Chapter 587
Tang Xiaobao chewed on a candy stick, his face serious.
Xue Jing, on the other hand, wore a complex expression. After all, his disciple had mentioned that this thing wasn’t meant for Li Mo to eat himself; it was intended for Xiao Bing'er, and coincidentally, it was around the time of their engagement.
The old man couldn’t shake the feeling that he had become a part of a young couple's play.
“What miraculous effect?” Ying Bing squinted her beautiful eyes, glancing at the little Li beside her.
“Shixiong Tang, eat this; it’s really potent.”
Li Mo leaned back slightly, pulling out a seven-patterned pill and stringing it up, hoping to silence him.
But Tang Xiaobao was too worried about him to bother with the candy stick.
“It could cost lives—two lives! And it has to be one yin and one yang, one male and one female... Isn’t that just you and Shimei Ying?”
“Truly a divine pill; its effects are simply shocking and hard to imagine.”
Tang Xiaobao’s face was filled with seriousness.
As he spoke, he turned to confirm with Xue Jing, “Master, you said this, right?”
“Well, I did say that…” Xue Jing took out a dark crystal containing the pills.
“Please enlighten me, Elder Xue; I won’t eat it, that’s all.”
Li Mo solemnly took back the dark crystal, keeping his lips sealed about it, but his movements were cautious.
Then he felt a delicate hand digging into his palm.
Ying Bing leaned closer to his face, squinting her eyes as she asked, “What do you mean by two lives?”
Li Mo looked away, “I don’t know; I’ve never eaten this Longfeng Yuantai Shen Dan (Dragon and Phoenix Primordial Pill), so it might just mean what it says.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. Luckily, we didn’t rashly consume it.”
Seeing his bewildered expression, Ying Bing nodded in agreement.
As for the Longfeng Yuantai Shen Dan, others might not know its purpose, and Ying Bing had never seen the real thing; she had only read about it in ancient texts by chance.
It’s well-known that the more powerful a warrior, a demon, or even a beast, the higher their realm and bloodline, the harder it is for them to conceive offspring.
Thus, a celestial being from the Nine Heavens used the essence of dragon and phoenix to refine a divine pill...
However, since true dragons and phoenixes don’t appear simultaneously, gathering the materials for the Longfeng Yuantai Shen Dan is nearly impossible. Throughout history, only one batch has ever been refined, and those that still exist are exceedingly rare.
Unexpectedly, Li Mo had stumbled upon one by chance.
He almost ate it himself; wouldn’t that mean...
Wait a minute.
Ying Bing furrowed her delicate brows, looking at him as if he knew everything but was just a stubborn child. She glanced at the complex expression on Elder Xue’s face, feeling that something was off.
No one here had mentioned that this was the Longfeng Yuantai Shen Dan, right?
How did this child know?
“Brother, do you really not know the effects of the Longfeng Yuantai Shen Dan?”
“I’m just an ordinary cook; I don’t know anything about alchemy.”
Little Li spoke grandly, then pulled Elder Xue into a chat about old times.
“Elder Xue, it’s been a while! I’ve missed you so much.”
“We’ve only been apart for a few days…”
“Every day apart feels like three autumns! If it weren’t for you, I might have struggled to refine my first Xuan Dan (Mysterious Pill) and would have had to search high and low, maybe even making it onto the Jianghu (martial arts world) rankings. What a disaster that would be for my esteemed reputation!”
“?”
Elder Xue leaned back slightly, realizing this kid had grown some wings and dared to threaten him.
Xue Jing had never been weak, and among the eccentric alchemists, he was quite stubborn. Could he really fall for this?
“Ha... haha, what did you say last time, Xiao Mo? Something about making the pills into popsicle shapes? I thought about it, and it does seem like it could work.”
As they exchanged pleasantries, the group arrived at the main hall.
...
“Nothing impressive to offer? Well, as long as your intentions are there, a safety lock is just fine. It’s perfect for kids. But could you give me a pair?”
Little Li, completely unaware of the effects of the Longfeng Yuantai Shen Dan, said this while facing Elder Han He, who was preparing engagement gifts.
“Elder Qian, I need to buy some ingredients; give me plenty of spicy and sour ones.”
When it came time to book the banquet, Little Li, still clueless about the Longfeng Yuantai Shen Dan, said this.
“Everyone is too polite. Speaking of which, I missed your engagement, just like I missed my parents’ wedding. I should give you a gift to make up for it.”
Facing the gifts prepared by Hengyun Sword City, Gangdou Sect, and various Jianghu figures, Li Mo pulled out a more precious and perfectly suitable return gift.
He didn’t seem like a child at all; he was all about proper etiquette, knowing when to advance and retreat.
For a moment, no one could tell who was actually getting engaged.
Seeing this scene, everyone was left in confusion.
“Li Shaoxia seems quite certain he’ll have two kids in the future.”
“Isn’t he the one getting engaged? Why is he giving me gifts instead? It actually makes sense; he did miss my engagement... Wait, wasn’t he not even born when I got married?”
“Plus, he’s already had tea brewed by Han Xianzi. No, they haven’t even finalized their engagement yet, but why do I feel like she’s already the lady of the house?”
“Then the question arises: what about the true dragon bloodline and the true phoenix bloodline?”
“Ask again, ask again. Aren’t you from the sea tribe? I heard the sea tribe has a magical conch; why don’t you go ask the magical conch?”
Naturally, everyone couldn’t hear the hints in Li Mo’s ears, nor did they see Xue Jing wanting to say something but holding back.
But in any case, everyone felt this trip wasn’t in vain. Although they didn’t manage to protect the law, they ended up as honored guests at a joyous occasion.
The date was set for the New Year.
To be honest, they initially thought this matter was a bit rushed. Both of them weren’t even of marrying age yet; in other sects, young talents were just starting to achieve something, still untested in the world.
Li Shaoxia and Han Xianzi couldn’t be generalized, but it seemed their relationship was different from what many imagined.
Han Xianzi had just secretly pinched Li Shaoxia’s waist; could you handle that?
Not fast, not fast at all.
Now, it was unclear whether the dragon and phoenix twins or the engagement would come first.
“Ugh, I feel like the engagement banquet, wedding banquet, and full-month celebration might be very close together.”
“That makes sense; doesn’t that mean we have to prepare gifts for all three occasions?”
“I seem to have run out of suitable gifts to offer; I can’t present anything ordinary, and it’s giving me a headache.”
“The exotic treasures from the East Sea market have opened; I plan to go take a look when I have time.”
“Let’s go together…”
“Cough!”
At that moment, a cough drew everyone’s attention.
As their gazes gathered, they realized the one coughing was the King of Zhen Nan.
Tang Xiaobao asked with concern, “Your Highness, are you feeling unwell? I can share a candy stick with you; it’ll help with a cold.”
The King of Zhen Nan: “…”
So, among all these people, was no one concerned that they had gathered here to send him off?
---
Chapter 680: Qingyuan Sect, a Provincial Power!
After noticing the King of Zhen Nan standing there for quite a while, everyone finally quieted down, waiting for Zhong Qin to speak.
If it were them, they would have left long ago. The king had been standing there for half a day, probably still had something to say.
“I do have one more thing to discuss.”
The King of Zhen Nan looked somewhat helpless but not embarrassed: “I received a decree from His Majesty. It states that Qingyuan Sect is brimming with talent, unlike before. The sect leader is already half a step into the sixth realm, and with Li Mo and Ying Bing under his wing, they are pillars of the future.”
“Therefore, it is inappropriate for you to remain a prefectural power.”
“From this day forth, Qingyuan Sect shall govern a state. I hope you can win over the heroes of the Eastern Wilderness and prosper your sect.”
In short, this decree elevated Qingyuan Sect from a prefectural power to a provincial power.
No one was surprised by this; although Li Mo wearing the yellow robe was mostly a joke, just based on his and Ying Bing’s future, Qingyuan Sect shouldn’t be a mere prefectural power.
However, this decree was merely a formality.
To govern a state, one must possess the strength to make all sects and powers submit and comply, which involves resources, territory, and the distribution of benefits—far more complex than a single word from the emperor could decide.
“Congratulations, Brother Shangguan.”
Elder Xu from the Sword City and the strong warriors who came with him all clasped their hands in congratulations to Shangguan Wencang.
This represented Hengyun Sword City’s acknowledgment of Qingyuan Sect’s position as the leading power in the state.
“Qingyuan Sect being confined to a prefecture is indeed a bit of an injustice.”
The leader of Gangdou Sect also nodded slightly.
“Are we, are we Qingyuan Sect going to collect taxes from a state now? I’ll have to bring my own seasoning when I mooch off meals in the future!”
Qian Bufan’s body shook, his eyes filled with excitement and a thirst for wealth.
Tears wet the meals he had mooched; he vowed to collect a million this year!
“Alright, alright, let’s draft a letter. This year for the New Year, the elders of this provincial power will return home.”
Elder Han He clasped his hands behind his back, and his smile seemed a bit crooked.
Table of Contents
