Fang Xuanling listened to Li Ling's words, lowered his head in thought for a moment, and then looked toward Li Er beside him.
"Your Majesty..."
"Xuanling, say no more. This little matter can be arranged by Us later, but..."
Li Er spoke as he looked toward Li Ling at the side.
"It's just that, Xuanling, how is it that this friend of yours, after so many years, still remains so young?"
Hearing this, Li Ling smiled and addressed Li Er:
"Your Majesty, I am a cultivator of the Dao who has resided in the mountains for many years. Free from the vexations of this mortal world, it is only natural that I do not easily age."
Li Er frowned slightly at these words, his piercing gaze fixed intently on Li Ling.
"Since the Daoist Master is a cultivator, let Us ask you: is there any art of longevity in this world?"
As Li Er posed this question, everyone present, who had previously been unconcerned, now stared intently at Li Ling.
"There is!"
"Ah! Wait, what did you just say?"
Sighing, Li Er suddenly snapped back to his senses, his eyes locked onto Li Ling, a brilliant light flashing within his pupils.
"Your Majesty just asked if there is an art of longevity, and I said yes!"
Li Er abruptly stood up.
"Is what the Master says true?"
"Indeed. If Your Majesty does not believe it, you may summon Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng. They are also cultivators of the Dao and likewise know the art of longevity, except..."
"Except what?"
Li Ling smiled lightly and said:
"Your Majesty has only to summon Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng to ask them, and you will know."
Hearing this, Li Er looked toward Li Junxian. He saw Li Junxian quickly step outside, whisper a few instructions into the ear of a guard, and watched as the guard hurried away.
Before long, two figures dressed as Daoist priests hurried over.
"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."
Li Er waved a hand and said:
"No need for formalities. This Master has told Us that the art of longevity exists in this world. Do the two of you know of it?"
Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng exchanged glances. Yuan Tiangang bowed to Li Er with cupped hands and said:
"Reporting to Your Majesty: the art of longevity does indeed exist, however, Your Majesty and the various ministers cannot learn it."
Hearing this, Li Er immediately furrowed his brow, gazed fixedly at Yuan Tiangang, and demanded:
"Why? Since the art of longevity exists in this world, why can We not learn it?"
"Your Majesty, ever since the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, mortal emperors have no longer been able to attain longevity. Your Majesty and the lords all hold lofty positions and enjoy the fortune of the Human Race. Even if humble Daoists were to teach Your Majesty and the lords the art of longevity, you would still be unable to master it."
Upon hearing this, Li Er turned his head to look at Li Ling.
He saw Li Ling nod and say:
"What he said is correct."
Hearing Li Ling's confirmation, Li Er's eyes carried a thick undercurrent of reluctance, and it was a long time before he finally let out a silent sigh.
"So be it!"
At this moment, Li Ling suddenly spoke up:
"Your Majesty, although longevity is out of reach, extending one's years is certainly not a problem. I have a medicinal pill here that can ensure Your Majesty's health remains sound until the end of your allotted span."
Li Er was instantly stunned. He looked at the round, lustrous pill resting between Li Ling's fingers, his gaze flickering.
A hairless, fair-faced middle-aged eunuch hurriedly stepped forward, took the pill from Li Ling's hand, and spoke in a shrill voice:
"Your Majesty, why not let this old slave test the medicine for Your Majesty?"
Before Li Er could reply, Cheng Yaojin stood up and declared:
"This old minister is willing to test the medicine for Your Majesty."
Following Cheng Yaojin's words, all the officials present cried out in unison:
"This subject is willing to test the medicine for Your Majesty!"
However, before anyone could make a move, Fang Xuanling stepped forward, took the pill from the eunuch's hand, and addressed Li Er:
"Your Majesty, this subject trusts Brother Li. Might as well let this subject test this pill for Your Majesty."
With that, Fang Xuanling raised the pill as if to put it straight into his mouth.
At that moment, Yuan Tiangang's voice rang out.
"Wait! Might I examine this medicinal pill?"
Fang Xuanling was startled. He looked toward Li Er, and seeing the emperor nod, he handed the pill over to Yuan Tiangang.
At this time, Li Chunfeng also stepped forward. The more the two examined the pill, the more astonished their hearts became.
After a long while, Yuan Tiangang looked at Li Ling and said:
"This humble Daoist belongs to the Yuqing lineage. I wonder whose disciple Your Excellency is?"
Hearing this, Li Ling contemplated for a moment and chanted in a deep voice:
"Red lotus flowers, white lotus roots, and green lotus leaves; the Three Teachings were originally one family. My lineage inherits from the Golden Ao Island of the East Sea, and my master is the Qingping Master of Interception."
Hearing Li Ling chant thus, both Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng were utterly shocked.
Seeing the two of them staring at him in astonishment, Li Ling smiled and let slip a trace of Daoist essence.
Feeling this trace of Daoist essence, Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng dropped to their knees in unison.
"Greetings, Grand Uncle-Master!"
This action left everyone present staring in utter bewilderment.
Looking at his two ministers with some incomprehension, Li Er asked:
"What is the meaning of this?"
Hearing Li Er's inquiry, Yuan Tiangang finally spoke up:
"Your Majesty, this is a senior master of our Daoist gate. This subject stakes his life to guarantee that this medicinal pill has absolutely no flaws, and its efficacy is indeed as... as Grand Uncle-Master has stated."
Hearing this, Li Er hesitated no longer. He took the pill from Yuan Tiangang's hand and swallowed it in a single gulp, while the surrounding crowd watched with extreme tension.
The medicinal pill melted the moment it entered his mouth. A moment later, Li Er felt a warm current flow from his Dantian to all four limbs and a hundred bones, and his entire body was instantly filled with strength.
"Your Majesty, you... you seem to have grown much younger."
The observant Cheng Yaojin was the first to notice Li Er's transformation.
Hearing Cheng Yaojin's words, Li Er shouted loudly:
"Someone come, bring a bronze mirror!"
Seeing this, Li Ling smiled and said:
"There is no need. Your Majesty might as well use this!"
Extending his palm, a crystal-clear mirror appeared in Li Ling's hand.
This was a mirror Li Ling had fashioned using modern methods when he had some idle time in the Heavenly Court. Having been nourished by immortal energy over time, it was now a magical artifact.
Taking the mirror from Li Ling's hand, Li Er looked at it left and right; he had never seen his own appearance so clearly before.
After a long while, Li Er finally put the mirror down and looked at Li Ling.
"What demands does the Master have? Speak them to Me, and Let Us see if We can satisfy the Master."
Hearing Li Er put it this way, Li Ling thought to himself:
*This Li Er truly deserves to be an emperor through the ages!*
Without wasting words, he spoke directly:
"I want the position of National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty. I wonder what Your Majesty thinks of this?"
The reason Li Ling did this was to better obstruct the Journey to the West; holding a lofty position in the mortal realm would make it much more convenient to act.
"Oh? If the Master desires the position of Our Tang Dynasty's National Preceptor, that is naturally acceptable. However, if the Master has no achievements to speak of, even if I say nothing, I fear the ministers will have objections."
Hearing this, Li Ling understood Li Er's meaning as well—it was nothing more than wanting to test his capabilities.
After pondering for a moment, Li Ling said to Li Er:
"I have here the blueprints for a new type of plow, which I call the curved-shaft plow. Using this plow to till the fields requires only one person and one ox, and its efficiency is several times that of the straight plows currently used in the Tang Dynasty."
Li Er was taken aback upon hearing this, and the rest of the ministers were also startled, casting skeptical glances at Li Ling.
Before Li Er could speak, Li Ling continued:
"I have two arts: the first is papermaking, and the second is movable-type printing. These can greatly reduce the cost of paper and books, allowing everyone in the Tang Dynasty to have books to read."
"I have another item called a 'horseshoe.' When nailed to the four hooves of a warhorse, it can reduce the wear and tear on the horse's hooves caused by friction. I wonder if these are sufficient for Your Majesty?"
Although the crowd was shocked upon hearing Li Ling's words, their eyes revealed nothing but doubt.
After a moment of contemplation, Li Er spoke out:
"Is what the Master says true?"
"Naturally it is true."
"Good! Please have the Master produce the physical items as soon as possible. If it is truly as the Master says, I am willing to offer the position of Tang Dynasty National Preceptor to you with both hands."
"In that case, it's a deal!"
After Li Er led his ministers away from the Fang Estate, a plump middle-aged man said to Li Er:
"Your Majesty, do you really believe what Li Ling said?"
"Old Fox Zhangsun, in this old Cheng's view, what Li Ling said is nothing more than sheer nonsense. Just wait and see how I expose him."
At this moment, another person spoke up:
"Your Majesty, this subject feels that Li Ling might actually possess some genuine skill. Otherwise, given the prestige and ability of Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng within the Daoist gate, they could not possibly have taken someone as their Grand Uncle-Master for no reason."
"Old Du, so what if he really is a Daoist senior? Even if he's an immortal, since ancient times I've never heard of any immortal who could accomplish those three things without using immortal arts."
Seeing the few of them arguing endlessly, Li Er smiled and said:
"Enough. True or false, it will become clear in a few days. Junxian, later you are to send a team of people to Jinshan Temple with an imperial decree summoning Xuanzang to Chang'an."