"Without knowing the principles of life, how can one know the matters of death?
To understand the state after death, one should first know the state before life."
After Ji Xiang finished speaking, he heard a faint exhale in his ear. Zhu Changluo's eyes seemed to blur, as if two people were standing before him.
Zhu Changluo pondered for a moment, then shifted his question from death to life:
"Then what is this principle of life that the Daoist priest speaks of?"
Ji Xiang bowed his head slightly again to respond:
"Life is my destiny."
"When a person is alive, life and death are in their own hands. External changes are generated by the heart. One cannot be buried in the ground, nor can one reach the heavens. This is what is meant by my destiny is within me, not dictated by heaven."
"Your Highness must understand yourself that these matters are controlled by oneself and should not be sought from outside. If one cannot even live this life clearly, how can one expect a better destiny after reincarnation?"
My destiny is mine, not heaven's; I shall forge my Golden Core for eternity.
This was first said by the True Man Ge Hong, and later the Liang Dynasty's Qiang Mingzi and the Northern Song's Zhang Boduan quoted this phrase in their writings multiple times.
The moment of birth, the moment of death, and the destiny brought with them are all innate. However, only this "my destiny" can be controlled by oneself.
This principle has been upheld by Daoist practitioners throughout the ages.
Why cultivate?
Because one must resist the destiny ordained by heaven; this is the preciousness of life in the immortal path.
At this moment, Zhu Changluo remained silent, deep in thought.
He had initially thought this was merely a young Daoist priest, a gatekeeper for the courtyard, with meager magical power. Who would have thought he possessed such insight? And more bizarrely, this person was actually alive... and discussing matters of life, death, spirits, and ghosts with him.
This was simply a demon!
Was the assassination unsuccessful, or had the assassin not arrived, or did the demon before him possess some special means?
Zhu Changluo pondered. The person beside him, who had confidently vowed to curse this young Daoist priest to death, had guaranteed it would be foolproof.
Zhu Changluo had come here that morning precisely to confirm Ji Xiang's corpse, but he had not expected this young Daoist priest to be so extraordinary.
These deities are truly unreliable; he had misjudged them.
Killing through incense offerings is, after all, a lesser art. For these Daoist practitioners, there were indeed ways to break it.
However, much of what Ji Xiang said did resonate with Zhu Changluo.
"It seems, young Daoist priest, you are truly no ordinary person."
"Those palace attendants back then said that the Daoist lineage of Mount Wudang was also declining. Now it seems that is not the case. You are truly hidden amongst the common folk, tempering your true heart."
"But if the sovereign commands a minister to die, how can you not die?"
Zhu Changluo walked to the hall door, suddenly stopped, and turned back to ask:
"Speaking of which, young Daoist priest, you are only slightly older than me. The reason you began cultivating... that choice wasn't made by yourself, was it?"
"You say cultivators can change destiny, and that life and death are in one's hands with changes driven by the heart. Then, what outcome will you ultimately achieve?"
Ji Xiang still bowed his head slightly:
"Joy in life, pleasure in death; amidst sorrow and happiness, I remain at ease. When the heart arises, I have already resided eternally in the Purple Court."
After speaking, he said no more, adopting an air of a master.
But Ji Xiang was not speaking nonsense. After all, he had wandered in Fuli for a long time, and now that he was alive again, he was not a normal person. Since a day spent smiling or frowning was the same, he might as well be a little happier.
Zhu Changluo was silent for a while. The hall and its surroundings were very quiet, with only the chirping of birds. He finally said one sentence:
"Daoist priest, rest early tonight."
Zhu Changluo did not look back, walked directly out of the Longde Hall door, his expression turning somber.
Step by step, he slowly walked away, all the way to the gate of the Longde Hall courtyard. He stepped onto the stairs, and that moment of firm footing allowed him to slowly regain his senses and sort through the chaotic thoughts in his mind.
At this moment, it was as if something was about to be settled.
And of the two eunuchs by Zhu Changluo's side, one of them spoke:
"Your Highness, what was the meaning of the last words you exchanged with that young Daoist priest from Mount Wudang? This servant does not quite understand."
Zhu Changluo tilted his head slightly, just as he reached the door, half his face cast in shadow, half in light.
He glanced sideways at the impertinent eunuch, feeling immense disgust.
"It's just that I haven't had such a pleasant conversation with someone in a long time. We are also meeting for the first time, just exchanging pleasantries. Does Noble Consort Zheng have to control this as well?"
"What do you think I mean?"
The eunuch put on an awkward smile:
"These Daoists, whenever they possess a little trick, they use their full abilities to flatter and appease superiors."
"During the reign of Emperor Jiajing, the demon Daoist Tao Zhongwen caused trouble in the palace. The then Crown Prince contracted smallpox. This Tao Zhongwen set up an altar to pray and, through some means, cured the Crown Prince's illness. After that, Emperor Jiajing trusted this demon Daoist implicitly, even promoting him to the position of 'Third Grand Tutor'."
"Even now, the lingering poison of this demon Daoist is difficult to eradicate. Many in the palace seek elixirs and the Dao. Your Highness must not be misled by these demon Daoists. If you lose your position as Crown Prince due to minor matters like believing in demon Daoists, and Consort Gong is unwell, do not add to her troubles..."
The eunuch's tone carried a hint of mockery and schadenfreude, while Zhu Changluo took deep breaths and remained silent.
This is how eunuchs are: arrogant when their master is in power, and like wild dogs when their master is in decline.
Zhu Changluo knew that for a period of time, Noble Consort Zheng would likely place some people here to find fault with him. He had indeed said too much today, and gone too far.
However, it should not be directly criticized. After all, during this period, Noble Consort Zheng had been desperately portraying herself as a virtuous wife and loving mother to the ministers in order to win hearts, all to promote her own son.
But.
It doesn't matter.
Zhu Changluo looked into the distance, as if seeing through the obstruction of many high walls, clearly envisioning the Qianqing Palace.
He silently recited in his heart:
Tonight, the great fire will cleanse everything.
"This is what you are forcing me to do... My destiny is mine, not dictated by others."
...
Ji Xiang watched the First Prince leave Longde Hall, his mind still occupied with thought.
His previous self had no interaction with this First Prince. The fact that he was inexplicably cursed and then specifically came to check on his death indicated that his previous self had long been targeted by him and listed as an object to be killed.
Therefore, a simple deduction.
It wasn't about killing his previous self.
It was about killing the Daoist priest in Longde Hall.
No matter who this Daoist priest was, he could not be allowed to live.
In political struggles, countless people have died due to their identity or allegiance. It is not always necessary to offend someone to die; sometimes, the reason for death is simply that you should not exist within the enemy's plans.
If the opponent believes you will hinder them, then you are marked for death.
This is roughly what "unprovoked disaster" means.
Ji Xiang considered himself not a good person. If his previous self was burned to death, so be it. Now, they wanted to deal with him, so he had no reason to show mercy.
Of course, killing a prince would be too drastic; he would refrain from that. He had just acquired a fresh body, and he didn't want to lose it.
Dealing with a righteous deity naturally requires methods for dealing with righteous deities. He just didn't know if the Fire God behind the opponent was a spirit that had usurped the Fire God's position, or if someone had acquired the Fire God's position.
Or perhaps some kind of fire-elemental divine monster?
The former would be easier to deal with than the latter. This is what is meant by superficial monsters being easy to kill; you see immediately that it is not human, and kill it.
But if this "monster" or "divine monster" wears human skin, it becomes very troublesome.
"He wants to kill me. He failed once, he will surely try again. And the incense offerings on him do not belong to him; that means they belong to the righteous deity who set the fire."
With his cultivation at the third stage, he was not yet capable of dealing with such a Fire God. Ji Xiang wanted to find the opponent's true form, and he predicted that the opponent would come again tonight.
The opponent's strength was unknown, but being able to move within the imperial palace and roam freely under the imperial authority, this Fire God was not simple.
The righteous deity relied on the prince. He could not harm anyone directly, nor could he touch the righteous deity.
"Zhu Changluo, Fire God, borrowing a physical body..."
"I don't know if my persuasion can make him change his mind slightly and voluntarily separate from that Fire God. He thinks he is using this righteous deity, but for what reason is this righteous deity using him?"
"The third stage of Golden Sinews and Jade Bones is definitely no match for this Fire God. I need to set up talismans."
As Ji Xiang thought, with a mere thought, a magic sword he had previously organized and placed in the corner of the hall was suddenly drawn into his hand from mid-air.
Ji Xiang then tapped the sword body with his finger. The blue smoke from the three sticks of incense in the censer before him immediately coiled around the sword's edge like vines. Following that, with another wave of his hand, dozens of yellow talismans rose with the smoke of incense offerings!
No one touched the hall door; it closed by itself with a "clang," stirring up a gust of wind.
Ji Xiang made a gesture, and those dozens of yellow talismans immediately covered the doors and windows. He chanted words, and as he recited, the talismans on the yellow papers began to burn with divine characters from the incense offerings.