Kong Hou had secretly hidden two cultivation story books in her room. One told of a swordsman who was very kindhearted, pitying the poor and cherishing the weak. One day while out, he helped a foul-smelling, dirty old man who was being bullied by ruffians. In reality, this old man was a heavenly immortal in disguise. To reward the swordsman’s benevolence, he gave him an immortal pill. After the swordsman ate the immortal pill, he instantly became an immortal on the spot and went to heaven to become a celestial official.

The other book was even more fantastical. The protagonist was an ordinary hunter who accidentally fell off a cliff and found a cultivation manual, thus embarking on the great path of cultivation. On this cultivation path, the hunter experienced countless trials and tribulations, was accepted as the final disciple by an expert, and ultimately became the leader of the righteous immortal sects, worshipped by countless male cultivators and adored by countless female cultivators. Unfortunately, the copy Kong Hou read didn’t have the grand finale. She very much wanted to know whether this hunter later succeeded in cultivating the great path and ascended to become an immortal.

For Kong Hou, who had no opportunity to access many folk story books, these two stories were extremely exciting. When young, she would occasionally fantasize that on some clear moonlit night with sparse stars, an immortal would descend from heaven, saying she was a rarely-seen cultivation prodigy and wanting to take her as a disciple.

When she first harbored such fantasies, she couldn’t even recognize all the characters yet and had to guess at the content of these two books. Now she could recite both books backwards and forwards from memory, yet still hadn’t waited for an immortal to descend.

In the past, before going to sleep at night, she would secretly chant, asking when Immortal Grandfather would come to fetch her. Now she was no longer a six or seven-year-old child, so she had learned to control her desires and would only chant once every three to five days.

She continued chanting like this, but the immortal never came.

Instead, the story books she had hidden were discovered by the female official. Her tutor punished her by making her copy books for a month, saying that as an imperial princess, she shouldn’t read such vulgar and base books.

The tutor said that the Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical exploits, disorder, or spirits.

But Kong Hou felt the tutor was lying, because in the years since Emperor Jing Hong ascended the throne, every year there were Heaven Worship Ceremonies, and he always liked to use divine miracles to emphasize how much he was valued by heaven. Palace servants also constantly said things like His Majesty was divinely ordained by heaven’s mandate.

Adults were always so hypocritical, saying one thing while meaning another.

Kong Hou sneered at such behavior—though of course she only dared to secretly scorn them.

When the silver light above the imperial palace grew increasingly dazzling, Kong Hou lowered her hands from cupping her face and stared without blinking at the radiance descending toward the palace court. Was this coming to fetch her?

The silver light was too intense, stabbing at Kong Hou’s eyes until they hurt a bit. She quickly rubbed her left eye with her hand while forcing her right eye to stay open. When her left eye felt better, she quickly opened it and used her hand to rub her right eye.

The immortal must… perhaps possibly be coming to fetch her, right?

The appearance of such a marvelous sight left all the civil and military officials somewhat unable to react. Emperor Jing Hong even lost his composure somewhat, standing up from the imperial throne and gazing upward with some mania.

Imperial heroes and emperors sought power and beauties. After possessing all these things, they would delude themselves about immortality. Emperor Jing Hong was a qualified emperor—the ambition and desire that emperors possessed, he lacked none of it.

The silver light gradually descended, and from within emerged an old man dressed in gray robes. The old man had white hair but a youthful face. He carried no sword on his body, nor any magical treasures, but that transcendent and extraordinary bearing of an expert made all the emperors, generals, and ministers present utterly convinced that this was an immortal.

“The Immortal Elder’s descent upon our humble country makes it shine brilliantly.” Emperor Jing Hong stepped forward quickly, but in his wild joy, when he was five steps away from the immortal, he stopped. He was a man with extreme vigilance, and even though the other party was an “immortal,” this was no exception. Performing a great ritual bow, Emperor Jing Hong said, “Please, Immortal, take the seat of honor.”

The immortal raised his hand: “No need.”

Hearing the immortal say this, everyone’s hearts grew fearful. The immortal’s attitude toward His Majesty was so cold—could it be that heaven was dissatisfied with His Majesty taking the throne from the former dynasty? But the former dynasty’s emperors for several generations were incompetent, making the common people suffer terribly. If they hadn’t rebelled, where would there be any way to survive?

As if guessing these people’s thoughts, the immortal stroked the beard on his chin: “I came today to repay a debt of gratitude to one person here.”

Repay gratitude?

Upon hearing these words, everyone’s hearts grew somewhat excited, wishing the object of the immortal’s gratitude was themselves. Who wouldn’t want to have some connection with an immortal? Fortunately, everyone still remembered their status and didn’t let their expressions appear too fanatical.

Emperor Jing Hong was somewhat disappointed, but at least the immortal wasn’t harboring dissatisfaction about him seizing the former dynasty’s realm, so he could be at ease. Turning his head to glance at the court officials standing below, Minister Zhang had a reputation for benevolence and kindness, Minister Li also often provided relief to the common people, and Minister Wang, before being transferred back to the capital, had even received an umbrella bearing ten thousand signatures of gratitude. He wondered who had such good fortune.

“May I ask whom the Immortal seeks?” Emperor Jing Hong was very magnanimous. The immortal wanting to thank his officials was also beneficial to him.

“A child.” The immortal smiled inscrutably. “I owe her a karmic debt.”

A child?

The only children who could appear here were imperial princes and imperial grandchildren. Emperor Jing Hong’s heart settled greatly: “I wonder which of my descendants has such a connection with the Immortal Elder?”

Kong Hou, blocked behind by adults, stood on tiptoe, wanting to see the immortal’s appearance, but was pulled back by an imperial granddaughter beside her.

The imperial granddaughter was only seven or eight years old and spoke bluntly without restraint: “You’re just a princess of a fallen former dynasty—stop trying to push forward.” Her Imperial Grandfather was a son of heaven, so naturally the one indebted to the immortal could only be imperial princes and granddaughters like them.

The palace servant beside the imperial granddaughter, seeing this, reached out and pressed Kong Hou firmly into her seat, not letting her stand up. The former dynasty’s emperor was muddled and incompetent, so his daughter was naturally also a person bearing sin. How could they let the Immortal Elder see such a sinner?

Kong Hou was unwilling: “I made wishes to the immortal—they will come to fetch me.”

Several imperial princes and granddaughters, hearing this, laughed mockingly in low voices: “How could the Immortal Elder come to fetch you, this remnant of the former dynasty? You Ji family people couldn’t even protect your realm and foundation, yet you still presume to have an immortal connection?”

Kong Hou’s eyes widened, and she opened her mouth: “You…”

The palace servant quickly reached out to cover her mouth, and she could no longer make a sound. The imperial princes and granddaughters smiled gleefully at her disheveled appearance. When palace attendants called them to meet the immortal, they straightened their clothes and walked out in a refined and courteous manner.

Looking at their gradually receding backs, Kong Hou wanted to reach out and grab the corners of their clothes, but they walked extremely quickly and soon disappeared behind the crowd. Kong Hou thought that perhaps very soon the immortal would take away some imperial prince or princess and would have no idea that she too had made wishes.

A soft-hearted palace attendant, seeing Kong Hou being pressed down by the palace servant and looking rather pitiful, couldn’t help but say quietly: “Your Highness, please don’t make a fuss, lest…”

If His Majesty and the Empress learned that this former dynasty princess presumed to approach the Immortal Elder, after the Immortal Elder departed, this former dynasty princess would probably not even keep her life.

Tears welled up in Kong Hou’s round eyes. This was the first time she had cried since being enfeoffed as Princess Pingning by the current emperor. She cried silently and soundlessly, tears falling in large drops, wetting the back of the palace servant’s hand and flowing into the palace servant’s blue sleeves.

Before her mother the Empress took her own life, she told her to live, to live with a smile.

She had always obediently listened, but today she couldn’t help it. The tears wouldn’t listen—there was nothing she could do at all. She truly had no way to make them stop.

Looking at the crowd of people blocking her, Kong Hou kept blinking, wanting the tears to obediently return, wanting her vision to become a bit clearer. However, the tears kept flowing down along her eye sockets, and her vision became so blurred she couldn’t see what was ahead.

Suddenly, the thick wall of people seemed to be impacted by something and began swaying left and right, even clearing a path for her vision. Kong Hou opened her eyes as wide as possible, striving to lift her head and look at the blurred gray figure before her.

Wang Tong bent down and took Kong Hou from the palace servant’s hands into his embrace, then turned to look at everyone: “This young lady is my benefactor.”

The entire hall was in an uproar. None of the civil and military officials had imagined that the one with a connection to the immortal would actually be the only bloodline remaining from the former dynasty.

“Immortal Elder…” Emperor Jing Hong looked at Kong Hou with her disheveled hair bun. “This girl is my adopted daughter, Princess Pingning.”

Wang Tong gently patted the little girl obediently lying on his shoulder, took out a cloak from his sumeru mustard seed pouch and covered her with it, then said to Emperor Jing Hong: “This girl and I have quite a deep connection.”

Emperor Jing Hong said without thinking: “If my unworthy daughter has a connection with the Immortal Elder, that is her good fortune. Why not let her serve by the Immortal Elder’s side and help ease his worries?”

How could Wang Tong not see that this human emperor didn’t care about this little girl at all? But he was a cultivator and didn’t wish to be entangled in these matters with him, so he nodded faintly: “I observe that this girl has no father-daughter karmic connection with Your Majesty. It is indeed fitting for me to take her away.”

Emperor Jing Hong was somewhat embarrassed. As the founding emperor of the current dynasty, what father-daughter karmic connection could he have with the bloodline of the former dynasty? He merely wanted to establish some connection with the immortal family. Now, having been mercilessly exposed by the Immortal Elder, though his face felt somewhat hot, he was able to win this realm precisely by being shameless, so he immediately changed his tune: “The Immortal Elder speaks truly.”

The several imperial princes and granddaughters who had bullied Kong Hou earlier now hid behind palace attendants, not daring to let the immortal see them, much less daring to let Kong Hou see them.

“Since this is so, then I shall take my leave.” After Wang Tong finished this sentence, he stepped on auspicious clouds and flew up on the spot. Emperor Jing Hong, seeing such immortal family methods, performed a great ritual bow without thinking: “Respectfully sending off the Immortal Elder.”

Kong Hou, lying in the immortal’s embrace, secretly looked down. This lofty emperor was at this moment humble and reverent, so insignificant as to be not worth mentioning.

“No need to look anymore. This departure severs all mortal connections. The mundane affairs of this realm are no longer related to you.” Wang Tong stroked the little girl’s fluffy head, causing her already somewhat crooked twin buns to completely come undone.

Kong Hou said quietly with a red face: “I eat quite a lot normally.”

Wang Tong smiled: “Could it be you’re afraid I can’t afford to raise you?”

“I… I’m afraid it will tire you to hold me.”

Wang Tong looked down at the little girl’s moist eyes: “Would a cultivator be so incapable?”

Kong Hou secretly looked at this immortal, feeling he seemed somewhat familiar, but after secretly thinking for a long time, her mind had no memories related to the immortal. Could it be she had seen him in a dream?

Then surely the immortal had heard her bedtime wishes.

“Immortal Elder, did you hear my wishes and so came specially to fetch me?”

Wang Tong looked down at the little girl’s eyes, which were full of expectation and yearning.

“Ah.” Wang Tong nodded awkwardly.

Perhaps it was because this child’s eyes were too beautiful—he, an old man who had lived for hundreds of years, couldn’t bear to disappoint her. Fortunately, he wasn’t a Buddhist monk, so telling a harmless little lie out of good intentions was acceptable.

How could a cultivator’s well-intentioned lie count as lying?