Chapter 238: Chapter 235: Li Yuanhao’s Visit

After a long while, someone asked, "What do we do?"

"What else can we do? We do as she says! Her ancestral land is in the Mortal District, anyway. It’s no great loss to give it to her."

"Then what about the talent selection event we planned? Should we still proceed?"

"Of course, we must continue. Not only that, we need to speed things up. The emergence of Queen Mo Yan could be a blessing or a curse. Although she insists she won’t compete with us for anything, you can never know what’s in someone’s heart. We have to be on our guard. We need to find the person who carries that item. With it, even if Queen Mo Yan turns on us, we’ll have the means to oppose her!"

"Alright then. We’ll return to our respective homes and urge our juniors to put this into action as soon as possible."

...

Deep beneath the Mountain and Sea Empire, at that same altar.

A mature woman in a long purple dress sat languidly atop the Crystal Coffin, her long, flawless legs crossed.

Her appearance could be summed up in two words: beauty and allure.

She yawned and muttered to herself, "It will still take some time for my power to fully recover. Just talking to those little guys was exhausting enough for this Queen. Hah... The world really has changed. But it’s also become more interesting."

As she spoke, her gaze swept over the little white mouse below.

"Ah Bai, I have you to thank for this. It’s time to restore you to your true form."

With a flick of her finger, a streak of purple light vanished into the little white mouse’s body.

A look of ecstasy appeared on the little white mouse’s face as its body rapidly swelled and grew. It shed its fur and quickly transformed into a young man dressed in white.

The little white mouse, now in human form, was far less expressive. With a cold and stern face, he knelt on one knee before the woman.

"Ah Bai pays his respects to Her Majesty the Queen."

"No need for such ceremony. You’ve rendered a great service. Tell me, what reward would you like from this Queen?"

The young man glanced at her, the deep affection in his eyes but a fleeting flash. "This subordinate seeks no reward. I only wish to follow Her Majesty forever and serve you with my life."

"Then, do you want to be this Queen’s man?" the woman asked with a light laugh. Her body trembled slightly, making the twin peaks on her chest sway.

The young man froze, then said in terror, "This subordinate wouldn’t dare."

"This Queen isn’t asking if you dare. I’m asking if you want to."

"I don’t want to," the young man replied almost without hesitation.

"Oh? And why is that?" The woman was curious. She could, of course, see the love he held for her.

Though she held no romantic feelings for him, she had to admit that his years of guardianship had touched her deeply. That was why she had asked.

"If Her Majesty were to love me, she would no longer be my Queen." The young man’s face was impassive, as if he were discussing a matter that had nothing to do with him.

His meaning was simple: he didn’t need her love, nor did he presume to hope for it.

He felt he was unworthy and couldn’t possibly desecrate her.

The woman shook her head to herself. ’To think that after all these years, his personality hasn’t changed one bit.’

’But this is for the best. It saved me a lot of trouble.’

The woman rose, her smile vanishing. She glanced at the altar beneath her feet and said, "Ah Bai, for the time being, you will remain here and oversee the awakening of some of our clan’s warriors. Maintain constant contact with me."

"As you command, Her Majesty the Queen."

The woman nodded. With a flicker of her form, she vanished.

"An interesting pill, an interesting person... This Queen is eager to see just what this world has become!"

...

At the Imperial Academy, the External Incarnation brought Niu Kexin and Liu Ruyan back to his residence.

After the three of them had chatted for a while, Mo Qi’s residence received a guest—the Young Prince of the Kaosan, Li Yuanhao.

After Mo Qi taught him a lesson in the Fighting Cultivation Room, he had returned to the Prince’s Mansion with the Medicinal Pill.

At first, he hadn’t thought much of the Medicinal Pill, assuming it was just some sort of Healing Elixir.

As the Young Prince of the Kaosan, how could he possibly be short on Elixirs?

However, after the King of Kaosan revealed Mo Qi’s identity as a Blessed One, Li Yuanhao had a realization and told his father about the pill.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the King of Kaosan, speaking as his father, ordered him to follow Mo Qi’s instructions and consume the Medicinal Pill at high noon.

After he took it, Li Yuanhao’s Cultivation didn’t increase, his innate talent didn’t grow stronger, and there were no other noticeable effects.

The King of Kaosan was baffled. ’That can’t be right.’ He refused to believe Mo Qi would do something for no reason.

Li Yuanhao, on the other hand, was utterly astounded and rushed to Mo Qi’s residence at once.

He knew better than anyone what that Medicinal Pill had done for him!

"Li Yuanhao greets you, Uncle!"

Li Yuanhao called him "Uncle" with natural ease and heartfelt respect.

He was once again secretly shocked when he saw Niu Kexin and Liu Ruyan there as well.

’Uncle is truly worthy of his title! To think he could bring these two to his home... He’s practically a Divine Being!’

He had been present when the Empire held a banquet for Liu Hong and his granddaughter, witnessing the entire event from the crowd. He knew exactly how important Niu Kexin and Liu Ruyan were.

"Li Yuanhao, how did you find your way here? You want another round?" Mo Qi asked, confused.

"Yuanhao wouldn’t dare!" Li Yuanhao waved his hands frantically. ’Another round? Is he kidding?’

’Never mind whether I could even win, and never mind the Medicinal Pill... if I dared to lay a hand on Mo Qi again, the King of Kaosan would be the first one to have my hide.’

"This nephew has come today to discuss a matter of great importance with you."

Niu Kexin and Liu Ruyan exchanged a glance, and both rose to take their leave.

"Little Brother Mo, since you’re busy, I’ll get going."

"Brother Mo, you go ahead. Ruyan will come see you another time."

Their man had business to attend to, and as supportive partners, they naturally knew when to give him space.

Mo Qi nodded and saw Niu Kexin and Liu Ruyan out the door.

"Alright, what is it?" Mo Qi gave Li Yuanhao a serious look, and then noticed the issue. "Hm? You took what I gave you?"

Li Yuanhao cupped his fist in his palm and bowed deeply. "Yuanhao thanks you for your immense grace, Uncle."

Mo Qi accepted his profound bow without batting an eye. "Alright," he said with a smile, "come, sit and talk."

Li Yuanhao flinched slightly and shook his head. "I wouldn’t dare. Yuanhao is fine standing."

Mo Qi didn’t press the issue. He sat down, poured himself some tea, and said, "You’ve got some nerve, kid. Daring to go to a place like that. Do you have a death wish?"

The first time Mo Qi had met Li Yuanhao, he’d noticed something was off about him.

He looked fine on the surface, but a thread of Extremely Yin Energy was lodged in his Dantian, constantly eroding his Cultivation.

The process was incredibly slow, but this thread of Extremely Yin Energy would gradually grow over time. Sooner or later, it would destroy Li Yuanhao’s Martial Dao foundation and completely consume his Dantian.

Extremely Yin Energy wasn’t some common commodity. It originates from places of great evil and malevolence and is exceedingly rare.

Mo Qi didn’t understand why someone of Li Yuanhao’s status would go to a place like that.

Li Yuanhao sighed. "Uncle, you may not be aware, but while the title ’Young Prince of the Kaosan’ sounds glamorous and is the envy of countless people, they have no idea what it truly entails."