With time of the essence, the Jiajing Emperor immediately issued an edict, ordering the Ministry of Works to construct a 30-zhang-high (approximately 13 meters) five-colored lantern pavilion in the capital within three days. He also ordered eunuchs and palace maids to bring out all the Taoist books in the palace.
The Taoist books that could be collected with the resources of an entire nation were already gathered in the palace by the Jiajing Emperor.
In addition to Taoist books, he also ordered Wang Shouren's disciples at Yangming Academy to present all of Wang Shouren's manuscripts—which the Jiajing Emperor had previously looked down upon.
He ordered Li Shizhen to select medical books;
He ordered all officials of the Ming Dynasty, both civil and military, to send twenty books to the capital, in addition to secular classics, by express courier. Anyone who did not deliver the books before the Lantern Festival would be executed.
"The Lantern Festival... the Lantern Festival... the opportunity to become an immortal lies on the Lantern Festival!"
"Before I die, I still have a chance to fight back. Heh, the heavens have been kind to me!" Before laughing, his tone was old and weak, but after laughing, he was full of vigor and his momentum was overwhelming.
"The opportunity to kill Jiajing has arrived! This is our last and best chance to complete our mission!"
"Let's go to the capital, seize the dragon vein, and become immortals!"
With each imperial edict issued by the Jiajing Emperor, the calamity of humanity truly began.
Li Qianxia is now filled with deep regret.
She pointed at Li Changzhou and said, "Look what you've done! It's all because of your greed that you've attracted so many enemies!"
"Sister Qianxia, don't be angry," Li Changzhou said, leaning back on the couch and leisurely peeling an orange. "Without enduring the bitter cold, how can the plum blossoms exude their fragrant scent?"
"I'm afraid you'll freeze to the bone!" Li Qianxia snatched the peeled orange, pinched off a segment, and stuffed it into her mouth.
"Wait, what did you just call me—ouch! Oh...so...so sour~~" Li Qianxia covered her mouth as if she had a toothache, and blinked rapidly as if she had sand in her eyes.
"The higher the dragon gate, the more powerful the dragon it becomes," Yaochi said with a smile. "That's what the ancient texts I obtained say."
"What classic text?" Li Changzhou picked up another orange and peeled it.
"Some were dug out of the tomb by the Special Operations Bureau, and some were overheard by some players who happened to enter the major sects in the dungeon."
Yang Qinglan said, "No matter what, the deed is done. What we should be thinking about now is how to solve the problem, not how to reflect on it."
“You are at least ten realms higher than Qianxia!” Li Changzhou offered her a peeled orange.
"You eat." Yang Qinglan used her Ruyi scepter to push his hand back.
"Afraid of sourness?" Li Changzhou tasted a slice. "Hmm, sweet. Try it."
He handed it over again, and Yang Qinglan reached out to take it.
"Let me try it!" Yaochi snatched it away and put it in her mouth... Her expression changed—she closed her eyes, her face expressionless, except for her lips moving, as if she had fallen asleep.
Yang Qinglan looked at Li Changzhou.
"Consider yourself lucky." Li Changzhou couldn't take it anymore and narrowed his eyes.
Yang Qinglan tapped him with her Ruyi scepter, and Li Changzhou felt a sweet warmth in his heart at that moment.
After chatting for a while, when the ten people who had been sent out to gather information returned, Li Changzhou took out twenty blood beads and distributed them to them.
"The further we go, the more difficult things will become, and the more dangerous the situation will be. Just do your best after that. If there is any danger, run away immediately. I have teleportation, but I may not be able to take care of you all," Li Changzhou instructed.
He didn't even want to order Aferona around or make her fight desperately, let alone Bi and Yaochi's subordinates.
It's not that he's kind.
This stemmed from his deep-seated distrust of people and his unwillingness to rely on anyone—for various reasons, but people will eventually part ways, and Yang Qinglan and Li Qianxia were his only exceptions.
In a sense, he is similar to Yang Qinglan in that he maintains a distance from people.
“Water Maiden,” Yaochi instructed, “after the fight starts, you watch over them. If there’s any danger, lead them away. I have my own way to escape.”
"Yes," the Water Maiden nodded.
"You guys too, don't worry about me." Bi crossed her legs, put her hands behind her head, and floated in the air, as the candy automatically fed her.
She casually gave instructions to her five Russian female players.
"Princess, we must protect you!"
"Bullshit! I'm the one in the most danger following you guys! With Li Gou around, we can just teleport away if anything happens!"
“She’s swearing all the time, aren’t you going to teach her a lesson?” Li Changzhou looked at Yang Qinglan.
"With a formidable enemy at hand, what's wrong with swearing a few times?" Yang Qinglan said with an attitude of utter nonchalance.
"Can I say that to her too?"
"cannot."
"I've only ever eaten a sour orange once in my life." Yaochi opened her eyes and stared at the two of them. "I always thought oranges were sweet."
“Life is so rich.” Yang Qinglan tapped her slender shoulder with her Ruyi scepter and smiled softly, like a spring flower just beginning to bloom.
"Swords flashing and shadows dancing!" Li Qianxia made a few orchid-like gestures (she had just learned the Thunderclap Technique).
When everyone looked at her, she added in a serious tone, "I meant outside."
Where there are people, there is the clash of swords.
Therefore, the Great Benevolent Buddha Hall in the palace, which has long been devoid of worshippers, should not be a place of swords and shadows.
Li Changzhou stood inside the hall, where the statues were nothing more than a bronze-cast Buddha, a gold-clad Guanyin, and Arhats, Weituo, Maitreya Buddha, and so on.
Standing beside him was Xia Yan, the Minister of Rites, who was promoted to Grand Secretary last year.
"Tear it down!" Xia Yan waved his hand, and the eunuchs swarmed forward, scraping off the gold powder and moving the lotus platform.
Not long after it began, swords flashed and gunfire erupted.
Boom!
The Buddha's head rolled down and crashed heavily to the ground, looking at the crowd with a compassionate expression, as if to say, "Since you have been ordered to dismantle my golden body, then so be it."
“Amitabha,” the abbot said with a sorrowful expression, his hands clasped together, “May the Buddha have mercy.”
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