68. Becoming Jingwei Apprentice
At the moment, a man was pacing anxiously outside the room in the palace, his posture dignified and his presence imposing.
"Your Majesty, please take care of your health."
"Go away, I am not that fragile."
The attendants around him advised him not to overwork himself, but he dismissed them one by one.
Inside the room is his first wife, who had been by his side since before he became emperor, and they had a deep affection for each other.
After becoming emperor, Emperor Ming was not blinded by power, wealth, and lust, and still made her his empress.
Until a cry broke the silence outside.
"It's born! It's a prince! Mother and child are safe!" The old midwife conveyed this joyous news to the emperor, who was anxiously waiting outside.
"Quickly, let me see!"
Emperor Ming walked inside impatiently, but was blocked by his attendants, which was against the rules and etiquette.
He was so angry that he almost wanted to drag them all away and chop them all up.
However, Emperor Ming suppressed his excitement and waited outside for a quarter of an hour.
A quarter of an hour later, the maid came out holding the prince.
"Good! Good!" Emperor Ming's hands were trembling.
"As the Empress and I previously agreed, let's name him..."
Just as Emperor Ming was about to give his son the name he had already thought of, an urgent report came from outside.
"Your Majesty, I have important matters to report!"
Emperor Ming frowned, but it was not the right time to get angry, so he asked him to speak.
"A fortune teller is outside requesting an audience."
Emperor Ming was stunned. He thought it was something important, but it turned out to be just a fortune teller.
Isn't this just making fun of him?!
"I apologize, Your Majesty. I had no intention of disturbing you. I simply have some matters I wish to discuss with you."
A figure suddenly appeared in front of Emperor Ming.
Emperor Ming looked around and discovered that everyone around him had vanished!
Only he and the fortune teller remained.
This scene was beyond his common sense, but he was, after all, the ruler of a country, and he did not lose his composure.
"What matter does the gentleman wish to discuss with us?"
"I have come here today specifically for the newborn prince," the fortune teller explained.
"Oh?" Emperor Ming was puzzled.
"I have already calculated the prince's birth date and time. He was born a prince and will be made crown prince. His talent is unparalleled in the world. If he becomes emperor, the Ming Empire can enjoy three years of prosperity. The people will have no worries about food and clothing, and the court will be in a state of peace and order!"
"Why only three years?" Emperor Ming asked, puzzled.
"The prince's fate is afflicted by evil, and his talent envied by the heavens. He was born weak, and his lifespan was only twenty years. He will ascend the throne at the age of seventeen and die of illness at the age of twenty."
"...Does this gentleman have a solution?"
Emperor Ming looked at the mysterious fortune teller before him. The fact that the fortune teller could make everyone around him disappear was enough to convince him.
He wonders if it has any similarities with the legendary immortal methods.
"On Mount Taixu, there is an immortal named Jingwei. You should send the prince there to cultivate with her. Although he cannot live forever, he can at least live for several decades longer."
"The Immortal Jingwei!" Emperor Ming was greatly shocked.
He was no stranger to this immortal; in fact, every emperor throughout history had held this immortal in the highest esteem.
"But we heard that the Immortal Jingwei has a cold and aloof nature and would definitely not easily get involved in worldly affairs, right?"
"You give this green leaf to the prince, and then the prince will pass it to the immortal, and then everything will be solved naturally." A green leaf appeared in the fortune teller's hand, and he handed it to Emperor Ming.
"By the way, given his frail health, the title of 'possessing imperial aura' doesn't apply to him," the fortune teller seemed to recall something and reminded him.
"Please bestow a name upon me, sir."
But Emperor Ming did not receive his reply.
The fortune teller disappeared, as if he had never appeared.
Emperor Ming suddenly opened his eyes, and the people around him reappeared in front of him.
In his hand, he now held a green leaf and a nameplate.
The nameplate clearly reads "Yun Ling".
…
A few years passed quickly, and Yun Ling, who was still in his infancy, had grown into a child.
His eyes held both childlike innocence and a maturity beyond his years.
Emperor Ming originally wanted to have him sent to Mount Taixu, but he refused, simply because he was "not sincere".
So he packed his bag and came alone to Mount Taixu, where the legendary Immortal Jingwei lived.
Yun Ling's face was pale, and he was already panting heavily after just a few steps. Sweat kept pouring down his forehead, soaking his clothes.
He would cough heavily from time to time, which was heartbreaking; no one would be surprised if he died at any moment.
The secret servants who followed him quietly and protected him all the way couldn't help but break into cold sweats.
They don't understand why His Highness the Crown Prince is so insistent.
"General Youlan, thank you for escorting me here. That's enough. Please go back now." Yun Ling suddenly cupped his hands slightly towards the back.
"..."
There was silence all around, and no one responded to him.
"General Youlan." Yun Ling called out again, his voice tinged with helplessness.
"...As expected, nothing can be hidden from His Highness the Crown Prince." General Youlan emerged from behind the mountain rock.
"This place is already a haven of immortals, so there's no need to worry so much. Military affairs cannot be left unattended for even a day, so how could I dare to continue to trouble General Youlan?" Yun Ling smiled.
"Then I will go back and report first." General Youlan nodded.
"Please ask General Youlan to convey a message to thank my father on my behalf." Yun Ling said gratefully.
General Youlan nodded and left.
Yun Ling then looked up at the towering Mount Taixu.
After calming himself down, he started climbing.
The mountain path was not difficult to walk on, but for Yun Ling, who had always been weak and sickly, this was probably the biggest challenge he had ever experienced.
He could only walk two steps and then rest for a while, enjoying the scenery along the way.
Feeling the gentle breeze, his tiredness seemed to disappear.
After climbing for half a day, he hadn't even covered a tenth of the distance...
It looks like it will be a tough battle.
At this time, a woman wearing a Taoist robe, with waist-length hair and exuding a cool temperament, walked down the mountain.
Her lips were slightly parted, conveying a cold indifference that kept people at a distance.
"Why did you come to Mount Taixu?"
"Could you be the legendary Immortal Jingwie?!" Yun Ling blinked his dark eyes and asked excitedly.
Jingwei nodded slightly.
Yun Ling wanted to kneel and perform the apprenticeship ceremony, but he was locked in place by an invisible aura and could not move his body.
Is this the power of immortals...?
"I have come here to seek you as a master and learn from you," Yun Ling could only say.
"I don't accept disciples; you may return now." After Jingwei finished speaking, a gentle breeze blew by, and by the time he came to his senses, Yun Ling had already returned to the foot of the mountain.
Yun Ling was not annoyed and continued to walk towards the mountain stubbornly.
However, his body was already sending extremely dangerous signals.
Feeling a tightness in his chest and seeing stars, he could only try to rest longer.
As night fell, the sounds of birds, beasts, and insects began to rise, adding a touch of eeriness and terror to the desolate and deserted Mount Taixu.
Suddenly, a faint green light emerged from his package.
"These are... the green leaves that Father asked me to bring?" Yun Ling asked, puzzled.
Before setting off, Emperor Ming warned him to preserve the green leaf well.
But he didn't know what use it would have.
At least now we can provide him with light.
The darkness was dispelled by the green light, giving him a sliver of psychological comfort.
However, not long after, the Immortal Jingwei, whom Yun Ling had met not long ago, appeared before him once again.
"Immortal Jingwei, please accept me as your disciple!" Yun Ling said hurriedly.
"It's definitely Su's aura…" Jingwei neither nodded nor shook her head this time, but murmured to herself.
"Who gave you this leaf?" Jingwei asked.
"It was given to me by my father. Before I came here, he told me that this leaf was very important, and it was the person who gave my father this leaf who guided me here," Yun Ling explained.
"Father...you are Emperor Ming's child?" Chi Yuan asked, somewhat surprised.
I didn't expect that Yun Ling was actually a prince, but it was just a little surprising.
Over the past thousands of years, she had met many emperors, most of whom came in search of immortality.
However, her method of achieving immortality did not originate from magic, but from herself.
"Yes." Yun Ling nodded and handed over the leaf in her hand.
Jingwei took the leaf and pondered for a moment.
Perhaps this is the "answer" Su found in the VARUKA Project.
Is the child in front of her the key solution?
"...Follow me."
With a flick of her sleeve, Jingwei conjured a golden sword beneath Yun Ling, carrying him toward the mountaintop.
…