Chapter 414: Seeking Immortality
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
“Right? You think it’s ruthless too?”
“Who knows which thief it was? So ruthless! I heard there were many priceless treasures involved.” Zhu Mo drooled with envy.
“I was talking about the Divine Realm.” Lu Chao Chao’s face darkened.
The Divine Realm was truly ruthless.
All these years, every unaccounted sum seemed to be pinned on her.
She suddenly understood the words of the Great Emperor Feng Du: “Rotten to the core.”
Lu Chao Chao felt dejected, no longer finding any satisfaction in taking revenge on the Divine Realm.
When a grand structure collapses, it is always the common people who suffer.
The Divine Realm was decaying from its very roots.
The entire realm was being consumed by corruption.
She waved her hand. “Leave me be, I want to sleep.”
Zhu Mo did not understand her sudden sadness, but Xie Yu Zhou pulled him away and left.
Lu Chao Chao lay on her bed, staring blankly into space.
“Tell me, was my decision to save the world back then the right one?”
A young figure silently appeared beside her.
He reached over, picked up the quilt, and covered her gently.
“When I sacrificed myself, I never sought to become the god in the hearts of the people, nor did I wish to surpass the Divine Realm and become the Supreme God.”
The youth spoke in a low voice, “I know.”
“But they guard against me… They’ve even begun erasing my existence.”
“Do you know why the Heavenly Dao collapsed?” the youth asked.
“Because the gods ceased to be merciful, ceased to be just. The Heavenly Dao itself became tainted.”
“With the Heavenly Dao’s collapse, all things will perish. Destruction may yet bring forth new life. This is the ultimate cycle of all things…”
“Chao Chao, it was your sacrifice that awakened my last sliver of clarity.”
“You were right.”
“The countless people are innocent. They never did anything wrong, yet they must bear the consequences of the gods’ mistakes.”
As Lu Chao Chao listened, the suffocating weight in her heart unknowingly dissipated.
Half-asleep, she murmured a soft acknowledgment.
That night, thunder rumbled endlessly in the sky.
By the next morning, word spread that the royal family had not slept all night. The old emperor had stubbornly endured his ailing body, leading Nan Feng Yu to conduct a grand sacrificial ritual, pleading for the heavens’ mercy.
The pitiful old emperor had knelt through the night. Upon standing the next morning, he collapsed into unconsciousness.
As the emperor’s granddaughter, Lu Chao Chao was obligated to accompany her mother to the palace to visit him.
“What’s there to see? He’s dying anyway,” Lu Chao Chao pouted, dressed in a pink dress, unwilling to go.
“Hush, you mustn’t speak carelessly,” Madam Xu raised a warning finger.
Together, the couple took Lu Chao Chao into the palace.
Outside the emperor’s chamber, many officials were already kneeling. Valley Master Jiang of Celestial Medicine Valley stood at the doorway.
Seeing Lu Chao Chao, he smiled kindly at her.
Lu Chao Chao had once saved Jiang Lin, his legitimate grandson.
“Valley Master Jiang, please, come see my father,” Nan Feng Yu’s eyes were red. Tomorrow was Yi’er’s ascension ceremony—everything had to go smoothly.
Valley Master Jiang showed no kindness to Nan Feng Yu.
The Su family had nearly cost him his grandson and granddaughter. He had yet to demand an explanation!
Besides, Celestial Medicine Valley was never under the emperor’s control. They had merely agreed to serve the royal family for a hundred years, as gratitude for a past favor from the previous emperor.
Now, their duty was nearly complete.
The old emperor lay on his dragon bed, barely breathing. Upon seeing Valley Master Jiang, a flicker of hope appeared in his eyes.
What emperor does not long for longevity?
Indeed, every emperor’s ultimate pursuit is immortality.
To live forever, to hold onto power eternally, to remain at the peak of authority.
After diagnosing him, Valley Master Jiang’s expression darkened, his eyes filled with doubt.
“His Majesty’s lifespan had already reached its end. It is only the medicinal pills that have sustained him this far.”
“After enduring the cold last night, kneeling all through the night…”
“I fear he will not last beyond seven days.”
The old emperor’s pupils shrank.
Nan Feng Yu pleaded, “Valley Master Jiang, Celestial Medicine Valley inherited divine medical arts. Surely, you have a way to save him! Please, think of something!”
Valley Master Jiang waved a hand dismissively.
“Though we bear the name of ‘Celestial Medicine Valley,’ we are ultimately mortals, unlike true celestial healers.”
“Unless…”
He hesitated.
“Unless you seek the Elf Race. The elves are pure, gentle beings, as innocent as children. They are favored by the heavens…”
“Elves have extraordinarily long lifespans, often living for hundreds of years.”
“Moreover, their lifespan can be shared willingly with their spouse.”
“This is why the Elf Race is often hunted.”
Nan Feng Yu’s gaze turned icy.
“Are you suggesting that Father marry an elf to extend his lifespan? Absurd!”
“Only a true wife, recognized by the heavens, can share an elf’s lifespan.”
“Are you implying my father must depose the Empress?”
Her eyes carried a trace of menace, but Valley Master Jiang only smiled. “I meant no such thing. As a healer, I merely propose a potential solution.”
Nan Feng Yu’s expression darkened further.
She understood now—Celestial Medicine Valley bore a grudge against the Su family, against her mother!
The old emperor waved a weak hand. “The Elf Race has always hidden deep within the forests. They would be difficult to approach.”
Speaking left him breathless, sweat trickling down his forehead in large droplets.
A man near death carries an internal fire. They always complain of heat—this was natural.
Valley Master Jiang said lightly, “I have heard that the Elf Race has recently emerged from seclusion. They have been spotted within the Southern Kingdom’s borders…”
Though his hair was completely white, the emperor’s eyes gleamed.
“Find them. Do not harm them!”
Nan Feng Yu stood still, her expression grim.
“Your Majesty, the National Advisor has arrived,” a eunuch announced softly at the door.
“Feng Yu, step outside first,” the emperor ordered indifferently.
Nan Feng Yu frowned slightly but unwillingly obeyed, leaving as the National Advisor entered.
“Has Shi Yun and Sunshine arrived?” the old emperor, nearing death, suddenly thought of Xu Shi Yun.
The eunuch bowed his head. “They are waiting outside.”
“Summon them.”
“Summon Princess Sunshine and Lady Xu to enter!” the eunuch declared, his voice trembling with caution.
After all, the Grand Eunuch who once served the Eldest Princess had mysteriously vanished from the palace, making all servants uneasy.
“Oh? You’ve been poisoned…” Lu Chao Chao immediately remarked upon seeing the emperor.
Valley Master Jiang’s eyelid twitched violently.
No, no—could you be any more direct?
The old emperor’s eyes widened in shock. “What did you say?!”
“Don’t you feel it yourself? Are you stupid?” Lu Chao Chao looked at him in disbelief.
“Oh, right. This is Dreamweaving Grass from the Divine Realm. It lets people die in their sleep, unnoticed. The most obvious symptom is excessive dreaming. The dreams show you what you desire most, making you reluctant to wake up.”
“No mortal physician would detect anything unusual.”
“Normally, after drinking it, one simply drifts into eternal sleep—very fitting for a patient’s condition…”
The emperor’s suspicion turned to horror. His lips trembled, his body shuddering violently.
His medicine… Nan Feng Yu had personally prepared and fed it to him each time.
He had praised her countless times for her unwavering devotion.
Yet now…
Lu Chao Chao ignored him, turning instead to the National Advisor with a bright smile.
“National Advisor, your fortune-telling is awful. What a useless advisor!”
“Chao Chao is not petty at all.”
“That fortune you gave me last month, on the eighth, at midday in Osmanthus Alley—it was completely wrong!”