All an Act

Guan Shanhai's voice echoed across the entire Imperial City. From princes and high ministers down to the common folk, every soul shuddered upon hearing that name. Even children learning to read in private schools had heard the name "Meng Junzi." The Meng Family patriarch was a figure who had once vied with the Jiang family for dominion over the world. Although the Jiang family had ultimately triumphed and founded Great Xia, the Meng Family had not been wiped out like losers in dynastic struggles of the past. In fact, quite the opposite was true: the Meng Family flourished at the peak of its prosperity, becoming Great Xia's foremost noble clan. Part of this was naturally because the Jiang family patriarch valued their old ties, but an even greater factor was that the Meng Family possessed simply too profound a heritage. The Meng Family traced its origins to the Great Yu era, yet back then it had merely been an ordinary clan. The one who had truly led the Meng Family to greatness and splendor, amassing its vast heritage, was Meng Junzi, who became family head in the twilight of Great Yu. "Fellow Daoist Guan, such heavy hostility is hardly becoming." Meng Junzi stood with his hands behind his back, exuding a gentle, upright aura that dispersed the immortal pressure blanketing the Imperial City. "You truly attained immortality!" If Guan Shanhai had harbored any doubts before, Meng Junzi's display now convinced him beyond all doubt that Meng Junzi was an immortal just like himself. Meng Junzi's appearance shocked everyone, and Meng Jingzhou was no exception. Meng Jingzhou stared blankly up at the ancestor standing above him, his mouth agape in disbelief. *Wait, so our old ancestor actually became an immortal?!* Man Gu was just as stunned. He had been in the Imperial City for barely an hour and had already run into two immortals. He knew he would broaden his horizons following Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou! Meng Junzi had only shown himself during the early days of Great Xia's founding; since then, he had never made another public appearance. People claimed that he had grown disheartened after losing to Jiang Ping'an and sealed himself away from the world. Guan Shanhai had thought so too. Those two prodigies of later generations, Jiang Ping'an and Meng Junzi, had shone far too brilliantly for him to ignore, which was why, in his role as dean of the Imperial Academy, he had sent students to teach at the private school in Meng Manor. Back then, he had personally witnessed Meng Junzi seal himself and instruct his descendants to bury him within the mountains of Meng Manor. Looking back now, that self-sealing had almost certainly been an act put on for his benefit. Why would an immortal ever need to seal himself! Guan Shanhai glared fixedly at Meng Junzi, trying to recall when Meng Junzi could have attained immortality right under his nose, and where the Immortal Ascension Tribulation had been. Suddenly, he realized: Meng Junzi had attained immortality a hundred thousand years ago. "Back then, Wu Yao and I became immortals together during the founding ceremony, and you and Jiang Ping'an did the same—both of you stepped into immortality during the final battle!" "Who would have thought! For a hundred thousand years, you never once exercised the power of a Dao fruit, masquerading all this time as a half-immortal. What incredible endurance! Meng Junzi, I truly underestimated you!" Meng Junzi smiled faintly. "When fishing, one must always have patience. Look, hasn't today yielded a catch?" Guan Shanhai had always acted with supreme caution, avoiding combat whenever possible. Combat brought victory or defeat; as long as he never fought, he would remain forever undefeated. That was why he had lured Jiang Ping'an away. Had he known Meng Junzi was an immortal as well, he never would have shown himself in the Imperial City. As if deaf to Meng Junzi's provocation, Guan Shanhai sneered, "When I ordered General Yu to intercept the immortal peach, you didn't even show your face. You watched with cold eyes as Emperor Xia passed away. Truly heartless." These were words aimed straight at the heart. Guan Shanhai deliberately brought this up for all in the Imperial City to hear clearly, wanting to tell Great Xia's populace that their so-called emperor was nothing more than a pawn pushed forward by immortals to be manipulated and discarded. It was an accusation potent enough to shake the Emperor's standing in the hearts of the people! Meng Junzi was completely unruffled upon hearing this, remaining as leisurely as ever. "And how can you be so certain Emperor Xia is truly dead?" "Or rather... did Emperor Xia ever truly have an issue with his lifespan running out?" ... "What do you mean by an act? Emperor Xia didn't die of old age? Is there still time to deliver the immortal peach now?" The Immortal Fairy was still half-asleep, yawning with bleary eyes. "Immortal peach? Didn't Girl Yun say she only found one, and that the Heaven-and-Earth Spiritual Root ran off somewhere? A good thing like that, you should just eat it yourself, Little Yangzi. Emperor Xia's lifespan running out was all an act anyway." "An act?" Lu Yang was astounded. He had thought the "act" the Immortal Fairy spoke of merely referred to Emperor Xia passing away, but from what she said, even Emperor Xia having a lifespan problem was faked? Hearing the Second-in-Command's raised voice, the Immortal Fairy finally woke up almost entirely. Only then did she continue, "If he were on the verge of dying, why would this immortal have made him prime minister?" "Fairy, you knew from the very start that Emperor Xia was faking his lifespan issue?" "Not from the very start, no. It was during those three months when this immortal served as Acting Sect Master, around the time we were preparing to hold the Dao Seeking Sect's hundred-and-twenty-thousand-year celebration. Didn't I go to the Imperial Palace for a meeting and meet Emperor Xia once? That was when this immortal realized he was faking it." "Wasn't that the very first time you met him?!" This was something not even Yun Zhi had anticipated. Emperor Xia's disguise could fool Lu Yang, could fool the world, and could fool Guan Shanhai, but it could never fool the Immortal Fairy, who possessed the Immortal Dao fruit and held authority over life and death. Lu Yang recalled something. In the beginning, Eldest Senior Sister had told him and the fairy that Emperor Xia was failing and asked if the fairy had any immortal objects to extend his life. The Immortal Fairy had suggested giving Emperor Xia a rudimentary Immortal Dao fruit to make him Fourth-in-Command. Only after Eldest Senior Sister rejected the offer did the fairy mention the immortal peach. And ever since the fairy attended the meeting at the Imperial Palace and saw Emperor Xia, she had never again brought up making Emperor Xia the Fourth-in-Command. Not only did she never mention making him Fourth-in-Command, but after beating the sect masters of the Four Great Immortal Sects at the palace, the fairy had even proposed challenging Emperor Xia. If Emperor Xia truly had not had much lifespan left back then, the Immortal Fairy would not have done such a thing. Lu Yang understood. From the very beginning, this entire affair had been a trap dug for Guan Shanhai. No wonder Eldest Senior Sister had not delivered the immortal peach directly to the Imperial Palace, but instead had Man Gu hand it over to him. Eldest Senior Sister had never intended for Emperor Xia to consume the immortal peach to extend his life. If Emperor Xia extended his lifespan and the power of national destiny remained with him, Guan Shanhai would never jump out into the open. The whole purpose of the immortal peach was to bait Guan Shanhai into intercepting it, thereby convincing him beyond doubt that Emperor Xia was truly done for. ... Guan Shanhai's expression turned so dark it looked ready to drip water. He had never imagined that everything was fake. Lately, he had kept constant tabs on Emperor Xia's movements and had even observed him at close range in his identity as Dean Qi, yet he had failed to notice any sign that Emperor Xia was faking it. He was naturally suspicious, but recent events in the Imperial City had genuinely looked like an emperor on his deathbed: first, Emperor Xia had the Eldest Prince impersonate him to handle state affairs and test his capability; then, when the Eldest Prince proved unwilling to take the throne, Emperor Xia eliminated the Fourth and Fifth Princes one after another, forcing the Eldest Prince into succession. "Good, good, good! To think Guan has spent his entire life scheming against others, only to be schemed against by a bunch of juniors like you!"