The Demon Emperor's breathing grew heavier. "How many people are involved?"
"Three hundred and twenty-seven, of course. Each was only permitted a single dose." She looked up at the Demon Emperor. "If this list falls into the hands of the celestial gods, half of the Lingxu royal court may collapse, and endless turmoil will follow."
An unstable royal court meant an unstable throne for the Demon Emperor.
The Demon Emperor showed a flash of anger. "Are you using this to threaten me?"
"I would not dare. That is the very reason I rushed to Ganquan Hall." National Preceptor Qingyang's expression remained unchanged. "If Bai Ziqi had confiscated it, Your Imperial Majesty would have faced grave trouble."
The Demon Emperor stared at the ledger, standing in brooding silence.
Those who bought the elixir had broken celestial law and, by right, ought to face a thorough purge. But there were simply too many names.
National Preceptor Qingyang's elixir of immortality had never been sold to just anyone with silver. Even the wealthiest merchant in the land could hold up stacks of banknotes at Qingfu Temple and still never obtain a single dose of this divine medicine.
Of course, ninety-nine percent of the populace had no idea that Qingfu Temple sold the elixir of immortality in the first place. Such a thing was far beyond the scope of their understanding.
The clients recorded in this ledger were bound to be prominent figures in Lingxu City, each backed by powerful noble clans and grand lineages. To describe them as wielding monstrous influence was no exaggeration.
If the celestial gods obtained the ledger, they would not care about political stakes or delicate balances. They would simply order sweeping investigations and mass arrests to prove that divine authority could not be defied.
Yet the epic shockwaves such actions would inflict upon the Beijia royal court would be a bitter pill for the Demon Emperor alone to swallow.
Formidable as he was, even he found this exceedingly thorny.
Anger was anger, annoyance was annoyance, but he had no desire to raise the butcher's blade against so many of his cherished officials!
Fear of death was an instinct inherent to every living being. Doing everything possible to prolong one's life—was that not human nature?
"And how do you propose to resolve this trouble for me?"
National Preceptor Qingyang said with utter earnestness, "I beg Your Imperial Majesty to spare my life."
Having only Tongming Zhenjun plead on her behalf gave her little leverage. She had to secure the Demon Emperor's pity as well.
After all, no matter how much pressure the celestial gods exerted, the ultimate decision and royal decrees rested with the Demon Emperor.
As long as he did not wish for her death, she would likely live.
"You..."
National Preceptor Qingyang quickly added, "In the end, this case only involves the deaths of a few demon commoners, and I am willing to offer compensation. I beg Your Imperial Majesty to strip me of my station and reduce me to an ordinary old crone in the city streets. At any rate... I do not have much lifespan left."
Mortals rarely lived past a hundred, and even the upper limit for cultivators hovered around a hundred and forty. At nearly two hundred years of age, she was already extraordinarily long-lived. Had she not practiced arts to preserve her youth, the skin on her face and hands would look no different from dried orange peel by now.
Without origin power, the remainder of her days could be seen at a single glance.
The Demon Emperor fell silent at the desolation in her words, turning to pace out into the garden.
They had known each other closely for nearly two hundred years. Even a stone could be warmed through over such time, let alone a living creature of flesh and blood.
Without a word, National Preceptor Qingyang pushed open the door and accompanied him forward.
Because the Demon Emperor had dismissed everyone long ago, the garden grounds were entirely empty. Green trees swayed in the breeze and sweet floral fragrance filled the air, yet not a single bird chirped—under the Demon Emperor's imposing presence, what fowl would not be trembling in terror?
Deep within the garden grew a borneol camphor tree, adorned with pink and white blossoms that released an exotic, intoxicating scent.
National Preceptor Qingyang walked over naturally, flicked her sleeve to pluck a small spray of white blossoms, and pinned them into the hair at her temple.
The Demon Emperor stopped and looked down at her. It was as though he were gazing back through nearly two hundred years of time, seeing that little girl once more, plucking a borneol camphor bloom to wear in her hair and grinning cheekily up at him—missing a front tooth.
In all the years since, whenever National Preceptor Qingyang passed this garden, she would often pick a flower to wear. Only now, the borneol camphor tree had grown steadily larger, transforming from the frail sapling of that era into the towering giant before them today!
His heart softened after all. He let out a long sigh. "I can spare your life."
National Preceptor Qingyang's head snapped up. Then, with a thud, she sank to her knees, her voice catching slightly. "Your Imperial Majesty!"
"The deaths of those few demon commoners are not a major matter. The vassal demon kingdoms are merely using it as a pretext to strike out at Lingxu City, aided by a rabble of ignorant commoners cheering them on," the Demon Emperor said with quiet majesty. "Yet the ban on selling the elixir of immortality is an iron rule established by the celestial gods. Stripping you of your rank and confiscating your property will serve as an acceptable account to them, but your subordinates cannot be saved."
Tears of gratitude welled in National Preceptor Qingyang's eyes. "Your Imperial Majesty is benevolent!"
The wrath of the celestial gods had to find an outlet.
In this matter of the elixir of immortality, she had lost. Yet rather than say she had lost to Shuangye, it was truer to say she had lost to Xi Yunhe's ten-plus years of forbearance and calculation.
That man understood her far too well.
Even so, she had preserved her life. Only by staying alive did she retain any hope of striking back.
"In truth, what the celestial gods care about most is the source of the divine blood used to concoct the elixir of immortality." The Demon Emperor glanced at her. "Whether you obtained it from the mortal realm or the divine realm, you must account for it clearly."
"Yes!" National Preceptor Qingyang said firmly. "The source of the divine blood was the demon puppet master Dong Rui!"
"Who?" Weighed down by countless state affairs, the Demon Emperor found the name completely unfamiliar.
"Over ten years ago, he abducted the son of the General of the Left Imperial Guard and transformed him into a rampaging giant ape that recognized no kin and obeyed only his orders. Lingxu City issued a wanted notice for him, but Dong Rui soon fled Beijia, his whereabouts unknown."
"When Dong Rui modified these demon puppets, he had to use divine blood to induce their mutations," National Preceptor Qingyang continued. "Back then, I made contact with him and acquired a substantial amount of divine blood from his hands."
"'A substantial amount'—how much?"
"Just under half a jar." The primer needed to refine the elixir of immortality was minuscule. A single drop of divine blood no larger than a needle tip, once diluted, could yield over a hundred pills of the elixir—and that was accounting for failed batches.
"Then where did Dong Rui obtain his divine blood?"
"I do not know," National Preceptor Qingyang said quietly. "I intended to probe him for answers, but Dong Rui fled."
The Demon Emperor shook his head. "Pushing the source of the divine blood onto someone whose whereabouts are unknown is not a viable solution."
"Dong Rui has not vanished without a trace!" National Preceptor Qingyang said hastily. "The snail-toad monster that my treacherous disciple Xi Yunhe used to hunt demons is one of Dong Rui's demon puppets!"
The Demon Emperor's gaze hardened.
Dong Rui and Xi Yunhe were working together?
"Not long ago, Dong Rui even appeared during the great battle at the Han River in the Yuan Kingdom, coordinating with Hong Chenglüe to attack the Yuan army." National Preceptor Qingyang glanced at him. "The reason he dared to appear openly is that he obtained an amnesty decree from Beijia. Do you know who proposed that pardon?"
The Demon Emperor lowered his head until his colossal eyes were inches from her face. "Are you trying to say that Dong Rui possesses divine blood, and that he found a patron in National Preceptor Shuangye?"
A fierce glint flared in his eyes, his voice booming like thunder. "So National Preceptor Shuangye knows the whereabouts of the divine blood?"
The Demon Emperor was furious, yet National Preceptor Qingyang's expression remained as calm as water. Lowering her gaze, she replied, "Precisely!"
"This accusation of yours..." the Demon Emperor said angrily, "lacks any evidence whatsoever! National Preceptor Shuangye could refute it effortlessly!"
She was truly National Preceptor Qingyang—even when cornered in a hopeless plight, she still sought to sink her teeth into her rival!
"No, I have evidence!" National Preceptor Qingyang said in a low, heavy voice. "I just received intelligence that an anomaly has appeared in the main district of Lower Lingxu. A massive tree has sprouted erratic, demonic branches like some grotesque monstrosity, and a docile sheep demon suddenly transformed into a beast that devoured living humans. These occurrences are almost certainly mutations caused by contact with divine blood, identical to Dong Rui's demon puppets. Regrettably, just after I received this lead, Emissary Bai led his men to surround and attack the Azure Palace, leaving me no time to investigate further. Therefore—"
She enunciated each word: "Dong Rui is very likely right nearby!"
"Dong Rui's amnesty decree was endorsed by National Preceptor Shuangye, and Hong Chenglüe was the last person to see him. I believe that so long as you verify that the anomalies in the lower city are connected to divine blood, Your Imperial Majesty can question National Preceptor Shuangye directly."
Hong Chenglüe had been retrieved by National Preceptor Shuangye. Everyone in Lingxu City knew he belonged to Shuangye's faction.
Dong Rui, Hong Chenglüe, National Preceptor Shuangye. The Demon Emperor sneered. Was National Preceptor Qingyang trying to tie them all together? "Hong Chenglüe has already set out for the eastern front."
"Even if we cannot bring down National Preceptor Shuangye, it does not matter. If suspicion falls upon him, it will be improper for him to act as steward over the origin power. By line of succession, the one most likely to take over would be the Master of the Summer Palace." National Preceptor Qingyang murmured, "He, like me, is of one mind with Your Imperial Majesty."
"Is that all?" the Demon Emperor said coldly. "You accuse Dong Rui, yet no one knows where he is. Capturing him and bringing him to justice could take forever. For you, this matter cannot simply be smoothed over like that."
"It does not matter; I can wait." National Preceptor Qingyang knelt before the Demon Emperor once more. "Once I am gone, National Preceptor Shuangye and the celestial gods will certainly seize the opportunity to exert their influence and regain the upper hand in the royal court."
The Demon Emperor remained silent.
Within the court, National Preceptor Qingyang was one of his most vital pillars of support. She smoothed relationships, won hearts, and unified administrative affairs for him; her role was nothing less than an anchor steadying the ship of state.
In truth, the Demon Emperor understood why she had sold the elixir of immortality.
Was it not to curry favor, win over people, and coordinate various factions?
To put it plainly: to control power.
Setting aside some personal ambition, it had ultimately been done on the Demon Emperor's behalf.
He had never doubted Qingyang's loyalty to him.
Now that such a massive crisis had erupted around her and her position as National Preceptor could not be preserved, the celestial gods and National Preceptor Shuangye would almost certainly seize the chance to suppress the influence she left behind in court and purge dissenters.
The struggle between royal authority and theocracy had never ceased.
It was precisely for this reason that the Demon Emperor refused to let the ledger in National Preceptor Qingyang's possession see the light of day. For the entire royal court, her downfall was already an earthquake. If the elixir of immortality case went on to implicate scores of high-ranking officials, the fracturing of the court and the hollowing out of imperial authority would be imminent.
The tempest gathering over the Lingxu royal court was on the verge of taking form.
Even the Demon Emperor, if he mishandled it in the slightest, would face catastrophic fallout.
"For the vacant seat of National Preceptor of the Azure Palace, I recommend Nie Xiaolou, Head of Tongshan Academy, to succeed me. His cultivation is outstanding, his mind sharp, and he possesses a rare grasp of the greater picture. Your Imperial Majesty has long been acquainted with him. Moreover, his age is quite suitable—he is only in his forties," National Preceptor Qingyang said earnestly. "Most importantly, he and I share only a nod of greeting and have never had close dealings. Even the celestial gods will find no fault with him."
By settling the successor to the helm of the Azure Palace beforehand, the Demon Emperor would avoid being forced into a passive position if the celestial gods attempted to offer suggestions and insert their own candidates later.
The Demon Emperor gave a faint, sardonic smile. "Does he truly have no ties to you?"
"None."
Whether there were or not was no longer important. His gaze dropped to the ledger in National Preceptor Qingyang's embrace.
Understanding his intent, National Preceptor Qingyang channeled a trace of true power. Flames instantly surged across the ledger.
In a matter of moments, this great source of anxiety for the Demon Emperor was reduced to flying ash.
She knew what the Demon Emperor was worried about. "This was the only copy. There are no duplicates."
Chapter 663