Although the Astronomical Department Head Yan Chang had been accused of misleading the emperor in the eyes of some of the ministers, in truth his main responsibility was to observe celestial phenomena, calculate the solar terms, and formulate the calendar.

These jobs truly needed to be performed by intelligent people, and often seemed a bit mysterious, but Yan Chang rarely did superfluous things on work days. He was the most Buddhist among the court officials: he did not flatter, nor did he give unsolicited advice.

However, as the Head of the Imperial Astronomy Department, he would inevitably be pushed to the forefront before the emperor when it came to matters like the Land and Water Assembly.

Almost all of the Heads of the Astronomical Department possessed some special qualities; they had been observing celestial phenomena during all four seasons day after day, year after year, may might have been able to glean some of its subtleties. It wasn’t without reason that Yan Chang could feel that the old beggar was special even among the assembled experts, just like he could observe the stars.

But Yan Chang never thought that the old beggar would bring him disaster. He now lay on the ground, not daring to move.

The emperor sneered and pointed a finger downwards.

“Capture the Astronomical Observations Department Head Yan Chang, and this old beggar!”

“Yes!”

At the emperor’s command, the guards around him instantly leapt into action, their advanced martial arts skills giving them explosive momentum.

In an instant, their silhouettes flashes by, and knives had been placed against the old beggar’s neck from three directions: the left, right, and back. He was surrounded by blades.

Two other knives were placed on Yan Chang’s neck. The guards confiscated the jade tablet and detained him with his hands behind his back. His body was like a child at the mercy of the guards, and they pulled him directly up off the floor.

Yan Chang’s face was pale, his heart beating so fast that it felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. His mind was full of the same thought: ‘It’s over, it’s over…’.

“Yan Chang, let me ask you, who suggested that you recommend this old beggar? Was it Prince Wu or Prince Jin?”

The two princes were terrified, and almost simultaneously knelt down and cried out their grievances.

“How could your son dare do such a treasonous thing?”

“Your son was not aware!”

This was truly an unexpected crisis for the two princes, and they hated Yan Chang even more at this moment.

“Ah…”

Yan Chang closed his eyes and sighed quietly, trying to calm himself down, before opening his eyes once more.

“Your Majesty, I recommended him myself. It has nothing to do with Their Two Highnesses. Mr. Lu is a true master, but this minister didn’t know that he would dare say such treasonous words before the court. I recognize my crime…”

Emperor Yuan De snorted coldly and looked at the old beggar. The latter’s expression remained the same, particularly that pair of eyes staring at him. His gaze was very calm, and he felt some inexplicable feelings in his heart.

“Then what about you? Did someone instruct you to do this…”

Emperor Yuan De hesitated for a moment, then continued.

“Or did you truly intend to say that just now?”

Of the experts who had made their way to the sides of the hall, some looked calm but were uneasy in their hearts, while others appeared to be gloating.

The jade-faced¹ monk was also among the group of experts. At this moment, he looked at the old beggar, and then at the old emperor, murmured to himself, and sighed.

“Praise be to the Great Mingwang Buddha…”

The old beggar just looked at Emperor Yuan De and did not answer him immediately. Instead, he glanced at Yan Chang, whose face was ashen.

“Hey, Mr. Yan, this old beggar feels a little sorry for you…”

After saying this, the old beggar looked up at the emperor and smiled again. However, he no longer had the same solemnity and respect that he had originally shown in his first question. Instead, he was as cynical as he usually was when he was begging.

“Your Majesty, this matter is all because this old beggar uttered some arrogant words. It’s not Lord Yan’s fault. It has nothing to do with the princes. How about this? Execute me, this old beggar, and it should also dispel His Majesty’s anger.”

Execution?

Yan Chang was now extremely sensitive to this word. Then he realized that it was not him that they were talking about, but rather this old beggar who was asking for his own death.

Although the court officials to either side had many speculations in their hearts, such as the possibility that this might be to protect some mastermind behind the scenes, they did not dare discuss it at this moment, so the front of the hall was very quiet.

The old emperor looked gloomy and uncertain as he stared at the old beggar.

It took a long time for him to speak.

“If you truly have supernatural powers or mysterious magic, show them to me. As long as they are real, I will not only forgive your crime, but also confer a title and reward upon you!”

As soon as these words were spoken, there were whispers of chatter among the court officials. Even Yan Chang looked at the old beggar with hope. He had seen Ji Yuan wielding his sword and dancing in the moonlight, and he had seen the old beggar catch a cat, but from the conversation between the group of masters at that time, it seemed that the cat was also extraordinary.

However, the old beggar shook his head and smiled wryly.

“No need, just execute this old beggar.”

“You……”

The old emperor gripped the armrests of the dragon throne tightly with both hands, leaned forward, and spoke sternly.

“Do you really think I wouldn’t dare to kill you?”

Even though the old beggar had three knives held to his neck, he seemed to be ignoring them. With his hands restrained by the guards, he simply tilted his head and rubbed his shoulder against the blades to scratch an itch.

Even the guards nearby couldn’t help but secretly marvel at the old beggar’s boldness. They grabbed his hands and used their Qi to probe his body, finding that his body was “empty” — he was not a martial arts master.

Once the old beggar finished scratching his itch, he looked at the old emperor with the same expression, and there was even a hint of pity in his eyes.

“Your Majesty, there is no need to worry about killing an old beggar. Your Majesty, please proceed.”

The veins on the back of the emperor’s old hand twitched due to the force of his agitation, and his chest heaved in anger. The way the old beggar looked at him made him furious.

“Hahaha…Okay! Palace Guard, heed my orders. Take this old beggar out to Yongning Street immediately and behead him! As a warning! To everyone!”²

“As the Head of the Astronomical Observations Department in charge of this event, Minister of Ceremonies Yan Chang shall be…”

Yan Chang on the side couldn’t help but tremble, and fine beads of sweat kept oozing out of his forehead.

“Dismissed from his post, and thrown into the Heavenly Prison!”

“Yes Sir!”

“Yes Sir!”

Yan Chang’s whole body seemed to have lost all strength and fell to the ground. The two guards carried him and dragged him out of the hall. He used his remaining strength to look back at the old beggar; the latter walked steadily and was escorted out of the hall by several guards.

After the two “criminals” were escorted out, the hall became silent. The two princes were still kneeling on the ground, too afraid to stand up or raise their heads. They could even feel their father’s eyes on them.

“Hmph, you two, get up!”

“Thank you, Father!”

The two thanked him in unison. When stood up, they subconsciously glanced at each other, and both saw a lingering fear in each other’s eyes.

After experiencing such an incident, many of the remaining fifteen experts in the hall were trembling a little in fear. The lessons they had learned in the past had played out right before their eyes. The other officials from the Imperial Astronomical Department and the Ministry of Rites who were in charge of the Assembly ceremonies were also very nervous.

As the saying went, an emperor’s order must not be neglected. Since the emperor personally ordered the immediate execution in front of the palace, the guards naturally perked up and immediately escorted the old beggar to the street outside the palace.

There was no need to wait, not even until noon. The palace guards escorted the old beggar, followed by a squadron of imperial guards, and brought him directly to Yongning Street, as if he were a court minister who had committed a crime.

The Imperial Guard, armed with spears and halberds, cleared the way of pedestrians ahead.

“Out of the way, out of the way, don’t block the road!”

“Bystanders, please stay away!”

When many people saw this scene, they knew that someone was going to be beheaded. Immediately, many people followed around the periphery, and even more with less benevolent intentions rushed over upon hearing the news.

“It seems that someone is going to beheaded over there!”

“Really?”

“Go and see and you’ll find out!”

“Let’s go…”

“Wait for me.”

Watching a beheading was also a special kind of lively spectacle.

“Hey, there seems to be an old beggar in the prison cart?”

“Is it that minister who came out of the prison?”

“No, he’s really a beggar. Look at his clothes, it’s not even a prison uniform!”

“That’s true…”

“This beggar doesn’t seem to be afraid at all?”

“Is he scared?”

……

This scene also attracted some special people, including Ji Yuan and several cultivators from Yuhuai Mountain.

Ji Yuan also followed the crowd of ordinary people who were moving alongside the prison cart, and shouted in the direction of the prison cart with a puzzled voice.

“Mr. Lu, what crime have you committed?”

Only the old beggar’s head was exposed outside the prison cart, and he wore shackles and ankle restraints. He could barely turn around to shout at Ji Yuan.

“Mr. Ji, I offended the emperor in court, and I shall be beheaded!”

Ji Yuan was a little dumbfounded, but at the same time a little curious. If this old beggar didn’t get away, would he really be beheaded?

But before he had time to think about it, two imperial guards immediately came to Ji Yuan and looked at him seriously.

“Who are you and what is your relationship with the criminal?”

“Uh… Gentlemen, please understand that I just drank tea with this old beggar. I have nothing else to do with him!”

Ji Yuan bowed with cupped hands, his demeanor composed, with a calm smile on his face.

The imperial guards looked at each other, but they didn’t make things too difficult for him. They just told him to stay out of the way.

Although the Imperial Guard let Ji Yuan leave, the old beggar did not let Ji Yuan go so easily.

“Mr. Ji~! I heard that beggars can eat a meal before their execution. I’m a little tired, how about you help me out and prepare me a bowl of rice to eat?”

Seeing his look, Ji Yuan smiled, nodded, and turned away.

When Ji Yuan came back, the old beggar was chained to the center of Yongning Street, surrounded from afar by a large group of ordinary people.

“Please make way, please make way, I’m here to serve him his last meal!”

Ji Yuan apologized and squeezed his way forward. When the others heard that it was a last meal for the prisoner, they immediately moved away. Soon, Ji Yuan was able to squeeze past the wall of people.

Several cultivators from Yuhuai Mountain stood together, looking at Ji Yuan and the old beggar with strange expressions.

“Master Uncle, what kind of trick is going on here?”

The old man who had been questioned thought about it carefully, his gaze uncertain.

“Just watch.”

Ji Yuan carried a bowl full of minced pork with rice and sauce. After greeting the surrounding palace and imperial guards, he walked over to the old beggar. By that point, the old beggar’s shackles had been undone, so he could eat by himself.

“Mr. Lu, please enjoy.”

The old beggar took the big bowl with a big smile, thanked him, and started eating with large mouthfuls.

He quickly finished the full bowl of rice. It tasted delicious.

“Buurp…”

After a burp, the old beggar returned the bowl and chopsticks to Ji Yuan.

“Hehe… Mr. Ji, you had better move a little further away, so as not to let this old beggar’s blood stain your clothes for a while. Oh, but you have an immaculate body, so you must not be afraid of this little bit of dirt.”

Ji Yuan took the bowl and chopsticks, shook his head, and walked slowly back to the crowd of spectators outside.

It seemed that the old beggar truly intended to be “beheaded.” This reminded Ji Yuan of the Ghost Mother he had previously captured, who was also able to survive after being beheaded.

“Since you’ve finished eating, let’s be on our way. Don’t blame us for being ruthless, blame yourself for committing a capital crime!”

After the palace guard in front of the hall finished speaking, he personally acted as the executioner: he drew his sword and raised it high, while the old beggar knelt on the ground with his head lowered.

Almost all the onlookers subconsciously shrank their bodies back, and there were gasps and trembling in the crowd.

The next moment, the guard swung his sword.

“Pfft…”

A head rolled down, blood spurted from his neck, and many onlookers shivered.

“Ah…”

“Aaaah…!”

“Hiss…”

Ji Yuan opened his supernatural eyes and looked carefully at the old beggar. Suddenly, he realized something.

After about four or five breaths, something happened that horrified all the onlookers and the executioners.

The headless corpse lying on the ground actually stood up by itself, and staggered forward, feeling around itself.

“Aaah…!”

“A ghost!”

“It’s a zombie, run!”

“Aaaah…!”

“Run…”

“Don’t push me!”

……

All the common people fled in a hurry, and the surrounding Imperial and Palace Guard were all horrified. They couldn’t escape, nor could they move forward, and their bodies were a little stiff…

“Hey, here, here!”

The head that rolled to the side spoke, as if guiding the body to come find itself.

After another moment, the headless body picked up the head and pressed it back on his neck.

“Crack! Crack! Crack…”

The old beggar twisted his neck, making a crackling sound, and then looked at the palace guards with a smile on his face.

“Alas, the fate of this dynasty cannot be easily influenced. The master-disciple destiny between me and the emperor… is no more!”

T/n: JY’s cultivator friends are all some flavor of troll.

1. i.e. handsome, fair-skinned
2. Raws have a comma after every character at the end of the sentence to show that he’s screaming each word

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read