Chapter Sixteen: Seekers of Immortality and the Way

“Countless noble families never suspected this might be a trap. Lord Zhang knew the moment he first set eyes on the Painting Market. I am very curious—Lord Zhang, where did your intelligence come from?”

Li Yu’s smile was anything but friendly as he looked at Zhang Rui.

Zhang Rui returned the greeting with a gentle smile. “Your Highness, the immediate priority is to address your current situation. What do you think?”

Li Yu’s face stiffened at these words, his smile slowly fading.

He disliked the county magistrate’s gaze—it appeared mild and humble, yet beneath it lurked an inexplicable arrogance. It wasn’t just directed at him; it was as if he looked down on everyone. Deep in that man’s eyes was a sense of superiority…

“Lord Zhang is right…” Qin Fang spoke up directly. “I regret not heeding Lord Zhang’s decision to follow Master Xia Xuezhou secretly. Because of that, we fell into an ambush, and the entire escort was wiped out. Moreover, no matter how hard I try, I cannot shake off the pursuit. It must be related to that being you mentioned who controls all the Painting Spirits, correct?”

“Something like that,” Zhang Rui nodded. “Master Qin, your martial skill is exceptional, and your speed far surpasses that of ordinary Painting Spirits. In theory, it should be easy to escape the chase with Your Highness.”

Just moments ago, under Murong Yunji’s signal, Zhang Rui had witnessed this himself. Qin Fang, carrying the prince, ran at speeds exceeding three hundred yards—faster than a Porsche. The strength of martial artists in this world was truly remarkable, almost superhuman!

“But Painting Spirits identify scents. Once your scent is recorded, the entity controlling them can make all the Painting Spirits remember it. So as long as there are Painting Spirits within a ten-mile radius, they will be attracted by the scent. No matter where you run, you cannot escape.”

“I see!” Qin Fang glanced down and saw that, in no time, numerous green-eyed Painting Spirits were crawling frantically up the mountain towards them.

“Lord Zhang, is there any solution?”

“There is…” Zhang Rui took two drops of black refined blood from a jade box. The blood had coagulated into two black pearls.

“What is this?”

“Painting Spirit essence blood,” Zhang Rui did not hide it.

“Does this work?”

“Consuming the essence blood will transform you into half a Painting Spirit within half an hour. Your scent will naturally dissipate. As long as you are not marked again, you won’t be tracked.”

The two men frowned deeply upon hearing this. Chen Xiao, however, laughed unexpectedly—he hadn’t expected in his lifetime to see this creature turn half-human, half-ghost.

“Once turned half-human, half-ghost, how can one recover?”

“As long as one does not fully become a ghost, recovery is possible,” Zhang Rui whispered. “But it cannot last too long. Within four hours of ingestion, you must expel it through blood replacement techniques. Otherwise, once fully ghosted, there is no chance to return to human.”

“This…” Qin Fang glanced uneasily at Li Yu. In such circumstances, survival left no choice, but His Highness’s noble bloodline would make persuasion difficult.

“Very well!” Li Yu smiled without hesitation, leaping from Qin Fang’s back and swallowing the ghost blood directly from Zhang Rui’s hand.

A ruthless man…

Zhang Rui’s eyelid twitched. The third prince he had written about before was a madman—ruthless and terrifying in his methods to seize the queen. Back then, he had written him in the most perverse way to captivate readers, but now, meeting him face to face, Zhang Rui wanted no further entanglement with such a man.

“Lord Zhang…” Qin Fang saw the prince had taken it and felt no reason to hesitate, but suddenly, he noticed a strange smile spreading across Zhang Rui’s face.

“What… are you smiling at?”

Everyone was silent.

Zhang Rui was silent.

Damn it!

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“Your Highness, it’s time to take your medicine…”

In the Bei Sea City, within the Yuchi residence, a noble figure was tightly bound to a bed. The crown prince looked utterly disheveled, with not a trace of princely dignity remaining.

“I don’t want to drink it…”

The middle-aged man offering the medicine wore a complex expression. Once a confident heir apparent, now fallen to such a state, his appearance aged decades. He looked older than even His Majesty, and no matter how resolute his spirit, it was hard to bear. It was rare the prince had not completely broken down.

This dynasty’s crown prince held an unshakable position. The emperor and empress shared a deep bond, and the prince had been officially named heir to the throne at a very young age, a testament to the emperor’s great favor.

Over the years, top scholars were brought in to tutor the prince; he was allowed to establish his own headquarters and recruit advisors. On several occasions, citing his own health, the emperor went to the royal gardens to recuperate, leaving the prince to govern, fully entrusting him. These actions clearly announced to the world that the next heir was settled and without dispute, encouraging ministers to align early and pave the way for the prince.

Who could have imagined such a turn of events?

“Brother-in-law, how much longer do I have?”

“Your Highness, you mustn’t despair. Master Tian is on his way. He will uncover the culprit secretly spreading the plague. Please stay strong…”

“You shouldn’t do this…” The prince’s eyes were lifeless as he stared at the ceiling, seemingly devoid of any spirit.

The middle-aged man said nothing. He understood what the prince meant. The sorcerers were about to use forbidden magic, impossible without the Yuchi family’s backing. Yet, such a grave crime could never be admitted. Even if it came out later, the blame would fall on the advisors.

A whole city’s people sacrificed—if this became public, it would bring universal scorn. Even the Yuchi family’s millennia of prestige could not withstand it. But they had no choice; the prince must live.

Now, the Yuchi family’s power was at its peak, like fire on oil, trusted completely by the emperor without suspicion—but that was as long as the prince lived. The empress, his sister, could no longer bear children. If anything happened to the prince and another prince ascended, their overbearing influence as in-laws would become a threat. Even if the current emperor did nothing, the new emperor surely would.

The Yuchi family had come too far to retreat. To step back now would be to shatter into pieces.

“How is my uncle?”

The prince sighed.

“Father…” The man’s face darkened further.

His father was the most gifted member in the Yuchi family in a century. In his youth, alongside the then-not-yet-heir emperor, he had earned countless military honors in the northern frontier, terrifying the barbarians of Northern Qi. Not only was his military skill outstanding, his personal martial arts talent was superb. At fifty, he was recognized as the strongest beneath grandmaster level, needing only a single opportunity to ascend. If so, with a grandmaster in their ranks and royal blood, the Yuchi family would be the foremost military clan for the next hundred years.

But all of this was on the brink of collapse, due to the scheming of those deranged individuals…

The plague was bizarre and strange. Even this powerful man could not avoid it. He had laughed only three times since infection, but his body was already decaying. Were it not for his family restraining him with cold iron, he would have already gone mad and self-destructed like the others.

Everyone knew, however, that such restraints would not hold for long.

“The forbidden magic isn’t without gains…” The man took a breath. “We found several mysterious strong figures. Their bodies have been fully preserved. As long as the sorcerers skilled in mediumship within the prince’s household act, they will find clues.”

“Master Tian?” The prince gave a bitter smile. “That man… is very cunning. He might not even join your side…”

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“Tsk, truly the strongest army in the world!” Outside Bei Sea City, a man in gray seemed to have used some means to view the entire city clearly through a water mirror.

“Indeed extraordinary…” A green-eyed woman in white beside him looked at the troops guarding the city gate. Cold emerald eyes flickered with admiration.

Those soldiers had endured a strange plague, the brutal deaths of their fellow citizens, and the loss of loved ones. Despite such blows, they remained steadfast and unflinching. Such resilience explained why they were invincible on the northern battlefield.

“Such a shame… for such a fine army to serve the Yuchi family.”

“Isn’t it because of the Yuchi family that such an army exists?”

“Perhaps…” The gray-clad man stretched lazily. “How’s it going over there? That field must not be allowed to reach Bei Sea City. We didn’t expect the crown prince’s household to be so reckless—to dare use forbidden magic. Several elders vanished before retreating. If their identities were discovered, it would be a disaster.”

“The Painting Market is already being purged. All exits are blocked. No one alive will escape!”

“The Painting Market is vast. Are you sure it’s foolproof?” The man asked with a sly smile.

“Do you doubt our lord’s ability?”

“Of course not…” The man waved his hand. “It’s just that my master predicted there would be a variable in this incident.”

“A variable?”

“Yes, a sudden one.” His smile faded, and his expression grew grave. “My master has never encountered such a case. The person involved appeared out of nowhere, without warning, and forcibly changed fate. It’s somewhat like…”

“Like what?”

“A reincarnated immortal…”

“An immortal?” The woman laughed derisively. “Are there still immortals in this world?”

“Just because you don’t know doesn’t mean they don’t exist…” The man shook his head, gazing at the gray sky. “Have you ever wondered where those unnatural evils come from?”

“That’s a strange thing to say. What? Do you think humans were meant to exist, and we are the unnatural evils?”

The man smiled faintly and said no more. It was pointless to explain such matters to these narrow-minded people. Most things in the world followed the natural order of heaven and earth, but these evils were clearly an anomaly—like some creation forged to bring suffering to humanity.

“I’m curious—what exactly does your master hope to gain by cooperating with us?” the woman asked.

“My master…” The man smiled again. “He is a seeker of immortality and the Dao. Everything he does is for that purpose!”