Chapter 1102: I Will Marry You (Fourth Update!)
Gongsun Yan finally released Qin Mu, and Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief. He hurried to the Upper Capital City to see Ling Yuxiu and told her about the matter.
Ling Yuxiu smiled and said, "I have visited the Heavenly Court many times to pay respects to the various Heavenly Venerables, so I am quite familiar with the court's etiquette. I can guide Yan'er so she won't embarrass herself. You can rest assured."
She went with Qin Mu to see Gongsun Yan and asked, "If things really go as you expect, and Yan'er is appointed as a Primordial Lord, what rank of official position would that be?"
"The greatest feudal lord of the Primordial Realm, similar to the Ancient God Four Emperors, the Black Emperor, the White Emperor, and the like, but slightly inferior in authority and power."
Qin Mu said, "The Ten Heavenly Venerables of the Heavenly Court might enfeoff her with half of the Primordial Realm, letting her stand against the Dawn Heavenly Venerable."
Ling Yuxiu's heart trembled slightly. In the eyes of the Heavenly Court, the Yan Kang Empire was a tiny, insignificant nation, not worth worrying about. As its ruler, she was just the provincial emperor of a backwater country. If not for her wealth and usefulness, the Heavenly Venerables of the Heavenly Court wouldn't even bother to glance her way.
But Gongsun Yan being enfeoffed as a feudal lord, on par with the Four Imperial Emperors, would place her authority above Ling Yuxiu's.
However, if things really were as Qin Mu said, and Gongsun Yan was pushed out to fight the Dawn Heavenly Venerable, wouldn't that harm Gongsun Yan?
In her heart, Gongsun Yan had always been that pure and innocent girl. How could she possibly be a match for the scheming Dawn Heavenly Venerable?
Whether in martial power or cunning, Gongsun Yan was far, far inferior to the Dawn Heavenly Venerable.
Qin Mu read her expression and knew her worries. He smiled and said, "The Dawn Heavenly Venerable might be displeased, but he will accept it. After all, he still needs me for now, so he won't lay a hand on Gongsun Yan."
Ling Yuxiu felt relieved and walked side by side with him. Suddenly, she said, "Recently, some ministers in the court have been urging me to take consorts."
She stopped, a faint smile on her face, and said, "Grand Preceptor, they say that as the Son of Heaven, I cannot be without heirs, so they keep bringing it up."
Qin Mu also stopped and turned to look at her, speaking softly, "What did Your Majesty say?"
"I told them that the Grand Preceptor has not yet married, and he labors for the nation and the family. Could my awareness possibly be inferior to the Grand Preceptor's?"
Ling Yuxiu smiled and said, "They stopped talking then. But every so often, some minister brings it up again. So I wanted to ask you, when will you marry? Once you marry, I will take consorts."
Qin Mu looked at her quietly. After a moment, he said, "Who do you want me to marry?"
"Gongsun Yan, Si Yunxiang, the Upper Emperor Sword God, or Yan Jingjing, any of them will do!"
Ling Yuxiu's expression was complicated as she said, "Marry whoever you want. I don't want to see you running around alone. Once you're married, I'll be at ease!"
Qin Mu shook his head and laughed. "I don't want to marry any of them. I don't have the time right now. The Yan Kang Reformation hasn't succeeded yet, and I don't have the energy for such things."
"You're just trying to delay me!"
Ling Yuxiu grew angry. "Cowherd, I should never have met you back then!"
Around them, people began to look over. Ling Yuxiu quickly composed herself and continued walking forward, complaining, "If you don't marry, how can I take consorts? Am I your little cow, to be tethered for life? I met you in the prime of my youth, and we've both wasted our best years."
Qin Mu caught up with her and said, "Can you give up your throne now? Can I give up my position as Grand Preceptor now? If we can't, then this is how it has to be."
Ling Yuxiu glanced at him and smiled. "If we win in the future, and I haven't taken a harem, and you haven't married..."
Qin Mu said calmly, "At that time, I will no longer be Grand Preceptor."
Ling Yuxiu's eyes reddened. "And I will no longer be emperor."
"I will marry you." Qin Mu smiled.
"Mm." Ling Yuxiu turned her head away.
Heavenly Capital.
The Earth Mother Primordial Lord's body was within the core of the Primordial Wood. The Heavenly Duke gently soaked this Primordial Wood core in the Heavenly Pool. This Heavenly Pool was also extraordinary. Though not as good as the Primordial Chaos Primordial Liquid, it was still a chain of starlight from countless Milky Way galaxies. Looking out, one could see a shimmering silver light.
The Primordial Wood core absorbed the star water of the Heavenly Pool, slowly taking root and sprouting. Soon, branches and leaves emerged.
After a few days, a large tree appeared in the Heavenly Pool. A few more days later, the Earth Mother Primordial Lord stepped out from the tree, naked, without a single thread on her.
Seeing this, the Heavenly Duke plucked a few clouds and refined them into a set of clothes for her to wear.
The Earth Mother Primordial Lord laughed and said, "Heavenly Duke, I didn't expect you to be such a considerate person."
The Heavenly Duke smiled and said, "Earth Mother, please don't jest. There is no soil in my Heavenly Pool, so I can only let you absorb the star water. I cannot let you absorb the power of the Fertile Soil, which is detrimental to your growth."
The Earth Mother Primordial Lord said, "There is plenty of Fertile Soil in the Ancestral Court. Fetch some..."
"Don't you dare touch the Ancestral Court!" the Heavenly Duke thundered.
After a moment, the Heavenly Duke softened his tone and said, "The Ancestral Court, you absolutely must not touch. The Western Emperor should still have some Fertile Soil. I will swallow my pride and beg for some on your behalf."
The Earth Mother Primordial Lord sat by the Heavenly Pool, looking up at the vast and boundless Heavenly Duke, and said, "Brother, are you really going to indulge the Pastoral Heavenly Venerable like this? Today he can kill me, tomorrow he can kill you and the Earth Lord! You and I are both leaders of the Ancient Gods. Do you not feel the sorrow of the fox's death?"
The Heavenly Duke's white brows fluttered. His white brows were long starry ribbons, and he said leisurely, "Earth Mother, you are not a Dao-born Ancient God, merely born from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. You do not understand my thoughts. For you, you have a heart for fame, power, and authority. You have been rooted in the Primordial Realm, polluted for too long. Ancient Gods like us should stay away from the mortal world, follow the Great Dao, and not interfere with anything in the world."
"Hypocrite!"
The Earth Mother Primordial Lord sneered and said, "Stay away from the mortal world and follow the Great Dao? If you were truly so detached, why did you, the Earth Lord, the Heavenly Yin, and the two girls of the Return to Void, attack the Creator race back then?"
The Heavenly Duke's gaze fell upon her, his voice ethereal and distant: "The war among the Creators had already endangered the universe. They manipulated us Ancient Gods, using us to fight their battles. We Ancient Gods were controlled by them, unable to act on our own. If we allowed them to continue fighting, the Ancestral Court would surely be destroyed. If the Ancestral Court were destroyed, the entire universe would collapse and cease to exist. Back then, I heard the voice of the Dao that gave birth to me, telling me that the Creator race must be destroyed. Earth Mother Primordial Lord, did you not hear this voice?"
The Earth Mother Primordial Lord was slightly stunned and shook her head. "I did not."
The Heavenly Duke said, "I heard it. I felt the Great Dao urging me, that I must destroy the Creator race and not allow them to continue their destruction. I asked the Earth Lord, and he also heard the Dao of the Netherworld urging him to destroy the Creator race. You are not a Dao-born Ancient God; you have natural limitations. Perhaps that is why you did not sense the call of the Great Dao."
The Earth Mother Primordial Lord sneered and said, "You're rambling again, changing the subject! What I asked was, can you trust the Pastoral Heavenly Venerable? He is becoming more and more reckless!"
The Heavenly Duke smiled gently and said, "Earth Mother, you still don't understand. We need him to join forces with us against the Ten Heavenly Venerables. Since it is an alliance, why not give our ally the necessary respect? Don't forget, without him, no one could have resurrected you."
"You!"
The Heavenly Duke laughed and said, "Earth Mother Primordial Lord, you only see the danger, but you do not see the opportunity. You see that the Ten Heavenly Venerables are about to exterminate us Ancient Gods, but you do not see that this is also our chance to break free from the constraints of our own Dao."
The Earth Mother Primordial Lord laughed in anger and said loudly, "You intend to abandon the noble body of an Ancient God and become a common mortal?"
The Heavenly Duke smiled and said, "Under the Heavenly Dao, who is nobler, who is more lowly? All are treated equally. Earth Mother, I saved you not to listen to your complaints. I have a matter that requires your power. Accomplish this, and you will owe me nothing."
The Earth Mother Primordial Lord snorted. "What matter?"
"Purge the Heavenly Capital!" A hint of killing intent could be heard in the Heavenly Duke's voice.
The Earth Mother Primordial Lord was startled. "You intend to use my hand to eliminate the Heavenly Court's forces in the Heavenly Capital?"
—Four updates complete, begging for monthly votes!