I was forced to cultivate immortality when I just wanted to lie down

Chapter 414 Three Generations of the Zhu Family, Five Years as Emperor

A woman's face is like the weather in June, changing in an instant.

Wang's eldest sister had just finished drinking the Three Lives Stone Dew when she turned around and pushed Xu Qing out of the room.

Hey! I haven't even had a chance to sit down properly, shouldn't I at least have a cup of tea before I leave?
Why are you kicking people out, you little brat?

Old Xu was oblivious to romance and didn't understand the feelings of young women, until Wang's daughter spoke up:

"I don't want you to see me like this. If you want some tea, wait until the flowers are in full bloom next year, and I'll treat you to as much as you want!"

Xu Qing muttered to herself, "When you were a little blonde girl, I didn't mind. Now that you've turned white-haired, what's there to be embarrassed about?"

Xu Qing was met with the heavy sound of the door closing.

Well, I guess I'll have to go find someone else if I want tea.

Xu Qing left the incense and candle workshop and went straight to Wanbao Inn.

Zhang Pingsheng, a Taoist priest from Santai Peak, was listening to a storyteller there.

Beneath the inn, the storyteller recounts the tale of the Goddess of Life Protection punishing wicked nuns and relieving suffering, protecting infants and ensuring their survival.

Zhang Pingsheng listened with great interest. When Xu Qing came over to greet him, the Taoist priest gestured for him to sit down and listen together.

What's so good about that?

Xu Qing didn't listen to a word; he just sat there eating snacks and drinking tea.

"After this fold, have you noticed anything unusual, fellow Daoist?"

Xu Qing's heart stirred: "Tell me about it."

"Fellow Daoist, you cultivate in Tianjin, so you must have heard of the great name of Baosheng Temple. When I first arrived here, I had my spirit leave my body and travel to the illusory realm. I found that the gathering of incense here was so extensive that it was astonishing."

"There are two sources of incense offerings: one is the shamanic shrine, and the other is the Baosheng Temple deity mentioned by the storyteller."

Zhang Pingsheng sighed, "Baosheng Temple has been in Tianjin for decades. If it were not efficacious, it would never have existed for so long, and the incense offerings would not have accumulated to this extent."

"If such a god truly exists, he must have already reached the level of the most holy and sage."

"In this age of great calamity, how can there be such a sacred being? Brother Xu, don't you find it incredible?"

Xu Qing smiled slightly and said, "As the saying goes, grains can grow from dung and phoenixes can perch among thorns. What's so surprising about one or two anomalies emerging in this chaotic world? It would be truly frightening if a great calamity were to occur and all living beings were to be submerged in it."

Zhang Pingsheng pondered for a moment, then nodded in deep agreement.

"Brother Dao sees things more clearly than I do. You truly are a seasoned cultivator with thousands of years of experience!"

Although Zhang Pingsheng has cultivated for two lifetimes, he cultivated the primordial spirit in his previous life. If we exclude the extra 'shadow spirit' and only consider this life, he is actually a little younger than Xu Qing, who is over a hundred years old.

For this reason, Xu Qing never reacted whenever Zhang Pingsheng addressed him as "Brother Dao."

Furthermore, since Fu Luan Daoist often shamelessly called Xu Qing "Daoist Brother," Zhang Pingsheng subconsciously assumed that the young man in front of him was an elder who was even older than Fu Luan Daoist two thousand years ago.

Zhang Pingsheng even felt he had gotten the better deal by calling the senior a "brother".

"Thousands of years? You must have some misunderstanding about me. I've only been cultivating for seventy or eighty years. How can I be considered an old cultivator?"

"understand!"

Zhang Pingsheng gave him a knowing look.

“In my previous life, I left the Three Peaks and often pretended to be a naive and inexperienced young man, wandering around. Those sixty years were truly full of joy.”

"."

Xu Qing glanced sideways at the Taoist priest in front of him.

Sure enough, those who can survive in this world are no pushovers!
"Fellow Daoist, you've traveled thousands of miles to find me, surely not just to inquire about the Baosheng Temple? Or perhaps you also wish to have an heir?"

"."

Zhang Pingsheng said with a deep gaze, "I practice the Pure Yang Boy Skill. I have never broken the precepts in my past and present lives, so how could I possibly seek offspring?"

At this point, Zhang Pingsheng suddenly raised an eyebrow, looked at Xu Qing, and said with a smile:
“I see that you have an imbalance of yin and yang, and you must be surrounded by many women, but you don’t seem to be a person who has indulged in lust. If that’s the case, your self-control is probably much stronger than mine.”

In Zhang Pingsheng's eyes, Xu Qing was an old cultivator who had lived for thousands of years and had never practiced the "Boyhood Skill" and did not need to guard the Yang Pass.

Such a person can uphold the precepts for thousands of years without breaking them; the only explanation is their unwavering faith in the Dao.

"."

Xu Qing felt that Zhang Pingsheng's words were not kind, but the respect in the other party's eyes did not seem fake.

"Do you have anything important to do? If not, I have to rush off to someone's funeral!"

Zhang Pingsheng hurriedly stopped Xu Qing and said, "There is indeed a small matter. Not long ago, my disciple came to me, wanting me to help extend the life of the current emperor."

Xu Qing said with a half-smile, "What a coincidence! I was just thinking of going to the Emperor's funeral, but you've come all this way to wish the Emperor a long life!"

"."

Zhang Pingsheng's heart stirred slightly, and he asked, "The current emperor can be described as wise and virtuous. Haven't you thought of helping him, fellow Daoist?"

How do you know I haven't helped?

Xu Qing said meaningfully, "People in this world are born with a limited destiny. You see, he only ruled the world for one or two decades, but little do you know that his life as emperor was only two or three years."

Zhang Pingsheng was taken aback, but became even more confused.

Xu Qing didn't say much, but led Zhang Pingsheng out of the inn and headed straight for the capital.

The two transformed into streaks of light and landed outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The imperial guards around them seemed to have a blind spot, allowing the two to swagger into the hall.

At this time, imperial physicians and ministers took turns on duty in the palace, just so that all the emperor's edicts could be conveyed at any time.

Xu Qing also saw Zhang Shufang, the Celestial Master Zhang, steaming incense and burning medicine in front of the dragon bed.

When Zhang Shufang saw his master Zhang Pingsheng, he was about to speak, but Zhang Pingsheng raised his hand to stop him.

Xu Qing, who had used an invisibility spell, took two steps forward, and Zhang Pingsheng, who was using illusion magic to influence the minds of those around him, also followed.

When Zhang Pingsheng saw the old emperor's appearance on the dragon bed, his face was filled with astonishment.

"If the eyebrows and eyes are hidden and the bridge of the nose is broken, it is like a lone boat without an anchor; if the forehead is broad like a field and the chin is narrow, it is like a light boat capsizing on water. This is the character of a boat that can carry things, but it is not a true boat that can carry things. It is a light boat that cannot bear heavy pressure."

Zhang Pingsheng was increasingly alarmed as he looked at the chart: "Although this emperor's destiny is blessed with purple aura, there is also black aura running across the heavenly court in the position of the traveling horse. This is the sign of being burned by the fire of wealth. If one has this sign, he can prolong his life if he gains three parts of wealth, but if he receives seven parts of wealth, he will surely lose his lifespan. If he is rich and noble to the fullest extent... then it will be like snow falling into charcoal, melting away in an instant."

"This is not a short-lived dragon; it is clearly a sign of premature death due to excessive blessings!"

Xu Qing nodded and said, "He was not destined to be an emperor. It was because of his father that I forcibly changed his fate. Unfortunately, he was not fortunate enough to be the emperor of this dynasty." In the secular world, people often say that someone is "unlucky and cannot bear the burden," which refers to people like Emperor Hongcheng.

It's like a poor person earning enough money to buy big meals, but by then they are old and frail and have lost their teeth.

If you force him to wear dentures, you won't realize that he's not just missing teeth, but also his appetite.

Forcing someone to eat can cause indigestion at best, and death at worst.

This is the situation with the current emperor.

If Xu Qing hadn't gifted the other party with those five parts of imperial purple energy, Emperor Hongcheng would probably have died suddenly on the eve of his ascension to the throne.

Later, Xu Qing forcibly granted the other party the destiny of becoming emperor. While this could unleash Emperor Hongcheng's potential, it would also shorten his lifespan.

Zhu Huai'an knew about this, and Emperor Hongcheng was also aware of it back then, but neither father nor son chose to change the choice of the heir apparent to the throne.

This was because when Xu Qing met Emperor Hongcheng, who was still the crown prince, Zhu Huai'an no longer had time to cultivate another crown prince.

As the two were chatting idly, a semi-transparent ghostly figure quietly rose from the dragon bed.

After listening to the "consultation of traditional Chinese medicine doctors" for a long time, Hong Chenghuang, the patient, finally couldn't hold back any longer and sat up.

However, it was not the physical body that sat up, but the emperor's soul.

"Your Excellencies, I am an unfortunate man, but I possess a heart full of desire to govern the world and strengthen the nation. I implore you both to lend a hand and save my Great Yan Empire."

As they were speaking, the emperor had already knelt down.

Xu Qing looked down and used his divine power of speaking to say, "Get up."

The next moment, Emperor Hongcheng, who was kneeling on the ground, stood up uncontrollably.

Xu Qing sized up the emperor before him and said, "Look carefully, who am I?"

Emperor Hongcheng looked closely and suddenly remembered: "You are my father's close friend, Mr. Xu from Tianjin!"

Xu Qing smiled and was about to speak when he noticed a mess on the dragon bed. Several imperial physicians were fussing over the emperor for a while before shaking their heads in despair.

In an instant, the Hall of Mental Cultivation was filled with weeping, and the news of the emperor's death quickly spread outside the hall.

Xu Qing shook his head slightly, then turned to look at Emperor Hongcheng and said, "Ordinary people may live to be fifty, eighty, or even grow old, but your lifespan is less than thirty. After you became emperor, your lifespan was reduced by another twenty years. You think I'm not helping you, but you don't know that I have already helped you a lot."

Hongcheng Huang's face was full of shame, and his words were mostly words of gratitude.

However, the other party's soul still existed and did not dissipate.

Xu Qing knew that the emperor still had lingering obsessions, and if he didn't help him resolve them, his only option would be to forcibly perform a ritual to help him pass on to the afterlife.

After a moment's thought, Xu Qing finally sighed.

The other party was, after all, the son of his old friend, and he was still quite respectful to him. Since he had chosen to help, he might as well help him to the end and fulfill his promise from back then.

"Speak your mind directly."

Emperor Hongcheng was overjoyed and wanted to kneel down again, but Xu Qing stopped him once more.

"I would like to ask you, sir, to take a look at the Crown Prince's fate. If you can offer some guidance to the Crown Prince, I would be extremely grateful."

Xu Qing nodded, but when he roused himself and looked closely at the Crown Prince who had rushed into the hall, he found that the child was even less fortunate than Emperor Hongcheng!
Zhang Pingsheng stared at the frail crown prince, who looked like a small boat and whose fate seemed to weigh less than two ounces, and remained speechless for a long time.

Xu Qing remained silent as well. He could almost foresee that even if the crown prince was lucky enough to ascend the throne before the spirit tablet, he probably wouldn't live for many days. If he wanted to survive, he would have to establish another emperor. Otherwise, given the crown prince's physique, he probably wouldn't be able to withstand the heavy pressure of the Great Yan's fortune.

Seeing that Xu Qing and the other remained silent, Emperor Hongcheng said with some pride, "Mian'er could read at the age of three, compose poems at seven, and had a photographic memory. By the age of eleven or twelve, he had already mastered the classics. What is even more commendable is that Mian'er is extremely filial. From the age of seven, he was able to understand the good intentions of me and his imperial grandfather, and was determined to make Great Yan a true heavenly court."

The more Emperor Hongcheng spoke, the more silent Xu Qing and Zhang Pingsheng became.

Gradually, Emperor Hongcheng's voice grew softer and softer. Finally, he asked cautiously, "Mr. Xu, why aren't you saying anything? Is something wrong?"

It's more than just bad!

Xu Qing withdrew his gaze from Crown Prince Zhu Mian and said leisurely, "He is benevolent and righteous, loyal and filial, and also possesses early wisdom and intelligence. Apart from his short life, there is nothing wrong with him!"

Emperor Hongcheng initially smiled when he heard Xu Qing's praise, but when he heard the words "his life is not long," the old emperor immediately became restless!

"Please, sir, lend a hand to save me."

Faced with Emperor Hongcheng's plea, Xu Qing shook his head and said:
"In this world, excess is as bad as deficiency. It's not that I'm unwilling to help him, but if I do, I can only buy him three to five years at most."

Zhu Mian's fate was none other than that of someone whose deep affections were short-lived and whose exceptional intelligence was destined to bring him harm.

This affection is not limited to romantic love; it can also include excessive love for one's children, an obsession with fame and fortune, or even unwavering loyalty to one's country and the emperor, even at the cost of one's life.

If one has both, then one's fate is truly extremely unfortunate, and one's life is destined to be full of regrets.

Zhuge Liang, for example, was a man of profound wisdom and deep affection.

This is a theory of destiny. If one wishes to change it, one must enter the realm of Taoism, cultivate one's nature and destiny in seclusion, and once one achieves a state of lightness and ease, one can naturally break free from constraints and reach a state of transcendence and freedom.

Unfortunately, those who are exceptionally intelligent but have short lives tend to dart into the muddy world of mortals, eventually becoming covered in mud and as heavy as mountains, so that even gods cannot carry them.

What is being carried here is not the weight of flesh and bones, but the destiny of a person.

The principles of destiny lie entirely within oneself; there is no other way but to save oneself.

The only thing Xu Qing could do was to transfer the imperial purple energy left on Emperor Hongcheng to Zhu Mian, just as he had done back then.

As for the idea of ​​entering the Xuanmen (Taoist sect) to cultivate Xuan (Taoist arts).
Zhu Mian's mind was already mature enough that he was destined not to give up his family business and choose to save himself. This was a self-imposed predicament, and his predicament was already set. Even if a great immortal came, he would not be able to shake it.

With the soul of Emperor Hongcheng in tow, Xu Qing left the Hall of Mental Cultivation and went alone to a place where no one would disturb him.

Nowadays, the practice of saving people is no longer limited to contact with corpses; as long as there is a soul, it can be directly delivered to the afterlife.

As the revolving lantern of Emperor Hongcheng began to appear, the emperor's spirit before Xu Qing's eyes also began to gradually fade.

Emperor Hongcheng noticed something unusual; it was a light, liberating feeling.

As his body was about to completely dissipate, he used his last bit of strength to bow deeply to Xu Qing with gratitude on his face.

"Even the wisest ruler cannot save the day from collapse. But in this chaotic and turbulent world, how can a ruler who merely maintains the status quo possibly turn the tide?"

"Five years as emperor is ultimately too short."

Xu Qing threw five parts of the imperial purple aura onto Zhu Mian, who was enthroned before the spirit tablet.

At the same time, his final sigh reached Zhu Mian's ears.

The new emperor was naturally intelligent. After hearing Xu Qing's sigh, he paused for a moment, then quickly returned to normal and continued to receive the homage of the officials.

(End of this chapter)