Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 30: Nighttime Stargazing, Prices Soar

The sword pellet flew through the air, its surface covered by a protective shield resembling a nascent elixir, colorless and lusterless, before disappearing into the moonlight.

Zhao Wuji used the sword to travel through the air and borrowed the pill to travel in a divine manner.

They secretly caught up with Tao Fei and his companion's carriage and followed them all the way to an inn in the inner city.

The two did not go to Qianxiang Pavilion, but instead rested at the inn.

He maneuvered the sword pellet to fly closer to the rooftop, and gradually heard the two people whispering to each other inside.

"Why not bring that Divine Physician Zhao into our group? He has lived in the capital for a long time, his father-in-law is the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, and he is also very familiar with Director Liu of the Imperial Observatory. He is also very powerful."

"The things we are doing could cause serious problems if we are not careful."

Tao Fei stroked the four characters "Feng Liu Tian Xia" on the folding fan, then suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly, "If I, a libertine, really stole from the Imperial Observatory, wouldn't that be considered bringing honor to my ancestors?"

After all, the "True Scriptures" within the Imperial Observatory originally belonged to the Tao family.
But this has nothing to do with Brother Zhao, and I don't want to involve him. He has a bright future ahead of him."

Zhao Wuji's heart stirred. This friend of his wasn't a complete waste of time; he did have some conscience.

Since that's the case, it wouldn't hurt for him to pretend to help unintentionally afterward, without getting himself involved.

Tao Fei's voice continued to come from inside the room.

"His Majesty is delighted to have obtained a white deer carrying a lingzhi mushroom and intends to hold a Penglai Immortal Gathering to display the celestial treasures. At that time, the supervisor and director of the Imperial Observatory will surely be present, leaving the Imperial Observatory empty."

Even if we were to take action, it would be during His Majesty's Penglai Immortal Gathering, as planned, so that we could take advantage of the chaos.

"Well, the main problem right now is that I'm not very familiar with the terrain inside the Imperial Observatory. My mentor's notes only record the route to the treasure vault inside."

Now, so many years have passed, and after what happened to my mentor, the Imperial Observatory has been rebuilt and is now guarded by skilled personnel. I dare not investigate rashly; time is short, and the task is heavy.”

After eavesdropping for a while, Zhao Wuji basically understood the current situation and difficulties of Tao Fei and Bi Yuxiang.

The two men didn't chat for long before putting down their luggage again. A leopard can't change its spots, and a poet can't change his mother's ways. They headed straight for Qianxiang Pavilion.

"Pah—you need to relax before doing serious business."

He cursed under his breath and changed his direction, flying towards the Imperial Observatory in the capital city, where he circled around to observe the situation.

Now, having reached a slightly advanced level in the art of manipulating pills, a single wisp of spiritual energy can sustain the technique for up to three hundred breaths.

If a spirit resides within it, as long as it doesn't fly more than ten miles away or get too far from its physical body, there won't be any problems.

At this moment, from his perspective, the entire sprawling complex of the Imperial Observatory was shrouded in a faint starlight, just as it had been when he first saw it.

This starlight is usually invisible to the naked eye, but can be seen only by the all-seeing eyes of a spiritual being imbued with spiritual energy.

The shadows of the Twenty-Eight Mansions are faintly visible, slowly rotating and exuding an awe-inspiring and inviolable aura.

"The protective formation is probably like the Jade Tablet Tianpeng Mantra in Yunyu Pond of Jingqing Palace, possessing some kind of special effect."

Zhao Wuji observed from afar, surveying the terrain of the Imperial Observatory from the air, memorizing it, and dared not approach rashly.

He suspected that this Imperial Observatory's grand formation might be effective against cultivators with spiritual energy who use magic, including ghosts and spirits.

As for ordinary people, it may not have any effect.

Otherwise, it would be hard to explain how the legendary thief Feng Yi was able to break into the Imperial Observatory of the capital and reach the secret door in front of the treasury, unless he was just bragging.

"This is the inner area. I've only been here once, when I was treating Supervisor Liu, and it's been very difficult for me to set foot here since."

"Where is that so-called treasure vault? Could it be underground?"

Zhao Wuji observed for a while, and when the sword pellet swept past the eaves of the Imperial Observatory, he suddenly saw the star pattern on the roof tile glow slightly, but the patrolling guards around him were completely unaware.

"This formation is indeed only effective against objects possessing spiritual energy!"

Zhao Wuji quickly fled to avoid the danger, as he could not pinpoint the location of the Imperial Observatory's treasure trove of ancient books and artifacts.

However, based on his familiarity with the Imperial Observatory and his current observations, he could draw a map and casually hand over the relevant terrain and landforms to Tao Fei.

After watching for a while, he turned around and glanced at the direction of the Southern Mansion from afar.

There were small patches of lights on the buildings over there in the snowy night.

His fiancée, who was a candidate for sainthood, hadn't contacted him for a while.

Perhaps they are studying that sacred artifact, embarking on the path to immortality.

"When I was lucky with romance, even female ghosts would come to my dreams to chat. Now that I'm not lucky with romance anymore, my fiancée doesn't contact me, and even female ghosts don't come. But having a cultivation partner makes my path less lonely..."

Just as he was feeling sentimental, he suddenly saw a white figure, moving silently through the snow in the dim moonlight, flashing past and quickly darting through the shadows, heading straight for his official residence.

"Is it that fox?"

Zhao Wuji was immediately drawn to the scene and quickly steered the sword pellet over.

But then he saw the fox lingering outside his residence, squeaking twice.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, he pricked up his ears, abandoned his attempt to enter the official residence, and turned back towards the outskirts of the city.

"The Strange Fox"

Zhao Wuji rode the sword pellet, following the fox far out of the outer city.

This time, he flew five miles out of the city, and in the middle of the journey, he sent out a wisp of yin energy. He watched as the white fox disappeared into the mountain stream of the distant cold mountain.

From a distance, the air in the mountain stream was murky and mixed, yet different from the air of people.

They were clearly some furry, horned, wet-born, egg-laying wild beasts.

There was a faint, powerful aura with a touch of spirituality, but it was too distant to see clearly, which made Zhao Wuji wary.

"Could there really be a spirit or monster that has achieved mastery in cultivation? Why is it targeting me?"

He did not continue following them.

It would be very dangerous if some wild immortal were lurking in the mountain stream fishing.

Zhao Wuji never believed that just because he had embarked on the path of immortality and mastered the Earthly Fiend Techniques, he could look down on all the heroes in the world.

There are people outside people, and there are days outside the sky.

"It's better to fish myself than to be fished by someone else."

"If that fox comes again, I'll catch it and see if I can find out anything."

Zhao Wuji was clear-headed. The spirit in the mountain stream only sent the little white fox into the city, which was obviously because it was afraid of certain people in the imperial city. The city was safe.

He turned around and went home.

In this freezing weather, I should go back and cultivate for a while, let my maid Chunhua warm the bed, and rest and recuperate.

...

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

Reports of battles frequently arrived from the northern border of Xuan Kingdom, while on the other side, Yu Kingdom and Yun Kingdom were also constantly clashing. The White Bone Path took advantage of the chaos to wreak havoc, but the aroma of cured meats was already wafting through the imperial city of Xuan Kingdom.

Many notices announcing the requisition of grain were posted outside the city, but few people sold it, and some even hoarded it.

Even in the prosperous and peaceful imperial city, some people have gradually become uneasy, realizing that the world is not peaceful.

At a butcher shop on a street corner in the inner city, Butcher Zhang was sharpening his knife while chatting with someone: "I heard that another three hundred cavalrymen have been lost in the north?"

Aunt Wang, who was picking winter vegetables nearby, didn't even look up: "Who cares? As long as taxes don't go up and my son isn't conscripted to the battlefield, we ordinary people will still live our lives."

A vendor on the side was pushing a wheelbarrow, hawking his best liquor.

Zhang the butcher glanced at it, grinned, and shouted loudly, "Wine seller, go to the official residence over there and sell it to Doctor Zhao. As long as it's strong liquor, Doctor Zhao will take it."

But if it hasn't sold out in this freezing weather, is it a fake bar?

"Haha, don't give this fake liquor to our miracle doctor. We still need to see him for treatment."

Mentioning Doctor Zhao elicited a burst of laughter from those around him, but it wasn't laughter at the doctor; rather, it was laughter at the butcher's teasing remarks.

In recent years, Zhao Wuji has opened many private clinics, treating people with acupuncture to dispel cold or for minor illnesses, and almost all of them are cured with medicine.

He even didn't charge for consultations for cold-related illnesses, which earned him a good reputation in the capital.

Upon hearing this, the wine seller also grinned foolishly.

His liquor is indeed strong; his father once sold the best batch for a good price.

But the remaining batch was too strong, so spicy and pungent that no one wanted it, and restaurants couldn't sell it either.

If this Dr. Zhao can buy this batch of wine, he and his sister will have an easier time this winter.
(End of this chapter)