The immortal is beside me

Chapter 33 His name seems to be Li Shimin

Qin Jiajia blinked hard and refreshed her monitor repeatedly. The more she refreshed, the newer it looked, and the more similar it looked.

How could an ancient Tang Dynasty painting give me this feeling? Could it be that I've encountered so many things related to Zhou Qing recently that it's become muscle memory?

Something is wrong, take another look.

She was so focused on the painting that she couldn't even hear what the person in charge next to her was saying. By the time she came to her senses, the man in the white coat had already given a tour of the cultural relics in the room and was finally standing next to the water tank where the painting was stored.

".You can also pay attention to this artifact."

He gently stroked the water tank, pointing at the painting inside. "The Cultural Relics Bureau conducted a preliminary inspection and determined that it was painted during the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty. It is one of the earliest unearthed cultural relics. And besides..."

He pressed a button on the side of the water tank, which immediately caused a humming sound similar to that of a small engine. As the vibration occurred, the entire tank slowly rotated, and the painting fixed inside was turned over, revealing a line of inscription on the back of the portrait.

Fairy Under the Moon, painted in the sixth year of Zhenguan.

Judging from the brushwork and packaging, this was obviously painted by the court. Considering the period it was painted in, it should have been painted under the order of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin.

"So who is that person in the painting? Any clues?" someone asked. "Could it be related to Yuan Tiangang?"

"Can't be sure. At least it doesn't look like it at the moment."

The man in the white coat tapped the water tank gently. "According to the inscription, Emperor Taizong called the figure in the painting 'The Immortal Under the Moon.' At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, when he was conquering the world in the name of the King of Qin, he was helped by an immortal to escape from a desperate situation."

"According to the thinking at the time, this was proof that Emperor Taizong had been granted the Mandate of Heaven. Even if its value wasn't as great as Yuan Tiangang's belongings, its historical significance was no small matter."

Throughout ancient history, the claims of "heaven's will" and "divine blessings" have always been a staple of imperial discourse. An outsider would undoubtedly dismiss this feudal superstition with a smile.

But everyone here has signed an extraordinary confidentiality agreement, and they know how many ups and downs are behind this "feudal superstition" that ordinary people cannot see.

"I've said everything I need to say, let's divide the work and get to work."

The man in the white coat looked around and said, "Mo Kai will still be in charge of the model. Wang Yujie and Zhong Xia will do the scanning, and then the restoration work will be handed over to..."

He pointed at everyone in the room and his eyes finally fell on Qin Jiajia.

"As for the new guy, Xiao Qin, you should have learned how to use the database before at the Environmental Sanitation Bureau, right? You'll be responsible for resource retrieval. Our underlying database is interconnected with the Environmental Sanitation Bureau, so you can log in directly with your original account."

Qin Jiajia responded. It was called a resource search, but in reality, it was nothing more than using a specific algorithm to find logically consistent passages from various official histories of the mortal world for reference. It was like an enhanced version of HowNet.

Although it sounds a bit low-end, this work is actually quite important in supernatural research.

The historical records of the cultivation world are mostly organized by sect, resulting in fragmented and highly subjective historical materials. Often, it is necessary to compare them with the secular history books of the corresponding period to understand the underlying context. The collision of these two often brings surprises about historical truths.

Footsteps spread out, and the people in the room went to their respective posts. Qin Jiajia also walked towards her own device. Before leaving, she turned around and glanced at the portrait again.

Moon fairy.
She silently recited these three words in her heart, withdrew her gaze, and turned away. November 619 AD, Jinzhou, Fangshan.

Under the night sky, blazing flames soared up, instantly igniting half of the mountain.

The firelight illuminated the piles of rocks scattered across the mountain. Dozens of corpses dressed in Taoist robes lay among the rubble, each bearing the insignia of the Nine Li Immortal Alliance. Those insignias, soaked in the blood gushing from the corpses, were engulfed by the flames within a few breaths.

Higher up on the mountain, Zhou Wuqing waved his hand gently, dispersing the boundless true fire surrounding him, then turned his head and looked at Ye Qiansheng who was standing beside him.

"No one is left alive." Zhou Wuqing said, "Let's go back."

Ye Qiansheng responded softly, wiped the blood-stained spirit sword on his hand, put it away, floated into the air, and flew side by side with him.

"They colluded with the Savage God of the Grasslands and lured the Turks from outside the Great Wall into the country. I never thought that such a group of villains would emerge from the Immortal Alliance."

As she flew, she gazed at the devastated earth beneath her feet, her tone tinged with sadness. "These rebels are becoming increasingly reckless in their fight for power. If this continues, I wonder when peace will return to the Central Plains."

"Over four hundred years, when has there ever been peace in this world?" Zhou Wuqing asked. "Ever since the death of Human Emperor Yang Guang, there have been a dozen more royal courts in the mortal world. Perhaps we'll have to fight for another hundred or ten years."

As if to confirm their words, after flying over another mountain range, the entire area opened up, and the frozen Yellow River appeared before their eyes. Looking closely, one could see tiny sparks of fire dancing on both sides of the river, as if a mortal army was camped there.

The two men did not change direction and passed straight through without attracting any attention. Even the scouts would not have thought that there would be eyes from the air.

Zhou Wuqing winked at Ye Qiansheng beside him, slowed down slightly, and looked down at the scene below.

If it truly was an army, it must number tens of thousands. Judging from the state of their tents, they must have been stationed here for quite some time. Further out, one could see flags planted outside the camp, the prominent Chinese character "Tang" waving in the wind.

Although immortals and mortals cannot communicate with each other, he has seen many similar scenes after living in troubled times for hundreds of years. He knew at a glance that this team must be fighting a stalemate and a war of attrition with the enemy.

They just don't know where their opponents are.

He continued to fly forward, his eyes scanning the surroundings, and finally stopped on a mound ten miles away from the military camp.

At the top of the mound, two mortals in Tang army armor dismounted and took stock. One was old, the other young. The older man looked to be in his thirties, while the younger appeared to be under twenty. Strangely, judging by their movements and equipment, it seemed as if the younger one was the general, while the older one was a retainer.

They seemed to be acting as scouts to spy on the enemy. Their reconnaissance work had just ended. The two men put their horses aside to graze and found a sheltered place to rest. They were obviously very tired. Not long after sitting down, they began to snore in their sleep.

The sleeping figure was reflected in the eyes of the two monks in the air. After a while, Ye Qiansheng suddenly let out a cry.

"That young general in the lead looks familiar. I saw him near Jinyang a few days ago."

She looked at the figure beside the pile of rocks, as if realizing something. "He seems to be the second son of the Duke of Tang in Guanlong. He's skilled in military tactics and has become quite famous among the common people recently. I think his name is... Li Shimin?"

(End of this chapter)