Chapter 1978: Uncle and the Cell Phone

All the civil and military officials were already kneeling, leaving only Zu'an standing alone, conspicuously noticeable amidst the crowd.

Many understood his current action. As the most powerful figure in the imperial court, and possibly the strongest among all humans, it seemed unthinkable for him to kneel before a fool.

Yet, that fool was now the emperor. Historically, emperors were always the strongest of their time. Now, with a weak ruler and a powerful subject, wouldn't this lead to a potential change in dynasty?

Many ministers felt uneasy, unsure of Zu'an's intentions. If he adamantly refused to kneel, and word of it spread, his disloyalty would become obvious, inevitably drawing widespread criticism.

But forcing someone so powerful to kneel also seemed unrealistic…

Many had already begun to secretly choose sides, pondering whether to pledge allegiance to the royal family or quickly express loyalty to the Regent King.

Other upright ministers, however, were filled with apprehension, fearing that this incident would once again destabilize the imperial court, which had only just achieved a fragile peace.

Bi Linglong was about to speak when Empress Dowager Liu Ning interjected, "I have an announcement to make. Zhi'er, your successful ascension to the throne is largely due to the Regent King's continuous support. He has performed outstanding services and is also the Grand Master of the Academy, a man of high virtue and prestige. From now on, you shall treat him as your Second Father."

A "Second Father" (仲父) traditionally refers to one's father's eldest younger brother, and to some extent, someone who can act in the father's stead.

With Zu'an becoming the new emperor's "Second Father," he naturally wouldn't need to kneel. On the contrary, the emperor would be required to bow to him.

"This is absolutely unacceptable!" some conservative ministers immediately protested. "The title of 'Second Father' is not to be taken lightly. How can His Majesty casually recognize someone as such?"

Bi Linglong also had a strange expression. In truth, she disapproved of the move as well. If Zhao Ruizhi genuinely recognized Zu'an as his "Second Father," it would effectively demote her by a generation. Her beloved turned into a father?

At this moment, officials from the Empress's faction immediately retorted, "Why not? His Majesty is young and needs a strong individual to assist and guide him. The Regent King was formerly the Crown Prince's tutor and is already an elder. Now, his cultivation is unparalleled. How could he not be fit to be 'Second Father'?"

Recalling the astonishing battle at the Meng family estate a few days prior, the dissenting ministers felt a twinge of guilt, adding, "But the Regent King is perhaps a bit too... young."

Strictly speaking, it was uncertain who was older between Zu'an and the new emperor. For the new emperor to recognize him as "Second Father" seemed somewhat absurd, no matter how one looked at it.

The ministers from the Liu family, however, dismissed this. "Looking across the land, when has heroism ever been judged by age? Naturally, in the path of cultivation, the accomplished come first. You should not view the Regent King as a young man, but as the highest mountain in the cultivation world, and foreseeably, the longest river."

Zu'an's old face flushed. These flatterers were making him feel quite embarrassed.

"That may be so, but..." The previous ministers felt exasperated. In the past, top cultivators were usually older, so such issues never arose.

At this point, Liu Ning spoke, "As far as I know, the young emperor of the Demon Race also reveres him as 'Second Father'."

This statement was almost definitive. Some ministers who were still intent on arguing instantly fell silent.

Regardless of whether they liked Zu'an or not, everyone had to admit that the human race now needed a supreme expert like him to preside over its affairs.

However, he also held a distinguished status among the Demon Race. If he were to inadvertently lean towards them, that would be truly disastrous.

Zu'an was now so powerful that racial boundaries held no meaning for him; he would be warmly welcomed wherever he went.

Of course, being human, he surely felt more affection for humanity, but his treatment could not be inferior to what he received from the Demon Race. Otherwise, if his heart were to grow cold and he left, it would be troublesome.

Moreover, with the new Demon Emperor calling him "Second Father," it was no longer so difficult for Zhao Ruizhi to do the same.

Seeing no further objections, Liu Ning decided to settle the matter. "Ruizhi, Linglong, quickly come and pay respects to your Second Father."

Zhao Ruizhi, lacking resolve and already flustered by the occasion, and having always been somewhat afraid of Zu'an, instinctively complied with a soft "Oh" when he heard his formerly strict "Empress Mother" speak.

Bi Linglong, however, did not rise. How could she possibly address Zu'an in such a way in front of so many people?

Seeing her remain seated, Zhao Ruizhi stood there, momentarily unsure whether to continue with his obeisance to Zu'an or to sit back down.

All eyes turned to Bi Linglong. Her face flushed then paled, but finally, she gritted her teeth and stood up. "Linglong pays respects to Second Father!"

Though she was reluctant, the atmosphere had been built up to this point. If Zu'an wasn't given the title of "Second Father," then Zhao Ruizhi would have to bow to him. Given Zu'an's temperament, he would absolutely refuse. How could she, for her own sake, put him in such a dilemma?

With her leading the way, Zhao Ruizhi had no further reservations. He followed suit, bowing slightly to Zu'an. "Greetings, Second Father."

Hearing Bi Linglong address him this way, Zu'an's expression also grew a little strange, but it was awkward to say anything in front of so many people, so he quickly returned the bow.

Seeing the tense atmosphere resolve in this manner, all the ministers present breathed a sigh of relief.

What followed were various complex ceremonies. After a day of bustling activity, everyone felt utterly exhausted.

Zu'an found an opportunity to approach Bi Linglong. Seeing her stern expression, he couldn't help but chuckle. "What's wrong? Are you angry?"

"How would I dare be angry with Second Father?" Bi Linglong said, though her pouting lips clearly conveyed her current mood.

"What did you just call me?"

"Second Father."

"Didn't quite hear that."

"Secon—"

Bi Linglong finally realized what he was doing. She glared at him and then huffily turned away.

Rage points from Bi Linglong: 555,555…

It seemed she was genuinely angry. Zu'an took a jade slip from his robes and handed it to her. "Keep this for now."

"What is this?" Despite her reluctance to engage with him, Bi Linglong felt a faint glow emanating from the jade slip, which also appeared to have various runes carved on it. Her curiosity was piqued.

"A simple mobile phone," Zu'an replied casually.

"What 'phone'?" Bi Linglong looked utterly confused.

Zu'an cleared his throat. "Uh, actually, it's a simplified communication talisman. Previously, the popular communication tool in this world was the audio-visual mirror, but each activation of that consumed an exorbitant amount of Yuan Stones, making it only feasible for matters of great military or national importance. So, I researched this new tool, which is far less costly and can be used for daily communication. The artifact forging methods in the *Baopuzi Scripture* mentioned sound-transmitting talismans, but many essential materials were missing. I brought this up with Master Shen Xuzi, and after some discussion and research, we managed to create a trial version using some substitute materials found in this world."

"Really?" Bi Linglong was both surprised and delighted. She understood perfectly what a great change this would bring.

Without a word, Zu'an typed a line of text onto the jade slip.

Bi Linglong felt the jade slip in her hand faintly glow. She quickly picked it up and saw that on the originally pristine white slip, an avatar of Zu'an suddenly appeared, followed by a line of text: "Call me 'Daddy'."

"Go to hell!" Bi Linglong's face instantly flushed with embarrassment.

Zu'an chuckled as he instructed her, "You can write directly on the jade slip, and it will be transmitted to me very quickly."

Bi Linglong tried it and was both surprised and delighted. "It really works!"

"Is Daddy awesome?"

"Awesome… you're taking advantage of me again!"

"Then call me 'good husband'."

"No."

"It seems this husband needs to assert his authority."

"Good husband…"

Even though they were face to face, Bi Linglong remained silent, instead interacting enthusiastically with the jade slip, her face flushed. Clearly, she found the device exceptionally novel.

"How much energy does this communication talisman consume?" Bi Linglong asked a crucial question.

"It consumes about one Heaven-tier Yuan Stone per day."

"Still a bit expensive, but much better than the audio-visual mirror. All the major families in the capital can afford that."

"It's not that simple. Producing these talismans is quite costly, so they can't be widely distributed. I just made this one for you first."

"That's more like it," Bi Linglong suddenly wrote quickly on the jade slip. "Have you given jade slips to other women?"

Zu'an: "..."

"Never mind. You're definitely going to give one to Miss Chu. With so many 'sisters' around you, asking this is just asking for trouble." Bi Linglong tapped her finger lightly, writing at an astonishing speed.

Hearing her sour remark, Zu'an could only reply, "You're the first one to have this."

Bi Linglong's mood instantly shifted from worry to delight. "Then from now on, you have to chat with me every night before bed and say goodnight."

Zu'an: "..."

He suddenly felt as if he had shot himself in the foot by inventing this device.

He quickly added, "This is still a new invention and has many flaws. The biggest issue right now is the communication range. It works fine within a hundred li, but beyond that, messages often don't go through, or if they do, they might be garbled."

"You're not doing this on purpose, are you?" Bi Linglong eyed him suspiciously.