One can imagine the man enduring pain that ordinary people could not bear.
This man was Zheng Wei.
Earlier, Zheng Wei had drunk the immortal spring water from the two gourds and then sat cross-legged, eyes closed, cultivating.
As time slowly passed, the air around Zheng Wei began to surge due to his cultivation.
Finally, as Zheng Wei's body slowly rose upwards, the surrounding petals formed a vortex, spinning continuously around him.
As for the petals a little further away, although they didn't form a vortex, they danced continuously in the air.
The sun had already set, and the sunset painted half the sky, appearing exceptionally brilliant.
But at this moment, dark clouds, from somewhere unknown, swiftly covered this beautiful scene.
Almost in an instant, the sky was covered by thick, dark clouds. The sky immediately grew dark, to the point where one could not see their hand in front of their face.
As the wind howled, a bright bolt of lightning suddenly flashed across the clouds.
After the light disappeared, a deafening thunderclap followed.
This scene astonished everyone in the Imperial Capital, making them feel a sense of fear.
If it were summer, such a sudden change would be understandable.
After all, in summer, there were often sudden thunderstorms that would pass quickly, and a rainbow bridge might even appear in the sky afterward.
But in the cold winter, the beautiful sunset suddenly transforming like this caught people off guard.
Almost everyone in the Imperial Capital retreated into their homes at their fastest speed.
The streets, which had been bustling moments ago, instantly became silent.
In the Forbidden City, Sima Hao and Sima Zhu, who had been bargaining with Yi Zhixie, stood up and walked to the window, looking at the scene outside, listening to the thunderclaps resounding around them, both feeling a sense of heaviness in their hearts.
Heavenly anomalies, did something important mean to happen?
Yi Zhixie and Nama Zhong sat leaning against wooden chairs, their expressions calm.
But only the two of them knew that when they exchanged glances just now, they had both seen surprise and worry in each other's eyes.
Why did this thunder make them feel a little uneasy?
Suppressing the unease in his heart, Yi Zhixie said lightly, "Has Your Majesty considered it? If you truly find it difficult and too taxing on the people and resources, then I shall leave."
Hearing Yi Zhixie's words, Sima Zhu instantly forgot the slight heaviness in his heart.
Regardless of why the sky had suddenly shown anomalies, the most important thing now was to obtain what Yi Zhixie held.
With that, he could sit on this imperial throne forever and enjoy all of this.
Sima Zhu looked at the porcelain bottle by Yi Zhixie's hand, his gaze becoming extremely fervent.
If the person in front of him were not Yi Zhixie and Nama Zhong, but anyone else, he would not hesitate to use all sorts of methods to snatch it directly, and would not have to bargain and discuss for an entire afternoon.
But only, this person was Grand Tutor Yi Zhixie.
Yi Zhixie's ability and martial prowess were beyond his ability to resist.
Even Grand Tutor's wife, Nama Zhong, was not as delicate as she appeared on the surface.
If he dared to make any move, he believed that these two would instantly transform from smiling sheep into ferocious leopards, tear him to shreds, leaving nothing behind.
Then, they could legitimately have the Grand Empress Dowager resume ruling, and tell the entire nation that he had harbored evil intentions and deserved his fate.
Or, that he had suddenly fallen ill and died.
With Yi Zhixie's influence in the Great Chu, no one would doubt his words.
Sima Zhu's gaze darkened slightly, and he suppressed various thoughts in his mind.
"Why did the Grand Tutor post an imperial proclamation throughout the Great Chu? If there is no important matter, the court officials would surely say it is a waste of resources."
A sharp glint flashed in Yi Zhixie's eyes.
Sima Zhu's words meant that he had already agreed.
That is to say, he wanted Yi Zhixie to be the one responsible.
Regarding this, Yi Zhixie had no objections.
As long as he could achieve his goal, he did not care what the court officials would say about him.
Besides, no matter what those court officials did afterward, they wouldn't dare to say anything in front of him.
The title of Grand Tutor was not just for show.
Furthermore, while he had a good reputation among the common people, among the court officials, it was...
Thinking of the nicknames those court officials had given him, and the words they discussed behind his back, Yi Zhixie smiled wryly.
Only the incompetent would gossip behind others' backs.
Someone like him always avenged every grievance and never waited.
"Since that is the case, Your Majesty can simply issue a decree saying that this Grand Tutor is looking for someone, and anyone who has one should come to me."
With Yi Zhixie's words, Sima Zhu smiled, "Good, we will do as the Grand Tutor says. Then..."
As Sima Zhu spoke, he looked towards the small porcelain bottle by Yi Zhixie's hand.
Yi Zhixie also lowered his gaze to the porcelain bottle beside him and smiled slightly, "Once the imperial proclamation is posted, I will personally deliver it to Your Majesty. Surely Your Majesty does not distrust me?"
Although Sima Zhu wanted to get his hands on it immediately to feel at ease, seeing Yi Zhixie's demeanor, it was clear that he did not trust him. He had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Yi Zhixie looked out the window, "It is already late today, and the weather is like this. I'm afraid nothing can be done. Tomorrow morning, after I see the imperial proclamation, I will naturally send the item immediately."
Sima Zhu nodded, it was indeed the case.
Since the matter had been discussed, Yi Zhixie did not intend to stay any longer.
Ignoring Sima Zhu's pleas, Yi Zhixie and Nama Zhong quickly left the Forbidden City.
Outside the Forbidden City, not far from the palace gate, a carriage was parked. Huo Si was sitting in the carriage.
As they walked over, Nama Zhong smiled and said, "Uncle Huo, why aren't you sitting in the carriage? The wind is so strong, aren't you cold?"
Huo Si smiled and said, "The wind is so strong, I have to calm the horses here. What if they get scared and run away?"
Although Huo Si said this in a joking tone, there was some truth to it.
The wind grew stronger, and the sound of thunder was incessant.
The three of them wasted no more words. After Yi Zhixie and Nama Zhong got into the carriage, Huo Si drove the carriage and quickly headed home.
Because it was a tailwind, the carriage moved very smoothly and was not hindered by the strong wind.
On the contrary, due to the tailwind, the carriage's speed was actually a little faster than usual.
Along the way, they could only see deserted streets, and nothing else, not even a shadow.
As the carriage got closer to the Siyang House, the three of them could clearly feel the wind getting stronger, and the lightning becoming more frequent.
The carriage entered the gate and stopped steadily. As Yi Zhixie and Nama Zhong alighted from the carriage, a thunderclap suddenly exploded beside them.
This sound startled the three of them.
Especially Huo Si, this thunderclap exploded right next to his ear, scaring him so much that he almost fell to the ground, thinking he had been struck.
It was only when Yi Zhixie, with quick hands and eyes, reached out and steadied Huo Si that he prevented him from falling.
After Huo Si regained his balance, he sighed in relief, "Why is the weather so strange? Why is there thunder in mid-winter?"
Hearing this, Yi Zhixie and Nama Zhong did not speak, but their pace quickened by a third.
After the two entered the backyard and closed the backyard gate, they no longer delayed. They mobilized the spiritual energy in their bodies and rushed towards the direction of the plum blossom forest.
Earlier, when they approached the Siyang House, they had already noticed that both the strong wind and the lightning were coming from the direction of the plum blossom forest.
Perhaps something had happened in the plum blossom forest.
When the two arrived at the plum blossom forest, they found Lu Taobao, Sima Han, Yue Qingxin, and Shen Xiaoming all present.
"What's going on?" Yi Zhixie walked forward and asked.
Lu Taobao quickly replied, "Let me tell you, Zheng Wei is inside."
Yi Zhixie was shocked, "What is he doing in there? Why is he in there?"
Lu Taobao shrugged, "You ask me, how would I know?"
"He is cultivating inside."
Hearing this, Yi Zhixie rolled his eyes, "You just said you didn't know, and now you're saying he's cultivating inside. You..."
Yi Zhixie did not finish his sentence because he noticed that Lu Taobao in front of him also looked confused.
Recalling, the person who spoke just now seemed to be a woman, so it definitely wasn't Lu Taobao.
But if not Lu Taobao, then who was it?
Moreover, she could speak so definitively, appearing to be very knowledgeable about such situations.
As Yi Zhixie was pondering, he saw two shadows, one yellow and one white, float down from in front of him, behind Lu Taobao.
"Bai Ying?"
Lu Taobao was startled. After a while, he stammered, "You, you don't talk nonsense. How could Bai Ying be here..."
As Lu Taobao spoke, he turned to look behind him.
It would have been better if he hadn't looked. The moment he looked, Lu Taobao was frozen on the spot.
Because right behind him stood Bai Ying and Fujiwara Shifei.
"Yingying, you, why are you here?" Lu Taobao asked blankly.
Bai Ying smiled lightly and winked playfully, "Why can't I be here? Or, are you not welcoming me?"