Honkai Impact 3rd: The Girl Who Chases the Flame

"That's what the Emperor said."

“That would be excellent. Firstly, this would prevent the immortals from being unwilling to receive us because we are arrogant. Secondly, by not making a big fuss, it would be easier to carry out our mission. Thirdly, we can hold a grand celebration upon our return so that the world will know that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty has already seen the immortals.”

Duke Zhao nodded, then frowned.

“But Your Majesty, concealing your whereabouts when you go is a double-edged sword. If the news leaks out... it could be extremely dangerous.”

Concealing one's whereabouts means one cannot bring a large army with them, which would greatly increase the chances of someone successfully assassinating them.

"Therefore, I only summoned the two of you. To the others, I told them that we have been having a bad year recently, and that the Empress and I are going to the temple to pray for the well-being of all the people."

The Empress will naturally go, but I will be traveling in the opposite direction to Mount Taixu with the Duke of E. I'll leave all the coordination and communication to you, Duke of Zhao.

The Emperor gave the order.

"As you command, I will certainly live up to your mission."

The Duke of Zhao immediately knelt down and said.

"Then I'll find some skilled martial artists and some goods, and disguise them as a merchant caravan, what do you think?"

The Duke of E thought for a moment and then said.

“That’s right, Yuchi isn’t the reckless man he used to be. He should do it this way.”

The Emperor nodded approvingly.

"One of you is a veteran general who has followed me in battle for many years, and the other is my brother-in-law and a close friend from our humble beginnings. You are the people I trust the most. This time, you must be extremely cautious! Apart from the two of you and Guanyinbi, I do not want any third person to know the details."

"The minister obeys the order."

"The minister obeys the order."

...............

Empress Zhangsun sighed inwardly upon hearing the news, while the Emperor comforted her—

“Guanyinbi, I know you are worried, but this matter is indeed important. For the sake of the Tang Dynasty, I have no choice but to go.”

"...That's one aspect, but I've always wanted to pay my respects to the immortals."

Clearly, Empress Zhangsun's thoughts differed from the Emperor's.

"Although I am the Empress, I cannot allow immortals to come and see me. I had thought that if I had the chance, I would definitely go and pay them a visit. I never expected that I would not be taken with me this time."

"..."

The Emperor was truly taken aback by those words.

"Well, there will be an opportunity. Guanyinbi, don't worry. This is a good opportunity for me to see what this immortal looks like."

"Your Majesty... if the immortal is real, then of course we should respect him; but if he is fake, then it's not entirely impossible..."

The Empress hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"I understand."

The Emperor nodded.

"I actually hoped it was fake... but for some reason, after hearing what Consort Tang said, I think this immortal is probably real."

"Oh? I did ask later, but I didn't have any thoughts on it."

"It's all baseless."

The emperor himself didn't know why.

"But I just have this feeling."

.........

Taixu Mountain

"So something really did happen."

Fu Hua, holding a homemade "Eternal Spring" filled bun while reading a book, suddenly looked up and said.

"You blockhead, what level is it this time?"

Cangxuan rubbed his eyes and asked.

"That's pretty high, it must be at the Emperor level, right?"

Fu Hua swallowed the steamed bun, stood up, and dusted off his robe.

"Emperor-level... I haven't encountered one in many years."

"Yes, the Book of Azure Mystery, let's get ready and set off."

"Oh...wait, you blockhead! Where are my steamed buns? Why didn't you leave me any!"

"……forget."

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Meeting

"Hey, Your Majesty, the area around Mount Taixu is really not that great. There aren't any decent towns or villages, just the countryside."

Yuchi Jingde personally drove the carriage and spoke to Emperor Taizong inside.

“…Yuchi, look closely. Among the passengers we just saw, quite a few are martial arts experts.”

Emperor Taizong, however, had a solemn expression.

"kindness?"

Yuchi Jingde was taken aback. Just then, a scholar who looked rather frail passed by. He looked at him carefully, and his expression changed.

"Damn it, how can a scholar's breathing be so methodical? He's even a master of internal energy! I'm going to get him right now..."

"stop!"

Emperor Taizong said in an annoyed tone,

"This isn't the first one. Seven or eight out of ten passersby were experts. Do you understand? This is Mount Taixu, the Mount Taixu where the Crimson Kite Immortal resides."

"Damn, how come he looks like a true immortal?"

Yuchi Jingde clicked his tongue in admiration.

"It won't be easy, at least not."

Emperor Taizong frowned. Just then, an old woman passed by and suddenly stopped in front of the caravan.

"Grandma, is something the matter?"

Yuchi Jingde was slightly taken aback. Seeing that it was an old woman, he asked politely.

"Have you come here seeking immortality?"

The old woman asked in confusion.

"How did you know... oh wait, we are..."

"Don't try to hide anything from me, old woman. There's no business to be had in this place."

The old woman shook her head and glanced at the convoy.

"You've probably been watched for a long time. As for what you're here for, in this area, you don't even need to guess."

"Forehead……"

Yuchi Jingde was somewhat embarrassed; he hadn't expected the place to be so deserted before he arrived.

"The old woman is right; we were the ones who made a foolish mistake."

Emperor Taizong readily admitted it.

"May I ask, old woman, I see many masters of internal energy around here. Are they related to immortals?"

"Yes, it's not wrong to say it's related."

The old woman saw that he looked quite dignified and didn't seem like a wicked person, so she spoke up.

"Please explain in detail."

Emperor Taizong alighted from his carriage and nodded politely.

"There are only two types of people living around here."

The old woman shook her head.

"The first type is the country bumpkin. The second type is the expert. As for why there are so many experts, it's simply because they are seeking immortality."

On this Mount Taixu, the immortal's Fuyun Temple stands. Though it is protected by a protective barrier and maze, not a single person dares to venture forward!

"So many people want to seek immortality. But old woman, what do they want to ask for?"

Emperor Taizong frowned, sensing that it was no simple matter for him to meet the immortals without revealing his identity.

"Either they are curious about immortals, or they hope that immortals can bestow martial arts upon them."

The old woman pursed her lips.

"And you? What do you want?"

“What we want is different from what they all want. I am here on a mission.”

Emperor Taizong shook his head and said solemnly.

"Mission? Young man, you look quite friendly. What's your name?"

The old woman, however, thought highly of him and asked a question.

"Li Zitian".

"Fine, Li Zitian, aren't you afraid of dying?"

The old woman asked.

"...I'm afraid. For example, if someone as skilled as you wanted to kill me from this distance, I wouldn't be able to dodge."

Emperor Taizong narrowed his eyes and said.

"There's no need to test me. I'm not a bad person, and I don't want to kill you."

The old woman reached out and pressed down on Yuchi Jingde, who was startled and about to draw his sword.