Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 65: Immortal Worship Incense

The next day, Lu Chang’sheng prepared some gifts and set off for the Xu Mansion to meet Lord Xu Yuan.

This success in the examination may have ridden on the tide, but in the end it was thanks to men of ambition like Xu Yuan acting behind the scenes.

This favor—he owed them, at least in part.

"I never imagined that Black Mountain Prefecture would produce this year’s Top Scholar!"

Xu Yuan was nearing middle age, broad-shouldered, resolute in gaze—at a glance, not the sort of man whose mind shifts easily.

"Perhaps this is what they call ’unyielding righteousness.’"

Lu Chang’sheng thought to himself.

Some people just look virtuous at first sight; Xu Yuan was one of those.

Of course, you can’t judge a person by appearances alone—Lu Chang’sheng would never rely solely on this to assess character.

"Black Mountain Prefecture is teeming with talent—" Lu Chang’sheng replied cautiously.

Xu Yuan waved his hand, saying, "I’ve lived in Black Mountain Prefecture for almost twenty years; I know full well how much talent we have!"

Lu Chang’sheng smiled, swallowed the rest of his words.

"I was merely lucky, that’s all."

"Lucky? Not at all!" Xu Yuan shook his head. "Ever since Emperor Jingwen ascended to immortality, the political arteries of each prefecture have decayed. Then, the five-year struggle among five princes—each prefectural office has grown even more corrupt..."

Lu Chang’sheng felt a subtle stir at the phrase "ascended to immortality."

In this world, the emperor’s death was called "ascension to immortality," not "collapse."

Even among the nobles, death is referred to as "passing into immortality."

If it were in his past life, he’d laugh and say: Got obsessed with seeking longevity!

But now, with his golden finger, he was more sensitive to these words than ever.

"There have been talents like you before, but passing the Child Scholar exam is easy—becoming an Advanced Scholar is rare!"

Xu Yuan sighed deeply.

If you hold power in a prefecture, you’re never without allies in court; some of Great Yuan’s pillar officials have struggled over this too.

But hearts change easily—doing good is hard, being bad is easy.

Promising men, once promoted, need only slack off a bit to fall into corruption.

With time, even those like him stop striving for rigid fairness—instead, they weigh the times and their interests, even letting their men profit at the people’s expense.

This is why, at first, he did not meddle in the civil service examination.

The Heaven-Reaching List for the Imperial Examination is full of one word—"struggle."

So for Lu Chang’sheng to break through such a battlefield was truly remarkable.

"With your talent, just a well-placed hand from any quarter would send you soaring—ranked alongside the highest officials at court!"

Not far off, several inner officials exchanged troubled glances, stunned by Xu Yuan’s appraisal.

You should know—those called "officials" are all Great Yuan’s greatest ministers, men of legendary wit, with achievements vital to the empire.

To be called their peer is the highest praise possible.

Lu Chang’sheng hurried to protest, "I dare not claim such." His scholarship was decent, but in cultivation he was lacking—diligent study was his path.

Xu Yuan nodded to himself in secret.

He’s not arrogant or rash—a talent worth nurturing. Yet, like those nobles, Xu Yuan would not state his intentions outright.

Unless an Advanced Scholar was too famous, or showed the makings of a Champion Scholar, he wouldn’t meet them privately.

Everything still hinges on the upcoming Advanced Scholar Examination.

Pity he didn’t know Lu Chang’sheng had abandoned the civil service road.

The bureaucracy devours too much energy—even now as top scholar, he felt exhausted from endless obligations.

"It’s time to cool things down."

He thought to himself.

Half a day later, Lu Chang’sheng bid farewell and left. But just as he stepped out the gates of the Xu Mansion, an astonishing, exotic fragrance swept past, his mind went fuzzy, but his blood and qi churned—so he cleared up immediately.

Thud-thud, thud-thud!

Turning back, he saw several inner officials not far off—collapsed rigidly to the ground.

"Something’s wrong!"

Lu Chang’sheng grew wary. When he saw Xu Yuan, who’d escorted him out, also looking off-color, he realized it must have been an accident.

"You’d best go back!" Xu Yuan tossed out the words, hurriedly turning inside, his steps clearly unsteady.

Lu Chang’sheng retreated a few steps, looked back inside, and faintly glimpsed a plume of white smoke slowly dissipating deep within the mansion.

"That pillar of smoke shot toward the sky—judging by its location, it’s at least a thousand meters from here. And yet it almost knocked me out cold. Just what happened in there?"

He glanced again toward the heart of the mansion.

As if guided by command, a swarm of Protector Institute guards rushed from every direction, carried off the collapsed inner officials—and moments later, the main gate drew shut, smooth and slow.

Lu Chang’sheng was curious, but also knew such secrets were beyond his reach for now.

Yet, seeing Xu Yuan so distraught, it was no ordinary matter.

"Smoke and fragrance, qi and blood—being able to resist it, perhaps it’s time to put Martial Dao on the agenda!"

He thought to himself, and hurried off.

On the other side, Xu Yuan led his guards to the depths of the mansion, arriving at a secluded courtyard.

All around, Protector Institute men and maids lay unmoving—their bodies strewn about—and Xu Yuan’s brow furrowed tight.

"Father!"

Just then, a crisp voice rang out.

Xu Yuan’s tense expression eased, but his face stayed stern. He barked, "Why are you here? Get back inside—now!"

He worried for his daughter’s safety: Xu Zhuqing.

"With such commotion, how could I just stand by and watch? In fact, you’re the one who ought to leave—your qi and blood aren’t strong enough to withstand concentrated Immortal Worship Incense!"

Xu Zhuqing wasn’t the least upset. She spoke calmly.

Xu Yuan started to reply—but the tightly shut courtyard door swung open. Smoke billowed out, punctuated by fits of acute coughing.

"It’s nothing serious—a small mishap, that’s all!"

A venerable, aged voice sounded from within.

Soon, all the smoke faded to reveal a slender figure. She looked astonishingly well-preserved—as if skilled in rejuvenation.

"Teacher!"

Xu Zhuqing dashed over, moving with practiced agility—yet as she neared the door, a wall of qi stopped her short.

"There’s still Immortal Worship Incense in the courtyard. Wait a bit longer."

"About seeking immortality—" Xu Zhuqing started to speak.

The Daoist nun before her was her teacher, a Martial Dao master who had reached the True Qi Realm. For over a decade, she’d devoted herself to seeking immortality, finding both Immortal Worship Incense and Immortal Music Spring—rare artifacts. Using True Qi to ignite them, she sought audience with a True Immortal, but ultimately failed at the final step!

The Daoist nun shook her head, eyes rimmed with red. "Keep watching. Wait and see..."

Xu Zhuqing fell silent.

Her teacher—once dazzling and proud—now sounded unbearably weary.

"Teacher, is there really such a thing as immortals in this world?" Xu Zhuqing asked, heart aching for her teacher’s decline.

"There are!" the Daoist nun answered with unshakable conviction. "We simply haven’t found the right way!"

...

"Scholar Lu!"

Lu Chang’sheng had just returned to his courtyard when he saw several people waiting outside—none entered.

One man even had a small bundle of thorns strapped to his back.

Bearing thorns to beg forgiveness?

Lu Chang’sheng’s face showed a bemused look. He nodded to Lin Xiaowen.

"Patriarch Lin, this—?"

"As for what happened before, Mr. Chen was greatly at fault—and we failed in our oversight as well, causing Scholar Lu needless suffering."

The other great family patriarchs all bowed and admitted their failings.

"Truth is—it did trouble me considerably." Lu Chang’sheng did not hide it.

With his current standing, it would take only a little effort to ruin these families badly.

Of course, if he wanted to remove them entirely, that was beyond his reach for now.

Ever since that dinner at Champion Scholar Tower last night, he’d realized that the leading families were far from simple—behind them, some were tangled up with even grander nobles.

"As for making amends—would this arrangement suffice?"

Lin Xiaowen stated their compensation terms; after hearing them, Lu Chang’sheng was quietly astonished.

Not that anything was wrong with it—but their offer surpassed what he’d expected deep down.