Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 19: Zhixia's Test, Forced to Act
Full moon night.

At the head of the Vermilion Bird River, at the Drunken Moon Pavilion.

Nan Zhixia sat by the window, her bright, autumn-like eyes turning back from the river view and moonlit night outside the window, and smiled.

"I love watching the moonlight and water on such a quiet night, but the capital has been anything but peaceful lately."

Her voice was clear and crisp, like a spring striking a rock. She rose, picked up a pot of fine wine, and poured it for Zhao Wuji, who was sitting opposite her.

"Wuji, I really have to thank you this time for saving Nantai. Otherwise, if something had happened to him at the hands of those Supreme Cult madmen, my Nan family would have no one to carry on the family line."

"Sis, you're worrying too much. What could possibly happen to me? Even if I couldn't win the fight, I could still run away."

Nan Tai grinned and chuckled at Zhao Wuji, "But I still want to thank my future brother-in-law for coming. Future brother-in-law, I'd like to toast you."

"You!"

Nan Zhixia glanced helplessly at Nantai, a faint smile appearing on her dimples. She picked up her teacup and said, "Wuji, I will offer you a cup of tea instead of wine."

Zhao Wuji shook his head and picked up his wine cup. "Zhixia, you're all too polite. Are you trying to distance yourselves from me, a mere imperial physician?"

"What are you saying?" Nan Zhixia was stunned for a moment, then her pretty face blushed slightly, like a fresh lychee on her cheek.

"Haha, future brother-in-law, you are highly skilled in martial arts, have excellent character, are handsome, have great medical skills, and can even refine pills. I won't allow my sister to distance herself from you. Let's drink some more!"

Nan Zhixia rolled her eyes at Nan Tai, then gazed at Zhao Wuji's handsome profile as he drank with Nan Tai. All sorts of complex emotions welled up inside her, which turned into a sigh.

"Indeed, everything about him is excellent. Unfortunately, not everyone in this world possesses exceptional cultivation aptitude. If I could obtain the sacred artifact, perhaps I could secretly examine him."

Although she thought this way, she didn't hold out much hope.

The world is currently experiencing a depletion of spiritual energy and a scarcity of cultivation resources.

Therefore, all the major forces that have left behind the path to immortality strictly control the channels and information, and only select the most spiritually gifted people to join their ranks, pass on their mantle, and embark on the path to immortality.

Anyone else, even if they possess a certain level of spiritual aptitude, will be eliminated to avoid wasting already scarce resources and engaging in unnecessary competition.

Even if someone with poor aptitude accidentally obtains ancient books and resources and actually embarks on the path to immortality, they are often robbed of their resources and ancient books, silenced, or have their related memories erased using magic.

In today's world, people with low spiritual aptitude, or those without any aptitude at all, are all seen as targets for exploitation.

The common practice of the royal families of the four kingdoms of Tiannan and the immortal sects and grotto heavens behind them is to fool the people and portray the cultivation of immortality as a legend.

For the very few powerful and influential people who have a vague understanding of the situation, a qualification-based threshold is set to unify resources and maintain their own rule.

Therefore, she believed that Zhao Wuji's safest and happiest path was not to embark on this one.

The three then chatted and laughed during the banquet, clinking glasses and exchanging toasts.

Nan Zhixia would occasionally inquire about Zhao Wuji's recent acupuncture patients and schedule, behaving like a fiancée concerned about her future husband's affairs.

In reality, he was subtly trying to find out the information that Protector Xu had revealed to Zhao Wuji in the prison, and then steer the conversation toward the rampant Wushang Sect that had been active recently.

"Brother-in-law, let me tell you, the Supreme Sect suffered a great loss this time. It is said that the Grand Preceptor Fang fought with the Supreme Sect Master outside the city that day and severely injured her."

Nantai, who was already quite drunk, put his arm around Zhao Wuji's shoulder and said excitedly.

"Brother-in-law, do you really think there are immortals in this world? I've inquired around, and it seems that only the Grand Preceptor Fang in our entire Xuan Kingdom knows immortal arts. Apparently, there's some kind of qualification threshold; maybe one in a million people has that qualification. Even His Majesty..."

"Alas, be careful with your words, be careful with your words, you must not speak ill of His Majesty."

Zhao Wuji quickly stopped and then responded to some of Nan Zhixia's curious questions.

After the banquet ended, Zhao Wuji saw the siblings off in their carriages and then returned to his official residence.

He gazed at the cherry blossoms in full bloom in the courtyard in early spring, his eyes clearing from a slightly tipsy state. Recalling the conversation at the banquet earlier, he felt a strange unease.

"Zhi Xia has never been this concerned about my affairs in the past few years, why is she suddenly so interested now?"

Although he found it strange, he didn't think too much about it.

I just feel that Nan Zhixia seems a little different tonight.

Or rather, after acquiring immortal cultivation, his spiritual senses became much stronger, and he vaguely sensed that Nan Zhixia seemed somewhat different.
"How to describe that difference? It's like a subtle sense of threat."

Zhao Wuji frowned and pondered for a moment, then gradually found a way to describe it.

He couldn't be sure if this feeling was just a hallucination caused by drinking.

On the surface, Nan Zhixia appears gentle and virtuous, but she is only at the Qi Sensing Realm in terms of internal martial arts strength. So why does she give off a faint sense of threat?
Zhao Wuji simply said that he had been a bit sensitive lately, and if he felt this way again, he should pay attention.

"My lord." At this moment, Xiao Yue walked through the corridor carrying a lantern. In the orange candlelight, her crescent-shaped eyebrows were slightly raised. She bowed and smiled. "My lord, I have collected half of the alchemy materials you asked me to gather these past few days. There are still some that I simply cannot find."

"Well, it doesn't matter if I can't find them all. After all, they are all ancient prescription medicines, and they may have other names. I'll study them further."

Looking at Xiaoyue's delicate face adorned with bright red lipstick, Zhao Wuji couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Xiaoyue, why did you suddenly put on makeup like this?..."

"Huh? I copied Miss Nan's makeup and style... No, it doesn't look good..."

Xiaoyue's smile froze, her bright black eyes filled with trepidation as she lowered her head to stare at the hem of her skirt.

Zhao Wuji couldn't help but chuckle, then pretended to be serious and said, "What suits you best is the best. It's getting late, come inside and rest."

"Yes!" Xiaoyue responded, feeling so embarrassed that her heart trembled, and her ears were already flushed when she turned around.

"It's chilly at night, sir, please come inside and rest. Tell Xiaoyue what you talked about with Miss Nan today?"

Zhao Wuji knew that the girl cared about him, so he immediately let her into the house.

After exchanging a few words, he instructed his maid Chunhua to prepare a change of clothes and hot water for washing up, and then went to the cultivation room to continue his practice.

Tomorrow is the day he can go to the Imperial Pharmacy for his shift.

After several days of cultivation, he had become familiar with using his own spiritual energy to perform spells and was ready to take action the next day to explore Yun Yuchi.

If one can obtain a lot of Yin energy or even Yin marrow, then everyone will be happy.

Meanwhile, inside the Nan family mansion.

After returning to her residence, Nan Zhixia instructed her servants to take the drunken Nan Tai to rest, and then went straight to her boudoir, quickly changing into a night outfit.

She then picked up an eyebrow pencil and blush in front of the bronze mirror and added a few strokes to her face. In no time, she transformed from a dignified and elegant young lady into a charming and beautiful woman, but her beautiful eyes flashed with a fierce light that made people dare not approach her.

"call--"

Nan Zhixia picked up the lampshade, blew out the light, and slightly turned the source crystal at the center of the necklace artifact around her neck.

A faint fluctuation of spiritual energy swept by, and her temperament and appearance changed significantly, becoming completely different from usual.

At that moment, a faint, audible sound of gathering energy and transmitting sound suddenly came from the next room.

“Zhi Xia, the Holy Mother is already injured. Hall Master Yang, Protector Fei, and Protector Xu have all died in battle. The Xuan Kingdom royal family is backed by the Linlang Cave Heaven, which is unfathomable. You have only just recovered from your injuries, and you want to go out again? Take some time to recover.”

Nan Zhixia's eyes flashed, and she also gathered her energy to transmit her voice, "Father, you know that I don't have much time to wait."

In two years, I will be twenty years old. If I still cannot find the sacred artifact and obtain the Holy Dew from the Holy Mother, I will find it difficult to embark on the path of immortality.

A sigh came from next door, "I'm getting old, and my former ambitions have faded."

Compared to the arduous path to immortality, I actually hope that you can live a peaceful and happy life like an ordinary person. I can see that you don't dislike Wuji.

"If you cannot embark on the path of immortality and spend your life with him, then your father will have no regrets in this life, unlike your mother and me, who have long been separated from you by death."

"Unrestrained."

Nan Zhixia frowned, her eyes resolute. "Father, I still want to try. You've wanted to raise me to be an unparalleled saintess since I was little. I've put in so much effort to get to where I am today."

Your decision to retire due to your injury is something your daughter respects, but I am unwilling to give up my path to immortality.

If I fail, I will marry Wuji and live an ordinary life.

But do you think the church will let us off the hook after nurturing us for so many years and knowing so many secrets?

The sounds from next door fell completely silent.

In the world of men and women, one is often not in control of one's own destiny. Once things have gotten on the right track, they cannot be stopped just like that.

After a long while, a sigh was heard.

"Whatever Wuji knows, don't involve him."

Nan Zhixia's bright eyes flashed, she put on her veil and replied.

"He's clever; he didn't tell me what Protector Xu left behind, and I won't ask directly and reveal my identity. But he recently went to Jingqing Palace. Before Protector Xu was captured, he escaped from the inner palace."

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(End of this chapter)