Something must have happened in the palace, but what does that have to do with him?
Something happened to Li Qianxia, Yang Qinglan, Yaochi, and Bi.
Just when they thought the decapitation would spread all the way to the Hall of Union, all the eunuchs and palace maids picked up their heads that had been placed aside and put them back.
After the heads were installed, they stood up, looked at the corner where they were, and at the same time, slowly placed their hands on either side of their heads.
"Go!" Yang Qinglan waved her Ruyi scepter, and the ground surged up like a chest, breaking free from the golden bricks' restraints in the blink of an eye, forming a small mountain between the crowd and the headless eunuch and palace maids.
The water maiden enveloped the crowd, extinguishing the flames as she swallowed their figures.
When they reappeared, they were back at the Imperial Pond.
"...I was so scared my period almost came out!" Li Qianxia was still in shock. Being stared at by so many expressionless headless ghosts would probably give a normal person nightmares for ten days or half a month.
"The Forbidden City is basically finished," Yaochi said.
"If we can't find the source of the zombie fungus, it won't just be the Forbidden City that will be destroyed," Yang Qinglan said.
"Why not just destroy it? Do you want me to help?" Bi didn't care at all.
Yang Qinglan used the "Life and Death Together" technique, catching Li Changzhou, who was engrossed in reading the Taoist book, off guard. Before he could use the "Step into the Air" technique, his shoes were soaked.
"...What are you doing?" Li Changzhou stepped out of the water and put the "Ancient Method of Listening to the Scriptures Jade Slip Forging Book" into his waist storage bag.
"The situation is complicated—"
"Brother, you scared me to death!" Li Qianxia threw herself into Li Changzhou's arms.
Li Changzhou patted her shoulder and looked at Yang Qinglan.
Yang Qinglan glanced at Li Qianxia and continued to explain: "We heard from Yaochi that there are players in the palace. We originally planned to come and gather information, but we encountered the zombie fungus. We were afraid that you might accidentally get infected, so we called you over."
Li Changzhou knew what they were talking about.
He didn't mention the ghost head-removal incident because there were too many people around.
“This is indeed an opportunity,” he pondered. “You all go back first, I’ll go find Jiajing and have him issue an order to Shao Yuanjie to see his strength.”
"Aren't you afraid that Shao Yuanjie will get Jiajing to give you an order?" Yaochi laughed. "They've been giving you trouble for a while now."
"Back then, I hadn't proven myself yet. Now, Jiajing has placed all his hopes for immortality on me. How could they possibly cause me any trouble?"
After Li Changzhou finished speaking, he patted his younger sister's shoulder and helped her sit up straight.
He instructed her, "Call me immediately if anything happens. This mission is more dangerous than usual. Even the palace, which is suppressed by the dragon vein, is experiencing this kind of thing."
"Mmm." Li Qianxia nodded obediently.
It was the same before. After watching a horror movie, Li Changzhou would agree to do anything she asked, as long as he was willing to accompany her to the toilet and sleep at night.
The waves surged up, sweeping them all away once more, leaving only Li Changzhou on the surface of the imperial pond.
He looked around to make sure no one had noticed him, then appeared directly outside the side hall door.
The eunuch on duty was stunned with fright.
A quick-witted eunuch rushed into the hall to report, and soon came out again.
"Immortal Marquis, please come in."
Li Changzhou nodded to him, walked into the side hall, and then into the warm pavilion.
The Jiajing Emperor, dressed in a Taoist robe, sat cross-legged, practicing the breathing techniques taught to him by Li Changzhou.
Huang Jin glanced at Li Changzhou and smiled ingratiatingly. He had just ordered the eunuch to let Li Changzhou in.
Li Changzhou didn't speak; according to procedure, he had one more long breath.
With a barely audible hissing sound, the Jiajing Emperor exhaled completely and slowly opened his eyes.
"Your Majesty," Li Changzhou bowed.
"Why is the real emperor here instead of reading in the inner palace?" Emperor Jiajing was in a good mood, and Huang Jin wiped his forehead with a warm handkerchief.
"Something has happened in the inner court." Li Changzhou only mentioned the matter of the female officials in the inner court.
Emperor Jiajing looked at Huang Jin: "Send Shao Yuanjie and Tao Zhongwen there."
"This servant will go and deliver the decree immediately." Huang Jin handed the handkerchief to the palace maid, took a few steps back, and then turned and left the warm pavilion to give the order.
"Sit down." The Jiajing Emperor gestured to the cushion opposite him.
After Li Changzhou sat down, he said, "The Moon Palace is indeed a heavenly palace. I make progress in the Moon Palace all the time. I breathed in the palace for half an hour, but there was no movement."
“If Your Majesty eats before practicing, it will also have some slight effect,” Li Changzhou said with a smile.
After a moment of contemplation, the Jiajing Emperor said to himself, "When I returned from the Moon Palace, I ate a little something, and I did feel a faint warmth when I was practicing my exercises."
It may be true, or it may be false; ordinary people sometimes experience sudden abdominal heat.
"Your Majesty is so diligent and talented, it is only a matter of time before you become an immortal."
"I still need a real person to help me."
"I have made some progress in the matter of cultivating the Tao."
Emperor Jiajing was secretly pleased, but seeing Li Changzhou's thoughtful expression, he calmed down and said, "Speak frankly, what's the difficulty?"
His voice no longer carried the usual nonchalant confidence and composure. This concerned his most pressing matter: achieving immortality, a matter of cultivation. Even the emperor's mind was in turmoil.
“Then I’ll be frank,” Li Changzhou paused, “Does Your Majesty know why you cannot cultivate the Dao?”
The Jiajing Emperor did not speak.
Li Changzhou continued, "His Majesty is blessed with the Dragon Vein, making him impervious to all magic. A single imperial edict can reduce a cultivator to an ordinary person."
"I have also noticed this."
"If Your Majesty wishes to cultivate the Dao, the only way is to free the dragon vein."
"Are you asking me to abdicate the throne?"
"Has Your Majesty ever seen any member of the royal family enter the Daoist path?"
The Jiajing Emperor frowned: "I want both this empire and immortality. Does the immortal have a solution?"
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