Unintended Immortality-Chapter 490: The Chaos of Changjing

The lake's surface was like a green mirror, deep and rich in color, reflecting the distant mountains and drifting clouds above.

Beside the lake stretched a dusty yellow dirt road.

The Daoist led his jujube-red horse along the path, and behind the horse trailed a cat, its every step seeming careful and hesitant. As they passed by the water, their reflections rippled in the lake.

Swish...

Another shadow appeared on the tranquil lake—a swallow, slicing through the sky. It landed steadily on the horse’s back.

“Up ahead is Luozhou.”

“We’ve reached Luozhou.”

Song You lifted his gaze to the distant horizon, but all he could see were endless rolling mountains and fields of Swallow Rice. The scorching sun blazed overhead, and the road ahead seemed to stretch on forever.

“The sun is high—it's about time for lunch. And this is also the hottest time of the day. Should we find some shade to rest, eat, and take a short nap before continuing?”

“We won’t nap, but we should indeed find a place to rest and have lunch.”

“There’s a large tree up ahead, with a shaded clearing beneath it. Others have rested there before.”

“Perfect.”

Song You seemed to have spotted the tree as well.

Behind them, Lady Calico had walked to the lake’s edge, peering into the water as if gazing at her own reflection. After a while, she turned away and looked at the Daoist.

“Good timing. There are fish in the lake. I’ll have the swallow go fetch some firewood, and I'll catch a few fish first. Once I catch them, you’ll eat fish. Ever since we finished the dried meat Xu family gave us, you haven’t had meat for three days.”

“There’s no shade by the lake, it’s too sunny.” freewebnøvel.coɱ

“I have a straw hat.”

“Then I’ll have to trouble you, Lady Calico.”

“Why didn’t you eat the rats back at the Xu estate?”

“...”

Song You shook his head helplessly, both amused and exasperated. “You little one, why are you so stubborn?”

“You big one, why are you so stubborn?” Lady Calico trotted over with small, deliberate steps, mimicking his words without hesitation—though her tone was far more serious.

She continued, “If you had eaten the rats back at the Xu estate, you’d know how delicious they are. Then, as you travel, you’d never have to worry about not having meat again.”

“Lady Calico, your intentions are truly admirable.”

“Just wait for the fish I catch.”

“Don’t catch too many. It’s hot, and if we can’t finish them, they’ll spoil.”

“I know...”

Such small details, of course, were already within her consideration.

Song You continued walking forward.

These past few days, his travels had been somewhat rushed.

While he hadn’t been blindly forcing himself to move faster, his pace was noticeably quicker than usual. He paused less often along the way, and the leisurely ease he once had was slightly missing.

It wasn’t a conscious choice.

The wind fox had said—the world had already begun to fall into chaos. And that was highly likely.

This place was still two prefectures away from Angzhou, where Changjing, the imperial capital, was located. It wasn’t close. With the limitations of transportation and information flow, if anything had happened at court, the news might not reach here for some time.

Looking at history, this was common.

Sometimes, when changes occurred in the imperial court, border regions wouldn’t react for a long time. In extreme cases, entire dynasties had already fallen for years before some places either found out or refused to believe it.

Sometimes, an enemy army would be pressing in, war already at the opposite riverbank or merely a night away, yet people on the other side would only realize the danger when it was right before them. Even then, ordinary folk rarely grasped the full scale of the chaos.

And right now, this was only the beginning.

Great Yan was at its peak—a golden age. The people’s hearts were united, and ever since the northern frontier had submitted, there were no longer any external threats to the empire’s borders.

Internally, though conflicts and tensions had accumulated, with powerful military governors holding sway over their regions, and with the seemingly invincible Chen Ziyi standing at the center of it all, the situation had remained stable for years.

The introduction of Swallow Immortal’s superior grain had kept the populace fed, and Chen Ziyi himself had no intentions of rebellion. He and the old emperor had been able to easily keep the military governors in check.

Because of this, it was unlikely that Great Yan would suddenly collapse into ruin or plunge into apocalyptic turmoil overnight.

If the fox’s words about dynastic change were to come true—there was still time before that day arrived.

The current turmoil most likely originated from within Changjing itself. It was the kind of chaos that belonged to a golden age.

This type of upheaval was unique. If the conflict did not escalate into something greater—if it did not lead to irreversible consequences—then no matter who won or lost, the people across the empire would remain largely unaware of the full truth.

Only many years later, when books written by historians and scholars were widely circulated, would future generations finally piece together what had truly happened during this time.

And in the past few days, as Song You traveled along the official road, he had indeed encountered an unusual number of couriers, galloping past in haste.

This, too, seemed to suggest something.

The large tree the swallow had mentioned was a michelia tree[1], towering and lush, casting a vast canopy of shade beneath which no grass grew.

It seemed that merchants and travelers passing through often stopped under it to shelter from the sun and rain. The ground beneath had been flattened and hardened by countless footsteps. Some had even moved stones there for seating, worn smooth by years of use. Others had built a simple stove, left untouched for generations, passed down and used by countless travelers to cook their meals.

As Song You approached, a faint fragrance drifted toward him.

Looking up, he realized the michelia tree was in full bloom, covered in jade-like flowers.

Its blossoms were white with a hint of yellow, delicate and translucent, their petals slender and easily shed. A small layer had already fallen, carpeting the ground beneath with their fragrance, light and refreshing. It was as if even the heavens were inviting Song You to rest for a while.

“Well then...”

As if speaking to himself, Song You took his pack down from the red horse’s back and set it on the ground. He retrieved a fishing rod and handed it to the young girl beside him before taking out some salt and seasoning.

The swallow transformed into human form and went to gather firewood.

Before long, the fish was roasting under the tree.

Lady Calico, having used a simple leaf-woven fishing line, had caught a large grass carp. By the time she brought it over, it had already been cleaned and gutted. After a few precise cuts and some seasoning, it was skewered on a wooden stick and slowly roasted over the fire. Occasionally, Song You drizzled a thin layer of oil over it, letting the scent gradually spread with the gentle breeze beneath the tree.

The aroma instantly captured the young girl’s full attention.

Then, as Song You lightly sprinkled salt over the fish, her eyes followed his every movement, unwilling to miss a single detail.

But suddenly, she turned her head sharply, as if she had heard something. Her gaze shifted to the left side of the road—and then she didn’t look away.

A group of wandering martial artists was approaching under the scorching sun.

They walked with casual ease, chatting as they moved.

The moment they came into Song You’s sight, they also noticed him and his companions under the tree. Their conversation instinctively paused for a brief moment—then, upon realizing that he was a Daoist, they visibly relaxed, but their discussion from earlier did not resume. Instead, they began to complain about the heat of the day.

This group of wandering martial artists had clearly intended to rest under this tree as well. After approaching, they gave Song You a quick once-over and exchanged a few words with him before settling down.

The older ones took seats on the stones, while the younger ones sat directly on the ground. They pulled out stuffed mantou, sharing them among themselves, and passed around water pouches to drink.

Meanwhile, Song You’s grilled fish was just about ready.

Lady Calico fetched a lotus leaf from the lake and used it as a makeshift plate. The young girl and Song You each held a pair of chopsticks, occasionally feeding small bites to the swallow, all of them eating with evident enjoyment.

By contrast, though the martial artists’ steamed buns had fillings, they were cold. And compared to the golden-browned, spice-infused grilled fish, with its sizzling aroma carried by the heat, it was hard not to feel a little envious.

Unable to resist, a few of them kept stealing glances at Song You’s meal.

Finally, finding it too difficult to endure, they turned their attention away and resumed their previous conversation, hoping to distract themselves.

“Then who's in charge of Changjing now?”

“Naturally, it's Prince Shun!”

“I wonder how long this Mingde era will last...”

“Doesn’t matter! As long as they don’t start a full-scale war. If they do fight, I just hope it doesn’t reach us. Just having a few peaceful days is hard enough!”

Hearing this, Song You froze for a moment and turned his head.

The martial artists were still discussing amongst themselves.

“But if the Crown Prince and His Majesty fled to Yizhou, why is Luozhou also so tense?”

“Don’t speak recklessly!”

Immediately, one of the older men scolded the younger one, then instinctively turned his head toward Song You—only to find the Daoist already looking in their direction.

Luckily, Song You was clearly just a wandering Daoist, which put him at ease.

Taking advantage of the moment, Song You spoke up, “Pardon me, gentlemen, but may I ask—what exactly has happened in Changjing?”

“You haven't heard yet, sir?”

“Seems like word hasn’t reached this far yet.”

“That’s not surprising—the news hasn’t fully spread, but it will soon,” one of the older martial artists replied. He was careful with his words but still chose to answer.

“We heard that the imperial army, originally stationed to protect the capital, suddenly marched into Changjing. The reason given was that the Crown Prince had altered the Emperor’s decree and taken His Majesty hostage, plotting treason.

“In response, the eldest prince—the current Prince Shun—entered the capital under a secret imperial edict. Right now, Prince Shun is the one in control of Changjing.”

“So that's how it is...” Song You was momentarily stunned before asking again, “Then earlier, you mentioned something about heading to Yidu—what did you mean by that?”

“Ah... well, that's just rumors...” The older martial artist immediately became a bit more cautious.

“In that case, never mind.”

“Hah! It's just hearsay circulating in the jianghu. If you keep heading forward, sir, you'll naturally hear more about it. Right now, rumors are flying everywhere, and some of them are utterly absurd.” The martial artist hesitated for a moment before adding, “But the common talk is that the Crown Prince took His Majesty, along with some court officials, and headed toward Yidu.”

“Yidu...”

Song You silently pondered.

This particular martial artist had chosen his words very carefully—he didn’t say the Crown Prince forced the Emperor, nor did he say they left together of their own accord. He didn’t use words like escape or relocate, showing a certain keen awareness of how to speak without inviting trouble.

And indeed, this situation was just as Song You had originally suspected.

Between the two imperial princes, the elder one had always been the more bold and decisive—more like the old emperor himself.

Although the younger prince was the rightful heir as the legitimate son, his mother’s family had lost power long ago. Even the most disgraced Grand Commander had fallen several years back. On the other hand, the elder prince's mother remained favored, and her family was of a military lineage, producing many generals and commanding the imperial guards surrounding Changjing.

With such a character, it was natural for the military governors and warlords to rally behind the elder prince.

Moreover, anyone with eyes could see that between the two, the Emperor clearly favored his elder son, who was more like himself.

Had the old emperor established an heir earlier, he would have had ample time and power to secure the Crown Prince's position and dismantle the elder prince’s support. But he delayed, again and again—perhaps he still believed himself untouchable, perhaps he still thought no one dared defy him.

Regardless, even if he had the will to act now, he likely no longer had the strength.

He had delayed too long.

By now, countless people had already aligned themselves with the elder prince—their fates and interests were intertwined.

Great Yan had ruled for over two centuries, and the internal tensions had been building for just as long. The ruling class had remained unchanged for generations, while countless ambitious men had been waiting for an opportunity to rise.

If this conflict was not resolved quickly, it would be impossible to contain.

“The Crown Prince and His Majesty have already headed toward Yizhou. Even if Prince Shun wanted to pursue them, it would be in the opposite direction from here. So why did you say earlier that this region also feels... unusual?”

“Who knows? But we’ve been hearing from people up ahead that they’ve seen large military forces on the move—so many that the end of the column couldn’t even be seen.” The martial artist explained, “Most likely, the garrison forces of Luozhou and Yuzhou received orders from one side or the other, and are mobilizing for something.”

“Thank you for the information.”

“Ah, this chance encounter on the road must be fate,” the martial artist replied with a cupped-hand salute. “We’re just passing travelers exchanging words—no need yo exchange names.”

“Of course, of course...”

Song You immediately returned the gesture, offering polite thanks in return.

The martial artists rested for a while, then departed.

Leaving Song You alone beneath the shade of the tree, quietly finishing his grilled fish, sheltering from the scorching sun along the roadside.

This was, by all appearances, just an ordinary afternoon. Under the blazing sun, Yuzhou looked no different from before. Yet, as he walked halfway down the road, he heard news from thousands of li away—news that the people of Yuzhou behind him remained completely unaware of.

The most powerful and prosperous dynasty in history had just undergone a violent shift in power within its capital, a change marked by bloodshed and brutality—yet no one spoke of it.

1. Michelia is a historical genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Magnoliaceae. The genus included about 50 species of evergreen trees and shrubs, native to tropical and subtropical south and southeast Asia (Indomalaya), including southern China. ☜

This chapter is updat𝓮d by fre(e)webnov(l).com