Chapter 357: True and False Overlord Body
"Master Xu, can you get used to the imperial palace's tribute wine?"
In the capital's Flower Lane, within the Listening Rain Pavilion, the pipa played in a clashing, jumbled rhythm, the zither strings trembled softly, and the xiao flute sobbed mournfully. Several girls were singing and dancing. Qin Mu poured wine for Xu Shenghua and said with a smile, "This is the imperial wine brought by the Sixth Princess. I rarely drink, so I can't tell good from bad. What do you think of the taste?"
Ling Yuxiu was dressed in men's clothing, her beautiful eyes darting around as she surveyed the surroundings. Her heart was both uneasy and a little excited. "That cowherd actually brought me to a brothel! If my father finds out, he'll definitely have his head chopped off! So this is the capital's most famous brothel, the Listening Rain Pavilion? It doesn't seem as scandalous as the legends say…"
Fox Ling'er was very familiar with the girls of the Listening Rain Pavilion and had already run off to find some acquaintances, chattering away about who knows what.
Although Xu Shenghua had set foot in this place of worldly pleasures, he still appeared untouched by its dust. He took a light sip of the fine wine and said, "Although the wine from the imperial palace is good, it's not as fragrant and sharp as the wine from the Upper Firmament. It must be that the aging time isn't long enough. If Chief Qin had tasted the fine wines of my Upper Firmament, you would be able to distinguish the good from the bad when drinking this."
Ling Yuxiu looked at the young man sitting across from Qin Mu, a hint of curiosity in her heart. Xu Shenghua was so exquisitely refined, as if carved from jade, not like a real person.
There was no flaw to be found in his appearance, nor in his clothing, his bearing, or his words and actions.
However, Qin Mu, sitting opposite him, had many small flaws.
Qin Mu's appearance wasn't as beautiful as his. Although Qin Mu wasn't bad-looking, he still couldn't compare to Xu Shenghua. Qin Mu was somewhat robust, giving off a feeling of abundant vitality. Even though he had been busy and hardworking these past days, barely having time to sleep, Qin Mu still appeared full of energy.
Xu Shenghua, on the other hand, appeared restrained, steady, as if the sky could fall and he wouldn't be alarmed, his heart as still as water.
Sometimes Qin Mu was overly humble, and sometimes he was overly arrogant. Although he was kind-hearted at times, he could also be very wicked. Sometimes he was oblivious to romance, but other times he could stir your heart like scattered flower seeds blooming wildly in spring.
Sometimes Qin Mu was cautious and meticulous, leaving no loopholes, and sometimes he was very rough, acting recklessly without considering the consequences, often causing trouble.
He was sometimes very smart, but when he was stupid, he could make you gnash your teeth in frustration.
However, none of this could be seen in Xu Shenghua.
Xu Shenghua was like a perfect person with no flaws to be found. Using the word 'beautiful' to describe a man was excessive, but using it to describe him was not at all.
He was just that kind of person. Whether he was an enemy or a friend, everyone who faced him would feel a spring breeze.
"Too perfect, not like a real person."
She glanced at the two girls behind him and felt a little sympathy for them. She could see the fiery passion in their eyes when they looked at Xu Shenghua, but it was clear their feelings were misplaced.
A perfect person like Xu Shenghua could never fall in love with them. Even if he did, they wouldn't dare accept it, because they themselves were not perfect, and they would always be in a state of inferiority.
Such a romance wouldn't last long; it was just a fleeting illusion.
"When we first met, I didn't know we would be enemies."
Qin Mu put down his wine glass and said, "I was very sad when I found out. We could have been friends, but it's fine. I also need an enemy like you."
He showed a smile. "There aren't many outstanding people like you and me in the world. If we were all friends, that would be too disappointing."
Ling Yuxiu poked him with her finger and whispered, "Cowherd, be a little more humble…"
Qin Mu laughed. "I'm just telling the truth."
Behind Xu Shenghua, Yu Liu said with a smile, "The Human Sovereign really isn't modest. The Upper Firmament is not the lower realm, and Master Xu of the Upper Firmament is not a mortal from your lower realm. How can you compare yourself to Master Xu?"
Xu Shenghua shook his head. "The Human Sovereign is worthy of comparison. As the inheritor of the Human Sovereign Hall, which has fought against the Upper Firmament for twenty thousand years, why can't he be compared to me? Insulting him is insulting me."
Yu Liu's face flushed red.
Xu Shenghua said, "My purpose in coming down the mountain this time was to eliminate the new Human Sovereign. When I met Brother Qin, I thought he was the Daoist Sect's Dao Child, never expecting he was the Human Sovereign I was looking for. Only later did I realize I had missed my chance. I came to the lower realm and met many outstanding figures of the younger generation, sparring with them, but none of them satisfied me. In the end, when I thought about it, it was Brother Qin who impressed me the most."
Qin Mu poured wine for him and said with a smile, "I promised you I would treat you to a drink. After this drink, whether I kill you or you kill me, it will be a happy and fortunate event, leaving no regrets."
Xu Shenghua raised his glass in a toast. They clinked glasses lightly and each drank it all in one gulp.
Qin Mu said with emotion, "Both being Overlord Bodies, yet there is a distinction between true and false. Your finding me was not a coincidence, but the connection between the Overlord Body and the False Overlord Body. It is our destiny to be enemies, not friends."
"Overlord Body?" Xu Shenghua was confused.
"So Brother Xu doesn't know about the Overlord Body either."
Qin Mu pointed to himself and said with a smile, "I am the Overlord Body, and you are the False Overlord Body. There is an invisible connection between us. It's not because you are a disciple of the Upper Firmament and I am a disciple of the Human Sovereign that we are locked in a life-or-death struggle. It's because you and I are both Overlord Bodies. You are the False Overlord Body, and I am the true Overlord Body. You must kill me to seize my fortune and become the true Overlord Body."
Xu Shenghua was even more confused.
"It's no wonder Brother Xu doesn't know the ins and outs of this."
Qin Mu said seriously, "The matter of the Overlord Body is extremely secret, known to very few. Look, we are both the most outstanding figures in this world, yet you happen to become a disciple of the Upper Firmament, and I happen to become the Human Sovereign. Is this a coincidence? No!"
The young man clenched his fist and said with force, "This is the working of fate between Overlord Bodies!"
Xu Shenghua was dumbfounded. After a long while, he slowly said, "I am the Overlord Body? My master, Yu Jun, never mentioned this."
Qin Mu said solemnly, "The Overlord Body is the strongest physique! In the past, did you find it easy to learn anything? Could you learn anything with just one lesson and understand everything by analogy? Before the other four Spiritual Physiques had even learned it, you had already finished."
Xu Shenghua nodded, saying with surprise, "So this is the Overlord Body."
"That's right!"
Qin Mu put down his wine glass and said excitedly, "Have you also felt that everyone else's cultivation is not as profound as yours, and that with the same divine ability, their divine abilities are not as powerful as yours?"
Xu Shenghua nodded again and said, "When I was fourteen, I had no rivals in the Upper Firmament. Even my master, who had sealed his Divine Treasures, was not as profound in magical power as I was."
Qin Mu said with sincere eyes, "This is the Overlord Body!"
Xu Shenghua murmured, "So this is the Overlord Body… But Brother Qin, why do you say you are the true Overlord Body and I am the False Overlord Body? How do you distinguish between the true and the false Overlord Body?"
His expression was very serious.
Qin Mu poured wine again and said with a smile, "If you can't beat me, then you are the False Overlord Body. Come, as fellow Overlord Bodies, we should drink a big one!"
The two raised their glasses and drank them dry. Xu Shenghua shook his head and said, "We haven't fought yet, so how do we know who wins and who loses? Perhaps I am the true one, and you are the false one. Fate has its own course. You want to seize my fortune and become the true Overlord Body."
Qin Mu was stunned, scratched his head, and said, "That's also possible. Come, let's drink another jar for the true Overlord Body!"
He opened two jars of wine, sending one to Xu Shenghua, and holding the other himself, he tilted his head back and drank heartily.
Xu Shenghua frowned. Although he also drank, he always did so in moderation, only taking small sips, never letting himself go and drinking freely. But since Qin Mu had already started drinking from the jar, he had no choice but to lift his own jar and drink it down.
Ling Yuxiu poked Qin Mu again and whispered, "Cowherd, you're getting drunk! Stop drinking!"
Qin Mu finished his long drink, a little tipsy, and said with a laugh, "It's rare to meet a kindred spirit, so of course we should drink until we're drunk. Little sister, go to the imperial palace and get some more wine."
"There's no more. These last three jars were all I brought. The tribute wine in the imperial palace was all taken out of the palace by my father and sold to fill the national treasury."
Ling Yuxiu shook her head and said, "Some of my jewelry and clothes were also taken by my father and sold."
Qin Mu laughed heartily, slammed the jar heavily on the table, and stood up, saying, "I had planned to drink until I was drunk, then wake up and have a life-or-death duel with Brother Xu. But it seems the wine is gone, and I'm only half-drunk. Brother Xu, let's go."
Xu Shenghua put down his wine jar and stood up. Jing Yan quickly brought a wet towel. Xu Shenghua wiped his hands and mouth and said, "Let's go."
The two walked out. Qin Mu turned his head and said, "Sister Yun'er, put it on my tab first."
Fu Qingyun said with a smile, "Chief, you're joking. The Listening Rain Pavilion is already the Chief's property. What tab is there to speak of?"
Ling Yuxiu's face darkened. "That damn cowherd actually owns a brothel! I thought he was taking me to a brothel, but it turns out he's taking me to his own brothel!"
She quickly walked out, followed by Fox Ling'er, along with Yu Liu and Jing Yan, who were carrying a pipa and a jade bottle.
From outside the capital came the loud clanging sounds of the Supervisory Factory forging parts and components for the Sun-Sniping Divine Cannon. Qin Mu and Xu Shenghua walked side by side out of the capital and arrived beside the Supervisory Factory.
Yu Liu and Jing Yan felt uneasy. This was all Qin Mu's territory, and they couldn't help but worry that Qin Mu would suddenly order these experts to kill Xu Shenghua on the spot!
Qin Mu led Xu Shenghua into the Supervisory Factory and said, "Brother Xu, what do you think of the atmosphere of the Yan Kang Kingdom?"
"Very extraordinary."
Xu Shenghua looked at the furnaces and mechanical giants in the Supervisory Factory and couldn't help but praise, "Truly a masterpiece of ingenuity!"
Qin Mu picked up a huge component, gently stroked the patterns on it, and examined the forging craftsmanship. There were no deviations. He said, "This cannon has cost me a lot of effort. I have gathered countless mathematical experts and used up all the treasures in the Yan Kang Kingdom's national treasury. In another two months, this cannon will be completed. If you are still alive, you must come and see it. This cannon is meant to kill the gods of the Upper Firmament."
Xu Shenghua's heart trembled slightly. He carefully examined the patterns on it, his expression becoming somewhat grave, and then went to look at the array patterns on another component.
Qin Mu let him look, standing with his hands behind his back, waiting quietly. He thought to himself, "Disturbing your mind before a battle, you have already lost. Brother Xu, you have experienced far too few life-or-death battles!"