I've Got Everything Covered
Inside the Heavenly Palace, Eastern Emperor Taiyi listened quietly to the report from the Heavenly Gods below, without uttering a single word.
A solemn atmosphere permeated the entire hall. Apart from Jiang Lan and Bai Qiuran, all the other True Gods of the Nine Divisions of Heaven, the Five Direction Heavenly Emperor, the remaining Divine General of the Thirty-Three Heavens, as well as the Heavenly Emperor's chief steward Lu Wu and Yingzhao, were gathered here.
But at this moment, these powerful and influential figures all lowered their heads, not daring to breathe loudly.
"Really? Both the Plague Poison True God and the Eastern Divine Might Marshal have rebelled..."
After a long silence, Eastern Emperor Taiyi, "It was within my expectations that Minister Jiang rebelled, but Minister Bai has also joined her in rebellion... It seems my worries were indeed correct. Minister Bai's true identity and identity are actually Human Race."
After a pause, he asked, "Lu Wu, what was the result of the Great Purge?"
"Your Majesty, according to the feedback from Heavenly Hearing and Earthly Sight, there are currently no Human Race Settlement left on the land. All Human Race Settlement have been successfully wiped out, but..."
Lu Wu hesitated for a moment before continuing, "It's just because of Marshal Bai's rebellion last night. In a small part of the Settlement, many survivors were rescued by him, and even their remnant souls were taken away. None of the Heavenly Gods participated in the siege of these Settlement survived."
Upon hearing Eastern Emperor Taiyi said in a low voice, "Minister Bai is truly ruthless. During the time he served in the Heavenly Palace, I treated him quite well."
After muttering to himself, he asked, "How is the Divine Palace on land that I bestowed upon Minister Bai?"
Lu Wu lowered his head and replied, "It has been taken over by the Divine Army of the Nine Divisions, but... all the mortal servants inside have disappeared. They must have been taken away by Marshal Bai."
"Has Earthly Sight Heavenly Hearing tracked down Marshal Bai's whereabouts?"
"No, not at all."
Looking at Lu Wu, who had his head bowed, Eastern Emperor Taiyi deep breath.
"So, how many Human Race were taken to the Heavenly Realm and kept in captivity?"
"There are still about a thousand people, mostly women and young children, but..."
Lu Wu hesitated for a moment, then stammered, "After returning, I used some money to bribe the soldiers..."
"Take them all back."
Eastern Emperor Taiyi said without hesitation, "At this critical juncture, I cannot tolerate your continued recklessness. Lu Wu, this matter is your responsibility. Recapture all those Human Race and raise them well. Don't let them die; they will be an effective force against the traitor Bai Qiuran. Furthermore, issue my decree: the entire army of the Nine Divisions of Heaven and the Five Direction Heavenly Emperor shall immediately prepare for battle. The two Divine General, Heavenly Hearing and Earthly Sight, shall intensify their search efforts. Once Bai Qiuran and Jiang Lan are discovered, report immediately."
"I obey the decree."
All the Heavenly Gods in the hall bowed in unison.
No Heavenly Gods questioned Eastern Emperor Taiyi's decision, not only because of his terrifying power and authority at the height of his power, but also because they had all participated in and witnessed the siege of that Human Race.
The Heavenly Gods present were well aware of humanity's fragility, but they also knew just how terrifying power was hidden within the human body.
After officially becoming Bai Qiuran's True Disciple, Li accepted Bai Qiuran's suggestion and changed his surname to Bai. From now on, his name is Bai Li.
Having just suffered a great calamity, Bai Qiuran did not immediately begin teaching him cultivation-related knowledge. Instead, he asked him to go to the nearby woods to cut down trees and build a house, so that he could first establish a place to live in this valley.
Not having to think too much about work can calm a person's mind, and Bai Qiuran also hoped to take this opportunity to help Bai Li stabilize his mindset.
Then he checked on Jiang Lan's condition and, finding that she was alright, went out on his own and returned to the Divine Palace. Before the Heavenly Palace sent anyone to take over his original residence, he used the painting to take away the maids and servants who were originally in the Divine Palace.
He brought the foreign servants into the world of the scripture, letting them live among their people. Then he took the Human Race maids to the valley and instructed them to take good care of Jiang Lan.
As for the remaining Human Race, after he sealed them in the diagram, they fell into a dormant state under the effect of his magic. Now, Bai Qiuran does not intend to awaken them at this moment, as they do not yet have the ability to protect themselves.
At noon, Jiang Lan slowly woke up. She was helped up by the maids and taken outside, where she saw Bai Qiuran cooking soup on a stove.
"You're awake?"
Seeing Jiang Lan come out, Bai Qiuran walked over, took her from the maid, and helped her to sit down where she had been sitting.
"I just went out hunting a wild animal and found some nourishing medicinal herbs nearby, so I used them to make soup. Drink plenty of it later; it'll be good for your health."
"Um."
Having lost her Divine Power, Jiang Lan appeared exceptionally submissive and weak.
Bai Qiuran picked up a wooden stick and poked at the firewood under the earthen pot. Watching the flickering flames, he said, "I sent Li to repair the house. We'll stay here temporarily. Take good care of yourself. I'll teach you an exercise method tomorrow."
Jiang Lan took a sip of the hot soup, looking somewhat unwilling, but still obediently nodded.
"Don't worry about human affairs, I'll handle that."
Bai Qiuran patted Jiang Lan's hand.
"Don't worry, I've got everything covered."
I can't put all the burden on your shoulders...
After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Lan spoke.
"We're husband and wife, aren't we?"
Bai Qiuran looked at the campfire.
"Although we each have our own reasons, we are ultimately united by our own will. The legitimacy of this marriage is not recognized by Heaven, nor by Eastern Emperor Taiyi, but by you and me. Husbands and wives should support each other, so even if we are husband and wife in name only, you would relinquish your Authority to forge a sword for me, and when you are weak, I will naturally not abandon you."
After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Lan finally nodded hesitantly.
After she ate some more, Bai Qiuran helped her back into the house, covered her with a blanket, and told her to rest well.
After that, he left the cabin and went to the back of the valley to find Bai Li, who was building a house.
When Bai Qiuran Bai Li had chosen, she saw that some trees in the surrounding forest had been felled and piled on the ground, and there was a wooden house on the flat ground, half-built, but she did not see Bai Li anywhere.
Where the hell has that brat gone?
Bai Qiuran muttered, "Could he be thinking of committing suicide?"
He was just about to unleash his Spiritual Sense to search when Bai Li emerged from the nearby forest, looked at him, and said, "Master, you were looking for me?"
Bai Qiuran a slight sigh of relief, then asked, "Where did you go?"
"I was hungry, and not wanting to disturb you and your Master's Wife, I went into the woods and got some edible fruit myself."
Bai Li held a pile of leaves in his hands, among which were some bright red fruits.
He grabbed one and handed it to the animal on his shoulder. Only then did Bai Qiuran notice that the Little Monkey that was always by his side had somehow run back and was now perched on his shoulder.
When the Human Race suffered a great calamity before, Bai Qiuran did not see this monkey with Bai Li and assumed that it had also been killed by the Heavenly Gods. However, she did not expect that it would eventually escape the calamity.
"It's alright. Next time you're hungry, just tell me."
Bai Qiuran said something.
"Come here now, I'll teach you something."