Mutated Tao

Puppy and Lu Xiucai stopped arguing upon entering the palace gates. They peeked their heads out of the sedan chair, looking at the vermilion palace walls in awe.

There seemed to be a solemn and oppressive force that made them hesitant to speak loudly, and when they came to a halt before a three-story palace, they felt the urge to kneel down.

“Are you sure Senior Gao lives here?” Yang Xiaohai asked Chun Xiaoman, who had just gotten off the sedan chair beside him.

Chun Xiaoman shook her head silently, and then she took the lead, walking toward the palace.

The others snapped out of their shock and followed after her.

The unfamiliar environment made everyone restrained and obedient. They were uneasy as they traveled down the palace, but their anxiety instantly vanished upon seeing Gao Zhijian's familiar figure sitting on the dragon throne.

Gao Zhijian was wearing dragon robes and was seated on a throne made entirely of pure gold, but he was still the same old Gao Zhijian in their eyes.

A familiar sincere smile tugged at Gao Zhijian’s lips as he stood up from the dragon throne and welcomed them.

“Hey! Zhijian! What’s going on? How did you end up in the capital and even become the emperor? Puppy asked.

The faces of all the eunuchs in the palace changed instantly, and they cast hostile glances at Puppy. They found Puppy's words to be quite rude.

Chun Xiaoman pushed Puppy aside with the scabbard in her hand, and she addressed the emperor directly, “Zhijian, are Senior Li and Miaomiao here? Your people told us that they're here...”

Gao Zhijian nodded, but he sounded hesitant as he said, “They're here...”

“Ah! You're not stuttering anymore?! That's great! Becoming the emperor is actually a cure to illnesses?” Puppy exclaimed in surprise.

“The imperial physician gave me some medicine, which was quite helpful to me."

Puppy was thrilled. “That’s awesome! Can I borrow that imperial physician to see if he can cure the white patches on me?”

“Puppy!! Are you done yet?! Did you come all the way here just to chat?” Chun Xiaoman roared, and she almost drew her sword against Puppy.

Puppy retreated a few steps and obediently shut his mouth in the face of Chun Xiaoman's fury.

Chun Xiaoman took a deep breath, and then he turned to Gao Zhijian again before getting down to business. “Since Senior Li and Miaomiao are here, can you take us to see them?”

“I can take you to see Junior Bai, but Senior Li... I can't take you to see him because he's not in a condition to see anyone.”

“What’s wrong? Did he peel off his own skin again? What exactly happened?”

Gao Zhijian hesitated, “I don’t know how to explain it to you. It’s complicated. You can just ask Senior Li himself once he has recovered."

“Never mind, then take me to see Miaomiao first,” Chun Xiaoman said with a hint of anxiety in her voice. She wouldn't feel at ease until she saw with her own two eyes that they were still alive.

Gao Zhijian nodded and was about to lead the others toward the imperial kitchen when four eunuchs appeared before him and knelt down on the floor.

“Your Majesty,” one of the four eunuchs said, “You are the true dragon emperor with the loftiest status in the world. We can handle these lowly tasks for you.”

Gao Zhijian scratched the back of his head, which made his imperial crown tilt slightly, “All right, you guys take Xiaoman to Junior Bai.”

The others were about to follow Chun Xiaoman, but Gao Zhijian stopped them and said, “Do you guys have anything you want? I'm the emperor, so I can give you anything you want.”

“Are you serious?! Anything?” Puppy’s eyes lit up.

“Anything.”

“All right, then give me the throne.”

“How dare you!” the old eunuchs roared, almost scaring Puppy into wetting his pants.

“I... I... was just joking!” Puppy hurriedly exclaimed, "We often joked like this back then..."

Gao Zhijian waved his hand toward the old eunuchs before looking at Puppy with a complicated expression. “I can't do that. It's not necessarily a good thing to become the emperor. Choose something else.”

Puppy glanced cautiously at the old eunuchs before falling into deep contemplation. He leaned close to Gao Zhijian’s ear and whispered softly into the latter's ear.

Gao Zhijian nodded and agreed. Then, he looked at Zhao Wu and asked, “How about you?”

Zhao Wu leaned on his crutch and stared in the direction where Chun Xiaoman had left. After a while, he looked back at Gao Zhijian with a complex expression and shook his head. “I don’t want anything.”

Gao Zhijian didn’t insist and turned to Yang Xiaohai. “Do you have anything you want?”

Yang Xiaohai was a little nervous as he asked, “Senior Gao, can you really give me anything?”

“Yes, anything.”

“Then, can you help me find my parents?! Can you help me find them?!” Yang Xiaohai exclaimed in excitement.

Gao Zhijian hesitated briefly before beckoning an old eunuch over and asking him a few questions.

The old eunuch walked up to Yang Xiaohai and sized the latter up before asking in a delicate voice, “What are your eight characters of birth?”

“What’s that?”

“Your date and time of birth.”

“Oh, I see,” Yang Xiaohai’s face lit up with understanding, and then he shook his head, “I don’t know.”

The old eunuch’s relaxed face twitched slightly. He reached out his eagle’s claw-like hand and placed it on Yang Xiaohai’s figure. “Come with us.”

Gao Zhijian consoled Yang Xiaohai with his gaze as the latter nervously followed the old eunuch.

While Yang Xiaohai was leaving the grand hall, Chun Xiaoman found Bai Lingmiao making porridge in the imperial kitchen.

“Miaomiao!” Chun Xiaoman exclaimed. She couldn’t hold back her tears as she pounced on Bai Lingmiao from behind and hugged her slender waist.

“Be careful, don’t spill the porridge!”

Bai Lingmiao placed the bowl of porridge next to the stove before turning around to hug Chun Xiaoman.

“Sister Xiaoman, why are you here? Don’t cry. I had something urgent to do, so I couldn't come back.”

“I left a letter for Senior Li... I thought he'd tell you guys about it.”

Bai Lingmiao comforted Chun Xiaoman until she finally stopped crying.

“Next time, take me with you no matter where you go, okay? It’s not safe for you to be with Senior Li all the time,” Chun Xiaoman said.

“Don’t say that, Sister Xiaoman. Senior Li's illness seems to be improving.”

Chun Xiaoman shook her head vigorously and said, ”No, you’re so beautiful. What if something happens to you? This is final, all right?”

“And I’ve mastered the divine martial arts of the White Lotus Sect, so I've become even more powerful than before. I can definitely protect you!” Chun Xiaoman added.

Bai Lingmiao smiled and said, “I know.”

“You know? How do you know?”

“Give me a moment. I have to go and feed Senior Li first, and then I'll tell you what happened afterward. This bird's nest porridge will lose its effectiveness once it's cold."

Bai Lingmiao let go of Chun Xiaoman and placed the bowl of porridge in a food box before walking out of the imperial kitchen.

“Then, I’ll go with you... I want to see Senior Li, too.”

“No, you can't. Really. It's inconvenient for Senior Li to meet others right now. Anyway, I’ll be back soon; just wait for me here, Sister Xiaoman."

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