Chi Changye brought Geng Xinghe with him, walking all the way from Luoyan Mountain into the capital city of Shangjing.
Along this path, they passed through the most destitute and impoverished slums of the Great Zhou capital, as well as its most bustling and prosperous commercial districts, finally ending at the imperial city where the royal lineage resided.
Along the way, they witnessed ragged, threadbare elders and children who, despite lacking food and clothing, still smiled as they handed a bowl of clean water to Chi Changye when he asked for a drink; they also saw brightly dressed, opulent merchants distributing porridge and performing charitable deeds within the slums.
There were traveling doctors carrying medicinal packs to dispense herbs, a young master helping an old grandmother retrieve her stolen money pouch, and an elderly beggar who, despite begging for scraps, still shielded the young child beside him.
Geng Xinghe kept his face hidden beneath the brim of a bamboo hat, lowering his eyes as though deep in thought.
Chi Changye said nothing either.
Not until they entered the imperial city did Chi Changye stop in his tracks: ‘Xinghe, do not kill the innocent indiscriminately; spare the children.”
His young disciple harbored a monstrous, overwhelming hatred deep within his heart.
Yet no matter how fierce that hatred burned, there were innocent souls within Prince Huai’s estate.
Especially the children.
Geng Xinghe offered a sweet, radiant smile, looking remarkably pure and well-behaved. “Master, rest assured.”
Chi Changye was not entirely reassured.
Yet he had no other choice.
The azure-clad immortal patted Geng Xinghe’s shoulder. “I am going into the palace to see the Emperor; perhaps I can restore the Geng family’s innocence. When that time comes, whether you wish to remain on the mountain or return home, you may choose as you please.”
“This disciple is not leaving the mountain,” Geng Xinghe said, pronouncing each word with absolute clarity.
A faint film of tears shimmered within the boy’s eyes.
Chi Changye sighed, feeling a dull ache in his teeth.
This child seemed rather too prone to tears.
Clearly possessing a pair of eyes as bright and clear as the stars and the autumn moon, he always managed to keep them shrouded in a misty, watery veil.
Chi Changye could not bear the sight of Geng Xinghe’s tears.
Perhaps owing to that fragment of divine soul, or perhaps due to the core primordial blood, he was frequently able to perceive Geng Xinghe’s emotional states.
At this moment, the boy’s sorrow infected him, making Chi Changye feel as though it were he himself who wept.
Yet Chi Changye would never cry.
The young immortal patted the boy’s shoulder. “Very well, as you wish. Rest assured, I will not abandon you.”
“Now then, off you go.”
He spoke, watching the boy’s figure slip past the vermilion walls and vanish from his sight.
Chi Changye sighed once more, uncertain whether his decision was truly right or wrong.
After all, even after spending merely a month within the immortal sect, with what Geng Xinghe had learned, it was more than enough to slaughter the greater half of Shangjing.
That boy possessed terrifyingly abnormal talent.
Standing frozen in place for a brief moment, Chi Changye likewise vanished into thin air.
Ten years prior, when he descended the mountain, he had visited the Emperor.
Back then, he had come for the sake of all living beings; this time, he came for his own disciple.
When Chi Changye encountered the aged Emperor within the palace, he furrowed his brow. “A decade has passed, Your Majesty, why have you aged to this extent?”
Ten years ago, the Emperor had been barely past thirty, an age when he ought to have been at the absolute prime of his life. How was it that his hair was now entirely frosted with silver and his features aged and withered?
Though Emperor Chengze was only in his mid-forties, he looked as though he had already surpassed the age of knowing destiny.
The aged Emperor coughed a few times, prompting the attendant beside him to step forward hurriedly and smooth his back.
Emperor Chengze waved a hand, signaling the attendant to withdraw. “I am quite well. I know not what brings Immortal Lord Changye here today?”
“The Geng family,” Chi Changye stated concisely, laying bare the purpose of his visit.
“The Geng family?” Emperor Chengze furrowed his brow, looking somewhat bewildered.
Could it be that immortals, too, had their eyes on the Geng family’s wealth?
“The Geng family never committed treason,” Chi Changye said indifferently. “Does Your Majesty intend to order a retrial for this case?”
Emperor Chengze gazed at Chi Changye.
The azure-clad immortal did not evade his gaze, meeting the mortal ruler’s eyes directly.
A moment later, Emperor Chengze let out a long sigh. “How could I not know the Geng family was innocent? Yet now, my body is consumed by chronic illness, leaving me powerless to attend to state affairs. All matters of the court are currently controlled by the Crown Prince.”
“Hah,” Chi Changye offered a cold, mocking laugh. “So you are saying this Daoist needs to go have a conversation with the Crown Prince instead?”
“No, I will find a way to restore the Geng family’s innocence. It’s only that the Geng family.”
Lowering his gaze, Emperor Chengze hesitated for a fraction of a second before finally speaking, “The Geng family has no one left.”
For a fleeting instant, Chi Changye felt an impulse to summon his divine weapon and cleave the old Emperor—who sat feigning ignorance right before him, in two with a single stroke of his sword.
“It has been barely a month since the tragedy befell the Geng family. For a crime as grave as treason, Your Majesty executed their entire clan without conducting a thorough investigation?”
He asked in an icy tone.
“I did no such thing; I have always relied heavily upon the Geng clan, but alas.” Emperor Chengze squeezed out a pair of turbid tears and offered a bitter smile.
“Does the Immortal Lord look upon my present state and truly believe I am deceiving you?”
The Emperor’s condition genuinely mirrored that of a man stricken with a terminal affliction.
Chi Changye hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to take the Emperor’s pulse. A moment later, he withdrew his hand. “It is a parasitic witchcraft poison. Does Your Majesty know who administered it?”
“Who else could it be? That virtuous, highly praised good son of mine, the Crown Prince,” Emperor Chengze sneered, his narrowed eyes gleaming with a chilling ruthlessness.
Chi Changye pressed a hand against the old Emperor’s nape. With his movement, two blood-red parasitic worms were drawn forth from the Emperor’s body, which he casually crushed into nothingness between his fingers.
The crimson worms dissolved into a wisp of black smoke within Chi Changye’s palm and vanished entirely.
Retrieving a vial of medicinal pills from his qiankun pouch, Chi Changye handed them to Emperor Chengze. “Though these cannot grant Your Majesty longevity on par with the heavens, curing your affliction and extending your years is well within their power.”
The azure-clad immortal maintained a tranquil, unperturbed expression. “This Daoist has only a single condition: that Your Majesty restore the Geng family’s innocence. Otherwise, just as I am capable of saving Your Majesty, I am equally capable of taking your life.”
Emperor Chengze accepted the porcelain vial and broke into a smile. “The Immortal Lord would not do such a thing. Who does not know that among the three thousand immortal sects, Immortal Lord Changye is the one who most strictly abides by the Heavenly Dao? And I am the Son of Heaven.”
“Hah,” Chi Changye chuckled with icy detachment.
“Does Your Majesty imagine that if I, Chi Changye, wish to kill a man, the Heavenly Dao could stop me?”
The young immortal did not employ humble language, his smile remaining calm and detached, yet entirely devoid of anything that might make one doubt his readiness to kill at a moment’s notice.
Emperor Chengze’s expression finally cracked. “Why must Immortal Lord Changye insist on interfering in the affairs of the Geng family?”
Chi Changye rose to his feet, casting a sidelong glance at Emperor Chengze. “My young disciple, Geng Xinghe, is the young master of the Geng family. No doubt Your Majesty has heard his name before.”
Emperor Chengze’s countenance darkened unpleasantly.
Hearing him continue, Chi Changye stated, “Three months from now, if the Geng family has yet to be cleared of their false charges, this Daoist will personally return those parasitic worms to Your Majesty. The karmic retributions of the mortal realm shall then be left to the mortal realm to resolve.”
Chi Changye’s voice was freezing and detached.
Emperor Chengze’s expression grew even darker.
As a sovereign of an era, when had he ever been subjected to such blatant threats?
Even the Crown Prince invariably handled him with kid gloves and flattery on the surface.
Yet he knew all too well that Chi Changye was infinitely more terrifying than any ordinary adversary.
Emperor Chengze harbored zero doubt regarding the truth of Chi Changye’s words.
The man was entirely capable of carrying out his threat to execute him.
Hesitating for a long, grueling moment, the aged Emperor nodded. “Immortal Lord, rest assured. Once I recover my health and resume absolute control over the imperial court, I will inevitably restore the Geng family’s name.”
“The wealth and assets of the Geng clan must likewise be returned in full to my young disciple Xinghe, down to the very last copper coin,” Chi Changye added firmly.
Emperor Chengze stared in astonishment. “What? Is Geng Xinghe not cultivating upon an immortal mountain alongside the Immortal Lord? What use has he for mortal wealth?”
Chi Changye curved his lips into an enigmatic, half-amused smile. “Whether my young disciple desires them or not is his own affair; Your Majesty has no right to dispose of another person’s private property.”
Gritting his teeth in suppressed fury, Emperor Chengze ultimately had no choice but to nod. “Very well, I agree to all of it.”