As the two chatted, the smile on Chen Mo’s face gradually faded. A rare look of worry surfaced in his cloudy eyes.
He set down his teacup and sighed. "Younger Brother Lu, when do you think our Daxia New Country will finally see true peace?"
Hearing this, Lu Yun said nothing.
Seeing this, Chen Mo continued on his own, "The Yin Dynasty wreaked havoc for three hundred years, leaving the people destitute and the land strewn with corpses."
"Now that it’s finally fallen, I thought we’d see a new world, that the common folk could finally live a few peaceful days."
"But what happened? Another Emperor is on the dragon throne. They call it a new country, but at its core, it’s just the same old act. The wrapping is new, but the contents are the same. The faces have changed, but their hearts haven’t."
He paused, then added, "You just never know how things will turn out. We were moving forward, and somehow we’ve ended up right back where we started."
Seeing Chen Mo’s lament, Lu Yun smiled faintly. "Brother Chen, you’ve always focused on treating patients and saving lives, not concerning yourself with worldly affairs. Why the sudden interest today?"
Chen Mo sighed. "Ah, Younger Brother Lu, these days, life is getting harder and harder."
"My old partners have run into trouble one by one. The supply channels for medicinal herbs from other provinces... some have been cut off, others have just vanished."
"Some were conscripted by warlords and never came back. Not a single word was ever sent home. Their wives and children are still waiting, but they’re waiting for nothing."
"Some had their goods stolen by bandits, and both they and their cargo disappeared. They’d traveled that road for twenty years and could walk it with their eyes closed, but what happened? Gone, just like that."
"Others just vanished without a trace. No sign of them alive, no body if they’re dead. I asked someone to look into it, and the reply that came back was a single word—’Gone’."
"You know the saying, ’Ducks are the first to know when the river warms in spring.’ For ordinary people like us, we feel the chill of the times ourselves."
"These warlords talk a good game, but now they’ve gone crazy, fighting each other with such fervor. Why don’t we see them fighting those damn foreigners? All they know is how to bully their own people."
As he spoke, he looked up at Lu Yun, a hopeful look in his eyes. "Younger Brother Lu, when do you think our Divine Land will finally have a Lord of the Blue Sky who will stand up for the people?"
Hearing this, Lu Yun picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, and then calmly replied, "Brother Chen, where did you hear all this?"
Chen Mo’s spirits lifted at once. "Younger Brother Lu, who in all of Yun Port City doesn’t know that *you* are that Lord of the Blue Sky?"
Lu Yun’s eyebrow twitched slightly. Chen Mo paid it no mind and continued, "That new Commander-in-Chief of the guard, what’s his name again... Yan Lintong! Yes, that’s him!"
"The moment he took office, he started proclaiming it all over the city! That you, Younger Brother Lu, are the Lord of the Blue Sky for the Daxia New Country!"
"He said that from now on, anyone in Yun Port City with a grievance should go find this Commander Yan! He also said that no matter who it is, if they break the law, they will all be dealt with fairly!"
"You have no idea! That Commander-in-Chief of the guard took his men through every street and alley, shouting it door to door. From East Street to West Street, from the south of the city to the north, they covered it all."
"Now, everyone in Yun Port City knows that you, Younger Brother Lu, are a living Lord of the Blue Sky."
Lu Yun was silent. An ’I knew it’ expression appeared on his face.
’Proclaiming to the whole city that I’m some "Lord of the Blue Sky"... Only he would do something like that.’
Seeing Lu Yun’s expression, Chen Mo couldn’t help but laugh. "What, Younger Brother Lu, you really didn’t know?"
Lu Yun set down his teacup and said flatly, "That kid is just spouting nonsense. Brother Chen, you can’t listen to his drivel."
Chen Mo burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Younger Brother Lu, this is the will of the people!"
’The will of the people?’
Lu Yun withdrew his gaze, the corners of his mouth lifting into a slight smile.
An idea struck Chen Mo, and he decided to strike while the iron was hot. Since they’d already said this much, he might as well lay all his cards on the table.
"Younger Brother Lu, in my opinion, those good-for-nothing remnants of the Yin Court, along with those bandits and warlords, are completely unworthy of ruling the Daxia New Country."
"It’s time for an enlightened ruler to appear and take charge of this Divine Land, which has been mired in conflict for thousands of years."
Lu Yun didn’t respond. He just listened quietly, his face betraying no emotion.
Chen Mo continued, "In the past ten-odd years, Younger Brother Lu, you are the most extraordinary person I have ever met. I can’t think of anyone else who could be this enlightened ruler but you."
Under Chen Mo’s expectant gaze, Lu Yun shook his head. "Brother Chen, you praise me too highly. I’m already getting on in years. I have no desire to exhaust myself chasing dominion over the world."
"Leave such things to the younger generation, to those with ideals and ambitions."
’His mind was preoccupied with other matters—immortality and a power that transcends all.’
’Why would I have time to fight to be the master of the Divine Land? In the end, all you’re fighting for is a handful of dirt. A hundred years from now, who will remember who?’
Besides, Lu Yun had another concern.
’It is said that Emperors are congenitally unable to achieve immortality. This wasn’t just some baseless rumor; it was a saying passed down since ancient times.’
’How many Emperors throughout the dynasties lived a long life? It was common for them to die in their thirties or forties. Living to sixty was considered a ripe old age.’
’And what about those Emperors who sought immortals, begged for elixirs, practiced Alchemy, and pursued the Dao? Didn’t it all come to nothing in the end?’
’Every sip and every peck is preordained by heaven. If that legend turned out to be true, wouldn’t all my efforts be for nothing, like a fleeting dream?’
’Even if I wasn’t an Emperor in the end, using a different title like ’President’ or ’Speaker’ wouldn’t work either.’
’Once the master of the Divine Land, always the master of the Divine Land.’
’Would that ethereal, illusory fortune know the difference? Would it let you off the hook just because you changed your title?’
’No. This thing called fortune is mysterious beyond all mysteries. You can’t see it, you can’t touch it, but it’s there.’

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