Chapter 797: Blessing or Curse (Asking for monthly tickets!)
The capital city was in sight ahead. Many cultivators were expanding the city and renovating the city walls. The walls were being built very tall by the cultivators, and many of them were using beast blood to imprint defensive runes onto the walls.
Qin Mu arrived beneath the city walls and made some inquiries. The disciples of the Heavenly Crafts Hall were in charge of repairing the capital. One of them said, "Not long ago, a demigod transformed into a divine beast and attacked the capital, damaging a section of the city wall. So the Imperial Preceptor ordered us to expand the capital, reinforce the walls, and make them taller. These runes were designed by the Formation Hall. Would the Sect Master care to see if they're adequate?"
Qin Mu took the formation talisman from his hand and examined it carefully. The formation was exquisite, and the patterns and textures were quite aesthetically pleasing. He smiled and said, "Not bad at all. The Formation Hall's mastery of formations has already surpassed mine. I would need to study for a while before I could catch up to you all."
"The Sect Master flatters us."
That disciple laughed and said, "These past few days, the Spear God has been teaching formations in various places. The Woodcutter Sage also organized many formations from the Kaihuang Era and gave them to him. The Spear God then taught them to us, and we've benefited greatly."
The Spear God he spoke of was the Blind Man.
Qin Mu had been roaming the world, while the Blind Man, the Deaf Man, and others had been teaching their knowledge and insights at various academies and learning halls. Combined with the Woodcutter Sage, the Fisherman Heavenly Master, Di Yiyue, and others passing on the knowledge of the Kaihuang Era to them, the cultivation arts of Yankang had been advancing at lightning speed.
If things had followed their normal course, Yankang would surely have flourished even more. However, this time the Primordial Realm had broken free of its seal and reappeared in the world, causing Yankang to be torn apart.
Now, Yankang's control over its original territory was already very weak.
After a while, they arrived at the Imperial Preceptor's residence. The Yankang Imperial Preceptor had just returned from the imperial palace not long ago and was exhausted, resting. The Imperial Preceptor's wife woke him up and said to Qin Mu, "My husband was out suppressing rebellions earlier, and after he returned, the Emperor summoned him. He's been at the imperial palace for dozens of days, truly worn out."
Qin Mu said apologetically, "I'm sorry to disturb Junior Brother's rest. This elder brother feels quite uneasy."
The Yankang Imperial Preceptor said, "Second Senior Brother is too kind. When the nation is in crisis, this is only right. The Emperor has also grown thin—just skin and bones now. If the sovereign can endure such hardship, how can I complain? You never come without a reason. This time, you must have something important."
Qin Mu hesitated for a moment, then stated his purpose: "I've come to ask you how to have a child."
The Imperial Preceptor's wife had originally thought he was going to discuss something serious. Upon hearing this, her face flushed red, and she hastily got up to leave. But then she turned back, took Gongsun Yan by the hand, and led her away, laughing, "Let the two men talk. We sisters will go have a chat."
The Yankang Imperial Preceptor waited until they were far away before erupting in anger: "The nation is in crisis, and you still have the mood to have children? Qin Mu, I've respected you as my senior brother, yet you act so absurdly and frivolously!"
Qin Mu quickly explained, saying, "I've already asked the Martial Combat Heavenly Master to destroy my Divine Bridge Divine Treasury. I want to reopen the Divine Bridge and find a way to completely solve the problem of the broken Divine Bridge for the people of Yankang. The reason I thought of having a child is because I want to see if the seventh Divine Treasury I open can be inherited by my descendants. If it can be inherited, then the worry about the Divine Bridge for the people of Yankang can be completely resolved."
"I wronged you."
The Yankang Imperial Preceptor stood up and bowed deeply to him, saying sincerely, "I thought Second Senior Brother was being lecherous, but I didn't realize that Second Senior Brother is truly one who puts the world's people first, bearing the burden and moving forward with noble integrity! You took the initiative to destroy your own Divine Bridge Divine Treasury—I don't have that kind of courage! You being my senior brother, I'm convinced! I thank you on behalf of the world!"
Qin Mu quickly helped him up and laughed, "You're flattering me too much. Junior Brother, so how does one have a child?"
The Yankang Imperial Preceptor had been serious just now, but now his face suddenly turned red. He coughed repeatedly, looking somewhat uncomfortable.
Qin Mu said suspiciously, "You know, but you won't say. You're definitely holding out on me!"
"It's not that I'm holding out—it's just hard to say directly."
The Yankang Imperial Preceptor quickly said, "Even the elementary school students know this. There are courses on this subject in elementary school. Go listen and you'll understand."
Qin Mu shook his head and said, "I never attended elementary school. I came straight from the Great Ruins to the Grand Academy."
The Yankang Imperial Preceptor frowned, looked left and right, and lowered his voice: "Let me go get something. You'll understand when you see it." With that, he hurried off.
After a moment, he rushed back in a fluster, pulled a scroll of book from his sleeve, and stuffed it into Qin Mu's hands, saying, "I didn't really understand either at first. I knew very little about matters between men and women. Later, when the Emperor ordered me to marry, I was completely at a loss. The Emperor gave me this book, and only after reading it did I understand. Take it and read it—it will definitely resolve your confusion."
Qin Mu looked at the cover. Written on it were the words "Tales of the Capital's Amorous Affairs." He opened it and found it was filled with pictures—pictures of men and women, and they even moved! Clearly, the painting skill involved was extraordinary. It wasn't just lifelike—the painter's art had reached the first realm of painting that the Scholar had mentioned. Quite remarkable indeed.
Qin Mu took one look, his face flushed red, and he quickly closed the book: "How can this be? How shameless! I don't want to have children anymore!"
The Yankang Imperial Preceptor said, "I originally thought it was shameful, dirty, and an insult to the sages. But after trying it, I found it wasn't so bad. There's some enjoyment in it."
Qin Mu shook his head in disappointment and said with contempt, "Junior Brother, you've fallen!"
The Yankang Imperial Preceptor argued, "This is human nature. How is that falling? If you're not going to read it, then give it back! I won't lend it to you anymore!"
Qin Mu was about to return it, but then he pulled it back and said, "Let me take a look first. I need to critique this kind of behavior... Hmm, this painting style seems familiar. Who is the author of 'Tales of the Capital's Amorous Affairs'?"
The more he looked, the more suspicious he became. He flipped to the title page, then to the last page, but found no signature.
"This brushwork, this level of painting mastery..."
Qin Mu was furious, stammering, "Grandpa Deaf, have you fallen to this level?"
The Yankang Imperial Preceptor coughed repeatedly: "It is indeed the work of the Heavenly Atlas Painting Sage. Otherwise, I wouldn't have kept it for myself. The Emperor has asked me for it many times, but I said I lost it and never returned it. This is a unique copy—the Heavenly Atlas Painting Sage only painted this one, and it was when he was poor and down on his luck. Now that he's wealthy, if you ask him to paint another, he won't do it. After you finish reading, you must return it to me."
Qin Mu flipped through it, his face red and his heart pounding wildly. He hastily returned the "Tales of the Capital's Amorous Affairs" to him.
The Yankang Imperial Preceptor carefully smoothed out each page, put it away, and said, "I forgot to ask—which woman are you having a child with?"
Qin Mu's mind went blank. He stood there dumbfounded for a long time without speaking. After a moment, he said tentatively, "I hadn't thought about that question. These past few months, I've been thinking about opening the seventh Divine Treasury. I came up with twenty-six types of seventh Divine Treasuries. In eight months, I also organized twenty-six methods, planning to test them one by one. My original plan was to have one child for each successful method. Only now do I realize it's not as simple as I thought. I'd need to find twenty-six women..."
"Get out!"
The Yankang Imperial Preceptor's face darkened, and he pointed at the gate of the Imperial Preceptor's residence.
Qin Mu stammered, "I'm your senior brother. How dare you speak to me like that?"
"Afu! Afu! Come here quickly and throw this fellow out!"
The Yankang Imperial Preceptor roared, "Shameless and lecherous! You don't deserve to be Second Senior Brother!"
Qin Mu quickly said, "Let's set aside the matter of having children for now. I have too many things to do—I really don't have time to have children, and it's too troublesome. I came to you for something else. Look at this halo behind my head. This is the blessing of Mother Earth Primordial Sovereign. Mother Earth wants me to resurrect her, so she blessed me and also gave me an Earth Origin Dao Fruit. Otherwise, I couldn't have cultivated to the Life and Death Realm so quickly. Mother Earth's resurrection is no small matter. She's using these two things to monitor my movements, and sooner or later she'll find me again. Help me figure out how to break this blessing of Mother Earth."
The Yankang Imperial Preceptor's expression softened. He carefully examined the halo behind Qin Mu's head, his face growing grave. He looked it over back and forth, pacing as he deliberated.
Suddenly, a beam of sword light filled the room, stabbing toward Qin Mu.
Qin Mu stood there without moving. A continuous clanging sound rang out—the Imperial Preceptor had stabbed out who knows how many times in an instant, each strike exquisite to the extreme, accurately piercing into the halo behind Qin Mu's head. And the tip of each sword strike landed precisely on the runes within the halo!
At this moment, sword light crisscrossed, darting through the courtyard like a startled swan or a swimming dragon.
However, the halo behind Qin Mu's head burst forth with various colors of light in response to his sword strikes, dyeing the halo in a riot of colors. The halo spun continuously, blocking his sword light.
The Yankang Imperial Preceptor sheathed his sword, and the spinning halo behind Qin Mu's head slowly came to a stop.
"Mother Earth's blessing is extremely powerful. It's also a means of self-protection. If you can activate the power of the blessing, blocking an attack from a True God would be effortless. Even a Heavenly God might not be able to do anything to you."
The Yankang Imperial Preceptor examined his divine sword and saw a small notch on the tip. He said, "This kind of blessing is very useful. Do you really want to erase it?"
Qin Mu nodded and said, "What's called a blessing could also be a curse. Mother Earth was severely wounded by Heavenly Master Zixi, and she'll make a comeback sooner or later. If she captures me, I'll have no choice but to resurrect her. After she's resurrected, wiping out Yankang, wiping out Chiming, wiping out Kaihuang—that would be effortless for her!"
The Yankang Imperial Preceptor pondered for a long time, then said in a deep voice, "In that case, we need to invite the Woodcutter Sage and all the wisest people in Yankang to come. Also, Granny Si—she must be invited. She's proficient in primordial magnetic runes. They're all in other places, so it'll take some time for them to arrive."
Qin Mu's expression shifted slightly. "Is the Martial Combat Heavenly Master in the capital?"
"The Martial Combat Heavenly Master originally went to the South Sea to negotiate with the Chiming Divine Son. The Chiming Divine Son was cowed and won't rebel for now. Not long ago, he went to the grasslands, saying he wanted to visit the Great Black Heaven. Calculating the time, he should be back soon."
The Yankang Imperial Preceptor sighed and said, "There's also unusual activity at the bottom of the East Sea, and the heavens above are stirring as well. The North Sea, the ice plains, and various ruins within Yankang's borders—there are forces everywhere that seem eager to make their move. We've lost contact with the Great Ruins and the Western Lands. We built teleportation gates a few months ago, but now we can only protect the twenty or thirty most important cities. These are troubled times. I wish I could split into a billion clones."
Qin Mu's heart stirred, and he said, "Why not turn the capital into a divine city in the sky? Turning the capital into a divine city that flies through the air would serve as a deterrent on one hand, and on the other, it would boost the confidence of the people of Yankang."
The Yankang Imperial Preceptor said, "I spent dozens of days with His Majesty this time discussing the design and construction of a divine city. But the national treasury is empty—there's no money. And now trade has been cut off. We don't have enough divine gold and divine materials to build a city in the sky."
Qin Mu laughed and said, "Many ruins have appeared within Yankang's borders, and there are quite a few divine weapons and treasures inside. Perhaps we can gather them, melt them down, and use them to build the city in the sky."
The Yankang Imperial Preceptor laughed and said, "You don't need to worry about these troublesome matters. Right now, the most important thing for you is to open the seventh Divine Treasury! You don't have a residence in the capital, do you? Why not stay here with me for now? Once everyone has gathered, we can resolve the issue of Mother Earth's blessing."
Qin Mu shook his head and said, "I actually have a few properties in the capital. Ling'er manages the finances, and she said real estate in the capital would definitely go up in price, so she bought several courtyards to hold onto. Staying here with you would be somewhat inconvenient. You don't have much money either—even food and daily expenses would be a problem."
The Yankang Imperial Preceptor was dumbfounded.
Qin Mu took his leave, called over the Imperial Heavenly Venerable who was sneakily eating the Water Qilin's spirit pills, and also summoned Gongsun Yan.
Gongsun Yan hurried over and whispered, "Did you find out how to have a child?"
Qin Mu's face flushed slightly, and he nodded gently.
Gongsun Yan lowered her voice even further, afraid others might hear: "I actually know. You could have just asked me. When we bloom, if you transfer pollen to me, we can have a child."
Qin Mu was stunned.
Gongsun Yan used her horsetail whisk to stir the water in the Imperial Preceptor's pond, then lifted it and sprinkled water over Qin Mu's head. She said seriously, "You need to water yourself diligently, and then you'll grow faster. When I bloom and you bloom too, you can use your male flower to pollinate my female flower."
Qin Mu stood there woodenly. It took him a moment to snap back to reality. He urged, "Fat Dragon, aren't you leaving yet? Lan Yutian, you're still eating? When the Holy King handed you over to me, you were thin and light. If you keep eating like this, how will you face him later? He'll definitely blame me—he gave me an Imperial Heavenly Venerable, and I'm returning to him a fat blue guy!"