The estate was momentarily silent. There was only the faint breeze gradually blowing off the snow off the branches, like a small, clear and azure stream flowing through a mountain through countless years.


    The cup of tea in Jing Wen’s hand was as clear and azure as a stream. He fell silent for a long time before tossing his head back and drank the tea in a single gulp. His white robes fluttered, causing him to appear awe-inspiring and at ease - as if mountains cannot shake him.


    The tea entered his throat like spring water, but his voice became heavier.


    “Venerable Taoist… I shall not be sentimental. Please.”


    Zhou Aimin looked at him and thought; this was probably how Jing Wen was a month prior. He looked at Jing Wen and said, “The immortal elixir is supposedly in the hands of a merchant group that comes from the Northern Sea. The leader of the merchant group, however, is a native of our Great Zhu Dynasty, going by the name Hua (華) Quanfu (全福).”


    Jing Wen’s eyebrows shifted slightly. He said, “I have heard of Hua Quanfu - he is the fourth child of the Hua family in the South. How could a relatively obscured man obtain the sought after immortal elixir?”


    Jing An filled Jing Wen’s teacup to the brim before saying her own thought, “Perhaps Hua Quanfu’s is a proxy for a greater force.”


    Zhou Aimin smiled. Looking at Jing An, he praised, “Lady Jing is indeed a unique woman. Indeed, I myself suspect that Hua Quanfu is actually working to destabilise our Great Zhu. After the major factions in the capital receive news of it, they would no doubt begin quarrelling for a chance at immortality. No matter who wins or loses, none of the factions would be untouched, and enmities would brew between former allies. By then, whomever Hua Quanfu’s master is, he would no doubt be able to seize the situation and destabilise our nation.”


    Jing Wen did not immediately take the cup from Jing An. He asked after a pause, “During my time at the capital, I had formed neither factions nor alliances, working earnestly as a part of the Imperial Guard. Venerable Daoist, I cannot hope to match up to the powers in the capital.”


    Zhou Aimin did not fall silent at this difficult question, though his smile had faded. He looked at a tree at the courtyard silently, then saying, “Honourable sir, a single you are worth far more than the entirety of the crown prince’s faction.”


    Jing Wen laughed out loud when he heard this reply. “Hahaha. Fellow Zhou, you have seen my martial arts - I have fallen far from my peak. The crown prince has the mighty general Xiang Ji (項籍) at his beck and call. Even during my prime, I had troubles dealing with the man, how could I hope to best him now?”


    Zhou Aimin looked at Jing Wen. Seeing that Jing Wen, in a moment of forgetfulness, had referred to himself as ‘Fellow Zhou’, he decided to follow. “Fellow Jing, you are forgetting something.”


    Jing Wen’s expression had, by now, calmed down greatly. He asked, “What may Venerable Taoist be referring to?”


    “What Xiang Ji wields is a halbert. Fellow Jing, you meanwhile, is an expert of the bow.”


    Jing Wen averted his ‘gaze’ to look at Zhou Aimin. The white cloth covering his eyes fluttered as he said coldly, “But I cannot see.”


    Zhou Aimin said gently, “I can.”


    Jing Wen smiled and drank the warm tea. He sighed softly and said, “That does indeed make some sense. But if I were to simply kill Hua Quanfu and steal the immortal elixir, even if I can penetrate the merchant group’s defences, the chaos that follows may be even greater.”


    Zhou Aimin lamented, “That is indeed so.”


    Zhou Aimin then struck the table lightly with his fingers, creating a rhythm similar to the one he had created below the eaves during his divination. He said, “Fortunately, I had conjured a plan.”


    “Please explain.”


    “We shall expose the power behind Hua Quanfu, creating a cause for the Emperor to imprison Hua Quanfu. During the window between the Emperor learning of this and Hua Quanfu’s imprisonment, we can take the elixir for ourself.”Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    “That way, the people will be under the impression that the Emperor had taken the elixir for himself, and will be unable to do anything in retaliation.”


    All were silent in the Jing estate. The four girls Jing Wen had brought back were likely already dead asleep and could not hear what Zhou Aimin said. Jing An, who could be considered the only third-party in this discussion, lowered her head and looked at the teacup unmoving. Only her trembling left hand showed what she truly felt.


    Zhou Aimin wanted to steal the path to immortality by fooling the Emperor!


    ---


    A thin branch in the depths of the courtyard outside seemed unable to bear the atmosphere of the conversation - or perhaps it was merely the weight of snow. Regardless, it snapped loudly and the snow landed on Jing Ping’s grave.


    Jing Wen fell silent for a moment, then said slowly, “I dare not trick the Emperor.”


    Zhou Aimin looked at Jing Wen and said gravely, “There must not be an immortal ruler. No matter how wise, an immortal emperor will inevitably become detached from his subjects. Yet at the same time, there mustn’t be political chaos. Fellow Jing, your honest disposition and lack of desire for power make you the best choice if the elixir were to be consumed.”


    Zhou Aimin paused for a moment, then added swiftly, “Of course, it would be best if you did not consume too much of it, simply enough to recover your eyesight, lest you truly become immortal.”


    Jing Wen did not interrupt Zhou Aimin’s speech and listened silently. He heard the emotions behind Zhou Aimin’s voice and understood that the Little Taoist was at least acting true to his name - he loved the world (ai min). Not once had the little Taoist mentioned taking the elixir for himself, yet he even dared to risk a capital offence to prevent it from causing chaos.


    Could such a person so kind exist? To resist the temptation of immortality through goodwill alone? Jing Wen doubted it. Not the noblest man could be so selfless, and not even the kindest woman would give up the chance on immortal life. In the tale of Chang’e and Huo Yi, were they not a loving couple? Yet in the end, did Chang’e not drink the elixir of immortality, leaving her husband behind in exchange for an eternity on the moon?


    Still, what Zhou Aimin said was indeed true. The temptation of immortality would devastate the Empire, causing fathers to fight with sons, brothers to fight with brothers… To gain immortality while serving the world, how good will it be!


    It was simply too good for someone like Jing Wen.


    ---


    Jing Wen lowered his head. Facing such temptations, a foolish person would likely accept it without second thoughts while a wise person would consider why the opposite party would be so generous, before accepting in the end.


    Jing Wen was neither the two sort of person mentioned above. Rather, he said, “I refuse.”


    This single sentence had caused Zhou Aimin to become very confused. He asked, “May Fellow Jing explain why?”


    Whether it was to serve the nation or obtain eternal life, Zhou Aimin had stroked both flames of a man’s desire, along with heaping countless praises onto Jing Wen - not even the most iron-willed man should be able to refuse. The only relief Zhou Aimin had was that Jing Wen had similarly rejected him a day earlier before the matters regarding lady Zhi’s illness.


    Jing Wen shook his head before answering, “I’m certainly not the best choice if Venerable Taoist wants to prevent chaos in the capital. The heir to the Ziji Sect, Ming Haoran, is both altruism man as well as far more influential than me, able to mobilise the resources of the orthodox sect with a wave of his hand. It is far better for Venerable Taoist to work with him than I.”


    Jing Wen finished the cooled tea with a single gulp and left for his room.


    When his hand was placed on the doorknob, he suddenly added, “If Venerable Taoist reason is truly meaningful, I am willing to help then.”


    ---


    Jing An smiled wryly at the sight of her young master once again showing his aloofness. She sighed and said to Zhou Aimin, “Venerable Taoist Zhou, young master has allowed you to stay at the north building.”


    Zhou Aimin did not respond directly to Jing An’s words. Rather, he asked Jing An after some thought, “Is Fellow Jing always so strange?”


    Jing An looked at Zhou Aimin and replied coldly, “Indeed. Young master has been rejecting any benevolence from the world ever since the death of the old master.”


    Jing An lowered her eyes and began to fiddle with the teacup. She said, “In fact, I had hoped you would rejuvenate young masters’ spirit with the offer of immortality.”


    Zhou Aimin shook his head and said gently, “I had not expected Fellow Jing to be so cold. Lady Jing, may you please inform me how the late Prime Minister and Princess Kang had died in the first place? I had heard only little of it.”


    Jing An looked at the grave at the furthest part of the courtyard and silently moved her lips, as if to tell the old master something. After a long while, she said, “Young master had told me that my adopted mother, the old master, along with himself was suddenly attacked outside the capital… Adopted mother and the old master were both killed by the assailants, while the young master had lost his vision in the assault. Aside from that, young master had told me nothing.”


    Hearing this, Zhou Aimin first reached out his hand to comfort Jing An but retracted it after some thought - the girl clearly did not like him much, and it was clear she had already come to accept their deaths a great deal, there was no need to comfort her. Moreover, the boundaries between men and women is something that must always be considered.


    He then furrowed his brows and murmured, “The Prime Minister and the Princess are well respected and have few enemies. Even if the person had great hatred towards the late Prime Minister, how could they be so brazen as to attack outside the capital…”


    Jing An said indifferently, “I’ve thought about it for many nights already, and yet still cannot ascertain it. Venerable Taoist, since young master has rejected you, I suggest it is best for you to simply leave after morning, and attempt to contact Ming Haoran to help you instead.”


    Zhou Aimin gave Jing An a look of irony and said, “Lady Jing, I’m sure you are not as so foolish as to believe Ming Haoran truly lives up to his name as a good person (hao ran), right?”


    Jing An answered, “Even then, why should I care? Even if young master’s vision is restored through the elixir, he has already shown that his spirit will be unchanged.”


    Zhou Aimin said with nonchalance, “Because this is an opportunity for your young master to become his former self, proud like an eagle.”


    Jing An replied after a moment of silence, “If you can do that, I will consider helping you.”


    Zhou Aimin turned to look at Jing Wen’s bedchambers and said nothing.