In the deep palace, there was no sound at all. One could hear a pin drop.
A moment later, a dignified voice came from the curtain behind the table again.
"What do you think?"
The young female official stood with her hands down and said, "He's so courageous at such a young age. He can distinguish right from wrong. If he's nurtured, he can be a good official. It's a waste to let him stay in the North County …"
Behind the table, the slender hand put the file aside and picked up another memorial. "You can make the arrangements."
The young female official crossed her hands and bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty."
North County City, Restaurant.
When Li Mu picked up his wine cup, he sneezed a few times and rubbed his nose. When he looked across, he saw that Han Zhe was already lying on the table like a pile of mud.
Zhang Shan and Li Si helped him out of the restaurant. Li Mu said to Junior Sister Qin, "I'll leave him to you."
Junior Sister Qin nodded and asked Li Mu, "Are you really not going to Fu-lu School?"
"I'm not going." Li Mu smiled and said, "Help me thank the Sect Master for his good intentions."
"Alright then." Junior Sister Qin carried Han Zhe on her back and said, "We're leaving."
Li Mu watched the two of them leave and suddenly felt a little melancholic.
Li Si asked, "What's wrong? Do you miss your boss?"
Li Mu did not answer. Li Si patted his shoulder and said, "The more you can't get someone, the harder it is to let go. Let me give you a piece of advice. Don't always think about the past. Cherish the present …"
Seeing Han Zhe, Li Mu could not help but think of Li Qing. However, it was not like what Li Si had said. In order to prove that he cherished the present, Li Mu personally cooked soup for four hours and sent it to Liu Hanyan, who was busy in the Yunyan Pavilion.
Liu Hanyan was reviewing the manuscript. Without raising her head, she said, "Put it aside first. I'll drink it later."
"It'll be cold soon," Li Mu picked up the spoon and brought it to her mouth, saying, "Open your mouth, I'll feed you."
Liu Hanyan opened her mouth and drank a mouthful of soup. Suddenly, she looked at Li Mu and asked, "Why are you suddenly so nice to me? Did you do something wrong?"
Li Mu felt inexplicably guilty. Then, he shook his head and said, "What guilt could I have? I was kind enough to feed you, but you actually doubted me. You can drink the rest yourself …"
After deceiving Liu Hanyan, Li Mu returned home and prepared to go into seclusion for a few days to fuse his three souls into one and completely form his Primordial Spirit.
Although the three souls and the primordial spirit were both soul bodies, they were fundamentally different.
Before forming the Immortal Soul, if one's physical body died, he could only become a ghostly cultivator and could not be called a human. Even if one's cultivation reached a high level in the future and reconstructed his body, it would still be fundamentally different from a real mortal body.
When ghosts possessed the bodies of living people, it was called possession.
When the Primordial Spirit devoured the souls of others, it could borrow their bodies to be reborn. For cultivators who formed the Primordial Spirit, as long as their Primordial Spirit was not destroyed, they were not really dead.
Li Mu used a few days to finally fuse his three souls into one and form his Primordial Spirit, stepping into the Assembled Spirit realm.
After that, the cultivation would not be so complicated. Step by step, when the accumulation of mana was enough, he could break through to the Middle Three Realms.
It was just that this process would be very long. Li Qing's rapid progress was because she had more than ten years of accumulation before she reached the Assembled Spirit realm. Under normal circumstances, with Li Mu's cultivation speed, it would take several years to reach the peak of the Assembled Spirit realm from the early stage.
Other than Yin and Yang Dual Cultivation, the fastest way to increase the speed of cultivation was to use spiritual jades.
Li Mu prepared to go to the county office to see if there were any suitable tasks that he could use to exchange for spiritual jades.
At the entrance of the county office, Li Mu met a beggar.
After taking a closer look, he found that the beggar was somewhat familiar. Li Mu was stunned for a moment and asked, "Senior, what are you doing here?"
The slovenly Taoist priest brushed the messy hair on his forehead and said in surprise, "Why is it you again …"
He looked at Li Mu and clicked his tongue. "The first time this old man saw you, you were just an ordinary person. The second time I saw you, you were about to condense your soul. It's only been two months, and the third time I saw you, you've already condensed your soul. Your path of cultivation is not small at all …"
"It's nothing …" Li Mu said politely and asked, "Senior, is there anything I can help you with?"
"You came at the right time." The Taoist priest pointed inside the county office and said, "There is a person called Li Mu. Is he in your county office? Call him out. I have something to ask him …"
Li Mu was stunned for a moment and said, "I am."
The Taoist priest stared at him and asked, "You are Li Mu, the guy who pointed at the sky and cursed the earth but was not struck by lightning?"
Li Mu nodded and said, "That's me."
"Come, come, come …" The Taoist priest pulled Li Mu to the steps of the side door and sat down. He said expectantly, "Tell me, how did you create that Taoist technique of yours? Do you have any experience to impart to me …"
Li Mu was pulled to sit on the steps. He shook his head and said, "I don't have any experience. I just told a story."
The Taoist priest scratched his head and said in annoyance, "Damn it. You can create Taoist techniques by telling a story. I have tried for 20 years and didn't even get a fart. This old bastard …"
In the end, he did not dare to curse the heavens. He covered his mouth and muttered a few words. He sighed and said, "There is no justice, no justice …"
Li Mu was puzzled and asked, "Senior, do you want to create your own Taoist technique?"
The Taoist priest glanced at him and said angrily, "If you don't create your own Taoist technique, how can you transcend?"
Li Mu used to guess that the Taoist priest's cultivation should be above the Creation realm. Now, he was almost certain that he was a strong person in Dongxuan, and not an ordinary Dongxuan. It was very likely that he was a cultivator at the peak of Dongxuan like the Thousand Illusions Venerable.
From Dongxuan to transcendence, it was the transformation from the Middle Three Realms to the Upper Three Realms.
Ordinary guidance cultivation could not cross this gap. Only by creating one's own Taoist technique, gaining the recognition of heaven and earth, and being tempered by the power of heaven and earth, could one break through the barrier of Dongxuan to transcendence.
This was the reason why Miss Xiaoyu's cultivation was at the Fifth Realm when she had just died.
Although this Taoist technique was created by Li Mu, it was not comprehended by Li Mu himself. Li Mu was only borrowing Taoist techniques like the Nine Syllables. Otherwise, his current cultivation would be far beyond the Spirit Condensation realm.
If one day, he could cultivate to Dongxuan, he would also need to comprehend his own Taoist technique before he could go further and step into the Upper Three Realms of cultivation.
Li Mu cupped his hands at the Taoist priest and said, "Senior, I hope you can comprehend your Taoist technique and transcend as soon as possible."
The old man sighed and said, "There's no point in staying in the North County. Kid, I'm leaving. We'll meet again if fate wills it."
As soon as the old man finished speaking, his body gradually faded in Li Mu's eyes and finally disappeared completely.
Li Mu looked at the place where the old man was sitting with a face full of envy.
The Lower Three Realms of cultivation was only the most basic stage. With his cultivation at the Third Realm, he could only pray for sunshine and rain in a small area, take things in the air, and draw some Fu-lu.
For example, walking on water and sitting on fire, controlling the wind and spitting out flames, Qi Restriction, and other techniques could only be learned after reaching the Transcendent realm.
In order to shorten the time needed to advance to the Transcendent realm, Li Mu had to perform more meritorious deeds for the yamen in order to obtain enough spiritual jades.
Li Mu walked into the front hall and only saw Constable Zhao. He looked around and asked, "Where's Lord Shen?"
Constable Zhao said, "He's drunk and resting in the back hall. Why are you looking for Lord Shen?"
Li Mu said, "Nothing much. I just wanted to ask if the yamen has any errands for the next few days."
Constable Zhao lamented, "Everyone else avoids their jobs like the plague, but you're the only one who can't wait. No wonder it took me twenty years to get to the position of constable, but you only took two months. You can't compare people, you can't compare …"
Li Mu said, "My luck played a large part …"
"Don't worry, I won't be jealous of you." Constable Zhao patted him on the shoulder and said, "However, I have to remind you that even though you've been in the limelight this time and have become famous throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty, you can't be careless. There are some things that you have to know …"
Li Mu sat opposite Constable Zhao and asked, "What things?"
Constable Zhao asked, "Do you know why the imperial court spread the news about Yang County?"
Li Mu nodded and said, "It's because His Majesty wants to intimidate the local officials and unite the people."
Constable Zhao shook his head and said, "It's not as simple as you think. This seems to be a matter of our North County, but it actually involves the struggle between the old and new parties …"
Li Mu had always been in the North County and didn't know much about the imperial court. Hearing this, he asked, "What are the old and new parties?"
Constable Zhao explained, "The new party is the party that supports Her Majesty the Empress. The old party is the nobles led by the Xiao clan. They have always wanted Her Majesty to remain in the Xiao clan. In the past few years, the two parties have been fighting openly and covertly, causing the entire imperial court to be in turmoil. It also has a great impact on the local areas. The people have suffered greatly …"
Li Mu asked, "What does this have to do with me?"
"Of course it has to do with you." Constable Zhao glanced at him and continued, "His Majesty used this matter to unite the people of the North County and intimidate the local officials of the 36 counties. Naturally, the old party doesn't want to see this happen. The first imperial envoy to the North County was sent by the old party. They don't care about the people of the North County at all. The more the people of the imperial court are divided, the more advantageous it is for them. When His Majesty completely loses the people's hearts, it will be time for them to force His Majesty to return the throne …"
Li Mu frowned and said, "For the sake of the struggle between the parties, they don't even care about the lives of the people …"
Constable Zhao said, "A woman ascending the throne is not a legitimate position. Although the old party doesn't dare to openly oppose His Majesty, they have done many things in secret. Their power is intertwined and deeply rooted in the imperial court. Even His Majesty can't do anything about it."
He looked at Li Mu again and said, "To a large extent, the incident in Yang County has won the hearts of the people for His Majesty. This is something the old party doesn't want to see. Although they won't do anything to you openly, you still have to be careful."
Li Mu pursed his lips and said, "I'm just a constable. I don't want to get involved in these things …"
"In life, there are too many things that are beyond one's control." Constable Zhao shook his head and said, "Whether you are willing or not, after this incident, in their eyes, you will be Her Majesty's man …"
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