“Immortal! Immortal, are you alright?”
Jiang Xiaoman cleared his throat and waved his hand to indicate that he was fine.
The county magistrate looked at Jiang Xiaoman, who was coughing until tears welled up in his eyes, and sighed, “You, old sir, are indeed getting on in years. You must take good care of yourself.”
The eighteen-year-old Jiang Xiaoman nodded tearfully.
While the county magistrate was arranging the meal, he kept addressing Jiang Xiaoman as ‘Immortal, Immortal.’ Jiang Xiaoman, on the other hand, remained silent, portraying the dignified demeanor of an immortal.
Only Jiang Xiaoman knew that he was at a loss for words due to his panic.
Could he admit that he wasn’t a real immortal? How would he explain that the real immortal had already died? What if everyone thought he had killed the immortal?
Jiang Xiaoman ate his meal without tasting it, but being treated as an immortal had its advantages. He didn’t need to lift a finger, as someone had already prepared his accommodations. After finishing his meal, they arranged for him to rest, and someone even brought hot water to his room for a bath.
The bathwater was scented with some unknown herbs, and the fragrance was so refreshing that soaking in it made him feel incredibly comfortable, as if he were about to dissolve into the water.
In addition to the bathwater, they brought him a brand-new Taoist robe. On the table, there were stacks of delicate pastries and hot tea. The room was clean and comfortable, scented with pleasant aromas. Even the bedding had a soothing fragrance, softer than the old cotton blankets he had at home.
After enduring three days of hardship since his reincarnation, Jiang Xiaoman soaked in the bathwater and suddenly felt like… being an immortal didn’t seem so bad.
The system only instructed him to assist the male and female protagonists without specifying that he had to do it while assuming the role of ‘Ah Man.’ Furthermore, since the plot introduction hadn’t even been loaded yet, who was to say if he’s currently following the original storyline? If he could successfully navigate the plot, he might have a chance to return to his original world!
The more Jiang Xiaoman thought about it, the more it made sense to him.
This start, though a bit thrilling, was actually quite good.
He happily took a bath, put on fresh clothes, and sat on a small stool, enjoying some snacks.
Suddenly, in his mind, the system began loading updated content—the complete character profiles for both Ah Man and the old immortal.
【Ah Man】
Age: 18
Personality: reserved and introverted
Background: He was once the disciple of the ‘Living Immortal,’ Daoist Qingxi. As an orphan adopted by Daoist Qingxi, he endured the long-term verbal abuse from the Daoist but eventually attempted suicide by jumping into a river. He was saved by Nangong Xue and later entered the palace. In gratitude for her rescue, he repeatedly assisted Nangong Xue. After Nangong Xue and the Crown Prince fell in love, he devoted his life to serving both of them.
【Daoist Qingxi】
Age: 80
Personality: aloof and eccentric
Background: Known as the ‘Living Immortal,’ rumored to possess magical powers and skill in acupuncture and healing, but is actually a fraud pretending to be an immortal. After entering the palace and failing to cure the Crown Prince and insulting Nangong Xue, he was publicly humiliated by Nangong Xue and eventually executed by the enraged Crown Prince in Chapter 10, his head put on display in the market.
Wait a minute, something doesn’t seem right??? Jiang Xiaomen thought.
The story’s first ten chapters had also been revealed. Initially, it introduced Daoist Qingxi and Ah Man. After Ah Man’s unsuccessful suicide attempt by jumping into the river, he didn’t immediately die but drifted downstream. Eventually, he was rescued by Nangong Xue, who was playing by the river. Nangong Xue possessed medical skills and helped Ah Man recover. During this time, she realized that Daoist Qingxi was a charlatan posing as an immortal with no real mystical abilities.
This mischievous young lady happened to want to steal treasures from the palace, so she took the Golden Token and claimed to be Daoist Qingxi as she entered the palace.
While Daoist Qingxi lost the token and scolded Ah Man, luckily, he still had his pet, ‘General Yin,’ as proof of his identity. Finally, he was welcomed into the palace after Nangong Xue.
Thus, within the palace, suddenly there were two immortals.
Jiang Xiaoman, “???”
Jiang Xiaoman, “………..”
Jiang Xiaoman set aside his half-eaten snacks, his steps light as he leaned against the wall and climbed onto the bed, tucking himself under the cozy blanket.
He was enveloped by the warm and fragrant blanket, tears streaming down his face with a heavy heart…
His character wasn’t involved in any plot of pretending to be an immortal at all!!!
How did he know he had to go downstream and be saved by the female lead? What if he accidentally drowned halfway? That would be a total disaster!
What should he do? He’d been mistaken for an immortal! But that fake immortal was supposed to die in the tenth chapter!
Maybe he should sneak away… but where could he run to? He was penniless right now, and getting caught would mean losing his head.
Jiang Xiaoman tossed and turned in bed, and finally, with a sudden movement of the blanket, he sat up.
As the saying went, ‘when the boat gets to the bridgehead, it will naturally straighten itself out1.’ After all, this fake immortal subplot spanned only ten chapters, so making a slight alteration in the storyline shouldn’t be a problem.
The female lead didn’t take the token from him, no problem. She was quite clever; she’d definitely find a way to enter the palace.
He didn’t possess medical skills, but that was fine since the female lead could heal the male lead. With that, the limping prince would soon be back on his feet and making advances towards the female lead.
All he needed to do was play the role of a mysterious old Taoist, calculate with a flick of his fingers, and declare that the female lead was the chosen one destined to heal the male lead!
Good, very good!
He wouldn’t need to offend anyone, could bring the male and female lead together, and even keep his own life!
Jiang Xiaoman believed that if he repeated a year, getting into Peking University or Tsinghua University wouldn’t be a problem.
“Immortal.” Suddenly, there was a gentle knock on the door, and it was none other than the county magistrate who had come once more. The county lord stood at the door and inquired softly, “Have you taken your rest?”
Jiang Xiaoman quickly composed his expression and cleared his throat gently. “What can I do for you?” he asked.
“You have a beloved pet, do you not? His Majesty has specially decreed that we provide General Yin with the finest beef and mutton. I wonder if it’s time for us to deliver it to you?”
Daoist Qingxi had a pet tiger named General Yin, which he brought into the palace when he entered. Having a tiger as a pet greatly enhanced his mystique, and the Emperor took a liking to the tiger as well. Even after his execution, the tiger continued to be kept within the palace.
The tiger was an essential prop for Daoist Qingxi, but that tiger had long since gone. Where could he possibly find it now?
Wait a moment, when the female lead initially stole the token to enter the palace, she also considered this issue…
“Let’s discuss it tomorrow, for I am weary today,” Jiang Xiaoman said softly. “Do not return tonight.”
“Alright, alright,” the county magistrate hurriedly urged him to rest well and encouraged him to speak up if there were any needs. Afterward, he quickly left.
During the night, a white figure floated through the government office.
The night watchman rubbed his eyes and said, “Did something just float by a moment ago?”
Another guard squinted his eyes but saw nothing. He gave the other guard a disdainful look and said, “What are you thinking? We have an immortal overseeing this place; what kind of monsters or demons could dare to approach?”
Indeed, with an immortal presiding, how could there be any monsters or demons around?
Because that white figure was none other than the immortal himself.
Jiang Xiaoman agilely scaled the wall and departed from the government office.
Though Jiang Xiaoman appeared tender and youthful, having grown up in the mountains from a young age, he was a wild child. Climbing trees and scaling walls were second nature to him, and even in his billowing white Taoist robe, his movements remained remarkably graceful.
It was already deep into the night, with no pedestrians on the road. Jiang Xiaoman chose narrow pathways and constantly looked around, as if searching for something.
After a while, Jiang Xiaoman smiled and stealthily approached a tree.
“Meow.”
“Meow…”
There was a chorus of cat calls from beneath the tree, and about a dozen cats had gathered there.
In the story, when Nangong Xue learned that the immortal had a pet tiger, she decided to pick up a cat.
She had a sweet and charming appearance that not only captivated people at first sight but also drew small animals to her. As she approached the pile of cats, a cute little kitten immediately pounced toward her. In the end, she carried that kitten as if it were her own little tiger and entered the palace.
Turning a tiger into a cat might raise eyebrows for anyone else, but she was the female lead, and she could do anything. Even the Crown Prince found the female lead, holding the little cat, adorable.
Jiang Xiaoman crouched under the tree, extending his hand to gently beckon the little cats.
As he beckoned, the little cats turned their heads and curiously looked at him, shaking and tilting their heads.
Jiang Xiaoman grinned triumphantly.
Can the female lead attract cats like he can? While she can attract one, he can attract all the cats!
He naturally had a cat-attracting constitution. Whenever he sat by the roadside, he would immediately be covered from head to toe in cats.
The kittens all gathered around Jiang Xiaoman, and he inspected each one like an emperor would when choosing a concubine. In the end, he settled on a little orange kitten.
Among the ten orange kittens, nine were chubby. Despite the little orange kitten appearing thin now, that chubby belly would be perfect for warming his hands in the future.
“Pspspsps.”
Jiang Xiaoman coaxed gently, and the little orange kitten obediently extended its tiny paws towards him.
Just at that moment, a bell rang, and Jiang Xiaoman looked up to see a young girl approaching from not far away, heading in his direction.
The young girl had delicate features, a small face, finely arched eyebrows, and a pair of lively big eyes. She was dressed in a beautiful red dress with bells attached… a red dress and bells, the unmistakable attire of Nangong Xue!
It’s the female lead!
Jiang Xiaoman immediately turned and hid behind a tree. He couldn’t let the female lead see the immortal catching cats here!
However, there was only one tree here, and Jiang Xiaoman couldn’t easily escape without being noticed—it was too conspicuous. Fortunately, the tree was large enough to provide him with solid cover.
Nangong Xue’s footsteps came to a halt before the tree.
“Kitty, come here!” she called out.
Nangong Xue’s sweet voice echoed, and surprisingly, she was also playing with the cats.
Jiang Xiaoman held his breath and focused, thinking, Should I make a run for it now? He lifted his robe cautiously and took a careful step, but as soon as he moved, a cat came over and rubbed against his leg. One came, and then another, and soon, cats were gathering around his feet.
“Go!” Jiang Xiaoman quickly waved his hand to shoo them away.
The female lead is over there; go and find her quickly.
Jiang Xiaoman was worried that the female lead might get upset later, and in the tenth chapter, he would die. However, the cats didn’t care about his impending demise; they just gathered around him in clusters.
On the other side, Nangong Xue found it strange. Normally, whenever she beckoned, the kittens would come to her, but today, they were all going in the opposite direction, towards someone else?
Nangong Xue started walking in Jiang Xiaoman’s direction, and he realized he couldn’t escape. In a hurry, he covered his face with the bag cloth he had prepared for carrying the cat.
Nangong Xue looked behind the tree and saw a person dressed in white with a white cloth covering their head standing there.
Seeing this scene in the middle of the night nearly frightened Nangong Xue to death.
She suppressed the urge to scream, and upon closer inspection, she realized that the other person was just a human. This made her go from frightened to furious. Then, she noticed that the person in white was surrounded by cats, which fueled her anger even more. That person had actually lured away the little orange kitten she had her eye on!
Nangong Xue, feeling frustrated, quickly waved her hand and called out, “Kitty, come here!”
The female lead’s charisma was too strong, and with her gesture, the little kitten immediately turned and looked at her.
Nangong Xue and Jiang Xiaoman both breathed a sigh of relief simultaneously.
The next moment, the little orange kitten twisted its backside, turned around, and headed back in Jiang Xiaoman’s direction.
Don’t come! Please don’t come! Don’t make me get hated by the female lead!
Jiang Xiaoman tried to evade, but the little orange kitten shook its head, wagged its tail, and jumped directly into his arms.
Jiang Xiaoman held the furry bundle, feeling like he was holding a hot potato. He quickly lifted the kitten and tried to offer it to Nangong Xue, hoping to make her happy.
“Who cares!” Nangong Xue had always been the pampered princess of her family, accustomed to having things handed to her on a silver platter. She couldn’t fathom the idea of someone else receiving and then offering something to her. With a disdainful ‘hmph,’ she turned and walked away without even sparing a glance at the kitten.
Jiang Xiaoman held the little orange kitten, inwardly trembling with anxiety.
Early the next morning, the government officials escorted the ‘Living Immortal’ into the capital.
The procession attracted the attention of countless citizens, all eager to catch a glimpse of what the ‘Living Immortal’ looked like. Unfortunately, this was a Daoist master specially invited by the Emperor for the Crown Prince, and there was no opportunity for the onlookers to see him.
Within the palace, word of the ‘Living Immortal’ coming to visit had generated significant excitement. People were eagerly anticipating the chance to see this renowned Living Immortal as soon as possible.
“Your Highness, His Majesty has arranged for the Living Immortal to enter the palace for you.”
In the Changle2 Palace, a young imperial guard spoke softly to a folding screen.
The doors and windows of the Changle Palace were tightly sealed, allowing no sunlight to slip inside, leaving the vast palace in a cold and desolate state. The only source of light within the palace was the candlelight behind the folding screen. The candle flames flickered, casting a silhouette upon the screen.
“The Living Immortal?” a voice emanated from behind the folding screen. “Let’s pray he isn’t but a fraud.”
“It is said that he has already achieved immortalhood through cultivation. I have also heard of his name,” the guard replied.
“Is it so? Then, I truly should meet this Living Immortal,” the person behind the screen chuckled softly. “Who knows, perhaps he can heal my legs.”
On the other end, Jiang Xiaoman was carried into the palace by someone.
Throughout the journey, his mode of transportation changed multiple times. He initially walked, then used a small carriage, followed by a larger carriage, and finally, he was carried in a sedan chair by sixteen people.
Inside the sedan chair, Jiang Xiaoman held the kitten and kept dozing off. It wasn’t that he wasn’t nervous; it was just that he had stayed up too late catching cats last night. The swaying motion of this ancient mode of transportation felt like being in a cradle, and he couldn’t help but drift into a light sleep.
“Immortal! Immortal!”
Hearing someone call him, Jiang Xiaoman quickly opened his eyes. He had been sleeping with disheveled hair, and there were imprints on his flushed cheeks, but he was unaware of this. He rubbed his face and stumbled out of the sedan chair, still in a daze.
The crowd saw a fair hand pushing aside the sedan curtain. After waving it outside to grab onto something, the person’s body slowly emerged from within the sedan chair.
White—everyone’s first impression of the Living Immortal was ‘white.’
The immortal was dressed in a pure white Taoist robe, and his skin was as fair as snow. The exposed part of his forearm, which was visible beyond the robe, was nearly indistinguishable in color from the robe itself. However, the immortal wasn’t entirely white. He had a head of jet-black hair tied loosely in a bun, bright black eyes, and slightly flushed cheeks.
The crowd had imagined the immortal to either have the appearance of a young child with white hair or a gaunt figure. However, no one had expected him to look so delicate and adorable.
Furthermore, the immortal was holding a tiny orange kitten in his arms, making him appear even more youthful.
Jiang Xiaoman, who had still been rubbing his sleepy eyes, was startled by the scene before him. He quickly composed himself, raised an eyebrow, and adopted an expression of indifference and ease, lightly stroking the kitten in his arms.
No one dared to speak before the immortal did.
Suddenly, a sneer came from the side.
“Where did this child come from?” the person asked disdainfully.
Upon hearing that cool and domineering tone, Jiang Xiaoman immediately recognized the crippled Crown Prince.
T/N
okay damn, i never would’ve thought these chapters would exceed 3k words when translated but here we are! if things get tough in the future, i might split them in 2 parts so it’s easier for me </3
1in other words, everything will be alright.
2长乐 cháng lè if I were to translate this in English, this would be called the Everlasting Joy Palace but I think it sounds better if I leave it be 😛
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