Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

After arriving at the Imperial Garden, Zhuang Xing asked He Xiang if they could go to the city wall for a look.

The most impressive thing about the palace to him was its extremely high city wall. He Xiang said that usually only the Imperial Guards could go up the city wall, but today, with Eunuch Li's token, he should be able to go up and take a look.

He Xiang herself had never been up the city wall before, but when she heard that she was going to go up the wall, her steps became much lighter.

There were also soldiers in black armor guarding the area below the city wall. After the soldiers checked the token, they led them up the steps.

As Zhuang Xing stepped onto the last step, he felt a cool breeze.

It was noon, the sun was blazing, and it was the hottest time of day. There was no shade on the city wall, so it should have been very hot. But the moat was right below, and a cool breeze would occasionally blow from the river, which helped to relieve the heat.

Zhuang Xing looked at the Imperial Guards stationed on the city wall. Each of them stood guard properly. Every day, spring, summer, autumn and winter, someone stood on this city wall.

Regardless of wind or rain, they wore these thick black armors. Their inner shirts must have been soaked with sweat, but they could only endure it because it wasn't time to change shifts yet.

The wall was very high. Looking down, although you couldn't see the entire capital city, you could still see the densely packed houses and pedestrians.

The houses in the capital city all became very small, and the people also became very small. Standing on high ground, you couldn't hear what people were saying, but the chattering sounds would drift to your ears on the wind.

There were thousands of people at my feet. Some were walking, some were selling their wares by the roadside, some were carrying goods on shoulder poles, and some were sitting in teahouses drinking tea and listening to storytellers.

It was mealtime, and Zhuang Xing saw a restaurant not far away where a waiter was scooping wine with a bamboo ladle.

He Xiang also leaned against the city wall, looking down.

She opened her mouth slightly and looked around. She had never been here before, and what she saw was a sight she had never seen before.

Zhuang Xing suddenly wanted to ask He Xiang if she had ever left the palace before, but after looking at He Xiang who was admiring the scenery, he decided not to disturb her and just looked at it by himself.

The Imperial Guards stood ramrod straight, and neither Zhuang Xing nor Yunling spoke loudly. They spoke in hushed tones. Yunling said she saw the courtyard where the horses were resting, which was just outside the palace. As soon as Yunling pointed, Zhuang Xing saw the horses getting up and moving around.

There was no one in the yard except for Xiao Ma, who was walking around inside, sometimes drinking water in the pond, sometimes running to the bamboo grove and nudging it.

As practitioners, the two of them could see further than ordinary people.

They can see things that ordinary people cannot see clearly.

Zhuang Xing suddenly thought of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival," a masterpiece that depicts a city so vividly that now, a living city was right before his eyes.

He wanted to see further, so he gazed into the distance, but from the city wall, that was all he could see. If he wanted to see more, he either had to step on the protruding stone blocks on the outer edge of the wall or go to the other side of the wall.

However, they never left in the end.

There was no particular reason; I was just hungry.

He Xiang led the two to a meal. The palace housed hundreds of people, including more than two thousand Imperial Guards alone, plus maids and eunuchs of all ranks. The number of people was greater than in some small towns, so there was naturally plenty of food in such a place.

The meal was very pleasant; it was eaten at a place called "Changle Palace." He Xiang said that banquets would be held in the palace during auspicious seasons.

There is a main hall in Chang Le Palace, where New Year celebrations, spring plowing sacrifices, or the emperor's birthday celebrations are all held. In addition to the main hall, there are also many smaller halls.

Although it's called a small hall, it's actually quite large. Inside, there are artificial mountains and water features, all exquisitely crafted. On the eaves, you can see auspicious beasts carved by carpenters. Some of these carvings I've seen in the lay Buddhist's catalogue, while others, I don't know which legend they're from, are carved in a very strange way.

After the meal, we stayed in the palace for a while longer.

The palace is really huge. Even after a whole day of exploring, there are still many places I haven't been to.

As dusk approached, the twilight blanketed the sky, clouds gathered on the horizon, and golden sunlight streamed down.

The wind is blowing very hard; it looks like it's going to rain tonight.

When Eunuch Li woke up from his dream, he found He Xiang.

My husband is in much better spirits and can speak fluently now.

Zhuang Xing thought that his trip to the palace today was about to come to an end.

For some reason, I felt a sense of relief.

He walked steadily from Yidu to the capital, and the capital was indeed the destination of his journey, and it did not disappoint.

Next, it would be only natural for him to collect his reward and return to his hometown.

In truth, he didn't care much about whether he accepted the reward or not. He wasn't short of money. Whether the emperor rewarded him with ten thousand taels of gold or not, he would still live his life as before.

“Let’s go back,” Zhuang Xing said.

"Mm." Yunling nodded.

"Immortal Master, please come with me. Let's take the morning carriage out of the palace," said Eunuch Li.

He Xiang returned the token to Eunuch Li, bowed again from a distance, and stepped back behind him.

Her job was over. To be honest, Zhuang Xing felt that her abilities as a tour guide still needed improvement.

Although He Xiang knew the way, that was all she knew. Sometimes when Zhuang Xing asked her what was carved on the eaves, she wouldn't recognize it. However, she got along quite well with He Xiang and had made another friend.

The two followed Eunuch Li to the outside to ride in a carriage. The old man seemed to have woken up from his sleep and started chatting with the two of them on the way.

"If I remember correctly, the two immortal masters came from Xuanqing Temple, right?" Eunuch Li asked.

“It’s Xuanqing Temple,” Zhuang Xing replied.

“I always felt that Xuanqing Temple sounded familiar, as if I had heard of it somewhere before. After waking up from my afternoon nap, I asked someone and finally remembered it,” said Eunuch Li. “When I first entered the palace, I heard an old man say that he had also led a Taoist priest around the palace, and that the priest came from Xuanqing Temple.”

"Did you also come from Xuanqing Temple?" Zhuang Xing stopped in his tracks. "Does Eunuch Li know when that Taoist priest arrived?"

“I can’t quite remember either, but it seems to have been during the reign of the late emperor,” said Eunuch Li. “It was at least thirty or forty years ago.”

Chapter 212 Heavy Rain in the Capital

"Does your father-in-law know the name of that Taoist priest?"

"I don't know about that," said Eunuch Li. "When that Taoist priest came to the palace, I hadn't even entered the palace yet. I only heard him mention it briefly during a casual chat. However, if you want to know, I can go back and check, but even if I do, I might not be able to find out anything, since that happened thirty or forty years ago."

Zhuang Xing paused, Li Gonggong's words reminding him of someone.

Four years ago, when he was still practicing swordsmanship with his senior brother Lingyi on the mountain, he had heard of a senior.

He had only heard that this senior had once run down the mountain alone, gone elsewhere, and never returned.

He wasn't sure if the Taoist priest Li Gonggong mentioned was the senior brother who had gone to sea with the treasure ship, and because he was unsure, he wanted to know the answer.

“Could you please investigate this Taoist priest for me, Eunuch Li? This Taoist priest might be my senior brother. He left the Taoist temple without saying goodbye many years ago, and I haven’t heard from him since,” Zhuang Xing said. “If I find any news about him, I can bring it back to inform our elders.”

"Is that so?" Eunuch Li led the two to the carriage. "In that case, I will go down and investigate thoroughly."

"Thank you very much, Eunuch Li." Zhuang Xing bowed and expressed his gratitude.

"What is the name of the Immortal Master's senior brother?"

"To my shame, I don't know that senior brother's name. I've only heard some rumors about him, but he should have a sword tassel similar to mine."

Zhuang Xing took the red sword tassel off his waist and handed it to Eunuch Li.

“In Xuanqing Temple, the color of the sword tassel is used to distinguish the level of disciples. My senior brother should have a black sword tassel of ordinary appearance. Please take this sword tassel, sir. Perhaps it can help those who have seen it to remember something.”

"In addition, it is said that the reason he came down the mountain was because of the treasure ship incident many years ago. He wanted to go on the ship, but whether he went on the ship or went elsewhere is still uncertain."

“Treasure ship…I understand. I will definitely find out a result for the Immortal Master.” Eunuch Li carefully put away the sword tassel with both hands. “Immortal Master, please get into the carriage. Tomorrow the Emperor will be discussing state affairs with civil and military officials. He probably won’t invite you to the palace. I happen to have some free time. I will go around inquiring. If I find out anything, I will definitely come to see the Immortal Master.”

"Thank you for your help, Eunuch Li," Zhuang Xing said.

After he finished speaking, he and Yunling got into the carriage.

When we returned to the villa, the gathering dark clouds had completely covered the sky.

Pedestrians hurried along the road, all rushing home to avoid the rain.

Summer weather is so unpredictable; at noon it may be sunny and clear, but half a day later the sky can turn so gloomy.

"It's thundering! It's raining!"

Just as I reached the villa and patted the pony's neck, I heard a loud shout from outside. I could almost picture the man rushing home.

Accompanied by the rumble of thunder, raindrops the size of soybeans fell on the road.

The raindrops that fell one after another left black dots on the stone slab. The dots quickly connected and, within seconds, the entire ground turned dark.

The rain poured down, pattering against the eaves.

Zhuang Xing fed the horse hay, but in the city, only radishes were for sale; he couldn't find radish leaves, so he could only feed the horse hay.

After feeding the horses, he and Yunling carried small stools and sat under the eaves to cool off.

There were no outsiders in the courtyard, and Xiao An crawled out of the stone.

While she was inside the stone, she could hear sounds from outside, but because the stone was carried by Zhuang Xing and covered by cloth, she couldn't see what was outside.

She asked the two men what the palace was like, and Zhuang Xing, following their footsteps from earlier that day, described the palace to her.

A mist rose in the courtyard as dusk approached and a chill settled in the air.

It's dark, but I don't want to sleep.

Zhuang Xing then brought out the small stove for brewing tea, lit it, took the tea leaves that were already in the room, and took out the palace pastries that were not finished last night from the stove. He arranged them on a plate and drank tea with Yunling while enjoying the breeze.

The aroma of osmanthus cake and camellia cake was delightful. He gave these snacks to the horse to try. The horse ate them, but it didn't know whether the radish leaves or the snacks were more fragrant in its heart.

However, when eating radish leaves, the horse would nudge Zhuangxing's hand, but when eating snacks, it would not do this.

Inside the courtyard, there were only two people, a ghost, and a horse. I wonder if this setup was enough for the journey to the West to retrieve the scriptures. We were one person short. If the fox hadn't left, it would have been just right.

If the fox were here, we could be listening to it boast and tell stories. I wonder where it is now, and whether it has found a suitable place to live.

But I can only think about it in my heart; I have no way of knowing the outcome.

...

The rain had not stopped the next day.

Summer downpours rarely last all day; they are usually just showers. When thunder comes, it comes on strong and looks scary, but it's really nothing special. After a while, it will dissipate all the rainwater.

But this rain was unusually long-lasting, lasting from yesterday evening until noon today.

The sound of continuous rain could be heard all night long. The water in the ponds overflowed and the roads were flooded. The bustling capital city turned into a monotonous gray because of this heavy rain.

Zhuang Xing led the horse into the house in the middle of the night. The stable was low-lying and close to the drainage hole, which had already been flooded.

With such heavy rain and nowhere else to go, he and Yunling let Xiao'an come out and teach her to read.

Previously, on the road, I would occasionally teach her to read. When Xiao An became a ghost, although she was only four or five years old and still a half-grown child, she learned things faster than ordinary people.

Learning to read was no challenge for her, so when she had some free time, Zhuang Xing added math to Xiao An's curriculum.

Yunling went to teach Chinese, and he came to teach math.