Chapter 55

Everyone took their seats. After three rounds of wine and various dishes, there were dancing girls and the sound of strings and bamboo. Those at the banquet were Wu Pifu and his two companions, the Prince of Kang, and the Princess of Yongfu, Zhao Fubao.

Wu Pifu now knew the little girl's name: Zhao Fubao. This name made Wu Pifu feel a certain karmic connection.

It wasn't anything like a romantic fate—he had no thoughts at all about such a young girl—but the name reminded him of the Mute woman.

The Mute woman had been adopted in a nunnery. He didn't know her specific background; either her family had all died and she had entered the nunnery as an orphan, or her parents couldn't afford to raise her and had left the young girl at the nunnery gate. Regardless of which it was, she had a connection to Buddhism.

And the Princess of Yongfu just happened to be named Zhao Fubao.

Just then, Zhao Gou, emboldened by a little wine, began to chat about immortals and strange tales, mentioning the overseas immortal mountains and, intentionally or unintentionally, bringing up Penglai, one of the three great immortal islands.

Immortals, longevity, transcendence...

Even in the 21st century of the modern world, people's longing for immortals had never disappeared, let alone in this period of ancient feudal superstition.

Furthermore, the Emperor, court officials, and princes, who didn't know the truth, had seen with their own eyes the grand display put on by Chu Minghao. If Wu Pifu hadn't known the truth, he would have thought he had truly encountered a sword immortal.

Therefore, Zhao Gou truly believed in it deeply. Swearing by the pit in the palace's grand training ground—which was fifty meters in diameter and three hundred meters deep—he truly believed in the existence of immortals and Penglai.

Wu Pifu naturally knew why Zhao Gou was steering the conversation toward Penglai. He glanced at Zhao Fubao again; the little girl was looking at him with shining eyes, and when she saw him look over, she immediately lowered her head shyly.

Seriously speaking, Zhao Fubao was very beautiful. Although she was young, she was a budding beauty. In terms of appearance, this didn't match the Mute woman...

(Not necessarily; the Mute woman suffered from long-term malnutrition and ate only coarse food, which wore down her teeth. For a child, whether the teeth and gums are deformed has a huge impact on facial growth... Only the eyes were truly identical.)

After looking at Zhao Fubao, Wu Pifu smiled and said to Zhao Gou, "Is the Prince of Kang curious about what it's like in Penglai?"

Zhao Gou was stunned, and a look of surprise immediately appeared in his eyes. However, he suppressed the surprise and raised his cup to hide it, saying, "How could I dare? As a mere mortal, how could I dare to pry into the world of immortals?"

Wu Pifu continued with a smile, "Actually, there's nothing to hide. It's just that mortals can't enter Penglai, so there's no harm in talking about the scenery inside. However... we are new here and don't know many things. How about this: the Prince of Kang asks me a question about Penglai, and after I answer, I ask the Prince of Kang a question about the Great Song and Bianliang. We'll be honest with each other, how about that?"

Zhao Gou was overjoyed. He looked left and right; except for two eunuchs, the dancing girls and guards had all exited the hall. He then cupped his hands and said, "I truly yearn for the world of immortals and am very curious. Even my twenty-sixth sister is curious, right? Yongfu."

The little girl's face was still flushed. Upon hearing this, she buried her head even lower but still nodded gently and obediently.

Zhao Gou laughed, "In that case, shall the immortal ask first?"

Wu Pifu shook his head and said, "What kind of immortal am I? You can just call me Brother Wu. Let the Prince of Kang ask first."

Zhao Gou did not decline further and immediately asked, "Brother Wu, I have heard people say, and have even seen in ancient books, that there are rumors of 'chickens and dogs ascending to heaven.' Is that truly the case?"

Wu Pifu nodded immediately and said, "That is indeed true. In Penglai, let alone immortals, even mortals can fly to an altitude of ten thousand meters, and chickens and dogs can fly up just the same. That is no problem at all."

Zhao Gou couldn't believe it and immediately asked, "Chickens and dogs can also fly? Do they really ascend to heaven!?"

"Yes."

Wu Pifu said firmly, "It is indeed possible. I am not lying to you at all. And it's not just ascending to heaven; one can even go to the moon—uh, that is, the Guanghan Palace. Speaking of which..."

Wu Pifu looked at Xu Shilan and asked, "How long does it take to fly from Earth to the moon, carrying people and cargo?"

Xu Shilan gave Wu Pifu a look of annoyance but still said, "If it's a high-speed specialized aircraft, it takes about one minute. If it's a civilian flight vehicle, about three minutes."

Wu Pifu turned to Zhao Gou and said, "Did you hear that? Going from here to the Guanghan Palace takes as little as one minute and as much as three minutes."

Zhao Gou hesitated for a moment and asked, "What is this 'minute'?"

Wu Pifu realized and said, "One minute is sixty seconds, uh, that is, sixty breaths. In other words, going from here to the Guanghan Palace takes as little as sixty breaths and as much as one hundred and eighty breaths."

Zhao Gou was shocked, Zhao Fubao was shocked, and the two eunuchs were shocked. They couldn't believe it.

Zhao Gou swallowed his saliva and took a sip of wine to hide his shock. He then hurriedly asked, "Is it really possible to 'travel to the North Sea in the morning and the Cangwu Mountains in the evening'!?"

Wu Pifu looked at Xu Shilan again. Xu Shilan said helplessly, "The fastest aircraft, without affecting stability or the passengers, can circle the equator in less than ten seconds. If flying from the South Pole to the North Pole, it also takes about ten seconds."

Wu Pifu turned to Zhao Gou and said, "It takes about ten breaths or so. It doesn't need a whole day. Of course, if you want to play and sightsee, a whole day would be plenty."

Zhao Gou swallowed his saliva several times, and even Zhao Fubao, sitting beside him, widened her crystal-clear eyes.

The two royal siblings were deeply shocked by the power of the immortals (science) at this moment.

Zhao Gou was silent for at least ten seconds before he came back to his senses. He immediately apologized, "Truly immortal means, truly immortal means. I have asked Brother Wu so many questions; Brother Wu, please feel free to ask me."

Wu Pifu smiled and said, "Let's count that as one question. My first question is: how old is this Princess, Miss Zhao Fubao? Has she ever traveled far from home?"

Zhao Gou revealed a knowing smile, and even the two eunuchs behind him began to smile, while Zhao Fubao lowered her head beneath the table, her whole body trembling slightly. Zhao Gou laughed happily, "This is my twenty-sixth sister, the Princess of Yongfu. She is fourteen this year, will reach her coming-of-age ceremony next year, and has not yet been betrothed."

Wu Pifu: "??"

He didn't understand the meaning of the words after "fourteen" at all, but that didn't stop him from continuing to ask, "Has she ever traveled far?"

Zhao Gou immediately said sternly, "My twenty-sixth sister has learned female virtues and needlework since she was young. She is dignified and elegant; how could she travel far?"

"No, that's not what I meant." Wu Pifu waved his hand and said, "I mean... let's put it this way: I feel Miss Zhao looks very familiar, as if I have seen her somewhere else before."

Zhao Gou chuckled inwardly. Could it be at the Buddhist temple? You secretly spied on her and caused the National Master Guo Jing to make a fool of himself. But naturally, he couldn't say that, so he said, "Perhaps it is a fate ordained by heaven? Hence, you feel like old friends at first sight?"

The implication was very obvious; the little girl Zhao Fubao couldn't help but reach out under the table to tug at Zhao Gou's sleeve.

No matter how slow Wu Pifu was, he naturally reacted at this moment. He said somewhat awkwardly, "No, that's not what I meant... this... forget it, Prince of Kang, ask the next question."

Zhao Gou smiled softly and continued to ask, "I wonder, in Penglai, what is the lifespan of a mortal?"

Since chickens and dogs could ascend to heaven, and there were three immortal disciples like Wu Pifu, it proved that Penglai couldn't be filled entirely with immortals; there must be the mortal relatives of immortals, living and multiplying for generations. This was highly likely.

After Zhao Gou finished asking, he pricked up his ears. The two eunuchs were even more focused, and even Zhao Fubao stopped being shy and pricked up her ears.

!

Longevity is always the greatest luxury for mortals.

Wu Pifu looked at Xu Shilan as before. Xu Shilan sighed and said, "The lifespan of an ordinary citizen is about eight hundred to twelve hundred years. For every level higher, the lifespan increases by about two thousand to three thousand years."

Zhao Gou, Zhao Fubao, and the two eunuchs all opened their mouths wide in disbelief.

Zhao Gou immediately asked hurriedly, "Is that really so!?"

Xu Shilan didn't hide anything either. She looked at them frankly and said, "That is indeed the case. A first-level citizen lives eight hundred to twelve hundred years, a second-level citizen gains two thousand to three thousand years, and a third-level citizen gains four thousand to five thousand years."

Zhao Gou and the others were too shocked to speak.

As for what first-level, second-level, or third-level meant, although it sounded strange to them, it didn't prevent them from understanding it quickly.

After all, the hierarchical system was a universal value they were familiar with. Even officials were ranked from the ninth to the first grade, and immortals, whether Daoist or Buddhist, weren't they also divided by high and low, strong and weak?

Perhaps the relatives of strong immortals had high levels, while the relatives of weak immortals only had low levels.

Zhao Gou couldn't help but ask, "Then what about the Sword Immortal Venerable who left earlier? What grade—no, what level is he?"

Xu Shilan could only answer, "Level seven."

"Level seven!? Doesn't that mean he is far beyond ten thousand years of age!?"

For a moment, Zhao Gou and the others were not just too shocked to speak; their entire worldview began to crack.

At this time, Wu Pifu asked, "Then it is my turn to ask, Prince of Kang."

Zhao Gou immediately cupped his hands and said, "Immortal Master Wu—no, Brother Wu, please ask."

Wu Pifu didn't speak immediately. He pondered his words in his mind before saying, "The three of us were ordered by our masters to travel through the mortal world to temper our Dao hearts and also to slay demons and eliminate evil. You are well aware of this, right?"

Zhao Gou nodded repeatedly, while Zhao Fubao looked at Wu Pifu with her crystal-clear eyes again. Wu Pifu even felt as if stars were appearing in her pupils.

Wu Pifu ignored it and continued, "Although we haven't been in the Central Plains for long, we know there is great evil in this world. Unfortunately, we cannot find the traces of that great evil, so we need the assistance of the Prince of Kang and His Majesty the Emperor."

This was a serious matter. Zhao Gou immediately said sternly, "Bound by the immortal-mortal covenant of Brother Wu's masters, how could I dare not to help? How could I dare not to obey?"

Wu Pifu then nodded and said, "Very well. The three of us have heard that 'abducting and mutilating children' is one of the three great evils in this world. Since we know of it, we must investigate it and meet these evils in the mortal world. Therefore..."

"Does the Prince of Kang know where these evildoers who abduct and mutilate children are? Do they have a headquarters? Do they have a faction?"

Zhao Gou's expression changed slightly. He looked at the two eunuchs behind him from the corner of his eye. Both eunuchs lowered their heads slightly, but one of them moved one foot slightly forward.

Seeing this, Zhao Gou felt confident. He whispered, "This is indeed a great evil in the world, and I happen to know that the place where they abduct and mutilate children is right here in the city of Bianliang, a land of supreme virtue!"

"The Ghost Fan Tower, the Worry-Free Cave!"