“Tell me some things you can say! I’m not the pedantic scholar who only knew how to teach anymore.”
In a magnificent and bright study, a sixth-rank official, with his black hair and beard, ruddy complexion, and no signs of aging, spoke with a smile on his face.
"Hmm... I am now a true disciple of the Supreme Dao!"
After a moment's thought, Feng Bingwen revealed the identity he had just acquired.
"……there is none left?"
After waiting for a while, the old man, who only received this one sentence, was somewhat dissatisfied and reached out to tap the table.
"Isn't that enough?"
"I'd like to know about your past life. Why are you called a reincarnated sage?"
Feng Lingjun asked, this was exactly what he wanted to know. If he hadn't stumbled upon it by chance, he wouldn't have dared to use such strong language in his memorial of advice. He didn't need to think too much; he could say whatever he wanted without any scruples.
Even his superior, the Imperial Censor, envied him greatly. Among all the officials who had served as censors, none had ever been as carefree as him throughout history.
"The past is gone, all are just bubbles and illusions."
Feng Bingwen replied in this way.
"If you don't want to talk about it, fine, but why be so perfunctory?"
“It’s not that I’m unwilling. I really don’t have many memories. The years I’ve lived through that I can recall, plus my current age, are not even older than your age. Otherwise, how could I call you Grandpa so comfortably?”
Feng Bingwen shrugged helplessly. In terms of experience, he was still just a young man. This was especially true for ordinary people.
"I'll believe you for now and let's leave this matter aside."
Feng Bingwen's words convinced Feng Lingjun, and his heart calmed down immediately. Judging from his grandson's performance, although it was beyond what was expected for his age, it was not that much.
"I didn't tell a single lie!"
"Hmm, do you even know how old you are now?"
The abrupt question startled Feng Bingwen, but the old man persisted, adding another sentence.
"We'll only consider your age in this lifetime."
"fourteen."
Feng Bingwen replied with a somewhat strange expression.
"At fourteen, according to the laws of the Great Cattle, a man can get married and start a family at this age!"
The old man glanced at the young man sitting across the desk, and could vaguely see a resemblance to his own youth in the young man's features.
“If a man is eighteen years old and still unmarried, he will be taxed according to his age. If he does not marry for a year, his tax will double.”
"Well, that's a long way off!"
Feng Bingwen understood what the old man meant.
"You are a cultivator, and according to the terminology in the cultivation world, you are called a Daoist partner, right? Do you have a Daoist partner you like now?"
"Not for now, but we can't rush this. The laws of the Great Gan region don't apply to me, and even if I do have to pay taxes, my father can pay them for me."
"Yes, you are now a cultivator, but even if you become a celestial immortal, you still have to continue the bloodline of my Feng family. You can't let my branch of the family die out!"
"If I were to cultivate to become a Celestial Immortal, I would truly achieve immortality. As long as I live, the Feng family's bloodline can be passed down forever, so there's no need to rush this matter."
"Stop joking with me. According to the records in those secret manuals, even if a true immortal were to be reincarnated and cultivate for a second life, he might not be able to return to his previous level."
The old man was very dissatisfied with Feng Bingwen's evasive attitude. Although his body had regained its vitality and even surpassed his youthful state, his past ideas were not so easy to change, and the bloodline inheritance still occupied a very important place in his heart.
"You shouldn't delay the matter of finding a Daoist partner for too long. If you find a good girl, bring her back. Your grandmother, your parents, and I will all be very happy."
I'll try my best!
Feng Bingwen felt somewhat helpless. He was only fourteen years old and was already being pressured to get married. This would have been unimaginable in his previous life. At this age, talking about love would have been met with fierce opposition and even condemnation.
“What do you mean by ‘try your best’? You are a cultivator, and your time is different from ours as ordinary people. So I’m giving you a longer timeframe: ten years. Within ten years, I want to see your Daoist partner.”
"That's way too short a time."
Feng Bingwen couldn't help but shake his head. A sudden idea struck him, and his thoughts became active.
"Why don't you urge my parents to give me a younger brother or sister? Even if they have several, that would be fine. My dad is so rich now, he can afford to raise ten children."
"You bastard, listen to what you're saying!"
The old man was so angry that he puffed out his beard and glared at his opponent.
"Do you know an old friend of mine who is now a father of four generations, and in a few years he will be a father of five generations? Look at our family... You are the only son of the third generation of the Feng family, and you are still unwilling to get married."
"That's not all..."
Feng Bingwen wanted to say something, but ultimately remained silent, and could only frankly admit that...
"I have no interest in this matter for the time being. I have many things to do. However, I will travel all over the world in the future, and perhaps I will meet a kindred spirit."
"Well, you are now a cultivator, so you should focus on your own cultivation. I was just joking before, but if you really encounter a suitable female immortal, don't miss the opportunity, be sure to bring her back."
"must!"
Go!
Feng Lingjun waved his hand.
"You're not going to let me stay?"
Why would I keep you here?
The old man glared at him and said irritably, reaching out to stroke the black cat lying on the table.
“If it weren’t for Uncle Tiger, I wouldn’t even know you’d been here. Since you’re not planning to show yourself, you must have something very important to do. You’ve wasted so much time with this old man; it’s time to go do your own thing.”
"Then I'll come see you again in a few months."
"Don't worry about me. I have Uncle Hu with me. He's busy writing memorials all day long."
"But my grandma has no one to keep her company in the village."
"I've already arranged for someone to pick her up."
The old man glanced at Feng Bingwen slowly, then said casually,
"Don't you think my house is a bit small? With your great abilities, could you go and talk to His Majesty and ask him to give me a bigger house? Of course, if you could also promote me, that would be even better."
"Then I'll just go to the Emperor and ask him to replace the Censor-in-Chief with you!"
"Okay, go ahead!"
The old man waved his hand casually, taking Feng Bingwen's words as a joke and not taking them to heart.
"Alright, then I'll go find the Emperor!"
Feng Bingwen smiled slightly, turned around, and disappeared from the study.
"The Supreme Dao? What kind of sect is that?"
After Feng Bingwen left, the old man sat in his armchair, his wrinkles furrowed in thought. No one would be uninterested in cultivation, and no one would not yearn for the legendary immortals who could summon wind and rain and live forever.
He was certainly interested in cultivation, but the old man had already found a breathing technique and tried it. He didn't have the aptitude for cultivation, and as for martial arts, that was out of the question.
Therefore, although the old man knew of the existence of cultivators, he only had a superficial understanding of their intricacies, and could not even be considered to have a superficial understanding; he could only be said to have come into contact with them.
Although the old man did not show any emotion when Feng Bingwen mentioned his identity, he secretly remembered it and planned to find an opportunity to inquire with the cultivators who served the court in the future to find out what sect his grandson belonged to.
I Have a Scroll of Ghost and Deity Illustrations
While the old man was pondering, Feng Bingwen did not leave the capital, but went straight to the palace. This time, however, he did not visit his family as casually as before.
Hua Chaoyan, whom he brought out, transformed back into the original form of the Five-Colored Deer. As for Xiong Cuiyue, he maintained his human form, but his towering, muscular body was clearly not something a normal human could possess.
Therefore, when Feng Bingwen and his party appeared in the palace, they were immediately discovered. Layer upon layer of palace guards surrounded them, their sharp weapons reflecting a cold light, and their silver armor rubbing against each other with a rustling sound.
"I want to see the current emperor!"
When the boy riding the five-colored deer expressed his needs, his request was quickly fulfilled.
Surrounded by numerous elderly eunuchs, Emperor Chongming appeared before Feng Bingwen. He was a middle-aged man with a straight nose and wide mouth, exuding an imposing aura. Even without his dragon robe, one could tell that he held a high position.
However, on the emperor's head, which was in the prime of his life and showed no signs of aging or wrinkles, there were a few extremely glaring gray-white hairs among his thick, dark hair.
"Why is Your Majesty so cautious? Are you perhaps worried that I might harm you?"
Feng Bingwen's gaze swept over the dozen or so old eunuchs around the emperor, who exuded a decaying aura and seemed ready to kick the bucket at any moment. He couldn't help but find it both funny and absurd.
These dozen or so old eunuchs looked as if they had just been pulled out of their coffins; their aged aura was impossible to conceal, and their vitality had deteriorated to the extreme.
However, what couldn't be concealed by their aged appearance was the extremely oppressive aura emanating from these dozen or so old eunuchs. Without a doubt, this was part of the foundation of the Great Gan Dynasty.
You can tell just by looking at the python robes these eunuchs are wearing. Not many eunuchs can wear such attire. It's unknown how long it took them to accumulate their wealth and influence, but now they've all been brought up by this Emperor Chongming, just to have a meeting with him.
"Of course not. It's just that I was worried that meeting with the sages so hastily would be too perfunctory, so I specially invited a few of my ancestors' companions from the ancestral mausoleum."
"I've only come to have a brief chat with Your Majesty; there's really no need for this."
"Oh, I wonder what the sage wishes to discuss with me now that he has arrived?"
"I had intended to say something, but given the current situation, I'd better leave it at that. Your Majesty should hurry and send these former emperor's attendants back!"
"It's alright. Don't be fooled by their advanced age. In reality, they can live for many more days."
"Then it's up to you."
Feng Bingwen's casual advice went unheeded.
"I came here only to advise you: if you want to be remembered in history and have your name remembered for eternity, then don't do things that are eager for quick success and instant benefits, and take things a little slower."
"Does the sage think that I made a mistake by launching a military campaign against the barbarian beastmen of the Northern Plains?"
Emperor Chongming, who was already expressionless, now had a face as cold and stiff as if it had been cast in molten iron, with an even more intense rage burning within.
Since the Beastmen broke up into smaller groups and began wreaking havoc in the northern border of the dynasty, his campaigns against the Beastmen have been criticized by both court officials and the common people in the countryside.
"You did it too hastily!"
"So the sages would think that what I did was right?"
The emperor's expression softened slightly. He could ignore the people's criticisms and the officials' petitions and remonstrances, but he could not ignore this sage.
"There is no right or wrong in war!"
Feng Bingwen shook his head. If we really want to trace the origins of the beastmen, their ancestors helped the human race a lot during the wars of the human race in the distant past, and played a certain role.
But now, the habitat of a group of beastmen has been targeted by a human dynasty. But can we say that the dynasty's expansion and conquest are wrong?
It's not wrong, because this barbarian tribe did indeed frequently invade the vast territory and plunder the people during years of food shortages.
It is utterly ridiculous to judge nations and races by right and wrong, and to wage war between races. This applies even to good and evil; survival is the foundation of everything.
"Is this what the sages came here to say?"
"I just wanted to come and chat with you, but I never expected you to treat me like this."
Feng Bingwen looked at the old eunuchs around the emperor and couldn't help but shake his head.
"If there is nothing urgent, please leave. I have official business to attend to."
"Wait a minute, I would like to recommend someone to His Majesty!"
Who is it?
Emperor Chongming frowned, his vigilance heightened.
“In the current court, there is a sixth-rank official named Feng Lingjun. I think that after the current Grand Censor retires, he can take over the position.”
"Tomorrow, the Imperial Censor will submit his resignation to me!"
Emperor Chongming responded expressionlessly.
"There's no need for that. He can retire naturally when he gets old and frail. My father is in good health and can handle it."
"Hmm, I understand. Does Your Majesty have anything else to say?"
"It's gone!"
"Respectfully bidding farewell to the sages!"
Having said that, Feng Bingwen could not linger any longer. The five-colored deer beneath him carried him into the sky, transforming into a five-colored divine light that vanished into the distance. Xiong Cuiyue, standing beside him, followed closely behind.
"Quickly, send them back to the imperial mausoleum!"
As soon as Feng Bingwen disappeared, Emperor Chongming, who had been expressionless, immediately gave an order. He directed the guards around him to send the dozen or so old eunuchs back to their original positions to continue sealing their blood essence.
"Your Majesty, everything has been arranged. The ancestors have been sent back to the Imperial Mausoleum."
"Um!"
At this moment, Emperor Chongming gazed in the direction where Feng Bingwen had left, his eyes filled with a gloomy expression. However, the hands he held behind his back and tucked into his sleeves were clenched tightly together, his knuckles turning white.
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