Zhu Yuanzhang, who commanded the wind and rain, lived a long and arduous life.

"Zhu Shizhen... Zhu Shizhen..."

Zhu Changye stopped, his face filled with reminiscence.

It's been so long since anyone called him by that name.

Ever since he crawled out of the coffin, everyone who knew him called him Zhu Changye, and the name Zhu Shizhen seemed to be a thing of the past.

in memory,

The last person to call that name was decades ago. When the Yuan soldiers surrounded the couple, the foolish wife laughed instead of being afraid and said to him, "Shizhen, I'll still rely on you in the next life."

Zhu Changye took a deep breath and said with some melancholy, "I am Zhu Shizhen, and I am the person you are thinking of, Chongba's biological father."

"It's just that the old ancestor is not worthy. I did not protect them when I was alive. In fact, Chongba deserves some credit for this job."

This was Zhu Changye's guess.

He's at the Nascent Soul stage; in the mortal realm, he's practically invincible.

He could also be called the only immortal in this place.

However, within the cultivation system, they are still considered beginners; even the Ox-Head and Horse-Face demons from earlier were at the Nascent Soul stage.

Ox-Head and Horse-Face are judges, dispatched by the City God.

There are city gods everywhere, equivalent to mayors in later times, but the city god of Yingtian Prefecture has an even more prestigious status.

In the cultivation world, status is determined by strength. Logically speaking, only those whose strength far surpasses that of Ox-Head and Horse-Face are worthy of this position.

But he was on the same level as Ox-Head and Horse-Face.

Because he has just been promoted, he might not even be a match for her in a real fight.

What merit or ability does he possess to be worthy of being the City God of Yingtian Prefecture?

It has some connection with Chongba.

It's estimated that the King of Hell was hoping that he was Chongba's biological father. It's only natural for a father to discipline his child, so he should keep an eye on Chongba and prevent him from committing too many atrocities.

"Then I shall call you the Retired Emperor. You... I never imagined that the immortal being that has been the talk of the officials lately would be you."

Yang Ruchang looked excited.

He has successfully fulfilled His Majesty's request!

The person standing before me is His Majesty's own father. Would a father harm his own son? Impossible!

As the Director of the Imperial Observatory, the retired emperor would certainly be able to do a very good job!

Yang Ruchang was even somewhat proud at this point, because the Emperor had not intended to give him the position of Director of the Imperial Observatory; it was he who persuaded the Emperor to change his mind.

During his lifetime, he lived up to the expectations of the Zhu family and the Ming Dynasty!

Thinking this way,

Even the immortals, upon seeing this, would have no regrets for the Ming Dynasty and could live a life without shame!

"Enough talk, let's go."

Zhu Changye led the way again.

Yang Ruchang said "Yes" and followed behind.

On the way,

Zhu Changye thought for a moment and then spoke again: "I have never helped my son build the Ming Dynasty. He conquered it himself."

Although Yang Ruchang is no longer alive, he does not want anyone to mistakenly believe that Zhu Yuanzhang's conquest of the world was due to his contributions.

Zhu Yuanzhang, a beggar, seized power, shocking and unbelievable the world. But if people knew he had a father who was a celestial being, then... the situation would be instantly reversed.

Even if he didn't actually help, people wouldn't believe it. They would only know that he had a celestial father, and that it must have been his celestial father who helped him conquer the world.

He didn't want it to be like this.

"I know, I know."

Yang Ruchang smiled and said, "Back then, I also followed His Majesty step by step to get to where I am today."

Zhu Changye nodded.

Yang Ruchang thought for a moment and then said, "Your Majesty, may I ask you some questions?"

"Go ahead."

"Am I...am I going to hell?"

Yang Ruchang was somewhat worried.

The imposing aura of the countless soldiers and horses from the underworld seemed to still linger before my eyes.

That was the most terrifying scene he had ever seen.

Back then, the army led by the God of War Chang Yuchun was invincible, and the enemy was terrified at the mere mention of it. Yang Ruchang had also seen it; it was very powerful, but not as terrifying as the army of the underworld messengers.

He still vividly remembers the glares of those underworld officials; they were so vicious.

Even a lowly underworld soldier has a fierce look in his eyes that rivals that of Chang Yuchun.

They eventually dissipated like smoke. Yang Ruchang was too frightened to notice before, but now that he thinks back, he could hear screams coming from the smoke whenever it passed by him, like the shrill sounds of ghosts being fried in oil.

Although the Emperor Emeritus made a mistake in arranging that scene, he said he would take him to the Yellow Springs.

The Road to the Underworld…

These don't sound like good words at all.

How can I stay calm?

"It's a trip to hell, but you don't need to be afraid."

"In the West, it is said that evil people go to hell and good people go to heaven, but in this land, everyone is under the jurisdiction of the underworld after death."

"You have accumulated merit, so there shouldn't be any major problems."

As Zhu Changye spoke, he noticed that Yang Ruchang was still shaken. After thinking for a moment, he continued, "You were quite frightened just now, weren't you?"

Yang Ruchang nodded subconsciously.

Then, realizing what he had done, he shook his head violently.

Zhu Changye chuckled and explained, "They are all underworld officials, and their eyes are indeed fierce, but that's because they need to fight evil with evil. Without evil, they can't intimidate the ghosts."

"In fact, deep down, they are all very kind-hearted; those who are not would not be able to serve in the underworld."

Yang Ruchang nodded again, still somewhat confused.

Seeing his expression, Zhu Changye knew he hadn't listened.

Zhu Changye sighed.

This kind of thing is indeed hard to explain. Although both the immortals of the underworld and the immortals of the mortal world are immortals, people feel more fear when they mention the immortals of the underworld.

People are afraid of being killed by figures like the Black and White Impermanence, but in reality, they only lock the lives of evil spirits, which is a way of protecting them.

In the mortal realm, the immortals of the living world have a better reputation, such as the God of Marriage, the God of Wealth, and so on.

It is also generally believed that immortals in the mortal realm are stronger than immortals in the underworld.

In reality, regardless of position or strength, the immortals of the underworld and the immortals of the mortal world are equal, forming a delicate balance.

"Were you in charge of that army of underworld messengers just now, including Ox-Head and Horse-Face?"

“That’s right, it has the City God’s seal, so it can be used at any time.”

"What about the Black and White Impermanence, the figures of legend? Are they also your subordinates?"

"Ah."

"......."

On the remaining journey, perhaps it was time to say goodbye, Yang Ruchang became more talkative, asking questions from time to time.

Zhu Changye answered fluently in all of them.

"Okay, here we are."

After walking for a while, Zhu Changye led Yang Ruchang to the Road to the Underworld.

Yang Ruchang gazed at the long road ahead and took a deep breath: "I'm sorry to trouble Your Majesty."

Zhu Changye nodded, didn't say goodbye, and turned to leave.

Halfway there, Yang Ruchang behind them suddenly spoke loudly.

"The Great Emperor!"

The noise was so loud that it attracted the attention of people walking on the road to the underworld nearby.

Zhu Changye turned around.

Then Yang Ruchang spoke loudly to him: "No matter what my fate is after I finish my journey to the Yellow Springs, I entrust the Great Ming Dynasty to your protection."

Before his death, he longed for Zhu Changye to carry forward the Imperial Observatory.

This is to ask someone to protect the Ming Dynasty, because he saw Zhu Changye's abilities; the retired emperor has these abilities!

Although he was a lifelong fanatic seeking immortals, he was also a patriot.

Oh, the Ming Dynasty…

When he was young, before the Ming Dynasty existed, he was controlled by a cruel adult, the Yuan Dynasty, and everyone else.

They have to take care of what you eat, drink, and study. They also have to take care of what you do when you grow up. Everything has to be done according to the adults' wishes.

It was the Ming Dynasty that led him and everyone else out of that brutal path, giving everyone a renewed opportunity to choose their own lives.

It's good, really good.

It is also incredibly beautiful.

Zhu Changye looked at him and replied earnestly, "Yes, I will."