Chapter 1521: Preparations
Li Changge and the Qingqiu Mountain Master could not begin dual cultivation immediately because Li Changge still needed to make certain preparations. So for the foreseeable future, he would reside within the Qingqiu Mountain Paradise and would not return to the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion.
This was one of the advantages of being the Chief Deputy of the Imperial Capital Daoist Mansion. Authority and responsibility were balanced. Since the position did not wield overwhelming power, there were correspondingly fewer affairs to handle. Even if he disappeared for several months, it would not affect the normal operation of the Daoist Mansion. Even if the Daoist Mansion itself ceased functioning, the Imperial Court would handle everything, given that the Imperial Capital was the core of the Great Xuan Empire.
Things would be entirely different in the Poluo Daoist Mansion. Even if Zhang Yuelu abandoned her reforms, regular trade still had to continue. There were other tasks as well, like defending against storms, suppressing pirates, and combating smuggling and the slave trade. There were many complicated affairs in Poluo, making it impossible for Zhang Yuelu to simply walk away and leave everything unattended.
Thus, Zhang Yuelu had to remain in Poluo and could not return to the Dazhen Mansion for secluded cultivation.
As for a busy man like Qi Xuansu, whose authority was nearly boundless, the corresponding price was that he had no free time whatsoever. He could not be absent for a few days, let alone disappear for several months. Although the Southern Continent would remain even without Qi Xuansu, many of the initiatives currently underway would likely fizzle out and come to nothing.
Having successfully delivered Li Changge to the Qingqiu Mountain Paradise and arranged his meeting with the Qingqiu Mountain Master, the Li family considered their task complete. They did not stay long. After touring Qingqiu Mountain and sharing some tea, they departed to report back to the Imperial Preceptor.
Madam Su assigned two attendants to Li Changge. They were twin sisters of the fox clan. The fox clan was more promiscuous and open toward sexual relations. Madam Su even hinted that if Li Changge were interested in the twins, he could pursue something further. However, Li Changge politely declined the suggestion. He was not the sort of man to be swayed by beauty alone.
Madam Su temporarily left the sacred grounds. She normally resided in the Cangwu Hall, but having yielded it to Li Changge, she now needed to find another place to stay. After all, they could not live together like husband and wife.
Their dual cultivation was merely a fleeting encounter, not something to be taken seriously. If it were to develop into something more, and if genuine feelings became involved, the Imperial Preceptor would surely come seeking an explanation from Madam Su.
After all, in a lifespan of 100 years, Li Changge’s age could still be considered youth.
Once all preparations were complete, Madam Su would return to the sacred grounds and cultivate with Li Changge, helping him assimilate the Qinghuo Pearl.
After Madam Su departed, Li Changge stood beside the pond, gazing at the radiant Qinghuo Pearl as its light flowed and shifted. He remained silent for a long time.
Li Changge only snapped out of his thoughts when the twins approached from behind and spoke in unison. “Young Master.”
To his surprise, the title “Young Master” felt somewhat unfamiliar. Over the years, his family had always called him “Junior Imperial Preceptor.” The “Young Master” title was more commonly used for Li Tianzhen. Those within the Daoist Order addressed him by his official position, while those outside the Daoist Order generally followed suit and called him “Junior Imperial Preceptor.”
Li Changge turned around and glanced at the twins. He had to admit that they were extremely beautiful. Either one alone would rank among the finest beauties in the world, and the fact that they were twins made them even rarer. Moreover, the sisters had distinctly different temperaments. One was as cold as ice, while the other was as passionate as fire, creating a striking contrast of frost and flame.
Unfortunately, Li Changge’s ambitions lay elsewhere. Just as Qi Xuansu could abstain from women for the sake of his future, Li Changge was no less capable of doing the same. The key was that both men possessed hearts of stone.
Li Changge merely nodded in acknowledgment before heading toward the Qingqiu Hall. The two attendants hurried after him.
The Qingqiu Hall enshrined portraits of all the successive Qingqiu Mountain Masters as well as its former guest elders.
Yet upon entering, the first portraits Li Changge saw were those of the Primordial Daoist Ancestor, the Holy Xuan, and Donghuang.
Such was Qingqiu Mountain’s loyalty.
Given Li Changge’s temperament, he had originally intended only to take a casual look. However, he had never expected to find portraits of the Li family’s ancestors enshrined here. Under such circumstances, he had no choice but to bow respectfully.
Donghuang was the restorer of the Li family after Elder Li. Back then, the Holy Xuan had maintained a policy of suppressing the Li family. He strongly opposed hereditary succession, so while he trusted the Li family, he was equally vigilant against allowing them to grow so powerful that the Daoist Order would become the Li family’s personal domain.
During that period, it was Donghuang who had supported the Li family. Even today, many of the Li family’s core members were direct descendants of Donghuang. So, Donghuang was their true ancestor in every sense.
Li Changge had never imagined that he would end up paying respects to his own ancestors in Qingqiu Mountain. Since he had already begun, he simply went ahead and saluted the successive Qingqiu Mountain Masters as well. After all, he had come here seeking their assistance.
This inevitably made Li Changge suspect that the foxes of Qingqiu Mountain had designed things this way on purpose. After all, only members of the Li family ever came here. Members of the Zhang and Yao families could not. By deliberately displaying portraits of the Li family’s ancestors, they were subtly keeping the Li family in check.
After leaving the Qingqiu Hall, Li Changge toured the rest of the sacred grounds.
The Zhenlong Hall was filled with dazzling treasures, but as the future head of the Li family, Li Changge had seen far greater wonders, so he was not particularly impressed. In the future, the resources at his disposal would only increase, so he merely glanced around and moved on.
The Xuanhai Hall served as a reception hall and contained nothing especially noteworthy.
He had already visited the Falling Blossom Platform. The Tribulation Crossing Platform was designed specifically for the fox clan and was of little practical use to humans. Humans could use the Ascension Platform, but there was no need. Setting aside the fact that Li Changge still had a long road ahead before ascension, even if he were capable of ascending, he would not do so. At the very least, he would wait until his 100-year term had reached its limit.
The Star Observation Platform allowed one to observe the stars at night and even view the world beyond the Qingqiu Mountain Paradise. However, Li Changge was not skilled in such arts and did not explore further.
Finally, Li Changge arrived at the Cangwu Hall. It had once served as the residence of Qingqiu Mountain’s guest elders and was now the residence of the fox clan’s Matriarch.
The space here was quite large and divided into many separate rooms. The central bedchamber belonged to Madam Su. Aside from the necessary dual cultivation, Li Changge had no desire to sleep on Madam Su’s luxurious bed, so he chose the room on the left. The room on the right belonged to the two attendants. Even without Li Changge’s presence, they were responsible for attending to Madam Su’s daily needs.
The more outgoing of the two attendants asked, “Young Master, would you like to get changed?”
Li Changge nodded. “Sure.”
Madam Su had not kept Li Changge here to relax for a few days. The so-called preparations were actually quite straightforward. First, he would take medicinal supplements prepared by Qingqiu Mountain. Then, he would remove his clothing and soak in the lotus pond outside to strengthen and temper his physique.
This process would be repeated over and over. At first, the effects would be extremely noticeable, but they would gradually diminish over time. Once the medicine ceased to have any effect at all, the preparations would be considered complete, and he could then begin dual cultivation with Madam Su.
Soon, with the assistance of the two attendants, Li Changge removed his garments. After swallowing a pill that carried a faint fragrance, he walked toward the lotus pond.
Li Changge did not feel awkward at all. After all, as the scion of an aristocratic family, he was used to having attendants when relieving himself or bathing. There was no embarrassment because he did not regard these attendants as equals, but rather as tools and fixtures of daily life.
In this regard, Qi Xuansu was entirely different. He genuinely would feel awkward, which was why he preferred to handle such matters himself.
The pond appeared shallow, but it concealed mysteries of its own.
Before long, Li Changge’s entire body sank beneath the water and disappeared from sight, leaving behind only a few fading ripples upon the surface.
While Li Changge was enjoying the service of beautiful attendants, Qi Xuansu received no such treatment. That alone would have been fine, but to make matters worse, new rumors had begun to spread about Qi Xuansu.
Qi Xuansu truly had reason to complain. Li Changge was getting cozy with multiple women yet suffered no punishment. On the other hand, Qi Xuansu lived like a monk but got criticized.
After Huangfu Xi rose to power, a new rumor began circulating. People claimed that the reason she had received Sage Qi’s support was that she had offered herself to Qi Xuansu.
The rumor originated when someone leaked the story of Huangfu Xi disguising herself as a courtesan in order to meet Qi Xuansu.
After that, these rumors spread like wildfire.
In the West, there was a story about a beautiful queen and an emperor. The story took place in Misir, the place where Kukulkan had stolen the solar divine authority.
The beautiful queen fought fiercely with her brother for power. Coincidentally, the Emperor of the Roman Empire arrived in Misir to mediate the dispute over the throne. Upon hearing the news, the queen secretly traveled by boat under the cover of night to the emperor’s residence. Wrapped in a blanket and carried to the emperor’s chambers, she presented herself to him and became his mistress. This was how she secured the emperor’s support, defeated her brother, and became Queen of Misir.
Later, the queen traveled to the Holy Seat, the capital of the Roman Empire, where she was received with great honor by the emperor. She came very close to becoming empress, but the plan failed when the emperor was assassinated.
However, the queen soon became involved with the emperor’s successor. It was said that she dressed as the Goddess of Love and sailed to meet him aboard a gilded ship. Once again, she succeeded in captivating this general.
Someone altered this story and directly applied it to Huangfu Xi, claiming that when Huangfu Xi went to meet Qi Xuansu, she too had wrapped herself in a blanket and presented herself to him. According to the rumor, the moment the blanket was lifted, Qi Xuansu was instantly captivated. That was how Huangfu Xi became his mistress.
To win the favor of his mistress, Qi Xuansu supposedly went so far as to depose both the emperor and the empress and then elevate Huangfu Xi to power.
Ordinary people were always especially interested in rumors involving men and women, and they tended to believe such stories without question.
The rumor greatly angered Qi Xuansu. It was not because he feared Zhang Yuelu would misunderstand him. The real problem was that certain people within the Daoist Order might make a great issue of it, potentially harming his career prospects. This was especially unacceptable at a time when he was on the verge of being promoted to an Omniscient Sage.
At the same time, Qi Xuansu realized that the Tawantin Empire had not become stable with the downfall of Unulatu. An undercurrent still flowed beneath the surface, seeking to undermine the legitimacy and justification of everything he had done.
As a result, Qi Xuansu ordered the Juesheng Hall to secretly conduct a thorough investigation into the source of these rumors.
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