The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror
Chapter 101 - 74 Taming_2

Chapter 101: Chapter 74 Taming_2

If he could return to his youth, would he live his life the same way?

Fortunately, he really did have the chance to live once more, provided he could break through that barrier and untangle the mystery within the womb.

Otherwise, without the memories of his past life, would it still be himself?

It has always been rare for those who seek the Dao to reach the stage he had, and even rarer to retain the mystery within the womb after reincarnation.

Furthermore, those who cultivate their Divine Soul house it within their physical body, as if veiled by a layer of black cloth. Even if one knows the other is cultivating their Divine Soul, they cannot discern the depth of their skill.

Thus, Elder Fang could tell by experience that Su Lianqing and Xu Qing bore the traces of Dao Skill cultivation, yet could not determine how profound their skills were.

Moreover, he was different from the usual Daoist cultivator; he actually had never truly cultivated any Daoist arts. His Divine Soul Cultivation was purely accumulated during his middle-aged years, those twenty years spent in the Hanlin Academy compiling the Daoist Collection for the Emperor, inadvertently practiced.

Later, when he became a local governor, with the Lotus Sect causing disturbances below, he led troops to eradicate them, breaching the Lotus Sect’s Main Temple and seizing a portion of their heritage.

It was only then that he realized how unfathomably deep his Divine Soul Cultivation appeared in the eyes of these demon people, who were dedicated to this particular cultivation.

Overall, his Divine Soul development had been smooth until he encountered the Lotus Sect.

After realizing his own prowess, the progress of his Divine Soul Cultivation became incredibly slow, and until now, he had not yet reached the realm of the Ghost Immortal mentioned in the Lotus Sect’s heritage.

And because he held a portion of the Lotus Sect’s heritage, he was constantly harassed by the high-ranking masters of the Luo Sect and the Lotus Sect. Elder Fang, wearied beyond measure, sealed away the essence of those items and sent them away.

Only then did he obtain peace in his later years.

After all, once he retired, the protection granted by the Dynasty Destiny that he carried with him greatly diminished.

There was no need to hold onto these things, luring disaster and trouble for future generations.

As for why he did not destroy them,

that too was part of Elder Fang’s sentiment as a scholar.

When reading history, he couldn’t help but lament the destruction of ancient texts by war or by those in power. Those heritages, even if they came from the Evil Path, did not detract from the fact that they were crystallizations of the wisdom of the ancients.

If they were to be destroyed by his hand, he would not be able to accept it.

Moreover, his nature was to seek a middle ground.

Elder Fang lost in thought, the others did not disturb him, knowing that this elder was a national elder, who had made significant policy decisions in the past. His presence was also actually by the Emperor’s will.

This reassured everyone that following Inspector Wu into the fray was safe.

With His Majesty’s backing behind Inspector Wu, at least they were no longer cannon fodder, and were likely already in the Emperor’s thoughts.

For officials, having this recognition was like riding a rocket in terms of promotion.

Riding a rocket wasn’t something new in the Great Yu Dynasty, but it wasn’t considered very auspicious to talk about it, since there was a scholar who tried to ride a rocket into the sky and wound up falling to his death.

Well then, with Inspector Wu’s shaky foundation, his meteoric rise could also pose a risk of falling.

But that’s unimportant; what officialdom doesn’t carry risks?

Promotion is of the utmost importance.

Seeing Xu Qing produce a fine poem, everyone acknowledged his talent and clamored for Xu Qing to compose another for them.

Xu Qing naturally did not refuse, but he pondered for quite some time before producing work.

This was also his way of concealing his brilliance.

After about half a quarter of an hour, just as the crowd was losing patience, Xu Qing recited a seven-character quatrain,

"Jade beauty belongs on the celestial shelves, yet who plants them everywhere in Jiangnan? Snow blankets the mountaintops where recluses lie, moonlight glimmers where fair maidens arrive."

This poem, more straightforward than the previous one, was also a fine piece of work in its own right.

Poetry, after all, is in the eye of the beholder, and even the same person may have different tastes at different times.

The evaluation of literary works depends largely on one’s current circumstances.

Like Xu Qing, who adored Li Bai in his youth but felt a deeper connection to Du Fu’s works after starting work.

For Du Fu’s gravity and substance reflected his own laborious life after graduation.

Indeed, if he could shoulder the responsibilities of two capitals and thirteen provinces, he wouldn’t feel the weight and might even possess a noble character.

But there was no choice in that.

Luckily, in this life, he did have a choice.

So his greatest nightmare this lifetime was dreaming of returning to his past life of toil.

Perhaps that past life was simply his dream, and he was truly Xu Qing.

Whatever Divine Soul being trapped in the bronze mirror was, it was nothing more than a nightmare Xu Qing concocted himself.

Gradually, the banquet also drew to a close.

This gathering had not delved into current affairs or discussed national matters. But everyone did get to know each other, forming a small circle.

That was the purpose of a banquet.

Conversing about romance over the wine, though called romance, is not simply about romance.

The real skill is hidden in the wine.

But Xu Qing also reaped tangible benefits.

At today’s gathering of scholars, everyone unanimously elected Xu Qing as the best, a title won by his own poetry as well as Inspector Wu’s reputation.

The prize was a fierce horse gifted by Assistant General Liu.

It wasn’t the "skinny horse" joked about by everyone, but a genuine steed from the Western Fire Cloud Country. The cost of maintaining this horse was greater than the annual expenses of an average family in Yingtian Prefecture.

Some joked that Assistant General Liu couldn’t afford to keep it, which was why he gave it away.

Naturally, the horse wouldn’t be delivered now, but the following day.

Assistant General Liu also considerately asked if Xu Qing needed a Coachman, which Xu Qing declined. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand the importance of a Coachman, but he preferred not to employ someone whose background was unknown.

Besides, Assistant General Liu’s offer was just a courtesy; who would casually give away their trained Coachman.

If others offer cordiality, of course, one should not take it seriously.

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