinkles webbed the corners of her eyes, and her complexion turned haggard.
The aristocratic grace and pampered dignity she usually bore instantly diminished by half.
As soon as she pushed open the door and stepped outside, a massive head peeked in over the courtyard wall, looking down upon her from on high.
Doors were meant for people; he had no need for them.
His bulk blocked the dying rays of the setting sun, casting a vast shadow below. National Preceptor Qingyang dropped to her knees at once and declared in a clear voice, "Greetings, Demon Emperor!"
The Demon Emperor did not exchange courtesies, asking point-blank, "The celestial gods accuse you of illicitly brewing and selling the elixir of immortality. Is this true?"
Fury smoldered in his eyes. Unable to withstand the pressure, the ancient osmanthus beside National Preceptor Qingyang trembled violently, shedding countless petals.
The air grew heavy, almost tangible.
National Preceptor Qingyang lowered her head and quietly drew a breath. "It is... This old subject was foolish."
Her answer was so frank that the Demon Emperor was momentarily at a loss for words. His forepaws rested against the wall tiles; with a sharp crunch, countless tiles shattered beneath them like curd.
"Why!" His booming voice was thick with grieved disbelief. "You have served as National Preceptor for a hundred and sixty or seventy years. Have my father or I ever mistreated you?"
National Preceptor Qingyang bowed her head. "Both successive emperors treated this subject with benevolence as heavy as mountains."
"Then were you lacking money, or lacking power? How could you dare transgress against the celestial gods' taboo!"
National Preceptor Qingyang replied calmly, "One in the court is not master of their own fate." She pressed her forehead to the ground. "Qingyang has committed a grave error and is willing to accept punishment."
The Demon Emperor remained silent, his heavy huffs of breath rumbling like rolling thunder.
The bureaucracy. Heh.
Father and son had both been steeped in it for many years; they had long known it was an ecological chain where everyone within was bound tight.
What you did not wish to say, what you did not wish to do—none of it was up to you.
Drifting upon the sea of officialdom, not even National Preceptor Qingyang could reach the shore.
Only after a long while did he say, "Since you admit your guilt and submit to the law, why did you flee the Azure Palace and come running to Ganquan Hall?"
National Preceptor Qingyang said, "I wished to have one final, deep conversation with the Demon Emperor. If Bai Ziqi drags me off to the Heavenly Palace, where would I ever get such an opportunity?" If she became a prisoner of the Heavenly Palace, any meeting with anyone would be placed under surveillance.
The Demon Emperor exhaled a heavy breath. "What is it you wish to say?"
"Illicitly concocting the elixir of immortality was this old subject being bewitched by folly; there is no excusing it," National Preceptor Qingyang said softly. "However, if I leave the Azure Palace, with the eastern front locked in fierce warfare, who will take charge of allocating origin power?"
"By convention, the one with the most seniority is National Preceptor Shuangye."
"I fear he would be overly aggressive in the war," National Preceptor Qingyang said. "National Preceptor Shuangye... has the celestial gods behind him!"
"Isn't that precisely the trouble you brought upon me?" the Demon Emperor said with displeasure. "Without this mess of yours, how could he ever be permitted to meddle in the eastern war?"
With a sweep of his tail, accompanied by sharp crackling noises, a large swathe of meticulously pruned plants and flowers was obliterated.
National Preceptor Qingyang did not dare contradict him. After a moment, she said, "Could the Demon Emperor wait until the eastern war concludes before stripping me of my post as National Preceptor?"
The Demon Emperor laughed out of sheer fury. "Hoping to redeem yourself through meritorious service? A charming thought, but the Heavenly Palace could not possibly agree!"
"A turning point has already appeared on the eastern front; the Mou Kingdom is inclined to negotiate. This war will end in little more than a month at most," National Preceptor Qingyang said faintly. "The celestial gods possess boundless lifespans, yet they are unwilling to wait even this short while?"
"Do you think it is only the celestial gods who refuse to wait? The common folk want a resolution, and the vassal demon kingdoms want a resolution! The Ruler of Chiyan has sent four consecutive letters, and even the Jeweled Tree King has pressed twice, to say nothing of the other vassal states—they are all waiting for this case to close. Do you think they can wait?"
National Preceptor Qingyang said in a low voice, "If I am imprisoned, the balance between the Four Palaces will shatter, and things will be even harder for you, Demon Emperor."
The Demon Emperor said coldly, "Now you suddenly show consideration for me?"
"After I depart, the Azure Palace must have a new master," National Preceptor Qingyang said. "Do you have a candidate in mind?"
"I have my own plans." The Demon Emperor exhaled, whipping up what felt like a whirlwind through the courtyard. "The moment I received word, I rushed back to Tianxin Island. The Heavenly Palace guards are still waiting outside. Do you..."
He hesitated a moment. "Do you have an account book or a list in your possession?"
Here it came—the real crux of the matter. National Preceptor Qingyang feigned a touch of confusion. "You are asking about...?"
"Stop playing dumb!" The Demon Emperor glared at her. "As if you wouldn't know! I am asking for the list of those who illicitly purchased the elixir of immortality! Knowing your temperament, you must have kept a record!"
National Preceptor Qingyang could not help a wry smile. "After nearly two hundred years, it is still the Demon Emperor who knows me best."
She and the Demon Emperor before her had grown up together from childhood. Their bond was as close as that between Yao Xingning and Crown Prince Huan.
"Every single buyer, I recorded." She retrieved an account ledger from her storage ring and clutched it to her chest. "Seventy-five families in total, with three hundred and twenty-seven purchases."
Chapter 662