Chapter 1633: Hidden Assassination Plot

The next day, Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu rose early. After washing up, Ling Yuxiu styled her hair into a woman's bun, and Qin Mu inserted a hairpin for her. After the couple finished breakfast, attendants at the manor had already organized all the congratulatory gifts, compiling them into a book, which they presented to Qin Mu.

While drinking tea, Qin Mu and Ling Yuxiu leaned their heads together, opening the book and reading through each entry.

Besides treasures, many of the guests sent unusual items. For example, Lan Yutian sent insights he had gained from years of contemplation under the World Tree. Xu Shenghua sent a can of tea and a pot of fragrant orchid. Zhe Huali sent a jade sculpture of a hundred children that he had carved with a knife.

Dao Master Lin Xuan copied and sent over a collection of mathematical equations he had researched over the years. Tathagata Zhankong sent a prayer bead. Wang Muran sent a challenge letter, inviting Qin Mu to a battle at Xiaoyujing at the same cultivation realm.

Emperor Yanfeng's gift was a thick stack of small booklets with Qin Mu's name written on them, followed by rows of tally marks, each meaning "correct" or "positive."

Yan Kang Imperial Preceptor Jiang Baigui sent a tree branch containing his sword dao, leaving it unclear whether it was a challenge to Qin Mu or an aspiration for him to gain deeper insights into his own sword dao from it.

The Woodcutter Saint sent a compilation of 360 post-celestial Great Daos, indicating that he was passing on his legacy to Qin Mu. Yan Yunxi sent a carrot with a bite taken out of it, which was likely a gift from the donkey Lü Zheng, who couldn't resist a nibble.

Di Yiyue gave Ling Yuxiu a hairpin, which seemed to still be useful. Tian Shu sent a jar of wine he had cherished for many years and was reluctant to drink.

Emperor釋天 Li Youran personally copied a version of his own insights from the "Records of Heavenly Arts and Hundred Creations." Old Farmer Zhuo Cha sent a load of rice he had personally grown, and Niu Sanduo also included a load of rice. The Fisherman Heavenly Master Han Tang gifted them two small red kuns, still young, which must have been offspring of his red fish.

Ling Yuxiu quickly retrieved them from the pile of gifts. In a small fish tank, there were two tiny red fish, each swimming around with a pacifier in its mouth.

"Don't touch them," Qin Mu quickly stopped her, saying, "These are kuns; they eat people."

The two small red kuns, with pacifiers in their mouths, looked at them innocently.

They continued to look through the gifts. Ling Yuxiu laughed, "Heavenly Venerate Ling sent you a 'knot of eternal concord.' Heavenly Venerates' gifts are indeed extraordinary."

Qin Mu pulled out the knot from Heavenly Venerate Ling. It was a knot made with red string, intricately tied with seal imprints, incorporating various subtleties of the Mi Luo Palace's Dao patterns, which made him unconsciously become engrossed in it.

"Heavenly Venerate Yue sent you a 'concentric lamp'!" Ling Yuxiu found a lantern embroidered with two hearts, and said with a wry smile, "Heavenly Venerates' gifts are truly unique."

"It's for both of us, meaning to wish us eternal unity," Qin Mu said calmly. "This lantern is very powerful for traveling."

Ling Yuxiu then found the gift from Divine King Lang Wo and said, "Sister Lang Wo sent you a flower."

Qin Mu looked at it, his heart skipping a beat. This flower was one he had conjured and given to Lang Wo when they were competing in the void of the other shore, and he had chosen not to retaliate in their final clash, but instead visualized a vibrant, dripping flower for her. Lang Wo had planted that flower in the Primordial Chaos Liquid Pool, and it had astonishingly survived until now.

Qin Mu chuckled, "Lang Wo's gift is also unique... yes, very unique."

Ling Yuxiu said with a wry smile, "Poison Master Mu Yingxue sent her family's geographical map."

Qin Mu quickly said, "Beware of poison! Better burn it quickly!"

"Formation Master He Yiyi sent a 'White Horse Painting,' depicting you and her riding on a horse. It's very well drawn; she truly learned from Grandpa Cripple for two years."

"It has hidden killing formations; burn it!"

"Former Emperor Bai Jian, the Divine Swordsman, sent you a set of dolls."

Ling Yuxiu searched and found that the dolls were inside a four-legged box. When she opened the box, there were two small figures sitting back-to-back inside.

Just as she was about to take out the figures for a closer look, Qin Mu suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Grandpa Apothecary sent us a set of dual cultivation techniques! Come quickly, my wife!"

Ling Yuxiu closed the box and leaned closer to look, then spat and said with a blush, "Grandpa Apothecary is a pervert, so indecent!"

"Tai Chu sent me a dragon scale." Qin Mu found the dragon scale and looked at it for a moment, then chuckled, "East Emperor Azure Dragon, are you well? Tai Chu sending this dragon scale must mean that the Azure Dragon once told him I owed him a favor when I revived Heavenly Grandfather. This dragon scale he sent is interesting, very interesting..."

His eyes flickered, and he said, "Tai Chu suspects that I am not truly in reclusion, so he used this dragon scale to test me. If I were to revive East Emperor Azure Dragon, it would mean I am not truly in reclusion and still harbor great ambitions. He is still wary of me!"

He put away the dragon scale without reviving East Emperor Azure Dragon, saying, "The Ten Heavenly Venerates are just that, Ten Heavenly Venerates. Tai Chu and Heavenly Venerate Hao are two sides of the same coin. Reviving Azure Dragon can wait for another time!"

"Heavenly Emperor Hao also sent many treasures," Ling Yuxiu exclaimed in wonder. "He is quite generous. Heavenly Grandfather also sent a gift, sent jointly in the names of Earth Count and Heavenly Grandfather."

"He's urging me to revive Earth Count A'Chou," Qin Mu secretly put away the box of dolls sent by Bai Quer. Then he visualized his and Ling Yuxiu's dolls and placed them back in their original spot, saying, "He couldn't directly urge me, so he used the gift as a reminder."

"Dragon Fat sent a set of 'Human Raising Scripture'!" Ling Yuxiu burst into laughter. "And it's the new version! Dragon Fat is quite thoughtful; this must be for me!" Saying this, she glanced at Qin Mu.

Qin Mu gave a dry laugh, turned his head away, his expression dark.

"Tai Shi also sent a gift: a small piece of eggshell." Ling Yuxiu puzzled, "Why would he send an eggshell... Senior Brother Wei sent a pile of geographical maps; do you want to see them?"

The couple tidied up, finally reviewing all the guests' gifts. Those worth keeping were kept, and those not were either sent directly to the Yan Kang national treasury or sold.

By mid-morning, the couple went to pay their respects to their parents and the Eight Elders of Disabled Elderly Village. Grandma Si had prepared several cattle for Qin Mu. Qin Mu's heart tightened, and he quietly looked at the cattle, relieved to find they were indeed just ordinary cattle.

"Mu'er, let's go back to the village!" Blind man laughed.

In Yong River, Disabled Elderly Village had long been occupied by the Chicken-Dragon, becoming a local menace. Everyone planned to tidy up and drive the Chicken-Dragons away. Qin Mu chuckled, "No need. I am a Heavenly Venerate in reclusion, and I still cling to power. How can I still live in the original small mountain village?"

He used his divine consciousness to visualize, and moments later, a magnificent celestial palace, resplendent with fragrant flowers and luxurious decorations, appeared above Disabled Elderly Village. He and Ling Yuxiu walked hand-in-hand into the celestial palace.

The celestial palace floated among the clouds, and below, countless Chicken-Dragons looked up enviously.

The Celestial River flowed in the sky. Qin Mu then used great divine power to relocate a piece of land and place it beside the Celestial River, where he pastured the cattle along the riverbank. With green hills, clear water, and white clouds drifting by, it was a very poetic scene.

Ling Yuxiu placed the two small red kuns, given by Fisherman Han Tang, into the Celestial River. The two small red kuns, with pacifiers in their mouths, swam along the bank, reluctant to leave.

No sooner had Ling Yuxiu walked away than she heard two loud *crunching* sounds from the Celestial River. Two huge red kuns, tens of feet long, leaped out of the water, opened their mouths, and devoured two cows grazing on the bank. The remaining two cows quickly bolted.

Ling Yuxiu was dumbfounded, watching as the two red kuns shifted their bodies, slowly retreating into the Celestial River, transforming back into two small red fish with pacifiers, swimming around.

"My husband doesn't know about this yet. Hmm, I'll buy two more cows to replace them; he won't notice..."

Ling Yuxiu hurriedly left, bought two cows, and mixed them into the herd to make up the numbers.

She also planted the flower from Lang Wo by the Celestial River and the radish from Yan Yunxi. When the radish landed, the part bitten off by Lü Zheng suddenly grew, quickly returning to its original state, transforming into a naked infant that jumped out of the soil and into the river to bathe.

"Be careful, there are kuns in the river..."

Just as Ling Yuxiu said this, she heard another *crunch*. Two red kuns leaped out of the water, but then she saw the naked infant clenching its fists and giving the two red kuns a thorough beating.

Only then did Ling Yuxiu relax.

Qin Mu studied the texts among the gifts, reading through them one by one. Ling Yuxiu also brought various reform achievements from Yan Kang, which were very beneficial to him, making him marvel at the development of divine arts and Dao methods in Yan Kang over the years.

He pulled out the 360 Great Dao compilation from the Woodcutter Saint and compared it, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Woodcutter Teacher formulated 360 Great Daos, which was also the prototype for the 360 halls of the Heavenly Saint Sect. But after over a hundred years of reforms in Yan Kang, there are far more than 360 post-celestial Great Daos."

Qin Mu closed the book and stood up. The reforms in Yan Kang had continuously given birth to new industries, and each new industry represented the birth of a new post-celestial Great Dao.

The Dao is limitless—this refers not to the path of seeking the Dao being limitless, but to the post-celestial Great Daos being infinite, never to be fully discovered.

While absorbing the fruits of Yan Kang's reforms, he enjoyed his honeymoon with Ling Yuxiu, filled with love and joy, and also spent time with the elders of Disabled Elderly Village. Time flew by quickly.

He rarely found such peace. During these days, he quietly contemplated and organized his cultivation methods and divine abilities. His Dao heart became increasingly profound and inscrutable. The things sent by Lan Yutian greatly inspired him, and the Yan Kang reforms and the Woodcutter Saint's 360 post-celestial Great Daos also gave him deep insights.

Emperor Yanfeng and Imperial Preceptor Jiang Baigui handled Yan Kang's political affairs. Yu Chenzi was responsible for negotiations with the Heavenly Court. These mundane matters did not disturb his Dao heart.

Gradually, he felt that his Dao methods and divine abilities were at a bottleneck, on the verge of a major breakthrough. He sensed that he was about to reach a completely new realm, yet he was utterly confused about how to proceed.

Qin Mu walked back and forth, unconsciously arriving at the Celestial River. He saw a flock of Chicken-Dragons that had somehow flown onto this floating land, digging for insects in the forest.

Nearby were several cattle, lying under the shade of trees, swishing their tails and ruminating, looking perfectly content.

Qin Mu sat on the grass, lost in thought.

He didn't know how much time had passed when suddenly a voice came: "In the past, Heavenly Venerate Mu; now, a cowherd. You make me... make me filled with deep emotion and endless sighs."

Qin Mu turned his head and saw Heavenly Emperor Hao, in plain clothes, who had arrived there unnoticed.

Qin Mu stood up and forced a smile, "Your Majesty is mocking your humble servant."

Heavenly Emperor Hao came to his side, looked around, and said, "When I first heard that Heavenly Venerate Mu had lost his Dao heart, I was somewhat incredulous. But now that I see you so dejected, I believe it, yet a hint of bitterness wells up in my heart."

He looked up at the sky and murmured, "Without an opponent like Heavenly Venerate Mu, what use is all my martial power?"

Two lines of clear tears rolled down his cheeks.