Notes on Longevity

Chapter 90 Forgetting Past Grudges, Bo Hong Wants to Talk About Divine Martial Arts
"Ying'er, where is the Crown Prince?" Xiuyi, dressed in a light and elegant robe, stepped into the Crown Prince's bedroom and asked Ying'er, who was standing at the door.

Dressed in a palace maid's attire, Ying'er curtsied and replied, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince is changing his clothes."

When the Crown Prince took Xiuyi away from the Drunken Flower Pavilion, Xiuyi also brought Qingyou and Ying'er back to the palace. Now that Xiuyi has been freed from her lowly status, she should be called by her original name, Zhou Ruoru, or by the honorific title: Crown Princess.

Looking at Ying'er's appearance, Zhou Ruoru smiled and said softly, "We are sisters who have suffered together, why call me that? Just call me sister like Qingyou does."

"Ying'er wouldn't dare." Zhou Ruoru said softly, without any malice, but Ying'er felt afraid. "What Ying'er did in the Drunken Flower Pavilion was ashamed of you. Ying'er wouldn't dare."

Zhou Ruoru smiled, patted Ying'er's shoulder, and said, "What's wrong with that? It's normal for there to be some open and covert struggles in that place. Besides, you're only doing this to avoid being bullied, so what's wrong with that? Don't take it to heart, what's past is past."

Tears welled up in Ying'er's eyes. She felt deeply sorry for Zhou Ruoru, for she had always opposed her, yet she had taken Zhou Ruoru away from that place when she escaped. She was grateful, but also regretful.

"Alright, stop crying. Call me 'sister'." Zhou Ruoru reached out and wiped away Ying'er's tears. Her sincere smile only made Ying'er feel more bitter.

She looked at Zhou Ruoru in a low, husky voice, her voice slightly choked with emotion, and softly called out, "Sister."

"See, isn't this good?" Zhou Ruoru gently stroked her head. "Don't think about the past. Now that we're in the palace, with me here, no one will bully you. Of course, you shouldn't bully others either, or I won't consider our sisterly bond."

"Ying'er understands." Ying'er bowed again.

"Ruo Ru, could you help me check if my clothes are still neat?"

As Zhou Ruoru and Ying'er were talking, Crown Prince Li Bohong emerged from behind a screen on one side, constantly adjusting his already neatly dressed clothes.

Zhou Ruoru smiled at Ying'er, then turned and walked towards Li Bohong. Looking at Li Bohong's apricot-yellow suit and his fair, handsome face, she said, "It's already very neat; no need to tidy it up further."

“Hey! No!” Li Bohong quickly explained to Zhou Ruoru, “Although you saved him before, he is, after all, a Taoist priest from Zouma Temple, and also the junior brother of Taoist Priest Yu Yan. When Father Emperor came back before, I heard General Hai say that this Old Ancestor Yuyang really likes Taoist Priest Ping An and often mentions him in front of His Majesty. So, we still have to show him some respect.”

"Pfft..." Zhou Ruoru couldn't help but laugh when she saw Li Bohong's somewhat panicked expression.

"What are you laughing at?" Li Bohong was tidying up when he heard Zhou Ruoru laughing. He looked at Zhou Ruoru in confusion and asked.

"I was laughing at you. You weren't like this when you met Master Yu Yan before. What? Why are you so concerned about Master Ping An? Is there something I don't know about?" Zhou Ruoru covered her mouth and laughed.

“You’re absolutely right.” Li Bohong stopped tidying his clothes, shook his head and sighed, “I heard from Daoist Yu Yan that Daoist Ping An was going to seek immortality.”

"Seeking immortality? What's wrong?" Zhou Ruoru found it strange. She already knew from Zhou Zhou that Ping An had been seeking immortality with his master for ten years, but without any results.

"By the way, you don't know yet. The reason why my Great Yan has been able to dominate the world for thousands of years and stand firm is because of the immortals." Li Bohong said with a serious face.

"Because of immortals?"

Zhou Ruoru was genuinely unaware of this matter, as it was the biggest secret of the Yan Dynasty's royal family. Aside from the crown prince who was destined for the throne, even other princes would not easily reveal it.

“Yes.” Li Bohong looked around and, after confirming that there was no one else besides Ying’er standing at the door, he pulled Zhou Ruo toward the dining table. Then he called to Ying’er, “Ying’er, close the door and go see how the food preparation in the imperial kitchen is going.”

"Yes." Ying'er listened to him and did as he said.

After the door closed, Li Bohong turned around and looked at Zhou Ruoru with a solemn expression. "This is a secret of my Dayan Dynasty. Only the crown prince and crown princess of each dynasty know about it."

Looking at the Crown Prince's expression, Zhou Ruoru suddenly felt a little flustered and said, "Maybe we shouldn't say anything. I suddenly don't want to know anymore."

"That won't do. This is something the Crown Princess must know. Otherwise, if I die one day, this secret will be lost, and the foundation of my Great Yan will be destroyed." Li Bohong placed his hands on Zhou Ruoru's shoulders and gently massaged them. But Zhou Ruoru felt that these hands were much heavier than usual.

"That was obtained for us by the first emperor of Dayan, Emperor Shenwu, more than a thousand years ago. It is said that before the final battle began, Emperor Shenwu went into a deep mountain alone."

-

"Immortal."

His blood-stained armor looked very heavy, his sword was sheathed, his face was sallow, and his expression was somewhat gloomy as he walked with difficulty up the mountain.

"Fairy!"

He walked along shouting, startling the birds in the forest, causing them to fly and hop around in all directions.

"I have arrived, please, immortal, show yourself."

He could no longer walk. The previous battle had just ended, and he had rushed here without stopping.

This mountain is named Crane and Deer, but it is lush and green, stretching for thousands of miles, and its shape doesn't resemble a deer or a crane at all.

Legend has it that this mountain is the only way to reach Penglai in the east. Not because it's on the way, but because an immortal from the Penglai fairy mountain lives here.

The immortals in this mountain kept a crane with a bright red body and a white deer with a body as white as snow, hence the name Crane and Deer.

As soon as he finished speaking, a tall white deer rushed in front of him, accompanied by the cry of a crane.

At the same time, a voice, old yet powerful, like a resounding bell, rang out, "Come on up."

As the voice faded, the white deer bent down and nodded to him, signaling him to mount her.

He shouted, "Thank you, immortal!" Then he mounted the deer god and rode up the mountain.

Zhou Ruoru frowned, looking at Li Bohong with disbelief. "Is what you're saying really true?"

“How could the secrets of my Great Yan Dynasty be fake?” Li Bohong stared wide-eyed, speaking with absolute certainty and in a loud voice to Zhou Ruoru.

Zhou Ruoru's ears hurt from the force of his voice. "And then what? Riding the white deer, the Divine Martial Emperor saw the immortals?"

"Definitely..."

"Your Highness."

Just as Li Bohong was about to continue speaking, there was a knock on the door.

"Enter."

Li Bohong stood up, his face serious, one hand behind his back and the other under his abdomen, and began to speak.

After the door opened, an old eunuch walked in, knelt down before Li Bohong, and kowtowed: "Your Highness, Daoist Ping'an has gone to see the Emperor. You don't need to wait any longer today. Let's reschedule for tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)