Longevity begins with slaying demons and eliminating demons

Chapter 645 May Your Majesty Live Long and Prosperous

"Your Majesty, do you have any other instructions?" Xiao Wanjun stopped and turned to ask.

She thought that His Majesty might have remembered some important government affairs and wanted to hand them over to her.

Gu Xu looked at her, pondered for a moment, and finally said: "Maybe this is a bit offensive...but I still want to remind you that it is not good for your health to tie your chest too tightly."

Xiao Wanjun was stunned for a moment. She didn't expect him to say such a thing.

She looked down at her chest, then raised her head to look at the young emperor behind the imperial desk, only to find that his eyes were still calm and indifferent, without the slightest hint of frivolity that was common in other men's eyes.

"He really seems to be just caring about me," she couldn't help but think silently in her heart, "After all, the cultivation scriptures have said that once you reach the realm of a saint, worldly emotions and desires will become indifferent, and your heart will gradually only have room for the great way of heaven and earth."

Xiao Wanjun grew up in the imperial city. Her father practiced in seclusion for a long time, while her mother was obsessed with the power struggle in the palace.

Ever since she left her wet nurse's arms, she has been self-reliant and growing up alone.

While dealing with secular affairs of the court, he also had to take care of his naughty and mischievous younger brother.

As for being cared for...

What a strange experience this was for her!

"Thank you, Your Majesty——"

"——No need to thank me." Xiao Wanjun was about to speak when she was interrupted by Gu Xu.

He paused, and then said, "After a while, I plan to create an avatar to go to the Lingxiao Realm, secretly learn some Taoist methods there, and bring them back for the cultivators in the Great Wilderness.

"However, the Taoist methods of the Lingxiao Realm may not be fully applicable under the rules of the Great Wilderness. When the time comes, I may have to trouble you to help me improve and adjust them.

"You must take good care of yourself, and don't leave all the heavy work to me alone, otherwise I will deduct your salary!"

  For the sake of the practitioners in the Great Wilderness, Your Majesty is going to the Lingxiao Realm in person?

When Xiao Wanjun heard Gu Xu's plan, she found it unbelievable.

Although Gu Xu only planned to send a clone there.

But Xiao Wanjun grew up in the Great Qi Dynasty, where the emperor was high and mighty and did not care about state affairs, and the entire world's resources were used to support one person.

It was already very good that the emperor did not waste people's money and time on his own practice.

Has there ever been such an act of leading by example for the people of the world?

"Wanjun will definitely live up to your majesty's trust!"

With mixed feelings, Xiao Wanjun knelt down to salute Gu Xu, then left the imperial study surrounded by trees with a thick stack of memorials in her arms.

Changchun Garden was still immersed in darkness.

Only the calm lake reflects the flickering candlelight between the houses on the shore, like stars falling on the earth.

…………

Qingzhou Prefecture, Yishui County.

In an orphanage in a corner of the county town, a nine-year-old boy named Wang Guicai woke up early in the morning, looked out the window, and found that it was still pitch dark. Thinking that it was not dawn yet, he fell down and continued to sleep soundly.

In the dream, he was wearing a "Suzaku Robe" of the Great Xia Exorcist Department, with his feet on a flying sword, and colorful magic lights bursting out of his hands. As he talked and laughed, the ghosts and monsters around him turned to ashes.

He also dreamed that he had made great military achievements, was summoned by the emperor, and went to the magnificent palace in Luojing City.

The young man who rescued him from the Painted Skin Ghost back then was now sitting on the high throne, with a kind smile on his face, praising him for being a hero at a young age.

However, just as he was preparing to accept the reward with joy, the beautiful scene before him was suddenly shattered by a violent shaking.

Someone shook him out of his bed.

"Dean Fei, why are you here——"

Wang Guicai looked at the white-haired old man in front of him with a look of astonishment, and couldn't help feeling a little resentful for disturbing his sweet dream.

However, before he could finish his words, the white-haired old man interrupted him, grabbed a piece of clothing and threw it on his bed.

"——You little bastard, the night is already here, and you still dare to sleep here? Aren't you afraid that ghosts will attack the city and eat you?"

At the old man's urging, Wang Guicai hurriedly put on his clothes. Before he even fastened his belt, the old man grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the house.

In Wang Guicai's impression, Dean Fei usually walked slowly and unsteadily, but today he seemed to have suddenly become twenty years younger and walked very fast.

They walked through the courtyard, ran down the narrow stairs at the end of the corridor several times, and finally entered a small and dim basement.

Dean Fei took a deep breath, then closed the three thick iron doors behind him and locked them carefully.

Wang Guicai then discovered that the dozen or so children still left in the orphanage had already gathered in this dark and hidden underground secret room.

"President Fei...what are you doing..." Wang Guicai couldn't help but ask, unable to suppress the confusion in his heart.

"You bunch of little brats have never experienced a real long night, so you have no idea how terrible it is!" Dean Fei stroked his beard and said seriously.

In the following period of time, Dean Fei began to tell the children present about the past events.

Dean Fei's full name is Fei Fei Hailin. He is over eighty years old. He has experienced the succession of three emperors of the Great Qi Dynasty, namely Guangshun, Xingde and Tianxing, and witnessed the fall of the Great Qi and the rise of the Great Xia.

During the reign of Emperor Guangshun, when he was only eight years old, he personally experienced the last long night in the wilderness.

It was also a day with a dark sky and no sun or moon.

Hundreds of ghosts went crazy in the thick evil aura and attacked the county town like a flood.

Officials from the Exorcist Department went to stop them temporarily, but due to their limited numbers and strength, they were completely useless in the face of this overwhelming torrent of ghosts and monsters.

Then there were corpses everywhere and blood flowed like a river.

Dean Fei had witnessed with his own eyes his parents being torn into pieces by ghosts in this catastrophe, and his two brothers also became food for the ghosts.

If a few high-level practitioners had not come to support in time, the entire county would have turned into a living hell.

From then on, the word "long night" became a permanent shadow in Dean Fei's heart.

After he entered the orphanage at the age of twenty, he firmly advocated the construction of this closed underground secret room. In order to further enhance the security of the secret room, he spent a lot of money to hire a highly skilled practitioner to carve a talisman that could conceal the human breath, to ensure that the ghosts could not detect the existence of the human race in the secret room.

During the "Nine Infants Snake Demon" rebellion in the 15th year of Da Qi Tianxing, he relied on this secret room and successfully led a group of children to escape the disaster.

Today, as the long night fell again and his black hair had turned white, this secret room came in handy again.

Listening to Dean Fei's description of the horrific scene of the last long night, all the children present felt creepy and trembled.

Wang Guicai is naturally no exception.

Before, he had fainted from fear just by seeing a painted-skin ghost in his house. Now, hundreds of ghosts and monsters were invading in the long night. That scene... was simply unimaginable.

However, after Dean Fei finished telling these stories about the past, Wang Guicai was in a trance for a while, and then calmed down a little.

He remembered that not long ago, on the light screen of the Yishui Exorcist Department, he had personally witnessed the coronation ceremony of the current emperor.

That day, the young Emperor of Daxia was dressed in a royal robe, with a majestic demeanor and a dragon-like appearance. With a wave of his hand, he banished the nine evil spirits that were harming the people of the Great Wilderness outside the space crack.

There is such a young, promising and powerful emperor in Dahuang. Will he allow ghosts to do whatever they want and act recklessly like they did during the Da Qi period?

…………

At the same time, outside the orphanage.

Ma Qin, the governor of the Exorcist Department of Yishui County, was wearing a striking "Vermillion Bird Robe" and a goose-wing knife on his waist. He led a few followers and was talking to several vendors nearby.

There was some sweat on his face and he looked a little tired.

"You said that this morning, all the children in this orphanage, along with the director and the manager, suddenly disappeared?" Ma Qin was heard asking.

"That's right, Your Excellency," a pancake vendor replied respectfully, "usually at daybreak, the workhouse is noisy with the sounds of children playing, and it doesn't quiet down until dark.

"But today was strange. It was noon, and the poorhouse was still quiet. The sun had risen, but I couldn't hear the children's voices.

“I felt something was wrong, so I went in to take a look, but there was no one inside.

"I was afraid that it was a ghost that had taken everyone away, so I ran to the Exorcist Office and reported it to the master."

Hearing his words, Ma Qin couldn't help but frown.

This morning, as soon as he received the news that the long night was coming, he dispatched his monks to patrol everywhere, guard the city gates, and be on high alert.

The ghosts did attack.

But what came were a group of wandering ghosts, goblins, tomb ghosts, evil ghosts, etc.

Although their strength has increased slightly compared to usual, it has not reached the level that makes Ma Qin feel difficult.

With the thousands of "ghost-killing talismans" and "fire characters" prepared in advance, Ma Qin didn't even have to draw out his goose-wing knife. He easily dealt with the invading ghosts by relying solely on the firepower suppression of these talismans.

Seeing hundreds of ghosts turned to ashes in the bright flames, Ma Qin was a little dazed for a moment.

When he was working in the government office of Da Qi in the past, he often saw people become nervous and solemn whenever the "Long Night" was mentioned. He also witnessed the Da Qi government rebuilding the "Shenjiying" with great fanfare in order to deal with the "Long Night". Therefore, he always regarded the Long Night as a terrible disaster.

However, when the disaster actually came, he was surprised to find that it had become so common and so vulnerable.

  This made him wonder, why could a group of such vulnerable ghosts hide from his perception and make all the people in an orphanage disappear silently?

This orphanage is where Your Majesty stayed during his childhood.

If something happens to it, will His Majesty blame him?

The more Ma Qin thought about it, the more serious his expression became.

He reached out and patted the shoulder of a young monk next to him, and said in a deep voice: "Use divination to see where everyone here has gone."

The young monk Fu Hongxun officially joined the Exorcist Department of Yishui County two months ago. He is good at divination and fortune-telling, and his skills are quite superb.

Hearing Ma Qin's words, he immediately took out a few copper coins and skillfully tossed them up and down in his hand.

At the same time, he was muttering something.

If there were knowledgeable practitioners nearby at this time, they would be surprised to find that the object of his prayers was no longer "God" as he often did in the past, but "His Majesty the Emperor of Daxia".

the reason is simple.

  Recently, a monk who was good at divination had a sudden idea. He thought that since the current emperor was the reincarnation of Emperor Ziwei and had the ability to see through everything in the world, then was praying to the current emperor equivalent to praying to Emperor Ziwei?

So he tried it many times and was surprised to find that the divination results of praying to the emperor were more accurate than those of praying to God or Ziwei Emperor.

The discovery spread quickly.

Word spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. Over time, almost all the fortune tellers in the entire wilderness began to use the new prayer for divination.

After a moment, Fu Hongxun put away the copper coins and pointed deep into the courtyard of the orphanage.

"They are all still alive. They have all taken refuge in the basement over there."

…………

An hour later, Wang Guicai and the other children followed Dean Fei's footsteps, left the narrow secret room, and returned to the open surface.

The sky was still pitch black, like a piece of black silk.

However, every household lit candles, making the entire county brightly lit, not seeming so dark.

Dean Fei Hailin looked at the quiet and harmonious scene in the county town, then turned to look at the nearby practitioners who were trying their best to find them. He couldn't help but feel his eyes moist and his vision blurred.

He truly felt that times had really changed.

The "Long Night" that once left an indelible shadow in his heart is now just some minor difficulties that are not a big deal for Da Xia.

"President Fei, you hid away quietly, which really caused me to be alarmed for a false alarm!" Ma Qin couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw these people, and his tense heartstrings gradually relaxed.

"I'm sorry, Lord Ma, I made a big deal out of nothing..." Fei Hailin quickly bowed and apologized, but was immediately helped up by Ma Qin.

The shelter room that had been carefully prepared for many years now seemed to have been a waste of effort.

However, Fei Hailin not only did not feel any regret, but instead felt genuinely relieved and happy.

He looked at the innocent faces of the children around him, hoping that the current emperor would live forever, and that this peaceful era would continue forever so that the secret room would never be used.

…………

Midnight.

Luojing, Changchun Garden.

After a continuous and dense spring rain, Shi Xiaohan lay listlessly on a bamboo mat, with her rosy face resting on her arms, and a pair of small, cute, white and delicate feet hanging in the air, swaying gently.

Gu Xu, who was standing next to her, held a white silk cloth and wiped her body clean.

"Gu Xu, I kind of want to go back... back to my parents' home." Suddenly, the girl hesitated for a moment and said in a tired voice.

"Go back to your mother's home?" Gu Xu looked at her and asked softly, "Do you want to see your father?"

"Well... sort of," Shi Xiaohan turned his head and whispered, "I've been feeling more and more sleepy lately... I'm so afraid that once I fall asleep, it will be for decades or even hundreds of years... Although I hate him, he is, after all, an ordinary cultivator with a short lifespan.

"I'm afraid that if I really fall asleep, I won't be able to see him again when I wake up..."

(End of this chapter)