"Moo..."

Niu Er turned around and called out to the emperor on the shore.

"Splash!"

It slowly rose from the river and walked towards the bank.

"So big..." This was the thought of all three at the same time; the blue ox was even bigger than it appeared in the water.

"Huff..."

Two plumes of white steam shot out from the cow's nose.

Lu Bing and Huang Jin quickly stepped in front of the emperor to protect him, nervously watching the blue ox approach step by step. Even though the two were highly skilled in martial arts, they were still somewhat uncertain in the face of such an imposing beast.

"Clang..."

Lu Bing couldn't help but draw his sword.

The green ox stopped in its tracks, its gaze fixed on the knife in Lu Bing's hand, a hint of mockery in its eyes.

"Stop! Put the knife away!" Zhu Houcong said hurriedly.

Lu Bing had no choice but to do as he was told.

At this moment, the green ox took a few more steps forward, then lowered its head and approached Zhu Houcong.

The humid heat hit him hard, and Zhu Houcong felt incredibly nervous, but he still managed to put on a smile.

“Brother Niu…”

The blue ox nodded slowly, clearly pleased.

The three were greatly surprised to see that the ox could really understand human speech.

"Brother Niu, where is the immortal? Where is the immortal?" Zhu Houcong asked hurriedly.

Qingniu tilted his head, clearly puzzled, but quickly realized that the other party must be looking for Li Daoyi.

It turned its head and looked up at the mountain behind it.

“Your Majesty, it means that the immortals are in those mountains,” Huang Jin quickly said.

Looking at the majestic Kunlun Mountains, Zhu Houcong showed a hint of disappointment, but then his eyes regained their determination.

"Wait, with this divine ox here, the immortals will surely appear."

"Yes," Lu Bing and the other person quickly replied.

Just then, the blue ox suddenly turned its body to the side, and as the three of them wondered what was happening, it flicked its tail to the side.

The three of them were somewhat puzzled.

The blue ox thrashed a few more times, still shaking its massive body.

“Your Majesty, it seems to want someone to scratch its back…” Lu Bing was at least familiar with the habits of livestock.

"I'll do it, I'll do it." Zhu Houcong was overjoyed and, disregarding his fear, stepped forward and reached out to grab the blue ox's body.

"Haha, you guys try scratching it too, it's like a wall!" Zhu Houcong laughed loudly, as if he had found amusement in it.

Lu Bing and Huang Jin quickly stepped forward and started scratching as well.

"Goodness, Your Majesty, this guy's skin is so tough that ordinary swords and blades probably can't hurt it." Lu Bing exclaimed in surprise as he felt the skin that was both hard and soft.

"Boom..."

Seemingly feeling pleased, the blue ox lay down directly in front of the three, making it easier for them to continue scratching.

"Interesting, interesting. I haven't been this happy in a long time, Lu Bing. This reminds me of those days," Empress Zhu Cong said with a smile.

"ah……"

Suddenly, a long howl came from afar.

The green ox quickly got up from the ground, causing the three of them to retreat.

The long howl was like thunder in the sky, loud and majestic, and it continued without end.

Huang Jin's face was full of astonishment. Even though he had reached the Innate Realm, he could feel the other party's boundless power from that voice. At this moment, he felt as if he were just a lone boat in a vast ocean.

"boom…"

The whistling stopped, and then a huge sound, like a thunderclap, came from Kunlun Mountain.

"call out…"

A whooshing sound came from the air.

“Your Majesty, look,” Lu Bing said, pointing to the sky.

A dazzling light appeared in the sky, flying towards them from afar.

The light was so bright that the three of them couldn't help but squint. When they opened their eyes again, a Taoist priest in green robes was standing in mid-air right in front of them.

The visitor was none other than Li Daoyi, who had successfully completed his Foundation Establishment.

"Huh, why is someone here?" Li Daoyi asked, puzzled, as he stood in mid-air. Then he began to calculate with his fingers.

"It was him."

"Moo..."

The blue ox roared excitedly, clearly welcoming its long-lost master.

At this moment, not only Zhu Houcong, but also Lu Bing and Huang Jin, trembled slightly. The person in front of them was peerless and independent, standing on a sword in the sky. What else could this be but a sword immortal?

"bite…"

At this moment, the system also issued a notification sound.

"I never expected to meet the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty here today." Li Daoyi ignored the system's reward notification and directly revealed the other party's identity.

Only then did Zhu Houcong come to his senses, and disregarding his status, he knelt down on the ground.

Lu Bing and Huang Jin also knelt down immediately.

"Emperor Zhu Cong paid homage to the immortal."

"Greetings, Immortal."

Li Daoyi narrowed his eyes slightly, a strange look flashing in his eyes, and then nodded.

"Get up!"

"Thank you, Immortal." The three said in unison.

At this moment, Li Daoyi jumped off the flying sword. After landing, the flying sword in the air quickly flew back into the scabbard on his back.

He had just used the Sword Control Technique, a supernatural ability that automatically awakened after successfully establishing his foundation, and his fear of heights had also completely disappeared.

"Your Majesty, why aren't you staying in the Forbidden City? What are you doing here?" Li Daoyi asked.

"Your Majesty, I left the palace a month ago and have been searching for you all this way. Today I have finally been able to see your face," Zhu Houcong replied hastily.

"What is it for?"

"Please accept me as your disciple and teach me the art of immortality." With that, Zhu Houcong was about to kneel down.

Li Dao raised his hand, but Zhu Houcong's body could not kneel down no matter what.

"Immortality? Throughout history, countless emperors have sought it but failed to attain it."

“Your Majesty, you have no talent for cultivation.” Li Daoyi shook his head.

Zhu Houcong's face turned pale instantly, and his body swayed as if about to collapse, but fortunately, the two people behind him quickly supported him.

"Immortal, what is the talent for cultivating the Dao?" Zhu Houcong asked again, still unwilling to give up.

"Alas, in this vast world, among all living beings, I have traveled for a long time, yet I have never encountered a single person with true talent for cultivation," Li Daoyi said with his hands behind his back, feigning emotion.

"Yes, I have been seeking immortality for twenty years and have seen countless people who claim to be immortals, but only today have I truly met one," Zhu Houcong said with a wry smile.

"Why do you seek immortality? Are you afraid of death?" Li Daoyi asked Zhu Houcong with a slight smile.

"If it were ten years ago, I would have answered the immortal that I was not afraid of death, but now... I am already forty years old, and every day when I wake up I feel my body getting old. But the Ming Dynasty is beset by internal and external troubles, and I am afraid it will be too late. I still want the Ming Dynasty to last forever," Zhu Houcong sighed.

Li Dao nodded. He had to admit that the Jiajing Emperor was a very competent ruler in the early and middle periods. It was just a pity that he later neglected state affairs due to his blind devotion to Taoism, and even did not attend court for nearly twenty years. Now, looking at his Taoist attire, it was clear that he had already shown signs of this.

"Throughout thousands of years, dynasties have risen and fallen, and there have been emperors who were many times more capable than you. Have you ever wondered why they could not reign for thousands of generations?"

"This..." Zhu Houcong was stunned for a moment.

"Whether the Ming Dynasty can last for thousands of generations does not depend on whether the emperor can live a long life, but on how the emperor acts. If every emperor puts the interests of the people above the interests of the scholar-officials and nobles, what difficulty is there in achieving a great cause for thousands of generations?" Li Daoyi said slowly.

“But the scholar-officials and nobles are the foundation of the dynasty,” Zhu Houcong quickly replied.

"Hahaha…"

"How did the previous dynasty fall? How did the Mongol Yuan dynasty perish? How did dozens of dynasties disappear? Emperor, you should think about it carefully," Li Daoyi said with a big laugh.

"Hmm, I'm a little hungry."

After saying that, he turned to look at the river, made a hand seal, and the flying sword instantly flew out of its sheath and into the river.

Soon, the river water churned, and the flying sword leaped out, revealing two large fish stuck in its blade. The fish fell, and the flying sword flew back into the river, sticking two more fish in its path.

Do you know how to clean fish?

Li Daoyi looked at Lu Bing.

"Yes, I will." Lu Bing nodded quickly. Then he ran quickly towards the fish next to him.

At this moment, Zhu Houcong fell into deep thought, pondering the question Li Daoyi had just asked.

"Go find some firewood; we'll need it to grill the fish later."

"I'll go right away." Huang Jin leaped into the air and used his lightness skill to fly towards the woods.

"Innate? Interesting, and it's the Sunflower Manual." Li Daoyi thought to himself as he watched Huang Jin's retreating figure.

Soon, the fish were cleaned and enough firewood was gathered.

Li Daoyi pointed at the pile of firewood, and the firewood instantly burst into flames.

The raging fire also awakened Zhu Houcong.

"Thank you, Immortal. I know what to do now." Zhu Houcong breathed a sigh of relief, seemingly having figured out the problem.

"It's good that you know this, but it's easier said than done. Many emperors know this principle, but many of them simply cannot do it."

"Plop plop..."

Just then, a carrier pigeon fell from the sky, and Lu Bing quickly leaped into the air.

"Your Majesty." Lu Bing took the letter off the pigeon's leg and respectfully handed it to the emperor.

These days they use carrier pigeons to keep track of what's happening in the world.

"These bastards are getting more and more arrogant." Zhu Houcong said with a gloomy face.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Lu Bing asked.

"I apologize for my rudeness," Zhu Houcong said to Li Daoyi.

"Alas, the Songshan Sect and the Sun Moon Sect are at loggerheads, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries, and most importantly, it has also implicated many ordinary people."

"Huh, they've started a war?" Li Daoyi was somewhat surprised. Was Zuo Lengchan really that brave?

“Immortal, it is said that Shaolin and Wudang are backing up Mount Song.” Lu Bing quickly explained.

"So that's how it is. Shaolin, tsk tsk, no wonder it's an ancient temple with a thousand-year history. Even the change of dynasties can't affect it. Its methods are indeed extraordinary." Li Daoyi exclaimed.

"Lu Bing, immediately send messages to the Embroidered Uniform Guards and garrison troops in various places, keep a close eye on them, and if they go too far, take direct action."

"Yes," Lu Bing replied quickly.

Soon after, the fish was grilled, and Li Daoyi invited the group to sit down and eat. As they ate and chatted, Li Daoyi occasionally revealed some methods for governing the country, which greatly pleased the emperor.

"So the ocean is so amazing! No wonder Emperor Chengzu sent people on seven voyages to the Western Ocean. It seems that after returning to the palace, he will begin to build Zheng He's treasure ships." After hearing Li Daoyi's description of the abundance of overseas resources, Jiajing was intrigued.