After Yuan Tiangang left, Yun Ye rode at full gallop to the Medicine Hut. Wang Cai didn’t dare enter Sun Simiao’s place—the various strange odors inside made it hesitate. Yun Ye didn’t force it, loosening the reins and letting it wander about freely.

The few servants preparing medicinal ingredients looked worriedly at that tightly closed door. Master Sun had locked himself in the room for two days now without eating or drinking. Yun Ye smiled wryly. The old Taoist who had been self-disciplined and rigorous his whole life was now compelled by circumstances to reluctantly agree to the Taoist sect’s propaganda. His heart must certainly not feel good now. Unable to tell others, he could only make himself feel better through self-torment. Having donned Taoist robes, there was no way to escape worldly troubles.

Not rushing to enter, Yun Ye turned and went to the kitchen. He quickly made scallion pancakes, chopped some pickled vegetables and stir-fried them with sesame oil. Seeing fresh wild vegetables, he also prepared a plate of those. The bean porridge the servants had simmered was at just the right temperature. He filled a large bowl, placed everything on a wooden tray, and prepared to enter. These were all the old Taoist’s favorite foods.

The room was pitch black. Yun Ye pulled open the curtains and the dazzling sunlight from outside shone into the room. Sun Simiao sat on a rush-woven meditation cushion, expressionlessly reciting scriptures from who knows where.

Taking the food items one by one from the tray, Yun Ye smiled and said to Sun Simiao, “If you want to become a deity, you should have come to me. What did you seek out fools like Yuan Tiangang for? A perfectly good matter has been turned into something unrecognizable. This way, it might create a very bad influence on your reputation.”

“Have you come to mock this old Taoist?” Sun Simiao opened his eyes, his voice carrying not the slightest emotional inflection as he asked.

“Not at all. Even if I were to mock everyone under heaven, I would never mock you. You had no choice in this matter. Everyone in this world cannot escape something called the collective. To remain in the collective, the minority must submit to the majority—this is a principle of conduct. The reason you agreed to Yuan Tiangang and their nonsense was precisely because you recognized this point, wasn’t it? Since that’s the case, why torture yourself? Not worth it. You should have come directly to me originally. Going to them—hmph, these fools bungled a good thing. Your new medicine needs promotion; the ‘Thousand Gold Prescriptions’ needs to be known by everyone under heaven.”

“These were originally good matters, but Yuan Tiangang and these fools attached the gimmick of treating the Dragon King’s illness to you, turning a good thing into an unbearably vulgar foolish matter. Fortunately, I learned of it early—there’s still a way to salvage things.”

Sun Simiao’s eyes instantly brightened. Promoting new medicine and the ‘Thousand Gold Prescriptions’ was his lifelong wish. If through this commotion everyone under heaven could know of it, suffering some loss to his reputation would be worthwhile.

Yun Ye continued, “I’ve made you two pancakes. While they’re hot, hurry and eat them. Let’s plan this out properly.”

Sun Simiao stood up, washed his hands, and began eating his meal. Yun Ye sat opposite, pulling several fresh walnuts from his bosom—already cracked open, just needing the shells peeled. While eating, he said to Sun Simiao, “From now on when people ask about treating the Dragon King’s illness, you just say it’s baseless talk—merely a dream, a joke told to friends. How did it become real? No matter who asks in the future, maintain this refuting tone. You must be resolute.”

“Your medicine is originally the most real and effective discipline in this world. It cannot tolerate the slightest fantasy. When medicine requires three parts, it must be three parts—cannot be two parts, cannot be four parts. Yuan Tiangang and these charlatans only thought about creating public opinion but didn’t consider it would have a very bad influence on your new medicine.”

Sun Simiao nodded, saying, “These words make sense. But the Taoist sect needs this old Taoist’s reputation. Otherwise, the Buddhist momentum cannot be suppressed. The slight advantage just gained would vanish into nothing. I’m a Taoist disciple—I must contribute. Refusing outright like this, isn’t that not quite good?”

“Quite the contrary—this actually enhances your reputation, not damages it. Truth in this world is often grasped by the minority. Everyone says you treated the Dragon King’s illness—naturally you can’t speak too definitively. Your explanation is actually meant for Chang’an’s people of insight to hear, and doesn’t prevent common people from believing. Treating the Dragon King in a dream is far more believable than in reality. Look—this way, you neither lose your prestige among the common people nor fail to give Chang’an’s people of insight a reasonable explanation. Neither side is harmed. Ambiguity is the highest technique of rumormongering.”

After hearing Yun Ye’s words, Sun Simiao’s face darkened like the bottom of a pot. He set down his pancake and sighed, saying, “Even if I can deceive everyone under heaven, how can I deceive myself? For the Taoist sect’s benefit, is there really no way to think of a solution that satisfies both sides? You rack your brain and think for me how to handle this. I feel like I have no face to see old friends.”

After these years of association with Yun Ye, Sun Simiao had become somewhat more flexible. If it were the Sun Simiao of the past, he would have flatly refused Yuan Tiangang’s suggestion.

“You just continue treating patients and teaching disciples. Don’t concern yourself with outside matters at all. Except for necessarily appearing once or twice to support the Taoist sect, the rest of the time just do your own work. Leave the rest to me. I’ll definitely ensure you fulfill your obligations as a Taoist disciple, introduce the new medicine, and certainly not damage your reputation. Leave it to me—rest assured about everything.”

Seeing Yun Ye’s confident appearance, Sun Simiao’s face finally showed a trace of a smile. He began eating and drinking heartily. Having Yun Ye handle matters was much better than brooding alone.

Seeing Sun Simiao emerge from his gloom, Yun Ye felt relieved. Coming out from the Medicine Hut, he saw Li Tai furtively poking his head out from behind a large tree, beckoning to Yun Ye, then immediately ducking back behind the tree.

What the hell? Recently there wasn’t a single normal person. Coming before the tree, he said impatiently, “If you have something to say, say it. If not, I’m leaving—still have a pile of things to do.”

Li Tai emerged from behind the tree and plopped down on the grass, pointing at his forehead, saying, “Look—do I resemble the Literary Star Lord descended to earth?”

“I don’t see Literary Star Lord—Dog-Head Star Lord looks more like it. When did you become narcissistic to this degree? Does Li Qingque need to rely on those shadowy deities to put on airs?”

Li Tai jumped up and broke into a torrent of abuse, “Would I need that? Even if I went begging, I’m still Li Tai! All the flesh on my body was given by my imperial father and mother. Growing up, I ate grain grown by the common people. The learning I acquired was taught by teachers, plus what I researched through my own efforts—rising at the third watch and sleeping at the fifth watch. What does it have to do with stars in the sky?”

“The moon is the closest star to us. We looked at it last winter—nothing but rocks and craters on it. What kind of damn deities? I even suspect other stars are the same.”

“Now the Bureau of Astronomy says a Literary Star has descended upon the imperial family and determined it’s me. How do you expect my elder brother to view this? How am I supposed to conduct myself? I’ve become a freak among the princes! My imperial father is actually delighted beyond measure, elder brother is also happy, but I myself feel uncomfortable. What should I do? Hypatia even came over to pinch my face, as if looking at a monster.”

Yun Ye laughed so hard he couldn’t catch his breath, lying on the grass rolling around. Right now, becoming a deity was society’s great trend, the prevailing atmosphere. Ever since the story of Xuanzang meeting Buddha spread, this had become popular in Chang’an. Li Tai also couldn’t escape the clutches.

After laughing enough, he said seriously to Li Tai, “You’re the Literary Star Lord? Do you know what my origins are? In the Divine Continent of Eastern Victory, there’s a nation called Aolai. Aolai Nation has Aolai Peak. On Aolai Peak is a five-colored giant stone—a spirit stone left over when Goddess Nüwa mended the heavens. Nurtured by heaven and earth, one day lightning struck the five-colored stone. The stone split open and I jumped out, growing with the wind, my eyes shooting golden light, shaking heaven and earth…”

Hearing this, Li Tai became furious, grabbing Yun Ye’s neck ready to perish together. Too disgusting! Can’t go on living! He believed Yun Ye was nakedly mocking him.

“Stop, keep choking and I’ll die! Do you still want to know how to deal with this matter?” Yun Ye finally kicked Li Tai away, rubbing his throat as he asked.

Li Tai said with a dark expression, “Fine. Speak properly. You cannot humiliate me again, or don’t blame me for turning hostile.”

“Alright, alright, I won’t laugh at you anymore. But what I just said makes a lot of sense. Originally there was nothing in this world—fools create their own troubles. Your status is already sensitive. Singling you out and placing you above the other princes is attracting disaster for you. Think about it—if all the princes were deities, wouldn’t you become inconspicuous? Your imperial father is the Jade Emperor descended, your mother is the Queen Mother, your elder brother is the Great Emperor of the North Star Purple Tenuity, you’re the Literary Star Lord, Xiao Ke is Dog-Head Star, other brothers are either Pig-Head Star or Ox-Head Star. The whole family are all deities—wouldn’t that be delightful?”

“Preposterous! You’re still making fun of me?”

“Who’s making fun of you? The dragon has nine sons, each son different—your imperial father being a dragon isn’t wrong, right? Baxia, Chaofeng, Yazi, Bixi, Shutu, Chiwen, Pulao, Suanni, Qiuniu—which one isn’t a great name? You tell the Bureau of Astronomy that singling you out alone shows ulterior motives, harboring the vicious intent to provoke fraternal strife among you brothers. If all the princes are recorded in the divine registry, then there’s no problem. If they can’t do it, you submit a memorial impeaching them. Kick the ball to them—isn’t that the end of it? As for making yourself frantic with rage—these years you’ve devoted yourself wholeheartedly to academic research, lacking methods to deal with political affairs. I don’t even know if I’ve helped you or harmed you.”

“Doing what you love and investing yourself completely—you don’t understand what kind of joy that is. My contending for the throne would bring Great Tang a hundred harms with not a single benefit. Now the imperial family atmosphere is harmonious, far from the sword-drawn, bow-bent environment of imperial father’s early days. If I step back, what’s wrong with that? Besides, I don’t like being emperor. Having elder brother in front is best. He’ll be a good emperor, we brothers have deep affection, no suspicious hearts exist. Under heaven, I should be the first carefree and lawless figure. Someone like me devoting myself wholeheartedly to scholarship—I don’t believe I can’t create a new cultural pinnacle. This is what I pursue.”

“Damn, someone who knows what they want and knows what they can have is truly the happiest person.” Yun Ye said admiringly, his hand on Li Tai’s shoulder.