In the Yong Ancestral Shrine, a golden dragon made of telekinesis coiled around a huge stone pillar.
Compared to the golden dragon that Li Mu saw in the Great Zhou Ancestral Shrine, this dragon was slightly larger, but not by much. It probably wouldn't be long before the Great Zhou's imperial aura matured.
It had to be said that the Yong Kingdom's ability to rule a country and win the hearts of the people was unique.
Its territory was only a tenth of the Great Zhou's, and its population was far less than the Great Zhou's. However, the speed at which it condensed imperial aura far surpassed the Great Zhou's. Li Mu couldn't help but be curious about the strategy recorded in the Yong Kingdom's Heavenly Tome.
Unfortunately, the Heavenly Tome was still in the hands of the Demon Sect. Knowing that Linglong had already comprehended the Heavenly Tome, Xuanming didn't give it to her.
Therefore, it was a one-for-three exchange. The Demon Sect had stolen one page of the Heavenly Tome from Yong, while Li Mu had stolen three pages from the Demon Sect. No matter how one looked at it, Li Mu didn't lose out.
This time, the Demon Sect had been bullied by Li Mu. If they had ten pages of the Heavenly Tome, they could only obtain one page every thousand years. Li Mu had wasted three thousand years of effort in a single month. When the Three Ancestors woke up from their tribulations and learned of this news, who knew how they would feel?
From today onwards, all the factions related to Li Mu were on high alert. As soon as the Transmission Formation lit up, they would teleport to Yong without hesitation.
Li Mu waited in the palace that the Yong Imperial Clan had arranged for him. Princess Linglong walked in from outside and said, "Big Brother Li, aren't you bored staying here? Why don't I take you to the palace?"
After all, this was his first time facing the might of an eighth realm expert. In order to wait for the arrival of the Demon Sect's Three Ancestors, Li Mu's nerves had been stretched taut. Hearing this, he didn't refuse and strolled around the Yong Imperial Palace with Princess Linglong.
The two strolled around the Imperial Gardens before arriving at the front hall of the Imperial Palace.
Coincidentally, it was noon at the moment. The officials of the various yamen left the yamen and headed to the Food and Beverage Department for lunch. When they saw the two of them, they all stopped in their tracks and bowed, "Greetings, Princess Linglong."
Princess Linglong smiled and said, "Thank you all for your hard work, please go and have your meal."
The officials cupped their hands and took their leave. One of them walked a few steps and looked back at Li Mu. After a moment of confusion, he suddenly exclaimed, "Could this be Lord Li Mu?"
As soon as he said this, all the officials turned their heads and immediately caused a commotion.
"What?"
"Lord Li, where is Lord Li?"
"I've heard that Lord Li rescued the princess from the Demon Sect and is currently in our Yong. Could this person be?"
Facing the excited Yong officials, Li Mu cupped his fists and said, "Nice to meet you, nice to meet you …"
As soon as Li Mu's voice fell, the atmosphere in the field immediately boiled.
"I've long heard of Lord Li's great name. Today, I finally have the fortune to meet you …"
"Lord Li, can you tell us in detail how you allied with the Demon Kingdom and the Ghost Realm? For thousands of years, only you have accomplished such a magnificent feat for the human race."
"I'm more interested in how Lord Li rescued Princess Linglong. This is like pulling a tooth from the tiger's mouth. It can be called a miracle …"
… …
Li Mu was escorted to the Food and Beverage Department by the enthusiastic Yong officials and had lunch with them. The Imperial Kitchen of Yong was not solely responsible for cooking for the imperial family. It was also responsible for the three meals a day for the officials.
The Yong court had even established a Food and Beverage Department for this purpose. The Food and Beverage Department had famous chefs from all over the country who specialized in the local cuisines of each region. This allowed the officials, regardless of where they came from, to eat their own local cuisine in the palace.
With regards to this point, Li Mu planned to imitate the Yong court when he returned.
Only by treating the officials well could he increase their efficiency and enthusiasm in their work. Moreover, hiring a few chefs did not require a lot of investment, but it could bring unexpected benefits.
"Lord Li, I've heard that the Empress of the Great Zhou, the Queen of the Myriad Demons, and the Ghost Lord of the Ghost Realm are all your lovers … Lord Li is truly worthy of being our role model!"
"Whenever Lord Li plans to attack Xuanzong, we will support you in seeking justice!"
"Lord Li, tell us, how did you escape from the clutches of so many Demonic Dao experts?"
… …
Li Mu had never imagined that his largest fan club would be in the Yong court. Many officials in the Great Zhou feared him and avoided him like the plague. When the Yong court officials, especially the younger ones, saw him, they were like fans meeting their idol.
Among them, Linglong was the head fan club.
As a qualified fan club leader, Linglong took the initiative to lead Li Mu away from the Imperial Palace when she saw that he was unable to bear the harassment of the younger officials.
Walking on the streets of the Yong court, Li Mu felt as if he was taking a stroll in the Divine Capital.
The citizens of the Yong Kingdom were full of vigor, unlike the people Li Mu saw when he first came to Shen 'du. Most of them were lifeless, like walking corpses. The citizens of the Yong Kingdom naturally had a lot of telekinesis.
On the streets of the Yong court, children played with each other, cheerful laughter filling the air. As the elderly walked through the streets, people took the initiative to support them. Li Mu even saw nursing homes and orphanages.
Linglong told him that the court would take care of the elderly and children who had lost their families. The money and resources needed to settle them would come from the national treasury. Coupled with donations from the outside world, there would not be a situation where the elderly and children were left without a home.
In addition, the court would allocate funds every year for the impoverished commoners who found it difficult to continue living, providing them with the bare minimum of living expenses.
In the Yong court, if the commoners fell ill, they would not have to spend too much. The court would cover the majority of their medical expenses.
Li Mu's various experiences in the State of Yong made him realize that he and the empress had done many important things over the years, but they had neglected these trivial matters. These were the matters closest to the lives of the common people and were also the matters that the common people were most concerned about.
It was no wonder that the people of the Yong court were so united. People did not only care about their relatives, but also their children. The elderly had their parents, the strong had their uses, and the young had their strengths. The poor, widowed, lonely, alone, disabled, and ill were all taken care of. While most of the countries on the continent were still in the feudal era, the Yong court was already moving towards a harmonious society.
After thinking it over, Li Mu asked, "Therefore, the trade between the Yong court and the Great Zhou court is actually for the sake of the commoners. Is this the way of governing a country described in the Heavenly Book?"
Linglong nodded. "A hundred years ago, the Old Ancestor obtained a page of the Heavenly Book by chance and slowly comprehended these ways of governing a country. Only then did the Yong court its current state …"
A single page of the Heavenly Book was enough to pass down a top-notch sect.
The Yong court had three Transcendents and several Dongxuan experts. In fact, they were not inferior to the Daoist sects. It was not an exaggeration to view them as a sect disguised as a government.
If the news of the Heavenly Book had not been leaked, the Yong court would have relied on the willpower of tens of millions of citizens to grow into one of the top powers on the continent in a few decades or a hundred years.
After all, in terms of willpower, the Great Zhou could not compare to the Yong court.
Accompanied by Linglong, Li Mu toured the Yong court for a day. Many insights emerged in his mind.
Aside from the dark clouds of the Demonic Dao that still shrouded the continent, the Great Zhou's internal and external troubles had basically been quelled. It was time to consider improving the welfare of the commoners and better gather the willpower of the people.
The Great Zhou's commoners outnumbered the Yong court by more than ten times. If their average willpower was at the Yong court's level, wouldn't they be able to condense a strand of imperial aura every year?
Of course, the difficulty of governing such a large country was incomparable to that of the Yong court. However, if some changes were made to the commoners, the speed at which imperial aura was condensed would increase severalfold.
When night fell, Li Mu and Linglong returned to the Imperial Palace. The various regions of the Yong court were still peaceful.
Li Mu was somewhat puzzled. The Demonic Dao's Three Ancestors had already finished their tribulations. When they learned that the three pages of the Heavenly Book had been stolen, they would definitely be furious. However, regardless of whether it was the Yong court or the Great Zhou, there was no news of them.
The Demonic Dao had only accumulated a few pages of the Heavenly Book for several thousand years. Now that Li Mu had stolen three pages, it was unlikely that they would suffer such a loss.
However, it was fine if he did not come. As long as the Three Ancestors did not take action, the world would be peaceful and stable. The pressure in Li Mu's heart was swept away.
Deep into the night, the Yong court was quiet.
At the same time, in the depths of the Southern Sea, endless roars could be heard from the towering waves.
"Divine Predictor, you have repeatedly obstructed me. One day, I will flatten your Xuanzong!"
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