Chapter 1195: Rare Tenderness

As soon as Tai Su departed, Qin Mu left the territory of Palace Heavenly Venerable. He smiled at a female emperor who was eagerly seeing him off and said, "Si Hua, no need to accompany me further."

That female emperor was Palace Heavenly Venerable's disciple, named Nian Sihua. She said, "Heavenly Venerable Mu, my master has instructed me to show you utmost respect. Even if you were to lead the Human Emperors from the Human Emperor's Hall to block our gates, I would still welcome and see you off with equal eagerness."

Qin Mu laughed heartily and said, "Thank you for your hospitality. Please stop here." With that, he drifted away.

Nian Sihua watched him disappear into the distance, frowning slightly. She murmured, "I really don't understand what Master is thinking, giving him a tenth of the divine stones that were so painstakingly excavated. This Heavenly Venerable Mu is all talk and no substance, clearly a frivolous character, just like Heavenly Venerable Yin. Master shouldn't let him deceive her out of wealth or virtue..."

Qin Mu was highly satisfied, having received eight Grand Purity divine stones from Nian Sihua. "Refining these eight divine stones should allow me to fully refine the mouthful of egg liquid I drank. At most, a small amount might remain, but that won't be a concern."

He took out a Grand Purity divine stone. With a gentle clench of his hand, the divine stone vanished, reappearing in his abdomen, where it began to interact with the stubborn egg liquid.

Qin Mu felt the Dao rhythm of Grand Purity, sensing his cultivation improve and gaining insight into various Grand Purity Great Dao runes. He felt quite pleased. "I've been studying the Grand Beginning Egg for so long, and I've only just deciphered the Grand Beginning runes. But there must be deeper levels of runic Great Dao within the Grand Beginning runes. Yet, merely refining the egg liquid allows me to understand so many Grand Purity Great Dao runes. If I could also crack open the Grand Beginning Egg, take the Grand Beginning divine stone, and refine the Grand Beginning egg liquid, my cultivation would surely progress twice as fast!"

He couldn't help but entertain the thought, then immediately shook his head.

The Grand Beginning Egg was incredibly hard; even a peak Emperor's Throne realm expert like Wei Suifeng couldn't crack it, instead having three fingers shattered by it. Qin Mu naturally couldn't either. The Grand Purity Egg, on the other hand, had only been able to shatter the Grand Beginning Egg by leveraging the terrifying power from the destruction of the previous universe. Qin Mu definitely did not want to experience such a terrifying situation again!

Carrying Heavenly Venerable Yue's lantern, he headed towards the rift above the Ancestral Court, passing through the seal he had left.

Qin Mu examined the Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge he had left outside the Ancestral Court, observing it carefully. He sneered, "This bridge has been destroyed eight times. Heavenly Venerable Hong, Heavenly Venerable Xiao, and Palace Heavenly Venerable likely wouldn't destroy my bridge, so it must have been the other Heavenly Venerables. And the eighth time, that little vixen Yun Chuxiu must have been responsible!"

Remembering Yun Chuxiu, he couldn't help but think of Shi Qiluo, the burly, bearded palace master of Zaofu Heavenly Palace.

Qin Mu shook his head and stepped onto the Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge.

This Spirit Energy Transfer Bridge connected to Yankang. By the time he stepped off it, he was already near the capital city of Yankang. Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief, entered the Upper Capital City, met Ling Yuxiu, and recounted his experiences in the Ancestral Court.

Ling Yuxiu said, "You should stay in the palace for a few days first. It's not too late to leave after you've refined that strange egg liquid."

Qin Mu agreed and temporarily stayed in the palace. After Ling Yuxiu finished handling state affairs, she came to find him, only to see Qin Mu sitting in a pavilion in the Imperial Garden, lost in thought.

Ling Yuxiu sat down beside him, waved her hand to dismiss the palace maids, and smiled, "What are you thinking about, Imperial Preceptor?"

"I'm thinking about the war in the Primordial Realm."

Qin Mu mused, "Although the Primordial Realm is perilous, it will be difficult to withstand the Heavenly Court's attacks. The Heavenly Court is too powerful; conquering the Primordial Realm is only a matter of time. Now that the Void Beasts are under Dragon Qilin's control, should I have Dragon Qilin lead the Void Beasts to fight in the Primordial Realm?"

Ling Yuxiu thought for a moment and said, "If Emperor Tai were to appear in the Primordial Realm, could Dragon Qilin protect the mother beast?"

"That's the very problem I'm pondering."

The two sat in the pavilion, enjoying the scenery in silence, cherishing the rare tranquility.

Qin Mu stood up, took off his shoes, sat on the edge of the pavilion, and dangled his feet in the water.

Ling Yuxiu laughed, "You still have a childish temper. Be careful your feet don't stink and kill my fish."

Qin Mu patted the empty space beside him and smiled, "Come sit with me."

Ling Yuxiu shook her head. "I am the Emperor now. How would it look for me to act like you?"

"There's no one around."

Ling Yuxiu hesitated, glancing around before finally taking off her boots and sitting beside him. She carefully put her feet into the water and sighed with contentment, "This is freedom. It's been years since I took off my shoes in front of anyone."

Qin Mu burst into laughter.

Ling Yuxiu suddenly leaned her head on his shoulder. Two people, four feet, splashing in the water.

After a while, Ling Yuxiu fell asleep on his shoulder. Qin Mu remained still, watching her sleep soundly.

When Ling Yuxiu awoke, the evening lights were already beginning to glow. She quickly jumped up and complained, "Why didn't you wake me?"

Qin Mu smiled, "I saw you were too tired, so I didn't disturb you. Just now, some palace maids came here, but I sent them away."

Ling Yuxiu quickly put on her shoes and said, "They came to urge me to go to the Imperial Study. I still haven't reviewed the memorials, so I need to go and finish them."

Qin Mu stood up, put on his shoes, and said, "I'll go with you."

Ling Yuxiu shook her head. "If those 'pure stream' officials see you helping me review memorials, they'll complain to the court about your meddling in state affairs and demand your execution."

Qin Mu couldn't help but laugh, "Are there still 'pure stream' officials?"

"Plenty of them."

"Let me accompany you. It's been over a decade since I, as Imperial Preceptor, dealt with state affairs. Let those 'pure stream' officials talk if they want to. At worst, you can execute them, and then quietly exile them to distant provinces. Do you have your little black book?"

"Of course I do! The Ling family tradition must not be abandoned!"

The two reviewed memorials in the Imperial Study. Unbeknownst to them, dawn broke, and a hen-dragon crowed, followed by other hen-dragons crowing towards the east.

Ling Yuxiu yawned and hastily said, "I'll go wash my face and eat something first. Court is about to begin. If I'm late, there will be another big argument."

Qin Mu also stood up, wanting to embrace her, but saw palace maids entering with washing implements. He had to restrain himself and said, "Your Majesty, I have already refined the divine stones and the egg liquid. It's time for me to attend to my own affairs."

Ling Yuxiu washed her hands and face in a basin, then looked up and smiled, "Go and do what you need to do, don't worry. I'll handle things here."

Qin Mu felt a warmth in his heart and said softly, "Your Majesty, please take care of yourself."

Ling Yuxiu also felt a warmth in her heart and said softly, "You too, Imperial Preceptor. Don't overwork yourself."

Qin Mu bowed and exited the Imperial Study. He looked up; the east was paling with dawn.

He straightened his clothes, which hung loosely and unrestrained. Before dawn fully broke, he carried Heavenly Venerable Yue's lantern and headed towards Surging River.

"Senior Brother, and all the soldiers on the ghost ship, I promised to free you from the Ever-Changing Divine Art. Now, I can finally do it!"

By the time the sun rose, he had already arrived at Surging River.

Qin Mu stood on the river surface, watching the red sun leap from the eastern horizon. The waters of Surging River rippled, illuminated by the rising sun, appearing like countless large red fish leaping on the surface.

He put away the lantern, took out Heavenly Venerable Ling's peach wood hairpin, and lightly drew a line on the river surface. A ghost ship appeared beneath the water, its mast breaking through the surface as it rapidly glided underwater!