Chapter 1228: Just Didn't Want To

Seeing that he was holding back, Tong Nianyi said, "I'm guessing His Majesty is obsessed with the immortal path."

Xie Huan paused, momentarily stunned.

He opened his mouth. "How could that be? That's..."

Tong Nianyi just looked at him calmly.

They knew each other well and had survived life-and-death trials together; Tong Nianyi saw through his lie at a glance.

Seeing this, Xie Huan stopped trying to hide it.

He let out a soft sigh. "It's true..."

"And it's not merely an obsession," he added. "I'm afraid His Majesty has truly attained the immortal path."

Xie Huan looked up at her, asking, "But how did you know?"

Tong Nianyi pointed at her own eyes. "I was born with the sight. That night, when day and night were inverted, I saw things. Later, when Priest Sanyuan passed through here on his way back to Quanshan, he told me a few things as well."

Xie Huan paused. "Priest Sanyuan told you?"

He frowned. "That ox-nosed old Daoist is always tight-lipped. Whenever he opens his mouth, it's just mystical nonsense meant to fool people. How did you get him to talk?"

"When I was young, I had a teacher who once helped Priest Sanyuan," Tong Nianyi explained.

"No wonder..."

Xie Huan pursed his lips. "Is this so-called immortal path really enough to drive a man to such obsession?"

He suddenly paused, as if remembering something.

Xie Huan's gaze shifted sharply to Tong Nianyi.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Xie Huan stared at her. "Are you also..."

Tong Nianyi's expression remained perfectly calm, though she met his gaze with a look of confusion.

"Perhaps I'm wrong."

Xie Huan said. He reasoned that perhaps Tong Nianyi was simply born with divine strength.

"The world is changing. You should seek out Priest Sanyuan again and ask for a few priests to protect you. There have been far too many incidents of demons eating people lately. Stay off the back roads, and don't wander into the deep mountains."

"I know."

"Mm."

The two had met in a rush, and they parted in a rush.

In Tong Nianyi's eyes, simply being able to see Xie Huan again was a wonderful thing. The work he did was constantly fraught with danger; a single misstep could cost him his life.

During this meeting, she had noticed a fresh scar on Xie Huan's neck, as well as another on his arm. It was a clear testament to how difficult the past few years had been for him.

Therefore, Tong Nianyi hoped this wouldn't be their last meeting.

He was one of her very few friends.

...

As the years passed, many things seemed to become ordinary.

Demon disturbances grew increasingly frequent. At first, the common people were deeply worried, but after two years, they gradually came to realize that this might be an unchangeable reality. Powerless to resist, they ultimately had to accept it.

The structure of the world changed as a result.

The long-standing norm was broken.

Travelers began avoiding deep valleys and mountains, choosing main roads whenever possible. Few ventured out at night anymore. It wasn't just Shangjing City; cities and Market Towns everywhere began enforcing a curfew. The opening and closing of city gates became increasingly regulated.

Government dispatches from the Imperial Court traveled slower and slower.

Gradually, the lower-level officials grew accustomed to this.

A single matter sometimes dragged on for a month, and this became the norm.

As rumors of demons multiplied in the world, they also stirred up certain ambitions. More and more people began Seeking Immortals and Inquiring the Dao. They firmly believed that if there were demons, then the immortal path must also exist in this world.

At the same time, this deepened the influence of the Daoist Gate.

To prevent evil spirits and demons from causing chaos, the Local Government in various regions invited priests to stand guard.

Because of this, Daoist temples were widely constructed all across the world.

Initially, Quanshan had been given sole authority over this matter. Later, however, His Majesty personally altered the decree, ordering Quanshan and Qingxian Temple to jointly take the lead and divide the regions between them.

Because of this, the name of Qingxian Temple once again echoed through the streets and marketplaces.

Slowly, people remembered this once-glorious Daoist Gate of the Immortal Mountain.

During this period, Wang Yingying made a trip back to Qingshan City.

Sitting inside her horse carriage, she gazed from afar at the Daoist temple nestled within Green Mountain. But she stopped there. She didn't enter the mountain gate, much less ascend the mountain.

Perhaps she had finally found release. After traveling thousands of miles for this single glance, she returned to Shangjing City.

Ultimately, she stood watch within the Imperial Observatory.

This was the first time in a century that the Imperial Observatory had welcomed a female Daoist cultivator.

Wang Yingying liked peace and quiet, so she disliked handling many matters personally. Every day, aside from engaging in a discourse on the Dao with Yan Nantian, she observed the stars or sat in quiet cultivation, entirely aloof from worldly strife.

The world had fallen into chaos, yet it also seemed to have quieted down.

Speaking of quiet.

The Commandery Princess Manor was exceptionally quiet.

A few days ago, Ruyi had gone looking for a priest of Daoquan Palace. Priest Sanyuan was not present, so she invited his junior brother.

He was considered to have some skill.

These past few days, Blockhead was frequently ill. Sometimes she had a headache, and sometimes she coughed. It came in recurring waves, refusing to heal no matter what.

"Commandery princess, your sister is simply advancing in years, making her susceptible to these minor ailments. I will write up a few Medicinal Prescriptions. With a bit of nourishment, she will recover."

"There are no other problems, right?"

It seemed that because Blockhead was growing older, Ruyi was worrying more and more.

She asked, "I wonder, Priest, could you calculate how much Lifespan my sister has left?"

Hearing this, the priest waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Commandery princess, you make things difficult for me. My skills are meager. How could I possibly calculate such fate clearly?"

He could naturally calculate it clearly, but there were some things that simply couldn't be spoken. Saying them would invite heavenly tribulation.

"You're not as accommodating as your Senior Brother." Ruyi crossed her arms and said, "You also know my relationship with your Senior Brother. He has always told me everything I ask."

The priest smiled helplessly and only said, "I truly do not know how."

Seeing this, Ruyi did not press the priest further.

After taking the prescriptions, she had the servants brew the medicine for Dong Chiyu to drink.

It was only in the middle of the night that Dong Chiyu woke up in a daze.

Ruyi had fallen asleep beside the bed.

But the moment Dong Chiyu moved, she woke up.

"You're awake..."

Ruyi rubbed her eyes and asked, "Blockhead, are you feeling any better?"

Dong Chiyu asked, "Why didn't you go back to your room to sleep? Aren't you afraid of catching a cold leaning over here?"

Ruyi waved her hand and said, "What could possibly happen?"

She yawned and asked again, "Is there any discomfort?"

"It's much better," Dong Chiyu replied.

"You've been falling sick constantly this year, and your white hair is increasing. We can't keep going on like this. Later, let's take a trip to Chunhui Prefecture and have Doctor Tong take a look at you."

"That's too much trouble," Dong Chiyu said.

Hearing her say this, Ruyi retorted, "It's not any trouble at all. What's troublesome about it? I say we're going, so we're going. It's not very far. Besides, we haven't gone on a long trip in ages. We can just go out and take a look around."

Dong Chiyu pursed her lips. She naturally knew how her own body was.

She was just getting old.

She was just afraid. She was afraid that once Ruyi got a definitive answer from Doctor Tong, Ruyi would worry, be afraid, or even do something foolish.

And so, she just didn't want to. She didn't want to go see him.