Chapter 215: Chapter 205: Qin Zheng Entrusting His Orphan
Where to celebrate? Of course, it's the usual place.
Spring Breeze Building.
The heart grows fonder with age!
It doesn't matter if the girls are less beautiful, what's important is to reminisce about the past, to recall the atmosphere of old times.
"With Old Dragon gone, there's no kin or enemy left in this world for me, only solitude and loneliness, wandering alone. From the beginning to the end, the only companion by my side has been a pleasure house!"
Zhou Yi let out a soft sigh and in an instant, more than sixty years had passed since he last returned to Qing Kingdom, a lifetime for mortals.
From the High Monk's Soul Search, he learned that Emperor Tai Shi was aging and his body weakening, growing more obsessed with seeking immortality and asking about the Tao. He was dissatisfied with the construction of Kunlun Palace and according to the Taoist scriptures, he extravagantly built it in accordance with the thirty-six Celestial Layers.
Corrupt officials were rampant, and refugees rose everywhere.
This did not affect the liveliness of Spring Breeze Building. It was never a place for the common folk, and it was already full of guests before nightfall.
The second-floor private room.
Zhou Yi reclined comfortably, his face and neck marked with several red lipstick prints, his Taoist robe exuding a strong scent of rouge and powder.
After Emperor Tai Shi abolished Buddhism, the status of Taoists in the countries of Cloud Continent soared. As they weren't forbidden from wine or marriage and were allowed to take wives, many scholars who had repeatedly failed their examinations spent silver to purchase a Taoist certificate.
Donning a Taoist robe and writing a few pieces about immortality and alchemy, if one caught the emperor's eye, they could soar to great heights!
The girl on the left was called Yinyin, with her delicate features and ample bosom. Her voice was gentle and seductive.
"Taoist master, you've been treating Spring Breeze Building as your home for half a month now, how can you still read scriptures and comprehend the Tao?"
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"This is how I cultivate the Tao,"
responded Zhou Yi. "To give many congratulations, to maintain humanity!"
The girl on the right giggled softly, feeding Zhou Yi grapes. She laughed and said, "Then Taoist master should stay here a few years longer, carefully practicing Dual Cultivation. Who knows, you might even become an immortal."
"Yuan Yuan, not bad, you even know about Dual Cultivation."
Zhou Yi counted with his fingers and shook his head, saying, "The person I am waiting for will arrive soon. I shall see her tonight."
Having said that, he beckoned to the madam of the house.
"Taoist master, what can I do for you?" The madam sashayed over, eyes squinted with a smile. This Taoist master had been extremely generous, scattering several ten thousand taels of silver in just half a month.
She made sure that the top courtesans took turns attending him, to guarantee his complete satisfaction.
"Today, change the song..."
Zhou Yi instructed, "Does anyone know how to sing 'The Legend of the Gods'?"
The madam looked puzzled. In her heyday, she was a celebrated Oiran, proficient in all kinds of music, yet this was the first time she heard this title.
"Taoist master, here at our..."
Zhou Yi took out a thick stack of silver notes from his sleeve and stuffed them into the madam's bosom.
"Tonight, the drinks for the whole house are on me!"
"Certainly, there must be."
The madam pinched the thickness of the silver notes, estimating at least twenty or thirty thousand taels, and nodded repeatedly, "Even if there isn't a girl in the house who knows it, I am willing to swallow my pride and go outside to find someone to sing it!"
In about half an hour.
The person on stage changed, no longer the graceful courtesan, but an old musician with white hair and beard.
The old musician sat cross-legged on the floor, resting the zither on his knees.
Zheng zheng zheng!
"...A single drop of bitter wine is a volume of history book!"
The musician's voice erupted like metal striking stone, long and desolate, out of place in this realm of revelry, directly pouring into the ears of the guests, who turned to look at the stage.
Seeing Zhou Yi's satisfied expression, the madam hurried over to take credit, "Taoist master, after sending people to more than a dozen marketplaces, we finally found someone who knows how to sing this song."
Zhou Yi nodded slightly and asked, "Such profound Inner Strength, yet willing to lower themselves to sing for a living, do you know his origins?"
The madam reverently replied, "I heard he's a wanderer from the martial world, from the Xianyin Sect, famous for their musical skills!"
"Xianyin, what a good name!"
Zhou Yi took out a stack of silver notes, then put them back, and instead took out a small bottle of elixir.
"A reward!"
...
At midnight.
Zhou Yi left Spring Breeze Building. Outside, the wind and snow were harsh, the ground covered in three to four inches of thick snow.
Squeak squeak squeak—
His footprints crunched in the snow, leading straight towards the Imperial Palace.
"Help me..."
A feeble voice came from a dark corner of the street. Zhou Yi hesitated before waving his hand to send out a light, helping the person recover their health.
Passing through streets and alleys, with each section walked, someone begged for help, or there were corpses lying on the ground.
Zhou Yi's gaze dropped. Initially, he would stop to express concern, but after witnessing it frequently, he only waved his hand to provide aid.
During the hour of Yin.
The doors of the Imperial City were tightly closed, the guards clad in black armor, standing upright amidst the wind and snow.
Emperor Tai Shi established his country with military achievements, once led an unbeatable army, knowing well that the foundation of rulership was the military. So, even after pillaging Cloud Continent for decades, he never forgot to strengthen the Imperial Court's military power.
Zhou Yi strolled to the palace gates, where the standing guards acted as if he were invisible, allowing him to pass straight through the gates towards Kunlun Palace.
The night was deep and silent.
The palace was brightly lit, and figures could be seen moving behind paper windows, whispering secrets or hatching plots.
"When was the last time I came to the palace? Oh, I have never been here before!"
Zhou Yi held a respectful awe for the palace, considering that, according to the tales, there could easily be an old monster hidden inside.
Now, in the Dharma-ending age, Zhou Yi had become the oldest of old monsters. It was his first visit to the palace, and naturally, he was curious, wandering from hall to hall with his hands clasped behind his back, comparing it to the palaces he had toured in his former life.
At one point, he entered Shangyang Palace and sat on the Dragon Throne, a pity that there was no camera to take a photo for remembrance.
After wandering around, he finally reached Kunlun Palace.
Figures with strong Qi-Blood guarded everywhere, both in plain sight and hidden, ensuring the defense was impenetrable.
Zhou Yi applied the Invisibility Technique and floated six inches off the ground, nonchalantly walking in, and what met his eyes was a Lingtian garden exquisitely carved from gold and jade.
"Qin Zheng's memory was not bad, but although the scenery remains the same, people have changed!"
Passing by the Lingtian, the pavilion, and entering the Taoist temple, the old, weak voice of Qin Zheng came from within.
"I've had a dream again!"