At Jinshan Temple, the arrival of an imperial decree shattered the usual serenity of the Zen monastery, casting a tense atmosphere over the grounds.
"Please wait a moment, Officer. This poor monk will go and summon Xuanzang to receive the decree."
Elder Faming hurried toward the back of the monastery, ostensibly to fetch Xuanzang, but instead slipped into an empty room. Closing the door securely behind him, Faming spoke into the empty space:
"The Emperor has sent men to invite Xuanzang to Chang'an to expound upon the scriptures. Go quickly and report this to the Bodhisattva."
With that, Faming stepped out of the room in silence and headed toward the monks' quarters.
Meanwhile, inside the imperial palace in Chang'an, upon receiving the news that Empress Zhangsun was critically ill, Li Er panicked entirely. Casting all else aside, he strode out at once. Zhangsun Wuji hurriedly followed, while the rest of the ministers exchanged glances, some of them tactfully choosing not to tag along.
When Li Er arrived at the Empress's bedchamber, he found the imperial physicians shaking their heads and sighing one by one.
"How is the Empress?" Li Er seized an imperial physician and demanded in a harsh roar.
"This..."
With a single kick, Li Er sent the physician sprawling to the floor, then pointed at another. "You! Speak!"
"Your... Your Majesty, Your humble servant has done all he could..."
A wave of dizziness washed over Li Er. Cheng Yaojin, quick-eyed and nimble-handed, rushed forward to steady him. Two lines of tears silently traced down Li Er's face.
At that moment, Zhangsun Wuji spoke up: "Quickly—go fetch the divine physician Sun!"
Hearing this, Li Er clutched at the name like a drowning man grasping at a final straw, roaring: "Li Junxian! Take men and bring the divine physician Sun here at once, quickly!"
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Li Junxian did not even pause to reply; he bolted out the door at full speed.
In less than half an hour, Li Junxian came rushing back, dragging along an elderly man with the transcendent air of an immortal.
"Your Majesty, the divine physician Sun has arrived!"
Seeing him, Li Er immediately stepped up to Sun Simiao. "Quick! Divine physician Sun, save the Empress! If you can save her life, whatever you ask, We will grant it!"
Sun Simiao replied calmly, "Healing the sick and saving lives is the fundamental duty of a physician. Your Majesty need not make such offers!"
With that, he stepped up to the bed and began to take the Empress's pulse.
A short while later, Sun Simiao stood up and slowly shook his head. "Your Majesty, the Empress's time has come. This old daoist is powerless. Please accept your grief, Your Majesty!"
At these words, Li Er swayed on his feet, weeping bitterly. "Why? Why is Heaven so unjust, wishing to take my Guanyinbi away?"
"Your Majesty, why not have Li Ling summoned here?" Zhangsun Wuji interjected in his anxiety, casting aside propriety to advise Li Er directly. "Since both Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng call him grand-uncle, he must certainly be an immortal. Perhaps he has a way to save Wugou."
"Good! We shall follow Wuji's advice. Junxian, hurry to the Fang Estate and invite Li Ling here!"
Before he had even caught his breath, Li Junxian turned and bolted away once more.
Yet Li Er held little hope for Li Ling. Sun Simiao was a high-ranking master of the Daoist gate whose seniority even surpassed Yuan Tiangang's, and his medical skills were nothing short of miraculous. If Sun Simiao was entirely helpless, what good would it do even if Li Ling were an immortal? Immortals could not interfere with the mortal cycle of life and death, either.
Within the bedchamber, silence hung heavy over everyone present. Only Li Er remained by the bedside, whispering to the Empress. Sun Simiao had not left either; he, too, wished to see what manner of extraordinary expert this Li Ling truly was.
Before long, a handsome, ethereal figure appeared in the room—so quietly that none of them had even noticed when the person arrived. It was only when the figure walked right up to the bedside that the others snapped back to reality.
"Your Majesty, please step aside so that I may examine the Empress's pulse."
Coming to his senses, Li Er stepped aside to make room. Without a second thought, Li Ling reached out and pressed his fingers against the Empress's wrist.
A moment later, Li Ling stood up and slowly shook his head.
Darkness washed over the faces of everyone in the room. As expected, if even the divine physician Sun could do nothing, Li Ling's arrival was equally useless.
Her heart turning to ash, Li Er waved a hand dismissively. "You may all withdraw. In these final moments, I wish to spend some time alone with the Empress."
Zhangsun Wuji's eyes welled with tears, streaming down his cheeks entirely unnoticed as his mind flooded with memories of his younger sister growing up.
Though their feelings varied, every single person present was a trusted confidant of Li Er, and not a single soul wished to see this virtuous Empress pass away.
"Your Majesty, the Empress's time has run out, and she must die—but Zhangsun Wugou may live."
Just as everyone was turning to leave, Li Ling's unhurried voice broke the silence.
The departing footsteps halted instantly. Everyone froze, utterly dumbfounded.
Zhangsun Wuji rushed to Li Ling's side, grabbing his arm. "What did you just say?"
Li Er turned to look as well, his tear-filled eyes flashing with two piercing rays of light, as if he might kill someone at the slightest provocation. Seeing everyone staring, Fang Xuanling's eyes filled with deep worry.
"I said the Empress's time has come, and no one can save her. But Zhangsun Wugou can live."
Hearing this, the crowd remained baffled. Sun Simiao, seeming to grasp something, spoke up: "Are you saying that to save the Empress, she must step down from the position of Empress and survive merely as an ordinary person?"
Li Ling glanced at Sun Simiao and nodded. "Precisely. The Heavenly Dao operates in cycles, and all things are predestined. The Empress of the Tang Dynasty has reached her end, and I can save her—but from this day onward, there shall be no more Empress in the Tang Dynasty, only a woman named Zhangsun Wugou."
Reacting swiftly, Li Er said with fervent excitement, "Very well! I beg the master to save the Empr—no, save Wugou."
Li Ling nodded, pulled a medicinal pill from his sleeve, and handed it to Li Er. "Please have her ingest this."
Once the Empress swallowed the pill, her condition improved visibly to the naked eye. Moments later, she sat up from the bed.
Seeing everyone staring at her, the Empress blushed. Before she could speak, a deep rumble of thunder rolled from outside the hall.
"Not good! Defying the natural order of Heaven—this is a heavenly tribulation sent by the Heavenly Dao."
Hearing this, everyone was gripped with anxiety. Li Er looked at Li Ling with deep worry. "Master, what... what should we do?"
"It is nothing."
With continuous hand seals, Li Ling wove intricate arrays of formation runes directly into the Empress's body. After a long moment, Li Ling called out, "Formation, form!"
The very instant the words left his lips, the roaring thunder outside the hall was choked off as if grabbed by the throat, instantly falling silent. The sky, thick with dark clouds, cleared up in the blink of an eye.
This display left everyone dumbfounded and staring in slack-jawed awe. Sun Simiao went so far as to tear out a handful of his own beard, exclaiming in wonder, "Such a brilliant formation! It can even deceive the Heavenly Dao!"
Hearing Sun Simiao's words, the others were struck with fresh astonishment.
*Deceive the Heavenly Dao? What manner of power is this? This person must never be made an enemy; we must befriend him at all costs!*
The Empress slowly stood up and bowed to Li Ling. "Wugou thanks the master for saving my life!"
Li Ling smiled faintly. "No need for such formalities. It is merely a mutual exchange." With that, his gaze shifted to Li Er.
Li Er smiled back. "I still must thank the master for saving Guanyinbi. Compared to Guanyinbi, the title of National Preceptor is nothing. I shall announce this matter at tomorrow morning's court session."
Then, looking toward his trusted confidants in the room, Li Er asked, "Do any of you have any objections?"
Zhangsun Wuji stepped forward first. "This subject has no objections!"
"Neither do we!" chimed the others.
Li Ling smiled faintly, offering no further words. He turned and walked toward the exit of the hall, his voice trailing behind him as he moved:
"Remember—the Empress of the Tang Dynasty is dead!"