"...All right!"
When Wen Zhong said that, the smile on Di Xin's face instantly froze, turning stiff. His excitement and enthusiasm were like a burning flame suddenly doused with icy water. After a long silence, he finally managed to say one word.
His disappointment was written all over his face.
"Great King..." Wen Zhong began, then hesitated, looking somewhat awkward.
"Heh, I understand. No need to say more. There are just a few things I don't understand, and I need the Grand Tutor to explain them to me. Come, come, follow me!"
King Zhou looked clearly bleary-eyed, yet he insisted on pulling Wen Zhong into a side hall. He took out the silk scroll containing the cultivation method and asked one question after another.
Seeing how diligently the Great King was studying, Wen Zhong held nothing back and answered each question.
After asking more than a dozen questions in a row, Di Xin looked over the lengthy cultivation method. "That's all I have for now. If I have more questions, I'll have to trouble the Grand Tutor again."
He looked just like an indefatigable schoolboy.
Wen Zhong felt conflicted, but said nothing more. After leaving the Royal Palace, he did not return directly to his residence. Instead, he headed in one direction and soared into the sky on the Ink Qilin.
"Great King, you must take care of yourself. Seeing you devote yourself to cultivating Dao as if possessed has me truly worried!"
Su Daji welcomed Di Xin back to Shouxian Palace, speaking in a sweet, coquettish voice as they walked.
"My health is excellent. Beloved Consort, there's no need to worry."
Di Xin pinched Daji's slender waist and laughed heartily as he returned to his bedroom.
Daji remained where she was, her expression shifting subtly. She was worried that if the Great King really managed to cultivate vital energy one day, he might sense the demonic aura on her during their intimacy.
Then her good days would be over.
The more Daji thought about it, the more worried she became. She was just about to follow Di Xin and persuade him not to become obsessed with those useless pursuits.
But as soon as she moved, a palace attendant hurried in from outside.
She immediately grew annoyed and glared at the attendant, her expression darkening. "Have you all forgotten your manners? What's with all this rushing about?"
"Your Highness, I have something important to report to the Great King."
The attendant quickly stopped and replied respectfully.
Di Xin had already entered his bedroom, and his senses were now far sharper than before. Though it was some distance away, he could still hear the two of them clearly.
"What is it?"
What concerned him most at the moment was whether the Daoist Sect members were making any moves, so he hurried out to ask.
"Great King, many court officials are kneeling outside the palace gates, begging to see you!"
The attendant quickly answered.
"So that's what it is!"
Di Xin's heart, which had been in suspense, immediately settled. He wasn't worried about anything else; he was only concerned that the Daoist Sect members might cause trouble in Chaoge.
As long as they weren't stirring up trouble, everything was fine. Those officials were easy enough to deal with.
Besides, the more trouble there was, the more likely he was to receive a system reward.
He had been cultivating at the Ancestral Temple for the past two days, and everything had been peaceful, but he hadn't had a chance to receive any system rewards.
He did not return to his bedroom. Instead, escorted by a squad of Imperial Guards, he headed straight for the palace gates.
When he arrived, he ordered the guards to open the heavy gates and let the officials in.
Outside of court hours, the Royal Palace's security was usually very strict. Except for a few high-ranking officials, no one else could enter without an order from the Great King or the Queen.
With so many people arriving at once, the Imperial Guards on duty dared not let them in casually.
"Great King, let us go to Longde Hall. We have something to report."
Prime Minister Shang Rong glanced at the many Imperial Guards around them and addressed Di Xin with due propriety.
Di Xin didn't mind. He led everyone straight into Longde Hall and sat on the throne, as if he'd added an extra court session to the middle of the day.
"What is it? Speak."
Di Xin saw that quite a few people had come that day. Nearly all the civil and military officials who usually had the right to attend court were present, so the matter must be serious.
"Great King, I heard that you knelt before Grand Tutor Wen in the palace?"
Shang Rong got straight to the point.
"Ah, that matter!"
Di Xin knew that there were court officials in the palace, so there were no real secrets within its walls. It was abnormal, but things had always been that way. He had been here too briefly to properly investigate.
Besides, so many Imperial Guards had been present at the time. It was hard to say who had spread the news.
The matter was nothing to worry about, so Di Xin nodded in confirmation. "That's right. I wish to take Grand Tutor Wen as my master and learn Daoist arts. Grand Tutor Wen is a veteran of two reigns and a trusted minister entrusted with the previous king's final wishes. Is he not worthy of a bow from me?"
Shang Rong stepped forward and declared righteously, "Great King, we are not opposed to you kneeling before Grand Tutor Wen. He is a pillar of Yin Shang and worthy of your respect. However, we do not approve of you learning Daoist arts."
"Why?"
Di Xin found it strange. Were these officials meddling a little too much?
"Great King, allow me to answer."
At that moment, King Wu Cheng of Zhenguo, Huang Feihu, stepped forward and took over.
"Great King, I am a military man, and my aptitude is passable. Yet I once obtained a Daoist cultivation method and still made no progress at all, wasting a great deal of precious time. When I chatted with Grand Tutor Wen in the past, I also heard him mention your aptitude, Great King. It is even worse than mine, so success is simply impossible. We urge you to give up this idea and focus on governing the state and handling its affairs."
"Is that the only reason?"
Di Xin suddenly laughed.
"Great King, you have not attended court for many days, and numerous government matters remain unsigned and unaddressed. If you continue to waste your days cultivating, will you not ruin this great kingdom? And since this is clearly impossible, we cannot stand by and let you keep trying."
Huang Feihu spoke with profound concern.
"Heh, how do you know my aptitude is poor? Grand Tutor Wen may not be right."
Di Xin found it rather amusing. How had his information become so worthless that everyone outside already knew he lacked aptitude?
That was actually a good thing. He wanted to cultivate quietly, keeping a low profile so he could lie low without drawing attention.
But no matter how much they protested, they could never make him give up cultivating.
"Great King, we also think Grand Tutor Wen may not be right. So... we have invited a highly accomplished master to assess your aptitude. If you truly can make progress, we naturally won't stand in your way. But if it is as Grand Tutor Wen said, then please heed our sincere advice and stop wasting your efforts."
At that moment, the Vice Prime Minister, Bi Gan, stepped forward and continued.
Di Xin looked at the three men who had stepped out, a playful smile on his face.
It was obvious they had prepared for this, and had made ample contingency plans for how he might react.
They had even brought in a highly accomplished master?
Di Xin's first thought was that perhaps those Daoist Sect members had used some secret technique to bewitch the officials, so they could examine his body.
Something about this seemed unusual!
Before you continue