The more you believe me, the more real it becomes.

Chapter 284 I, I, I!
At that very moment, all the forces lurking around Kyoto witnessed the five-clawed golden dragon that had been hovering above the palace dome suddenly sink to the east and then let out a long roar that shook the heavens.

Although everything returned to normal in an instant, that fleeting glimpse was clearly imprinted in everyone's eyes.

"Is someone getting impatient?"

"Ridiculous! If you're so capable, go all out! This kind of half-hearted commotion is hardly something you can fool people with!"

"Who was behind this?"

Kyoto is the lifeline of the nation; when a great era arrives, this place will inevitably become the core of the struggle between dragons and tigers.

And what they were so desperately searching for, most people believed, must be hidden here.

Therefore, even Heaven may not know just how many powerful forces are lurking in the capital.

However, this unusual phenomenon of the dragon vein shifting eastward was invisible to the naked eye of ordinary people, but the current emperor, Yaoshi Yuan, who was the ruler of the world, was keenly aware of it.

The moment Du Yuan's foot landed on Kyoto territory, he clutched his chest and looked around in confusion.

He distinctly felt his heart clench for a moment, followed by an indescribable feeling of suffocation, as if he had been trampled by some enormous, boundless creature.

Although the feeling lasted only a moment, it left him with a lingering unease.

After a moment's hesitation, he summoned the two men:
One was the commander of the Palace Guard, who was also the commander of the Inner Guard whom he had personally promoted.

Another was Anlu from the Imperial Medical Academy, who was also cultivated by him.

As soon as the two stepped into the hall, the apothecary raised his hand to Anlu and said in a deep voice:
"Imperial Physician An, take my pulse and see if there is anything unusual."

Physician An dared not delay and hurriedly stepped forward to take the emperor's pulse.

Seeing this, the commander of the Palace Guard, without needing the emperor to say anything more, bowed and said:
"Your Majesty, I will immediately order a thorough investigation into your recent living arrangements and dietary records."

The pharmacist nodded slightly—perhaps he was just overthinking things.

But he has done too many unpopular things over the years; if he hadn't been so careful, he wouldn't be alive today.

Putting aside other matters, four or five of the eunuchs responsible for his daily life have died without cause; even three of the imperial physicians he trusted have lost their lives inexplicably.

As for himself, well, it's one thing for the palace to catch fire, but how come the fire spread to wherever he fled?

After a long pause, Physician An bowed and reported truthfully:

"Your Majesty, I have carefully examined your pulse, and you are in good health. No abnormalities have been found."

The pharmacist nodded slightly, then his voice was filled with exhaustion:
"Prescribe me a calming medicine; I'm utterly exhausted lately."

He was in the prime of his life and had achieved great success. He should have been full of vigor and ambition, but now he looked as tired as an old man in his seventies.

These words silenced both of his trusted confidants.

Only after a moment of silence did Physician An muster his courage and bow to speak:

"Your Majesty, please forgive my bluntness, but medicine is ultimately just an external thing. Perhaps you should leave the palace for a walk to ease your mind."

The commander of the Palace Guard quickly bowed and echoed, "This humble general is willing to lead a thousand personal guards to accompany Your Majesty and ensure your safety."

The pharmacist could only shake his head helplessly, his tone full of self-mockery:
"What are you going out for? To listen to the gossip circulating in the streets?"

The two men fell even more silent—although they were the emperor's confidants, they were not cabinet ministers and had no say in these important matters of state.

Just then, a senior official suddenly rushed into the hall, followed by a messenger carrying a flag.

"Grand Secretary Zhang, is there an urgent report to present?"

Seeing that the Grand Secretary was followed by a messenger, the Pharmacist forced himself to stay alert—normal events would never allow a messenger to enter the palace directly, so something serious must have happened.

Grand Secretary Zhang dared not delay, and quickly stepped aside to signal the messenger to come forward. The messenger immediately lowered the flag, held the document in both hands, and bowed to report:

"Your Majesty, an urgent report from the northern border!"

"Northern Fortress? What could possibly happen in Northern Fortress?"

In the opinion of the Pharmacist, the Northern Territory had no powerful states, not even any tribes of any significant size. The place was extremely cold and barren, and could not possibly support any respectable power.

At best, they're just some savages driven to desperation by the harsh winter, raiding the border and plundering a few villages.

So when these words came out, not only the pharmacist Yuan, but even Anlu, the imperial physician who knew nothing about military affairs, was surprised.

The messenger, however, beamed with delight and loudly reported:

"Your Majesty, it's good news! Truly good news!"

These words forced a smile onto the pharmacist's face. He had been exhausted these past few days. Even though he didn't expect anything great from the Northern Frontier, upon hearing the words "good news," he still stepped forward and took the urgent report from the messenger.

But when he slowly unfolded the document and saw the handwriting clearly, the barely suppressed joy on his face vanished instantly.

The reason is simple: the document clearly states:

"Your Majesty, I, Xu Shou, the General of the Northern Garrison, respectfully report: Ten days ago, a demon suddenly attacked our camp, causing over a hundred casualties among our soldiers, yet we were still unable to harm this scoundrel in the slightest. Just when we were in dire straits, a celestial being descended to our aid and slew the wicked wolf demon with a single sword strike!"

"Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for the immortal's kindness and urgently request permission to allow the people of the northern border to build temples for the immortal and burn incense to pray for blessings, so that our northern lands may receive the immortal's protection and enjoy peace and prosperity!"

After his eyes twitched wildly for a long time, the pharmacist suddenly burst into laughter, then raised the military report and said:
"Okay, okay, we'll do everything Xu Shou says."

Finally, he pointed to the messenger and said:
"By the way, you must be exhausted from your journey here. Go and get some rest first, and I'll reward him with ten gold coins!"

As the messenger happily accepted his reward and left, the joy on Yaoshi Yuan's face vanished instantly, replaced by overwhelming rage. He slammed the military report onto the gold bricks on the ground with a sharp "crack".

"Immortals! Immortals! Immortals! It's those damned immortals again! And that damned demon!"

He pointed to the military report on the ground, his voice distorted by extreme anger.

"It's one thing for others to talk nonsense, but Xu Shou is the Northern Garrison General whom I personally promoted! He is someone I trust!"

"How dare he deceive and betray me like this!"

"Damn it! Utterly utterly despicable!"

Anger raged within him, and the apothecary paced back and forth in the hall, almost crushing the floor tiles.

Grand Secretary Zhang, the Commander of the Palace Guard, and Imperial Physician An stood by with their hands at their sides, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Throughout the entire hall, only Yakushi-en was consumed by rage:
"Qingzhou had previously reported that Buddha's light was shining everywhere and Bodhisattvas had descended to earth!" Yaoshi Yuan suddenly stopped in his tracks, his anger growing even stronger. "The Han family of Yidu used this as an excuse to fabricate charges against Prince Anqing, creating an ironclad case, and escorting him to the capital to present to me! They said this was a warning from Bodhisattva, and that Prince Anqing was the root of all evil! A traitor!"

"But what was the result?" He suddenly raised his voice, his eyes filled with sarcasm and rage. "Where are the so-called Bodhisattvas? Where is the all-encompassing Buddha's light?"

"Oh, and they even said that the Bodhisattva appointed former officials of the previous dynasty as mountain gods!!!"

Having said that, he suddenly approached the three of them, his gaze sweeping over their lowered heads like a knife. After scrutinizing them for a long time, he barely managed to suppress his rage and said:

"Then, turning back, hehe, my General Xiao Jing, the great hero who pacified the southwest, hahaha, he actually told me that he met a true lord, and even, he even made some kind of 'begging for life pill' to save the people of the southwest."

Upon hearing the words "Beggar's Life Pill," the pharmacist truly laughed in anger, his laughter filled with a sorrowful mockery:
"Hahaha, the 'Life-Saving Pill' that saved countless lives! And what happened? That so-called 'miracle drug' was just a mud ball made from a clod of earth!"

In the end, he seemed to have all his strength drained away, his back slumped, and his voice lowered.

Then, addressing not only the three people before him, but also himself, he murmured:
"I consider myself a restorer of a dynasty. I dare not say I can compare to the Three Sovereigns of antiquity, but at least, I shouldn't have ended up in such a state of being betrayed and abandoned by everyone, right?"

He paused, his gaze falling blankly on the pillars outside the hall, his voice tinged with grievance and confusion:
"Why is it that everyone in the world is talking about immortals, Buddhas, demons, and monsters, but I'm the only one who hasn't seen them?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly looked up, and the pent-up resentment and bewilderment in his chest finally broke through, his voice even carrying a slight sob that he himself didn't realize:
"How come I haven't seen a single one?"

"What did I do wrong to deserve this fate? Wasn't I the restorer of the dynasty? Wasn't I the one who brought blessings to all people? Wasn't I the one who saved our dynasty from peril?"

Three questions were asked in a row, and none of the three could answer them or dared to.

The emperor didn't expect anyone to answer him; he simply waved his hand and then returned to his palace dejectedly.

He really wanted to cry, but he couldn't. If he cried, it would all be over.

(End of this chapter)