Chapter 354: Little Fox Demon (Second Update!)
"Those few gods from the Upper Firmament didn't conceal their aura. They seem to have gone to Granny Si's place."
The Butcher and the Blind lived in Shuzhou, a thousand miles apart. The Blind seemed to see these people, his expression strange, and said, "It's night now. Old Demon Li has come out."
The Butcher asked in surprise, "They've run into Old Demon Li, who wears Granny Si's face? Aren't they about to die?"
The Blind's expression grew even stranger. "Old Demon Li is chatting and laughing with them."
The Butcher said, "Then they really are about to die. When Old Demon Li was in the village, who wasn't captivated by her charm? Even the Village Chief didn't dare look at her. Only you could ignore Granny's beauty. When do you think these four gods of the Upper Firmament will turn against each other and start killing one another?"
The Blind shook his head. "They are gods, after all. How could they fight over a woman? I think... Huh, they're fighting!"
The Blind "watched" for a moment, then sighed in relief. "Just a little sparring, but their competitive spirit is strong. It won't be long before a real fight breaks out. Granny Si truly brings ruin to nations and calamity to the people!"
The Butcher shook his head. "Granny never brings ruin to nations and calamity to the people. It's Lord Li who does that. Granny is very kind; she never harmed us. But as soon as Lord Li came out, she nearly tore the village apart. By the way, have you seen Deafie or Mute on the road? Those two are always inseparable."
"I haven't seen them."
The Blind said, "Mute ran off chasing a boat. As for Deafie chasing after him, he probably won't catch up. Mute is fast, only a little slower than Lame. When do you think these four gods will turn against each other?"
The Butcher chuckled. "That depends on how long Lord Li wants to play. These four gods of the Upper Firmament are no longer a concern. We don't need to get too close. Let's wait until Lord Li gets bored, then we'll see what to do."
On the back of the Dragon Qilin, Qin Mu suddenly remembered something and asked Qingyou Shanren, "Qingyou Immortal, when Xu Shenghua entered the Three Origin Hall, what breakthrough did he choose?"
Qingyou Shanren said, "He didn't say himself, but the Three Origin Elder knew and told me. It was the Heavenly Origin breakthrough. He broke through very easily and said he regretted not choosing the Three Origin breakthrough."
"Then in the Five Qi Hall, what breakthrough did he make?" Qin Mu asked again.
"The Earth Star breakthrough in the Five Qi Hall. Among the Five Stars, the Earth Star is the strongest."
Qin Mu nodded. Xu Shenghua was indeed very strong. His previous abilities were not inferior to Qin Mu's. Although his cultivation was slightly weaker, his divine arts were more exquisite.
This time, Xu Shenghua's breakthroughs in the Three Origin Hall and the Five Qi Hall likely made up for his shortcomings in cultivation. Qin Mu had achieved the Three Origin breakthrough, which supplemented the foundation of the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasury, while Xu Shenghua had both the Heavenly Origin breakthrough and the Earth Star breakthrough, the latter being part of the foundation of the Five Star Divine Treasury.
It was hard to say whether Qin Mu's own magical power and cultivation could still surpass him by a hair.
"Originally, I didn't know he was a disciple of the Upper Firmament. I asked him for some tea, and I still owe him a drink."
Qin Mu pondered. Xu Shenghua was a decent person, quite magnanimous, and a rare opponent. He wanted to meet him again, but at the same time, he didn't.
"Village Chief, what exactly is the Upper Firmament?"
"The Upper Firmament is a place of lackeys, where those true gods keep their dogs."
The Village Chief said, "That place is in the Western Lands, very mysterious. I've never been there myself, and I don't know exactly where it is. I only know that some people can climb the sacred mountain in the Western Lands and burn incense to reach the Upper Firmament. But I don't have that kind of incense either. It should be a special kind. If I had it, I would have already charged into the Upper Firmament."
Qin Mu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The Village Chief had probably been fighting with the strong from the Upper Firmament his whole life and had no respect for that sacred land.
"Palace Master, have you heard of the Upper Firmament?" Qin Mu asked Xiong Xiyu.
"The Upper Firmament is indeed in my Western Lands. The True Heaven Palace has also seen people from the Upper Firmament, but this sacred land is very mysterious, even more so than the Small Jade Capital."
Xiong Xiyu's eyes flickered, and she said softly, "The incense the Village Chief mentioned is called Divine Incense. The True Heaven Palace has three sticks. If Lord Qin can help me reclaim my position as Palace Master, I can give them to you."
Qin Mu blinked, not taking the bait, and thought to himself, "I wonder if the Loulan Golden Palace has this kind of Divine Incense. That kid Banguci has lived so many lives and collected countless treasures. He might have such a treasure. The National Teacher still owes me a hundred treasures... By the way, why hasn't Grandpa Lame shown up yet? The Small Jade Capital should have been looted clean by now, right?"
Xiong Xiyu sighed.
When they arrived at the capital, Qin Mu led everyone to the Imperial Academy. There weren't many students there; many had gone to the front lines.
"Is this the Imperial Academy, the sacred land of the Yan Kingdom?" the group asked curiously, looking around.
Except for Qin Mu and the Dragon Qilin, everyone else was here for the first time. Compared to other sacred lands, the Imperial Academy was still young. It wasn't as majestic as the Sumeru Mountain of the Great Thunderclap Monastery, as serene as the Kunlun Jade Void Mountain of the Dao Sect, or as mysterious as the Holy Proclamation Mountain of the Heavenly Demon Sect. Naturally, it couldn't compare to the profound heritage of the Small Jade Capital.
In terms of appearance alone, it also fell short of the True Heaven Palace in the Western Lands.
Yet, from this very place, an endless stream of famous generals and ministers had emerged, and countless experts had been born here!
Although the Imperial Academy was young, it had already shown signs of surpassing other sacred lands!
Qin Mu arrived at the Divine Ability Residence and was surprised to find his home well-maintained. "Could Ling'er have come to the Imperial Academy?"
Suddenly, a voice came from outside. "Cowherd, you finally decided to come back? You don't know, but Ba Shan the Sacrificial Wine took me and Saintess Si to follow my second brother on the northern expedition. We fought with the Langjuxu Kingdom..."
Qin Mu turned around and saw Ling Yuxiu barging in energetically. Seeing so many people, she was startled and dared not speak loudly. She held her breath, took smaller steps, and walked over demurely, standing close to Qin Mu like a little bird. She whispered, "Cowherd, who are they?"
"This is my Grandpa Village Chief."
Qin Mu moved the rocking chair down from the Dragon Qilin's back. The Village Chief didn't get up from the chair, smiling as he sized up Ling Yuxiu.
"These are the old immortals from the Small Jade Capital: Qingyou Immortal, Youyun Immortal, Youhe Immortal."
Qin Mu introduced the three old men from the Small Jade Capital. "And these three are senior brothers from the Small Jade Capital: Wang Muran, Long Yu, and Mu Qingdai. As for them, they are the mistress of the True Heaven Palace in the Western Lands, Palace Master Xiong Xiyu, and the little princess, Xiong Qi'er."
Ling Yuxiu greeted each of them in turn, and they quickly returned the greeting.
Qin Mu said, "My place isn't big enough for everyone. Sister, do you have any extra rooms?"
Ling Yuxiu smiled. "The girls can stay with me. I live right next door."
Qin Mu thanked her. "Sister, thank you for taking care of my place while I was away."
Ling Yuxiu shook her head. "It wasn't me. It was your little fox who did it."
"Ling'er really came?" Qin Mu was both surprised and delighted, feeling nostalgic for Hu Ling'er.
"She just ran off to attend a class. She hasn't finished yet."
Ling Yuxiu said with a reserved smile, "That little girl is quite resourceful. While you were away, she would run off to attend classes every day. The remaining instructors at the Imperial Academy all like her." In front of the Village Chief, she still didn't dare to laugh too freely.
"Little girl?"
Qin Mu was momentarily puzzled but didn't dwell on it. He arranged accommodations for Qingyou Shanren and the others. His courtyard was quite large, with plenty of rooms, so everyone had their own space. As for Xiong Xiyu, her daughter, and Mu Qingdai, they stayed next door in Ling Yuxiu's place.
After Qin Mu had everything settled, Ling Yuxiu whispered, "A few days ago, a group of Daoists came to the Imperial Academy, specifically asking for you. Grand Sacrificial Wine Gu Linuan entertained them, and he's been pale with fright ever since."
Qin Mu smiled. "The mathematical experts from the Dao Sect have arrived."
"My father also issued an edict, promoting you to Supervisor of Divine Weapon Forging, ordering you to oversee the construction of some divine cannon. The edict is being kept by your little fox."
Ling Yuxiu continued, "My father said to transfer the mathematical experts from the Imperial Academy and the court, as well as the five major forges, to await your orders. Also, Jade Heavenly King and Shi Heavenly King from our Holy Sect have been searching for you frantically in the Nether Valley!"
Qin Mu's head ached. There were so many things to deal with after returning to the capital that he had no peace.
"Oh, and there's someone named Xu Shenghua. He came looking for you two days ago with two girls, saying he's waiting for you to treat him to a drink."
Ling Yuxiu thought for a moment and added, "The National Teacher's wife has given birth. She sent an invitation, asking Lord Qin to be the godfather."
Qin Mu asked in surprise, "The National Teacher has a child? Boy or girl?"
"A boy."
Qin Mu smiled. "Me, a godfather? The National Teacher's wife is something else. I'm still a child myself. How can I be someone's godfather?"
The Village Chief glanced at Ling Yuxiu, coughed, and said, "Mu'er, you're not young anymore. You can have children."
Qin Mu's face turned bright red. He stammered, "Suddenly talking about having children... I'm not ready... Village Chief, I'm only fifteen!"
Ling Yuxiu giggled. "Fifteen isn't young anymore. My mother and the Empress Dowager often urge me to choose a consort. Besides, my father is easy to talk to. If someone just mentions it to him, he'll agree..."
She was quite bold, blinking at Qin Mu, waiting for his response.
"Is the Emperor that casual?"
Qin Mu shook his head. "They're doing it wrong! Marriage is a serious matter; it can't be taken lightly!"
Ling Yuxiu shot him a glare. Qin Mu didn't understand why. He got up and went to the Imperial Academy Hall. When Gu Linuan saw him, he sighed in relief. "Lord Qin, please take those Daoist priests away from my place! I would be eternally grateful!"
The Daoist priests had all been staying with him, and these days had been extremely uncomfortable for him.
The Dao Sect was the leading force of the righteous path, while he was a grandmaster of the demonic path. He was always worried that these Daoists might decide to eliminate evil at any moment.
Qin Mu wasn't in a hurry to meet the Dao Sect experts. He sat down and asked with a smile, "Grand Sacrificial Wine, how are your mathematical skills?"
Gu Linuan smiled. "I am, after all, a giant of the demonic path. How could my mathematical skills be lacking?"
"Excellent! With you and the Dao Sect experts, I can breathe a little easier."
Gu Linuan's face turned pale. "I still have to work with the Dao Sect people?"
Qin Mu comforted him. "The Emperor has ordered me to oversee the construction of the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon, a cannon aimed at gods. The Dao Sect people know the stakes; they won't make a move against you."
Gu Linuan still couldn't sit still. He always felt that working with those old Daoists wasn't safe, given his notoriously bad reputation.
Qin Mu went to see Lin Xuan the Sect Leader, exchanged pleasantries, and said, "Once I have everything arranged, I'll need to trouble you all. Wait for my news."
"Very well."
Qin Mu left. Passing by the Array Element Hall, he happened to catch the end of a class. A dozen students walked out of the hall, including a little girl of seven or eight, cute as a button, hopping and skipping. Behind her, a demonic wind carried several books, neatly stacked and perfectly aligned.
The little girl was short, but behind her, three long, fluffy, snow-white tails swayed back and forth.
"Is that Ling'er? But Ling'er doesn't know how to read..." Qin Mu stopped in his tracks.