Every year during the Lantern Festival, the capital will set up a lantern market that is dozens of miles long. Starting from the eighth day of the first lunar month and reaching its peak on the 15th day of the first lunar month, lanterns and fireworks shine all night long, and drums, music, and acrobatics are noisy until dawn.

In the restaurant, dignitaries and children from rich families were drinking and having fun, looking at the lights of the city.

The lantern market was so crowded with people that they couldn't even turn their bodies.

Although it is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month tonight, the moon is not visible. The sky is filled with stars and the lights are like daylight, like a bunch of fireflies. It is shocking and beautiful.

When men in Deng City pass by some high-rise buildings with curtains drawn, they always cast their eyes subconsciously. The people inside must be female dependents of the Xun family, the Qi family, the Huan family, and the Haoyou family.

This year is different from the past. In addition to the female relatives, there may also be Taoist priests behind the curtain.

"Ti Yuanzi, you are not retiring at Chaotian Palace in Nanjing, but why are you coming to the capital to wade through this muddy water?"

“Who wants to take care of themselves in old age if they can live forever?”

Two white-haired Taoist priests sat opposite each other by the window of a high-rise building. The whole floor was empty except for them.

Ti Yuanzi, who had become a real person during the Yongle period, became a monk in Xiangfu Palace when he was young and studied Taoism. Later, he studied under Zhao Yuanyang and learned "The Great Alchemy of Returning Golden Fire". He was the sixth generation successor of Jingming Tao and could call the wind and thunder.

Ren Ziwan is the fifty-third generation master of the Shangqing Sect.

Ren Ziwan looked out the window: "After this, I'm afraid I will never see the colorful buildings in Jinling City or the thousands of water lanterns lit on the Qinhuai River."

Ti Yuanzi said nothing. Jinling at this moment must be more lively than the capital.

Ren Ziwan looked away, drank wine and said with a smile: "Where is your disciple? It will make you more confident to call him together."

"Either he didn't come, or," Ti Yuanzi looked at the Meridian Gate, the ninety-meter-high five-color Aoshan lantern shed, "he died on the way here."

There is not a single monk in a hundred who can enter the capital and see this grand occasion.

How many real people in heaven and earth were suppressed by imperial edicts and died by mortal swords.

◇

Ninety-meter-high Dengshan Mountain.

The lights are like snakes and insects, coiling and invading along the lamp stand, and the eaves and corners are full of lights.

The strong wind howled, Li Changzhou and Emperor Jiajing stood on Dengshan Mountain, overlooking the capital. The entire capital seemed like a galaxy falling down, or like a raging fire.

There is no place without lights. Wherever there are lights, there must be laughter, singing, piano, pipa, playing and singing, and the sound is endless.

Emperor Jiajing was wearing a Taoist robe with long sleeves.

It was extremely cold at high places, and if he hadn't been "practicing" in the Moon Palace these past few days, he would have been so cold that his nose would have runny nose.

Emperor Jiajing relied on his eyesight, which had also grown in the past few days, to see clearly the crowds of people on the ground.

He couldn't help but say: "These lantern watchers, as soon as they enter the temple gate, can't turn their heads or turn their heels. They can only go up and down with the tide and resign themselves to fate."

It's easy to make a decision, but it's hard to avoid feeling anxious when you actually do it.

Li Changzhou laughed and said, "Your Majesty, please look at the sky."

Emperor Jiajing looked up at the sky.

"Does Your Majesty know Qiyao?"

"Of course." Emperor Jiajing nodded, "The sun, the moon, the five elements of alloy wood, water, fire, and earth are called Qi Yao."

"Each of these seven stars is a star, in the shape of a sphere." Li Changzhou pointed his finger, and the lights flew over, and he placed them above his head to outline the seven stars.

"The Ming Dynasty under your Majesty's rule is also above a star, let's call it 'Earth', and the moon revolves around 'Earth'."

Two sparks floated over and merged into the seven stars.

"The earth is as big as 49 moons." Along with Li Changzhou's voice, the Mars symbolizing the earth grew rapidly.

"About 18 times that of Mercury and 6.6 times that of Mars." Mercury and Mars became larger in response, surpassing the moon and smaller than the earth.

"Venus is almost the same size as Earth, slightly smaller."

"Jupiter can accommodate 2-3 Earths."

The inconspicuous Jupiter expanded rapidly and became the largest planet in the blink of an eye.

Without waiting for Emperor Jiajing's reaction, Li Changzhou added: "Saturn can accommodate four earths."

call!

The flame expands.

Earth element directly exceeds Jupiter.

"This is the size of metal, wood, water, fire, earth, and the moon." Li Changzhou said, "As for the sun -"

boom!

Emperor Jiajing raised his arm to block the strong light that could not be seen directly.

After adapting, he slowly put down his hand and saw a huge fireball. Saturn, which he thought was huge enough before, was like the difference between a soybean and a watermelon, and the Earth was the size of a sesame seed.

Man is the sesame upon the sesame.

The fireball was so hot that the entire front of Emperor Jiajing was filled with light and heat. His shadow was struggling behind him, as if trying to escape.

He was immersed in incredible shock.

"One sun is equal to 1.3 million earths, and there are some stars, large and small, which form a complete system. Let's call it the 'solar system'." Li Changzhou's voice came to his ears.

"This is the universe?!" Emperor Jiajing's voice was shocking and confused.

Li Changzhou laughed, and Emperor Jiajing looked at him in confusion.

He saw that behind Li Changzhou, fireworks all over the city soared into the sky, like countless Kongming lanterns.

The wind howled and the flames hunted, and he heard Li Changzhou say again: "Your Majesty, there are twenty million structures similar to the solar system in the Milky Way!"

In the sky full of lights, the previously shocking sun was as small as a grain of rice.

The lights slowly descended and fell back to the human world, and the sky turned back into a clean and dark night.

"Your Majesty, look." Li Changzhou pointed to the starry sky above his head.

Emperor Jiajing stared blankly in his direction.

"In the vast night sky in front of us, there are tens of thousands of galaxies for every 1/12.7 million area!" Li Changzhou put his hands behind his back and looked up at the entire night sky.

"This is far from the limit. Wherever you can see it, in every bit of darkness, there must be more stars and seas that are bigger than the galaxy!

"And these are just a small part of the universe."

"Gulu!" Emperor Jiajing swallowed. He had difficulty breathing and even started to feel dizzy.

He felt so insignificant!

While in trance, he heard Li Changzhou's voice again, as vague as a message from heaven:

"After Your Majesty enters Taoism, sooner or later there will be a day when you are no longer interested in the power and beauty around you. Then why not go along a corner of the starry sky to see what kind of life there is in this vast universe, what do these lives look like, what do they eat, and society

What are the customs?"

Emperor Jiajing thought about everything Li Changzhou said.

"The time it takes to do this alone makes eternal life seem short."

Li Changzhou originally wanted to comfort Emperor Jiajing, describe to him the splendid style after immortality, and dispel his idea of ​​retreating from the battle, but as he spoke, his heart moved.

If I could live forever, with Qinglan and my sister, I could see planet after planet, galaxy after galaxy, and my life would never be boring.

Explore planets with harsh environments, settle on planets with beautiful scenery for a hundred years, and taste all alien foods, whether they are delicious or ordinary.

Emperor Jiajing looked at Li Changzhou and saw the longing for immortality and the obsession with the distant starry sky in his eyes.

How can such a person have worldly rights?

He suddenly sighed and put his hand on the railing.

"Your Majesty?" Li Changzhou looked at him puzzled.

"I" Emperor Jiajing was about to speak but stopped.

He looked at the stars in the sky. When the cold wind blew, these stars seemed to fall down accidentally. He was excited, confused, happy, and longing.

It's as if as soon as you close your eyes, you enter the scene described by Li Changzhou, wandering freely and freely on the stars, happily and unrestrainedly.

"Zhenren Li," Emperor Jiajing spoke again, "the road ahead is dangerous. Although I am the king of a country, I can only wish you smooth sailing and success in my heart."

Li Changzhou felt happy and said with a smile: "Thank you, Your Majesty. I also wish Your Majesty all the best. If you become an immortal in the future, one day we will meet again on a certain star in the universe."

"Okay! It's a deal!" Emperor Jiajing slapped the railing, and then said in a deep voice, "Be careful with Tao Zhongwen, this person plans to do you harm."

Li Changzhou laughed loudly after hearing this: "Who in the world dares to call himself a giant? I am the only real dragon in the immortal world! Tao Zhongwen is nothing!"

After saying that, he roared loudly.

"Your Majesty, light the lamp!"

Emperor Jiajing was full of fighting spirit, as if he was sailing out to sea. He lit up the lantern and hung it on the top of the Five Colored Lantern Mountain.

The sound of "Hoo!" blown by the wind seemed to be the finishing touch, and all the lights on the entire five-color lantern mountain seemed to come alive.

What kind of lamp mountain is this? It looks like a five-color altar.
To be continued...