The phoenix singing through nine heavens—but that wasn’t the call of a bird of paradise at all. Heaven knows what they used to produce such a piercing sound. The phoenix was frightened and flew around wildly. A fat pig forcing through a gate? No, it was said to be a qilin presenting auspiciousness. Yun Ye didn’t even recognize this creature. When he tried to examine it hands-on, the smiling Yuan Tiangang grabbed him by the arm and sent him into the inner courtyard.
The pair of horns on the qilin’s head gave off a metallic luster no matter how you looked at them—those were cast iron. There should also have been one long and one short horn on the nose, but there weren’t any. It looked like they’d been sawed off. At the moment of entering the gate, Yun Ye finally figured out what that thing was.
“This is a rhino…”
“Ha ha ha, ‘Hearts connected through spiritual resonance’—what a famous line from Duke Chu! This humble Daoist praises this phrase endlessly. The Great Emperor and Empress Dowager are in Laojun Hall, waiting for Duke Chu to go up and provide explanations.”
“If you give me that sawed-off horn from the qilin’s nose, I’ll keep quiet. Otherwise I’ll expose you.”
“Easily said, easily said. Tonight is an unprecedented grand occasion. Our Great Tang’s heroes and outstanding figures are gathered together. It’s perfect for a song of the Prosperous Tang Night. Duke Chu must not belittle yourself. Tonight we’ll need to trouble Duke Chu’s magnificent brush to compose a song.”
“I came to see your uncle.” Yun Ye deliberately made Yuan Tiangang uncomfortable, baring his white teeth.
“My family’s uncle has the bones of an immortal and the bearing of a celestial being. Duke Chu is also an outstanding figure among men, so naturally you should become well acquainted.” Yuan Tiangang spoke these words with force and certainty, brooking no doubt.
Yun Ye sighed mournfully. When a person has no shame, they become invincible. With the Daoist sect promoting this so extravagantly, even if he exposed it now, no one would believe him. They might even question his character.
Indeed, with snow dragon meat in their mouths, drinking the world’s finest wine, witnessing with their own eyes phoenixes dancing through nine heavens and qilins presenting auspiciousness, and moreover with those spirits who had been enlightened by the Daoist sect and newly awakened to wisdom shuttling everywhere—people believe their own eyes. The saying “seeing is believing” is their primary method of determining truth.
In the open space of the inner hall grew exotic flowers and rare plants. Just orchids alone numbered over a hundred varieties. Zhangsun, wearing her crown and attended by palace servants, walked through the flower clusters like an immortal being.
The butterflies still wouldn’t rest even though the sun had set. They still opened and closed their wings on the flowers. This was too strange—it didn’t conform to natural laws. Others couldn’t enter, but when Zhangsun saw Yun Lei watching her, she smiled and beckoned. Immediately a palace servant came over and carried Yun Lei into the flower clusters, where Zhangsun led him wandering through the flowers.
Yun Ye saw his son quickly catch many butterflies and understood in his heart—those butterflies must have been glued to the flowers with pine resin by the Daoist sect’s people.
Gao Yang was very dissatisfied. She had applied so much perfume—could it really not compare to those few flowers’ fragrance? With her mouth twisted, she complained quietly to Yun Ye: “Your family’s perfume is fake. Not a single butterfly is attracted.”
Li Tai also discovered what was wrong with those butterflies. He opened his mouth and said: “It’s not your problem, not the perfume’s problem, and not the butterflies’ problem. It’s these damned old Daoists’ problem.”
Gao Yang became even more confused. Hugging Li Tai’s arm and shaking it, she said: “Why?”
Li Tai rubbed his forehead and said hatefully: “I spoke wrongly—it’s your own problem!”
Gao Yang felt wronged but couldn’t complain to Yun Ye. She turned and walked to Fang Yi’ai’s side, grabbed the flesh on his arm and twisted it hard, and also called out aggrievedly toward Fang Xuanling: “Father!”
These little tricks of the Daoist sect naturally couldn’t escape those eyes so worldly-wise and experienced. With a flick of his sleeve, he imperceptibly shook off the hand with which Gao Yang was pinching Fang Yi’ai. Smiling, he said: “Your brother and your brother-in-law spoke correctly. It’s not your fault, not the perfume’s fault, and not the butterflies’ fault. It’s these ox-noses’ fault. If you observe carefully, you’ll discover the mystery within.”
Gao Yang leaned against the railing and looked carefully for a long time but didn’t discover what was wrong. Knowing that her wisdom fell far short of her brother-in-law’s, brother’s, and father-in-law’s, she wanted to ask her father-in-law but was too embarrassed. She could only glance at the equally confused Fang Yi’ai and sigh, following behind her father-in-law without saying a word.
Cheng Chumo wore full armor and helmet, gripping the horizontal saber across his waist, standing at the main gate with bright eyes glaring at the guests entering row by row. As Grand General of the Qianniu Guard, tonight’s security arrangements were his to organize.
Tonight the Great Emperor, Empress Dowager, Emperor, Empress, all the civil and military officials of the court, as well as the great scholars of Yushan Academy, Hongwen Hall, and the Imperial Academy would arrive. If anything happened tonight, even a hundred heads wouldn’t be enough to chop off. So he was extremely cautious.
Old Cheng, seeing his imposing son, said to Li Jing beside him: “My old man’s son still has a few parts of martial might, doesn’t he? Grand General—the Qianniu Guard’s leather armor fits him perfectly.”
“Just a bodyguard chief. Actually this job should be yours. With a build like yours, you’d be excellent for blocking arrows! Probably couldn’t be shot through without an eight-ox crossbow, especially your face!”
Li Jing irritably insulted Cheng Yaojin, shook his sleeves, and was first to enter the great hall. Cheng Yaojin made a very crude gesture behind him, drawing a round of scolding from the old generals. Giggling and laughing, he also followed and stepped into the great hall.
Old Cheng’s foot had just stepped in when he hastily pulled it back, steadying himself on the doorframe and shouting with his loud voice: “Ox-nose, why are you digging pits at the entrance? You nearly made this old man fall down!”
Yun Ye glanced at the great hall’s floor surface and said with a bitter smile, pulling Old Cheng: “Uncle, that’s not a pit. It’s just painted floating clouds and sky. Today is an immortals’ gathering. Naturally they want to decorate this place to look like a heavenly palace.”
Cheng Yaojin looked at Yun Ye doubtfully, tentatively stepped down with one foot to test it, and only then walked into the hall cursing. In his heart he also somewhat admired Li Jing—how did that fellow not get startled? It seemed Old Li’s mental cultivation was a notch above his own. Then he decided to stay together with Yun Ye. Even if there were more strange things, he wouldn’t lose face like just now.
Compared to the hall full of guests’ tall caps and magnificent robes, Li Er only used a single white jade hairpin to pin up his hair, wearing a loose black robe, sitting there expressionless. Li Chengqian attended at his side, pouring wine for his father while speaking of the various wonders here.
Only the Daoist sect could use crystal to make furniture. The floor surface beneath their feet was painted with auspicious clouds, half bright and half dark. Where it was bright, soft light diffused up from below like sunlight. The dark parts had only pitch-black night and stars filling the sky. This probably represented the two poles of yin and yang.
Only at this moment did Yun Ye discover that the floor surface was actually paved with glass. Such thick glass panels—who knew how much money the Daoist sect had spent? For this one banquet, they truly had invested heavily.
The beautiful yellow-capped female Daoists walked as if floating on water. Various white jade plates began flowing in like water, loaded with delicacies. There were lychees and bananas from Lingnan, loquats and plums from Jiangnan, both enormous cold melons and fragrant melons from the Western Regions. Golden apricots and honey peaches were too numerous to count. To tell the truth, the Yun Family didn’t have this kind of ability.
Li Chengqian’s young son looked enviously at Yun Lei sitting behind the Great Emperor, vigorously attacking a honey peach. He also wanted to go, but his mother held him tightly, not letting him leave her side, as if that place were a dragon’s pool and tiger’s den.
After Yuan Tiangang rose and bowed to Li Er and Li Chengqian, he clapped his hands. Six golden-armored strongmen walked out from the side hall. Each one was as robust as a mountain. They pressed their massive palms against the front wall and the two side walls, gave an angry roar, and actually pushed those three walls out horizontally. The entire great hall immediately merged with the garden outside. Fire pillars outside ignited with a roar, illuminating the entire heaven and earth—supremely beautiful!
Hearing these familiar roars, Yun Ye looked toward Li Chunfeng beside him in shock. This was clearly Han Nu’s voice. Could it be that their connections had reached the point where they could borrow Han Nu from Han Zhe?
Han Zhe and he were brothers, but he and Li Er were enemies. Han Nu was fundamentally a creature without reason. Once he went berserk, Yun Ye didn’t know who could stop Han Nu for even a moment!
Seeing Yun Ye suddenly stand up, Li Er couldn’t help but open his mouth in a smile, immediately returning to that ancient-well-without-ripples appearance. Li Chunfeng said quietly: “Duke Chu, don’t be alarmed. Han Nu’s feet are all chained with refined steel. Their range of movement is only that large. It’s harmless. This matter has already been reported to His Majesty’s knowledge. It wasn’t the Daoist sect acting on their own authority.”
Having spoken, he pointed at a person sitting in the corner. Yun Ye looked in the direction he indicated and immediately sighed. Han Zhe’s uncle or brother Pang Zhun was here. This fellow still hadn’t died after all these years. After nearly twenty years, Yun Ye still clearly remembered this fellow’s appearance—mainly because he was too ugly.
Seeing Yun Ye look at him, Pang Zhun immediately opened his mouth full of crooked teeth, cupping his short hands and bowing to Yun Ye, appearing very pleased with himself.
Yun Ye struggled to turn his head back and said quietly to Li Chunfeng: “The Princess of Tubo didn’t come?”
Li Chunfeng smiled as if possessed of profound knowledge and didn’t answer. Instead he said: “Tubo’s most noble young lady is currently at the academy, with our Daoist sect protecting her safety. If these Han Nu make any unusual movements that alarm the noble person, that young lady will immediately become meat paste.”
A small cart was pushed out from the distance until it reached the center. Only then did Yun Ye see clearly that sitting on the cart was the aged Yuan Shoucheng. But pushing the cart was the young Yuan Shoucheng. The old Yuan Shoucheng sat on the cart with a face full of smiles. If one didn’t see that red line on his neck, anyone would think this old fellow was still alive.
The young Yuan Shoucheng smiled and cupped his hands toward the Emperor: “This humble Daoist has played in the red dust for over a hundred years. My heart has been like a furnace, suffering torment. Yet this body has already decayed and can no longer serve me in studying the great dao of heaven and earth. Through nine deaths and one life, I’ve finally shed this worn shell and regained vitality. I request His Majesty establish legitimacy for this humble Daoist!”
This had all been agreed upon beforehand. Li Chengqian also didn’t say much, lest he be criticized by later generations. With a wave of his hand, Li Yifu immediately came forward. Taking the imperial edict from the palace attendant’s hands and having paid respects to the Emperor and Great Emperor, he unrolled the decree and began reading…