External Soul Bone, So Good! (Please Vote and Tip)

The harem.

Nan Gongling was tending to some of the flowers and plants she had grown when she saw Xue Ye storming over in a fury. "Your Majesty, why do you look so upset?"

"Isn't it because of that unfilial son of mine!"

Xue Ye's face was dark as he picked up the tea on the stone table and gulped it down, yet no matter what he did, he could not suppress the rage in his heart.

Unfilial son?

Hearing this, Nan Gongling immediately set down her watering can and sat at the stone table, worry appearing on her face. "Your Majesty, could it be that Wuji has caused trouble again?"

"No! It's Qinghe. He actually altered my decree without permission and took fifteen million gold coins from the National Treasury!"

Xue Ye's chest heaved violently. By the end, he had slammed his hand on the table and risen to his feet, startling even Nan Gongling.

The more he thought about it, the angrier Xue Ye became. It felt as if smoke were pouring from all seven of his orifices. He had always been the one plotting against others, yet today, he had actually been played by his own son.

Damn it!

If anyone else had altered an Imperial Decree without authorization, he would have long since ordered them torn apart by five horses. That was three million gold coins!

Revenge!

This was definitely revenge!

Xue Ye did not need to think to know that Su Xian was still bitter about him shamelessly refusing to pay up, so he had deliberately cheated money out of him this way.

Very well. So you want to go against me, huh? You've successfully piqued my interest!

"Qinghe?"

Nan Gongling cried out in surprise, then hurriedly asked, "How could he possibly do such a thing? Besides, without an Imperial Decree from you, Your Majesty, he couldn't have taken so much money from the National Treasury!"

Fifteen million gold coins!!

Nan Gongling finally understood why Xue Ye was so furious, and she became even more worried, afraid that Xue Ye would punish him severely.

"He had my Imperial Decree!"

Xue Ye ground his teeth and forced those words out through clenched jaws before explaining resentfully, "That unfilial son changed the twelve million written on the decree to fifteen million, taking an extra three million from the National Treasury."

Three million!!

At the mention of that number, Xue Ye felt as though his heart were being cut apart. He had always painstakingly tried to leave more resources behind for the imperial family.

Yet now, someone had struck back and directly taken away fifteen million gold coins!

Fuck!

That was half a year's tax revenue for the empire!!

Nan Gongling was also stunned. She had not expected Su Xian to dare do something like this, but...

"Your Majesty, that was twelve million gold coins. Why did you give Qinghe so much money?" Nan Gongling asked with a frown.

"Uh..."

Xue Ye froze, immediately realizing that he had let something slip. Given Nan Gongling's nature, she would definitely get to the bottom of it.

"He said he wanted to build some kind of Entertainment City and specifically asked me for it," Xue Ye replied, his expression shifting slightly.

"He said that, and you just gave it to him? More than ten million gold coins at that?!"

Sure enough, the moment Xue Ye finished speaking, Nan Gongling's deadly question arrived.

Xue Ye: ...

You think I wanted to give it to him? But I had no choice! That brat was openly threatening me!

Sob, sob... Being emperor is really suffocating!

Though furious inside, Xue Ye had not lost his reason. He had no intention of telling Nan Gongling about Su Xian returning to the future.

At least, he could not tell her now. Otherwise, if news of the Soul Guidance Cannon leaked out, the empire's losses would be irreparable!

"Sigh... I just thought that he wasn't young anymore, and I wanted him to accomplish something on his own, so that the ministers would be convinced as well!"

His expression eased considerably as Xue Ye let out a faint sigh, perfectly portraying a father who was thinking of his son.

Life truly was like a play—everything depended on acting skills!

"So that's how it is."

Nan Gongling nodded slightly. But the money had already been given; what difference did another three million make?

"I think Qinghe must have felt the money wasn't enough, which was why he altered the decree without permission. Since he already took it, just let him have it."

Nan Gongling had already formed her own guess. The way she looked at Xue Ye changed as well, a trace of disdain flashing through her eyes as she said, "Twelve million is still giving it to him, and fifteen million is still giving it to him. An extra three million isn't much."

Hearing this, Xue Ye nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

What did she mean, an extra three million wasn't much? Was this about three million gold coins?!

This was him provoking me, his father!

Now they dared to alter his decree without authorization—wouldn't they be shitting and pissing right on his head in the future?

He had originally planned to have Nan Gongling retrieve the money, but now Xue Ye had completely given up. Sure enough, mothers always favored their sons!

Sob, sob, sob... Being a father was truly too hard!

Prince's Residence.

Qian Renxue had shut herself in her room to cultivate. With his wife gone, Su Xian's leisurely days suddenly lost all appeal.

"Forget it, I'll go cultivate too. Sigh..."

Shaking his head, Su Xian returned to his bedroom in boredom.

Readers: ...

Fuck!

You said you wouldn't cultivate. If you've got the guts, then really don't cultivate!

The protagonist's mouth really was a lying ghost. We despise you!

Inside the bedroom.

"Sigh~ With my wife in seclusion, I can only pass the time by absorbing soul bones!"

With a faint sigh, Su Xian leaned against the headboard and stared pensively at the three boxes on the bed.

The box on the right contained a pair of miniature snow-white wings.

Su Xian's first thought was that he finally had the materials for his Zhuge fan.

The box in the middle contained a set of claws. Their sharp blades glinted coldly, and even through the box, the overwhelmingly tyrannical power they radiated sent chills down one's spine.

Mm~ This would be very convenient for cracking walnuts.

As for the one on the left, it was an eye. It looked incomparably eerie, making Su Xian's heart creep with unease.

"As expected, expensive things are expensive for a reason."

Looking at the three items, Su Xian took a deep breath, a fiery gleam flashing through his eyes. He had spent fifty thousand, ten thousand, and one hundred thousand gold coins on them respectively.

By that calculation, each one was worth over a hundred million gold coins!

That's right!

The three items before him were all External Soul Bones!

Given his current circumstances, the wings and the eye would be rather difficult for him to absorb.

Although absorbing soul bones did not depend on Soul Power Level, and someone with only level-one soul power could absorb a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone if they were lucky, that only happened under ideal conditions.

The all-around attribute boost brought by a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was enormous. Coupled with the terrifying energy contained within, it could very well tear him apart directly.

However, he could try the two-thousand-year Dark Gold Terror Claw in the middle first, then use it as a bridge to attempt absorbing the other External Soul Bones.

But before that, to be safe, he still needed a soul ring!

After putting away the wings and the eye, Su Xian took out a crystal box the size of a pen holder from his Storage Ring.

Inside the crystal box, a tiny black bird lay as though asleep. Strands of silver formation patterns coiled around its body, clearly indicating that it had been sealed.

"Bro, if you don't say anything, I'll take it as your silent agreement to let me kill you."

After muttering to himself, Su Xian saw that the bird truly did not react. It had probably already lost hope in this world.

So, upholding the fine tradition of doing good deeds without leaving his name behind, Su Xian sent it on its way to the Western Paradise.

Sigh~ No need to thank me. It was simply what I should do!

Mm~ Here comes my two-thousand-year soul ring!!