lcionline Chapter 2 The Diary That Suddenly Appeared
Chapter 2 The Diary That Suddenly Appeared
Shenjing, deep within the imperial palace.
Before dawn, the emperor had already risen from his dragon bed, and the palace servants busily and efficiently served him as he washed and changed.
As his majestic face was reflected in the bronze mirror, he stepped out of his bedchamber to greet the morning court session of the new day.
In the imperial court, ministers reported on national affairs in turn, while the emperor sat on the dragon throne, listening to the reports from all sides.
With nothing urgent to attend to today, the emperor was in an exceptionally relaxed mood.
After finishing his breakfast, he rested for a while before entering the Imperial Study.
Inside the Imperial Study, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.
The emperor sat down at his desk, preparing to review the memorials.
However, when he looked up, he saw a thin book with a light gold cover on top of the memorial.
The four characters "Cultivation Diary" on the cover shine brightly, the handwriting is simple and elegant, exuding an extraordinary and refined aura.
"Beautiful calligraphy!" the emperor couldn't help but exclaim in his heart.
Curious, he picked up the book and gently opened it.
"I've traveled through time."
"The bad news is that things didn't start well, and being an adopted daughter puts me in an awkward position."
"The good news is—I've been bound to a system, so I can cultivate immortality now!"
The emperor frowned as he looked at the delicate handwriting on the pages.
What does this say?
Is it really someone's diary?
Why would such a messy thing appear in the Imperial Study?
Also, what does "time travel" mean, and what is a "system"?
Is this "cultivation of immortality" the same cultivation of immortality he knows?
A host of questions immediately popped into the emperor's mind, and he couldn't help but continue reading.
"Since the system says that I am the only cultivator, I can rest assured."
"No, no, I need to keep a low profile."
"After all, the path to immortality values life."
"My life is the most important thing. Compared to immortality and carefree living, temporary forbearance and keeping a low profile are nothing."
The emperor saw the four characters "the immortal path values life" and wholeheartedly agreed.
This dynasty reveres Taoism and immortals. Even the supreme ruler, the emperor, treats Taoist priests and sorcerers with kindness and generosity, granting them whatever they desire. Isn't his only wish to prolong his life and be free from illness and disaster?
But what about "immortality and carefree living"?
Is it really possible for anyone in this world to cultivate themselves into an immortal and live forever? It's probably just wishful thinking.
These words struck a nerve with the emperor, and he was slightly displeased.
"Hmph, those people in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion are nothing but a bunch of short-sighted, stupid, and opportunistic scoundrels. Dealing with them will be a piece of cake."
"The power of secular dynasties means nothing to cultivators."
"My level is already different from theirs."
The last few lines of text completely enraged the emperor.
He slammed the diary to the ground: "Someone come here!"
The chief eunuch Hong Fu, who was waiting at the door, immediately turned around and entered the imperial study, kneeling before the emperor.
The emperor roared, "Whose book is this? Take it away and let me investigate! This is utterly arrogant and disrespectful!"
Hong Fu dared not neglect the emperor's decree in the slightest.
He glanced around cautiously, then looked up at the emperor's desk and asked, "Your Majesty, may I ask which book it is?"
The emperor's face darkened, and he pointed, saying, "It's that book in front of you, the one with the yellow cover. How dare you use that color... You let it in without even checking it, are you all blind?!"
The emperor was truly enraged.
Hong Fu was sweating profusely and quickly bowed his head and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. It was our dereliction of duty!"
After saying that, he carefully looked around again and found no so-called yellow-covered booklet. He then broke out in even more sweat.
"Your Majesty, please tell me, which booklet is it?"
"Right on the ground in front of you!"
The emperor's anger intensified as he looked at the stupid and useless servants below him.
He walked down himself, picked up the diary, and waved it in his hand: "This is such a big thing, how could you not see it?"
Seeing the emperor's actions, Hong Fu said in a panic, "Your Majesty, you're not joking with me, are you? You don't have... anything in your hands..."
Seeing that his expression didn't seem fake, the emperor called out, "Little Dezi!"
The eunuch who was called immediately rushed in and knelt down behind Hong Fu with his head bowed.
"Can you see what I'm holding?" the emperor asked.
Xiao Dezi looked up and found that the emperor's hands were indeed empty, and he couldn't guess what the emperor was doing.
Like the Grand Eunuch Hong Fu, he was sweating profusely and said truthfully, "Your Majesty, this servant cannot see what you are holding in your hand."
The emperor couldn't help but feel suspicious.
Even if they had the greatest courage, they wouldn't dare to conspire to deceive me. Could it be that only I could see this booklet?
The emperor was determined to find out what it was, and ordered, "Get up, take this booklet, and see if anyone else can see it."
"Yes." The chief eunuch Hong Fu immediately stretched out his hands, ready to catch the thing he couldn't see at all.
The emperor placed the diary in his hand, but the book suddenly disappeared the next moment, startling the emperor so much that his eyes widened.
Where's the booklet? Where did it go?
The emperor hurriedly searched for it.
He discovered that it had silently returned to the pile of memorials, exactly as it had been when he first saw it that day.
He didn't believe in superstitions and took it to Xiaxiazi again, but the booklet disappeared into thin air once more and returned to its original place.
After these two incidents, the emperor's anger over the contents of the diary had largely dissipated.
He could tell that this was no ordinary trick; it was a genuine transfer out of thin air.
This book, "Cultivation Diary," is probably not so simple.
He pondered for a moment, then waved for the two eunuchs to leave, instructing them not to spread the news of today's events.
Hongfu and Xiaodezi naturally obeyed.
After the eunuchs left, the emperor sat back down at his desk, deep in thought.
His brows furrowed, and unease and doubt arose in his heart.
He clearly saw the booklet, so why couldn't Hongfu and Xiaodezi see it?
But when he held the booklet in his hand, the feel and weight he experienced were genuine.
It can even teleport away out of thin air. Could it be that some mysterious force is at work behind the scenes?
The emperor examined the booklet again, and the words "Cultivation Diary" on the cover stirred something within him.
Could this really be a secret manual about cultivating immortality?
The emperor opened it again and reread the contents of the first page.
Then he turned to the second page, which was blank.
Unconvinced, he flipped through the booklet repeatedly and discovered that, except for the first page, all the pages were blank!
He was even more puzzled.
However, judging from the contents of the first page, the identity of the diary's owner has been confirmed; she is the adopted daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
The emperor remembered that more than ten years ago, Chu Hanchen did indeed find a baby girl at the entrance of the Taoist temple and took her back to raise her as his own.
It seems that the girl's name is Chu Lengyu.
At that time, people in the capital thought she was the illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, and they gossiped about who the child's birth mother was. Even he heard about it in the palace.
The emperor's eyes darkened.
Ah, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion...