Chapter 504: Worldly Affairs

The shopkeeper frantically used a coal shovel to dig away the accumulated snow. Beneath it, a frozen corpse was indeed revealed.

“Quick... quickly report this to the authorities...”Someone had died in front of his shop, and the shopkeeper was terrified, completely at a loss. The body was lying face down, with arms still outstretched forward and fingers tightly clutching the ground. He had desperately tried to crawl forward, struggling to survive and reach out for help from the shopkeeper, but had exhausted himself and frozen to death right there. He was only a few steps away from the steamed bun shop, but these few steps were like an insurmountable chasm.

The shopkeeper composed himself and, gathering his courage, knelt down. He brushed the ice and snow off the body and saw that the deceased was dressed as a beggar. He sighed softly, "It's old man Qi. No wonder I didn't see him this morning..."

Qin Sang quietly slipped away from the surrounding crowd.

***

The capital of the Ancient Abyss Kingdom.

The Imperial Palace. On a snowy night, the Emperor's bedchamber remained brightly lit, radiating warmth.

“Get out!”

A furious roar suddenly shattered the tranquility of the snowy night. *Crash!* The tray and soup bowl held by the palace maid were sent flying by the Ancient Abyss King, who was propped up in his bed. The medicinal soup spilled across the floor, its pungent odor filling the bedchamber. The palace maid fell to the ground, covered in the dark soup, her face ashen. She knelt, trembling.

“This servant deserves to die!”“Your Majesty, please calm your anger!”

Instantly, a dark mass of kneeling figures filled the room. On the imperial bed, the Ancient Abyss King threw off his thin quilt and tried to get up. However, his ailing body could not support his movements, and he stumbled. Fortunately, a quick-witted palace maid beside him managed to steady him, preventing him from falling to the ground. The Ancient Abyss King pushed the maid away and tried several more times, but couldn't get up.

At this moment, the King of Ancient Abyss was disheveled and extremely distressed. He lay on the bed, acting like a madman, pointing at a nobly dressed young man on the floor and screaming hoarsely. “Go... go to Soaring Dragon Mountain again and invite the Immortal Master! As long as... as long as my illness is cured and I can achieve immortality, I will cede half my kingdom and share all its wealth with the Immortal Master...”

The richly dressed young man was the current Crown Prince of the Ancient Abyss Kingdom. The Crown Prince crawled to the bedside and said softly, "Father, do not worry. Your son will go to Soaring Dragon Mountain to humbly beg the Immortal Master. If the Immortal Master does not appear, your son will remain kneeling until he agrees to descend the mountain and cure your illness..."

“Immortality! I want immortality!” The Ancient Abyss King slammed the edge of the bed, his eyes bloodshot, staring at the young man with a terrifying expression.

Shao Hua Mountain maintained strict governance, forbidding cultivators from interfering in the mortal world. The Ancient Abyss Kingdom was a small nation with few people, and its king was not worthy of Shao Hua Mountain's attention. The Crown Prince dared not defy him and tried to soothe him, "Yes, yes... Your son will surely ask the Immortal Master to bestow the method of immortality..."

“Now, hurry up and go!” This finally brought the King some temporary calm.

The Crown Prince and all the officials promptly left the Emperor's bedchamber. With the King gravely ill, the Crown Prince was in charge of state affairs. He did not rush to Soaring Dragon Mountain but returned to his study. Dismissing his attendants, he sat idly on the imperial chair, deep in thought, without touching a brush or ink.

Just then, he heard the creak of the study door. The wind made the candlelight flicker. A general in armor slipped in, urgently asking, "Your Royal Highness, do you truly intend to obey His Majesty's decree and surrender half of the Ancient Abyss Kingdom to these so-called immortals?"

The Crown Prince coldly replied, "Uncle, do you wish for me to defy an imperial decree and become disloyal and unfilial?"

“Your humble servant would not dare!” The general quickly stepped forward, his robust frame blocking the candlelight, casting the Crown Prince's face into shadow. “The late Emperor governed the country with filial piety, but not blind filial piety. Your servant just questioned the imperial physicians; His Majesty is gravely ill and already delirious. The physicians said it's a type of hysteria. Coincidentally, your servant knows a renowned physician in the mortal world who is skilled at preparing medicines with wine. He is currently a guest in my residence. He can concoct a colorless and odorless medicinal wine that can cure this illness...”

The general's voice trailed off. After a long silence, the Crown Prince slowly closed his eyes and nodded slightly. "Go," he said.

***

Late at night.

The Ancient Abyss King's bedchamber. An old eunuch arrived in a hurry, seemingly frightened by something terrifying. His face was filled with extreme panic and fear. He pushed open the bedchamber door but tripped on the threshold and fell to the ground.

“Your Majesty!”“Your Majesty, wake up!”“Your Majesty, wake up!”

The old eunuch scrambled on all fours to the imperial bed and vigorously shook the sleeping Ancient Abyss King. The Ancient Abyss King woke with a start from his sleep, his eyes still dazed. The old eunuch cried out, "Your Majesty, be careful, the Crown Prince intends to..."

*Thwack!*

Suddenly, a sharp sword pierced through the old eunuch's throat. The blood-stained sword tip made the Ancient Abyss King shiver in shock, fully waking him. Only then did he realize that the person holding the sword and stabbing the old eunuch was none other than his own Crown Prince! On the Crown Prince's face, all traces of his usual deference had vanished, replaced by an expression of cold indifference.

“Rebel son!” The King was both shocked and enraged.

The Crown Prince dropped the bloody sword onto the floor, glanced sideways at the general beside him, and strode out of the bedchamber without looking back. The general grabbed the Ancient Abyss King's jaw and forcibly poured the poisoned wine from his hand down the King's throat. The poison took effect.

In his dying moments, the Ancient Abyss King's eyes gradually lost their luster, yet he still murmured incessantly. “Immortality... I want immortality...”

***

Soaring Dragon Mountain.

The common people lived in Immortal Fate City at the foot of the mountain, while those seeking immortality built humble huts in the back mountains. In the forest, there was a dilapidated straw hut, letting wind in from all sides.

*Knock, knock, knock...*“Brother Zuo... Brother Zuo, are you awake...?”

A dishevelled man knocked and called out, but received no response. He tried to force the door open a few times but failed, then hurriedly left. A moment later, the man returned with several helpers. They worked together to force the door open. Inside the hut, they saw an exceptionally thin and frail young man sitting cross-legged on a straw-covered bed, his head drooping, seemingly lifeless.

“Brother Zuo is dead!” The man exclaimed in shock.

Unexpectedly, a surprising scene unfolded. His friends showed no sadness at all; instead, they gathered around the young man with unusual joy. Someone said, "Brother Zuo has ascended!" Another said, "Brother Zuo partook of wind and dew, communed with immortals, and finally achieved enlightenment." Someone else, full of envy, remarked, "Brother Zuo's dao heart was unwavering, as heaven and earth can attest. He will surely move heaven and earth, be guided by immortals, ascend to the Pure Land, and achieve immortality." It was a chaotic spectacle, like demons dancing.

Qin Sang, observing from the shadows, shook his head. He returned to Huidong Temple, pondered for a moment, then suddenly removed the mist formation from Soaring Dragon Mountain and departed gracefully. The thick fog that had enshrouded the area for countless years suddenly dissipated. This unprecedented phenomenon immediately caused countless seekers of immortality to erupt in excitement.

“The fog has lifted!”“The immortals are opening the mountain to accept disciples!”“Hurry up the mountain...”

Hearing the shouts outside the hut, those inside exchanged glances and swarmed out. At this moment, the young man, whom everyone thought was dead, suddenly lifted his head, shakily stood up, swallowed snow to fill his stomach, and stumbled his way to the mountaintop. But at the summit, there was only an abandoned Taoist temple, with no immortal in sight. The young man felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and he collapsed onto the ground.