Can I get to the other side?

Weiyang Palace, outside the Imperial Gate.

An old man with white hair and beard, wearing a tattered Taoist robe and a white rattan crown on his head, was riding a donkey towards the palace gate.

The old man was not good-looking. One of his eyes seemed to be diseased and half-open. Although his Taoist robe was very tattered, it was starched and looked very clean.

What is somewhat surprising is that his posture of riding the donkey is a bit strange. It is more like sitting cross-legged on it than riding it.

His body swayed slightly as the donkey walked, and it seemed like he would fall down at any time, but he was as steady as a rock.

The appearance of the old man attracted the attention of the guards standing on both sides of the city gate, and one of them stepped forward to stop him.

"Please stop, old man. This is a key area of ​​the imperial palace. No outsiders are allowed to approach. Please go back."

The guard did not rudely scold or drive the old man away, but spoke politely.

However, the old man did smile upon hearing this and said, "I am Zuo Ci, and I have come to the palace to meet the emperor."

Another guard frowned and asked, "We have never heard of your Majesty summoning us. Did you make a mistake?"

When the emperor summoned someone, the palace would usually send someone to lead the way, or they would be informed and allowed to pass after the person arrived.

But they had not received any notification that the emperor wanted to summon a man named Zuo Ci.

Zuo Ci smiled and said, "You are right. You will be summoned soon. I will just wait here for a while."

The two guards looked a little strange when they heard this.

He will be summoned soon. Can you predict the future?

One of the guards said, "Old man, this is not the place for you to mess around. We don't want to use force against you. You should leave as soon as possible."

"If you don't leave now, don't blame me for being rude."

Although they did not want to attack the old man, they had their duties as guards. If the old man still refused to listen and refused to leave, they would have no choice but to drive him away.

Zuo Ci laughed but said nothing.

The guard next to them lost his patience upon seeing this, and reached out to grab the donkey's reins, intending to forcibly take the man and the donkey away from there.

But the donkey was clearly standing there motionless. He reached out to grab it but found nothing and didn't even touch it.

"What are you doing?"

Another guard asked in surprise, thinking that his colleague was too soft-hearted to take action.

There were some idlers waiting at the gate of the palace. If their patrolling superiors saw them, they would all be punished.

"No, I..."

The guard was also confused, how come he couldn't catch him when he was so close?

He reached out and grabbed it a few more times, not believing it.

But every time I came up empty-handed.

Although the man and the donkey were right in front of him, no matter what he did, he could not touch even a corner of the other's clothes.

"Stop messing around!"

Another guard frowned, scolded in a low voice, and then tried to catch Zuo Ci who was sitting on the donkey's back.

But the result was the same as that of his colleagues, he still got nothing.

That feeling is extremely strange.

After trying several times, he finally realized something was wrong. He stepped back several steps, pointed the spear in his hand at Zuo Ci, and shouted, "Who the hell are you?"

This move instantly alerted the surrounding guards, and they rushed forward to surround Zuo Ci. Some of the guards even raised the Zhuge Crossbow.

As long as Zuo Ci dared to make any move, they would pull the trigger without hesitation and shoot him into a hedgehog!

But at this moment, a surprised voice came from behind them: "Mr. Zuo, why are you here?"

Upon hearing this, all the guards turned their heads to look.

Then their expressions changed.

Lu Bu appeared at the palace gate at some point!

"Meet the General!"

All the guards did not dare to be negligent. They put down their weapons and bowed to Lu Bu.

However, Lu Bu ignored them. He was about to leave the palace to find Zuo Ci in the military camp, but he didn't expect that Zuo Ci was already waiting outside the palace.

This surprised him quite a bit.

Zuo Ci laughed and said, "I am waiting here for your Majesty to summon me, so that the general won't have to make an extra trip."

Hearing this, Lu Bu smiled heartily and said, "Sir, you are indeed as good as a god. Your Majesty has asked me to go and invite you to the palace."

"But there are rules in the palace. No carriages, donkeys or horses are allowed into the palace. Sir, please follow me on foot to see me."

Zuo Ci nodded and said, "This is the way it should be when meeting the emperor."

After saying that, he jumped off the donkey's back.

The movements are as light as a feather.

Lu Bu was no longer surprised by Zuo Ci's strangeness. After all, he had seen more shocking scenes. Otherwise, he would not have thought that Zuo Ci was a god, let alone recommended him to the emperor.

"Just follow me, sir."

After Lu Bu finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the palace. Seeing this, all the guards made way for him.

Zuo Ci followed closely behind.

The two guards from before still hadn't come to their senses, and one of them was staring at Zuo Ci and Lu Bu's departing backs with a blank gaze.

"What are you looking at?"

Seeing this, another guard asked in confusion, and looked over as well, then his eyes also became fixed.

Lu Bu walked very fast, with the gait of a dragon and a tiger; but Zuo Ci seemed to have an injury in one of his legs, and walked with a limp.

He was obviously not walking very fast, but strangely he did not fall behind at all.

…

Liu Xie had not been waiting in the greenhouse for long when he heard Gao Lan come to report: "Your Majesty, the general is outside with an old man requesting an audience."

"Oh? So soon?"

Liu Xie looked up from the dragon table and said with some surprise that it had not even been a cup of tea since Lu Bu left.

They brought the person here so quickly?

But no matter how surprised he was, he still wanted to see the people. Liu Xie closed the memorial in his hand and ordered, "Let them in."

"promise."

Gao Lan stepped back, and soon, the sound of footsteps was heard.

Lu Bu and Zuo Ci walked into the hall together.

Lu Bu stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have brought Mr. Zuo here."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xie turned his gaze behind Lu Bu.

When he saw Zuo Ci's appearance, he couldn't help but be stunned, because he didn't expect that the legendary immortal Zuo Ci looked so ordinary.

He is like a shabby Taoist priest in a run-down Taoist temple, without any trace of the demeanor of a godly figure.

Zuo Ci also noticed Liu Xie's gaze, but he was not at all reserved. He saluted and said, "I am Zuo Ci, a wild man from Lujiang, and I pay my respects to Your Majesty."

"Sir, please excuse me."

Liu Xie raised his hand slightly, and then said straight to the point: "Mr. Wen Gongyan is a remarkable man with extraordinary abilities."

"The current Minister of State, Guo Fengxiao, is my confidant and the backbone of my great Han dynasty. He is now seriously ill due to overwork and both Hua and Zhang are powerless to save him. I summoned you today to ask for your treatment method."

"If you can cure Fengxiao, I will certainly reward you generously. You can ask for money, treasures, titles and official positions."

What Liu Xie was most concerned about was Guo Jia's illness. He didn't care what method Zuo Ci used, as long as he could cure Guo Jia.

Facing Liu Xie's question, Zuo Ci shook his head slightly and said, "Deep love does not bring longevity, and extreme wisdom will bring harm. Situ Guo is extremely talented, so he is envied by heaven."

"According to Situ Guo's fate, he could only live to the age of 38. It was only because he met Your Majesty that his life was extended by several years."

"But now that the Han Dynasty's restoration has been accomplished, Situ Guo's time has come. Your Majesty, why should you go against the will of heaven?"

"Some things can't be forced after all."

After hearing Zuo Ci's words, Liu Xie's expression remained unchanged, but his heart was in turmoil.

It’s because Zuo Ci’s words are too shocking!

In history, Guo Jia died at the age of 38, exactly as Zuo Ci said.

Suppressing the shock in his heart, Liu Xie no longer dared to look down on Zuo Ci. He knew that this alchemist was a real talent.

Otherwise, how can we calculate Guo Jia's life span?

Liu Xie said seriously, "I understand what you said, but Fengxiao accompanied me in my rise from humble beginnings. Without Fengxiao, I would not be where I am today."

"He has devoted himself to the Han Dynasty and made great contributions. How can I watch him die young?"

"I hope you can help me."

Going against the will of heaven, so what?

Wasn't it going against the will of heaven that he revived the Han Dynasty?

The original Han Dynasty did not have three rises, and since Guo Jia could change his fate once because of him, he could change it a second time!

Zuo Ci looked up at Liu Xie for a long time, and finally said slowly: "Since it is the emperor's order, I naturally cannot refuse."

"I can cure Guo Situ, but I can only extend his life by three years at most, which is the limit."

Liu Xie felt a little disappointed when he heard this.

The number of three years obviously could not satisfy him, but given Guo Jia's current situation, he would die in less than three months if Zuo Ci did not take action.

Thinking of this, Liu Xie said to Zuo Ci in a serious tone: "Since this is the case, please help Feng Xiao."

"I wonder what reward you would like, sir?"

Zuo Ci smiled and said, "I am a Taoist practitioner. Fame and wealth are of no use to me."

"I came here not to save Situ Guo and get a reward, but to see His Majesty."

As soon as these words were spoken, Liu Xie's eyes suddenly became stern.

It was indeed to see him.

But his face remained expressionless, he narrowed his eyes at Zuo Ci and asked, "Sir, why do you want to see me?"

Zuo Ci smiled slightly: "To seek the truth."

"Seeking the truth?"

Liu Xie raised his eyebrows, his confusion growing stronger. "I don't practice Taoism. If you want to learn Taoism, you should practice it wholeheartedly. How can you learn Taoism by coming to the palace?"

He couldn't quite understand the meaning of Zuo Ci's words.

Zuo Ci said leisurely: "The fate of Yan Han was determined, but Your Majesty turned the world around, revived the Han Dynasty for the third time, and established an empire that will last forever."

"This action goes against the laws of destiny. It is a feat that has never been done before and will never be done again."

"Your Majesty is the one who personally accomplished all these changes. I came to see Your Majesty precisely to find the answer."

Zuo Ci's words were indeed somewhat rude.

Even Lu Bu, who was standing by, couldn't stand it anymore and said to him in dissatisfaction, "What nonsense are you talking about in front of your majesty?"

He introduced Zuo Ci to the emperor only because he was impressed by his talent and thought that maybe he could find a way to cure Guo Jia.

Who knew that this guy would say a lot of nonsense in front of the emperor.

"Fengxian, please step back."

Liu Xie raised his hand to stop Lu Bu. He stared at Zuo Ci with burning eyes and asked slowly, "Sir, have you found the answer now?"

Zuo Ci shook his head slightly and said, "No... maybe there is no answer at all. The so-called anomaly may have been a constant."

"That's all I have to say. Sorry for the rudeness."

Zuo Ci bowed to Liu Xie.

Liu Xie's gaze lingered on him for a long time before he withdrew it and chuckled, "No problem, I have gained a lot from chatting with you, sir."

"Fengxian, take the teacher to Fengxiao's residence and let the teacher start to treat Fengxiao."

Lu Bu clasped his fists and said, "Yes!"

As he said this, he was about to take Zuo Ci away.

"slow!"

But before the two men left, Liu Xie called out to them again, and then asked Zuo Ci: "After this separation, perhaps we will never meet again. Sir, do you have anything to say to me?"

Zuo Ci paused for a moment, but did not turn around. He just said, "Your Majesty's achievements are greater than those of the Three Sovereigns and your virtue is greater than that of the Five Emperors. Why don't you offer sacrifices to the gods at Mount Tai to establish the orthodoxy?"

After saying this, Zuo Ci followed Lu Bu out of the hall, leaving Liu Xie alone sitting in silence on the dragon throne.

Looking at the empty hall, Liu Xie looked a little dazed, muttering to himself: "Fengshan... Mount Tai?"

…

After leaving the palace, Lu Bu glared at Zuo Ci and said in dissatisfaction: "I say, you old idiot, how can you talk nonsense in front of His Majesty?"

"I took you to see His Majesty because I saw that you have some ability, but you spoke nonsense in front of His Majesty."

"What should I do if His Majesty blames me later?"

Zuo Ci laughed and said, "General, please do not blame me for my words being out of line... But with your majesty's broad mind, I don't think you will bother with an old man over fifty years old."

Lu Bu snorted coldly and said impatiently: "Alright, alright, come with me to Situ Mansion, we have to hurry to rescue Guo Fengxiao."

"He won't last long."

Zuo Ci shook his head and said, "I don't need to go. You give this prescription to the two imperial doctors Hua and Zhang. As long as they prescribe the medicine according to the prescription, they will be able to cure Guo Situ."

As he spoke, he pulled out a prescription from his sleeve.

Lu Bu was stunned and scratched his head, "Prescription? Shouldn't you use your magic to cure the disease? Why do you still need to prescribe medicine?"

Zuo Ci couldn't help laughing when he heard this and said, "How can I know any magic? You should believe in medicine, not these gods and ghosts, they are all fake."

"Okay, the prescription has been given to the general. I won't stay any longer. Goodbye."

As he said this, he strode out of the palace.

Lu Bu was a little confused holding the prescription. After he reacted, he looked up and shouted, "Wait! How do I know your prescription works? If it doesn't work, where would I go... Huh?!"

Lu Bu's voice stopped abruptly, because there was nothing in front of him, and where was Zuo Ci's figure?

"It's really a ghost!"

Lü Bu was horrified, and looked around. Seeing that no one was around, he quickly put his hands together and whispered, "I was disrespectful just now, please don't blame me, old immortal, please don't blame me..."

After muttering to himself for a long time, Lu Bu finally felt relieved and hurriedly took the prescription to the Imperial Hospital to find Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing.