While the others at the banquet were still toasting to each other, Prince Jin quietly walked to his teacher’s, Li Mushu’s, side.

“Teacher, tonight it seems my elder brother has upset my royal father, so he came to my place temporarily…”

“Shh… Your Hightness Prince Jin, please don’t speak of it. Just pretend you don’t know.”

Li Mushu looked in the direction of the Emperor. He spoke softly, but his words held great weight. Prince Jin trusted him very much.

“By the way, Yin Jieyuan, have you become more at ease eating at this prince’s family banquet?”

Prince Jin faced Yin Zhaoxian, on the other side of Li Mushu. At least on the surface, the man did not appear to be very reserved.

Yin Zhaoxian quickly set down his chopsticks and bowed to Prince Jin.

“Thank you, Your Highness, for your invitation. The food and wine is delicious, but this chair is already quite hot…”¹

Seeing that Yin Zhaoxian was actually making a joke, Prince Jin nodded with a smile.

“Yin Jieyuan, no need to be so reserved. Everyone in the capital knows my temperament. The friends I invited don’t hold any important official positions, so this couldn’t be considered forming a party for personal gain. As a commoner at the moment, you are naturally innocent of such as well.”

When these words fell from Prince Jin’s lips, Yin Zhaoxian’s spine burned slightly, but he felt a little more at ease.

“Haha, speaking of hot chairs, that storyteller over there is even worse off than you.”

Yin Zhaoxian also took the opportunity to glance at the table about seven or eight feet away. It was obvious that the storyteller didn’t even dare to drink his tea.

The Emperor had no idea that, according to common people’s understanding, at the moment there were in fact two gods inside the banquet hall. And yet he was now asking the storyteller what happened to mortals after they died.

“Mr. Wang, do you know if people really go to the underworld after they die? Where is the underworld located?”

The storyteller’s name was Wang Li. Facing the emperor for such a long time was more tiring than performing several ventriloquism shows. Crucially, he was very nervous, and didn’t dare make any mistakes.

“Replying to His Majesty, I have heard that the underworld is the dwelling place of souls. When a person dies, ghost messengers will come to lead the way. I, a mere mortal, do not know where it is located. I have heard that it seems to have some relationship with the local city gods. In folk tales, the great gods of various divisions in the City God Temple will judge a person’s merits in life and determine their fate after death. After all, there are Judges in the temple.”

The emperor stroked his beard and drank another glass of wine, pondering this and that in his mind. He asked the storyteller again with a smile.

“I have read many books and historical accounts. The local city gods were mostly elected by the villagers to have temples built for them. Officials of the dynasty who were virtuous and talented were also posthumously elevated. In the past, my ancestor Emperor Zhengyuan issued an edict to order the city gods to appear before him.² However, all that is in the temple are clay sculptures. There is no way any real gods can appear.”

The storyteller had no idea how to answer. He had traveled around collecting stories, and had some special insight. At this moment, he didn’t dare judge the Emperor’s words, or comment on the city gods.

The Emperor also asked whether there were truly immortals in the famous immortal mountains, whether there were really dragon palaces in the rivers and seas, and whether there was any way to summon gods and immortals to appear before him. However, no matter how knowledgeable the storyteller or how vivid his tale, he was still mortal after all. The Emperor was not very satisfied with the subsequent conversation.

After a while, the emperor finally let the storyteller go and ordered someone to move the screen back to its original position so that the storyteller could continue to telling the story.³

Ji Yuan and the Old Dragon had already walked from the round table to the space behind the screen. They gazed at the storyteller’s back. It was a cold day, but his back was already wet with sweat.

The old dragon laughed.

“This person could be considered well-informed, for a mortal. He answered questions about matters concerning ghosts, spirits, and monsters quite accurately.”

The old Emperor was dissatisfied with the storyteller’s ambiguous answers, but Ji Yuan and the Old Dragon looked at the storyteller differently. For example, in one scene where a “wild ghost” was pestering people for “porridge,” the storyteller related the traditional method of “sticking chopsticks in the porridge” and throwing it out of the hose with their back turned.⁴ This was fascinating.

Ji Yuan also smiled.

“It’s a pity that the Emperor has no interest in these kinds of folk secrets; he wants to become an immortal and live forever!”

“Haha, he has all obtained all the benefits of the world, but he is still not satisfied. This is truly the king of the world!”

The Old Dragon spoke these sentences not with sarcasm, but simply stating facts.

The Emperor returned to his seat to eat and drink, and new hot dishes were continuously served from the kitchen.

The people of Dazhen traditionally stayed up all night to celebrate the New Year. For example, in Prince Jin’s palace, there was wine, food, and performances. The banquet needed to last until midnight, so the kitchen would be continuously busy until after midnight. Either way, when the Prince and the Emperor reached for their chopsticks, their food had to be hot.

By the end of the Hai hour,⁵ Ji Yuan had already felt the aura between heaven and earth churning. It was evident that there were indeed different spiritual changes when the old year was replaced with the new year.

“The hour is coming, let’s be quiet and respectful!”

A servant shouted loudly at the door. Hearing his voice, even the Emperor put down his chopsticks. The zithers, pipa, and lutes in the house stopped playing, waiting for the arrival of the New Year.

Ji Yuan and the Old Dragon had already left the house. The former opened his eyes wide and looked up at the sky and the earth. In the gray mist, clear energy was accumulating and rising, while the murky air was dissipated as it descended, as if a new space were being torn open between heaven and earth, as if the curtain had opened for the clear energy hanging on the clouds and ascending into the heavens.

The aura of humanity from the Capital Prefecture also continued to rise, as if impacting the gray fog in the air, causing the clear and the murky auras to swirl together.

“So this is how we say goodbye to the old, and welcome the new!”

Ji Yuan sighed, full of emotion.

The Old Dragon also opened his eyes wide to look at the world, but at most he could feel a special kind of pulse. He distinctly felt that what Ji Yuan saw was absolutely different from what he saw, but he didn’t dare ask him what he was seeing.

“Crackle, crackle, crackle…”

The sound of firecrackers began to sound in the capital city, growing more and more frequent. Even at the gate of Prince Jin’s palace, some servants lit long firecrackers.

It was likely that there were no fireworks in this era, otherwise the sky over the Capital Prefecture would be extremely dazzling and bright.

Watching the changes of heaven and earth that occurred once a year, the Qi of the five elements in Ji Yuan’s body were driven to become more active. Five colors appeared in his eyes, mouth, nose, and orifices with each breath. The True Fire of Samadhi in his inner world alchemy furnace overflowed with heat, making the courtyard of Prince Jin’s mansion as warm as if it were spring.

The old dragon took two steps away with a strange expression on his face.

No wonder Ji Yuan was so unwilling to go to the underwater palace. It turned out that the changes that occurred at the end of the year could also be used for cultivation. This was indeed a miraculous method that he had never heard of before.

And although this burst of heat was merely warmth, it contained a certain feeling that made even a true dragon feel fear, as if it were some kind of powerful technique.

The Green Vine Sword had already flown into the sky by itself. It seemed that it could see what Ji Yuan saw, as it was in tune with Ji Yuan’s mind. It flew back and forth in the sky, capturing the clear energy for Ji Yuan. As the immortal sword stirred the sky, a cloud of spiritual Qi swept down immediately.

Although it was insignificant compared to the whole world, a unique vitality and energy rolled through it.

Several of his chess pieces had emerged, quickly attracting the clouds of Qi and guidint it into Ji Yuan’s body. The Qi directly poured into the mountains and rivers of Ji Yuan’s inner world, pulled in by the alchemy furnace.

The True Fire of Samadhi in the furnace reacted like an ordinary furnace fire that had suddenly been pumped with oxygen, overflowing from the openings in the furnace body.

At this moment, Ji Yuan’s whole body grew even hotter, and even the Old Dragon subconsciously took another half step back. The ice and snow in Prince Jin’s courtyard garden completely melted…

“Spring Festival, Spring Festival! What a joyful beginning. The New Year’s Qi is clear, all things are born anew!”⁶

The Old Dragon was still in shock when he heard Ji Yuan say this out of nowhere.

As if realizing something, the Old Dragon looked down at his surroundings, and discovered that in the central garden of the palace, some vegetation had sprouted in a short period of some; some had even produced buds at a speed visible to the naked eye, ready to bloom.

“Mr. Ji, you…”

Before the Old Dragon could finish his shocked words, a servant who was passing by the palace delivering food suddenly screamed.

“Ah…! The flowers in the garden are blooming! The flowers in the garden are blooming, the garden, really… ah!”

The female servant’s words were incoherent. Another servant came out with a lantern to take a closer look. Sure enough, they saw a whole garden covered in green, even dotted with red flowers.

“It’s real!”

“It’s really blooming!”

“It’s a sign from heaven, an auspicious omen from heaven!”

The screams of the servants below could be faintly heard from inside the banquet hall. However, it was too noisy inside for people to hear them clearly.

The people of his own palace were shouting on such an important day; Prince Jin frowned, fearing that his father would be unhappy.

However, before he could question them, a steward from the mansion trotted into the banquet hall and explained the reason for the servants’ excitement.

Emperor Yuan De was the first to stand up.

“Is this true?”

The others in the hall had expressions of disbelief, but the steward was full of assurances.

“Your Majesty, Your Highness, this is absolutely true. Just open the door and take a look. If I have told a lie, may you remove my head!”

“Okay! Let’s go and see!”

Both the Emperor and the guests stood up impatiently.

“Your Majesty, quickly put on your cloak!”

The queen took the Emperor’s cloak from the servants, and the Emperor hurriedly put it on and ran straight to the door of the banquet hall. Naturally, no one else dared walk in front of the Emperor.

The servants of the palace held lanterns to light the way, while the group of guests followed. In just seven or eight breaths, they had already entered the courtyard sgarden.

Looking around, they saw that the ice and snow in the courtyard had melted and turned green, with red flowers blooming and exuding fragrance.

“It’s true, it’s true!”

The emperor muttered to himself in amazement, and the other guests couldn’t restrain their shock.

“Your Majesty, this is a blessing from heaven!”

“It is indeed an auspicious omen!”

“Today’s banquet was really worth attending!”

“Congratulations to His Majesty, congratulations to His Royal Highness Prince Jin!”

“Gods bless Dazhen!”

……

Amidst the compliments, the Emperor seemed to have thought of something. He looked around and suddenly shouted.

“I am Emperor Yuan De of Dazhen. If there is a god here, I hope you will show yourself. I will build a grand temple for you and grant you eternal worship!”

Ji Yuan and the Old Dragon, who were standing very close to Emperor Yuan De, were stunned at his words. The latter looked at Ji Yuan with a smile, while the former shook his head helplessly.

“Let’s go, there’s nothing to see here.”⁷

After Ji Yuan finished his sentence, he walked towards Yin Zhaoxian, who had come outside along with the crowd. He snapped his fingers, and a small stream of the remaining clear energy poured into his forehead, making his virtuous spirit shine brightly.

Yin Zhaoxian was originally shocked by the changes in the garden, but he suddenly felt as if he had bathed in a clear spring. Instead of feeling cold, he felt refreshed.

Under the influence of his virtuous spirit, his vision blurred for a brief moment, and he vaguely saw two figures walking away. Their backs were somewhat familiar.

When he looked again, the blurriness was gone, and the palace buildings were still in front, with no figures in sight.

“Was that Mr. Ji?”

Li Mushu, who was close by, heard the murmur, and turned his head to look at Yin Zhaoxian. He only to feel that this man was an upright and extraordinary person.

As for the Emperor’s repeated shouts, naturally no god nor man responded.

1. Joke: “hot chair” as in the temperature, “hot chair” as in the attention YZX has been getting as the Jieyuan & Li Mushi’s guest
2. T/n: WOW that absolute a**hole arrogance really runs in the family, doesn’t it
3. T/n: WOW OK THEN not only did he grill this poor storyteller on stuff he would have no idea how to answer, AND just assumed that he had a right to summon literal gods at his beck and call, but he also interrupted the story in the middle? Ok I know this isn’t that kind of story but I really want JY to punch him
4. Standing chopsticks upright resembles the incense sticks used to honor the dead, so it is taboo to do so normally. However, in this case, it could be seen as a way to honor the dead spirit and appease them.
5. 21:00-22:00 / 9-10PM
6. 春节春节，春之元朔，清气引新年，万物生机长 – 4 lines of poetry, made of 2 couplets (4/4 and 5/5).
7. T/n: OOOH THE BUUUURN YESSS

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read