My low-key cultivation of immortality was discovered by the emperor in my diary.

A shout came from the woods in the distance.

Carrying a food box, Lüyun carefully made her way up the snow-covered mountain path, her steps uneven.

Before she even arrived, her reproachful voice rang out: "Oh dear, Miss, you didn't even tell me you were back!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Lengyu smiled, leisurely picked up the teapot, brewed two cups of tea, and thoughtfully placed an extra futon on the table.

Green Bamboo walked through the pine forest, her head and shoulders covered in snowflakes. She gently patted them off before sitting down.

Holding the warm teacup, she breathed a sigh of relief and asked with a smile, "Why are you sitting here all alone, Miss?"

"The city is too chaotic. Out of sight, out of mind," Chu Lengyu replied casually, peeling an orange she had brought back from the south.

She did not intend to interfere too much in the reconstruction of the disaster-stricken area of ​​Shenjing City.

Looking at the bright yellow oranges on the table, Lü Yun was pleasantly surprised. She hadn't expected to see such fresh oranges so soon, especially since it was almost December. She quickly picked one up and started peeling it.

She tasted it; the orange was sweet and sour, so delicious that she squinted her eyes and said with satisfaction, "It would be great to make orange juice."

After saying that, she put down the oranges, opened the food box she had brought, which contained several familiar pastries that were clearly from Xuanzhen Temple.

Green Bamboo pushed the food box forward and said with concern, "Miss, you've been gone for several days. Master Lin and the others have been worried about you."

"I'll go see them later." Chu Lengyu smiled helplessly.

She's already very capable; she's only been away for a few days, yet she's so worried.

He then asked, "What's the situation in the city now?"

"Don't worry, Miss." Green Bamboo immediately became serious and sat up straight.

She counted on her fingers, recalling as she spoke, "The disaster relief funds were allocated by the Ministry of Revenue and directly distributed to the disaster area, with the Imperial Guards supervising the entire process. In addition, I led Huang Yi and the others to distribute porridge every day, Master Lu Dan led people to provide free medical treatment, and the Jingzhao Prefecture maintained order. Now most of the people have temporarily settled down."

In the past few days, she has deeply felt the suffering of the disaster-stricken people.

Previously, Lü Yun thought that her life was already difficult when she was being bullied by the Chu family, but compared to these people who had lost their loved ones and were displaced, the suffering she had endured was insignificant.

This makes her cherish her wonderful life even more.

"However, the day after tomorrow is the first day of the twelfth lunar month." Lü Yun sighed and worried. "There's only one month left until the New Year. This year... I'm afraid many people won't be able to have a good New Year."

Although she doesn't have any fond memories of the Lunar New Year since her husband passed away.

Green Bamboo shook off those unpleasant memories and asked with some curiosity, "Miss, have you really become the Imperial Advisor?"

"Yes." Chu Lengyu nodded. "Having an identity makes things easier."

She spoke casually, as if she were talking about something extremely simple.

Lü Yun couldn't help but ask, "Is it also true that Prince An and his accomplices were involved in treason?"

“Of course it’s true.” Chu Lengyu raised her hand and tapped her forehead, then asked in return, “Did you think I would fabricate something out of nothing and frame an innocent person?”

"Of course not!" Green Bamboo waved her hands repeatedly, saying indignantly, "I just didn't expect them to be so wicked!"

The thought of the frontline troops fighting desperately while Prince An secretly sent people to deliver supplies to the Rong tribes filled Lü Yun with rage. How could there be such a hateful person in the world!

They deserved to have their property confiscated and their entire family exterminated!

……

Later that day, Chu Lengyu brought Lüyun back to the capital city.

The place has gradually returned to its former prosperity, with lights shining brightly.

As soon as Lin Jiuxiao and the others saw Chu Lengyu, they warmly greeted her, their faces beaming with concern.

"Yu'er, you're finally back." Lin Jiuxiao looked her over carefully, afraid that she might have suffered any harm while she was away.

Chu Lengyu smiled slightly: "Don't worry, no one can hurt me now."

Just then, a figure rushed over; it was Lin Li.

He stopped in front of Chu Lengyu, a hint of guilt on his face, hesitant to speak.

He already knew about Lin Yue's affair. Although the Lin family's merchant caravan did not participate in Prince An's treasonous transactions, Lin Yue knew about it but did not report it, so he could not escape blame.

Chu Lengyu noticed his anxiety and comforted him, "Lin Yue has already redeemed himself through meritorious service, and the emperor will not blame the Lin family."

Then, she reached out and handed the token back to Lin Li: "I don't need this, so I'll give it back to you."

Lin Li assured her, "Miss Chu, the Lin family will definitely make amends for this matter, no matter what. If there is anything the Lin family can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask."

Upon hearing this, Chu Lengyu paused slightly and said, "You should have already heard about the Nine Cauldrons. The items required for the Nine Cauldrons are different from those in the past, and I also suspect that someone is trying to sabotage it. If Patriarch Lin is willing, why not do me a favor?"

"As you command." He bowed solemnly.

Chu Lengyu took out a blank book from her storage bag, wrote quickly with flying strokes, and then the book floated towards Lin Li and landed steadily in his hand.

"Here is a list. You collect it for me, and I will pay you accordingly."

Lin Li took the list and curiously flipped through it. He found the items listed to be quite unusual and unheard of, which made him look rather strange.

He knew very well that if the Nine Cauldrons were truly as powerful and important as Chu Lengyu claimed, she would never entrust the truly important parts of the materials to someone else to collect.

With this in mind, Lin Li roughly figured out the true purpose of the list—perhaps to test the waters, or perhaps to confuse the issue—but in any case, he would do his best to complete the task.

The alchemist Lu, standing nearby, glanced at it curiously, then fell silent. Although he had heard of the Nine Cauldrons, he didn't know much about it and had no intention of getting involved.

He has come to see Chu Lengyu now for another matter.

Master Lu took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Chu Lengyu, saying, "I previously wrote to the Jade Cauldron Pavilion, mentioning some ideas about cultivating spiritual herbs. They have now replied. I wonder if Miss Chu would be willing to accept the Jade Cauldron Pavilion's participation?"

Chu Lengyu glanced at him, unfolded the letter, and quickly scanned it.

Master Lu revealed some of his plan for cultivating spiritual herbs to the Jade Cauldron Pavilion, which was like casting a bait to lure out the group of old fellows who had long lived in the mountains and devoted themselves to the Dao of alchemy.

However, it is freezing cold now and the journey is long, so the earliest the people from the pavilion can come is after the New Year.

A smile appeared on Chu Lengyu's face, and she replied simply, "Welcome."

The elixir was extremely important, and she welcomed no matter how many people came to study it.

Master Lu knew she wouldn't refuse; besides the cooperation, he actually had another purpose for coming here.

“Miss Chu, it is certainly something to celebrate that you have suddenly become the Imperial Preceptor and hold such a prominent position,” Master Lu Dan had to remind her, “but the Ten Directions Forest will not stand idly by.”

Although he knew that these people would not pose a real threat to Chu Lengyu, the ten major Taoist temples had considerable influence and influence, and their branches and followers were spread all over the world. It would be best if they could avoid becoming enemies.

Lin Jiuxiao nodded in agreement and said, "I just received a message from the temple, ordering me to return to the main temple."

Green Bamboo felt worried and quickly asked, "Won't they make things difficult for the elder?"

"Don't worry." Lin Jiuxiao wasn't concerned. "Since I'm acting as the abbot of this branch temple, it's my duty to report back. The temple probably wants to find out about Yu'er's situation through me. In any case, they won't make things difficult for me. While I'm away, I'll temporarily hand over the temple's affairs to my disciple. You can contact him if you need anything."

"It's a long way, how about I take you there?" Chu Lengyu suggested.

Lin Jiuxiao laughed and patted his chest, as if he was confident: "Don't worry, I'm still in good shape! Besides, I'm not going to fight. I'm afraid you'll scare them. I'll just go back by myself."

For him, having lived here for many years, it was time to go back and visit.

Seeing this, Chu Lengyu did not insist on the matter any further. However, she thought of something that could be useful at this moment, so she took it out.

It is shaped like a jade bamboo slip, pure white like jade, and warm and smooth.

"This item is called the Spirit Rhinoceros Jade Slip, which can transmit information." Chu Lengyu took out one of the jade slips and handed it to Lin Jiuxiao. "It is very simple to use. You just need to write on it, and the rest of the jade slips will simultaneously display what you have written. You don't have to use ink or brush, water is fine too."

This set of Lingxi bamboo slips has twenty slips. In addition to communication, they have other functions. Although it seems like a lot, it will not be enough in the future if you really divide them up.

Besides Lin Jiuxiao, Chu Lengyu also gave one to each of Lu Danshi and Lüyun.

Green Bamboo was greatly surprised and carefully held the jade slip in her palm, turning it over and over to examine it.

Chu Lengyu reminded her, "There's no need to be so careful. Although it looks like jade, its texture is much harder than steel."

Master Lu, who always carried a brush with him, curiously dipped it in water and wrote the character "Dan" on the Lingxi Jade Slip.

Sure enough, the same character "丹" (dan, meaning pill) appeared on the jade slips in the hands of Chu Lengyu, Lüyun, and the others. As Master Lu wiped the water away, the character naturally disappeared.

"It can transmit messages over thousands of miles, regardless of distance. It's truly a treasure!" Master Lu cherished it immensely and hurriedly asked how it was made.

"This is the Way of Arrays," Chu Lengyu explained. "In the cultivation world, runes and arrays are everywhere, but I do not currently possess any inheritance of this Way."

Upon hearing this, Master Lu hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

He thought of Fog Mountain, which also had formations, but he had never imagined that formations could have such a magical use. He had always thought that formations could only be set up in a certain place to guard the house.

The things Chu Lengyu casually took out could easily shatter his previous experience and open up a world he had never seen before, making Master Lu sigh in his heart again and feel very fortunate.

A moment later, Chu Lengyu bid farewell to Lin Jiuxiao and the others, and found the Prefect of the Capital who was still busy with official duties.

There were still many odds and ends and belongings in her storage bag that needed to be dealt with, so it was more appropriate to leave this matter to him.

Previously, when the dead objects from the disaster area disappeared into the sky, the Prefect of the Capital naturally guessed that it was her doing. Now that he had finally met her, he immediately bowed deeply to her, feeling sincerely grateful.

First, to thank her for defeating the demons and saving the capital.

Secondly, I thank her for her help in the disaster relief and for sending people to assist.

Thirdly, we thank her for removing powerful nobles and officials and redressing grievances for the people.

Fourthly, I thank her for uncovering the traitor's plot and saving the Great Xia from danger...

The Prefect of the Capital readily agreed to the task entrusted to him by Chu Lengyu, promising to handle it perfectly for her.

After she left, a minor official asked doubtfully, "It sounds like just some useless broken junk. Is it a bit of an overreaction for you to trouble yourself with all this?"

The Prefect of the Capital looked up at the cold moonlight on the horizon, sighed, and replied, "There is nothing useless in this world."

_______________________

Off topic:

The main plot of Volume Two revolves around three key events: the Winter Solstice, the Lunar New Year, and the Shangsi Festival. We've only just finished writing about the Winter Solstice, and this volume is already longer than expected.

Therefore, I plan to split it into two volumes, with the lower half becoming the third volume, titled "Casting the Tripod Across the Nine Provinces".

I can give you a heads-up: besides the Nine Cauldrons, the main plot of Volume 3 is the arrival of envoys from various countries in the first month of the lunar calendar and the Shangsi Festival. I don't want to rush this part, so I've split it into a separate volume.

Sorry these two chapters are a bit fragmented.