When Liu Hanyan and the Empress began to compliment each other, the meal was especially harmonious.
Li Mu was actually able to see the two of them get along well in his lifetime. It could be said that he had fulfilled one of his greatest regrets.
Liu Hanyan took the initiative to befriend the Empress, and because of Zhong Ling, the Empress came to the house more frequently. From once every three days, once every two days, to twice a day now.
Li Mu didn't go to the Secretariat these two days. He only went to the Department of Consecration to inspect.
Feeling an aura outside the door, Li Mu walked to the door and opened it. Ao Run stood at the door with his head lowered. He respectfully said, "Master."
Li Mu asked indifferently, "Is it done?"
Ao Run immediately said, "Master, the one causing trouble in the river is a green fish demon. I have already followed your orders and captured it and handed it over to the local Yao Division."
A few days ago, the Department of Consecration received a request for help from a certain county's Yao Division. There was a water demon causing trouble in the county's waters. Because the officials of the Yao Division were all land demons and couldn't swim well, the water demon escaped several times. They then asked for help from the Department of Consecration.
There were no water demon elites in the Department of Consecration, so Li Mu gave Ao Run an order to deal with it. This time, he came to report to Li Mu.
Li Mu said, "If you are done, go back and cultivate."
Ao Run bowed and said, "Yes."
Liu Hanyan asked in the courtyard, "Is there a guest?"
Li Mu said, "No, it's the mount I took in."
Liu Hanyan didn't know the details. She only knew that Li Mu took in a dragon as a mount. She had never seen it before, so she said, "It's time to eat. Let him eat before he leaves."
Since she had already spoken, Li Mu couldn't refute. He glanced at Ao Run and said indifferently, "Come in."
Ao Run lowered his head and walked into the courtyard, not daring to look around. The Empress held Zhong Ling's hand and walked over. The little girl flew into Li Mu's arms and asked, "Father, Mother, when are we going out to play …"
When Ao Run saw this, he immediately said to the empress, "I pay respects to Matriarch!"
Li Mu kicked him in the butt and glared at him. He looked at Liu Hanyan and Li Qing at the table and said, "Those two are the mistresses. This is His Majesty."
It wasn't easy for his family to be harmonious for the past two days. If it was destroyed by this stupid flood dragon, Li Mu would definitely peel off his flood dragon skin, pull out his flood dragon tendons, and chop up his flood dragon meat to feed the dogs.
Ao Run looked at Zhong Ling, then looked at Li Mu and the empress. His eyes swept over Liu Hanyan and Li Qing. Confusion appeared in his eyes. He shook his head vigorously and said, "Master, the relationship in your family is a bit messy. Let me sort it out …"
When it was time to eat, Li Mu gave Ao Run a bowl and casually picked some food and asked him to squat in the corner to eat.
Liu Hanyan looked at Li Mu and asked, "That's not good …"
Li Mu waved his hand and said, "You don't know. He looks like a dog, but he's actually not a good person. In the demon realm, he goes around seducing married women. After that, he shows off in front of their husbands. He has more than a dozen wives and concubines at home, but he's still dishonest all day long …"
Taking a bite of rice, Ao Run tried to defend himself: "Master, I've said it before, in our Demon Realm, strength is everything. Even if someone steals their wife, they can only blame themselves for being too weak. Besides, they're willing to follow me, I didn't force them. In fact, I look down on some humans the most. They're obviously very strong, but they don't even dare to steal the person they like. What's the point of cultivating then? As for their husbands, they're not strong enough to take care of their wives, so they can only blame themselves for being too weak …"
Li Mu suddenly stood up and grabbed the back of Ao Run's neck. He coldly said, "Stop eating, I'll take you to see something good!"
On this day, the people of the capital saw lightning flashing in the sky. A flood dragon was rolling in the clouds and howling. Then, its body was charred black and fell into a lake in Zhong Jun. Since then, the lake was renamed Fallen Dragon Lake. The people didn't dare to go near it anymore …
… …
When Li Mu returned home, Liu Hanyan and the Empress were chatting happily as if nothing had happened.
This is actually very strange. After all, although they've met before, they've only spoken less than five sentences in total.
The Empress has her pride, she won't easily lower herself.
Liu Hanyan also has Liu Hanyan's pride. If she doesn't like someone, no matter how noble their status is, she will absolutely ignore them.
However, she was the one who took the initiative.
Although Liu Hanyan didn't say it explicitly, how could Li Mu not know what it means? With her arrogant personality, she's willing to take the initiative to flatter the Empress.
As a wife, she's already thinking about Li Mu in a hundred years.
Combined with what she said to Li Mu just now, it's obvious that in her eyes, the Empress is more talented than them and has a longer lifespan. She's the best candidate to be with Li Mu until his lifespan ends.
After the Empress returned to the palace, Liu Hanyan glanced at Li Mu. After spending so much time together, Li Mu already understood the meaning of her gaze and action. He followed her into the room.
Liu Hanyan sat on the edge of the bed and patted the side of her body. Li Mu walked over and sat beside her. Liu Hanyan asked, "Can you tell what Her Majesty thinks of you?"
Li Mu asked cautiously, "What do you mean?"
Liu Hanyan pinched her waist and said, "There are no outsiders here. What's the point of pretending in front of me?"
Deeply affected by Liu Hanyan's tricks, Li Mu had long since stopped taking the initiative to fall into them. He asked, "What do you mean? Speak clearly. If you don't say it, how will I know what you mean?"
After Liu Hanyan calmed down, she slowly said, "Her Majesty is still so young, but she's already a seventh realm elite. I don't believe you can't see Her Majesty's feelings for you. If you're thinking of waiting until my sister and I reach the end of our lifespans before you can be together with Her Majesty, I advise you to express your feelings to her as soon as possible. Do you want her to wait a hundred years for you?"
Li Mu looked at her and asked, "Are you not afraid that you'll regret it when you reach the seventh realm?"
Liu Hanyan thought carefully, then suddenly waved her hand and said, "Pretend I didn't say anything."
… …
Walking out of the room, Li Mu lightly slapped himself because he blamed himself for being talkative.
When he walked into the courtyard, his heart sank.
Whether it was Liu Hanyan being sentimental or preparing for a rainy day, there would come a day when Li Mu would have to face this problem.
He had no doubts about reaching the seventh realm. The legacy of the Fu-lu School, the Telekinesis of the people of Great Zhou, and the Telekinesis of the yao of Thousand Fox Kingdom would allow him to step into this realm in twenty years, or even less.
But what about Liu Hanyan and Li Qing? What about Wanwan and Xiao Bai?
There was a common understanding in the cultivation world. Transcendence was ten percent effort and ninety percent legacy. An individual's talent and cultivation effort were actually not the decisive factors in whether or not one could reach the seventh realm.
The Empress had transcended because of the Imperial Qi. Hyun Jinko and Yuzhenzi had achieved this because of the legacy of the Fu-lu School. The Blue Wolf King and the Ten Thousand Illusions God Lord had also gathered the power of the yao nation and bitterly cultivated for dozens of years to reach their current cultivation. Li Mu was confident that he could advance. Liu Hanyan and Li Qing only had a sliver of hope even though they had the Fu-lu School behind them. Xiao Bai and Wanwan didn't even have a sliver of hope.
Li Mu was proficient in the techniques of both the human and yao races, and he had also completely comprehended the Heavenly Tomes of the Pill Cauldron Sect. But there was no way for them to easily cross this natural chasm like he had.
Unless he used the Demonic Dao's blood and soul sacrifice method, similar to the Thousand Illusions Venerable Master. But he wouldn't even consider this method.
Li Mu thought carefully for an entire day. The only method he could think of was to establish a nation.
The fastest shortcut to cultivation was to use the willpower of living beings. The easiest way to gather the willpower of living beings was to do what the Great Zhou and the Yong Kingdom did. They would build a national temple among the commoners and use the power of the nation to nurture the Imperial Qi.
The Yong Kingdom's five generations of wise monarchs had worked hard to develop the country. In less than a hundred years, they had nurtured three strands of Imperial Qi and created three seventh realm experts for the imperial family. Li Mu believed that he could do the same.
But if he did, he wouldn't be able to stay in the Great Zhou. He would be letting down the Empress.
Li Mu walked through the imperial palace with a heavy heart. When he passed by the Secretariat, a figure suddenly ran out. Liu Yi grabbed Li Mu's sleeve and asked, "Where are you going, Lord Li?"
Li Mu didn't answer. Instead, he raised his eyebrows and asked, "Is something the matter, Lord Liu?"
Liu Yi hurriedly said, "It's not that I have matters to attend to. It's that the Secretariat has matters to attend to. Recently, there has been an endless stream of major and minor matters in court. My colleagues in the Secretariat are too busy. I would like to ask, when will Lord Li return to the yamen?"
When Li Mu was in the Secretariat, Liu Yi didn't think much of it. When Li Mu wasn't present, all the heavy responsibilities were placed on his shoulders. Only now did Liu Yi realize how difficult everything was. Big and small matters required him to coordinate and plan. If he could control the various ministries and departments, it would be fine. But with his prestige and strength, he couldn't control the people below him.
The Imperial Qi in the ancestral shrine hadn't been decided yet. He also didn't know who he was making wedding clothes for. Influenced by Liu Hanyan's plans for a rainy day, Li Mu's mind was no longer on state affairs. Waving his hand, he said, "Lord Liu, just pretend that I'm not part of the Secretariat. I'll take my leave first. See you later …"
Finished speaking, he didn't even look at Liu Yi and directly left.
Liu Yi looked at his back with a puzzled expression. He didn't know what was wrong with him. Could it be that his wife had heard the rumors about him and the Empress and quarreled with him?
Liu Yi shook his head. He couldn't blame his wife. When the people heard the rumors, they didn't condemn it. Instead, they called for the Empress to make Lord Li empress and let them have a real child. If he was Lord Li's wife, he wouldn't be able to tolerate it either.
Changle Palace.
When Li Mu walked into the main hall, he saw the Empress sitting on the dragon throne. She seemed to be thinking about something.
Li Mu didn't disturb her. He was thinking about how to talk to her later. Although he couldn't let Liu Hanyan and the others enter the seventh level, he could still let them enter the sixth level early. The Heavenly Book of the Danding Sect had a recipe for breaking through to the Creation Realm. This pill was at the Saint Level. As long as there were enough materials, Li Mu could make it.
He planned to ask the Empress for a long vacation to gather the materials for this pill. Liu Hanyan's tolerance and generosity made Li Mu feel even more sorry for her. He planned to let them enter the sixth level as soon as possible to prevent her from thinking too much.
Zhou Yi was deep in thought for a long time as if she had made a decision.
She looked at Li Mu and said, "I …"
Li Mu also raised his head and said, "I …"
"You first."
"Your Majesty, you first."
Their gazes met. Zhou Yi nodded and said, "I've decided who to give the next Imperial Qi to."
Li Mu asked, "Who?"
Zhou Yi said, "Give it to Liu Hanyan."
Li Mu thought he heard wrong and asked in shock, "Who?"
Zhou Yi said, "Give it to your wife."
Li Mu came back to his senses after a long time. He asked, "Just because she said you were beautiful?"
"Of course not." Zhou Yi glanced at him and said, "I've thought about it. I've been on the throne for five years. If I don't lose the hearts of the people in the Great Zhou, another Imperial Qi will mature in five years at most. At that time, if I continue to be the Empress of the Great Zhou, this Imperial Qi can be used to create another seventh level cultivator for the Great Zhou. If the hearts of the people can grow like they have in the past two years, then the next Imperial Qi will mature in less than ten years. Within a hundred years, at least ten Imperial Qis can be condensed. Your contribution in condensing the Imperial Qi is the greatest. At that time, I'll give one to your Second Madam, one to Wanwan, one to Xiao Bai, one to Mei Wei, one to Ah Li, and one to Ting Xin. There will still be a few left …"
The Empress's words stunned Li Mu for a long time. Then, he suddenly saw the light.
If he wanted to condense Imperial Qi, he didn't need to build a country. Right before him was a huge empire with the largest population and the most united hearts.
With the size of the Great Zhou, it used to take at least 20 years to condense one Imperial Qi, and as long as 50 years. If a wise ruler, the time would be shortened, and if a fatuous one, the time would be extended. Li Mu was confident that he could shorten the time needed to condense Imperial Qi to less than ten years.
As long as the Great Zhou was in the hands of the Empress, she had the absolute right to decide what to do with the Imperial Qi.
The Empress was still the same Empress. If others treated her well, she would return the favor tenfold. Liu Hanyan had only given her a piece of fish and praised her for her beauty, and the Empress had directly gifted her with an imperial aura. This was probably the most expensive fish in history.
With this, Li Mu's greatest wish was fulfilled. The advancement of Imperial Qi was the power of the entire country. With the millions of people in the Great Zhou, wouldn't it be easy to create a seventh level cultivator in ten years?
The seventh level cultivator created this way would be as powerful as the Empress. In front of them, the Blue Wolf King and Heaven Lord of Illusions would be like clay chickens and pottery dogs.
This was a good thing for everyone except the Empress.
She could have left this cage very soon and gone to a place where no one could find her to grow flowers and plants. Now, she would be trapped here for the rest of her life. She would be the one suffering, and Li Mu would be the one benefiting.
Zhou Yi looked at Li Mu and asked, "What do you think?"
Li Mu was silent for a moment and asked, "Your Majesty, are you really willing to stay in the Immortal's Capital for the rest of your life?"
Zhou Yi said calmly, "That depends on you. If you don't help me, I don't want to be the Empress for even a day. If you help me, so what if I'm the Empress for the rest of my life?"
Li Mu puffed out his chest and said seriously, "I'm willing to go through fire and water for Your Majesty. I won't hesitate to die for you."
Zhou Yi glanced at him and said, "I don't need you to go through fire and water. Just help me look at the memorials every day and deal with the affairs of the state …"
Li Mu took a deep breath and looked up into her eyes. He said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Zhou Yi asked, "What did you want to say just now?"
Li Mu didn't say anything. He just stretched out his arms and hugged the Empress tightly. Zhou Yi's face turned red. Her hands hung in the air behind Li Mu's back. She didn't know what to do.
Li Mu quickly let go of her. He turned around and strode out of Changle Palace.
Imperial Secretariat.
Liu Yi picked up a memorial with a worried expression. Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded from outside the door.
Li Mu walked into the office and said loudly, "Let me do it!"
Several hours later, Li Mu hurried out of the Imperial Secretariat before the palace doors closed.
The feeling of working for himself and working for others was completely different. Before Li Mu looked at each memorial, he would tell himself that he was working so hard not for the Great Zhou court, but for the people of the Great Zhou. For the will of the people, for the gathering of Imperial Qi, for the sake of being together with the person he loved. This way, not only would he not feel annoyed, he would even want to look at a few more memorials.
When he returned home, the light in Li Qing's room had already been extinguished. However, the light in Liu Hanyan's room was still lit.
Li Mu pushed open the door and walked in. He found that Li Qing was also in Liu Hanyan's room.
Li Mu looked at them and said, "It's good that you're all not asleep. I have something important to tell you."
Among the cultivators in the world, the most relaxed were the imperial families of the various countries. They did not need to cultivate at all. Just by relying on the inheritance of the imperial family, they could reach the highest realm that others could not reach in their entire lives.
From today onwards, Liu Hanyan and Li Qing would no longer need to return to Mount Baiyun to cultivate in seclusion. The husband and wife would no longer need to be separated for a long time. Li Mu could already imagine how happy they would be when they learned of this.
Liu Hanyan said, "We also have something to tell you."
This kind of important news naturally had to be the finale. Li Mu said, "Then you guys go first."
Li Qing lowered her head slightly. Liu Hanyan's expression was somewhat guilty. She said, "We're going back to Mount Baiyun tomorrow. Tonight, tonight, let's cultivate together."
Li Mu was stunned. Liu Hanyan asked, "What did you say was important?"
Li Mu came back to his senses and shook his head. He said, "I suddenly feel that this matter is not that important. Let's talk about it tomorrow morning."
He waved his sleeve and the lights in the room went out.
In the morning, Li Mu hugged two soft bodies. Because yesterday was the last night, Liu Hanyan and Li Qing did not want to monopolize Li Mu. After a difficult choice, they decided to cultivate together.
Liu Hanyan nestled in Li Mu's arms. She thought of what happened last night and asked Li Mu, "What was the important thing you wanted to say yesterday?"
Li Mu put on his clothes and got out of bed. He walked to the door and said, "You praised His Majesty yesterday. His Majesty is very happy and wants to reward you with something."
Liu Hanyan asked, "What is it?"
Li Mu said, "Emperor Qi from the ancestral temple. His Majesty has decided to give it to you and Qingqing. Xiao Bai and Wanwan also have a share. So, you don't have to go back to Mount Baiyun. You don't have to cultivate so hard in the future …"
Liu Hanyan said in shock, "Really?"
Li Mu said, "Why would I lie to you about something like this?"
Liu Hanyan and Li Qing looked at each other. In the next moment, two pillows flew from the bed toward Li Mu. Li Mu walked out of the room first. The pillows flew back to the bed. Liu Hanyan's face turned red. Li Qing buried her entire body in the blanket …
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
