Dead

"Sister Qingmo has been cultivating all along."

As soon as the words were spoken, the elegant pavilion bathed in sunlight fell silent for a moment.

Xu Yuan paused for a moment, then realized his question was somewhat unnecessary, and chuckled softly:

"That's true, given her personality, she'd only use that free time to cultivate."

Xu Xinyao smiled gently upon hearing this, glanced at the direction of the Prime Minister's Mansion assigned to Ran Qingmo in the Prime Minister's residence, and said with a light laugh:

"Oh, by the way, Sister Qingmo also said she owes you another favor."

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow. He remembered he still owed a favor to a Big Ice Block, and now he had another one to ask for.

"Why?"

Xu Xinyao tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said in a low voice:

"Sister Qingmo probably feels a little guilty about using our Prime Minister's Prime Minister's Mansion's Source Crystal for cultivation for so many days."

"."

Xu Yuan's eyes showed a hint of confusion, but he quickly relaxed his brows.

His father granted him power that was almost equivalent to that of a vice-state leader, allowing him to easily amass millions of taels of silver.

Now, his horizons have broadened with his experiences and his increased status within the Prime Minister's Mansion, but Big Ice Block is still just the disciple of the Sword Sect Master.

Although he and Ran Qingmo seemed similar in status—one the son of Prime Minister, the other the apprentice of a State Preceptor —they were actually worlds apart.

after all,

The Prime Minister's Prime Minister's Mansion is the Prime Minister's Mansion of the Prime Minister, but the Sword Sect is not the Sword Sect of the State Preceptor.

To use Xu Yuan's words from his previous life...

His current status is equivalent to that of the son of the wholly-owned owner of a monopolistic giant, while Big Ice Block is merely the apprentice of the chairman of a local enterprise.

The entire Prime Minister's Mansion belongs to his father, and he can use all the resources within this "giant Prime Minister's Mansion" without limit. However, the State Preceptor is only the chairman of the Sword Sect, and if Big Ice Block wants to use the resources of the Sword Sect, he still needs the approval of the Sword Sect's "board of directors".

Thinking of this, a Wan'er smile unconsciously appeared on Xu Yuan's lips.

He recalled the first time he met Ran Qingmo, when the girl carried Ink Sword and a bag on her back, her simple appearance without even Sumeru Ring.

For over a month, Ran Qingmo has been relentlessly exploiting the unlimited supply of Source Crystal from the Prime Minister's Mansion, and given her personality, she probably feels guilty accepting it all.

Putting aside his desire to go to the outer courtyard of the Prime Minister's Mansion to see the young woman, Xu Yuan looked at his Fourth Sister again.

But before he could speak,

Xu Xinyao glanced at Hao's wrist, which she was holding, and reminded him with a gentle smile:

"Brother, can you let go of my hand? Xin Yao still needs to go to the Institute of Investigation to gather array masters."

Xu Yuan's eyes widened for a moment, then he coughed lightly and released the other person's slender wrist. After a pause, he continued to ask:

"So what level of cultivation has she reached now?"

After a year apart, his cultivation level has broken through from the sixth-grade Iron Body Realm when they parted to the fourth-grade Body Fusion.

Hearing what Xu Xinyao said, it seems that Big Ice Block's breathing speed has not encountered a bottleneck. However, considering that Xu Changge was almost twenty years old when he broke through to the Origin Beginning Realm, Big Ice Block, who is only eighteen, should still be hovering around the Grandmaster Realm.

Of course, Xu Yuan's question wasn't because he wanted to use his Body Fusion mastery to fight against the Grandmaster Big Ice Block.

People should have self-awareness.

He knew all too well how big the gap was between the Body Fusion Realm and the Grandmaster. Even though his physical abilities were now at their peak, he couldn't handle any ordinary Grandmaster in the Prime Minister's Mansion, let alone a peerless prodigy like Big Ice Block.

He mainly felt that he could break through their defenses.

In response to this question, Xu Xinyao gave her Third Brother a slightly strange look and asked in return:

"Brother, do you know what level of cultivation I am now?"

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, then extended his Spirit Sight to scan the girl in front of him, and said softly:

"Soul Condensation."

"So you think that someone like me, a mere Soul Condensation cultivator, could possibly see through Sister Qingmo's cultivation level?"

"." Xu Yuan.

Xu Xinyao gave a soft hum:

"You'll have to ask your older brother or your father about this."

Having said that, she turned to leave, but after taking two steps, she stopped at the steps leading to the elegant pavilion, turned back with her beautiful, watery eyes, and said with slight hesitation:

"Brother, the array-patterned magic Law Artifact that Xin Yao promised you is finished."

"A magic Law Artifact with array patterns?"

Xu Yuan was stunned for a moment, his eyes filled with confusion.

Seeing the other person's expression, Xu Xinyao knew that her Third Brother had probably forgotten. A hint of helplessness flashed in her beautiful eyes as she casually pulled out a thick, long Black Box from her Sumeru Ring.

"Well, you probably can't use it right now, since activating these magical Law Artifact requires Source Qi. I'll modify it when I get back and then give it to you."

Upon seeing this object, Xu Yuan immediately recalled that it was something he had coveted back in Shengshan County.

The treasure in "Cangyuan" that allowed the Fourth Sister to defeat Grandmaster while still at the Soul Condensation Realm.

Barrett. Cough, ink cartridge.

After staring at the black box in Dora A-Yao's hand for a few moments, Xu Yuan suddenly thought of a question.

If this thing could be amplified dozens of times, could it kill the emperor in the palace with a single shot?

As she pondered, Xu Xinyao smiled slightly and added softly:

"Xin Yao also crafted a set of other protective array Law Artifact and Spirit Wind Boots for you, Third Brother, but they all need to be redesigned based on the black Source Qi within your body now."

Xu Yuan waved his hand gently, meeting the other person's gaze with a smile:

"I won't be traveling far for the time being, so there's no rush."

"So Xin Yao left?"

"Go, I will await your news here."

After saying this, Xu Yuan watched the beautiful figure disappear into the courtyard, sat quietly in the pavilion for a few breaths, and then got up and walked towards his room.

There were no modern entertainment facilities, no books or fragrant tea, and no way to cultivate. The only form of entertainment was visiting brothels, which required leaving the mansion. All that was left for Xu Yuan was to sleep.

Because of the misunderstanding caused by Xu Xinyao, Xu Yuan had to lay low for a few days. After discovering that his elder brother and father had no intention of holding it against him, Xu Yuan had a new form of entertainment besides sleeping—reading through the memorials submitted to his father every day.

Of course, Xu Yuan also took the time to contact Lou Ji and ask her to investigate the movements of that Great Desert Goddess.

At first, the old woman wanted to refuse, but after his persistent pleading, Lou Ji finally agreed.

However, Xu Yuan thought that Lou Ji was probably doing this because she had taken the millions of taels of silver and supplies from his Sumeru Ring.

Time passed by, day by day.

With the daily reports submitted, Xu Yuan was able to clearly understand the direction of the war in the Northern Border, and also knew that the war there had made the overall situation in the world increasingly tense.

The old man, who used to occasionally appear in the inner courtyard, gradually disappeared from sight. Xu Changge also left the manor after recovering from his injuries, while Xu Xinyao was busy every day in the Institute of Investigation tinkering with the formations to solve his cultivation problems.

The situation outside seemed to be getting increasingly chaotic, but Xu Yuan continued to maintain his leisurely life, going back and forth between two points.

Until one day, Xu Yuan saw a message on a memorial to the throne.

Xu Changtian was assassinated.