This is what an immortal should be like

Chapter 312 Strange Tales of Jingzhou
Even ordinary people sometimes experience a surge of energy during a period of intense study, a sudden burst of inspiration, such as a sudden increase in virility or a vow made in their heart, which can lead to different changes.

However, for ordinary people, such good fortune is often fleeting. If one can maintain it, it is the moment when one's fortune can be reversed, which can be described as "remaining true to one's original aspiration".

Xi Zaochi was no ordinary person, and his thoughts at this moment were not for his own benefit. Because of this, those around him could feel his warmth, and the change in his destiny radiated a brilliance that was invisible to the naked eye.

Although everyone sensed something unusual, they were ultimately just ordinary people and didn't know the reason. Even so, they vaguely understood that something special had happened.

As soon as Zhuang Lin finished saying "good," taking advantage of Xi Zaochi's lingering anger, he spoke again.

"Xi Jinping's grand vision is a blessing for all living beings in the world!"

As he spoke, Zhuang Lin turned slightly to look out the door and said in a deep voice.

"Today, I, Zhuang, stand here as a witness, guided by righteous spirit, with heaven and earth as our witness, and the sun and moon as our testimonies. President Xi's heart is set on the well-being of all people, and the destiny of the Zhou Dynasty will surely fall upon this place."

Zhuang Lin spoke slowly, but his voice gradually grew louder and louder from its initial low tone, shaking people's hearts and minds. The other famous scholars and officials, including the Yin family father and son, almost lost their balance, and some even swayed slightly.

By this time, everyone had realized what was happening, and they all looked at Zhuang Lin with expressions of shock, even Xi Zaochi on his sickbed.

Zhuang Lin ignored the others and looked solemnly at Xi Zaochi, asking his final question.

"Mr. Xi, was your wish just now truly sincere? Was it genuine?"

This sentence was different from the previous inquiry about intentions; it was a true confirmation, and it resonated with heaven and earth. At this moment, Zhuang Lin's aura shone brightly, and it felt as if he was asking on behalf of heaven and earth. His voice was not only deafening, but the entire Xi residence, especially this room, seemed to tremble slightly.

Dust was falling from the roof beams.

Among the Yin family father and sons, those with unstable temperaments had already fallen to the ground, while others covered their ears.

At that moment, Xi Zaochi felt a sudden surge of energy, as if destiny had brought him back to his senses and he was to answer this question.

Facing Zhuang Lin at this moment, Xi Zaochi found that this person gave him a completely different feeling. He had gone from being a scholar just now to feeling as if he were facing the might of the heavens.

Recalling his previous answer, Xi Zaochi became even more solemn at this moment. Compared to before, he had no hesitation at all, and his mind was more determined than before.

"Xi Jinping always keeps his word, so why ask this question? If he could save the world, why would he need to ask such a question? If a heavy burden were to fall upon him, no matter how heavy it may be, I would bear it!"

When Xi Zaochi opened his mouth, everyone in the room was startled. The old man, who had been weak and listless on his sickbed, suddenly spoke in a voice just like that gentleman, which was initially soft and weak, but later became deafening.
Zhuang Lin and Xi Miao were slightly shaken as they watched Xi Zaochi's already rising fortunes change at this moment.

As soon as Xi Zaochi finished speaking, a violent, thunderous commotion erupted over Xi's residence, or rather, over Xiangyang.

"Boom-boom-boom-"

The sky was cloudless, but this was a bolt from the blue!
"Swish, swish, swish, swish."

Dust was still falling from the roof beams, and the noise inside the house and the thunderclaps outside had gradually subsided.

After shouting that sentence, Xi Zaochi was so exhausted that he leaned against the bed, panting heavily, as if he had used up a great deal of energy. He had gone from being unusually energetic just now to being extremely listless.

But Xi Zaochi still tried to sit up straight, looking directly at the two young men in front of him, or rather, at Zhuang Lin.

"Hehe. Sir, is my answer satisfactory?"

Xi Zaochi took a moment to catch his breath, and it seemed as if he had expended a great deal of energy to say those words.

Zhuang Lin did not answer, but he and Xi Miao bowed again in front of the bed. This time, both of them bowed deeply, appearing extremely solemn.

"On behalf of all the people of the world, we thank General Xi for his noble cause!"

Upon seeing this, Xi Zaochi finally smiled, though his smile was weak, yet he felt a strange sense of joy in his heart.

Zhuang Lin and Xi Miao straightened up and looked around, but they didn't intend to stay any longer.

"Take care, Mr. Xi. I won't bother you any longer. Enjoy your family life as much as you can in the future, and don't overwork yourself!"

"Are you leaving, sir?"

It was Yin Kuangzhi who spoke. Everyone present was in shock, and apart from Xi Zaochi, he was the quickest to react.

Zhuang Lin glanced at Yin Kuangzhi with a smile, having been too preoccupied to notice earlier.

"Several years have passed since we last met. Young Master Yin has grown into a young man. Perhaps we will meet again someday!"

After finishing, Zhuang Lin nodded to Yin Kuangzhi, then looked at Xi Zaochi again, nodded slightly, cupped his hands, and turned to leave. Xi Miao also bowed towards the bed.

"This concubine will also take her leave!"

"Sir, stay!"

Xi Zaochi's words made Zhuang Lin turn around again.

Xi Zaochi was still breathing slightly, as even speaking a single sentence had taken a lot of his energy.

"Sir, do you know how much time I have left?"

Upon hearing this, before Zhuang Lin could speak, Xi Miao smiled and calculated with her fingers.

"If President Xi takes good care of himself, his complexion will recover quickly. He must avoid overworking himself and will have two years to enjoy family life. During this time, he will be free from illness and disaster and protected from all evil!"

Although Xi Zaochi was weak, his eyes lit up after hearing this, and he muttered to himself.

"Two years, I still have two years!"

Only family members know their own situation. Xi Zaochi had already instructed his family to make arrangements for his death, thinking he wouldn't survive the autumn and winter of that year. But he never expected to live for another two years!

"Well, take care, Mr. Xi. We'll meet again. I'll take my leave now!"

"This concubine will also take her leave!"

Xi Miao smiled and followed Zhuang Lin away.

Yin Kuang subconsciously took a few steps after them, but then stopped. He watched the two people outside gradually disappear into the distance, and then turned back to look at the people inside the house.

At this moment, everyone, including Yin Zhongkan, was still in a state of intense shock, and some even collapsed to the ground. It wasn't until Zhuang Lin and Xi Miao had been gone for quite some time that those on the ground got up and finally spoke.

"Just now... a bolt from the blue?"

"Are we seeing things or experiencing tinnitus?"

"Lord Yin, Lord Xi, what... what exactly is going on? Who are that gentleman and woman?"

The person speaking in the first sentence was muttering to themselves, while in the second sentence they first looked at Xi Zaochi and then at Yin Kuangzhi, as the latter seemed to recognize the other person.
The people inside the room were taciturn, not because they didn't want to speak, but because they couldn't.

Yin Kuangzhi snapped out of his daze and saw that his father was also looking over. He shook his head slightly, and when he saw that Xi Zaochi was also looking at him, he couldn't help but say something.

"I only had a brief encounter with those two esteemed individuals when I was traveling by boat years ago; perhaps they were immortals among them."

"pat~"

Xi Zaochi finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell to one side of the bed, causing a panic among everyone who rushed to help and check on him. It took a lot of effort to stabilize Xi Zaochi.

The servants of the Xi family rushed to fetch a doctor, thinking that their master was about to die.

Before long, the doctor arrived, and a group of people were still gathered around. After taking the pulse for a long time, the doctor gradually showed doubt, and then became somewhat incredulous.

"Doctor, how is it?"

"Yes, how is President Xi's condition?"

"Doctor, say something!"

The doctor finally came to his senses, looked at Xi Zaochi, who also had a questioning look on his face, and then looked at the group of scholars and officials around him.

"It's strange. I used to come here frequently to treat Mr. Xi. His health should have been critical, beyond the help of any medicine. I was here yesterday too. But now..."

"How is it now?"

Someone couldn't help but ask, while the others exchanged bewildered glances. Before the doctor could even speak, they all guessed what had happened, and their hearts began to race.

"Although your body is weak now and your pulse is not very strong, there is a vitality in your pulse, unlike before when it was gradually approaching death. This is really incredible. It has only been one day. What medicine was used? Which expert examined you? Could you introduce me to him?"

The doctor looked around with curiosity and finally asked Xi Zaochi.

"This"

Xi Zaochi didn't know what to say. Actually, after Zhuang Lin had been gone for a while, he felt that what had just happened was somewhat absurd, but now it was different.
Others felt the same way, and their intuition that they were "divine beings" deepened even further.

By the time everyone left the Xi residence, it was already dark.

What happened today was too bizarre. Everyone wanted to stay at Xi's residence a little longer, but eventually they all had to leave.

The Yin family father and son sat together in a carriage. The driver hung up a lantern and drove the carriage, while the father and son inside talked.

"So, you don't actually know who they are. Back then, you just thought they were martial artists?"

"Yes, back then I thought he was a master of the Innate Realm, someone who had transcended the mortal world. Only today do I realize how shallow my vision was. Father, there's also the matter of His Majesty requesting Master Xi to come out of seclusion and compile historical records."

"His Majesty and Xi Jinping will decide for us. By the way, could you tell me again how you communicated with them on the ship back then?"

Yin Kuangzhi was both amused and exasperated, and could only try his best to recall the details—
Half a month later, in the Jiankang City Imperial Palace, the emperor on the soft tower in the rear hall looked at the newcomer with a hint of surprise and doubt.

The person standing before the emperor was none other than Yin Zhongkan, the governor of Jingzhou and a court attendant, who had come to the capital to report on his duties, and one of his most trusted ministers.

In fact, Yin Zhongkan did not want to come on this trip. He still had a lot of things to deal with in Jingzhou. However, he was a favorite of the emperor, who missed him and asked him to come to the capital in person. Given such imperial favor, he could not refuse and had no choice but to return.

During the conversation, the topic turned to Jingzhou and Xiangyang, and eventually, the conversation came up to Xi Zaochi, inevitably leading to that strange incident.

Firstly, he didn't want to hide it from the emperor, and it was impossible for him to fabricate a reason to deceive the emperor about inviting Xi Zaochi to come out of seclusion. Secondly, he had his own reasons for gaining the emperor's favor. He knew what the emperor liked, so he told it as a strange story.

The emperor naturally showed great interest in this.

"Is this true? Did you see it with your own eyes?"

"It is absolutely true, I saw it with my own eyes. Of course, the thunder in the clear sky might just be a coincidence, and the deafening sound might just be due to the loud noise. Nothing strange has happened since then."

When Yin Zhongkan answered, he added a sentence to avoid the emperor from overthinking.

What Yin Zhongkan didn't know was that the emperor was somewhat surprised and uncertain at this moment, because he even got goosebumps while listening to the story. He didn't know that this was a communication of qi, but he instinctively knew that it was very special, and he became even more interested.

"City God. City God"

The emperor muttered to himself, and after a long while, his eyes lit up.

"How is the compilation of history by Xi Gong progressing? Is he willing? Could he come to the capital as soon as possible? I want to meet him in person."

"Your Majesty, you must not overwork yourself."

Yin Zhongkan was startled and couldn't help but advise him, as he had already mentioned this matter repeatedly.

The emperor looked disappointed, then seemed to realize something.

"But he didn't refuse? That was his wish too!"

"This"

“Minister Yin, you cannot make the decision for Lord Xi. You must ask him, of course, when his health is still good!”

"Subordinate to the order"

Yin Zhongkan had no choice but to agree.

(End of this chapter)