Li Shimin faked his death? Then I will be powerful enough to conquer the world!

The wind blew past with the earthy smell of the battlefield, lifting the corners of Mr. Qi's wide purple robe, making it flutter like a flag.

He raised his hand very slowly, with his fingertips slightly curled up as if to brush away some invisible dust, and then slowly fell on Zhang Xuanwei's shoulder.

The fingers were indeed slender, and the joints were faintly visible under the gauze-like fabric. When they touched Zhang Xuanwei's shoulder, the force was as light as a cloud, but it carried a warmth that penetrated the years.

Zhang Xuanwei's originally straight back suddenly trembled, as if a warm spring flowed from his shoulders along his blood vessels to his limbs and bones. His legs, which had been trembling just now, instantly lost their stiffness at the knees and planted themselves firmly on the ground, and even his back, which had been bent due to age, straightened a little.

The wrinkles on his face slowly stretched out like paper soaked in warm water, and his originally turbid eyes began to gleam with water, reflecting the figure of the person in front of him, making him look somewhat clearer.

"Xuanwei." Mr. Qi's voice came from behind the gauze, much softer than when he faced the rebels just now, like the melted snow in early spring, dripping on the bluestone slabs, clear yet heavy.

His lips moved slightly, and every word was wrapped in the precipitation of time. "I haven't seen you for many years. You have grown old."

These words were really ordinary, without any waves or emotions, but they were like a key that instantly opened the floodgates that had accumulated in Zhang Xuanwei's heart for decades.

His throat rolled and he wanted to say something, but when the words reached his lips, they turned into a sob.

Tears welled up without warning, flowing down the wrinkles, hitting the collar of the shirt on the chest, leaving a small dark stain.

He couldn't bear it any longer, stretched out his trembling hand, and grabbed Mr. Qi's sleeve tightly.

It's like catching a piece of drifting wood in the long river of time, or like catching a relative who has been lost for half a lifetime.

"Mr. Qi!" His voice was hoarse as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper, and he repeated it over and over again with a tearful tone, "I thought... I thought I would never see you again in this life!"

Mr. Qi didn't say anything, but raised his other hand and gently patted the back of Zhang Xuanwei's hand.

His palms were warm and dry, and the rhythm of his pats was slow and steady, as if he was comforting a wronged child. However, his gaze passed over Zhang Xuanwei's head and fell on Shi Siming, who was not far away.

The gaze was still deep, but compared to the harsh oppression during the confrontation just now, it was now a little more complicated - there was regret, scrutiny, and a barely perceptible indifference.

Shi Siming's whole body froze when he was looked at by this gaze, as if he was tied up by invisible shackles, and even his breathing slowed down.

He suddenly realized that he seemed to have been wrong from the beginning.

He thought that this confrontation was a continuation of the "government army suppressing the rebellion" and that Zhang Xuanwei, the "old immortal", could stabilize the morale of the army and even win the hearts of the people through his name, thus realizing his ambitions step by step.

But now it seems that he just accidentally walked into a larger and more complicated situation. He is like a child holding a toy knife, standing among a group of adults, ridiculous and insignificant.

Who was Mr. Qi before him? Shi Siming's eyes fell on the purple court robes—garments only worn by the Grand Tutor, embroidered with intricate cloud patterns and gleaming darkly in the setting sun.

How could there be a Grand Master in the Tang Dynasty now? Especially one with such an outstanding temperament who could make the old immortal Zhang Xuanwei lose his composure like this?

What secrets are hidden in his past with Zhang Xuanwei? Was the phrase "attack Chang'an" a true rebellion against the Tang Dynasty, or were there other motives?

Countless questions swirled in Shi Siming's mind, tangled like a tangled mess, impossible to unravel or sort out.

He looked at Zhang Xuanwei who was still sobbing beside him - this old immortal did not have the slightest air of an "immortal" in front of Mr. Qi, he was clearly a junior meeting an elder.

Looking back at the rebel soldiers behind him, they were originally restless, but now because of the changes in front of the battle, they all lowered their heads, their eyes full of confusion.

Shi Siming suddenly felt that all his plans over the years, his ambitions regarding power, territory, and replacing the Tang Dynasty, had become a joke at this moment.

He once thought that he had planned everything out and that he could carve out a niche for himself in these troubled times, but now he realized that his plans were nothing more than an ant trying to shake a tree.

The wind was still blowing, even stronger than before, blowing up the dust on the ground and making people's eyes hurt.

The afterglow of the setting sun slanted across the front of the two armies, dyeing Mr. Qi's purple court robes into golden red. The color was as strong as a burning flame, yet with a hint of desolation.

Zhang Xuanwei's white hair was particularly eye-catching under the setting sun, and every strand of hair was shining silver, as if covered with a layer of frost.

Zhang Xuanwei cried for a long time before gradually calming down.

His shoulders stopped shaking and his cries became staccato gasps.

He slowly loosened Mr. Qi's sleeves, looked at the wrinkles on them caused by his grip, and smiled a little embarrassedly - the smile was old-fashioned, but also a bit relieved.

He raised his sleeves and wiped the tears from his face carelessly, even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were wrinkled.

"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Mr. Qi." His voice was still a little hoarse, but much calmer than before. "You're so old, but you're still so useless. You cry over the slightest thing."

Mr. Qi shook his head gently, a gentle smile in his eyes behind the veil. He leaned forward and lowered his voice a little, as if afraid of disturbing something: "How have you been these years?"

"Okay, okay!" Zhang Xuanwei nodded quickly, his head nodding like a rattle, afraid Mr. Qi wouldn't believe him. His hands were still at his sides, his fingertips trembling slightly with excitement. "I've lived a free and easy life these past few years, without any worries. Although I'm not rich, I'm already very satisfied with simple meals and warm clothes."

He paused, his eyes drifting to Shi Siming, who was not far away, with a hint of apology. "Then I met General Shi," he said, his voice more sincere. "He treated me very well, not as an outsider. He also gave me a place to stay, so I no longer had to wander around."

Shi Siming stood there, listening to Zhang Xuanwei's words, feeling mixed emotions.

He knew that Zhang Xuanwei was telling the truth - he had recruited Zhang Xuanwei because he valued his reputation as an "old immortal", but after getting along with him for a long time, he also truly felt that this old man was gentle and kind, and treated him with respect.

But now, seeing Zhang Xuanwei relying so much on others, he felt a little uncomfortable, but also a little fortunate - fortunately, he did not disrespect Zhang Xuanwei at the beginning, otherwise he would not even be qualified to stand here today.

After Zhang Xuanwei finished speaking, he turned his head and looked at Mr. Qi, his eyes full of guilt: "I just didn't expect to meet you again here... and let you see such a scene, it's really..." He sighed before he finished speaking, as if he was helpless.

Mr. Qi naturally understood what Zhang Xuanwei meant.

He knew that Zhang Xuanwei had been looking for someone who could stabilize the world over the years, and hoped to do something to help the other party so that the people would suffer less.

Shi Siming may have some ability and ambition, but in Mr. Qi's eyes, he is not the one who can take on the responsibility of the world.

It’s hard to find a true dragon.

Mr. Qi sighed softly in his heart, but did not show it on his face.

He looked at the white hair on Zhang Xuanwei's temples, and thought of the young man who used to chatter and ask questions all the time, and a pang of sadness welled up in his heart.

"Alas." Mr. Qi finally sighed, his voice filled with fatigue and self-blame. "The chaos in this world is all my fault. I didn't understand people's hearts."

He raised his head and looked towards the distant Chang'an City. His gaze became distant, as if he could penetrate layers of mountains and see the prosperous yet turbulent capital.

"I just can't understand it," he said softly, as if talking to himself, or confiding in Zhang Xuanwei, "How could a wise and virtuous ruler in his youth become so foolish and insensible in his age, so petty and intolerant of dissenting opinions and unwilling to listen to honest advice."

Zhang Xuanwei stood aside. Although he didn't understand who the "sage ruler" Mr. Qi was talking about, nor did he understand the reason, he felt his heart slowly calm down.

Just like when I encountered difficulties in the past, when I thought about the people in the court, I was not afraid of anything.

He did not ask any further questions, but just stood there quietly, looking into the distance with Mr. Qi.

After a while, Mr. Qi turned around and waved behind him. The servants behind him understood and silently stepped back a few steps. They then gestured to the surrounding soldiers to retreat further away, leaving a quiet space for the two men.

The wind was still blowing, but it was gentler than before and no longer as aggressive as before.

Zhang Xuanwei looked at Mr. Qi's profile. The gauze swayed gently in the wind, and he could vaguely see the other person's outline - compared with decades ago, there was almost no change, still so calm and reassuring.

He suddenly remembered his life over the years.

At one hundred and twenty years old, at this age, in an ordinary family, he would have turned into a handful of yellow earth long ago.

Everyone around him, whether friends or enemies, civilians or officials, is gone.

He is the only one left in the world, living day by day with only the memories of the past.

The long loneliness, like an invisible net, trapped him inside.

Sometimes, when he sat in the yard basking in the sun and watched the people coming and going around him, he would suddenly feel strange - those people's smiling faces, those people's troubles, had nothing to do with him.

He was like a bystander standing outside of time, watching the world go from peace to chaos, but he could do nothing.

If he hadn't been thinking that he could help the world to be more peaceful for a day and that the people could suffer less, a person like him who liked to be in a hustle and bustle and was afraid of loneliness would have found a place to commit suicide long ago.

But now, Mr. Qi is back. The person he thought he would never see again is standing before him, still as reassuring as he was back then.

Zhang Xuan sniffed slightly, his voice trembling a little: "Mr. Qi, I am 120 years old this year, and I am very old."

"My eyes are blurry, my hearing is bad, and I have to breathe for a long time after walking a few steps." He paused and looked at Mr. Qi, his eyes full of emotion, "But Mr. Qi is still as charming and elegant as he was back then, he hasn't changed at all."

Mr. Qi didn't say anything, but just patted his shoulder gently, as if to comfort him.

"If only His Majesty were still here." Zhang Xuanwei's voice lowered, a hint of nostalgia in his voice. "As long as His Majesty was still here, Mr. Qi was still here, and President Lin and the others were still here, how could the world have become like this?"

He recalled the peaceful and prosperous times of the past, when the streets were bustling with people, shops were lined up, and people all had smiles on their faces.

At that time, Mr. Qi was still the Grand Tutor in the court, His Majesty was a monarch who worked hard to govern the country, and President Lin was still managing the Chamber of Commerce... everything was so good.

But now, with war raging, people are displaced, and there are cries and wailing everywhere.

"I am very satisfied to see Mr. Qi again today."

Henry Zhang smiled. The sadness in that smile was gone. Only relief remained. "Even if the sky falls in the future, there will be tall people to hold it up. I don't have to worry about my old bones anymore."

Mr. Qi looked at him with gentle eyes.

He knew that Zhang Xuanwei's decades of suffering and loneliness finally found a home at this moment of reunion.

He stretched out his hand and gently placed it on Zhang Xuanwei's shoulder again, as if to convey strength, and also as if to promise: "From now on, I will be here."