Chapter 1173: Honesty and Sincerity

Shi Qiluo led the gods of Zaofu Heavenly Palace in counting the various divine weapons. His booming voice carried from afar, "Emperor Yanxiu, these divine weapons of yours aren't of high quality. For these goods, I'm taking a one-point deduction!"

Ling Yuxiu's voice responded, "Venerable God, our goods from Yan Kang are already the lowest priced among all the heavens! No other heaven can give you this price besides Yan Kang! If you deduct another point, Yan Kang will have no profit, and it'll be hard to even cover wages! Oh, cowherd... Heavenly Venerate Mu!"

Her eyes lit up as she saw Qin Mu approaching. She almost blurted out "cowherd" before suddenly realizing and correcting herself.

Shi Qiluo glanced at the approaching Qin Mu and sneered, "Even the cowherd Heavenly Venerate Mu can't change my mind! I'm a stickler for rules. Even if all ten Heavenly Venerates came, I wouldn't concede half a point..."

Just as he said this, his expression suddenly changed. He saw Heavenly Venerate Hao and God Emperor Langxuan entering Zaofu Heavenly Palace together.

Shi Qiluo's face and bushy beard trembled, his legs shook, and he was about to kneel.

Heavenly Venerate Hao said calmly, "Dispensed with. Dao friend Mu is quite swift."

Qin Mu replied courteously, "It's merely the power of a treasure; nothing special. You two Dao friends possess true skill."

Heavenly Venerate Hao's gaze shifted to Yun Chuxiu. He let out a cold laugh, then turned his head and said, "Shi Qiluo, you manage the divine artifacts of creation. Tell me, how many Divine Imperial Heavenly Venerates have you actually created?"

Shi Qiluo immediately knelt down, trembling as he fumbled for the ledger.

Heavenly Venerate Hao snorted, "I didn't tell you to kneel. Why are you kneeling?"

Shi Qiluo looked up with a fawning smile, "These legs of mine are always disobedient. As soon as I see a Heavenly Venerate, I feel more comfortable kneeling. Heavenly Venerate, please wait a moment while I find the accounts..."

God Emperor Langxuan chuckled gently from the side, "Palace Master Shi, there's no need to worry. Dao Brother Hao isn't investigating your private coffers. All those past instances of you taking kickbacks, enriching yourself, fabricating prices, and deducting points are no longer an issue."

Cold sweat poured down Shi Qiluo's forehead. He became even more flustered, and it took him a while to find the usage records for the divine artifacts of creation, which he then hastily handed to Heavenly Venerate Hao.

Heavenly Venerate Hao opened the ledger and meticulously browsed through it, his expression growing increasingly grim.

Shi Qiluo's face turned ashen, filled with trepidation.

Heavenly Venerate Hao passed the ledger to God Emperor Langxuan, who quickly looked through it. When Qin Mu leaned in to peek, God Emperor Langxuan swiftly closed the ledger, saying with a half-smile, "Does Heavenly Venerate Mu also wish to create a Divine Imperial Heavenly Venerate? This ledger, you cannot see."

"Stingy," Qin Mu retorted.

Qin Mu chuckled, "Fine, I won't look. I also wouldn't mind getting a Divine Imperial Heavenly Venerate crafted by the divine artifacts of creation..."

Heavenly Venerate Hao's expression softened as he said, "It's not that we're unwilling to give it to you, Dao friend, but the materials required to create a Divine Imperial Heavenly Venerate are extraordinary, and the Heavenly Court doesn't have many of them. We currently lack the surplus funds to build another one."

Qin Mu smiled faintly, knowing he naturally wouldn't be telling the truth.

God Emperor Langxuan raised an eyebrow and said, "Palace Master Shi, you've created eleven Divine Imperial Heavenly Venerates."

Heavenly Venerate Hao stared at Shi Qiluo and asked calmly, "Who ordered you to create this eleventh divine artifact?"

Shi Qiluo hesitated, then cautiously replied, "To Heavenly Venerate, it was His Majesty who ordered this humble servant to create it. I still have His Majesty's decree here..."

Still kneeling, he fumbled around for a while, finally finding the Heavenly Emperor's decree and carefully presenting it.

Heavenly Venerate Hao opened the decree, his expression growing even more grim. He glanced at Yun Chuxiu, who was not far away.

Yun Chuxiu was cheerfully running around, helping the gods and devils of Yan Kang move the divine weapons, completely ignoring him.

Heavenly Venerate Hao's eye twitched. Such a lively and adorable girl indeed attracted attention, yet he had to address her as 'mother'.

God Emperor Langxuan, observing Heavenly Venerate Hao's expression, understood his thoughts.

The ten Heavenly Venerates jointly controlling the Heavenly Emperor's physical body seemed secure, but in reality, it presented an opportunity for others.

Madame Yuanmu was not among the ten Heavenly Venerates, but she seized this chance. While the ten Heavenly Venerates were unprepared, she controlled the Heavenly Emperor's body, used it to issue an edict, and created a Divine Imperial Heavenly Venerate for herself!

"If Heavenly Venerate Mu got hold of this opportunity, hehe, that fellow would probably create a Divine Imperial Heavenly Venerate for himself too!"

God Emperor Langxuan looked at Qin Mu, his heart tightening. Indeed, Qin Mu's eyes were exceptionally bright, clearly having also thought of using the Heavenly Emperor's body to create a Divine Imperial Heavenly Venerate for himself!

He coughed, reminding Heavenly Venerate Hao, who immediately understood and said calmly, "Shi Qiluo, your worthless head is still useful, so I won't pursue this matter. From now on, without decrees from all Heavenly Venerates, even if the Heavenly Emperor himself comes, you are forbidden from creating Divine Imperial Heavenly Venerates!"

Shi Qiluo hastily pledged his loyalty, saying, "This humble servant will only follow the lead of the esteemed Heavenly Venerates!"

Heavenly Venerate Hao walked away, and God Emperor Langxuan followed, chuckling, "Dao friend truly has excellent methods. Heavenly Venerate Mu won't be able to cause trouble this time."

Shi Qiluo waited until they were far away before getting up and dusting off his knees.

Qin Mu chuckled, "The dignified Master of Zaofu Heavenly Palace, the foremost existence in Heavenly Court's forging, stooping so low as to kneel before others. Palace Master Shi, your Emperor's Throne realm seems to have quite a bit of water in it."

Shi Qiluo's expression was haughty. He sneered, "Heavenly Venerate Mu, are you also from Yan Kang? I won't concede a single point for you all, but considering you are a Heavenly Venerate, I'll allow half a point."

Qin Mu was about to say more, but Ling Yuxiu quietly tugged at his clothes, so Qin Mu stopped speaking.

Ling Yuxiu waved her hand and said, "Unload the cargo!"

The Yan Kang gods and devils on the ship immediately began working. Ling Yuxiu said to Qin Mu, "Half a point is enough. We can still make some profit. The Heavenly Court has been attacking the Void for the past few years, printing many Heavenly Coins, causing prices to soar in many heavens. Where have you come from?"

Qin Mu watched Yun Chuxiu skip towards them, her two ponytails swinging from behind to her left, then from her left to her right. He chuckled, "I came from the Ancestral Court with eight Heavenly Venerates. I was almost killed in the Ancestral Court by your sister here."

Yun Chuxiu rushed before them, lively and active, and chuckled, "Brother-in-law is here too? I just love seducing my brother-in-law!" With that, she looped her arm through Qin Mu's and leaned against him.

She, Ling Yuxiu, Gongsun Yan, God King Lang Wan, and Lianhua Soul had become sworn sisters. By age, Ling Yuxiu was the youngest, so she had to call her 'sister'.

With Ling Yuxiu right there, Qin Mu hastily tried to pull his arm free, but couldn't. He resignedly said, "I have important matters to attend to; stop fooling around. Madame Yuanmu framed me and almost trapped me in the Ancestral Court. This time, I'm going to retrieve Madame Yuanmu's physical body, summon her soul, and find out where she's hiding!"

Yun Chuxiu shivered, then swayed left and right while clinging to his arm, giggling, "Brother-in-law, I was just kidding! Don't be angry! Good sister, quickly convince your husband!"

Ling Yuxiu stood by, smiling without a word.

Qin Mu scoffed, "I treated Madame Yuanmu with sincerity, yet she repeatedly harmed me. This time, she harmed me again; I must expose her identity!"

Yun Chuxiu looked pathetic, gazing up at him with a mournful expression, "Brother-in-law..."

"Silence!"

Qin Mu burst into a rage. "We are allies, yet you repeatedly harm and deceive me. Do you really think I don't know who you are? I have countless ways to figure out your true identity! You once said you took Yue Tingge to explore the Void in search of Wuyou Township, yet Yue Tingge only mentioned that the ten Heavenly Venerates ordered him to lead a large army into the Void to find Wuyou Township, with no mention of a Heavenly Venerate accompanying him!"

He laughed in exasperation, "You did indeed enter the Void with Yue Tingge, but you didn't realize that Yue Tingge isn't dead; he's hidden within the Void! All I need to do is find him, and exposing your identity will be child's play, won't it? What's more, I still have Madame Yuanmu's true body, making it even easier to discern your true form!"

He sighed, saying with utmost sincerity, "Since you and I are allies, we should be honest with each other. Your treatment of me like this saddens me greatly."

Yun Chuxiu also sighed, saying plaintively, "I've told you my identity before, but you just didn't pay close attention."

Just as Qin Mu was about to speak, Yun Chuxiu said with a smile, "I once told you that Yan Kang's Spirit Energy Teleportation Bridge connects to my palace. Do you still not know my identity?"

Qin Mu paused, stammering, "That Spirit Energy Teleportation Bridge..."

Yun Chuxiu sighed softly and said, "That Spirit Energy Teleportation Bridge was built by Zaofu Heavenly Palace. Zaofu Heavenly Palace charged me a hundred times the price they charged Yan Kang, which is why I gave Yan Kang the job of forging the Spirit Energy Teleportation Bridge, to earn a bit of profit in between. Has brother-in-law still not figured it out?"

At that moment, a rough voice came from the side and said, "Then let me remind you of one more thing: where does Yan Kang's Spirit Energy Teleportation Bridge lead?"

Qin Mu slowly turned his head, staring blankly at Shi Qiluo, the Palace Master of Zaofu Heavenly Palace, who was incredibly robust and had a full beard. He was speechless: "You... you..."

Shi Qiluo looked at him with pity and said gruffly, "Yan Kang's Spirit Energy Teleportation Bridge is connected to Zaofu Heavenly Palace. Furthermore, Palace Master Shi of Zaofu Heavenly Palace is greedy for money, so he gave the task of forging the Spirit Energy Teleportation Bridge to Yan Kang, then resold it to other Heavenly Venerates, charging them a hundred times the price."

Yun Chuxiu smiled sweetly and said, "And since I control Zaofu Heavenly Palace, it's perfectly reasonable for me to create a Divine Imperial Heavenly Venerate for myself."

Shi Qiluo's rough face surprisingly showed a hint of coquetry. He winked at Qin Mu and chuckled, "Heavenly Venerate Ling assassinated me during the High Emperor Era, but she didn't anticipate that I would seize the opportunity to escape and possess a rock."

Yun Chuxiu leaned sweetly against Qin Mu's shoulder, her voice full of tenderness, "I greatly admired Heavenly Venerate Ling's abilities, so I learned her art of creation. Eventually, I became a master of it and took control of Zaofu Heavenly Palace. Whenever the ten Heavenly Venerates want to create unusual weapons, they have to go through me, which also makes it convenient for me to tamper with things."

Shi Qiluo also leaned closer, giggling, "After the Founding Emperor Era, I was conscripted by the two Grand Preceptors, who used me to forge imitations of the Ark of the Other Shore to traverse the Void in search of Wuyou Township. As a result, the two Grand Preceptors perished, and only I returned alive."

Qin Mu's mind reeled from the barrage of revelations, leaving him speechless for a long time.

Shi Qiluo leaned on his shoulder, drawing circles on his chest with a finger, while Yun Chuxiu drew circles on his right chest.

Qin Mu suddenly shook his head, gritting his teeth, "So, among the three Heavenly Venerates who rescued me in the Jade Pool that day, you weren't one of them!"

"Mu-lang—"

Yun Chuxiu and Shi Qiluo swayed his right and left arms respectively, saying in unison, "Don't be angry."

Qin Mu gave a wooden smile, "No wonder Village Chief said I was naive..."

This chapter is approximately three thousand characters.