As they expected, Yuwen Wuji summoned several princes and dukes, saying he wanted to listen to Master Qingxu preach with them.

Inside the Qiankun Hall, sandalwood incense burned, its strong and pungent smell causing Xie Liwei to wrinkle his nose as soon as he entered, as if someone had punched his nose with incense.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

After Xie Liwei finished his greetings, he was offered a seat. Even though he was the only non-royal king present, he still sat to Yuwen Wuji's left, with King Xuan to his right.

Although he secretly wished Xie Liwei dead, on the surface he still "favored" Xie Liwei.

"Everyone is here, so please let Master Qingxu begin!" Yuwen Wuji coughed twice, and Li Wei went to announce the arrival.

Before long, Master Qingxu, who was resting in the side hall, was invited over by the eunuch.

As he entered, several princes instinctively stood up. They all felt that since the Emperor valued this Taoist priest Qingxu so highly, they would certainly do him a favor.

Only two princes had their buttocks glued to their chairs, completely still.

Master Qingxu entered the main hall and performed a Taoist salute. A young eunuch brought him a chair and had him sit in the center of the hall.

"I heard that the Taoist priest is already ninety-eight years old this year?" King Xuan asked, looking at the other party with suspicion.

This Qingxu Zhenren had a rosy complexion, firm skin, and a spirited appearance, showing no signs of old age. However, his white hair was quite striking; while one might say he had prematurely gray hair, his eyebrows were also white.

His long eyebrows drooped down, just like the old man of the South Pole in the painting, with a kind face.

Upon hearing King Xuan's question, Master Qingxu was not angry at all. Instead, he smiled and said, "Yes, I am ninety-eight years old this year."

Yuwen Wuji had read Qingxu Zhenren's documents and sent people to inquire and verify his identity. He was indeed ninety-eight years old, but judging from his white hair, he was at most twenty-five. His silver-gray Taoist robe was both simple and made him look extraordinary.

Xie Liwei looked at the smiling Taoist priest in front of him and felt that something was strange about him.

King Xuan interrogated him as if he were a criminal, and after receiving his answers, he remained silent.

Seeing that King Xuan had fallen silent, Yuwen Wuji trusted the Taoist priest Qingxu even more. After all, King Xuan dealt with prisoners daily, and if they were lying, he would surely be able to find some clues in their subtle expressions.

The fact that King Xuan hasn't said anything yet indicates that this person has already passed the initial screening.

Then the princes asked a few more questions as a formality, and then they all fell silent, waiting for Yuwen Wuji to speak.

Yuwen Wuji had already had a deep conversation with Master Qingxu and was quite satisfied, so he didn't say anything, only asking him to talk about the Daoist teachings to everyone.

"The Tao follows nature..." Master Qingxu began, then spoke slowly and deliberately. His voice was clear, like a stream in the forest, unhurried and calming, making people feel at ease with his tone.

Xie Liwei observed Qingxu Zhenren without showing any emotion, and the other party did not hesitate to let everyone look at him.

"Master, do you think elixirs can really strengthen the body? If so, why have so many emperors in history died from taking them?" King Xuan asked the most crucial question.

Those Qingxu Zhenren stroked his white goatee and laughed, "Of course, some people are just trying to make a name for themselves after learning a little bit of knowledge. But they don't expect to harm others and ruin themselves as well."

"Since you say that others are people who seek fame and fortune, then isn't your own behavior the same?"

King Xuan was, after all, a seasoned criminal investigator, and he went straight to the heart of the matter. If it were an ordinary person, they would probably have been hit where it hurt by his sarcastic words and started to get angry.

But Master Qingxu remained calm and said, "I cast a divination on the mountain to predict the fortune of the Great Chen Kingdom. Heaven has given me instructions to come down the mountain and pray for the king to overcome this calamity. Only by completing this calamity can I achieve perfect merit."

These words made the princes present admire him even more. Divination and consulting the gods were considered miraculous, and even if they did not believe in them, they could not help but respect them.

Better safe than sorry!

"I wonder if the Taoist priest could perform a divination for me?"

Master Qingxu met Prince Xuan's gaze and said calmly, "Divination to inquire about the future is a method that shortens one's lifespan. If Your Highness wishes to have your fortune told, I can perform the ritual for you, but I hope Your Highness will be mentally prepared before seeking my help. In case the ritual backfires, I fear I will not be able to turn the tide."

King Xuan raised an eyebrow. He had originally intended to test the king's abilities through divination, but the king's words had blocked that path. After all, what normal person wants to shorten their own lifespan?

"Even after all this time of cultivation, Daoist Master, you still can't prevent the backlash of your Daoist arts?"

Faced with the aggressive King Xuan, Master Qingxu remained completely calm and responded with remarkable naturalness.

"I have cultivated to this day, but I am still just a mortal. All the power of my Daoist arts is borrowed from the heavens. Since it is a power given by the heavens, it is common to be backfired if it is used improperly."

This was the first time anyone had heard a Taoist say something like this. The Taoists they had encountered before were probably all in it for money. They would ask if the Taoist could exorcise evil spirits and then immediately offer to take care of it.

Now, hearing Master Qingxu's cautiousness, I feel even more that he is a true Taoist priest—so different from other Taoist priests!

Two hours had passed by the time King Xuan finished asking his questions. Yuwen Wuji ordered a meal to be served, and during the meal, the Pure Void Master spoke about the methods of nourishing the body through diet, from which everyone benefited greatly.

When the banquet ended, everyone was still reluctant to leave, and several princes wanted to stay and learn more from the Master Qingxu. Unfortunately, due to Yuwen Wuji's presence, they had to regretfully give up the idea.

Seeing the regretful expressions on these people's faces, Yuwen Wuji was very satisfied.

Yuwen Wuji told the others to go back first, leaving Xuan Wang and Xie Liwei behind.

"Brother, what do you think of that Master Qingxu?"

King Xuan carefully considered his words before speaking, saying, "Your Majesty, my abilities are limited, and I was unable to see the flaw."

He could only say that this person was highly skilled and couldn't see the problem. He couldn't say for sure that he wasn't a fraud; what if Yuwen Wuji later became paralyzed from taking the elixir and blamed him? What if he felt that he and this Taoist priest were in cahoots to seize the throne?

Yuwen Wuji didn't think about what King Xuan was thinking. He thought to himself: It seems that this Qingxu Zhenren is not just a name without substance. If he himself was deceived, then he could say that he was just biased and believed one side.

Since so many people thought Master Qingxu was right, and even King Xuan thought highly of him, Yuwen Wuji felt he could give it a try.

However, too many emperors in history had died from taking elixirs, so he dared not try it rashly.

His gaze then fell upon Xie Liwei.

“Brother Li, your health has never been good. Now that we have this opportunity, let Master Qingxu help you take care of yourself.”

Xie Liwei: "......"

The abacus beads were practically about to jump into his face.