Chapter 227: Chapter 224: Caught in the Crossfire
「The Mountain and Sea Empire, in the Imperial Palace Study.」
Li Shimu and Liu Hong sat facing each other.
"Master Liu, what are your thoughts on this news?"
As the Emperor of the Empire, Li Shimu was naturally the first to receive the news.
Although the information he received was a bit more reserved than the rumors circulating outside, the core theme of "four women fighting jealously over one man" remained unchanged.
In his heart, Li Shimu didn’t mind his second daughter, Li Xuemiao, getting together with Mo Qi.
After all, Mo Qi was now the Empire’s Blessed One. Wasn’t it perfectly normal for girls to fight over him?
The crucial issue, however, was that this matter involved Liu Ruyan.
He had to understand Liu Hong’s attitude.
Liu Hong secretly rolled his eyes. ’What nonsense about some Qin Daye? Anyone with half a brain could figure out this Qin Daye must be Mo Qi!’
’Good kid. To think he hid his identity to ring the Dragon Vein Imperial Bell and even became the Mountain and Sea Empire’s Blessed One.’
’It seems I wasn’t wrong to think so highly of you.’
’But... why didn’t I ever notice you had a tendency to flirt around and play the field before?’
’Weren’t Ruyan and Niu Kexin enough? He actually went and charmed two more at once!’
’While it’s normal for a man to have multiple wives, this bad habit can’t be indulged!’
With this in mind, Liu Hong said, "Let the young people resolve their own affairs. Boy of the Li Family, there’s no need to keep probing my attitude. I’ll make my position clear right here: since Ruyan has entered the Imperial Academy, everything will proceed according to your Academy’s rules. As long as her life isn’t in danger, letting her suffer a little hardship is an excellent thing."
Hearing this, Li Shimu breathed a sigh of relief.
’Mo Qi is the Blessed One, so why was he not only given no benefits or assistance, but also left all alone in the Imperial Academy without even a teacher to guide his Cultivation?’
Although the Li Family’s ancestral teachings didn’t state it explicitly, Li Shimu knew this was to temper the Blessed One and allow him to grow strong.
If Liu Ruyan were always by Mo Qi’s side, backing him up, then this tempering would become a joke.
Now, with Liu Hong’s guarantee, things would be much easier to handle.
"Oh, right. There’s something I need you to convey to all the talented youths of the Empire for me," Liu Hong suddenly added.
"Master Liu, please speak."
"Among his peers, if anyone can defeat Mo... can defeat that Qin Daye, I promise that person can become a candidate to be Ruyan’s husband."
Li Shimu was so stunned his jaw hung open for a long moment.
He never would have expected Liu Hong to say such a thing.
This was a public martial contest to recruit a son-in-law, on an Empire-wide scale!
Except, one of the contestants would always remain the same: Mo Qi.
One could only imagine the massive waves this statement would create in the Mountain and Sea Empire.
One could also imagine how miserable the Blessed One’s future days would be.
By then, 99 percent of the Empire’s young men would be challenging Mo Qi.
From this, it was clear that Liu Hong was very displeased with the Blessed One’s behavior.
"Any problem with that?" Liu Hong asked.
"N-no," Li Shimu shook his head. "But Master Liu, do we need to set a specific range for ’peers’?"
Liu Hong thought for a moment and said, "No lower limit, and up to ten years older."
"Ten years?!" Li Shimu exclaimed in shock.
Mo Qi was currently sixteen. According to Liu Hong’s terms, any young man under the age of twenty-six could challenge him.
Sixteen and twenty-six were completely different concepts—a world of difference!
’Is Master Liu trying to get the Blessed One killed?’
"Um... Master Liu, isn’t a ten-year gap a little... unreasonable?"
"There’s nothing unreasonable about it. That fellow named Qin Daye, if he can’t even handle this, what right does he have to marry Ruyan?"
After speaking, Liu Hong added another sentence in his heart: ’That’ll teach you to be a player. Let’s see if you have any time to fool around now.’
"Alright, it’s settled!" Liu Hong vanished from the spot.
Li Shimu gave a bitter smile. ’Blessed One, oh Blessed One, I have already done my best to plead your case. You’re on your own now.’
Mo Qi, who had no idea what "playing the field" even meant, was completely unaware of how terrifying the bullet he had just unwittingly taken was.
He was still in the Cultivation Room, excitedly telling Niu Kexin and Liu Ruyan about what happened Within the Pass.
"Have that girl Li Xuemiao come see me!" Li Shimu sent the message, thinking to himself, ’Unwittingly, that girl has grown up.’
A short while later, Li Xuemiao pushed the door open and walked in.
"Father Emperor, did you need Miaomiao for something?" she asked with a playful smile, blinking her large eyes.
"Tell your Father Emperor, do you have a sweetheart?" Li Shimu got straight to the point, deliberately putting on a stern face and asking in a deep voice.
Li Xuemiao froze, frightened by Li Shimu’s tone.
It was the first time Li Shimu had ever spoken to her like this. He had always been kind and amiable, with a smile on his face.
"No, I don’t! Where would Miaomiao get a sweetheart from?" Li Xuemiao shook her head repeatedly, feeling very wronged.
"No?" Li Shimu raised an eyebrow. "Then what’s this about Qin Daye?"
"Mr. Qin the Good Man?" Li Xuemiao froze again. The delicious taste of the Medicinal Pills involuntarily surfaced in her mind, and for a moment, her mouth watered, and she couldn’t help but swallow.
"And you say you don’t like him?" Seeing Li Xuemiao’s reaction, Li Shimu thought he had hit a nerve.
"It’s not like that!" Li Xuemiao exclaimed, coming back to her senses and feeling greatly wronged. "Mr. Qin the Good Man has delicious Elixirs, so Miaomiao does like him. But this kind of ’like’ is different from the ’like’ you have for a sweetheart. It’s just like how Miaomiao likes Sister Xue, likes Brother Mu He, and likes you, Father Emperor."
"This..."
Li Xuemiao had a simple heart and was not good at lying. Li Shimu could naturally tell that every word she said was the truth.
"What exactly happened over at the Cultivation Room? Tell me in detail." Li Shimu felt his information might have been inaccurate, so he inquired further.
"This is what happened..." Without much thought, Li Xuemiao recounted the entire course of events.
After listening to her story, Li Shimu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. So that’s what had really happened.
The jealous fighting was real, but Li Xuemiao wasn’t involved, and Mo Qi had played the part of an oblivious fool in the middle of it all.
They say three women make a drama, and this time, Mo Qi had been royally screwed over.
"Father Emperor, can Miaomiao ask a favor of you?" Li Xuemiao suddenly asked.
"Oh? What is it? Let’s hear it."
"Could you ask Uncle Wu Pill Master to refine some really delicious Elixirs? Miaomiao wants to eat some."
"Delicious Elixirs? Are you referring to the taste?" Li Shimu’s heart stirred. He felt this scene was very familiar.
"Yes, the super delicious kind."
Li Shimu remembered now. Li Xuemiao wasn’t the first person to describe an Elixir as "delicious."
He remembered that after the Annual Selection began, during a court session, the Elder in charge of testing the participants’ talents had mentioned this very matter.
A young fellow named "Mo Qi" had successfully created Medicinal Cuisine. Because of this, he had even specifically instructed the King of Kaosan to activate his Token.
But because the Dragon Vein Imperial Bell was rung and the Blessed One appeared, he had completely forgotten about it.
But then again, why hadn’t he seen Mo Qi?
He had a Token to protect him; he shouldn’t have run into any trouble.
