"The Supreme Dao!"
Hundreds of ever-burning palace lanterns lined both sides, their flames, derived from the oil extracted from the bodies of the servants, illuminating the vast palace as bright as day.
Even such dazzling light could not dispel the gloom on the face of the Great Qian Emperor. In his hand he held a token of peculiar material, from which divine light was reflected, revealing a being riding six dragons and surveying the heavens.
The face of that being had appeared in his dreams countless times, becoming a persistent nightmare that often woke him up in a cold sweat, unable to control himself.
"Feng Bingwen!"
Emperor Chongming gritted his teeth and shouted out the name he loathed.
He initially had no interest in this sage who had been reincarnated in the Great Gan region, since it wouldn't affect him.
But it wasn't until he heard that this sage had taken away a celestial cauldron that had been guarded by Daqian for three hundred years that he felt angry. It was a subtle feeling, like his own treasure being stolen.
Even though that treasure never truly belonged to him from beginning to end, before that sage appeared, that immortal cauldron never belonged to anyone either.
That would have been fine, as there wouldn't have been any real loss from going all out. However, the sage then put forward several strategies that had some merit, but were full of youthful impetuosity and unrealistic idealism.
Although this caused some turmoil in the court and among the people, the turmoil quickly subsided before that sage actually entered the court. In fact, that sage disappeared without doing anything.
However, one of the sage's relatives participated in the imperial examinations, while the other went into business. The old scholar who participated in the examinations was certainly talented enough, but because of his temperament, he would never have been able to rank first if it weren't for his good grandson.
That's fine, he's just an old man over fifty. Even if he's in good health, he's still just a mortal. Although he's a bit straightforward and speaks without restraint, he'll impeach people every now and then, or impeach ministers in the court, but it's nothing serious.
What truly terrified the emperor was his sage father, who had chosen to go into business. He had initially disregarded this man who had abandoned literature for commerce.
However, when the Northern Wilderness invaded, he actually gave away all his wealth to help the people. Whether he did it intentionally or unintentionally, this act has already earned him a lot of popularity.
If it were an ordinary merchant, regardless of his relationship or background, as long as he did something similar, he would surely order a large army to confiscate his property, punish his entire clan, and let him know what the wrath of the emperor and the power of the emperor were!
However, he could not and dared not touch this one. He had already received news from Qingmang Mountain that the sage was going to join the Twelve Paths of Xuanmen, which, in the emperor's eyes, was more like a return.
Even if a businessman with such a background were the emperor, he would not dare to act rashly, even if he did something that was tantamount to rebellion.
Emperor Chongming wanted to ask what that merchant named Feng Zichuan was up to.
If this merchant wants to become emperor, would his son, a reincarnated sage, grant his wish by deposing the current emperor and installing his father as the new ruler?
Such a possibility is very slim, even bordering on needless worry, but it does indeed exist. That sage possesses such power.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
Outside the main hall, a group of people sensed the emperor's anger and immediately knelt down.
...
"Sir, is this your home?"
Above Wolong Lake, the two beings, one large and one small, brought by Feng Bingwen to the skies above Baiyujing, gazed in astonishment at the small village that was faintly visible in the distance.
Such villages, while not ubiquitous, are quite similar. They are so ordinary, it's unbelievable that their patriarch, capable of overpowering the Dao Child, was born in such a place.
"Okay, you all stay here and don't wander around. I'll be right back!"
Feng Bingwen could see an old man herding geese by the river, and his eyes revealed a tender affection that his followers had never seen before.
"grandmother!"
The young man appeared by the river. The old woman who was herding geese heard the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar voice, paused slightly, and then turned around.
"Little Wen'er!"
The old woman's eyes revealed genuine joy. She pushed aside the goose that was trying to get close to her, and then walked nimbly toward Feng Bingwen.
Her steps were strong and powerful, and she walked like the wind. She showed no signs of the fragility and aging that one would expect from an elderly person of her age. Instead, she resembled a young woman in the prime of her life.
"You're finally back!"
Feng Bingwen hurriedly came forward, and the old man grabbed his arm. His hands, which had lost most of their wrinkles and even had calluses, stroked him up and down, as if he were worried that his grandson would disappear.
"Grandma, don't get agitated. I'm right here, I won't run away."
"Who told you to just leave like that? It's been so long, and apart from sending back a few letters that I can't understand at all, I haven't seen a single person."
The old man kept complaining and pulled Feng Bingwen to sit down by the lake.
“It’s my fault. I ran into some things while I was away, and I didn’t expect it to take so long. I originally planned to come back every few months.”
"What's been keeping you occupied for so long? Have you met a girl you like?"
Upon hearing Feng Bingwen's words, Old Woman Ye's eyes lit up, and a flame seemed to ignite deep within them.
"No!"
"How could you not have one? Let me do the math. You're fourteen years old this year, right? How could a young man of that age not have a girl he likes? Back when your grandfather was this age, he was always waiting outside my house, and my dad even chased him out with a stick a few times!"
"Is that so?"
Hearing about his grandfather's past, Feng Bingwen became interested and kept asking questions, thus changing the subject.
"Back in your grandfather's day..."
Upon hearing the young man's question, the old man was immediately lost in memories of the beautiful past, but as he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes again.
"Sigh, you're all so busy, including your grandfather. Even he himself never expected that he would pass the imperial examination that time. He finally fulfilled his lifelong pursuit, but now he has gone to the capital, and I haven't seen him for a long time."
The old man held Feng Bingwen's wrist tightly from beginning to end, rambling on about the changes in his family over the past year.
Although her son and daughter-in-law are filial, there are already over fifty servants in the house. So many people are taking care of this old woman, serving her every need, from eating and drinking to relieving herself and sleeping.
However, this made her feel uncomfortable and lonely, because her husband, who had been with her all her life, had gone to the capital, leaving her alone at home.
Siluke
"Wen'er, can you talk to your parents? I really don't need so many people to wait on me. I'm just born to be a hard worker, how can I enjoy such wealth?"
"Grandma, you've worked hard for most of your life, it's time for you to enjoy yourself. I'll talk to my parents about it when the time comes, but you should eat and drink as you please, otherwise my father's money will have been earned for nothing."
"What nonsense are you spouting, you brat?"
...Feng Bingwen ultimately broke his promise. Hua Chaoyan and Xiong Cuiyue waited for three whole days before they saw him again.
This time, Feng Bingwen acted swiftly and decisively, visiting his mother and his father, who was busy providing disaster relief. However, the couple was extremely busy.
Therefore, Feng Bingwen did not show himself, but secretly channeled a few strands of immortal spiritual energy into them to help them clear Zhou Shen's blood and qi.
Then, Feng Bingwen went to the bustling capital of Kyoto to admire its prosperity and hustle and bustle. Afterwards, relying on the connection between blood relatives, he found the old man who was writing furiously.
Feng Bingwen, who had concealed his presence, stood behind the old man and peeked at him. After seeing what was written on the paper, he couldn't help but twitch his lips.
How to put it? His own father was using his pen as a sword, criticizing several powerful figures in the court without any restraint. Although there wasn't a single vulgar word, the intensity of his language made Feng Bingwen almost lose his composure.
"What are all these people doing?"
Feng Bingwen's consciousness wandered around this rather elegant mansion. This old man had been in court for less than a year and seemed to have already taken up a post, but he was just an ordinary censor.
However, it seems that his father made the most of his position as a censor, criticizing everyone from the emperor down to the officials, even his superiors... He dared to criticize anyone or anything he disliked, regardless of their status or what was involved.
To put it bluntly, it's only because it's his old man that it's possible. If it were anyone else, their grave would be overgrown with trees by now.
However, the image of his own father that Feng Bingwen had in his mind was also one of them. Little did he know that his old man was not as wild as he was now after entering the court. The reason he was so arrogant was because he had learned from experience through trial and error.
The old man's first memorial to the throne was actually very conservative in its wording; he had to carefully consider the wording for a long time before daring to put pen to paper.
However, after one night of drinking and getting carried away, he lost control of his emotions and berated the Grand Commandant. Not only did he escape unscathed, but he also received the Emperor's commendation. The old man then realized that something was wrong, and gradually he loosened up his behavior, becoming the person Feng Bingwen sees today.
Meow~
Just then, a robust black cat, its fur smooth as silk, leaped from the window into the study and onto the old man's desk as he wrote furiously.
"black?"
Feng Bingwen looked surprised, never expecting that his grandfather would bring this black cat with him.
Meow~
The black cat meowed again, tilted its head, and looked at Feng Bingwen with some confusion.
"Um!"
The old man paused in his writing, looked up, stared at the black cat sitting on the table for a moment, then followed the cat's gaze and suddenly turned his head to stare at the spot where Feng Bingwen was hiding.
Who's there?
The old man's voice was stern, carrying an unspoken air of authority. He seemed truly certain that there was someone else in the study besides himself, even though, to his eyes, the room was empty, devoid of anything. But he trusted the cat his grandson had brought back.
"Uncle Tiger!"
After a while, there was still no movement. Feng Lingjun turned his head and looked at the black cat sitting on the desk, licking its paws with a relaxed expression. He frowned slightly and called out.
This is the name the old man gave his cat. It's so much better than Feng Bingwen's terrible name.
Meow~
When the old man called out the name, the black cat, which was licking its fur, looked up and responded with a sound of agreement, clearly very satisfied with the name.
Is anyone there?
Under Feng Bingwen's inexplicable gaze, the old man asked a question with an extremely natural expression to a strong, large cat with thick, fiery fur.
Meow~
Hearing the old man's question, the black cat responded with a meow, its tone slightly different. Whether the old man understood or not, he slowly sat down, picked up his brush, frowned in thought, and then looked up again.
"Wen'er?"
This time, his tone wasn't very certain, but rather carried a hint of probing.
"Is that my grandson?"
Feng Lingjun stared at the spirit cat before him, observing its every move. With experience comes wisdom. For instance, before coming to the capital, he had a sudden inspiration and brought his pet cat along.
The black cat remained silent, and the orange-yellow vertical doll gradually emitted rays of light, staring intently at Feng Bingwen.
"It seems so."
The old man nodded, sat in the armchair with his back straight as a pine tree, looked around the empty study, and began to speak to himself.
"My current official position is not high, only a mere fifth-rank official. Although it is low, I have access to some confidential files and know some things."
"My dear grandson, you're the one who took care of my health, aren't you? You've kept this from me for so long, are you going to keep it a secret forever? You come to see me without even showing your face, isn't that a bit much?"
"Grandpa, I didn't intend to keep it a secret forever, but I wasn't ready to confront you either."
Originally intending to merely glance at the old man and then leave to guide the reincarnation of the ancient immortal, Feng Bingwen was now forced to reveal himself. Just as he had hoped and anticipated, his family finally discovered his extraordinary nature.
"There really is one?"
Seeing his grandson suddenly appear before him, seemingly taller than before, the old man showed a hint of surprise, but it quickly turned into a smile.
"I thought you would stay hidden forever. Although Uncle Tiger is intelligent and no different from a human, I can't understand what it's saying and can only make a guess."
"Since you have already called me by my name, how can I, as a junior, not respond?"
"But are you really my grandson?"
The old man's expression turned somber, and the smile on his face vanished.
"Of course."
Feng Bingwen answered without hesitation.
"But what I saw in the records of the imperial court was that he was a reincarnated sage!"
"What do they know?"
Feng Bingwen scoffed.
"If I were truly a sage, how could they possibly see through my true nature?"
"Then what are you?"
"Grandpa, what do you think I am?"
"You are my grandson, Feng Lingjun!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com