If you traveled back to ancient times, while others ate Guanyin clay, you would actually have giant

Although Li Tiancheng ordered that Zhou Wu's disappearance not be spread, many people in the capital actually knew about it through various channels.

When Zhou Wu reappeared in the capital after more than two months, various forces reacted differently. Some were happy and delighted by Zhou Wu's return, while others were disappointed.

"Zhou Wu is really lucky. I thought he was long dead."

"I heard they were only brought back from the grasslands."

Do you know the specifics?

"It's not clear yet, but it'll probably be out soon."

Several people who had grudges against Zhou Wu were sitting together drinking. During their conversation, they talked about Zhou Wu's disappearance, and they were all disappointed by his return.

The city gate of the capital.

The news relayed by Zhou Wu's guards indicated that Zhou Wu would arrive in the capital today, so the city gates were already crowded with people waiting to greet him.

Li Baiwei and her companions, along with Crown Prince Li Junren, Fourth Prince Li Zheng, Gu Xinyuan, Gu Changqing, and Lu Da, waited anxiously at the main gate. In a distant corner, Hua Rong, Wang Cang, Song Gong, and other subordinates of Zhou Wu were also waiting, but they dared not reveal themselves.

"Come on, come on."

An army of about a hundred men appeared at the city gate, led by Lu Jian'an, who had been sent out to pick up Zhou Wu.

The procession slowly came to a stop at the city gate. Zhou Wu stepped down from the carriage, and everyone was shocked when they saw Zhou Wu in his current state.

Zhou Wu looked haggard and emaciated, a far cry from his former high spirits and handsome appearance before his disappearance.

Li Baiwei was the first to rush forward and hug Zhou Wu tightly. Looking at her former lover in this state, she felt heartbroken and shed tears.

"My husband, you have suffered."

"What suffering? You're back now, don't cry, people will laugh at you."

"Woooooo~"

Zhou Wu's attempt to persuade her only made Li Baiwei cry harder.

After finally calming Li Baiwei down, the others stepped forward to exchange pleasantries with Zhou Wu.

"It's good to be back. Come visit when you have time."

With so many people around, Gu Xinyuan didn't say much. He simply expressed his concern and invited Zhou Wu to come to his residence after settling in. In reality, he meant that now was not the time to talk.

"Suffering."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."

Hua Rong, Wang Cang, and Song Gong also saw Zhou Wu return safely from a distance. After a brief eye contact with Zhou Wu, they quietly left.

. . . . . .

Zhou House.

Zhou Wu lay in the bathtub, thoroughly enjoying the massage and wiping from Li Baiwei, Yang Chun, and Hongdou.

Although Li Baiwei was Zhou Wu's first wife, she had long regarded Yang Chun and Hongdou as her sisters. Zhou Wu didn't say anything, but he didn't object either.

"My husband, what immense suffering have you endured?"

After Zhou Wu took off his clothes, his once strong body now appeared as thin as a rake, which brought tears to the eyes of the three women.

"You're back now, don't be upset."

After spending the night together at home, Zhou Wu was ordered to enter the palace early the next morning.

Inside the main hall, the Emperor and the Retired Emperor had been waiting for quite some time.

When they first saw Zhou Wu, they were also startled by his appearance.

"Someone come and offer me a seat."

Seeing Zhou Wu's state, Li Tiancheng felt a pang of pity, and the Emperor Emeritus quickly ordered a chair to be brought over.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty and the Emperor Emeritus."

"What exactly happened to Zhou Wu?"

Everyone was concerned about what had happened during Zhou Wu's disappearance and why he had vanished in the first place.

"It's Hou Zhenghao."

"What! It's him again?"

Li Tiancheng thought that Hou Zhenghao had gotten away with what happened last time, and that the other party would run far away from now on and live in anonymity for the rest of his life.

But no one expected that Hou Zhenghao not only did not flee to another place, but also hid in the capital, right under everyone's noses.

"Why did Zhou Wuhou Zhenghao kidnap you?"

The retired emperor also asked the question that everyone was most concerned about, but as soon as the question was raised, Zhou Wu suddenly didn't know how to answer it.

Seeing Zhou Wu's flustered expression and his silence for a long time, the Emperor Emeritus was puzzled. However, Li Tiancheng had seen everything and had his own thoughts.

"Zhou Wu, is Hou Zhenghao after the path to immortality?"

Since Li Tiancheng already knew, Zhou Wu no longer needed to hide it from him. Immortality and becoming an immortal are essentially the same thing.

"Yes."

This time, the retired emperor was shocked; the news was simply too explosive.

The pursuit of immortality has been a popular topic throughout history. Even now, many people still seek the path to immortality, but so far, no one has been known to have succeeded. Almost every emperor throughout history has been involved in this pursuit to some extent, which explains why Zhou Wu dared not speak of it.

If any emperor had listened to this and become obsessed with it, then Zhou Wu would have been a sinner for all time.

"So he wanted to take you north."

"It's because I told him that the entrance to Baiyujing is in the extremely cold north."

"Is the frigid northern land truly the entrance to the Jade Capital?"

Li Tiancheng suddenly asked with an excited expression, which made Zhou Wu feel uneasy.

"Your Majesty, I lied to him."

"Oh."

Li Tiancheng's disappointment was also noticed by Zhou Wu.

Zhou Wu then recounted the whole story. Li Tiancheng and the Emperor Emeritus sensed the danger involved and were on tenterhooks for Zhou Wu when they saw the exciting parts.

. . . . . .

Zhou Wu's life has returned to normal. He returned to Beijing for the Emperor Emeritus's birthday banquet, but then encountered Hou Zhenghao's affair, which really delayed him a lot. So Zhou Wu plans to set off back to the South China Sea in the next couple of days.

Before returning to the South China Sea, Zhou Wu planned to visit Li Shishi, since she had saved him.

"What an honored guest! Is Lord Zhou preparing to return to the South China Sea?"

This was Zhou Wu's first time visiting Li Shishi's home, which was quite a large house. Before coming, Zhou Wu had specifically inquired about Li Shishi's background. She was told that she was the daughter of a wealthy merchant from another region and lived alone in the capital.

The courtyard where she lived alone was almost the same as Zhou Wu's house. Moreover, in this era, it was very rare for parents to let their daughters live alone.

"Miss Shishi, just call me by my name. It's too formal to keep calling me 'adult' all the time."

"Then don't call me 'girl' anymore, just call me Shishi."

"Well, I'm planning to go back to the South China Sea in the next couple of days. Before I leave, I came here specifically to thank Shishi for saving my life. I really don't know how to repay you."

"Brother Zhou... you're too kind. Aren't we friends? Why would friends care about such things?"

Although Li Shishi exuded an air of mystery, it did not prevent Zhou Wu from expressing his gratitude for her saving his life.