NOVEL NEXT Chapter 18: chapter 18
18. Meeting of Immortals: Discussing the Possibility of Cultivating Immortality
"Eighty percent?!"
Xieyue frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Liuyun, you must answer the Emperor seriously. Every word you say now concerns Liyue's future."
"You must think of the people of Liyue and ensure that no misjudgments are made due to personal biases."
Hearing this, Liuyun was immediately displeased. She glared at Xieyue and retorted, "Are you accusing me of being biased toward Jiang Yan?"
"No, I simply want to remind you to be cautious in your judgment," Xieyue replied.
"Hmph! Enough with the pretense!" Liuyun brushed her sleeve angrily, causing a sharp gust of wind to sweep over the mountain.
"Even if I have a good relationship with Jiang Yan, I am still an immortal of Liyue! I have fought alongside the Emperor for thousands of years and witnessed the rise of Liyue with my own eyes."
"Don't act like you care more about Liyue than I do!"
Xieyue, equally frustrated, was about to respond when Zhongli's voice suddenly rang out, low and commanding:
"Enough!"
His words carried immense weight, and Tianheng Mountain trembled slightly in response.
The immortals fell silent. It was rare to see Zhongli angry—the last time had been when Fushe disappeared five hundred years ago.
"Emperor, please forgive us. We recognize our mistake," Xieyue and the others quickly bowed their heads in apology.
Zhongli took a deep breath to steady himself, then spoke with measured seriousness.
"Every word spoken here will shape Liyue's future for the next millennium. As immortals, is this the time to quarrel over personal disputes?"
Xieyue and the others, feeling guilty, remained silent.
Once calm again, Zhongli turned to Liuyun. "Liuyun, swear upon the people of Liyue that you will take full responsibility for every word you say."
"Do not worry, Emperor. I do not make baseless claims," Liuyun responded solemnly.
"It has been a hundred days since Jiang Yan arrived in Teyvat. On the day he appeared, he fell from a space-time rift—Gan Yu and Shen He can testify to this."
"At the time, he had no strength at all, yet his temperament and composure were extraordinary."
"When Gan Yu asked him about Liyue, he pointed out many flaws with remarkable precision."
"That was when I began to suspect he was no ordinary person, so I allowed him to stay in my cave for observation."
"Over these hundred days, whenever Gan Yu posed difficult questions, Jiang Yan answered fluently, often citing examples from different worlds and time periods."
"I initially believed he was a traveler who had journeyed across countless time and space. I even considered training him and later recommending him to the Qixing for a suitable position."
"But now that he speaks of Shushan, his past statements align perfectly with his claims."
"If there weren't a vast immortal sect that spans the heavens, how could he possess such extensive knowledge?"
Liuyun's reasoning was thorough, and Xieyue and the others nodded in agreement.
Zhongli gestured for her to continue.
"During these hundred days, Jiang Yan had much free time, yet every morning without fail, he would sit at the mountain's peak and quietly recite the Huang Ting Sutra."
"I once asked why he did this so diligently, and he only replied that he didn't know. He said he simply felt an unseen will guiding him to do so."
"Looking at it now, this must have been a method left to him by his Shushan predecessors."
"This, too, aligns with his claims."
"The most crucial part is that the Huang Ting Sutra is profound and difficult to comprehend. Even as I listened, I could feel its immense benefits."
"The Emperor himself should have noticed this as well."
At this, Mandrill and the others turned to Zhongli, who nodded slightly.
"Indeed," Zhongli confirmed. "I observed him and listened to his recitations daily. Simply hearing the Huang Ting Sutra was enough to suppress my wear and tear."
"This is why I have visited Jueyunjian for the past several weeks."
Zhongli's acknowledgment cemented the matter further.
"And the most critical piece of evidence," Liuyun continued, "is his tribulation."
"Regardless of Jiang Yan's abilities, the heavenly tribulation he endured was unlike anything in Teyvat's natural order."
"Moreover, if cultivating immortality were a deception, why would he invite us to join Shushan? Does he not fear that we might uncover its flaws?"
"Thus, I conclude that what Jiang Yan has said about cultivating immortality is most likely true."
Zhongli nodded in agreement. "My assessment is the same as Liuyun's—80% credible."
Liuyun glanced at Xieyue smugly, but the latter ignored her, instead voicing his concern.
"Emperor, what about the remaining 20%? Do you believe Jiang Yan poses a threat to Liyue?"
The question made Mandrill and the others tense.
Given Jiang Yan's abilities, if he ever turned against Liyue, even Zhongli might not be able to stop him.
Zhongli chuckled lightly. "A threat?" He then glanced briefly at Gan Yu, who seemed lost in thought.
"No. On the contrary, I believe Jiang Yan will come to cherish Liyue and may even aid in its prosperity."
Everyone was perplexed by this remark—especially Gan Yu, who couldn't shake the feeling that Zhongli was subtly implying something about her.
Zhongli sighed inwardly.
People often say that Morax, the God of Contracts, has no heart. But even a rock can transform into a dragon—how could he not have a heart after more than six thousand years?
He had merely given all of his heart to Liyue.
That said, his devotion to duty didn't mean he was blind to human emotions.
No matter how powerful Jiang Yan was, he was still only in his twenties.
From an immortal's perspective, he was a young genius destined for greatness, yet young geniuses were often susceptible to worldly emotions.
Zhongli didn't necessarily believe Jiang Yan had already developed feelings for Gan Yu.
However, under these circumstances, there was no reason to fear Jiang Yan would harm Liyue.
If everything went well, he might even propel Liyue to new heights with the secrets of immortal cultivation.
Seeing the lingering concerns in his companions' eyes, Xieyue finally asked, "Then, Emperor, what accounts for the remaining 20% doubt?"
Zhongli pondered for a moment before answering with a sigh.
"Because what Jiang Yan describes is simply too grand, too distant from our understanding."
"No matter what, we in Teyvat are still but frogs at the bottom of a well. We cannot yet confirm the absolute truth of his words."
"And for that reason—I cannot believe it entirely."