CHAPTER 735: CHAPTER 296 EMERGENCY

Some say, "At the end of science lies theology!"

Such profound doctrinal issues were beyond He Tiantian’s ability to study in depth.

But what she intended to do now was to use the cloak of "theology" to give "science" a more fitting rationale.

What?

You say that my Brother Cong set off sparks while flying a kite and captured thunder and lightning?

You don’t understand, do you? That wasn’t electricity; it was a Mystic Thunder Talisman that I drew.

Eh?

You say that my Brother Cong has refined a contraption that operates without human effort, powered only by steam?

You’re talking nonsense again. I’ve simply borrowed divine power, and for now, it’s just drifting unmanned on water. In the future, my Brother Cong will even fly to the heavens!

...Anyway, no matter what astonishing technologies Jia Cong might invent in the future, He Tiantian could attribute it all to "Monster Power and Ghostly Chaos."

After all, in this era, when faced with the unknown, people tend to attribute it to the mystical aspects of Ghosts and Gods.

He Tiantian was simply providing these explanations with a more authoritative stamp of approval—I am a practitioner of cultivation, destined for eventual Ascension.

And to ensure the solid reputation of "Swindler"—ahem, my apologies, not a swindler, an Enlightened master—like Jia Jing, He Tiantian refined a large batch of elixirs. While they had a multitude of odd side effects, they were indeed very effective.

Even the Supreme Emperor in the palace had heard of the great name "Jia Jing."

Rulers throughout the ages, be they tyrants or The Wise King, all yearned for immortality.

The Supreme Emperor was no exception.

Especially as he aged and let go of his power, the Supreme Emperor found fewer and fewer things he could cling to.

He was acutely aware of his own aging and developed a deep fear of his own death.

But truly achieving the Way of Longevity was rare; one could seek but not find it.

That "Jia Jing," despite not quite looking the part of an Enlightened Master, did have elixirs that genuinely saved several people.

The Supreme Emperor didn’t want to die; he wanted to be immortal.

If Jia Jing could refine elixirs that regulated the body, then could "he" possibly refine the Immortal Pill?!

He Tiantian: ...He could not!

Of course, she definitely couldn’t say that directly to the Royal Family.

But He Tiantian could "malinger."

Consider her, an Alchemy Grandmaster, who just refining a basic Nourishing Yuan Pill ends up with all sorts of bizarre side effects.

Why?

Isn’t it all to prevent showing too much excellence, lest the Royal Family might get ideas?

She had expended substantial effort intentionally causing various odd bodily reactions without compromising the original effectiveness of the elixirs.

Doing the job well wasn’t actually difficult.

The challenge was appearing to be a bungler on purpose while being perfectly capable!

"Father Emperor, this Jia Jing’s elixir is indeed strange. Even he probably dare not guarantee its effect!"

Knowing the Supreme Emperor’s intentions, the Saint purposely went to him and casually mentioned Jia Jing’s embarrassing incident, "He himself took some Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill he refined, and as a result, he lost all his hair and eyebrows!"

"His head looked like a shiny melon, totally bereft of any semblance of an expert’s demeanor. Calling him a monk would be an insult even to those high-ranking monks!"

After all, monks merely have bald scalps; they still have eyebrows and beards.

But Jia Jing ended up with a completely bare head, not even a single hair left!

If it was just diarrhea or a foul-smelling fart, one could endure it for a day or two, and it would pass.

But hair, eyebrows... without three to five months, one simply couldn’t show their face in public.

Moreover, the ancients valued the body hair and skin as gifts from their parents; it wasn’t just about shaving, even cutting hair had its rituals.

The Supreme Emperor didn’t dare to imagine himself as a bald sphere!

Besides, the reactions to Jia Jing’s refined elixirs were peculiar and bizarre.

If Jia Jing himself became bald after taking it, who knows what ridiculous consequences it would hold for others.

...Forget it then, it’s not as if it was a Longevity Pill. If it’s merely an elixir for regulating the body, his own Imperial Physician could do the same.

The Supreme Emperor didn’t obsess about having Jia Jing refine more elixirs. By the time his life was dwindling and he was in a ’try anything once’ phase, he could no longer speak for himself.

And as a "filial son," the Saint naturally couldn’t risk the Supreme Emperor’s body and life for a joke, never forcing "Jia Jing" to present any elixir.

And so, the Supreme Emperor passed away, and the mountain weighing down on the Saint’s head finally vanished.

Once the mourning period ended, the Saint began to reform the court and settle old scores.

The Zhen Family was raided, and the Ministry of Revenue began to recover debts.