Notes on Longevity

Chapter 96 The cycle of cause and effect has its own way; why dwell on the past now?

Emperor Shangyuan lay on his dragon bed, staring at Yan Yu with a grim expression. A thousand years had passed, and he had never imagined that Dayan would be destroyed in his hands, at least not before Zhang Jinggong attended court.

After Zhang Jinggong entered the court, he spoke to him at length about reforming the ritual system and dismantling the factionalism and corruption among officials and ministers. An ancient tree, devoured by woodworms!

Yan Yu shook his head helplessly at Shangyuan's expression and said, "Your Majesty, I haven't finished speaking yet."

"What do you mean?" Emperor Shangyuan asked, puzzled. Didn't Yan Yu just say that Dayan would be destroyed in his hands?

"What I mean is that the Great Yan Kingdom is destined to perish; it is fate. But fate is not predetermined; there are variables," Yan Yu said with a smile.

Emperor Shangyuan saw Yan Yu smiling, frowned, and asked in confusion, "What variable?"

Yan Yu stood up, his back to the Shangyuan Emperor who had just sat up in bed. “The reason why Dayan has been able to maintain its foundation for a thousand years is related to the immortality and longevity techniques and guidance that Emperor Shenwu obtained from the immortals. As long as we act according to what Lord Zhang said and change the political situation, although it will greatly damage our vitality, Your Majesty can rest assured with this technique. As long as this technique is not lost, Dayan will not perish.”

The Emperor Shangyuan was quite confused. "But didn't you just say that my Great Yan destiny only has thirty years left?"

Yan Yu said "Eh," and turned to look at Emperor Shangyuan: "There are variables involved here."

The Emperor Shangyuan asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Yan Yu lowered his head and chuckled: "The Divine Martial Emperor has seen immortals, so does Your Majesty know that there are also demons in this world?"

“Demon?” He lowered his head and pondered: “I heard the Taoist priest in Zoumaguan say that all things coexist in heaven and earth. Humans can cultivate themselves to follow the laws of heaven and earth, obtain the art of longevity and the method of becoming an immortal. If humans can do this, other things can also follow this path.”

“That’s right,” Yan Yu flicked his long sleeves, then turned and stepped down from the dragon bed. He stood facing the Emperor Shangyuan with his hands behind his back. “Humans follow the way of Heaven and die after a hundred years, turning into ghosts. So-called cultivation is to understand one’s mind and nature, return to simplicity and truth, participate in the creation and nurturing of Heaven and Earth, live long and see far, and thus become an immortal. This is the cultivation of a human being.”

"The so-called demon is an animal that has cultivated this path. Although all things follow the same path, their methods are different. It takes ten years to develop its nature, a hundred years to develop full intelligence, and three hundred years to transform into a human. Once the human body is stable and the magic is perfected, this creature can become a demon."

Yan Yu paused for a moment after saying this, then said, "Thirty years later, a demon will be born. This demon will pass through the Wu Kingdom and come to our Dayan. This demon will do evil and cause great chaos. Dayan may perish because of it."

"Then what are the variables you mentioned?" Emperor Shangyuan asked anxiously upon hearing Yan Yu's words.

"The variable lies with the Crown Prince," Yan Yu said, smiling slightly at Emperor Shangyuan.

"The Crown Prince?" Emperor Shangyuan asked, puzzled. "Could you explain it more clearly? My Crown Prince is still young. Is there any way to avoid this?"

Yan Yu paled upon hearing this, and quickly said, "Your Majesty will be quite old in thirty years. Besides, I've already said enough, so please don't make things difficult for me. If I speak of Heaven's will directly, I'll be struck by lightning. I've finally managed to cultivate a little bit of Taoist magic, so please don't harm me."

Emperor Shangyuan sighed. He clearly knew how to avoid it, but he couldn't reveal it because it was a secret of heaven. He was also a half-cultivator, and he understood what it meant to have variables. But within those variables, there were even more variables. Everything was still unsettled, and the number of variables was simply immeasurable.

If the unforeseen circumstances do not unfold as Yan Yu predicted, then the country may truly perish.

Yan Yu was incredibly clever, and he naturally saw through and understood what the Emperor was worried about. He smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. The variables involved are already fixed. Your Majesty can rest assured." "You old fool, you never made things clear when I was a child. I am now in my sixties or seventies, and you are still the same."

Emperor Shangyuan rolled his eyes. Since Yan Yu was like this, there was no need to ask too many questions. After all, the person in front of him had received the true teachings of the immortals. However, this person was of profound virtue but lacked the opportunity.

"Your Majesty, cause and effect are cyclical, and only the will of Heaven matters. Although there are difficulties, a country cannot be established without them. Although Dayan has existed for a thousand years, it is not yet truly powerful. But in thirty years, in the years to come, Dayan will truly be powerful for many years."

As Yan Yu spoke, he raised a hand with its five fingers spread apart and laughed.

When Emperor Shangyuan saw Yan Yu's five fingers, he understood what it meant, but then he asked, "What about after all these years?"

Yan Yu clasped his hands behind his back and smiled, “Your Majesty, the growth of all things and the rise and fall of dynasties are natural occurrences. A dynasty that lasts for a thousand years is already quite remarkable.”

"Enough, enough." Emperor Shangyuan waved his hand. "Go to Minister Zhang's place first. Help him make preparations. Once you're ready, let me know, and I'll come and kill the people."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

-

"Lord Tang, Commander Tong has sent word that Yan Yu met with the Emperor alone." Wang Quande stood before Tang Wanchao, whose expression was equally grim.

Tang Wanchao sat in a chair, one hand clenched into a fist on the table beside him. "I'm afraid Yan Yu is coming back for us."

"What should we do then? The Emperor met with Yan Yu alone, and Commander Tong didn't hear what they said. What if..." Wang Quande didn't dare to fully express his thoughts, fearing that the Emperor might really kill them.

"Here's what we'll do: go to Zhang Jinggong's residence now and see what's going on." He paused for a moment, then added, "Tomorrow I'll set up a trap in the main hall, and you can invite both of them over."

Upon hearing this, Wang Quande's heart tightened. "Sir, what are you trying to do?"

Tang Wanchao's eyes flashed with murderous intent. "If you could kill a minister before, you can kill another one now."

Upon hearing this, Wang Quande immediately knelt down, his voice trembling with tears as he tried to persuade him: "My lord, let's not talk about Zhang Jinggong for now, but about Yan Yu. Don't you think this man is strange? More than ten years have passed, and he hasn't changed a bit. After he returned, he was even summoned by His Majesty for a private audience. There must be many things we don't know about this. If we kill him, we might really have no way to survive."

Tang Wanchao coldly observed Wang Quande's incompetent state and growled, "So you think we can survive by doing nothing?"

He sighed deeply, looked up and said with a bitter smile, "It seems we've all been deceived by His Majesty. He really listened to Zhang Jinggong and wants to kill us. Rather than waiting to die, we might as well take a few down with us. Go tell them that I'll invite them to a banquet at the hall tomorrow, and say that I wish Lord Zhang a speedy recovery and congratulate Lord Yan on his promotion."

Upon hearing this, Wang Quande's mind went blank, and he sat helplessly on the ground. He had only gotten involved to make some money, never intending to kill anyone, and he never imagined it would end up like this.

(End of this chapter)