Tao Mian didn't do anything unnecessary; he simply placed a talisman on the center of Li Li's forehead.

The talisman paper looked quite ordinary...

Lu Yuandi held back her tears. She wasn't one to cry easily, and after sobbing, she felt a bit embarrassed. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve and approached Shi Fu with reddened eyes.

"Little Tao, what's wrong with him?"

"He's lost all five senses, but he's not dead," Tao Mian replied, glancing back at his disciple's face. "Do you want him dead? Shi Fu can take care of it."

Lu Yuandi was wrapped in a clean outer robe, large enough to cover her, which Tao Mian had handed to her. She clutched the collar and shook her head.

"Do you want to let him dead?"

"No," Lu Yuandi stepped forward, lowered her gaze, and looked coldly at her enemy. "Little Tao, don't interfere. I'll handle the rest."

Lu Yuandi didn't want Tao Mian to dirty his hands. The Peach Blossom Immortal shouldn't have his hands stained with blood; he didn't belong to the mortal world and shouldn't be entangled in worldly affairs.

It was because of her that he got involved in the mortal realm.

From that day on, Lu Yuandi made a silent vow. She wanted to be independent and strong; she couldn't hide behind Shi Fu forever, being just a crying little girl.

Tao Mian gazed at his second disciple for a long time, then gently patted her head.

"Yuan Di, be safe and happy."

A simple and sincere reminder almost brought tears to Lu Yuandi's eyes again.

She quickly lowered her head.

"I will, Little Tao, don't worry."

Tao Mian said he would stay a few more days because he was worried about Lu Yuandi being alone.

But Lu Yuandi was firm in her stance; she didn't want Tao Mian to get involved in the disputes.

She said, Little Tao, hurry back to Peach Blossom Mountain, the flowers are about to bloom, and Wu Changzai is still waiting.

Tao Mian understood her intentions, nodded, and turned to leave the camp.

He came and went without a trace, and none of the soldiers in the camp, except for the one he knocked out, noticed his presence.

He should have left easily, but unfortunately, a young man appeared halfway.

The young man looked anxious, as if searching for someone. He grabbed Tao Mian's wrist and asked if he had seen Wang Er.

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Tao Mian was slightly taken aback. He had deliberately lowered his presence, making it hard for ordinary people to notice him.

Unexpectedly, the young man before him was so perceptive.

And... who was Wang Er?

Although he didn't know who Wang Er was, Tao Mian, being a master of deception, casually pointed in a direction.

"She probably went that way."

The young man didn't doubt him at all, gratefully shook his hand, and left quickly.

He seemed a bit naive.

Tao Mian took one last glance in the direction the young man left, then continued on his way out of the camp.

Lu Yuandi was young and prone to suffering losses. But she was always clever, never repeating her mistakes, and could learn from past experiences, growing at an astonishing pace.

The Second Disciple did not disappoint Shi Fu's deep expectations.

When Tao Mian returned to Peach Blossom Temple, as expected, Wu Changzai had indeed gotten fat.

Tao Mian pulled it out of the chicken coop and confronted it.

"How could you eat so much and get this fat?

Look at other people's chickens; none of them have a figure like yours.

I'm telling you, if you keep this up, no one will want you except me, and you'll have to spend your days here in retirement."

Wu Changzai strutted around, clucking twice, and walked away, completely ignoring Tao Mian's strange words.

The world outside was tumultuous, but life on the mountain moved slowly, unhurried and leisurely.

While Tao Mian basked in the sun, dozed off, and chased chickens, the outside world was quietly changing.

Initially, Lu Yuandi didn't kill Li Li; instead, she poisoned him with Gu Poison to control him.

She intended to use Li Li to gain a foothold in the military and establish her own power.

During this time, she contacted people who had once been loyal to her father's faction, asking them to assist her in reclaiming the throne, for the world still belonged to the Lu family.

For those who strive, heaven does not disappoint. Lu Yuandi, through hardship and perseverance, finally gained enough confidence and strength.

She declared that she would avenge her family and replace the emperor.

Tao Mian learned about Lu Yuandi's experiences through the letters she sent. His disciple only reported the good news and not the bad, and the seemingly casual lines hid the countless efforts and dirty dealings she endured to gain the power she desired.

Lu Yuandi never spoke of these things to him, but Tao Mian understood.

So every time he replied, he always reminded Lu Yuandi not to push herself too hard. If she was tired or weary, she should come to Shi Fu.

Shi Fu didn't understand political intrigue, but Shi Fu could make opposing voices disappear.

Lu Yuandi was grateful to Tao Mian, but she couldn't abandon the vow she made in the military camp. No matter how much blood stained her hands or how many lives weighed on her back, Tao Mian must not be dragged into it.

He should be the Peach Blossom Immortal, sweeping fallen flowers in the morning, listening to the fruits fall at night, carefree and unrestrained.

And as long as she thought of him being so free, it seemed as if the world's filth and chaos disappeared, leaving only a pool of clarity.

***

Once she got what she wanted, Li Li lost his value.

The last time Lu Yuandi saw him was in the secret room of her study.

Though called a secret room, she had long since turned it into a dungeon. It was dark and cold inside, filled with various torture devices.

Blood splatters stained the walls.

The floor was covered with a thick layer of indelible bloodstains.

The once-mighty General Li Li was no longer the imposing figure he used to be, his arms tightly bound by heavy chains, hanging high.

His hair was disheveled, with a few strands of grass stuck in it, and his head hung low.

Lu Yuandi came alone, without any attendants, standing before Li Li.

The contrast between her clean, white boots and the filthy blood on the ground was almost blinding.

Li Li faced her without fear, only a cold smile on his lips.

"I am of no use to you anymore. You've killed my two sons, three brothers, and even spared no outsider's child. Lu Yuandi, what more do you want?"

Lu Yuandi looked at her former adversary, now old and withered, the once-glorious General Li nowhere to be found.

Suddenly, she lost all interest, feeling weary.

"I don't hate you."

She said.

Li Li, hearing this, thought he was dreaming.

"Lu Yuandi, you say you don't hate? Ha, how could you not hate? You pretended to be a bullied former princess outside, while secretly taking revenge on my entire Li family, guilty and innocent alike, sparing none. You say you don't hate?!"

Li Li laughed loudly, as if he had heard the most absurd joke in the world, his laughter filled with deep sorrow.

Lu Yuandi's tone remained calm as water.

"I don't hate you. If I hated, I wouldn't have spared you in the military camp.

Hatred is an emotion that makes people lose their reason; I don't hate."

Li Li stopped laughing, as if he understood something.

A mournful and sarcastic smile tugged at his lips.

"You and I are the same kind of people."

Lu Yuandi didn't deny it. Suddenly, a dark red bell appeared between the fingers of her right hand, with a small insect crawling inside.

Li Li recognized it as the mother of the Gu Poison.

A gentle squeeze, and with the mother insect's death, Li Li wouldn't survive either.

The great general didn't die gloriously, surrounded by the love and support of the people. His life was filled with military achievements, greed for power was real, but so was his protection of the nation.

This time, Li Li laughed at himself.

The victor becomes king, the loser a bandit.

"Lu Yuandi, you've chosen the wrong path. This road will only become narrower, a lifetime of loneliness. Don't ever look back."

Looking back, all would be desolate.

Many years later, Lu Yuandi would recall Li Li's words, as if they were a venomous prophecy that trapped her for life.

But at that time, Lu Yuandi didn't care much. Her goal remained singular.

She wanted to become the emperor.