My Wife Turns Out to be an Empress of the Dynasty

"Alright!"

The scholar nodded and once again took out a pill, feeding it to his slowly awakening younger brother. In the blink of an eye, his frail brother had regained consciousness.

"Thank you, kind immortal!"

"Brother, get up and thank the kind immortal!"

The elder brother, overjoyed to see his sibling wake up, not only kowtowed in gratitude himself but also tried to pull his brother along to do the same. The younger brother looked around in confusion, uncertain of what was happening. All he knew was that he no longer felt as hungry, and it felt energetic.

The elder brother continued kowtowing. In the chaotic world they lived in, he'd learned that to survive, he had to kowtow to get food and kowtow to avoid beatings, though sometimes kowtowing still meant going hungry or getting hit.

"No need to kowtow. Now, you should answer my question."

The scholar stopped the boy from continuing, his bright eyes looking directly at the little beggar in front of him as he softly asked, "What do you desire most?"

"Steamed buns! Big, soft, fragrant, sweet steamed buns!"

The elder brother answered without hesitation. He and his younger sibling had been surviving on wild vegetables for over a month, and they dreamed of eating a hot steamed bun.

Hearing this, the scholar smiled faintly. With a flash of light, a white steamed bun, still emitting steam, appeared in his hand.

"In that case, this bun is yours."

As he spoke, the bun landed in the elder brother's hand, and the scholar's figure instantly vanished. Staring at the steaming bun, feeling its warmth, the elder brother remained in a daze for a while before snapping back to reality.

"He really is a kind immortal!"

"Thank you, kind immortal!"

Once again, he knelt and kowtowed deeply, then, after three sincere bows, he handed the bun to his younger brother.

"Brother, this is a gift from the kind immortal. Go ahead, eat!"

"Mm-hmm!"

The younger brother, long tempted by the sight of the bun, eagerly took it and began devouring it, stuffing his little mouth to the brim, not even caring if he choked.

His elder brother stared at him intently, a trail of saliva escaping his lips without him noticing. He even reminded his sibling, "Eat slower; don't choke!"

It was then that the younger brother realized there was only one bun—if he ate it all, his brother wouldn't have any. Despite thinking the bun was the best thing he'd ever tasted, he fought his urge to keep eating and broke the remaining bun in half, offering it to his brother.

"Brother, you eat too!"

"You're such a good boy!"

Unable to resist, the elder brother took the bun and stuffed it into his mouth. Being older, he devoured it in one bite, savoring the lingering taste.

Just then, snowflakes began to fall from the sky. Fed and re-energized, the two little beggars clasped hands and found a pile of straw outside the city to burrow into for warmth. Not far away, the scholar stood atop the city wall, watching the heartwarming scene with a calm expression.

A year later, on another snowy day, the war had subsided, and the two little beggars, who had grown remarkably since they ate the pill, had found work in the city and were selling sweet soup.

"Sweet soup for sale! Get your sweet soup here!"

The elder brother carried the soup while the younger brother shouted energetically as they went. The snowfall grew heavier, and the brothers ducked into an empty alley for shelter.

"It's freezing today!"

"Give me your hands; I'll rub them warm."

They huddled beneath a broken roof, warming each other. At that moment, the familiar figure of the scholar appeared before them. Seeing him through the falling snow, they stood in stunned silence.

"Greetings, kind immortal!" The elder brother was the first to react, pulling his sibling down with him to kneel, but this time, the scholar stopped them.

"Answer my question as before," he said. "I'm here to grant you another wish."

This time, the elder brother wished for a house—a place to shield them from the wind and rain. The scholar, smiling as always, disappeared as before. The decrepit structure around them transformed into a sturdy home, complete with a blazing stove, warmth spreading through every corner.

"Brother, we have a home!" The two embraced, crying tears of joy.

With a house, they continued selling sweet soup, working diligently every day until they soon became well-off merchants in the city.

Three years later, war erupted again. The elder brother joined the military, earning merit as a guard for the city, while his younger brother gained fame for sheltering refugees, both firmly rooted in the city.

Once more, the snow fell heavily, and the scholar appeared before them. Time had changed everything except for him.

"Greetings, benefactor!" the two brothers greeted him respectfully.

This time, the elder brother's wish was for peace in the land.

"Well said! A wish for peace!" The scholar laughed heartily and dissolved into the air.

…

In the earthly realm, at Tianqiong Mountain in Jing Nation, at the center of the Lanyan Royal School's arena, Gu Lan sat in meditation for over a decade, unmoved like a withered tree.

Now, one by one, figures descended as if from beyond the heavens. Swordsmen, scholars, Taoists, monks—all appeared in the arena, laughing three times before sitting down to meditate as Gu Lan did. In moments, the arena was filled with these figures.

As the last figure joined them, Gu Lan slowly opened his eyes.

"A thousand incarnations, traversing three thousand worlds, my heart clear as a mirror. All my actions stem from my true self."

"Today, I sever my former self!"

As his voice faded, all the figures opened their eyes, each one identical to Gu Lan, wearing the same expression. Thousands of incarnations gazed at Gu Lan, smiling, and then dissolved into glowing motes, merging into the world.

Gu Lan rose, stepping forward as lotus flowers bloomed underfoot.

At that moment, spiritual energy surged throughout Tianqiong Mountain, creating waves of power. A Jianmu sapling absorbed this energy, its canopy spreading to cover the entire arena, filling the air with life and casting its aura upon Gu Lan.

"A heavenly spectacle!"

"The headmaster has broken through again!"

Disciples of Lanyan Royal School emerged from their chambers, gazing toward the mountain peak, the faint echoes of the Dao resonating in their ears. With newfound clarity, they sat in meditation to comprehend the revelation.

On Tianqiong Mountain, lotus blossoms rose into the air, spreading the sound of the Dao. Every cultivator who heard it found themselves enlightened.

"What kind of realm could this possibly be?" Outside Demon God City, a nine-tailed celestial fox gazed blankly toward Jing Nation, unable to discern whether Gu Lan was breaking through or deepening his Dao, even with his Imperial Realm cultivation.

In the East Sea Dragon Palace, Qin Huangmo, who had also reached the Imperial Realm, noticed the disturbance from Jing Nation, and instantly flew out.