Immortals of the End Times

Chapter 3, Section 003: Zhixia's Gift of a Book, Past Pilgrimages to Immortals
The next day.

Upon hearing that the two madmen of the Supreme Sect had escaped last night, Zhao Wuji couldn't help but think to himself how formidable they were.

The Supreme Cult is indeed a heretical sect that has spread throughout the four southern countries. They regard imperial power as nothing and therefore call themselves Supreme.

This audacity in storming the capital and causing chaos clearly indicates they were well-prepared; the reason remains unknown.

"Whether you want to seduce the Empress or kidnap a prince, I hope you won't get involved with me. I'd better stay away from the outer city for a while."

Zhao Wuji made up his mind and then ordered his servants to prepare carriages and horses.

They prepared to go to the Imperial Observatory to administer acupuncture to Liu, the supervisor, to dispel the cold, in order to obtain the other half of the "Records of Fengdu" and decipher the secrets of communicating with the spirits.

Before they could even leave the mansion, the young apprentice Xiaoyue happily led them into the front hall to report.

"Sir, Miss Nan and Young Master Nan have come to see you."

As Zhao Wuji walked into the front hall, he saw Nan Tai's familiar slender figure.

The woman beside him was dressed in a moon-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with willow-leaf eyebrows and eyes as clear as autumn water. She had an elegant appearance and smiled before she spoke, exuding the refined and scholarly air of someone from a scholarly family. She was none other than his fiancée, Nan Zhixia.

"What brings you all here? Nantai, aren't you busy?"

Zhao Wuji greeted him with a smile.

Although he wasn't interested in arranged marriages from ancient times, once it was a fait accompli, he wouldn't object as long as it didn't cause trouble.

Furthermore, Nan Zhixia is indeed exceptionally beautiful and intelligent, so he was quite enthusiastic in his attitude.

Even if he were to truly ascend to immortality in the future, having a virtuous and beautiful wife to accompany him in the mortal world for a lifetime would be enough to fulfill his desires for love and pleasure. Having experienced the trials of the mortal world, his Daoist heart would be even stronger.

"Oh, don't even mention it. Those madmen planned this all along. They only killed one person, and the rest escaped."

Nantai waved his hand irritably, picked up the fragrant tea brought by the servant, and gulped it down, completely treating Zhao Wuji's place as his own territory.

"I only heard from my younger brother today that those two madmen came to you for treatment, and I was worried about them, so I came to take a look."

At this moment, Nan Zhixia gracefully approached, her bright eyes gazing at Zhao Wuji. After secretly using her inner energy to examine him, she said in a soft and gentle voice, "Judging from your appearance, you seem to be alright, which puts my mind at ease."

Nantai chuckled to herself, winking at Zhao Wuji, "Look how much my sister cares about you. I was chasing a wanted criminal yesterday, and she didn't even ask if I was hurt. Sigh, she's already like this before she's even married."

"Little brother."

Nan Zhixia blushed slightly, glanced sideways at Nan Tai, and immediately shut him up.

She glanced at Zhao Wuji with her beautiful eyes, reached into her sleeve and took out a package, then handed it to him casually.

"I couldn't come to see you empty-handed, so this is a gift for you. You can open it and take a look later."

"Okay! Zhixia, you're very thoughtful."

Zhao Wuji smiled, reached out and took it, but didn't open it to examine it closely in front of him.

After chatting with the two for a while, he saw the siblings off to their car and away.

The fact that this woman came to check on his condition before even entering the house shows that the Xuan Kingdom has a relatively open culture.

After seeing the siblings off, Zhao Wuji took his medical tools, obtained a badge from the Imperial Medical Academy, and then drove straight to the Imperial Observatory.

After a stick of incense.

Inside the Imperial Observatory.

With her rosy cheeks, Star Official Li Nianwei brought over fragrant tea and fruit, stealing a few glances at the handsome young man before her, and reminded him, "Lord Zhao, please have some tea."

Seeing that Zhao Wuji only nodded but didn't even glance at her, she pouted and tiptoed out.

Zhao Wuji, dressed in a black medical officer's robe, placed his finger on Liu Jianzheng's cun guan chi (a traditional Chinese measuring tool) and frowned slightly.

Seeing that the renowned Zhao Jinzhen was frowning, Liu Jianzheng, who was lying on the bed, immediately sensed something was wrong and hurriedly coughed to ask.

"Physician Zhao, is my illness, caused by coldness penetrating to the marrow, truly incurable?"

"No, it's just a bit of cold energy. I can dispel it for Lord Liu with a little acupuncture."

Zhao Wuji took out a folding copper moxibustion tube, which he spun three times over the candle flame, but he still had doubts.

This Supervisor Liu is indeed possessed by yin energy.

However, this yin energy was mixed with resentment, which was a sign of possession by evil spirits and was very strange. In the past few years, he had also come into contact with some patients who were possessed by evil spirits.

But those people were almost all ordinary people who came into contact with the corpses of recently deceased people, thus attracting evil spirits and becoming possessed.

A martial artist like Liu Jianzheng, who is at the Meridian Opening Realm, has abundant blood and qi. Even if he were surrounded by mountains of corpses and seas of blood, it would be unlikely that he would be possessed by evil spirits.

He was puzzled and asked the other party for the reason.

Liu Jianzheng, however, gave a vague answer and changed the subject, as if he had something difficult to say.

Zhao Wuji did not ask any further questions at the time.

Trouble often stems from talking too much.

The Imperial Observatory was a department that observed celestial phenomena and unearthed ancient texts and records of celestial phenomena. It served the imperial family and held many secrets.

It's possible that they might be hiding Taoist books and secrets, so it's normal for them to be cautious in their words and actions.

While administering acupuncture, he also picked up other information that interested him and asked questions.

"Lord Liu, His Majesty has been seeking immortality and enlightenment in recent years. I wonder if he has truly found any trace of the immortals?"

The Yin energy within Liu Jianzheng's body slowly dissipated, seemingly due to the acupuncture technique, but in reality, it was all absorbed by Zhao Wuji using the Yin Pearl in his sea of ​​consciousness.

Feeling comfortable, he replied cheerfully, "Lord Zhao, whether His Majesty has found any traces of immortality is something I cannot reveal unless His Majesty is willing to announce it to the world."

However, regarding the Dao of Immortality, it exists if you believe in it, and it doesn't exist if you don't.

The path to immortality is ethereal and mysterious, yet Your Majesty has the perseverance to seek it. We, as your subjects, should naturally cater to your inclinations.

Zhao Wuji was speechless for a moment.

His Majesty is Zhang Zhaoming, the third emperor of the Xuan Kingdom. In recent years, he has been devoted to seeking immortality and enlightenment, and seems to have made some progress and discoveries, but he has not made them public and has kept them very secret.

He twirled the needle and chuckled, “It is said that during the reign of Emperor Wu of the pre-Qin period, or even earlier, there were people who seemed to cultivate immortality.”

"Indeed, when the First Emperor sought immortality, he sent the sorcerer Xu Fu with three thousand boys and girls to sail east to find Penglai. The ship carried the 'immortal herb' marked in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, which became widely known."

Liu Jianzheng became interested and began to speak eloquently, “Emperor Wu of Han built the Dew-Collecting Plate in Jianzhang Palace, where he received the Dew of the Immortals. Legend has it that he saw the Queen Mother of the West and was given the ‘True Form Map of the Five Sacred Mountains’.”
For example, Zhang Daoling founded the Celestial Masters sect, and Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng co-authored the *Tui Bei Tu* (a prophetic text), both of which seem to have some connection to Taoist immortals. Unfortunately…

Liu Jianzheng sighed, "Since the Ming Dynasty, an unknown disaster has occurred, which seems to have caused many cultivators to disappear into seclusion."

The Classic of Mountains and Seas, the Tui Bei Tu, and the Yongle Encyclopedia have all been lost.
Now, hundreds of years have passed, and while there are people in the world who seek immortality, there are very few reports of anyone actually attaining enlightenment.

Perhaps those who seek enlightenment and immortality hide in deep mountains and marshes, or perhaps they are concealed in the grand halls of the imperial capital; who knows?

He paused, smiled, and turned to look at Zhao Wuji, "Cultivating immortality may be ethereal, but martial arts are real."

Not only is Lord Zhao a skilled physician, but his martial arts skills have also reached the level of the Meridian Opening Realm.

Your family's martial art, the "Suspended Pot Golden Needle Skill," is exquisitely refined, with movements as swift as a ghost. Why then are you so concerned with the ethereal notions of cultivating immortality?

Zhao Wuji smiled and quoted him directly, "Your Majesty has a persistent desire to seek immortality and ask questions, so we, as your subjects, should naturally cater to your interests."

"Haha. Not bad."

Liu Jianzheng didn't take it seriously.

There are countless people in this world who seek immortality and enlightenment. High-ranking officials and nobles, in order to gain the emperor's favor, often follow suit and frequently hold gatherings to exchange ideas on seeking immortality.

But very few of them can actually cultivate immortality.

He was eager to befriend this young imperial physician, and said, “Lord Zhao should have seen my sincerity yesterday. I also have the other half of the ‘Records of Fengdu’ and a few other ancient books here. Since Lord Zhao is interested, you may take them to read for your amusement.”

"Your skill in using acupuncture to dispel cold is truly unparalleled in the Xuan Kingdom. I feel much better now; I'm so glad I invited you to perform the acupuncture privately."

"Lord Liu, you flatter me. Thank you for the ancient book you gave me. I am very interested in it."

Zhao Wuji smiled calmly, knowing that his purpose had been achieved, and stopped the Yin Pearl in his sea of ​​consciousness from absorbing Yin energy.

At this moment, five more strands of yin energy have been added to the yin pearl, revealing a number (1135/10000).

This amount is not small; it is comparable to treating more than fifty patients with cold-related illnesses or handling more than ten corpses who died in places with strong yin energy.

The quality of the Yin energy within the other person's body is very high, far exceeding the cold energy found in ordinary people.
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(End of this chapter)