As Xie Tang had expected, Xu Hu had no intention of fighting for the inheritance. At the crucial moment, he ran off to Heavenly River Camp, ostensibly to "oversee the troops" but really to avoid the whole mess. Meng Rong had nowhere to hide, so he simply submitted a memorial relinquishing his claim to Upper Clarity Heaven.
That put the Supreme Pure Emperor in a difficult position. If he had his way, no one else would get their hands on Upper Clarity Heaven. Since the Meng Household did not want it, he would bring it under the Immortal Court and collect its annual revenue himself. In truth, that meant lining his own pockets. But even an emperor could not rule like that. He already had more than a hundred imperial estates across the Immortal Realm. None ranked among the "Three Heavens and Six Sources, Overseas Twelve Isles, and Inner Thirty-Six Mountains," but every one was their equal. If he seized Upper Clarity Heaven as well and left not a drop of profit for those below him, his throne would grow shaky.
The Four Hall Stewards, however, argued without end. Each represented a faction, and giving Upper Clarity Heaven to any one of them would upset the balance. The art of being emperor lay in preserving that balance, in keeping his subordinates' factions in check against one another. The Supreme Pure Emperor was genuinely stumped. Inwardly, he cursed Xu Hu for being so useless. Why hadn't he taken this chance to build a foundation for himself?
Luo Qian knew nothing of his brother-in-law's troubles. He found Du Lengning, and the two recuperated at their leisure in Upper Clarity Heaven. Li Xuexiao often came to keep him company, while the father and daughter he had rescued occasionally brought mountain delicacies when they