Chapter 545

The clouds faced the sunset, the evening wind blew toward them, and the entire capital and the nearby mountain ranges were all in view.

The humidity in the air when rising through the clouds, the coldness on the cloud layers, the feeling of almost being unable to stand steady during sharp turns, the weightlessness of the whole body about to leave the ground when falling, going wherever one wanted to go without any obstacles in between, and without any worries to hold one back, all constituted an indescribable freedom and joy.

"Refreshing!"

The Emperor shouted on the clouds: "Haha! I haven't been this refreshed for a long time!"

"There is something even more interesting. Would Lord Luo like to try?"

"What?"

The Daoist smiled slightly and breathed a breath of air at him.

"Hu..."

Back then, this breath turned the eunuchs in the previous dynasty's palace into a group of foxes and chickens. Now, this breath turned Lord Luo into a white crane.

"?"

The white crane turned its head to look at itself, its eyes full of surprise and wonder.

Then, without hesitation, it stepped forward, spread its wings, and jumped, disappearing from the thunder clouds in the high sky.

"Peng..."

The fox immediately turned into a crow and chased after it.

The Daoist waited on the clouds with a smile.

After a while, the white crane spread its wings and slowly flew up from diagonally below the thunder clouds, with the crow circling around it.

There is no one in the world who has not had this dream.

The white crane turned its head to look at Lin Jue and immediately flew toward the mountain forest in the direction of the sunset.

Under the evening wind, it was truly extremely comfortable.

After a moment—

"The ancients turning into cranes with their bodies was originally a matter of dreams. I didn't expect that I would experience it personally today." Lord Luo walked on the mountain ridge with Lin Jue, his words full of emotion. "It is truly wonderful."

"Lord Luo has been worried for too long."

"Indeed!"

"How long do you intend to sit in this position, Lord Luo?"

"This..."

This question stumped Lord Luo.

Most previous emperors did not have his experience—having a Daoist help him before he started his army, helping him enter the Dao through martial arts, and later the person who protected the Dao became an immortal. Previous emperors dreamed of meeting immortals, but he had a close relationship with an immortal and was even gifted immortal fruits that extended life.

But no emperor was willing to be a retired emperor.

Nor was any emperor willing to have a retired emperor above his head.

"Most previous emperors stayed on the throne until they died, but if Lord Luo does the same, I fear you will outlive several generations of descendants and be worried and lonely for a long time." Lin Jue walked aimlessly, but what flashed in his heart was the helplessness and loneliness of Lord Luo in his later years in the illusion, especially the successive passing of his consorts and old friends, as well as the conflicts with his descendants. Some things are truly difficult for even emperors and immortals to change.

Lord Luo remained silent and thoughtful.

"Everything has a degree, and one should know when to stop. I understand this principle too." Lord Luo said.

Lin Jue glanced at him.

Lord Luo did indeed understand, as he was well-versed in military strategy.

But the dragon throne is not an ordinary position. The principles one can understand while walking in the mountains may not be understood when returning to the palace. The principles one can understand now may become muddled as time goes on.

However, Lin Jue also knew when to stop at this moment and didn't say more about it, but smiled and said:

"I see Lord Luo also has a few descendants?"

"Two sons, three daughters." Lord Luo also laughed. "The youngest son was just born last year."

Although he knew that the future deduced by the old Tianweng was not necessarily the real future, seeing the pure joy in Lord Luo's smile at this moment and thinking of the decades later in the illusion still gave Lin Jue a feeling of trance.

"Congratulations, congratulations."

"Haha! Didn't you also take disciples, Daoist?"

"Indeed. I took two." Lin Jue said. "An elder told me that I have four disciples in my fate. I don't know how true or false that is, but I have taken two now anyway."

"I have seen those two! They are quite clever and agile!"

"I am also quite satisfied with them."

"A famous teacher naturally produces excellent students."

"Naturally, I will do my best to teach and guide them. As for whether they can attain the truth and the Dao in the future, it depends on their own fortune." Lin Jue said while walking. "But I also know that their talent is not as good as mine back then."

"How many people can compare to you, Daoist?"

"Haha! That is indeed true!" Lin Jue was rarely not humble, then turned his head to look at Lord Luo beside him. "Lord Luo is the same. It is true that your descendants are your bloodline, but you were originally a dragon and phoenix among men. I fear it would be difficult to find one among your descendants in dozens or hundreds of generations who can compare to you. Even if they have to inherit the throne, just do your best to teach and guide them; there is no need to be too harsh on them."

"I have a strange feeling..."

"What?"

"It's as if you, True Man, have calculated the outcome of my later years and specifically came to remind me of these things!"

"Haha!"

The two looked at each other and smiled, walking slowly on the mountain ridge that looked like the back of a black dragon in the night. The dreamlike light in the west cast their silhouettes.

Then they chatted about some interesting things in the capital.

Because many demons and ghosts had been hiding in the capital and living with humans, and Zixiao Palace had been searching for and exterminating demons on a large scale and distributing talisman papers, many stories had been created in the capital. Most of the popular stories circulating in the streets and alleys of the capital now were also related to demons and ghosts.

For example, there was a county magistrate who lived in a small alley in the south of the city, living next to a fox, and had been cared for by this fox for generations. As a result, when Zixiao Palace came, they caught the fox.

The county magistrate was naturally dissatisfied, first reporting it to the Juxian Mansion, but the Juxian Mansion couldn't handle it, so he went to the palace gate to kneel and was almost investigated, but fortunately, he was rescued by Lord Luo.

There were similar stories in the north of the city.

It was also living next to a fox, cared for by this fox for generations, but this family had lost their conscience. For the sake of the five-tael silver reward from Zixiao Palace, they exposed

this neighbor. It is said that they had a big argument at home before exposing it. When this fox was caught by the Daoist of Zixiao Palace, it cried and cursed along the street, not crying because it was caught, not cursing the Daoist for being cruel, but only crying for its past stupidity and cursing the unpredictability of the human heart.

Later, this family was greedy for money, thinking that the Juxian Mansion also had the same reward, so they went to the Juxian Mansion to ask for the reward, but happened to run into the Southern Heavenly Master.

How could the upright and righteous Southern Heavenly Master listen to such things?

He scolded them bloody on the spot and drove them out! The next day, the county government went to their home, confiscated the five-tael reward from Zixiao Palace, and gave five strokes of the board to everyone in the family except the old man who did not agree with exposing the neighbor, to manifest justice.

There were also demons who turned into medicine sellers in the city, opening pharmacies and saving many people. Everyone praised him as a divine immortal, never thinking that he was not human to begin with.

There was also a concubine of a high official, beautiful and peerless, knowledgeable and reasonable, but it turned out to be a fox demon in disguise.

These stories were widely circulated in the capital.

It is said that some were even written into books.

Naturally, the foxes mentioned in these stories were not necessarily demons turned from foxes, but a general term people used for those demons who had the ability to change and whose true forms were unknown.

There were also other bloodier and fiercer stories, which were the evil demons and ghosts that harmed people caught by Zixiao Palace, but these stories were often terrifying, had a narrower audience, and naturally did not circulate as widely.

However, the two still talked about them with great interest.

Until the Emperor returned to the palace, no one in the palace knew that today's Emperor had quietly left once, let alone where he went or what wonderful things he did.

Lin Jue originally wanted to visit the Southern Heavenly Master, but after thinking about it, he gave up.

A person as upright and righteous as the Southern Heavenly Master would naturally act according to his own heart, so there was no need for him to say anything more. Even if he wanted to go, he should choose a time when he was free and visit him as an old friend to reminisce.

So he also rode the clouds back to Fengshan.

Fengshan attic, on top of the mountain.

"Wu!"

Another hoe went down, turning up new soil.

▲￠〇

Lin Jue buried another fruit pit, carefully covered it with soil, and then poured spiritual water on it.

The fox sat beside him, quietly licking its paws.

Counting the few great good deeds in the world, planting trees must be at the forefront.

Digging soil, sowing seeds, and watering here is planting trees; preaching to disciples at the foot of the mountain is also planting trees; visiting Lord Luo is planting trees; the Third Shixiong visiting the mountain god at Mount Yishan is planting trees; the Sixth Shixiong's deduction is also planting trees.

As long as one is patient, there will be a time for results.

It's just that while planting, I don't know when, a divine light actually descended from the sky and arrived behind him.

The fox was focused on licking its fur, turned its head to glance sideways, and then continued licking.

"Fellow Daoist has a leisurely mind."

A light female voice came out.

"Fellow Daoist, you have come?"

Lin Jue put down the gourd ladle, turned around to look, and saw a tall woman, her skin as white as if it were glowing, wearing a relatively simple and elegant divine garment, still holding a whisk in her arms. He added:

"Long time no see."

"Indeed, long time no see."

"We were kept as guests by the old Tianweng in the Yuanqiu Ji Xianren Realm for nearly a day. I didn't expect that one year would have passed by the time we came out." Lin Jue sighed and pointed to a few small tree buds on the mountain top that were almost invisible. "But it can be considered a blessing in disguise. Not only did we get phoenix feathers, but we also had the old Tianweng personally pick a basket of Yuanqiu fruits."

"Is Emperor Ming Tianweng really in the Yuanqiu Ji Xianren Realm? I said so, Emperor Ming Tianweng is strict, but he is also strict with himself." Daoist Jiang's expression remained calm. "Fellow Daoist, you have not done evil and your heart is calm and composed. Even if you met Emperor Ming Tianweng in the Yuanqiu Ji Xianren Realm, you would not be troubled. And if you didn't meet him, with your abilities, Fellow Daoist, you could also go to the Yuanqiu Ji Xianren Realm."

Lin Jue smiled and did not refute.

What Daoist Jiang said was undoubtedly correct, but his initial worries and not letting Fuyao accompany him were also reasonable. Neither was wrong, and both of their guesses had been verified.

"Fellow Daoist, have you been sealed as a Yuezhao Yuanjun?"

"Exactly."

"What was it called again?"

"Yuejing Dongzhao Yuezhao Yuanjun."

"Congratulations, congratulations! This congratulations comes a bit late!"

"It was last year's matter. At that time, I wanted to tell you, but I went to the foot of the Flying Mountain and didn't find you. At that time, I guessed that you had already entered Yuanqiu Mountain." Daoist Jiang said. "I didn't expect Emperor Ming Tianweng to keep you as guests. It seems that you really suit his taste, Fellow Daoist."

"We didn't expect it either."

Lin Jue picked up the bucket and also took the hoe, preparing to return to the attic below.

As the two brushed past each other, Daoist Jiang should have turned to follow, but suddenly stared at him carefully and said:

"Why does it seem like you have changed, Fellow Daoist?"

"Hmm? Changed?" Lin Jue paused and then said, "Oh, it's because when we were in Yuanqiu Mountain, we drank the red spring water in the mountain, so we regained our youth. To use Fuyao's words, it's that we have become a bit newer."

"Not so." Daoist Jiang's eyelids drooped. "Your heart has also changed, Fellow Daoist."