My low-key cultivation of immortality was discovered by the emperor in my diary.

Chapter 46: A Wonderful Spectacle, A Teasing of the System

"Forget it? How can you forget it?"

When the emperor reached the end, he hurriedly turned the page of the diary, only to find that the rest was blank; Chu Lengyu had only written this much.

The emperor's heart, which had just been stirred by her, came to an abrupt halt.

Chu Lengyu had mentioned the term "underworld" in her diary, and its counterpart seems to be "heavenly court".

This time she expanded on the topic a bit, explaining the functions of the City God and the Underworld in just a few words, which made the emperor realize that one of the old mysteries had finally been solved.

He had already understood Chu Lengyu's meaning: to establish an institution to manage the souls of the dead, in order to deter the living and fill the gaps in the judicial system.

What the Yang officials dare not manage, the Yin officials will manage!

This struck him as incredible.

Legends about souls and reincarnation also existed in the Great Xia Dynasty, but they were not prevalent. If the emperor had not met many extraordinary people in the past, he probably would not have known about these legends.

The emperor had never taken it to heart before. Like Chu Lengyu, he valued this life more than any afterlife. That's why he coveted immortality.

He had seen too much hypocrisy and fickleness, too many people who had left and then forgotten him, and he knew that in the face of death, everyone was equal, and even the most magnificent and beautiful mausoleum was nothing more than a more exquisite coffin.

But today, the emperor began to think seriously.

According to the diary, even those who wielded immense power in life would face judgment after death and might even be punished in "hell."

However, this hell actually has eighteen levels... The emperor thought with surprise and doubt, building eighteen levels underground? What an enormous project that must be!

(Note: In fact, the "levels" in the Eighteen Levels of Hell do not refer to spatial height, but rather to differences in time and punishment, especially in the duration of torture. Here, the emperor's interpretation based on his conventional thinking led to a misunderstanding.)

Is it easier to build eighteen stories underground or upwards? The emperor didn't know the answer to this question; only an audience with officials from the Ministry of Works would provide the answer.

But he knew that the tallest building in the Great Xia Dynasty was only nine stories high, which was the Star Gazing Tower in his palace. Even though it was a reconstruction on the basis of the original palace, with a large number of craftsmen gathering and doing their best, it still took nearly twenty years.

I have heard that there is a Maha Pagoda in the Great Brahma Kingdom, which has 11 stories, is nearly 30 zhang tall, and took more than 50 years to build.

The more the emperor thought about it, the more surprised he became.

Judging from the diary entries, Chu Lengyu simply thought that starting this matter from scratch was too troublesome and tiring. Therefore, in her view, she could indeed do it alone, although it would take a lot of time and energy.

Judging from her tone, this matter is not difficult in her eyes, and it certainly won't take twenty or even fifty years.

From these diaries and the reports from the night guards, the emperor could see that Chu Lengyu was not a person who bluffed or boasted recklessly.

The emperor stood there, stunned.

At this moment, what exactly is the "City God," how does he protect the country and maintain peace, and how does he manage a region? What exactly is the "Underworld," how does it judge good and evil, and how does it arrange reincarnation? None of these matters anymore.

Those things were too vague, too illusory, and too distant for him to even imagine.

The "eighteen levels" of hell were what the emperor could perceive more clearly.

He even thought about whether he could have Chu Lengyu build an eighteen-story glazed pagoda right now, the higher the better.

Tell me, which emperor in history didn't love spectacular sights?

The emperor became increasingly agitated as he thought about it.

He couldn't wait to summon her to the palace.

The diary lay open on the desk, and the emperor was practically waiting for it.

“Good fortune,” he suddenly said.

"Your servant is here." The chief eunuch Hong Fu immediately stepped forward, waiting for his instructions.

The emperor looked at his long-time companion, hesitated, and ultimately said nothing about Chu Lengyu, shaking his head: "Never mind, you may leave."

"Yes." Hong Fu withdrew.

He could tell that the emperor harbored a secret, which had troubled him for a long time, and had even caused him to lose his composure several times.

Hong Fu knew that he was just a eunuch who had been fortunate enough to gain the emperor's favor and trust, which was why he was where he was today. Even if the emperor was willing to share secrets with him, it was only because he wanted someone to confide in.

But in the palace, knowing more is always better than knowing nothing.

He stepped out of the imperial study, beckoned Xiao Dezi over, and asked him to go to the imperial kitchen to fetch some nourishing sweet soup.

……

【drop! 】

[The host has completed yesterday's diary entry.]

[Reward received: One bottle of Shennong Herbal Pills, ten pills in total!]

【Do you want to claim the reward now? 】

"Ok?"

Chu Lengyu looked at the new notification that popped up from the system, a half-smile on her face, and said, "Yesterday it was ten Youth Preservation Pills, today it's ten Shennong Herbal Pills? System, are you going bankrupt?"

[Please, host, be gentle with your words.]

Daily rewards are distributed randomly; there are no hidden tricks in the system!

"I wrote a pretty long diary entry yesterday, and I put a lot of effort into it, so why is the reward so little?"

[Host, please keep up the good work. 】

Chu Lengyu recalled that she had accumulated seven diary rewards, a pattern that left her completely baffled.

"Yesterday I wrote about the Prefect of the Capital and also went on to discuss the City God and the Underworld," she muttered to herself. "Could it be that if what I wrote is too far beyond my current level, it won't trigger the corresponding rewards?"

Alas, the attempt failed.

She was also planning that if the reward was good today, she would write about the Heavenly Court. She didn't need a lot of reward, just some celestial artifacts or elixirs would be fine.

Unexpectedly, the system was so perfunctory, only giving her a bottle of pills.

Chu Lengyu had no choice but to say, "Then let me introduce this pill?"

On the path of cultivation, elixirs are secondary.

[Shennong Herbal Pills, as the name suggests, are made from herbs sourced from "Shennong's Hundred Herbs." Ancient records state that Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs to identify their medicinal properties in order to benefit the people. This pill is based on this, using hundreds of carefully selected rare herbs…]

"Stop, stop chanting, just state the effects." She helplessly stopped the system.

[A cure-all, a magic bullet that brings immediate relief.]

[For ordinary people, it can almost bring the dead back to life, heal flesh and bones, and even prolong life.]

[For cultivators, it is also an extremely rare healing and detoxifying elixir.]

[Host, would you like to claim your reward now?]

"Yes."

[Rewards have been distributed! 】

Chu Lengyu opened the porcelain bottle, inside which were the Shennong Herbal Pills that had been awarded as a reward.

The pills are round and smooth in appearance, with a jade-like color, and emit a faint, refreshing herbal fragrance that is delightful to smell.

She casually put the pill into her storage bag and commented, "Not bad, it fills the gap in my healing methods."