Chapter 1108: I Marry You

Gongsun Yan finally released Qin Mu. Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly rushed to Shangjing City to meet Ling Yuxiu, telling her about the matter.

Ling Yuxiu smiled, “I’ve visited the Celestial Heavens many times to pay respects to the various Celestial Venerables. I know a lot about Celestial etiquette. I can guide Yan’er so she won’t make a fool of herself. You can rest assured.”

She went with Qin Mu to meet Gongsun Yan and asked, “If, as you predict, Yan’er is appointed as a Sovereign Lady, what kind of official rank would that be?”

“The greatest feudal lord in the Primordial Realm, similar to the Four Ancient God Emperors, the Black Emperor, or the White Emperor, though slightly less in authority and status.”

Qin Mu said, “The Ten Celestial Venerables might bestow half of the Primordial Realm upon her, pushing her forward to contend with Celestial Venerable Xiao.”

Ling Yuxiu’s heart trembled slightly. From the Celestial Heavens’ perspective, Yankang was an insignificant nation, not worth worrying about. As Yankang’s monarch, she was merely the unsophisticated emperor of a backwater country. If not for her wealth and usefulness, the Celestial Venerables wouldn’t even deign to glance at her.

Yet, Gongsun Yan was to be enfeoffed as a feudal lord, on par with the Four Imperial Emperors, and her authority would even surpass Ling Yuxiu’s.

However, if it were truly as Qin Mu said, wouldn’t pushing Gongsun Yan to challenge Celestial Venerable Xiao be detrimental to her?

In her heart, Gongsun Yan had always been that pure and innocent girl. How could she possibly be a match for the shrewd and cunning Celestial Venerable Xiao?

Gongsun Yan was vastly inferior to Celestial Venerable Xiao in both martial prowess and strategy.

Qin Mu, observing her expression, understood her worries and smiled, “Though Celestial Venerable Xiao might be displeased, he will accept it. After all, he still needs me for now, so he won’t make a move against Gongsun Yan.”

Ling Yuxiu felt relieved and walked alongside him. Suddenly, she said, “In recent days, ministers in court have frequently advised me to take concubines.”

She stopped, a peculiar smile on her face, “Grand Tutor, they say that as the Son of Heaven, I cannot be without an heir, and they’ve said this repeatedly.”

Qin Mu also stopped, turned to look at her, and softly asked, “What did Your Majesty say?”

“I told them,” Ling Yuxiu replied, “that the Grand Tutor has not yet started a family, laboring tirelessly for the nation. How could my understanding be less than his?”

Ling Yuxiu chuckled, “They stopped talking then. However, every so often, a minister brings it up again. So, I want to ask you, when will you marry? Once you marry, I will take concubines.”

Qin Mu looked at her silently for a moment, then asked, “Whom do you want me to marry?”

“Gongsun Yan, Si Yunxiang, the Sword God of the Previous Emperor, and Yan Jingjing are all options!”

Ling Yuxiu’s expression was complex as she said, “Marry whichever one you want. I don’t want to see you running around alone. Once you’re married, I’ll feel at ease!”

Qin Mu shook his head and smiled, “I don’t want to marry any of them. I don’t have time right now. Yankang’s reform has not yet succeeded, and I don’t have the energy for such matters.”

“You just want to delay me!”

Ling Yuxiu grew angry, “You cowherd! I shouldn’t have met you back then!”

People around them began to look over. Ling Yuxiu quickly composed herself, smoothed her attire, and continued walking forward, complaining, “If you don’t marry, how can I take concubines? Am I your little cow? Am I to be tied down for life? I met you in the prime of my life, and we’ve both wasted our youth.”

Qin Mu caught up with her, saying, “Can you abandon your current imperial throne? Can I abandon my position as Grand Tutor? If we can’t, then this is how we must be.”

Ling Yuxiu glanced at him and smiled, “If we win in the future, and I haven’t taken a harem, and you haven’t married…”

Qin Mu’s expression was calm as he said, “At that time, I will no longer be the Grand Tutor.”

Ling Yuxiu’s eyes reddened. “I won’t be emperor either.”

“I’ll marry you,” Qin Mu smiled.

“Mmm,” Ling Yuxiu turned her head away.

***

Xuandu.

Earth Mother Sovereign Lady resided within the core of the Primordial Wood. Heavenly Duke gently placed this core into the Celestial Pond. This Celestial Pond was extraordinary; though not as potent as the Grand Primordial Liquid, it was formed from the starry chains of myriad galaxies, shimmering with silver light as far as the eye could see.

The core of the Primordial Wood absorbed the starlight water from the Celestial Pond, slowly taking root and sprouting, soon growing branches and leaves.

Before long, a large tree appeared in the Celestial Pond. A few days later, Earth Mother Sovereign Lady emerged from the tree, completely naked.

Seeing this, Heavenly Duke plucked pieces of cloud and mist, refining them into clothing for her to wear.

Earth Mother Sovereign Lady smiled, “Heavenly Duke, I wouldn’t have thought you to be such a considerate person.”

Heavenly Duke chuckled, “Earth Mother, please don’t jest. There’s no soil in my Celestial Pond; you can only absorb the starlight water, not the power of the living soil, which is detrimental to your growth.”

Earth Mother Sovereign Lady said, “There’s plenty of living soil in the Ancestral Court. Just bring some…”

“Don’t even think about touching the Ancestral Court!” Heavenly Duke thundered in anger.

After a moment, Heavenly Duke softened his tone, saying, “You absolutely must not touch the Ancestral Court. The Western Emperor should have some living soil. I will set aside my dignity and ask for some for you.”

Earth Mother Sovereign Lady sat by the Celestial Pond, looking up at the vast and boundless Heavenly Duke. She said, “Dao Brother, do you truly indulge Celestial Venerable Mu to this extent? Today he can kill me; tomorrow he can kill you and Earth Count! We are both leaders among the ancient gods. Don’t you feel a sense of shared sorrow?”

Heavenly Duke’s white eyebrows fluttered—his eyebrows were long, flowing stellar belts. He calmly said, “Earth Mother, you are not an ancient god born of the Great Dao; you were merely born from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and thus you don’t understand my thoughts. For you, there is a desire for fame and power. You are rooted in the Primordial Realm and have been corrupted for too long. Ancient gods like us should remain aloof from the mundane world, follow the Great Dao, and not interfere with anything in the mortal realm.”

“Hypocrite!”

Earth Mother Sovereign Lady sneered, “Remain aloof from the mundane world, follow the Great Dao? If you were truly so detached, why did you, Earth Count, Heavenly Yin, and the two Guixu women take action against the Creator race back then?”

Heavenly Duke’s gaze settled on her, his voice ethereal and distant, “The wars between the Creators had already imperiled the cosmic wilderness. They manipulated us ancient gods, forcing us to fight for them. The ancient gods were controlled, unable to act independently. If we had allowed their wars to continue, the Ancestral Court would surely have been destroyed. With the Ancestral Court’s destruction, the entire cosmic wilderness would have collapsed and ceased to exist. Back then, I heard the voice of the Great Dao that gave birth to me, telling me that the Creator race had to be extinguished. Earth Mother Sovereign Lady, did you not hear that voice?”

Earth Mother Sovereign Lady was slightly stunned and shook her head, saying, “I did not hear it.”

Heavenly Duke said, “I heard it. I felt the Great Dao urging me to destroy the Creator race, not allowing them to continue their destruction. I asked Earth Count, and he also heard the Dao of Youdu urging him to eradicate the Creator race. You are not an ancient god born of the Great Dao; you have inherent limitations, which might be why you didn’t sense the Great Dao’s call.”

Earth Mother Sovereign Lady sneered, “You’re just rambling and changing the subject! My question is, can you truly trust Celestial Venerable Mu? He’s becoming more and more audacious!”

Heavenly Duke chuckled gently, “Earth Mother, you still don’t understand. We need him, to ally with him against the Ten Celestial Venerables. Since it’s an alliance, why not give our ally the necessary respect? Don’t forget, without him, no one could have resurrected you.”

“You!”

Heavenly Duke smiled, “Earth Mother Sovereign Lady, you only see the danger, but not the opportunity. You see the Ten Celestial Venerables intending to annihilate us ancient gods, yet you haven’t seen that this is also our chance to break free from the shackles of our own Great Daos.”

Earth Mother Sovereign Lady laughed in exasperation, raising her voice, “Are you planning to abandon your noble ancient god body to become a mere mortal?”

Heavenly Duke chuckled, “Under the Heavenly Dao, who is nobler, who is humbler? All are treated equally. Earth Mother, I saved you not to listen to your complaints. I have something that requires your strength. Once this is done, you will owe me nothing.”

Earth Mother Sovereign Lady snorted, “What is it?”

“Purge Xuandu!” A hint of killing intent was unexpectedly revealed in Heavenly Duke’s voice.

Earth Mother Sovereign Lady was startled. “You intend to use me to eliminate the Heavenly Court’s influence in Xuandu?”