The Emperor was left a bit dazed by this sudden, grand gesture of respect.
Jiang Yuechu's expression remained indifferent; she was clearly long accustomed to the shamelessness of this old fellow.
"Ignore him."
"Where is that old Daoist?"
Since she had accepted his favor and he had agreed to guard Chang'an on her behalf, now that she was back, she ought to meet him, even if only out of courtesy.
Furthermore...
She had always harbored a degree of curiosity and wariness toward that mysterious Old Daoist Priest.
Hearing this, the Emperor and the Li Clan Ancestor exchanged a glance, their expressions turning somewhat peculiar.
"Cough..."
The Li Clan Ancestor gave a dry cough, a rare trace of embarrassment appearing on his aged face. "That Daoist Master... said he wanted to temper his heart in the Mortal World and experience the various aspects of human life."
"And so?"
"And so... he took that disciple of his to Pingkang Ward."
Jiang Yuechu raised an eyebrow. "Pingkang Ward?"
How could she not know what kind of place Pingkang Ward was?
Last time, she had even taken Wei Qing there to give it a stern 'critique'.
The impression it left was extremely deep.
The Li Clan Ancestor asked, "That Old Daoist Priest... do you intend to go and see him?"
Although they had previously said they would let him wander as he pleased...
How could they truly leave him completely unattended when they didn't know his specific origins?
Of course, they hadn't sent anyone to closely tail him.
They simply followed from a distance, just to know where he was staying.
This was a matter of tacit understanding between both parties.
"Yes."
"Pingkang Ward, Drunken Immortal Tower."
The Li Clan Ancestor gave the location, then consciously took half a step back. "This old man won't be going. That place... isn't quite suitable..."
...Pingkang Ward.
Even with the earth-shattering commotion of yesterday...
It seemed it hadn't completely dispersed the scent of rouge and powder from this place.
Inside the Drunken Immortal Tower, though it wasn't as boisterous as usual, the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments could already be heard.
In an elegant private room on the second floor.
The door was tightly shut, and the interior decor was quite refined.
A woman dressed in thin gauze with a curvaceous figure was kneeling on a soft couch.
Opposite her.
Thirteen Wu sat cross-legged, his tattered Daoist robe hanging open casually and his hair bun disheveled.
The Child, meanwhile, sat silently to the side, covering his eyes with both hands, his face full of despair.
"Daoist Master..."
The woman parted her vermilion lips, her eyes slightly red. "My heart is full of bitterness. There is a matter that has been weighing on me for a long time; I can't let it go, and I can't move past it."
Hearing this, the old Daoist half-closed his eyes, his expression suddenly becoming profound and inscrutable.
Amidst the swirling incense smoke, he truly did have the air of an enlightened master.
"Foolish Child."
The old Daoist sighed and spoke with earnest gravity, "All things in this world are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow; like dew or a flash of lightning."
"What you cling to is nothing more than yesterday's cause and today's effect."
"The rolling Mortal World is all but vanity."
The woman seemed to understand yet not quite, tears shimmering in her eyes. "But... I really can't forget."
The old Daoist shook his head. "Obsession is too deep; it will only make you sink further into this sea of suffering."
"Take a word of advice from this poor Daoist."
"Let the things of the past remain in the past."
"A person must learn to let go."
"Only by letting go can one find freedom; only by relinquishing can one transcend."
The woman was stunned for a long while, seemingly savoring the meaning within his words.
Seeing this, the old Daoist nodded inwardly.
Just as he was about to say more...
The woman, who had been weeping like a pear blossom in the rain, suddenly changed her expression.
She lunged upward and grabbed the old Daoist by the collar.
"Let go?!"
"Let go of your mother's farts!"
"You must pay me for last night! Don't use this bullshit logic to settle the bill!"
Thirteen Wu, his collar gripped, shrank his neck. "That... Miss, doesn't talking about money hurt our feelings? This poor Daoist is..."
The woman increased the strength in her grip, pulling so hard the old Daoist's breathing became a bit labored. "No money, right? If there's no money, we're going to the authorities!"
"Hey, hey, hey! You can't do that, you can't do that!"
The old Daoist cried out in alarm repeatedly.
Just as this old man and woman were pulling and shoving in the room, creating a chaotic scene...
The tightly shut door was pushed open from the outside.
Jiang Yuechu scanned the room and raised an eyebrow. "The Daoist Master certainly has refined tastes..."
At her voice...
The woman turned her head, thinking it was a helper he had called, and was about to scold them.
But when she saw Jiang Yuechu's face, she instantly froze.
As for the current Grand Princess...
In the city of Chang'an today, from eighty-year-old mothers to three-year-old children, who didn't know her? Who hadn't heard of her?
"Your Highness!"
The woman quickly let go and flusteredly tidied her messy lapels.
She wanted to pay her respects, but didn't know how to proceed.
Jiang Yuechu was expressionless as she took some gold from her pocket and placed it on the table.
"Thank you for your trouble."
The woman looked down, and her eyes instantly widened.
"This... this is too much..."
Forget this single bill for wine; it was more than enough to cover this entire table and her services for a month or two.
The woman was somewhat terrified and instinctively wanted to decline. "Being able to see Your Highness is my blessing. This money..."
"It's fine, the extra is a reward for you," Jiang Yuechu said calmly. "Leave for now, and don't let anyone else disturb me."
"Yes, yes, yes..."
The woman took the gold and gave the old Daoist a fierce glare before closing the door and retreating.
Only three people remained in the room.
Thirteen Wu gave a dry cough, straightened his lapels, and sat up straight.
"You're back?"
Jiang Yuechu said calmly, "Thank you, Daoist Master, for guarding Chang'an. I will remember this favor."
Although those old things from Five Immortals Mountain hadn't dared to return...
This old Daoist's agreement to guard this place...
Could be considered showing sufficient goodwill toward the Great Tang.
Thirteen Wu waved his hand, looking completely unconcerned.
"It was just a convenient matter, not some great act of kindness. Don't take it to heart; this poor Daoist can't bear it."
"..."
Jiang Yuechu didn't dwell on it, simply saying, "Favors are favors... but some things still need to be asked clearly."
"Is the Daoist Master truly here to revisit his homeland and temper his heart in the Mortal World?"
Hearing this, Thirteen Wu's movements paused, and his playful grin slowly faded.
He looked at the young girl before him who had already reached the Ascending the Tower stage.
His gaze was somewhat complex.
After a long while.
He let out a long sigh.
"Being too smart makes life exhausting."
Jiang Yuechu remained unmoved. "Being a muddled ghost makes death come quickly."
"..."
Thirteen Wu gave a bitter laugh and leaned back. "Fine. I thought that even if I told you, it would just cause unnecessary worry... but since you've already reached the Ascending the Tower stage, there are some things you should know."
"This poor Daoist comes from the Xuanzhen Grotto-Heaven, the Taia Lineage."
"I wasn't lying to you about that on the city wall earlier."
Jiang Yuechu listened quietly, not interrupting.
Thirteen Wu continued, "The twenty-five orthodox lineages sound impressive, but in reality, that's all they are."
"Where there are people, there is conflict. A few days ago, the Taia Lineage had a bit of friction with the Sangshu Lineage."
He spoke of it as if it were trivial.
The Child on the side, however, couldn't help but shrink his neck.
Just friction?
It had almost turned into a river of blood... Unlike the Taia Lineage, the Sangshu Lineage's actions were erratic, sinister, and ruthless, and the two lineages had a long-standing grievance.
Some time ago, in a Secret Realm within a Grotto-Heaven, groups from both lineages had a chance encounter.
Thirteen Wu didn't have any qualms about the strong bullying the weak; his strikes were a bit heavy.
This 'heavy' resulted in the Sangshu Lineage losing eight Immortal Masters.
Thirteen Wu curled his lip. "If they're killed, they're killed. But those bastards from Sangshu can't win in a fair fight and love to play dirty. They don't dare go directly to Taia, but my origins are no secret. If they follow the clues and find this place..."