Please Don't Call Me an Immortal

The seven kingdoms fell, and the four seas were united. An age celebrated in countless books and poems for its peace had arrived. Fifteen years after the dynasty was founded, the Great Li Dynasty had become prosperous and thriving. Then, one day, newspapers denouncing feudal superstition began appearing in the sky. The Great Li Dynasty had started cracking down on feudal superstition. In the subtle, relentless changes of the past fifteen years, those who once sought the Dao had acquired a new name, and even the word "immortal" had become taboo. The Great Li Dynasty persecuted immortal cultivators with near-cruel severity, striking at those who refused to submit and clung to their faith, even as it turned their families and friends against them.

Some people said that as long as you didn't mention immortals, the Great Li was still peaceful and benevolent. A few years ago, all the old immortal sects had changed their names and banners. Aside from a few sects wiped out by disaster, whose names were still enshrined in the Luyuan Palace, all the others had changed their names and identities. The Great Li was full of experts and rogue immortals, all of them sect leaders, yet not one person objected to this change. Everyone understood without a word. After fifteen years of subtle influence, the word "immortal" had become a thing of the past that no one dared mention.

But one story connected to immortals was still often told with relish: the tale of the Sage, who existed for only three days. On the first day, he attained enlightenment. On the second, he saved the world and its people. On the third, he vanished without a trace. Some said he had gone into seclusion in the mountains; others said he had ascended to the heavens. But what really happened...? Fifteen years of speculation had brought no answers.