Epilogue (End of the Main Text)

On the streets of Luoyang, Pei Yingguan walked quickly with a heavy heart, and only stopped in front of an old house.

The old house was not big and its location in the city was not good. The gate was not locked at this moment. Pei Yingguan seemed to have sensed something. He took a deep breath and pushed the gate open. Sure enough, he saw two people in the yard.

Xiao Wan'er and Liu Mingyin revisited their old haunts and, on a whim, decided to stay for a few days. With nothing else to do, they set up a small table in the courtyard for a drink, and unexpectedly, an old friend showed up.

Both sides felt a little awkward as they hadn't seen each other for a long time.

After a long silence, Xiao Wan'er spoke first: "We are honored to have the Duke of Ying visit our humble home. Please take a seat."

Liu Mingyin immediately moved his seat, from drinking with Xiao Wan'er to sitting next to her.

Pei Yingguan suddenly felt that the thick barrier that had already formed between them had become even thicker. But he still walked over and sat in the seat where Liu Mingyin had previously sat.

Xiao Wan'er took out another wine glass from her personal space, filled it with wine, and placed it in front of him. He picked up the glass and took a sip.

"How have you been these past few years?"

"Not bad," Xiao Wan'er replied, "but Duke Ying seems to be having a hard time."

Pei Yingguan smiled bitterly.

More than just hardship, his life was a struggle. Ever since he lost his monastic prowess, he had also lost all his standing with the emperor. From then on, he served only as a warrior, leading a team of secret guards. He held no other official position, save the title of Duke. He had attempted to become a common official, but without such training, how could he possibly compete with a court official? Ultimately, nothing came of it.

"Duke Ying is the son-in-law of the emperor, isn't he? Why is his life still so hard?" Liu Mingyin asked knowingly. Xiao Wan'er gently kicked his calf.

Pei Yingguan saw it and felt bitter in his heart.

"Ever since my cultivation was sealed, His Majesty has issued an edict to cancel this marriage."

"Oh..." Liu Mingyin said meaningfully, "So Duke Ying is still alone now?"

"Yes," Pei Yingguan said, no matter how unwilling he was in his heart, he had to hide it carefully, "Junior brother and junior sister should have achieved a happy ending, right?"

"Yes, we are already Taoist companions." This time, it was Xiao Wan'er who answered.

"Very good." Pei Yingguan raised his glass and drank it all, then picked up the wine pot and filled a glass. "You two should be doing well these years, right?"

"Very good." Xiao Wan'er didn't say much.

When they and Mingshu arrived at Shuzhong Villa that day, they informed the villa owner of the situation in Chang'an. The villa owner immediately invited the abbots of the major sects in the cultivation world to the villa to discuss the matter.

The abbots quickly came to a conclusion and announced it to the entire cultivation world: All righteous cultivators are not allowed to serve as officials in the court or work for the powerful. Those who violate the rules will be treated as evil cultivators and will be punished by anyone.

At the time, the emperor was seeking to recruit monks, but when the announcement was made, almost no one responded. Some unsuspecting cultivators joined the Dark Guards, becoming their leader and then dying at home within ten days. It didn't even require an autopsy to confirm the monks' actions.

From then on, no monk dared to serve the court.

The emperor was naturally furious, but what could he do without a single monk under his command? He wanted to kill the leading monks, but who could he kill? In the end, nothing was done.

The position of leader of the secret guards was eventually taken over by a powerful warrior, and Pei Yingguan, who had lost the emperor's favor, didn't even get the position of deputy commander.

Ming Shu did not return to her original sect, but joined Biyun Temple instead. Of the three disciples of this generation at Biyun Temple, one senior disciple was expelled from the sect, and a younger sister was welcomed.

"I've been the senior sister for so many years, and I also want to be the junior sister for once." Ming Shu said this.

So the three of them returned to Biyun Temple together. The years in the capital and Chang'an were like a dream blown away by the wind, leaving no trace in their lives.

Until the moment of divination is approaching.

This time, it was the abbot of Lingxiao Temple who convened the various sects. After a month-long consultation, the participating sects once again reached a consensus: the cultivation world should jointly prepare for the chaos and protect the people when it came.

By then, the three princes killed by the emperor's own hands had long since returned to dust, and the pitiful favorite concubine had long since died of illness, scapegoated for the crime. The princess was forced to become a Taoist priest and forcibly brought into the palace. The prince, once honored by his mother, was now abandoned by her, his talent utterly lost to a future. The veteran ministers selected by the Empress's court had either retired or died of illness. There were few virtuous officials left in the court, only sycophants and sycophants.

The prosperous era was already full of crises, but no one noticed it, from the king to the common people.

"When Fellow Daoist Xiao's divination results were announced that day, I also found them unbelievable. I never imagined that they would actually come true," the abbot of Lingxiao Temple sighed. "When it comes to divination, no one can surpass Fellow Daoist Xiao."

"You are too kind, fellow Daoist. It was actually my master who first divined this result. I was only following his orders and have not yet been able to fulfill his last wish." Xiao Wan'er said half modestly and half with emotion.

The abbot of Lingxiao Temple silently dropped the topic. When Liuyun died that day, many cultivators felt both regret and relief, and he was no exception.

All the major sects were intensively preparing for the chaos. Finally, amidst the chaos, An Lushan, the Prince of Dongping, raised the banner of rebellion in Fanyang, and the once sacred capital quickly fell.

The Tang Dynasty's rulers and ministers finally woke up from their dream of prosperity.

The emperor fled in haste with his former concubines, and all officials reflected deeply on their mistakes, and then the blame was placed on the imperial concubine. Poor imperial concubine, she was a princess, but was forcibly abducted into the palace by the emperor's eunuchs, and now she became a scapegoat, unjustly killed at Mawei Slope.

Even if the emperor pushed the imperial concubine out to take the blame, it could not stop the rebels' offensive and could not change his fate of being driven off the throne. In the end, he was still asked to step down from the throne by his son and ministers, and had to abdicate to his third son.

Fate is a cycle, with one emperor after another abdicating to their third son, and this last one was undoubtedly the most miserable. While Emperor Wu had regular visits from his children, and Emperor Ruizong still held considerable power when he first abdicated, this emperor was left with only an old eunuch who had been with him for many years to serve him after his abdication.

He was naturally unwilling to accept this and had planned to seize the throne from his son, but ultimately failed. This defeat completely eliminated his influence in the court, just as he had eliminated his father's influence.

Even Xiao Wan'er, who received the news, couldn't help but sigh: "History really is a circle."

Pei Yingguan hadn't participated in the coup, but as a longtime minister to the retired emperor, he was eliminated. He even lost his position as captain of the secret guards, leaving only the title of Duke of Ying. Disheartened, he simply left the court and wandered. His aimless wanderings led him to the fallen Luoyang, where, as if by some mysterious force, he wandered to his former residence and opened the door.

"It's probably like this over the years." Pei Yingguan was a little drunk without realizing it, and kept talking about his experiences after Xiao Wan'er and the other two left the court.

Although Xiao Wan'er and Liu Mingyin already knew this, they still listened to him quietly.

"After traveling so many places, I finally understand why you used those two forbidden techniques." He poured himself another glass of wine and continued as he drank. "It's truly tragic! The people are suffering and their lives are in utter misery. No word can describe it more than it is. Most of those court officials back then are gone. Have they properly accepted their punishment now?"

Xiao Wan'er raised her finger and pointed at the void. Suddenly, a hole appeared in the air. A group of people in official uniforms were tied to wooden stakes, stabbed with swords and axes, and covered in blood.

"Don't worry, no one can escape, including you, Duke of Ying."

After hearing Xiao Wan'er's answer, Pei Yingguan actually nodded with relief.

After a moment's silence, he asked again, "If you punish an ordinary person without any cultivation in this way, will the person's soul be shattered before the punishment is over?"

"Duke Ying has truly been out of practice for so long he's forgotten even the most basic common sense." Compared to Xiao Wan'er, Liu Mingyin was even more hostile to Pei Yingguan. "Could a technique that could cause a powerful Return to the True Realm to fall back to the Transcendent Realm be as mediocre as you think? Duke, rest assured, no one who was cast on that spell that day will escape."

"Oh, that's good, that's good."

To Liu Mingyin's surprise, Pei Yingguan didn't confront him directly, nor did he retaliate secretly. Under such circumstances, it seemed inappropriate for him to continue to be hostile to Pei Yingguan.

He suddenly felt like his fists were hitting cotton.

"The cultivation world has saved a lot of people this time." Pei Yingguan suddenly said after drinking a few more glasses of wine.

"As it should be," Xiao Wan'er replied, "This isn't the first time a monk has come to the aid of the common people. Now that we know the future, we should be prepared."

"I wonder if you are willing to work with the court to end the unrest?" Perhaps because he had drunk enough, Pei Yingguan finally gained the courage to ask this question.

With a bang, Liu Mingyin slammed the wine glass heavily on the table.

Pei Yingguan still looked drunk. "The current emperor also wants to alleviate the suffering of the people and put an end to the rebellion as soon as possible. It is the retired emperor, not the current emperor, who has a grudge against the cultivators. The cultivators can join forces with the court, and the rebellion will be put down in no time."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Wan'er gently stroked the edge of the wine glass with her fingers.

"But the new emperor sent you?" Xiao Wan'er asked, then counted on her fingers and laughed. "It was actually the retired emperor. What? Is he scared?"

"Junior sister is still so smart." Pei Yingguan smiled bitterly and did not argue for the emperor.

"Duke Ying, please return. Ever since the court actively asked the Divine Dragon Guard cultivators to use forbidden techniques that harmed others, there has been no trust between the cultivation world and the court. Even if the emperor changed, we would still not allow our cultivators to serve in the court. Moreover, the one who sent you here is the culprit. This is a lesson learned in blood."

Xiao Wan'er said no more and made a gesture to see her off. Pei Yingguan moved his lips, but in the end, he said nothing more and stood up to take his leave.

"In that case, I won't stay any longer, Junior Sister. See you later." At this moment, he was no longer drunk at all.

"It's better to say 'never meet again,'" Xiao Wan'er raised her glass and drank it all in one gulp. "The two of us won't see the Duke off."

Pei Yingguan left in silence. Xiao Wan'er picked up the wine jug, weighed it, and poured the remaining wine into her and Liu Mingyin's glasses. After they finished drinking, they returned the glasses, jug, and table to their personal space.

"Let's go, the rest period is over." After Xiao Wan'er said this, Liu Mingyin nodded, and the two of them slipped out of the yard.

Liu Mingyin locked the door, and Xiao Wan'er set up a protective formation before the two of them left together. Someone who lived in the same neighborhood passed by and, in a trance, saw two figures flash by.

He rubbed his eyes carefully and looked around, but there was no sign of human beings. He muttered, "I thought I saw an immortal, but it turned out to be my eyes playing tricks on me," and walked into the depths of the alley.