Li Ming returned to his home.
The first thing Li Ming did after coming home was check the information Wei Xan gave him.
He did this because he was suspicious about the authenticity of the information Wei Xan gave him. I mean 200 gold coins for covering information about a mortal, while only 20 silver coins for information on the immortal world.
Li Ming would rather believe that pigs fly than believe that this information was true.
So Li Ming decided to carefully read the information given to him and then confirm whether this information is true through common sense and his somewhat wide range of connections.
Deciding his next course of action, Li Ming sat at his study table with the book that the owner Wei had given him. The bright rays of sunlight came crashing down despite the blockade of curtains. Displaying the intensity of light seen at noon.
Li Ming stared at the rays of sunlight and decided to eat lunch after reading the book.
With that resolution, Li Ming turned his head towards the book on top of the wooden table.
Immortal sects can be seen on every life planet that can sense Qi. The strengths of Immoral sects can vary anywhere from Formation Establishment to Dao tribulation.
To join a Top-tier immortal sect as a core disciple, a high-quality spiritual root is a must.
There are currently about 1,000 immortal sects within the Ming Dynasty.
The book contains more information on the working system of the 1,000 Immortal Sects in the Ming Dynasty, but that is the gist of the information that Wei Xan provided.
Li Ming was pretty sure he had been scammed by Wei Xan.
Li Ming felt like he was watching a Star Wars movie in his living room. Looks and sounds cool, but is totally fictional.
I mean, seriously, Immortal sects are present on every planet with life that can sense Qi. Does the author of this book know how many planets there are in the universe? Does the author even know how big the Universe is?
Li Ming finished reading the book within 2 hours.
Though Li Ming had his doubts, he had suppressed them to eat lunch peacefully.
Li Ming left his study room for his kitchen, where he prepared fried rice for lunch.
After thoroughly enjoying his lunch, Li Ming had to get his mind to the headache called-- Immortal Sect.
Li Ming forced himself to rise from his seat, his limbs heavy with uncertainty, and made his way toward the study.
The room greeted him with quiet familiarity—a space lined with storage cabinets filled with scrolls and documents, all centered around a solitary wooden table. As he stepped inside, the faint scent of aged paper and ink stirred something in him.
Was the information that Owner Wei gave him false?
What if his silver coins went down the drain?
His precious money disappeared into thin air in front of his eyes.
Sure, 20 silver coins were nothing but a drop of water in his ocean of wealth.
But Li Ming treasured every single bit of his wealth.
Because his wealth was his life.
Wealth was the only thing that guaranteed his safety in this unfamiliar world.
And if the cost of becoming a cultivator is abandoning that wealth.
The only protection that Li Ming had.
Is it Worth it?
Doubt crept in like a shadow.
But he pushed those doubts aside.
Because he had already made his decision.
Li Ming sat down in front of his seat again. This time, however, he rummaged through drawers of blank letters.
After finding the appropriate aged paper to use to send to the recipient, Li Ming dipped the feather pen in ink.
Savoring the smell of ink, Li Ming's uneasy mind calmed down.
Li Ming wrote one elegant character after another, getting lost within the rhythm of the pen.
By the time Li Ming had finished writing the letter, the sun was already beginning to set.
Hiring an errand boy to send the letter to its respective recipient had drained Li Ming's energy.
After letting out a sigh, Li Ming walked back to his house.
The steps of Li Ming stilled as he lifted his head towards the sky.
The setting sun hung low over the horizon, casting the world in a gentle blaze of amber and gold. Light spilled over rooftops like melted honey, gilding the edges of tiled eaves and casting elongated shadows that danced slowly across the cobbled streets. The air was tinged with the earthy scent of dusk—smoke from household fires, the faint trace of stewed herbs, and the familiar, nostalgic aroma of sun-warmed stone.
It was the scent of home.
The streets of Beijing calmed down from the bustle of the day as paper lanterns began to light up. The ringing joy of children at play mixed with the sober tones of men echoed through the streets. Living in the world is mesmerized in more ways than one.
Amidst the crowd stood Li Ming. His plain gray robe did not catch the eye, nor did the simple way his black hair was tied into a full topknot. His skin, moderately fair, and his features, devoid of striking beauty, offered him the quiet armor of anonymity.
Li Ming bent his black eyes, gently holding a smile barely noticeable.
Maybe getting lost in this world is a blessing.
Two days later
A carriage carried by 4 robust horses arrived in front of Li Ming's house.
An errand boy had opened the door of the carriage, through which a handsome, scholarly young man descended."
"Please follow my instructions, We're undercover." Crown Prince Ming
"Apologies, your highness." The errand boy apologized
"As consideration of the fact that this is your first time accompanying this prince here, you're pardoned for your action." Crown Prince Ming let go of this offense.
Crown Prince Ming Fei dismissed his servant and headed inside Li Ming's House on his own.
After arriving in front of Li Ming's house, Ming Fei politely knocked to indicate his arrival.
Li Ming walked out of his study room. Walking with steady steps in the narrow wooded hallway lighted by the occasional rays of sunlight, Li Ming arrived in front of his front door knob.
Li Ming unlocked and opened the door in one quick motion.
Outside the door stood a striking young man clad in plain black robes. Though the garments were simple in cut and devoid of any embellishment, they seemed to deepen the aura that surrounded him rather than diminish it, like a moon veiled in shadow, all the more radiant for its restraint.
The folds of his robes fluttered lightly in the breeze, their dark fabric soft as silk and catching the faintest glimmers of afternoon light. His presence, calm yet arresting, had the gravity of still water—reflective and profound, concealing unknown depths beneath the surface.
His long black hair, smooth as flowing ink, was tied into a loose topknot, from which several strands had slipped free, cascading elegantly over his shoulders. A silver ornament, slender and intricate, gleamed faintly where it held his semi-topknot in place, catching the sunlight like a shard of moonlight woven into his hair.
But it was his eyes that commanded the most attention—clear, brown, and unflinchingly steady. They held a strange contradiction, a gentle warmth like spring's first breeze, yet within them glimmered a hidden edge, sharp and unyielding as forged steel.
His figure was slender, almost delicate, as if his body bore the fragility of someone often unwell. And yet that frailty gave him an ethereal grace, like a willow bending but never breaking in the wind. There was no grandeur in his stance, no overt pride—but a quiet dignity clung to him, cultivated like ink on a scholar's brush, refined and impossible to counterfeit.
Watching the figure of the 16-year-old Li Ming, Crown Prince Ming Fei curved his eyes and said in a bright tone.
"Hello! Master"
Li Ming's face scrunched up at those words.
Something was wrong with the world if an 18-year-old referred to a 16-year-old as master.
Granted, Li Ming's mental age was 36 years, including the 20 years from his past life. But something about the word "Master" doesn't sit right with him. Maybe he isn't suitable to be a master.
But the person in question doesn't seem to feel that weird cringe. Ming Fei just smiled innocently.
Ming Fei is the crown prince of the current Ming Dynasty.
Li Ming first met Ming Fei about 4 months ago in Hangzhou.
4 Months Ago, Hangzhou.
The sky had been blanketed with shades of dark blue, waiting for the arrival of stars.The flickering warm lights of paper lanterns as well as the chirping of insects being the only thing keeping this world awake.
When Li Ming returned from dinner, he witnessed a figure at the front of his residence.
Li Ming approached the figure to find out their purpose.
"Hello! I am sorry to intrude on you, Scholar Li." The figure politely bowed when he saw Li Ming approaching him.
"Uhm! It's fine?" Li Ming was taken aback by his polite greeting.
"And you are?"
Since Li Ming doesn't interact with nobles much, he doesn't know much about etiquette and eloquence. So he directly addressed the elephant in the room.
"My name is Ming Fei, and I am an avid admirer of your work, Scholar Li."
At those words, Li Ming felt his world collapse. This Ming Fei person knew that he was the "Merit Seeker". In that moment, Li Ming felt like his second-year phase diary was exposed to his parents.
But how did he discover that I am the "Merit Seeker"? I mean, I blocked all routes of it being discovered. I transferred all the earnings that I had earned from selling masterpiece poems that Li Ming had heard in his past life to a merchant, who then transferred them to me after taking a small portion of my earnings.
"How did you know that I wrote them?" Li Ming inquired.
"Scholar Li, I understand that I may have overstepped my boundaries, and I apologize for it sincerely."
"How did you know that I wrote them?" Li Ming repeated.
"I learned about Scholar Li through the Yan Pavilion."
Seeing that Li Ming was insistent on knowing his particular source of information, Ming Fei relented and answered his question honestly.
After realizing that he had overreacted, Li Ming apologized and invited the intruding guest into his residence for tea.
After arriving in the guest room filled with elegant calligraphy, Li Ming seated Ming Fei on a futon in front of the smooth wooden table. Then Li Ming opened a cabinet in the kitchen and took out his precious tea set, featuring a pattern of a dragon carved in.
Li Ming carried his tea set along with water and tea leaves to the wooden table. After sitting on the futon opposite Ming Fei, Li Ming asked Ming Fei while making tea.
"Why did you come to visit me?"
"I have admired your works for a long time, Scholar Li."
"Mm," Li Ming nodded.
"I couldn't believe that a 15-year-old young man could write those brilliant poems. So I....uh...um..."
"So you came to confirm with your own eyes." Li Ming continued what Ming Fei was trying to say.
Everything now made sense to Li Ming. This Ming Fei had probably doubted the authenticity of the information he got, so he came in front of Li Ming's residence and referred to Li Ming as Scholar Li Ming despite the 2-year age gap that he had.
Just as Li Ming was lost in his thoughts, Ming Fei knelt down on his head.
"Scholar Li, please make me your apprentice."
Li Ming reflexively said no.