The palace is the emperor's residence, and the dragon vein is located here. How could there be any ghosts or evil spirits?

However, on New Year's Eve, holding a large-scale exorcism ceremony is a ritual. Immediately, Taoist priests from various sects such as Longhu Mountain, Wudang Mountain, Shenle Temple, Zhengyi Dao, and Quanzhen Dao, as well as countless independent practitioners, led by palace maids and eunuchs, will sweep through the Forbidden City to exorcise evil spirits.

What kind of monster could survive under such circumstances?

Inside the hall, only civil and military officials remained, along with some experts or Taoist priests who were not qualified to exorcise evil spirits.

"Master Li".

Li Changzhou looked over and saw a handsome Taoist priest with a beard smiling at him.

"I've heard that the immortal possesses the method to ascend to the moon. Why don't you demonstrate your exorcism skills today?"

Exorcism is not difficult; the difficulty lies in the absence of ghosts. Just like the art of slaying dragons, without a corresponding target, how can one prove the authenticity of the Taoist method?

Li Changzhou looked around the somewhat empty main hall, taking a second look at the leaders of the various factions, such as Shao Yuanjie of Longhu Mountain and his friend Tao Zhongwen.

Gu Kexue, the leader of the Longevity Sect, is skilled in longevity techniques. He was born on April 19, 1482, and it is now New Year's Eve, 1539. He looks to be only fifteen years old.

This person claimed that the urine of young boys and girls could be used to refine Autumn Stone. After Shao Yuanjie's death, he was promoted to Minister of Rites. At that time, there was a saying: "A thousand or ten thousand urinations can earn you a ministerial position." Gu Kexue was also known as the "Minister Who Refines Urine."

The head of the Yuhua Sect, Sheng Duanming, is knowledgeable in medicine and stone, and it is said that taking his medicine can grant longevity. He has also compiled the "Treatise on the Five Elements" and is in control of the changes of the five elements. He was the top scholar in the provincial examination in the eleventh year of the Hongzhi reign and a Jinshi in the fifteenth year of the Hongzhi reign. He is currently the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

There are also Wang Yangming's successors, Lan Daoxing and Lan Tianyu; and Li Xidao, the master of Shenle Temple.

The one who asked Li Changzhou to exorcise the ghost was Li Xidao, the optimistic master of Shenle.

These people had heard that Li Changzhou could perform magic around the Jiajing Emperor, but they had not seen it with their own eyes. As for ordinary people like Huang Jin, the eunuchs, and palace maids, even if they had seen it, it wouldn't prove anything.

Wasn't the Jiajing Emperor himself completely fooled by them?

Offering some tonics, aphrodisiacs, and stimulants, they dare to claim longevity, immortality, and even becoming immortals. Even Brain Gold didn't dare to make such claims back then.

Everyone looked at Li Changzhou.

The hall was brightly lit and filled with distinguished guests, but at this moment, Li Changzhou and Yaochi, sitting side by side, seemed to be the true immortals.

Some palace maids stared longingly at Li Changzhou, wishing they could lick his face. Even the beautiful and slender Empress Fang couldn't help but look at Li Changzhou with a flicker of affection.

Emperor Jiajing was a hand fetishist. His second empress and the third empress in front of him, Empress Fang, were both beautiful with delicate hands. She was only 23 years old this year, which would be the age for a college graduate in modern times, someone who spends all day playing King of Glory and drinking milk tea.

"Master, please use your magic." Emperor Jiajing had complete confidence in Li Changzhou.

If he can even go to the moon, what are mere ghosts and evil spirits? He was very much looking forward to the methods of this unique Master Li, who believed that rituals and yin-yang cultivation were useless.

“Your Majesty,” Li Changzhou said casually without bowing, “it’s not that I don’t want to, but the Forbidden City is a place where dragon veins gather, and there are no evil spirits.”

"Does it matter?" Sheng Duanming, the sect leader of Yuhua Sect, laughed. "On New Year's Eve, people hang Spring Festival couplets and set off firecrackers. Is there some kind of monster called Nian? It's just for good luck."

Li Changzhou glanced at him, determined to obtain his "Theory of the Five Elements".

He smiled and said, "That's fine too."

Without getting up, he flicked his purple robe and reached out to grab something outside the hall.

◇

"Look at me, look at me, my Overlord Whip!"

"The ground rat is the most powerful!"

"Get out of the way, everyone! Let me show you my Fire Plowflower!"

A group of children were playing with firecrackers lit by oil lamps, and adults were joining in the fun—some of the adults were only seventeen or eighteen years old.

The "old man" holding the firecracker immediately attracted everyone's attention, as it was a firework worth three taels of silver!

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The old man walked up carrying an oil lamp, surrounded by a group of children. In the distance, a mother holding a child, a father with a child riding on his head, and grandparents with wrinkled faces all watched with great joy.

The oil lamp was carefully held close to the fuse of the firework, and the child covered his ears so that he could hear the sound of his heart beating more clearly.

"Master" also swallowed.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!" The cold night wind blew by, the flames flickered twice, and then—

"Fire! Fire! The fire has been blown away by the wind!"

The tiny flames, no bigger than beans, left the oil lamp and flew into the sky like fireflies.

Children, adults, the elderly, and even dogs on the roadside all looked up to see countless flames rising slowly in the dark night sky, gathering into a raging fire.

Yang Qinglan leaped onto the courtyard wall.

"What's wrong, Qinglan?" Li Qianxia and Bi flew over.

They saw fireworks and lights fill the city, rising into the sky and transforming into a fiery dragon thousands of meters long.

The sky and earth changed color, and the capital city was sometimes bright and sometimes dark, like a furnace, with fire dragons circling in the sky and roaring silently.

Everyone was stunned and incredulous.

"This was done by Li Changzhou, wasn't it?" Bi had witnessed the burning of Prague firsthand.

The capital was plunged into darkness, and all the firelight was used to heat the fire dragon. The fire dragon wandered around, sometimes soaring into the clouds like the sun hanging in the night, and sometimes swooping down, illuminating everyone's faces red.

Suddenly, the fire dragon exploded, transforming into words:

[In the era of the Fire Virtue, True Men flourished, and all gods revered them; the Jiajing era brought peace to the Yin state.]

According to the Five Elements theory, the Ming Dynasty happened to be associated with the element of Fire.

The entire city was kneeling on the ground, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

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