Druid Fairy

Chapter 181 Relations Between Two Countries
"You audacious sorcerer! This is a royal forbidden area; how dare you act so recklessly here!"

A commander of the Imperial Guards roared angrily.

"Step back!" the emperor suddenly shouted.

He stared at Qingxu, a hint of reverence in his eyes, and said, "Imperial Preceptor..."

These two words left all the princes and ministers present completely dumbfounded.

The Grand Preceptor of the Great Yu Dynasty was a legendary figure.

It is said that he lived as long as the Great Yu Dynasty and was a true pillar of stability. Even the emperor had to treat him with the respect due to a junior.

But no one expected that this legendary imperial advisor would actually be such a... little kid?

Ignoring the shock of the crowd, Qingxu walked straight to Li Mengyue and sighed softly.

He reached out and gently touched Li Mengyue's forehead.

A cool and vast power instantly surged into Li Mengyue's sea of ​​consciousness, calming her chaotic soul that had been shaken by the shock.

"Foolish child, life and death are predestined, all governed by cause and effect. The two women sowed evil seeds and reaped this evil fruit; what does it have to do with you?"

Qingxu's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly carried throughout the entire area: "You are born with the Taiyin, a body destined to save the world, not a weapon of slaughter. Today's events are not your fault, but rather Heaven using you as a tool to sweep away the dust."

He turned around, looked at the emperor, and spoke in a calm but unquestionable tone.

“Your Majesty, I already know the truth of this matter. It was Princess Zhaoyang who, out of jealousy, set up the ‘Blood Curse Substitute Death’ formation, intending to seriously injure herself and frame someone else, but unexpectedly, it backfired on her. She deserves her punishment.”

"This woman has a master-disciple relationship with me. From this day forward, she will be my last disciple. I hope Your Majesty will spare her further punishment for my sake."

With these words, he essentially used his status as the Imperial Advisor to give Li Mengyue the strongest endorsement!

The emperor's expression shifted repeatedly. Finally, he sighed deeply and waved his hand.

"That's enough... let's drop this matter."

The palace massacre, which should have caused a huge uproar, was suppressed by the Imperial Preceptor Qingxu and remained submerged without even a ripple.

The deaths of Princess Zhaoyang and Wei Ling'er were ultimately characterized as "their practice of evil arts backfiring on them," and the story ended hastily.

No one in the government or among the people dared to utter another word about it.

Everyone knows that behind this is the Great Immortal who has lived for countless years, personally standing up for Princess Mingyue.

To provoke Li Mengyue is to provoke the Imperial Advisor. Everyone can see the difference.

Li Mengyue was taken away by Qingxu.

It wasn't that they left the palace, but rather that they moved into the "Star Gazing Platform" located in the back mountains, shrouded in mist all year round, a place where no one but the emperor had the right to set foot.

This is the Imperial Preceptor's sacred site, and also the place where the dragon vein's fortune converges throughout the entire Great Yu Dynasty.

"Girl, come here."

At the top of the observatory, Qingxu sat cross-legged on a perfectly round piece of white jade, beckoning to Li Mengyue.

He still looked like a seven or eight-year-old, but his voice carried a sense of worldly wisdom and vicissitude.

Li Mengyue obediently walked over.

The bloody scene from that night still flashed through her mind like a nightmare, but as long as she stayed by Qingxu's side, his cool and vast aura could calm her restless heart.

"Are you scared?" Qingxu looked at her and saw right through her words.

Li Mengyue lowered her head, twisting the hem of her clothes with her small hands, and nodded.

"It's okay to be afraid."

Qingxu unexpectedly laughed, “Only with reverence in one’s heart can one know the immensity of heaven and earth. If you really become a ruthless killer, this humble Taoist will have a headache.”

He rummaged in his pocket for a while, then pulled out a dark, wrinkled fruit that looked like a hawthorn and handed it over: "Here, eat it."

"What is this?" Li Mengyue asked curiously.

"A calming fruit, to soothe the nerves," Qingxu said casually. "A three-hundred-year supply, you're lucky."

Li Mengyue opened her mouth and swallowed the "hawthorn".

The fruit melted in my mouth, and a warm current instantly flowed into my limbs and bones. All the shadows and chills left from that night were swept away by this warm current. My mind was clear and my whole body felt comfortable, as if I had slept for three days and three nights.

"Master..." Li Mengyue was about to say thank you.

"Don't call me Master. I'm used to living a carefree life and can't take on disciples." Qingxu waved his hand and pointed to the vast imperial garden below the observatory. "Do you see that garden?"

"I saw it."

“From today onwards, that garden is yours to manage,” Qingxu said. “Only when you can make all the flowers and plants in that garden bloom willingly for you will you have truly entered the gate of cultivation.”

Li Mengyue was stunned.

She had thought that the Imperial Preceptor's cultivation would be some profound and mysterious method, but she never expected that it would be... to become a flower farmer.

But when she actually began to explore the imperial garden, she realized the profound knowledge involved in this task.

Every plant in the Imperial Garden is extraordinary. When they were transplanted here, some were unable to adapt to the new environment, some clashed with the spiritual energy, and some were even tainted by the lingering resentment and malevolence of the palace, becoming strange and dying.

What Li Mengyue had to do was use her innate "Taiyin Sacred Body" to listen to their voices, feel their pain, and then use the gentlest Taiyin power to sort out their disordered spiritual energy, purify their entrenched resentment, and reconcile their conflicts.

This is no longer a simple "cure," but rather an "education."

At first, those haughty spiritual plants completely ignored her. Li Mengyue was not discouraged. She closed her eyes, connected her soul with the entire garden, did not force anything, but simply accompanied them quietly, letting her kindness and friendliness seep in little by little like a spring breeze and gentle rain.

When hungry, I took a bite of the unidentified wild fruit that Qingxu had given me.

When thirsty, one drinks a handful of the rootless nectar gathered on the stargazing platform.

Unbeknownst to her, she had entered a profound state of complete absorption in the world around her.

Her spirit seemed to transform into the gentle breeze that brushed against the petals, the stream that flowed through the roots, and the moonlight that illuminated all things.

Gradually, the flowers and plants in the garden began to respond to her.

A withered acacia vine sprouted new buds beside her.

Two "ice-fire lotuses" that were fighting each other because of their conflicting properties have begun to coexist harmoniously, producing a wonderful lotus seedpod that is half red and half ice-blue.

A "ghost-faced peach" tree, which had been corrupted by resentment, miraculously shed its hideous ghost faces after being soothed, and blossomed with a tree full of pure white peach flowers.

The entire little world visibly burst forth with unprecedented vitality and peace.

Meanwhile, Li Mengyue's cultivation level also progressed rapidly in the process of "educating" all things.

Her "Taiyin Sacred Body" was fully activated, and the magical power within her body no longer needed deliberate cultivation. Instead, it spontaneously circulated and merged with the essence of plants and trees in the world and the Taiyin star power, endlessly regenerating.

Bringing barren trees back to life and bringing harmony to all things is far more interesting and powerful than killing a bad guy with a single punch. Qingxu stood on the star-gazing platform, his eyes full of admiration.

“She’s much better than those blockheads who only know how to take. This girl was born a seed of the ‘World Tree.’ Given time, she might be able to purify the already rotten and maggot-infested dynasty’s fortune on her own.”

He muttered to himself, then seemed to remember something troubling him, and his face fell.

"Sigh, that old geezer from my sect insists on me taking care of the fate of this dilapidated dynasty. What a hassle! Once this girl grows up, I'll dump this mess on her and then I can go live a carefree life!"

…………

While Li Mengyue was diligently "farming" in the deep palace, the world outside was already in turmoil.

The war between the Great Yu and Great Qian dynasties, which lasted for several years, unexpectedly came to an end.

A truce treaty was sent to the capital of the Great Yu Kingdom.

The Great Qian Dynasty is willing to end the war.

But they made a condition.

They were to engage in a public exchange and competition with the younger generation of the Great Yu Dynasty in multiple fields, including immortal techniques, martial arts, alchemy, and array formations.

They call it "enhancing friendship and learning from each other."

It's basically just blatant sarcasm and insincerity!

In the imperial court, the generals who advocated war were all filled with righteous indignation, wishing they could immediately muster their troops and fight the Great Qian Dynasty to their hearts' content.

However, the pro-peace faction, led by Prince Yong, knew that this war could not be fought again. Years of war had already emptied the treasury of the Great Yu and made the people suffer. The seemingly stable dragon vein fortune was actually weak inside and out. If the war continued, the dynasty would collapse from within before the Great Qian could even breach its borders.

Moreover, this truce was originally a tacit understanding between the higher-ups.

Both sides' "pastures" need to rest and recuperate in order to carry out the next round of "harvesting".

The emperor made the final decision and accepted the contest.

The imperial edict proclaims throughout the land, seeking talented individuals!
Regardless of background or past, anyone under the age of thirty who believes they possess a skill can go to the "Sword Testing Platform" in various prefectures to try their hand at it.

The winner will represent the Great Yu Dynasty to challenge the pride of the Great Qian Dynasty. Victory will result in being ennobled as a marquis and general, receiving a reward of ten thousand gold pieces, a mansion, and rising to the top in one step!
In an instant, the entire Great Yu Dynasty was in an uproar.

Countless impoverished youths and independent martial artists saw this as their only chance to rise above their circumstances, and they packed their bags and flocked to various prefectures.

…………

Songling Prefecture, Peach Blossom Mountain.

Li Mengjin, holding the "Shadow Fang," stood quietly beneath the waterfall on the back mountain.

He closed his eyes, his body motionless as a mountain, as if he had become one with the surrounding grass, trees and rocks.

The waterfall cascaded over his body, yet sharp sword energy pierced through him, slicing the rushing water into pieces.

Now, he has integrated the "Return to Origin Sword Scripture" with the "Way of Nature" passed down by his father, and has officially entered the fifth level of Qi Refining. His "Divine Divide Sword" is even more superb. With the sword light splitting, it is difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion. Even ordinary Qi Refining cultivators would find it difficult to last ten moves against him.

"Brother, are you going to the prefectural capital?"

Five-year-old cousin Li Mengqi was holding a freshly picked wild melon, munching on it and splashing juice everywhere, when he asked indistinctly.

Li Mengjin opened his eyes, sheathed his sword, and stood there, a sharp glint in his eyes.

"Go." He said succinctly.

"But didn't the adults tell us to stay out of the affairs of the imperial court?" Li Mengqi asked, puzzled.

"That's to prevent us from being burdened by the empty fame of the court, but it doesn't mean we should be cowards," Li Mengjin said calmly. "My sword hasn't tasted blood properly in a long time. Perfect, let's use those so-called geniuses to test just how sharp my sword really is."

His father once told him that a swordsman should always forge ahead without hesitation.

Avoiding battle will only tarnish the sword's spirit.

Moreover, he had a thought in his mind that he had never told anyone.

The eldest brother refines elixirs in the capital, paving the way for the family; the younger sister possesses a sacred body and becomes a disciple of the Imperial Preceptor, protecting the family's peace and stability.

And what about him?
As a member of the Li family, and having cultivated the most lethal swordsmanship, how could he possibly stay hidden in the comfortable haven of Peach Blossom Mountain forever?

After a long talk with his father all night, Li Mengjin set off alone, carrying only a sword and a gourd, on his way to Songling Prefecture.

The "Sword Testing Platform" of Songling Prefecture was set up on a natural barrier called "Soul-Breaking Cliff" outside the city.

This cliff is thousands of feet high, split in the middle by a bottomless chasm, with only an iron chain as thick as an arm connecting the two sides.

Beneath the iron chains, a fierce gale rages that never dissipates. The gale is like a knife; an ordinary martial artist would be cut to pieces with the slightest touch, and if a cultivator's magic power is even slightly insufficient, their protective aura would be instantly torn apart, causing them to fall into the abyss and be left with no trace.

This is the first challenge – the Bridge of Inquiry.

It tests not only one's cultivation and agility, but also one's Daoist heart and courage.

At this moment, the edge of Broken Soul Cliff was already packed with people.

"Sigh, another one fell down! This is the eighteenth one now, isn't it?"

"Absolutely! This Bridge of Inquiry is too eerie! That gale is even more powerful than a magical artifact!"

"I've heard that this gale contains some strange power that can shake people's minds. Those who are less courageous will lose their composure and fall down before the gale even hits them!"

The crowd murmured amongst themselves, their faces showing fear as they watched the iron chains swirling wildly in the wind.

Just then, a young man dressed in fine clothes, holding a folding fan, and followed by several servants, walked to the edge of the cliff amidst a chorus of flattery.

"Hmph, a bunch of chickens and dogs, how dare they come here to make a fool of themselves?"

The young man in brocade robes glanced at the crowd with disdain, his face full of arrogance. "Watch closely, everyone, and see what true immortal techniques really are!"

With that, he lightly touched the ground with his toes and landed on the iron chain like a feather. His body shimmered with spiritual light, clearly indicating that he had activated some kind of advanced protective spell, which completely blocked the fierce wind. His steps were calm and his posture was elegant, drawing cheers from the crowd on the shore.

"As expected of the eldest son of the Zhang family of the prefecture! His cultivation level is beyond our reach!"

"It seems that this time, the champion of the prefecture will undoubtedly be Young Master Zhang!"

Hearing the praise from the crowd, Young Master Zhang became even more smug, and even had the leisure to turn around and wave to the crowd on the shore.

But the moment he turned around, something unexpected happened!

A gale, several times stronger than any before, swept up from the bottom of the valley without warning, like an invisible giant hand slamming hard into his back!
"puff!"

The protective aura surrounding Young Master Zhang shattered instantly, like an eggshell!

He screamed in agony, and like a kite with a broken string, he was instantly swept into the abyss, without even making a splash.

The cliffside, which was bustling just a moment ago, suddenly became deathly silent.

(End of this chapter)