Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

Sure enough, the burning wooden pillar that was blocking the middle of the road was cleaved in two by Lu Chen with a single stroke.

This wooden pillar is over a foot thick, and ordinary swords and knives cannot budge it.

With Lu Chen leading the way with his knife, the two quickly crossed the fire and arrived at the Jiajing Emperor's sleeping quarters just as the doors were set ablaze.

Although the Emperor Jiajing felt that the voice of the Imperial Guard who spoke was very familiar, the situation was critical at the moment, and he did not have time to think about it. He simply climbed onto Lu Bing's back.

Soon, Lu Chen, holding a long sword, stepped onto the path he had just walked, with Lu Bing carrying the Jiajing Emperor on his back, following closely behind. The three of them plunged into the fire together.

. . .

The outer perimeter of the imperial palace.

"Has anyone gone to the rescue?!"

Xia Yan, Yan Song, and other important officials accompanying the emperor gazed at the burning palace before them, their faces filled with worry.

The wind had been blowing non-stop since daytime, and the fire grew bigger and bigger with its help.

At this point, the entire palace was engulfed in flames.

The fire started inside the palace, but the ministers who stayed outside the palace were not affected by the fire.

They escaped the fire, but if the emperor had unfortunately perished in it, countless people would have been beheaded and their families wiped out.

But even if you asked these people to rush into the fire to save the emperor, they wouldn't have the ability.

"My son went to the palace to save the emperor as soon as the fire started."

Standing to the side, Madam Fan, the "Lady Yousheng," quickly replied.

At this moment, Madam Fan was also very worried. The fire was spreading so quickly, and she had no idea whether Lu Bing could rescue the Emperor from the fire.

"Master Immortal, you foresaw this great fire long ago."

Yan Shifan moved closer to the venerable Tao Zhongwen.

"Is His Majesty safe and sound?"

"Your Majesty is destined to be ruled by fire; this calamity is ordained by Heaven."

Tao Zhongwen stroked his long beard, his face calm and composed.

"The will of Heaven cannot be defied, and this humble Taoist cannot go against Heaven to perform rituals to avert disaster; I can only protect Your Majesty alone."

After saying this, Tao Zhongwen raised his left hand, his fingers constantly flexing and extending, making it look like he was doing some calculations.

At this moment, Tao Zhongwen had already secretly prayed to all the gods of Taoism in his heart, promising that if the emperor could escape, he would definitely rebuild the golden body of the Three Pure Ones.

On the way to Weihui, the emperor had asked me about a whirlwind that had circled his carriage.

My answer at the time was "fire," which meant there would be a fire.

Tao Zhongwen gave this result after careful consideration.

According to Taoist theory, the whirlwind belongs to the "Xun" trigram, which corresponds to "wood" in the Five Elements, and wood can generate fire.

Furthermore, a whirlwind sweeping across the ground was originally considered an omen of "fire disaster".

It was springtime, the northern climate was dry, and the palace was a temporary wooden structure with a large number of staff and chaotic management, so the probability of a fire was not low to begin with.

More importantly, two fires had already occurred at the imperial palace before they arrived in Weihui.

Once in Zhao Prefecture, and once in Linming Town.

However, both fires occurred after the holy procession had left, and did not cause much panic.

When the emperor inquired, I, as a Taoist master accompanying him, was naturally obliged to provide an answer.

He only said "main fire" but did not specify when or where the fire occurred.

Even if His Majesty asks you to perform a ritual to avert disaster, you must refuse.

You absolutely must not cast spells. If a fire breaks out after you cast a spell to ward off disaster, you'll be in a difficult position to explain yourself.

If any fires occur during the period following the Southern Tour, it will be considered a stroke of genius, a premonition of heaven.

If no fire occurred until the emperor returned to the capital, then it was because he secretly performed a ritual to avert it.

Tao Zhongwen knew very well that the emperor was only concerned about his own safety, and that all he needed to do was claim that he could use magic to protect the emperor.

Therefore, he boldly assured the emperor, "Fire is inevitable, but we can protect Your Majesty's health."

Tao Zhongwen also admitted that there was an element of gambling involved, and that if he lost the bet, he might lose his life.

But not gambling is not an option. The reason why he could gain the emperor's favor is because he could constantly answer the emperor's questions.

If I dare not say anything, what use am I to the emperor?!

Moreover, the odds of winning this bet are very high. The two previous fires in Zhaozhou and Linming Town did not cause much damage; they only destroyed some buildings, and no one died.

Even if there are more fires later, they will likely be limited to this extent.

Even if it were larger, it wouldn't matter. With so many palace servants around the emperor, unless it were a fire that quickly spread throughout the entire palace, it would never reach the emperor.

As long as the emperor can escape the fire safely, I will be the number one hero in saving the emperor!

Whoever rescued the emperor, without their own magical protection, how could things have gone so smoothly?!

The fire that was rapidly spreading throughout the entire palace made Tao Zhongwen's heart leap into his throat.

Despite being extremely worried, Tao Zhongwen still had to pretend to be calm and composed, as if he had everything under control.

If a Taoist master were to lose his composure in public at this moment, the image he has painstakingly cultivated over the years would be completely ruined.

May the Three Pure Ones protect the Emperor and help him escape the fire!

. . .

"This man's martial arts skills are extremely powerful. He used his knife to shatter all the heavy, burning objects blocking his path, carving a way through the fire."

As the Jiajing Emperor lay on Lu Bing's back, he gazed at the figure not far ahead and murmured in admiration.

"After I escape from this predicament, I will certainly reward him handsomely."

Wenfu, why have you never mentioned to me that you have such a loyal and brave subordinate?

"Your Majesty, it has only been a few hours since I first met him. I originally planned to bring him to meet you tomorrow."

Lu Bing answered in a low voice, while carrying the Jiajing Emperor on his back and following behind Lu Chen at a distance of two or three meters.

"After the palace caught fire tonight, he volunteered to come with me to save the emperor. I never expected that his martial arts skills would be so high."

He led the way, and His Majesty had not yet seen his face.

"Does Your Majesty find his voice familiar?"

"We are indeed very familiar with each other."

Emperor Jiajing thought about it carefully.

"I can't quite recall where I've heard that before."

"I haven't heard it for many years, but I will never forget it."

Lu Bing whispered,

"His voice is almost exactly the same as His Majesty's when he was young."

"What?!"

The Jiajing Emperor's expression changed drastically, and he immediately shouted loudly,

"Turn your head around and let me see your face!"

. . .

A few minutes later, there was finally movement at the edge of the fire outside the palace.

A pile of burning beams was suddenly moved aside by something, creating a path.

The next second, a man dressed in the uniform of the Imperial Guard and holding two long swords walked out.

Immediately afterwards, another Imperial Guard emerged from behind, carrying a man dressed in a plain, narrow-sleeved robe.

"We, your humble servants, are late in protecting Your Majesty; we deserve ten thousand deaths! Ten thousand deaths!"

The high-ranking officials, who had previously looked worried, immediately rushed forward and knelt down.

"Your Majesty is a true dragon, impervious to water and fire; may Heaven bless your holy body! May Heaven bless the Great Ming!"