Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts

"Your Majesty, this is the testimony from Zhu Cici, daughter of Yunyi Marquis of Qi Kingdom, and her maid Xiao Ye."

The day after the Xuanwu Street assassination attempt, in the imperial study, Wei Xun handed over a sheet of paper filled with detailed accounts.

Emperor Wu unfolded it, reading carefully.

As he read, his expression shifted to one of astonishment.

"This Xu Ming... truly continues to surprise me," the emperor muttered with a deep exhale.

According to Zhu Cici and her maid's account, when they were trapped within the barrier, the three dogs raised by the Disaster Hound had attacked. Two restrained the maid, while the third lunged at Zhu Cici, leaving her in what seemed to be a certain death.

But in that critical moment, Xu Ming had pummeled one of the dogs to death with his wild fists.

Then, despite being weakened, he mustered the strength to kill another dog.

Only then was the situation resolved.

Had Xu Ming not acted, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

If Zhu Cici had died, Xu Ming would have undoubtedly perished as well. Wu Kingdom would have lost not only a poetic prodigy, but Zhu Cici's death would have created enormous political complications.

Even though the culprits were from the Southern Demon Kingdom, the fact that Zhu Cici would have died on Wu soil—especially as one of the rare Heavenly-born Scholars—would make it impossible for Wu Kingdom to avoid blame.

There might even be conspiracies suggesting that Wu Kingdom colluded with the Demon Kingdom to kill Zhu Cici deliberately.

Such accusations would be impossible to clear.

In summary, this time Xu Ming had rendered a service far greater than what he achieved at the banquet.

"How should I reward him for this?"

The emperor rubbed his temples.

The thought of a young talent, both scholarly and martial, arising within Wu Kingdom pleased him immensely.

But Xu Ming's current status made rewarding him complicated.

"Forget it, forget it," the emperor muttered, shaking his head. "Why am I even stressing about this? Xu Ming's accomplishments will inevitably be noticed by those reformists. This will just give them more ammunition to push their agenda."

"Wei Xun," the emperor called.

"Your servant is here," Wei Xun immediately knelt.

"Xu Ming fainted from exhaustion, correct?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Wei Xun nodded. "The Xu household reported that a doctor has already seen him, and he was in no serious condition. He likely woke up this morning."

"Good." The emperor nodded. "Xu Ming practices martial arts, doesn't he? Send him some body-strengthening medicinal materials."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Wei Xun replied promptly before retreating.

"Xu Ming..."

The emperor, now alone in the study, stared at the name written on the paper. A complex expression flickered in his eyes.

"If only I could have a son like this," he sighed wistfully. "Then I wouldn't have to deal with those court officials constantly badgering me."

As the father of only a single daughter, the emperor exhaled deeply.

[T/N: I think I might have translated Crown Prince in a previous chapter. But it should be Crown Princess since the Emperor only has a single daughter and no other child.]

"Wait a moment..." Suddenly, an idea struck him. "What if I let Xu Ming become Hanhan's..."

"No, no," the emperor quickly shook his head, dismissing the thought. "That's too hasty. It's far too soon for such a thing—at least for now."

---

In the Xiaochun Courtyard of the Xu Mansion, Xu Ming had already awakened by morning.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself surrounded by people.

Among them were Elder Fang Jingchun from the Qi delegation, Zhu Cici's mother, Zhu Cici herself, and her maid Xiao Ye.

Both Elder Fang and Madam Zhu expressed their profound gratitude to Xu Ming, emphasizing that the Qi Kingdom would remember this debt forever.

Their words were heartfelt.

Madam Zhu spoke from the perspective of a mother, while Elder Fang represented the Qi Kingdom's interests.

After all, Qi Kingdom had not seen a Heavenly-born Scholar in a thousand years.

If anything had happened to Zhu Cici, how could they face their emperor? How could they answer to the people of the Qi Kingdom?

This favor was simply too great.

Meanwhile, within the Xu household.

At the Xu residence, even the old matriarch and Xu Ming's 'cheap father' Xu Zheng had shown up.

Both the old lady and Xu Zheng lavished praise on Xu Ming.

However, Xu Ming only responded with polite smiles, treating their compliments as mere background noise.

In truth, Xu Ming harbored no fondness for either his grandmother or his so-called father.

Madam Qin, Madam Wang, and the others were also present—unsurprisingly so.

For Xu Ming, who had been overlooked since birth, this was the first time he felt such enthusiastic attention. It made him slightly uncomfortable.

Before long, imperial messengers arrived with gifts from the palace: body-strengthening medicinal materials sent by Emperor Wu himself.

These materials were immensely valuable to Xu Ming.

Previously, he had even considered asking Madam Wang for help sourcing such resources. But now, the Emperor's gift was more than enough.

Since physicians could detect a martial artist's realm by observing their internal energy flow, Xu Ming's true level couldn't remain hidden after his diagnosis.

Upon learning that Xu Ming had reached the Mercury Realm, everyone—aside from Madam Wang—was utterly astonished.

An eight-year-old in the Mercury Realm.

While not an unprecedented prodigy, this still marked Xu Ming as exceptionally talented.

Madam Wang, however, simply crossed her arms and raised her chin proudly.

She had been aware of Xu Ming's progress all along, as he often sought her guidance.

To her, Xu Ming was half a student of hers. Seeing his achievements now was a point of personal pride.

Fortunately, unless one was a physician specializing in internal energy, it was impossible to discern Xu Ming's spiritual cultivation level.

Had they known he was already at the Fourth Stage of Qi Cultivation, their reactions would have been even more extreme.

On the other hand, Xiao Ye stood silently to the side, her expression complicated and hesitant.

Xu Ming's performance in saving her mistress yesterday went far beyond what a mere Mercury Realm practitioner could achieve.

If not for his human form, Xiao Ye might have suspected that Xu Ming was a juvenile version of one of the ancient Ten Great Beasts.

Since Xu Ming still required rest to recover from his exhaustion, the physician eventually ushered everyone out.

Only Chen Suya, Xu Ming's mother, remained to care for him.

Feeling truly tired, Xu Ming quickly fell asleep.

That Blood Qi Frenzy certainly came with heavy side effects.

---

Meanwhile, at the Sifang Pavilion, Madam Zhu and Zhu Cici had returned.

In her quarters, Madam Zhu was busy writing a letter to inform her husband of the previous day's events.

Xiao Ye stood before her, clearly distracted.

"Xiao Ye, what's the matter? You seem lost in thought. I've already told you, what happened yesterday isn't your fault," Madam Zhu reassured her maid.

"Madam... this servant has something to report," Xiao Ye replied, bowing.

Madam Zhu looked up from her writing. "What is it?"

Xiaoye carefully chose her words.

"Yesterday, when the officials from the Wu Kingdom questioned me about what happened, I deliberately understated the strength of the three dogs, saying only that Xu Ming managed to kill two of them in close combat."

"But, Madam, Xu Ming's true power far surpasses that of an ordinary Mercury Realm practitioner. This servant even saw him use the Fireball Technique. His cultivation must be at least at the Clarity Realm."

Madam Zhu furrowed her brows slightly. "What are you trying to say?"

Bowing deeply, Xiao Ye continued, "Xu Ming is both a literary and martial prodigy, mastering physical and spiritual cultivation alike. His potential is boundless. The Qi Kingdom must secure him."