The immortal is beside me

Chapter 42 Visitors from the Capital
Ten days after the prison van explosion, inside the Environmental Sanitation Bureau building.

"Ultimately, that Peach Blossom Spring member perished under the boundless true fire. Satellite footage shows that this true fire was indeed ignited by the cultivator named Zhou Qing—this is the entire story."

In the conversation room, Lu Zhenhai, with gauze on his head, sat behind a long table and narrated in a low voice.

"After the escaped Peach Blossom Spring members were killed, our branch contacted all nearby county and city authorities and conducted a comprehensive search of the area near Liangzhou. We found no new traces of Peach Blossom Spring."

"Based on various information, we believe that the issues related to Peach Blossom Spring in Liangzhou have been initially settled. We will continue to monitor the situation and dispatch teams to conduct 24-hour patrols, ready to take action if we find any unusual developments."

The narration ends here. He sat at the table, quietly looking at the two men in suits sitting in front of him.

The battle on the highway had a lot of follow-up impacts, neither big nor small.

The fact that the citizens of the nearby county town hardly noticed this saved them the trouble of subsequent large-scale memory cleansing. At most, they only needed to repair the destroyed highway. Compared with the infrastructure capabilities of the Environmental Sanitation Bureau, this workload can be basically ignored.

The reason for this was that the incident had caught the attention of the Beijing headquarters. On the very night the incident report was submitted, headquarters immediately set up a team to analyze and discuss the incident.

The result of the discussion was the two special "guests" sitting in front of him.

"So, can we conclude that in this Peach Blossom Spring incident, it was Zhou Qing who single-handedly turned the situation around, demonstrating strength beyond the level of regional management?"

The man sitting on the left spoke. His voice was not loud, but Lu Zhenhai was fully aware of the weight of his words.

That was not only from the mouth of the commissioner in front of him, but also from the headquarters in Beijing, representing the attitude of the headquarters on this matter.

"We think so."

Lu Zhenhai nodded. "From the few times we witnessed him, his abilities have probably surpassed the standard of a Spiritual Transformation cultivator. His strategic value is immeasurable. The launch center has footage from the scene that can confirm this."

The strength displayed by the members of Peach Blossom Spring was definitely not comparable to that of an ordinary Nascent Soul. Considering their strange devouring method, the threat level was close to that of a God Transformation Realm. Even the elders of the Jiuli Sect had acknowledged this.

However, such an existence, when placed in front of Zhou Qing, could only be killed instantly.

There are no more than ten cultivators in the entire Chinese nation who can achieve this level of skill. Even someone as experienced as Lu Zhenhai feels a little overwhelmed when faced with such a difficult task.

If Zhou Qing's importance could be recognized by the country, then from now on the attention on him would no longer just come from the Liangzhou branch, but from a real national-level existence. With such a big boss at his back, it would be much easier for the branch to act.
It was for this reason that, throughout the conversation, he had been exaggerating the man's terror, using rhetoric to his heart's content while respecting the facts. He had exaggerated so much that even he himself felt a little ashamed.

Question Jiuli, understand Jiuli, and become Jiuli.

The two headquarters specialists in front of him looked at each other, then picked up another document from the table in front of him and slowly flipped through it.

"We've reviewed the files on this 'Zhou Qing'. The earliest one concerns the attack by the evil cultivators, and the investigation confirmed that it began with the Jie Clan of Baiyun Mountain. This series of files has been under investigation for two months."

"How far have the negotiations between the precinct and him progressed in the past two months?"

Lu Zhenhai's expression stiffened slightly. This might seem like a normal question, but the underlying meaning was one of accountability.

The bureau had spent two months trying to reach a firm agreement with the person on such a valuable task. As the supervisor, he was undoubtedly the primary person responsible for the process's failure to proceed smoothly.

"Due to the emergence of Peach Blossom Spring, the branch entered a state of emergency, and the turnover of task processes also changed accordingly. There were indeed some communication problems."

He expressed his attitude vaguely, taking a step back to advance: "However, based on the current situation, that person has no interest in joining the system. Although the Jiuli Sect has been confirmed to be related to him, at least for now, it cannot be considered his affiliated sect."

"If we want to make new progress, we need to further explore its background. This will probably involve many issues related to the history of cultivation. I hope the headquarters can support us."

Research on the history of the world of immortal cultivation has actually never been simple.

Compared to the mortal world, most sects are reluctant to disclose their histories, and even less willing to release their secret treasures as cultural relics. This greatly reduces the scope for research on literature and antiquities. Not only ordinary people, but even the ancient cultivators themselves may not have a complete understanding of history.

Of course, considering the lifespan of monks, directly asking the eyewitnesses of historical events is also an option.

But putting aside the fact that the historical materials obtained in this way will inevitably be influenced by the subjective standpoint of the monk himself, just how to find these long-lived powerful people and how to make them willing to speak is already a difficult problem.

Faced with this problem, the headquarters, which has the resources of monks from all over the country, is naturally the most powerful person to solve the problem.

"We have recorded the situation and will submit it to the relevant leaders for a ruling when we return."

The Beijing Commissioner closed his notebook and flicked off the recorder beside him. As the indicator light on the recorder went out, Lu Zhenhai's expression relaxed, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

No matter what the headquarters' final decision is, at least the message has been delivered. How the decision will be made depends on the headquarters' attitude.

"By the way, Director Lu, there's another thing I need to confirm."

Before leaving, the commissioner turned around and asked, "Have you made contact with the Yizhou Tianji Academy?"

According to the original plan of the Environmental Sanitation Bureau, the member of the Peach Blossom Spring who caused the highway incident was to be taken to Yizhou and investigated by personnel from the Tianji Academy.

But in the end, the captives who were originally scheduled to be sent to Yizhou were literally turned into ashes, and the other survivors in the hands of the Environmental Sanitation Bureau were all killed by having their souls extracted, so the plan had to adapt to the changes.

"We've already reported it to them." Lu Zhenhai breathed a sigh of relief. "We'll continue searching for clues related to Peach Blossom Spring. If we find anything, we'll contact Tianji Academy immediately."

"Speaking of which, why did all these things end up being sent to Tianjiyuan?"

In the office of the Super Research Institute, Qin Jiajia asked doubtfully, "Is there anything special about that place?"

As she spoke, she carefully held the chess piece in her hand. The piece seemed to be carved out of marble, with the word "Shuai" written on it. After thousands of years, the word seemed to have not been worn at all.

According to Cheng Xiaomeng, this chess piece can be confirmed to belong to "Yuan Tiangang" and according to the procedures, it should be sent to Tianji Academy for screening.

She had been at the Institute for Astronomical Observation and Inspection for over two weeks and was familiar with many of the rules and procedures. However, one thing puzzled her. Any artifacts related to major events or important figures, or any materials whose origins the Institute could not uncover, had to be copied and sent to the Astronomical Observation and Inspection Institute.

When she was working at the Environmental Sanitation Bureau before, she had only vaguely heard that this was an institute responsible for intelligence work, but when she actually started working there, she found that this unit was omnipresent in the extraordinary system. All matters, big and small, had to go through them in the end. It was definitely worthy of the saying "When in doubt, go to Tianjiyuan".

"There are so many special features here." Cheng Xiaomeng, who was beside her, lowered her head and thought for a moment, "Let me think about how to explain this. You know Yi Shu, right?"

Qin Jiajia nodded. She had seen this term in the introductory manual before.

Yishu is a very special practice method that requires extremely high talent and adaptability from the cultivator. On average, only one cultivator can succeed in three thousand.

This method does not cultivate spiritual power, but only cultivates the soul. Therefore, the combat effectiveness of Yishu practitioners is often far lower than that of normal practitioners of the same realm. In a one-on-one situation, it is even difficult to resist an opponent who is one realm lower than themselves.

Just listening to these descriptions, this seems to be a purely fool's method, but it also has irreplaceable value.

One of them is life span. Most practitioners of Yishu have a life span far exceeding that of cultivators at the same level. Those with profound cultivation can even live nearly twice as long as normal cultivators at the same level.

The second, and most important part, is the effectiveness of the Yishu itself -

Divination, fortune-telling, insight into the future, and deduction of all things.

Regardless of the era, this was a rare skill that would be eagerly sought after. Therefore, even though Yishu practitioners had little actual combat power, there were always countless people willing to provide assistance in exchange for their service.

It is also because of this special method of cultivation that, from ancient times to the present, practitioners of Yishu have been the most unpredictable existence in the world of immortal cultivation. Most of them do not stay in fixed sects to practice, but are scattered in every corner of the world. Many of them even disguise themselves as mortals to enter the court and perform the duties of sorcerers. This is also the origin of the "prophets" commonly seen in history books.

"And the Tianji Academy is a unit composed of Yishu practitioners."

Qin Jiajia was stunned by this answer. The birth of a Yishu cultivator was almost like winning the lottery, but they were able to form a whole unit. The Chinese government's ability to integrate resources was truly beyond imagination.

Even so, she still had one question unanswered.

"If that's the case, why do we have to go through all the trouble of sending things to Yizhou where they are, instead of just having those Yishu practitioners come directly?"

"Those people in Tianji Academy are all very arrogant. Unless there's a direct order from the central government, ordinary people can't do anything to them—this is one of the reasons."

"As for another reason."

Cheng Xiaomeng suddenly changed the subject, "Haven't you been asking why we attach so much importance to Yuan Tiangang? You've been reading a lot of Tang Dynasty materials lately, so you should have come across some historical legends about him, right?"

Qin Jiajia responded. The Tang Dynasty was a vast and diverse nation, with countless talented individuals recorded. Among them, the chapter on "Yuan Tiangang" truly stands out.

Historical records indicate that this man's birth and death dates are unknown. During the Daye period of the Sui Dynasty, he suddenly appeared in the mortal realm of Yizhou. He became renowned for his physiognomy, accurately predicting the fates of many important figures. Due to his remarkable abilities, he was believed to be the incarnation of the Celestial Star of Wisdom, leading some to call him Yuan Tiangang.

In the eighth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, heard of his name and personally invited him into the palace to have him read the emperor's face.

First, Yuan Tiangang, who was then the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, had read Cen Wenben's face and said, "If he gets the third rank, it may be a sign of shortened lifespan." In the 18th year of the Zhenguan reign, Cen Wenben was promoted to the position of Secretary of the Central Secretariat, a third rank position. The following year, he died of a sudden illness.

Later, Imperial Censors Zhang Xingcheng and Ma Zhou came to consult Yuan Tiangang. Yuan Tiangang again predicted that Ma Zhou would be "rich and noble beyond words, but perhaps not live long." Ma Zhou later rose to the position of Minister of the Central Secretariat and concurrently Minister of Personnel, and died at the age of 64. Meanwhile, Zhang Xingcheng was predicted to "come to office late, but eventually become a prime minister." He later became Minister of the Right, and rose to the position of Prime Minister at the age of .

Stories like this fill over a thousand words in official history, each one demonstrating the man's divine foresight. In folklore, legends about him are even more numerous, the most famous of which is the "Tui Bei Tu" (Pushing Back Picture), a book he co-authored with his colleague Li Chunfeng.

According to legend, "The Book of Prophecies" is a rare book in the world that accurately calculated the destiny of the Tang Dynasty for a hundred years, including a prophecy that shocked the world since ancient times.

The emperor passed down his power to three generations, and Wu replaced Li Xing.

But all this only remains in legend.

After all, when the "Tuibei Tu" was written, Yuan Tiangang himself disappeared. Most people believed that he died of old age and a tomb was specially built for him outside Chang'an.

But apart from this, there is also a saying that he returned to the fairyland from the human world, silently guarding the fortune of the Tang Dynasty behind the scenes and ensuring that the dynasty lasted for a hundred years.

But standing today, from an extraordinary perspective, there is no doubt about the answer behind this.

"These legends may be somewhat exaggerated, but from an extraordinary perspective, Yuan Tiangang is undoubtedly a top-level Yishu cultivator. His Yishu Dao is so profound that it is rare even in the world of immortal cultivation."

Cheng Xiaomeng said, "It is precisely because of his near-demon-like prowess in this area that both the immortal and mortal realms call him 'Yuan Tiangang, the Demon of the Generation.' Even now, he is still regarded as one of the pinnacles of the Yishu field over the past thousand years, and it's not an exaggeration to even call him the greatest of all time."

"He is indeed a legendary figure." Qin Jiajia nodded, "But I still don't quite understand what this has to do with our visit to Tianjiyuan."

As soon as she said this, she realized something was wrong. A bold guess popped up in her mind, which made her stop talking.

Cheng Xiaomeng's next words confirmed her guess.

"Because he is now in Yizhou, in Tianjiyuan."

"In the field of Yishu, he is undoubtedly the strongest and most strategically valuable cultivator in China, bar none."

ps. "Old Book of Tang Dynasty·Fang Ji·Yuan Tiangang": In the eighth year of Zhenguan, Emperor Taizong heard of (Yuan Tiangang) his name and summoned him to Jiucheng Palace.

At that time, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, Cen Wenben, was ordered to see him. Tian Gang said: "Sheren has made great achievements in the school, his eyebrows have improved, his literary talent is well-known throughout the country, but he has not yet achieved full success. If he gets the third rank, it may be a sign of shortening his life." Wenben was promoted to the position of Secretary of the Central Secretariat and died soon after.

In that year, Imperial Censors Zhang Xingcheng and Ma Zhou asked Tian Gang together. Tian Gang said, "Attendant Ma has a rhinoceros horn piercing his head, a jade pillow, and his back seems to be carrying something. He must be extremely rich and noble. Since ancient times, there have been few rulers and ministers who are in harmony with each other, such as you. Your face is red, the color of your life gate is dark, the bones behind your ears do not rise, and your ears have no roots. I am afraid you will not live long." Zhou later became the Minister of the Central Secretariat and concurrently the Minister of Personnel. He died at the age of 48.

He said to Xingcheng: "You have accomplished the Five Mountains and Four Rivers, and the Xiating is full and prosperous. Although you came to office late, you will eventually become a prime minister." Xingcheng later became Shangshu You Pushe. All those selected by Tian Gang as physiognomists are of this kind.

(End of this chapter)