Upon hearing the question, Hua Wuxi took out the brocade in her hand, preparing to hand it to Xu Le.
With a thought, Xu Le sent the brocade into his hand, which he then unfolded to examine.
Hua Wuxi was utterly shocked to see the ordinary brocade fly up out of thin air, but having served as an official for many years, she had developed excellent self-control and maintained a calm expression.
However, he was terrified by the immortal's power. If he could take away the brocade, could he also take away his head?
He had previously disregarded Liu Hanzhong's advice, but now he understood why Magistrate Liu held him in such high regard.
Xu Le looked at the characters on the brocade. The characters in this world were oracle bone script. Since learning the meditation method, his soul had become stronger, so his memory had been greatly enhanced, to the point that he could remember everything he saw. Therefore, he had also learned a lot of ancient Chinese characters. Although he was not completely proficient, he could barely understand them.
The hall was silent. Wan'er and Yiming also sensed the atmosphere and became somewhat restrained, no longer daring to eat and sitting on their stools without moving.
After an unknown amount of time, sweat began to bead on the foreheads of Hua Wuxi and Liu Hanzhong, fearing that Xu Le would refuse the emperor's edict.
"Alright, you may depart this afternoon." Xu Le casually placed the imperial edict on the table and continued his meal, as if these things were insignificant to him.
Hua Wuxi and Liu Hanzhong, observing the immortal's calm and composed demeanor, couldn't help but admire his true transcendence. They reasoned that anyone else might have been overjoyed. Since the immortal had agreed, and their objective had been achieved, they took their leave to prepare for their departure that afternoon.
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Chapter Thirty-Nine: The World Beneath the Mist
Xu Le instructed the shadow warrior to pack his things, especially not to forget the seasonings. He had no fondness for the food in this world, and his mood would sour if he couldn't eat delicious food.
Yiming looked at the busy shadow warriors, hesitated for a moment, and finally didn't say anything.
"Yiming, you and Wan'er pack your things and get ready to set off," Xu Le said with a smile, having seen through the boy's thoughts.
Yiming, who was initially somewhat disappointed, perked up instantly upon hearing Xu Le's words and rushed off to pack his things. However, he had very few belongings, so it didn't take him long.
Wan'er looked at her brother's silly expression and made a face at his hurried departure. Turning around, she saw Xu Le smiling at her, and her face flushed red like an apple. Feeling a little embarrassed, she lowered her head and started eating.
After recovering these past few days, she chatted a lot with the maids in the manor, learning a great deal about the outside world. She learned that this immortal brother was incredibly powerful, and the maid Xiao Cui even told her that many women with ulterior motives would try to approach him and steal her immortal brother away. Thinking of this, Wan'er clenched her little fist, cheered herself up, and then continued eating.
Not long after, Xu Le finished his meal, leisurely mounted the white tiger, and walked to the door.
The autumn sun isn't hot; it feels warm and comfortable on the skin.
Hundreds of well-equipped soldiers stood on the street outside the gate, their imposing presence resembling a sharp sword capable of cleaving the heavens and the earth.
Hua Wuxi stood quietly at the door, leading a black horse, when suddenly a white tiger leaped out from inside the wall. Its powerful aura intimidated all around, causing the soldiers to begin to stir.
Hua Wuxi had already learned about this immortal beforehand, so she naturally knew that this was an immortal's mount. Seeing Xu Le sitting on the white tiger, Hua Wuxi calmly commanded the team to quiet down, and then, their unified voices resounded through the sky.
"Immortals live as long as the heavens, and their lifespan is boundless."
Sitting on the white tiger, Xu Le looked at the dense crowd of people, all uniformly flattering him. Seeing their awe-inspiring gazes, a smile appeared in his eyes. This feeling of being high above others made him somewhat intoxicated.
The loud voice echoed throughout the entire town. All the civilians stood by the roadside, watching the soldiers escort the immortal on the white tiger. They were filled with fear, curiosity, and envy as they watched this true legend leave the ordinary town.
"I want to become an immortal someday, so that everyone will fear and revere me." A young man in plain clothes couldn't help but utter these bold words when he saw this scene, but the people around him just sneered and thought he was a fool dreaming.
The young man looked at their disdainful smiles with a calm expression and coldly uttered a sentence: "My name is Zhang Xuan. I will definitely climb to the top in the future and make you all look up to me."
The boy named Zhang Xuan turned and left the town, carrying his pack on his back, heading towards Chaoge, the place where the immortals had gone.
No one cared whether the boy stayed or left; no one knew whether a legend would rise or fall into obscurity.
………………
Two days passed in this way. Xu Le sat on the white tiger and enjoyed the food. As for the carriage originally prepared for him, he gave it to Wan'er and Yiming to use. Hua Wuxi had no objection. After all, the emperor had given the carriage to the immortals, and how to use it was Xu Le's own business.
Hua Wuxi wiped the sweat from her forehead. She didn't know why the sun had been getting stronger these past few days. Luckily, she had a military doctor with her, otherwise she would have already suffered from heatstroke.
Hua Wuxi had been trying his best to curry favor with Xu Le these past few days, but Xu Le showed no interest in his efforts, which disappointed Hua Wuxi. However, he did not give up. He was a member of the Hua family of Chaoge, and the Hua family had secured this messenger mission in order to establish a good relationship with the immortal in advance.
Xu Le sat on the white tiger and continued meditating. He didn't want to waste a single second of cultivation time; he had now replaced sleep with meditation. After all, the more he cultivated now, the closer he would be to his goal. He hadn't forgotten Yi Ming either. Although he couldn't have the shadow warrior spar with him, he had him practice horse stance in the carriage to strengthen his lower body and lay a foundation.
Because they were transporting horses, their marching speed slowed down. As they passed through a canyon, Xu Le, who was meditating, felt a strange power, which seemed sacred yet ethereal, appearing and disappearing in the distance.
Although this power was very weak, it was like a beacon in the darkness for a world without extraordinary powers, attracting Xu Le's attention.
Xu Le stood up, his eyes flickering with uncertainty, and then said to Hua Wuxi, who was riding a horse next to the white tiger, "I have to leave for a bit. You guys go ahead, I'll catch up myself."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Le soared into the air, ignoring Hua Wuxi's shouts from the side, and disappeared into the clouds under the soldiers' awe-inspiring gaze.
Hua Wuxi waved her hand helplessly, muttered a few curses in her mind, and shouted to the soldiers behind her, "Continue on."
Baihu, following Xu Le's orders, obediently walked in the center of the group and continued to march towards Chaoge.
Xu Le, who had left alone, followed his senses to a cliff. Looking down into the bottomless abyss, he saw only a few weeds growing on the cliff face. Xu Le threw down a fist-sized stone, but no sound came for a long time.
Xu Le clearly felt that power below, and the feeling of ethereal freedom grew stronger and stronger.
Xu Le jumped into the abyss and used the chicken talisman to float down. After about ten minutes, a thick white fog began to swirl around him. The fog became thicker as he flew down, until finally everything was a vast expanse of white, so thick that he couldn't see his hand in front of his face and couldn't see anything at all.
Xu Le had no idea how long this tedious journey lasted. Finally, he flew out of the mist, and another view appeared before his eyes.
Xu Le looked up at the thick fog in the sky, unaware that another world was hidden beneath this cliff.
The jungle was dense, with tall trees standing tall, and some creatures were moving about in the forest, making rustling sounds.
Xu Le floated in the air, trying to sense that power, but the intense feeling from before had vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.
Xu Le used his shadow magic to prepare to summon the Shadow Legion for a thorough search.
Suddenly, Xu Le's expression changed, becoming somewhat gloomy, with doubt and worry in his eyes.
His connection with the Shadow Legion was severed, making it impossible for him to summon them.