Chapter 895

Bai Lang's reign had already become the longest in the Ming Dynasty. The Wanli Emperor had been on the throne for forty-five years, and the realm could be considered peaceful. The Ming frontiers had always been restless, but those restless places were now very, very far from the eighteen provinces of the Han heartland—so far that the people of Jiangnan couldn't even be bothered to pay attention. For decades, there had been no Mongol invasions on the northern frontier; those Mongols were busy herding sheep and selling wool on the grasslands, living decent lives.

The Ming's current border was at the shores of the Caspian Sea, which was the Jie Sea. To the south, it reached the Iran Plateau, but it had not invaded Tianzhu. The actual controlled territory only extended to the grasslands around the Salty Sea. The grasslands around the Caspian Sea served as a buffer-hunting zone, specifically for killing Cossacks coming from the west. Further north was not suitable for human activity, so the Ming's actual control in the north also stopped at the North Sea.

To the northeast, they had occupied the Kuril Islands, but no one had ever been willing to cross the Bering Strait to North America. To the south, the Ming navy occupied many islands east of Malacca, though they hadn't destroyed the nations there, remaining relatively moderate. Uss Zang was naturally incorporated under the control of Ming traveling officials, though these officials were mostly successful candidates from places like Si Chuan and Yunnan-Guizhou.

This Emperor only met with the officials in the Capital who were not in the Grand Secretariat a few times a year. Only the Grand Secretaries, the Ministers and Vice Ministers of the Six Ministries, and the Censors of the Censorate could see him daily—the problem was that this Emperor would take a break every few days, which could be considered lazy to a certain degree. He rarely signed memorials with his own brush; almost all the red-ink approvals were done by the eunuchs of the Imperial Court Ritual Office. There was only one thing this Emperor often did himself: leading armies out to kill people.

This Emperor was already over fifty, yet the ministers still saw him as looking less than thirty. The only bad thing in these past few years was that Li Taihou had passed away, and the Emperor still hadn't named a Crown Prince. The ministers had urged him many times to establish the foundation of the state, but this Emperor wouldn't listen at all—he even had grandsons, yet he simply refused to name a Crown Prince.

The Ming economy had developed significantly over these years, and there had been no small progress in technology—mainly the substantial development of various hydraulic machines; now, they were just one step away from developing steam engines. Bai Lang couldn't be bothered to push it; in any case, with the Ming's current national strength, it was already number one in the world and a dominant force in Asia. Ri Ben was still in its so-called Warring States period, though the several Daimyo who occupied their own territories hadn't fought a battle in over ten years.

It could be considered the "Long Peace" of East Asia.

Bai Lang had reigned for ninety years, the longest-lived emperor in history. Even some of his own princes had already passed away, yet he still looked to be around thirty. People of the time all said that the current Emperor had ascended to immortality and achieved eternal life. "In this world, martial arts cannot be advanced any further. To be honest, being an emperor is quite meaningless." Bai Lang actually wanted to depart from the world quickly, but the problem was that no one above seemed to be fishing for his soul.

He missed his own physical body immensely; he had long since stopped wanting this Wanli body.

Perhaps his prayers were truly answered, because the next second, a furry claw appeared on this guy's neck, and the soul of the original Zhu Yijun, which had been compressed into a corner of the body, rapidly revived and grew strong. As for what kind of mess this guy would turn the Ming into, that was his own business. "Damn it!" After rapidly purging the vast majority of his Wanli state-governing memories—fortunately, the soul couldn't hold many new memories—Bai Lang let out a long breath. "Almost got them mixed up."

The bearded Da Hu Zi Shao Bao stood up and immediately performed a Southern Dipper White Tiger Fist, full of imposing power and unmatched dominance. He was currently feeling quite satisfied with himself. "There is some progress; it can be called the pinnacle of the pinnacle. It's a pity I'm still no match for those kinds of guys." Bai Lang looked at the baboon with envy. "I'm off. The rest is up to you." The baboon said, "Practicing martial arts here isn't bad. You say you're no match, but in reality, you're not far off, are you?"

"I want to transform too. Last time was just for fun; I can't do it now." Bai Lang wailed. Last time, the big shot had infused him with divine power, directly turning him into a White Tiger Demon Monster; that feeling had been quite good. "Why be a god when you can be a monster? Don't look at me being wanted; I have an official position too. If you want one, you can have one, of course," Zhou Fei Fei said shamelessly.

Bai Lang was shocked. "You have an official position?" "At the very least, I'm a Jialan. If GuanYu can do it, why can't you?" Zhou Fei Fei said nonchalantly. "Then why can't I bestow blessings or protection? Is it because I have no believers?" Bai Lang was quite curious about this. As soon as he heard his cheap master mention Jialan, he understood: the Buddhist Sect opened its doors wide; as long as you went, you had a position.

"Hey, you haven't reported to the Heavenly Court. If the Buddhist Sect gives you a random position, do you really expect a real job?" Zhou Fei Fei laughed loudly, and Bai Lang laughed too. "Understood, understood!"

At this moment, the baboon's figure had already vanished. Bai Lang sat alone in the tavern, circulating his Qi—what could be absorbed here was the infinite primordial Qi of the void, and only such a place could contain those ancient monsters. With his Ninefold Power, his divine skill burst forth. Bai Lang's beard and eyebrows bristled with a top-tier, fierce aura. This man was currently wearing a tattered robe, exposing his chest and arms, and for a moment, lightning crackled around him.

"Let's have a good rest first. Next time, it will be my true self descending. All the gods and buddhas... for a position, at least give me the title of Three Realms Demon Subduing Great Emperor," Bai Lang thought. There seemed to be no one in the tavern now, so Bai Lang could only put his feet on the table, striking the pose of a tavern hooligan. He felt quite bored. "Forget it, forget it. I'll go to the sofa in that private room and have a good sleep. This soul-leaving business has left me aching all over. If only I could find a massage girl."

Muttering to himself, Bai Lang went straight to a booth and sank into it—Wanli's children and grandchildren? Those were Zhu Yijun's descendants; what did that have to do with him, Bai Lang? Speaking of which, when he left, Zhu Yijun was about to have five generations under one roof, which could be called the most blessed monarch in history. Of course, the "Ten-Perfect Elder" type didn't exist anymore—the Huang Tai Ji family still had descendants, but Huang Tai Ji's own line had died out.

"I reckon this kid can still be emperor for another seventy or eighty years; he can be considered the greatest human longevity star in history... Wait, I remember those kids and girls among the children who had some talent and practiced martial arts diligently; they looked to be only thirty or forty years old. They could probably live to be a hundred and forty or fifty, too? Now the Zhu family is going to become a family of longevity. It's just a pity about the hundred-year Crown Prince—ah? I didn't name a Crown Prince. That's fine then."

Bai Lang was completely irresponsible. His younger brother and the Empress Dowager had passed away some years ago; compared to history, they could be considered long-lived. The martial arts he had spread made the Eastern Depot and the Jin Yi Guard the two most terrifying "dark" organizations of the age—at least to foreigners... ===== CHAPTER 896 =====