Chapter 1000: Roof leaks coincide with overnight rain

"No pure gold chains; they're too gaudy. I want pure gold rice bowls, three large ones!"

Dragon Qilin's voice drifted over: "My room, like Sister Yan'er's, should be designed as half dragon's lair and half bird's nest. No Qilin's cave; that's just tacky... Cult Master! The Cult Master is back!"

Dragon Qilin turned around, a mix of surprise and delight on his face. However, Hu Ling'er was already one step ahead, pouncing towards Qin Mu. The fox spirit, transformed into a young girl of about ten, ran eagerly towards him, arms outstretched and body leaning forward.

Qin Mu quickly bent down, picked her up, and settled her on his shoulder, laughing, "It truly is Ling'er! Ling'er, how did you come to the Heavenly Court?"

Hu Ling'er hugged his face, rubbing against it while chattering excitedly, "The Heavenly Court needed to build spirit energy transfer bridges, and my factory in Yankang secured the contract. I came here this time to deliver the completed bridges to Zao Fu Palace, settle the payment, and also tidy up Young Master's Heavenly Venerable's Residence. When I arrived a few days ago, all the other Heavenly Venerable's Residences were magnificent and opulent, but Young Master's was dilapidated and run-down. Dragon Fatty and Sister Yan'er even had to rely on that boy Qi Jiuyi for food; they looked so gaunt... Who is this sister?"

She suddenly noticed God King Langwan and instinctively showed hostility. The fox tails behind her bristled, each hair standing on end, indicating extreme alertness.

Qin Mu cleared his throat and said, "This is..."

"My name is Langwan."

God King Langwan observed Hu Ling'er, then opened her palm, revealing a bead. She smiled and said, "Sister Ling'er, it's our first meeting. Please accept this as a welcome gift."

"No, thank you—"

Hu Ling'er turned her head away, shaking it. "I don't just take things from people. Accepting favors makes one indebted."

God King Langwan patiently explained, "This is a small universe. Although the internal space isn't vast, it's more than sufficient to contain an entire solar system. Also, I heard that Sister Ling'er enjoys wine, so I specifically stored some fine spirits inside—not much, just enough to fill a lake."

Hu Ling'er's heart was greatly stirred. Her face remained averted, but her small hand reached out discreetly, pinching the small universe spirit bead and tucking it away. Immediately, her face lit up with a wide smile, and she asked, "How did you know I like to drink?"

God King Langwan smiled faintly and glanced at Qin Mu. Hu Ling'er understood, thinking, "As expected, Young Master truly cares for me."

Qin Mu, however, knew he had never mentioned Hu Ling'er's preferences to God King Langwan. The reason Langwan knew was that her divine consciousness was incredibly powerful; a mere brush with Hu Ling'er's aura was enough for her to discern all her secrets.

Dragon Qilin approached, cautiously examining God King Langwan. He twitched his nose, sniffing her scent, and thought warily, "She's not Yun Chuxiu, but she's very cunning. She bought off Big Sister the moment they met! And the Cult Master seems utterly smitten with her..."

God King Langwan looked at him. Dragon Qilin said, "Miss Lang, do you have a large pot and a large steaming basket here? I'm very fond of those."

God King Langwan flipped her palm, and to Dragon Qilin's astonishment, a large, glittering golden pot and a matching golden steaming basket appeared before him. She smiled and asked, "Are these what you mean?"

Hu Ling'er curiously observed her, wondering where she had produced them from.

Dragon Qilin examined them, set up the pot, then placed the steaming basket inside. He leaped into the basket, exhaled a stream of fire downwards, and began to heat the pot.

Qin Mu was surprised, wondering why he was acting this way.

Dragon Qilin lifted a paw, grabbed the lid of the steaming basket, and called out, "Cult Master, in ancient times, there was an audience by carrying a coffin; today, there's an audience by steaming Pi. I have a story to tell you, Cult Master. If you listen, I'll come down. If you don't, I'll steam myself thoroughly so you can eat me."

Qin Mu set Ling'er down and chuckled, "Dragon Fatty, dinner's ready. Come down quickly."

"Oh," Dragon Qilin replied, jumping down from the steaming basket.

God King Langwan asked curiously, "Does Dragon Pi enjoy spirit pills? I have a treasure basin here. If you place a single spirit pill inside, it will produce a hundred more. Do you like that?"

Dragon Qilin pondered for a moment, then decided to yield to the woman. He thought to himself, "This woman is formidable; she knows how to appeal to one's desires. I cannot contend with her."

Suddenly, a small green sparrow fluttered over and landed on Dragon Qilin's head, tilting its head to curiously observe God King Langwan.

God King Langwan's eyes darted. She handed the treasure basin she had just produced to the small green sparrow. The sparrow landed and transformed into Yan'er.

God King Langwan held a spirit pill, placed it in the basin, and smiled, "Sister Yan'er, please observe."

As the spirit pill dropped into the basin, numerous other spirit pills immediately surged out. Yan'er was both startled and delighted. She casually picked up one, popped it into Dragon Qilin's mouth, and exclaimed with overwhelming joy, "With this basin, things will be much easier from now on!"

God King Langwan smiled faintly, then noticed Qin Mu walking ahead, examining the layout of the Heavenly Venerable's Residence. Numerous artisans from Yankang were renovating the residence, adorning it lavishly with carved beams, painted pillars, and splendid palaces.

God King Langwan walked forward. Qin Mu said, "Sister God King, please don't always use your divine consciousness to probe others' thoughts. If you always interact with people this way, they will have no secrets from you. Knowing all their thoughts and being able to create things at will makes you seem overly manipulative."

God King Langwan smiled. "Holy Infant, as a God King of the Creator race, understanding the thoughts of all beings is precisely our strength. You, as the Holy Infant of the Creator race, now possess such immense power; wouldn't it be a waste not to use it?"

Before Qin Mu could reply, God King Shujun walked over and said languidly, "Holy Infant, haven't you seen through it yet, haven't you understood? God King Langwan is the sole God King of the other shore world, capable of even contending with the likes of Heavenly Venerable Qin. How could her mind be simple and straightforward? From the moment we entered the other shore world, weren't we all meticulously arranged by her? She controls the entire Creator race; such cunning and methods are perfectly normal for her."

God King Langwan cast him a glance, a slight smile on her face. "What nonsense are you spouting, God King?"

"Nothing."

Shujun threw open his robes, revealing his lean physique. As his divine consciousness had not yet fully recovered, his visualized physical body was extremely emaciated, with two rows of ribs clearly visible. He said, "I don't want to remain in the other shore world. Apart from wanting to know if the Great Emperor is still in the Heavenly Court, another reason is that I know I won't accomplish anything even if I stay there. All power in the other shore world is firmly controlled by God King Langwan. Even if she leaves the other shore world with you, I still wouldn't be able to seize any power."

He chuckled, "And isn't it the same for you, Holy Infant? Think carefully: your prestige among the Creator race is extremely high, but do you wield any actual power? Can you mobilize the various Creator tribes?"

Qin Mu sighed, shaking his head. "No. My status as Holy Infant is actually due to Sister God King's machinations. If she wished to strip me of my God King title and position, it would be incredibly simple for her, effortless."

God King Langwan frowned and said softly, "From now on, I will no longer casually use my divine consciousness to probe others' thoughts."

"It's best not to."

Qin Mu said with utmost sincerity, "This is neither the other shore world nor Wuyou Township. This is the Heavenly Court, a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers reside. The power of any Heavenly Venerable here is no less than Kaihuang's, and some are even stronger. The Heavenly Emperor and Great Emperor are also concealed within, and countless ancient gods are watching this place. If you rashly use your divine consciousness, you will easily expose your identity. I treat you with sincerity, Sister God King, and I hope you can treat me with sincerity as well."

God King Langwan affirmed.

Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "I'll have Ling'er help you arrange your lodgings. Although we likely won't be able to stay in the Heavenly Venerable's Residence for long, at least you'll have a place to settle down. Once you're familiar with the Heavenly Court, we can then search for the Creators' ancestral court."

He called for Hu Ling'er and gave her some instructions. Ling'er then led the two to choose their accommodations. Once Ling'er had finished the arrangements, Qin Mu sought her out again to inquire about the current situation in Yankang.

"This time, Yankang's factories took on a contract from Zao Fu Palace to forge various components for the spirit energy transfer bridges. In just two years, they produced so many high-quality, cost-effective bridges. The Heavenly Court's Dao Sect performed measurements and confirmed that our mathematical and technical skills are extremely refined, with very few errors."

Hu Ling'er said, "Yankang's reputation has certainly spread, and we've earned a good amount of money. The Heavenly Court's Dao Sect has also assigned us some divine weapon design tasks, and our factories across the land are operating day and night to build them. However, the work isn't extensive. Besides Yankang, many other realms are also helping the Heavenly Court forge divine weapons, so our allocated work is limited."

"There will be much more work soon."

Qin Mu said, "The Heavenly Court appears peaceful, but I fear there will soon be war. Wuyou Township will make its move, and in the future, the Heavenly Court will deploy troops against Heavenly Duke, Earth Count, and the Four Emperors of the Four Extremes Heavens. Just as provisions precede an army, so too do divine weapons. If the Heavenly Court intends to move against these forces, they will certainly prepare all sorts of divine artifacts in advance to avoid excessive depletion on the battlefield and a shortage of usable weapons."

He paced back and forth, saying, "Once the Heavenly Court establishes the Grand Void battlefield, there will undoubtedly be heavy casualties. At that point, too many heavy divine artifacts will be destroyed, and the Heavenly Court's factories, along with those of the major realms, won't be able to replenish them quickly enough. That's when Yankang will be permitted to manufacture heavy divine artifacts. The more wars there are, the faster wealth will flow into Yankang, while other realms will see their resources dwindle. Consequently, rebellions in those other realms will become increasingly frequent."

Hu Ling'er asked, "When will Young Master return to Yankang?"

Qin Mu hesitated, then said, "I can't return anytime soon. If I remain in the Heavenly Court, Yankang will actually be safer. If I go to Yankang, it would only bring more dangers to the region."

"Heavenly Venerable, Yun Chuxiu of the Yun family requests an audience!" a maid's voice called from outside the door.

"Yun Chuxiu? Didn't she die? She was slain by the Luo God Blade and thrown beneath the Void Bridge. Did Madam Yuanmu create another Yun Chuxiu?"

Qin Mu felt a massive headache coming on. The Grand Void was extremely perilous, and Madam Yuanmu had suffered significant losses there previously, so she shouldn't re-enter it.

As long as she hadn't entered the Grand Void, she wouldn't know of Yun Chuxiu's experiences and revelations there, nor would she know that Luo Wushuang had already defected.

Madam Yuanmu likely recreated another Yun Chuxiu because she heard of his return and wanted to gauge the situation.

However, if Yun Chuxiu were to come and encounter God King Langwan...

"I'm not seeing her!"

Qin Mu waved his hand. "Just send her away."

Just then, Yun Chuxiu's voice echoed, "Heavenly Venerable Mu, how heartless of you to try and send me away! Have you forgotten our affections at the Jade Pool? Huh, who are you?"

Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat. He hastily stepped out, only to see two "Jue Wuchen" facing each other, their eyes wide as they stared, one being Yun Chuxiu and the other God King Langwan.

"When it rains, it pours..."

Qin Mu gritted his teeth, about to step forward, when Yun Chuxiu sneered, "Is that you, sister? Where did you steal the Jue Wuchen manufacturing blueprint from? I'm the only one who has it!"

At that moment, another goddess came to report, "Heavenly Venerable, Lian Huahun, a disciple of Heavenly Venerable Hao, requests an audience."

Qin Mu's eye twitched uncontrollably; the Empress had also arrived!

Evidently, the Empress had also received news of his safe return from the Grand Void to the Heavenly Court and had come to test his limits.

"Please," Qin Mu said, his voice devoid of energy.