The Great Tang's King of Provisions

Chapter 32: Wanting to Go to the Immortal Realm to Get Struck by Lightning

The inner courtyard of the imperial palace was vast and full of rooms, but fortunately, Li Xuanba, Li Shimin, and the others were all on horseback, so they weren’t too exhausted. “Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!” Amid the respectful bows and greetings from the imperial guards, eunuchs, and palace maids, Li Xuanba, Li Shimin, and the others arrived at the Taiji Hall within the Taiji Palace. The Taiji Hall stood eighteen meters high, nine zhang long, and eighteen zhang wide, with red walls, yellow tiles, soaring eaves, and intricately carved and painted beams and pillars. The hall featured a double-eaved hall-style roof. When Li Xuanba was struck dead by lightning, Li Yuan quickly stopped himself from mentioning it, nervously watching the sky outside the Taiji Hall, afraid that another bolt of lightning might come and take his third son, Li Xuanba, away. Noticing Li Yuan’s anxious expression, Li Xuanba, acting without due respect, patted Li Yuan on the shoulder. With his right arm, he wrapped his arm around Li Yuan’s neck and led him into the Taiji Hall, saying half-jokingly, half-seriously as they walked: “Haha! Don’t worry, Dad! If I don’t want to go, he won’t take me away—and besides, I can’t leave even if I wanted to.” As he walked into the Taiji Hall with Li Yuan in his arms, Li Xuanba gave Li Shimin a light wave with his left hand from behind, signaling him to come and defuse his father’s anger. Upon receiving Li Xuanba’s signal, Li Shimin breathed a sigh of relief. He hurried to the entrance of the Taiji Hall, shut the door, and watched the interior with bated breath. If he’d had a choice, he wouldn’t have chosen to kill the villain and his own brother, nor would he have imprisoned his father. But circumstances had left him with no other option—they had forced him down this path. “Dad, I wasn’t struck by lightning that day—I was taken up to heaven. For the past twelve years, I’ve been traveling all over the celestial realm, and just recently, our family’s ancestor kicked me down here without any reason.” Li Xuanba wrapped his arm around Li Yuan and, with no regard for proper etiquette, sat right down alongside him on Li Yuan’s so-called “dragon throne,” spinning a tale that was half-truth, half-lie. To the Tang Dynasty of the present, the future was certainly a fairyland, but from the perspective of the future, wasn’t the present-day Tang Dynasty just as much a fairyland? “Immortals? The Realm of Immortals? Is there really such a place in this world?” As soon as he heard Li Xuanba’s made-up story, Li Yuan’s eyes lit up as he stared at Li Xuanba. His shout echoed throughout the Taiyi Hall, causing Li Shimin and the others standing nearby to prick up their ears and widen their eyes, secretly shifting their attention to what Li Xuanba was about to say. The realm of immortals! That represents eternal life! Who wouldn’t want to live forever? “In the heavens lies White Jade Capital, with five towers and twelve cities. An immortal touches my head, and with my hair tied, I gain eternal life.” After reciting these four lines of Li Bai’s poetry, Li Xuanba gave a mischievous grin as he looked at Li Yuan and Li Shimin and the others eavesdropping outside the door. “Dad, if you long for the Immortal Realm, there’s a simple way to get there! The next time there’s thunder and rain, go outside and curse the heavens. As long as you don’t get struck dead by lightning, you’ll make it to the Immortal Realm.” “Um…” Hearing Li Xuanba’s ridiculous suggestion, Li Yuan and the others rolled their eyes in unison. How could anyone survive being struck by a bolt of lightning? Did he think everyone was like him—that after being struck by lightning, they could wake up again twelve years later? Seeing Li Yuan’s speechless expression, Li Xuanba pursed his lips and chuckled lightly, “Or, you could just follow in the footsteps of my eldest brother and fourth brother—dying and entering the Immortal Realm is just as good!” “Crack! Boom!” No sooner had Li Xuanba finished speaking than a vast expanse of dark clouds suddenly appeared in the sky above the Taiyi Hall. Countless silver-white bolts of lightning flashed within them, accompanied by the rumbling roar of thunder. Amid the thunder, Li Shimin and the others shuddered in unison, while Li Yuan’s face remained as still as water, his eyes blazing with a fierce glint of hatred. For Li Yuan at that moment, the loss of his eldest and fourth sons just a few days prior was an eternal source of pain! Now, hearing Li Xuanba mention it so casually, the rage he had been suppressing surged forth once more. Li Yuan stared impassively at Li Xuanba, his third son who had returned from the dead. “What? Do you also hold such a low opinion of your eldest and fourth brothers?” “Isn’t it just fine that my second brother killed them?” Hearing Li Xuanba’s words, Li Shimin and the others—who had been eavesdropping—were all taken aback, staring in utter astonishment at Li Xuanba as he stood alone facing Li Yuan inside the Taiji Hall. This was the first time Li Shimin and the others had ever heard anyone dare to speak so boldly; after all, no one dared to bring up this matter in Li Yuan’s presence—it was a subject everyone strictly avoided.