[124] Fuck With That Immortal!

"The Incarnated Elemental harbors an uncontrollable killing intent towards you. By spoiling Lady, you will only further provoke her desire to harm you.

"It's like humans who cannot stop their nails from growing.

"With her Incarnated Elemental physique and extraordinary intellect, it's impossible for her to develop with a calm mind. We should train her both physically and mentally.

"So, to suppress her killing instinct towards you, I recommend implementing strict management.

"The Incarnated Elemental's physique is exceedingly dangerous. You need her to instinctively obey you, even unconsciously, ensuring she never harms you. This requires long-term nurturing and consistent patience.

"Therefore, after careful consideration, I propose thirteen measures:

"First, Lady can kiss you at most three times a day, and only more if she behaves well.

"Second, Lady should never sleep with you at night. Avoid physical contact as much as possible, and refrain from feeding her blood or other things.

"Third, Lady can only engage with you intimately once a month, for no more than half an hour each time.

"Fourth, you should give her humiliating orders that wear down her self-esteem, so she gradually internalizes her submission to you...

"Once she's tasted your kindness, she might not be able to endure restraint. You must nurture her affection in a slow, steady stream to temper her Incarnated Elemental nature."

Seated by the pool, Yu Mei-ren, surrounded by steam, slowly removed her excessively wet silk stockings from her delicate feet.

Her legs were elegantly curved, her feet slender and pink, toes lined up like pearls, untouched by polish but naturally rosy. She dipped her feet into the cool water, their reflection rippling gently.

A maid in a robe stood by the misty pond, holding a scroll, reciting suggestions that made Reinhard listen in amazement.

Understood, strict training, conditioning... Xu Fu, you're a master at this!

Having served Yu Mei-ren for over four hundred years, Xu Fu knew every detail about her lady, down to the moles under her arm.

As Yu Mei-ren stared in disbelief, laughing with Jade, Xu Fu calmly finished reading her list of thirteen training measures and smiled warmly at Reinhard, a bewitching charm mark under her eye catching the light.

"Of course, Young Master, if you ever feel lonely and want to try different tastes, Xu Fu is always at your service."

At your service... No, you're too young, I can't do that!

Reinhard snorted. Xu Fu, though four hundred years old, still appeared as a petite.

"I can't accept this! Just kill me! Today, I'm throwing you out to scavenge for food! Xu Fu!"

Yu Mei-ren, newly dressed, shook Xu Fu's neck, dismayed by her unfilial maid. After bidding a reluctant farewell to Sima Yi, it was now Xu Fu competing with her for Reinhard's attention!

"Ha... Without my care, Miss, you'd indeed be scavenging."

Xu Fu vividly remembered pulling Yu Mei-ren from the river, her body shivering, her eyes dead as driftwood until she heard there was a possibility of restoring Xiang Yu, a faint light rekindling in her dark eyes.

In recent days, Xu Fu had seen her smile more often than in the past few years combined.

"You wretched maid! Junior brother prefers mature women, how could he be interested in someone as barren as a pasture? Push your rear for me!"

"Large has its charm, but small has its allure too. After all, Young Master might prefer a simple meal to the usual feasts."

A valid point.

Indeed, there's a unique charm in simplicity. Reinhard's family included the once small Medea, who was cute even in her petite form.

But... he had personally nurtured her into a grand witch comparable to Hecate... 

"Speaking of which, has Xu Fu never grown over these four hundred years?"

The maid, draped in a robe, exuded an eerie aura, excessively slim, her charming face, accented by a beauty mark and fangs, adding a playful touch to her allure.

Reinhard wondered if she truly was an eternal maiden.

"Xu Fu knows some methods for refining and extending life. The body is merely a vessel."

Xu Fu smiled subtly, her dangerous words echoing the submissive nature shared with her mistress.

"So, no matter how roughly you use me, I can always change to a new body. Please, continue to treat me as you wish."

...Oh no, are you a masochist too? How is this possible with both master and servant?

Feigning ignorance of her words, Reinhard thought, technically, it was similar to Touko Aozaki's approach.

A decaying body could be replaced to live longer.

For those with exceptional talents in creating mystic code, extending life was not a difficult task.

However, maintaining one's sanity or the purity of the soul was a significant challenge over time.

How can one ensure they do not fall into depravity?

As children criticize capitalists, beaten by society, they desire to become one, lamenting not inequality but unfair distribution. This is human nature.

History repeats itself, and we often find ourselves becoming what we once despised as we grow older.

Even a few days can change a person's heart, let alone years.

Believing one's enthusiasm and principles are the bottom line, only to realize they are the unattainable limit.

Morals exist to be discarded, and bottom lines to be flexible.

Matou Zouken once harbored hopes of changing the world.

A hundred years ago, he was full of ambition, a blue-haired man aiming to eliminate all evils of the world, known as Makiri Zolgen.

"Living this long, don't you feel tired, Miss Xu Fu?" Reinhard asked softly.

He found it hard to imagine what he would be like in a hundred years. Although he had lived four lives, with an accumulated age approaching seventy, his current body was only twenty-three.

Eighteen as Alvin, fifteen as Kratos... Reinhard had never truly experienced middle age or the mindset of aging. Perhaps men remain young at heart until they die.

"Living too long does indeed make one unrecognizable to oneself. Being human, one cannot endure the vicissitudes of life and death.

"So, to avoid their own downfall, most accomplished immortals choose seclusion, detaching themselves from worldly ties, or even achieving a state of oblivion to avoid heartbreak." Xu Fu mused. Unlike the carefree Yu Mei-ren, she often pondered what drove her to continue living.

Perhaps it was to fulfill a promise to the first emperor.

Somewhat.

But more so, it was to ensure that... her lady would not be so lonely.

"In the end, even if my lady has had enough of this world, and lacks the right to choose death. I can't bear to leave her, so I hope to live a little longer."

Yu Mei-ren was taken aback by these words.

Indeed... she was the Incarnated Elemental cared for so tenderly by Xu Fu, once homeless.

"You don't have to do this... If you are unhappy, if you are tired, you should pursue what you like, Xu Fu."

Yu Mei-ren stroked her maid's hair.

"Xu Fu likes being by Lady's side." Xu Fu bowed slightly and smiled radiantly.

Who wouldn't love a pitiful Incarnated Elemental, so beautiful, so interesting, so poignant, like a blooming poppy, enticing one to pick?

"So." Reinhard said softly, "It's an obsession, isn't it?"

The thoughts and feelings that support a person, that keep them alive.

As for the witch's obsession...

Isn't it obvious?

"As for senior sister's doctrines, I will consider them, but rest assured about the dangers..."

Reinhard smiled.

"Senior sister can't beat me, and all I have to do is exhaust her."

Yu Mei-ren's body shivered reflexively, her face blushing.

Exhaust her? What kind of extremity is that?

Still thinking of killing me? Better resign yourself to being defeated.

Reinhard believed that no one could match him in endurance during intimate moments.

As for Tiamama, she was simply too immense. Supported by the Sea of Life, her stamina was virtually infinite, hard not to succumb to her boundless love, no matter how much effort was poured in.

But... Tiamama was always understanding, encouraging him even if he couldn't fully satisfy her, saying that being loved was enough.

Reinhard felt that to truly fulfill Tiamama's needs, his efforts were far from enough.

He had learned from Ritsuka that there are seven seats for the Beasts, which are the evils of humanity, and this information was even provided by Goetia.

But maybe there could be more than seven Beasts.

Reinhard didn't know which seat Alvin held.

Luckily, he was only taking care of one Tiamama now. It was unlikely that all the Beasts would be related to him and equally voluptuous.

Unfortunately, life isn't that coincidental, unless all Fate/Grand Order players shared his extravagant tastes.

After several hours of deep contemplation, morning turned into noon, but the mist still lingered over the mountain.

White clouds wove through the air, the mist like a sea.

At the temple atop the mountain, green smoke curled up.

Listening to Yu Mei-ren boast that the mountain's lineage was rich in talent, boasting practitioners like Yu Mei-ren, alongside her immortal self, Reinhard was promised the highest reception upon initiation.

However...

The young man stared somewhat awkwardly at the old man waiting at the entrance, not meditating, not smiling, but lying on a large stone snoring.

"Zzzzzz~🤤"

The old man's snores thundered.

A few strands of drool dribbled from his mouth, suggesting he was having a pleasant dream.

Such a display of elegance.

Yu Mei-ren could barely hold her composure. Their patriarch summoning a disciple for enlightenment, with such high standards, was this really an Immortal?

She sighed, approached, and slapped the elder's cheek.

*Slap* *Slap* *Slap* 

"Old man..."

No response.

"Old man! Wake up!!!"

Grinding her teeth, Yu Mei-ren tugged at the old man's beard, shouting in his ear.

"Zhang Jueis here!"

Plop.

"Oh, oh! Yu'er you is back!"

The snoring abruptly stopped.

Hearing the name, the old man shot up from the rock, and tidied his disheveled robe, the floating clouds around him swiftly sweeping away the dust, exuding an aura of elegance.

The crane-bone, pine-stance old man scrutinized the young man, pondering for a moment.

"... Zhang Jue? Who's that?"

"..."

Yu Mei-ren slapped her forehead, sighing in exasperation as she looked at the immortal in front of her.

"You've gone senile again, haven't you?"

"It's just a joke, haha..." The old man immortal laughed, folding his hands into his sleeves. "How could I actually be senile? ... Uh, why aren't you laughing?"

The young man lowered his gaze, exchanging a glance with the fox in his arms.

... Can this old man be trusted?

"Our lineage is not a hollow name. We ride the wind and roam the heavens and earth, seeking ultimate freedom."

Sensing Reinhard's subtle doubt, the old man immortal, smiling kindly, approached.

Though he seemed like a gentle old man, he reached out with a smooth, delicate hand, placing it on Reinhard's forehead.

The old man calculating something for a moment, then looked up at the ethereal sky. He lowered his gaze again, studying the young man before him, unable to suppress his admiration.

"Excellent... excellent! My disciple Zhang Jue has the bearing of an immortal!"

"I haven't officially joined your sect yet, may I ask, what can you teach me?"

Reinhard would follow the sect's teachings but would first assess the master's abilities. This was the moral standard, after all, betraying one's master was a tradition among magus.

"I cannot teach you how to develop your power."

The old man immortal's response stunned Reinhard.

"Zhang Jue, a good name. Your talent is unparalleled. If I'm not mistaken, you're already close to attaining your path. From here on, it's just a matter of honing your mind. As long as you accomplish one thing, becoming an immortal is within reach."

The old man immortal smiled, embodying the vitality of youth, the steadiness of middle age, and the warmth of old age.

"I may not have much law to teach you, but I can teach you about your heart."

"About my heart? What do you mean?"

"You're not free enough."

Reinhard frowned.

"I don't quite understand."

"Just sleep on it. You'll understand after a nap."

The old man chuckled, ruffling the young man's hair.

In a daze, Reinhard suddenly felt as if he were floating.

He saw his own body collapse, caught by a worried Jade, while an angry Yu Mei-ren grabbed the old man immortal by the collar.

Slowly... everyone's figures shrank into tiny, invisible dots in his vision, then vanished.

Rising...

Reinhard felt his consciousness leaving the mountain, ascending higher and higher.

From mountain, county, the vast land of the province, even the entire thirteen provinces of the dynasty...

All lay beneath his gaze.

Standing at the top of the sky, Reinhard's vision and hearing seemed to extend infinitely outward. He could see whatever he wished to see.

He could see every person in the province, and hear their bustling conversations, but he couldn't speak, couldn't move his limbs, and even lost his sense of touch, smell, and taste.

Only sight, only hearing.

Losing control of his senses and body was overwhelmingly disorienting.

This overwhelming influx of information could easily crush an ordinary person's mind.

Yet... Reinhard endured.

His will and spirit were extraordinarily resilient. Even without his body, he quickly adapted to this chaotic vision and hearing.

What is this...

Have I ascended?

No... just a dream?

With a faint, hazy understanding.

The sun rose and set, seasons passed, and years flew by before the young man's eyes.

He saw countless farmers working in the fields.

People toiled daily for their livelihoods, smiling at the thriving crops.

Even after paying heavy taxes, leaving only a third for themselves, they could feed their families. Those with rented fields were better off than vagrants, blessed by being born in the dynasty.

But that autumn, floods devastated four provinces, leaving the fields barren.

Reinhard watched as the government conscripted labor.

Natural disasters didn't reduce taxes but increased them. Without food, labor is substituted. Each disaster brought human misery, a prime time for land annexation.

Men conscripted never returned. Mothers saved their last bites for their starving children, dying in the rotten fields, wrapped in thin straw mats as their shrouds.

Soon after, the children starved too.

Reinhard saw the aristocrats of the capital feasting.

Tables were laden with delicacies, music and dance filled the air. The discarded fish and meat could fill a house, the spilled wine could fill a vat.

They laughed and chatted, enjoying the feast, as dancing girls, draped in silk, moved gracefully like floating clouds.

But on the outside...

The ground was filled with vagrants, wandering like withered ghosts.

To survive was simple... just a bit of grain, a bit of water, chewing on bark to fill their stomachs, and avoiding poisonous weeds.

But without food, they died without even a straw mat, buried in shallow graves, their clothes stripped for the living.

Because the dead... were still edible.

In the province, villages and towns lay abandoned, vast fields fell into desolation, transforming once prosperous landscapes into eerie silence.

The color of decay spread slowly across the devastated earth.

Even the bark had been gnawed off trees, and every tender blade of grass had been uprooted.

Driven by unbearable hunger.

Finally, people turned to the corpses of the dead.

They gnawed on the skin and bones, even chewing through bones to swallow the marrow, desperate to prolong their lives by a few more days.

In times of great famine, people ate each other.

Suffering was all around.

Yet... Reinhard could do nothing.

Families were torn apart, and homes were destroyed.

Natural disasters and human miseries on one side, feasts and revelries on the other.

Tragedies and joys of the human world unfolded before his eyes, but he couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't touch... only watch.

Only watch.

... Why?

The young man silently observed this sad reality.

Slowly, he reached out with an invisible hand, touching the sun and moon in the sky, turning back the sorrowful flow of time.

In an instant.

The moon set and the sun rose, autumn turned to spring.

The dark night shifted to bright daylight, and flesh grew back on the bones in the desolate fields, bringing the dead back to life.

Reinhard watched the joyful smiles of the people, reaching out to the land.

With a gentle swipe of his fingers, the withered fields flourished once more.

With a slight wave of his hand, torrential rains ceased, and the gloomy sky turned clear.

With a mere grasp of his palm, officials across the land seemed to pledge their loyalty, beginning to govern with wisdom and compassion, caring for every citizen.

He stood high in the heavens, like a divine overseer, controlling the world's suffering and tragedies with a mere press of the key and reshaping the world with his will.

With painstaking effort, he managed the world.

Finally, Reinhard ensured that everyone in his vision had food and meat.

That's enough.

That's all he wanted.

He had no intention of establishing any grand utopia or ideal society in this late dynasty.

Just fewer people starving...

Reinhard smiled, closing his eyes.

In the dim twilight of the temple, he slowly opened his eyes, looking at the old man immortal who sighed and shook his head before him.

"May I ask for your name?" 

"I'm just a passer-by on your long journey, so you can just call me old man."

"But I must say, Zhang Jue, you are even more gifted than I imagined. In less than ten years, you are destined to become a true immortal. This is my dream, yet you have turned it into your own reality."

"Unfortunately, your talents are misplaced. As I mentioned, in develop power, it is not the methods that matter but the refinement of one's character."

"Misplaced how?" 

"You shouldn't interfere with worldly affairs, Zhang Jue. The Path follows the principle of non-action, flowing naturally with heaven and earth, and responding to the heart of humanity."

"I only wanted people to have food to eat." Reinhard said softly. "Is it because they don't deserve it?"

"It's not about deserving." The old man immortal closed his eyes. "Zhang Jue, this was just a dream."

"So what if it's a dream?"

"You are aware it's a dream, but you still couldn't help yourself. Why couldn't you?"

"Because you showed me." Reinhard replied, emphasizing each word. "If I can't see it, it doesn't bother me. I can deceive myself, but if I can see it and save them, why wouldn't I?"

"In a dream, it doesn't matter, but in the world, such actions entangle you in karma. You karma will become a barrier to you to develop your power."

The old man immortal sighed, his hands folded inside his sleeves.

"Why do immortals retreat to seclusion? To avoid the contamination of the world. Your talents are extraordinary, but too much contact with the mundane will destroy your path."

He pointed to the sky.

"Immortals have vanished because they ascended to heaven. You have the potential to achieve this, to enjoy a life of pure and free from worldly stains."

"The consequences of karma are severe. Even the first emperor tried to correct the heavens but ultimately failed..."

The old man immortal sighed again and spoke deliberately, "... And he died of illness."

Reinhard was silent for a moment before shaking his head.

"Just because he died doesn't mean I will."

"Zhang Jue, you won't join my sect, will you?" 

"No." Reinhard nodded. "I'm sorry for not following your guidance."

"Yet, I still want to take you as my disciple. You can choose to acknowledge my sect or not, it doesn't matter. I have nothing to teach you except one piece of advice."

The old man immortal handed him a spell.

Reinhard stared at it, seeing three short phrases written on it.

[Do not descend the mountain]

[Do not descend the mountain]

[Do not descend the mountain]

The characters were flowing like clouds, filled with celestial aura.

"Zhang Jue, meditate for ten years, and you will likely ascend. The world will be vast, and you can roam freely."

The old man sighed softly.

"...But you are too attached."

Silence.

In the stillness, Reinhard slowly smiled.

Am I a saint?

He questioned himself and quickly found the answer.

... No, of course not.

But Reinhard knew he wouldn't die. People might think he was making a noble sacrifice, but it was merely fulfilling his own desire for self-actualization.

To die remembered by others.

What joy.

After all, he was the ultimate antagonist.

In his subconscious, he wanted to see Artoria's unfulfilled longing, to abandon Morgan for Vortigern, to revel with the women who admired him, and to protect the Machine Gods for his love.

Thus, he made a selfish decision.

He was never a noble hero.

He was a selfish and vile person, with traits that appeared generous and sacrificial to others. He deceived everyone's feelings.

A savior of the world? Fuck with that, such a title was the ultimate insult for him.

He simply had no other choice. His loved ones were in this world, so he had a bit of compassion for it.

So, he accepted his vileness with equanimity.

Once he acknowledged his weakness, he became... invincible!

"What does it matter if I'm attached or not? I was never that clear-headed to begin with."

The old man immortal's expression froze, then shifted to a bitter smile, as Reinhard laughed heartily.

"Morning mushrooms do not know the difference between dusk and dawn, summer cicadas do not know the passing of spring and autumn. You cannot discuss ice with a summer insect.

"Freedom...?

"You want to act, but you don't dare. You too lack freedom.

"Becoming an immortal won't save the people.

"So, I won't become an immortal."