Only after becoming emperor did he realize he was in a fantasy world of immortal cultivation.

Since the other party was putting on such a great show, Lin Ye couldn't be the one to spoil the fun, so he spoke up at the right moment: "Now that my beloved concubine is alright, Daoist Master, you can now answer my question."

Gongsun Yan nodded slightly and said, "Of course."

"The reason why I was able to bring the elixir that Your Majesty needed on my person is very simple. It is because I knew in advance that I would have this encounter with Your Majesty and thus form this karmic bond."

"Known in advance?" Zhou Ru asked in an exaggerated tone.

"Could it be that the Taoist priest is an immortal, who knew the cause of my illness and the way to cure me before even seeing me, and ultimately awoke me?"

Gongsun Yan shook his head with a faint smile: "This humble Taoist is not an immortal."

Then he said, "This humble Taoist only knows some fortune-telling techniques."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ye's eyes revealed a hint of doubt, followed by a surge of interest. He then said, "Daoist Master, please follow me and we will discuss this in detail."

After speaking, as if remembering something, he turned his gaze to Zhou Ru's face, which was almost as beautiful as before, and said, "My dear consort, please rest well."

Just as Lin Ye was about to get up, his sleeve was suddenly tugged by a force, followed by Zhou Ru's feigned dissatisfaction: "Your Majesty... I barely escaped death, how could I bear to be separated from Your Majesty?"

"Why don't I accompany Your Majesty?"

"The lovely concubine's body..."

"I've been bedridden for many days and I'm tired of lying here. Now is the perfect time to get up and move around."

Lin Ye knew exactly what Zhou Ru was thinking, so he didn't stop her from following. He immediately put on a helpless but indulgent attitude and said, "Then I'll do as my beloved consort says."

Although it was called a "movement," they didn't actually move many steps; the three of them simply moved from the rear hall to the front hall, which was more suitable for their conversation.

"Please sit down, Daoist Master." Lin Ye slightly raised his hand, gesturing for Gongsun Yan to sit opposite him.

Gongsun Yan: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Zhou Ru leaned against Lin Ye.

After Gongsun Yan sat down, Lin Ye's gaze fell on him.

The aroma of tea lingered between the two, seemingly the scent of pine trees, which complemented Gongsun Yan's composed and serene demeanor, easily giving the impression that "this is a highly accomplished sage."

However, Lin Ye, who already knew Gongsun Yan's true identity, had no time to appreciate Gongsun Yan's demeanor; all his attention was focused on the purpose of the three of them putting on this show.

"I wonder what kind of fortune-telling techniques you mentioned can predict?" Lin Ye asked bluntly.

Gongsun Yan said, "It can predict human fate," then paused, gave Lin Ye a meaningful look, and continued, "It can also predict destiny."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ye seemed to be pondering its deeper meaning, and remained silent.

Unable to bear the silence any longer, Zhou Ru chimed in, "Does the destiny you speak of, Daoist, refer to His Majesty's fate?"

Gongsun Yan: "Exactly."

"Your Majesty, the Taoist priest has such supernatural powers. Why don't we let him do a divination for Your Majesty, so that you may avoid misfortune and seek good fortune?" Zhou Ru said happily to Lin Ye beside her.

Lin Ye pretended to ponder for a moment before saying, "I will do as my beloved consort says."

"Taoist Master, please."

Gongsun Yan remained calm and composed upon hearing Lin Ye's words, but his words carried an unusual hint of hesitation: "However..."

"However, destiny is a secret of heaven. Even if I were willing to exchange ten years of my life for this secret, I would only have one chance."

"Oh? It even costs you your lifespan, Daoist Master?" Lin Ye feigned surprise, then said in a deep voice, "If that's the case, whatever reward you desire, Daoist Master, I will grant it to you."

"This is also a matter of cause and effect between Your Majesty and this humble monk; Your Majesty need not take it to heart."

As he spoke, Gongsun Yan looked at Lin Ye with eyes that seemed untouched by worldly desires, and then said, "Your Majesty only needs to tell me what Your Majesty most desires to be counted."

Lin Ye thought for a moment and decided to throw the question back at him, so he said, "Does the Daoist Master have any insightful opinions?"

"Your Majesty is the ruler of the world, and Your Majesty's life is of utmost importance to all people. In my humble opinion, the length of Your Majesty's life is of paramount importance to the world."

"What you say is very true, Daoist Master." Lin Ye nodded slightly, then said, "Then I will trouble you, Daoist Master."

After he finished speaking, Lin Ye saw Gongsun Yan take out three copper coins from his wide sleeve and casually throw them onto the table.

The copper coins made a few crisp sounds on the table.

After a moment, Gongsun Yan collected the copper coins one by one, looked at Lin Ye and slowly said, "Your Majesty has eight years of life left."

"You...you're talking nonsense. His Majesty is ordained by Heaven, how could...how could he only..." Zhou Ru seemed to find the remaining words too hot to swallow, and at this point she could only sob and weep.

Lin Ye naturally did not believe Gongsun Yan's charade.

However, he was still unsure what Gongsun Yan intended to do by using his lifespan as bait, so he only pretended to comfort Zhou Ru, saying, "My dear consort, don't cry. Your illness has just subsided, and you are inevitably weak. If you hurt yourself by crying again, what will I do?"

Seeing how much Lin Ye cherished her and how completely she had fooled him, Zhou Ru couldn't help but feel secretly pleased with herself, remembering how he had treated her in the prison.

However, she said without showing it, "Your Majesty is so considerate to me, I... I absolutely cannot stand by and watch Your Majesty's lifespan dwindle."

"Daoist Master, may I give my lifespan to His Majesty?" Zhou Ru asked Gongsun Yan, her eyes glistening with tears.

Despite witnessing this scene of "pale face," Gongsun Yan remained calm and said, "No."

"Isn't there any other way?" Zhou Ru asked, seemingly unwilling to give up.

"It's not that there aren't any."

"What method do you have, Taoist Master?" Lin Ye asked, his eyes lighting up with delight.

Gongsun Yan: "This humble Taoist priest can refine an elixir of immortality for Your Majesty."

Immortality?

These cultivators would love to take his life immediately, so why would they want to refine some kind of immortality elixir for him?

But it must be said that the idea of ​​immortality is something that moves everyone.

It is indeed a good bait.

But Lin Ye wasn't about to be the fish that took the bait. He said in a deep voice, "Immortality is easier said than done."

"Your Majesty doesn't believe me?"

"It's not that I don't believe in the Master's abilities, but this matter is truly unbelievable." Lin Ye remained unmoved.

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Yan uttered a seemingly unrelated remark: "Your Majesty, may I guess how old this humble Taoist is?"

Lin Ye said directly, "I estimate that the Daoist is around twenty years old."

However, as soon as he finished speaking, Lin Ye saw the Taoist priest in front of him, who was "about twenty years old," suddenly change his appearance.

Strands of black hair turned silver-white as if fading.

The plump flesh on his face seemed to deflate and shrink suddenly.

His facial features quickly showed signs of aging.

The hand that held the copper coins looked like withered wood.

"Your Majesty, what about now?" Gongsun Yan's voice was also different from before.

The only thing that remained unchanged was his aura, which resembled that of an "enlightened sage."

Seeing this, Lin Ye felt a surge of emotion, and then slowly said, "Around seventy years old."

Immediately afterwards, Gongsun Yan seemed to have traveled through the river of time, and suddenly regained his youthful appearance.