Revenge

"Cough cough!"

Xu Qi'an covered his mouth and coughed twice. Only after the women in the hall looked over did he slowly step over the threshold.

He looks exactly like an old man.

"What's wrong with you?"

Lin'an, as the legal wife, was startled and quickly got up from her chair, taking small steps to greet him.

The other women also cast tense and concerned glances—except for the Nine-Tailed Fox.

Xu Qi'an waved his hand and said in a hoarse voice:

"The battle with the Buddha injured my body, depleted my energy and blood, and greatly shortened my lifespan. I need to recuperate for a long time."

"Sigh, I wonder if it will leave me with any health problems later in life."

The Nine-Tailed Fox suddenly interjected:

"With depleted qi and blood, you might not be able to Way of Humanity in the future."

Lin'an Mu Nanzhi's expression changed, while Ye Ji was half-believing and half-doubting.

My aunt panicked when she heard this. "Is it that serious? Have you asked the Directorate of Astronomy for medicine?"

The Dalang is the only male heir of the main branch of the family. He has no children yet and is unable to Way of Humanity. Wouldn't that mean the family line would end?

Xu Qi'an glanced at the Nine-Tailed Fox but ignored her. "I'll be recuperating at home for a while. It's been so long since I've had Auntie's cooking."

My aunt immediately got up. "I'll go to the kitchen and see if I can make a few of your favorite dishes."

The Xu Residence was not wealthy back then. Although there was a cook, my aunt often cooked herself; she wasn't a pampered rich lady born into a wealthy family.

Xu Qi'an turned to look at Mu Nanzhi and said:

"Aunt Mu, I remember you have some herbs in the backyard. Could you brew me a bowl of herbal soup to replenish my qi and improve blood circulation?"

Knowing that she was the reincarnation of the Undying Tree, Mu Nanzhi grunted an "hmm," looked like she was settling scores later, and got up and left expressionlessly.

Xu Qi'an continued:

"Little sister, the robe you made for your older brother is all worn out."

Xu Lingyue smiled serenely and said in a soft voice:

"I'll make a few more robes for my elder brother."

Throughout the conversation, Xu Qi'an coughed incessantly, letting the women know that "I'm not feeling well, please don't cause trouble."

After all that, only Lin'an Yeji and the Nine-Tailed Fox remained in the hall. Xu Qi'an didn't even have a good excuse, so he said:

"Lin'an, you go back to your room first. I need to discuss some matters with the Erlang Prince."

Lin'an puffed out her cheeks. "Is there anything I can't know?"

She's not the obedient, virtuous wife and loving mother; she's a formidable fighter.

Xu Qi'an didn't force her to leave. He looked at the Nine-Tailed Fox with a serious expression.

"Your Majesty, you still need to make a voyage to subdue the descendants of Gods and Devils at the Transcendent level, the more the better."

The Nine-Tailed Fox pondered for a moment and said:

"After the desolate wilderness awakens, will it subdue the descendants of overseas Gods and Devils and launch a counterattack on the Nine Provinces Continent?"

It's convenient to talk to smart people, Xu Qi'an said.

"If they refuse to submit, kill them all, leave no one alive."

The Nine-Tailed Fox thought for a moment and said:

"Even if they outwardly submit, they will betray me in the end. Without shared interests or a sufficiently deep emotional bond, the descendants of Gods and Devils will never be loyal to me or to the Great Feng."

"When the time comes, they might just surrender and betray us on their own initiative once the wilderness arrives."

Xu Xinnian shook his head:

"No need for all that trouble. Just subdue them and then have them migrate in large numbers."

"The overseas world is vast and boundless, and it's impossible for the wilderness to spend a lot of time searching for and subduing them, because it's not worth it. If the descendants of Gods and Devils join the war, they will be a deadly threat to us."

"But for Huang, His opponents are other Transcendent Rank; the role that the descendants of Gods and Devils can play is negligible."

Xu Qi'an added:

"We can use the fact that Huang, after awakening, will devour all the descendants of Gods and Devils in the Transcendent Realm as a reason. This is believable enough and will remind the descendants of Gods and Devils overseas of the fear and humiliation of being dominated by Huang."

Next, we discussed the details, including but not limited to bringing Sun Xuanji along and setting up teleportation arrays along the way so that the Nine-Tailed Fox could quickly return to Nine Provinces and not get lost in the vast ocean.

Those descendants of gods and Gods and Devils who do not cooperate must be killed on the spot; there must be no leniency.

He promised that the descendants of Gods and Devils could return to live in Nine Provinces in the future.

To establish a kingdom of Gods and Devils and demons, and to support a powerful, Transcendent Realm Gods and Devils descendant as its leader, etc.

Lin'an straightened her back, put on a serious face, and listened attentively, but she didn't understand anything until the Nine-Tailed Fox left, at which point she realized that her husband was really talking about serious business.

"Your Majesty!"

Yeji caught up with the Nine-Tailed Fox, bowed respectfully, and whispered:

"Yueji has fallen, while you were at sea."

The Nine-Tailed Fox hummed in agreement. "I advanced to the First Rank overseas and awakened my Spiritual Essence. When I encountered the wilderness, I had no choice but to cut off my tail to survive."

She was dignified and assertive in front of Yeji, completely lacking the alluring charm she displayed when facing Xu Qi'an, and said calmly:

"It's not just her; any of you eight sisters could be at risk of falling."

"When the great calamity comes, I will show no mercy to any of you, understand?"

First Rank Realm Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox at the first-grade realm has nine lives; once all nine lives are gone, she will perish.

She would not die before that, and that would not change according to the Nine-Tailed Fox's personal will.

In other words, the ability to sever her tail is a passive ability; every time she dies, one of her tails is severed.

"I understand, it is our destiny to die for Your Majesty." Yeji Yeji glanced at her, cautiously probing:

"The Empress to Her Xu Lang"

The Silver-Haired Enchantress frowned and snorted:

"Of course, this lord would not like a lecherous man. What annoys him is that he keeps pestering me and takes advantage of his status as Half-Step Martial God to touch me inappropriately."

"Yes, the reason why the emperor came to the Xu Residence this time to stir up trouble is to give him a warning."

"So that he won't keep trying to make a move on me."

Yeji pursed her lips:

"What if he insists on making a move on you, Your Majesty?"

The Nine-Tailed Fox said helplessly:

"We can only take it one step at a time. After all, he's Half-Step Martial God."

"It's clearly you who's after him. Aren't you bullying an honest person?" Yeji thought to herself, "I'll have to say some bad things about the Empress to Xu Lang later."

To avoid her bringing her seven sisters—no, six sisters—to compete with her for her man.

Inside the hall, Xu Qi'an raised an eyebrow at his younger brother and transmitted his voice:

"When the enemy is aggressive and united, you must learn to divide them and defeat them one by one. The self-inflicted injury strategy is a good thing. A man's self-inflicted injury strategy is like a woman's methods of crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide."

"Invincible."

Xu Xinnian sneered:

"You can hide for a while, but you can't hide forever; all my sisters-in-law are suspicious."

"That's why we need to divide the enemy." Xu Qi'an got up without saying a word and walked towards the study.

Xu Xinnian was off work today and had nothing to do, so he went along.

Xu Qi'an spread out the paper and instructed:

"Erlang, grind the ink for your elder brother."

Xu Xinnian snorted and obediently ground the ink.

Xu Qi'an picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote:

"I have been adrift overseas for half a month, and I miss my wife Lin'an terribly. We were newly married, and I have to go to sea, leaving her alone in our empty room. I feel unbearably guilty, and her voice and smile are on my mind every day and night."

Shameless! Xu Xinnian cursed inwardly, but pointed out expressionlessly:

"Brother, you wrote it wrong. 'Voice and countenance' describes a deceased person. You should use 'Voice and countenance are still present.'"

After saying that, Xu Qi'an slapped him on the head:

"Roll!"

Do you really think I'm some kind of crude, uncouth brute?

"However, I know that Lin'an is sensible and reasonable, and gets along well with his mother and aunt at home, so I am much more at ease. If he does not advance to the Half-Step Martial God level on this voyage, the Great Feng will be in grave danger."

Soon, a letter home was written, in which he deliberately mentioned "the task is heavy" at the end to express the hardship of his voyage.

Then came the second, third, and fourth letters.

After finishing writing, Xu Qi'an used his qi to evaporate the ink, then picked out some incense ash from the incense burner and wiped the writing.

"This can mask the smell of ink; otherwise, it'll be immediately noticeable. You should learn from this," he advised his younger brother.

"You wouldn't have that many younger siblings," Xu Erlang thought to himself, "I am devoted to Simu."

He had just finished complaining in his mind when he saw his older brother write a second family member's statement:

"Nanzhi, it's been half a month since we last met, and I miss you dearly."

Xu Xinnian blurted out:

"You and Aunt Mu are indeed having an affair."

"Call me Uncle from now on!" Xu Qi'an climbed up the pole.

When it was time for dinner, Second Uncle Xu returned from his shift and toasted his white-haired nephew and son.

Slightly tipsy, he glanced at his daughter Xu Lingyue, his wife's sworn sister Mu Nanzhi, his niece-in-law Lin'an, and his nephew's concubine Yeji from the Southern Frontier, and wondered:

"You don't seem very happy?"

My aunt said worriedly:

"Ningyan was seriously injured, and he may... may not be able to have any children in the future."

No, no, no, Mother, they're not unhappy about that. They suspect that my eldest brother is having a good time overseas. Xu Erlang felt despair at his mother's obtuseness.

Although the sisters-in-law were worried and confused, they weren't stupid; they had already realized what was happening.

First Rank Martial Warrior is already incredibly difficult to bury or destroy, let alone my elder brother who is now Half-Step Martial God.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Ningyan is Half-Step Martial God, he can't even die, how could he possibly be injured?" Second Uncle Xu suddenly fell silent.

"Yes, Ningyan is now Half-Step Martial God, his health will be fine." Ji Baiqing warmly served food to her eldest son, showing concern for his well-being.

She didn't care how many romantic entanglements her son had outside; she wished she could capture all the beauties in the world and make them her eldest son's wives.

Xu Yuanshuang looked at her older brother with admiration and said:

"Brother, you must teach Yuanhuai well. Yuanhuai has already reached the Fourth Rank."

As the second Fourth Rank martial artist in the Xu Household, Xu Yuanhuai was originally full of pride, but now he has no pride at all.

He ate in silence.

After the banquet ended, Mu Nanzhi went back to her room with a cold face.

At night, after washing up, Second Uncle Xu, dressed in a white undershirt, sat cross-legged on a small couch and practiced breathing exercises, but he couldn't get into a meditative state.

So he said to his aunt, who was leaning against the bed and flipping through a picture book:

"Today's events have given me a wake-up call; Ningyan may very well not have any children."

The aunt put down the storybook, straightened her back in surprise, and exclaimed:

"Why?"

Second Uncle Xu pondered for a moment and said:

"Ningyan is now Half-Step Martial God. In essence, he is different from us. Don't ask how he is different; it's hard to say. You just need to know that he is no longer an ordinary person."

"Don't you find it strange? He and the Imperial Preceptor are cultivation partners, and it's been almost a year, yet the Imperial Preceptor still hasn't gotten pregnant."

"She has been married to Prince Lin'an for a month and a half, but still hasn't conceived."

My aunt had a long face and her brows were furrowed.

"What should we do then?"

Second Uncle Xu comforted him:

"I'm just guessing, I'm not sure. Besides, Ningyan's current cultivation level means he's practically immortal, so whether he has offspring or not isn't that important."

"Nonsense!" His aunt threw a storybook at him.

"If I have no offspring, wouldn't I have raised this child for nothing?"

In the spacious and luxurious bedroom, Xu Qi'an held Lin'an's soft and delicate body in his arms, his hands caressing her supple waist. She was covered in sweat, her hair clung to her face, her eyes were glazed, and she was panting heavily.

Scattered among the clothes, including skirts and bodices, were letters from home.

The easily fooled Lin'an was deeply moved when he saw that his lackey had written so many letters to him.

After Xu Qi'an gently caressed and teased her, she completely surrendered, forgetting the Nine-Tailed Fox's words.

"Ningyan!"

Lin'an wrapped her arms around his neck and said coquettishly:

"I wish to return to the palace tomorrow to visit my mother."

Xu Qi'an looked back at her:

"Go if you want to, why ask me?"

Lin'an whispered:

"Huaiqing won't let me enter the inner palace to see my mother. I've heard that she's been working on the court officials lately, trying to get them to pressure Huaiqing to make a crown prince. She wants the emperor's eldest son to be the crown prince."

Although Noble Consort Chen suffered a crushing defeat, she was not discouraged because her daughter had married Xu Qi'an.

Her status as Silver Gong Xu's mother-in-law alone ensured that she wouldn't have to endure anyone's disdain.

Those in power who were eager to curry favor with the emperor set their sights on Dowager Consort Chen.

Your mother's level is too high, she should stop causing trouble. Huaiqing just ignores her; he could crush her with a single finger if he had the chance. Xu Qi'an thought this in his heart, but couldn't say it aloud:

"Huaiqing is worried that Dowager Consort Chen will instigate you to cause trouble for her again, isn't he?"

Lin'an twisted her waist in dissatisfaction:

"I will not be easily used as a pawn by my mother."

"You've got to be right, "Xu Qi'an said.

"Lin'an, do you still want to get revenge on Huaiqing, suppress her, and show off your power in front of her?"

Lin'an's eyes lit up. "You have a solution?"

Of course there are. For example, the younger sister becomes the older sister, making Huaiqing call you "older sister." Xu Qi'an held back and changed the subject, saying:

"You don't miss me at all."

"Yes, I did," Lin'an quickly replied.

Xu Qi'an grabbed her hands and said in a deep voice:

"You haven't even cut your nails, and you say you miss me."

Lin'an: "?"

"Aunt!"

Baiji knocked on the window, her small figure reflected on the glass.

"That bastard asked me to bring you something."

Baiji's childish voice rang out.

Wearing only a thin undergarment, Mu Nanzhi opened the window and saw the petite Baiji carrying a small sheepskin bag, which was bulging inside.

She snorted, hugged Baiji in her arms, unbuttoned the small sheepskin pouch, took out a stack of papers that were neither too thick nor too thin, and sat down at the table to read them.

"Nanzhi, it's been half a month since we last met, and I miss you dearly."

At first, she scoffed in disdain, but then gradually became engrossed, occasionally raising the corners of her mouth in a smile. Before she knew it, the candle had burned out.

Mu Nanzhi reluctantly put down the letter, opened the window, and threw Baiji out again.

Go sleep with your sister Yeji, and don't look for me before noon tomorrow.

Baiji let out a soft cry and happily went to find Yeji.

After finally managing to knock on Yeji's window, he was thrown out again.

Go sleep with Xu Lingyin, and don't look for me before noon tomorrow.

"Snort!"

Baiji snorted at the window and ran away angrily.

Late at night, in Jingshan City.

The full moon cast its frosty white light, making the stars in the sky appear dim.

Beneath the altar where the statue of the Shaman God stood, sorcerers in robes gathered like ants in the darkness.

A group of wizards dressed in long robes and hoods sat cross-legged below the altar, as if they were about to hold some kind of grand ritual.

Li Lingsu's two lovers, the Dongfang Sisters, were among them.

Dongfang Wanqing glanced around at the silent wizards and whispered:

"Sister, what happened?"

Not long ago, the Great Shaman Salun Agu summoned all the wizards within the three kingdoms and ordered them to Jingshan City within two days.

At this time, thousands of wizards had gathered in Jingshan City, but many low-ranking wizards were still unable to arrive.

Dongfang Wanrong's expression was solemn:

"The teacher said that a great calamity is about to befall the Three Kingdoms."

Only by Jingshan City can all the wizards have a glimmer of hope.

Dongfang Wanqing expressed her confusion, "The Shaman God has already broken free of the seal, so how could he not protect you?"

She used "you all" because Dongfang Wanqing was not a sorcerer, but a martial artist.

At this moment, a wizard nearby said:

"I heard Elder Yierbu say yesterday that that person has become quite powerful. Not to mention the Great Shaman, even the current Shaman God probably can't suppress him."

"It seems that the so-called great calamity is related to that person."

The alluring Dongfang Wanrong frowned and said:

Who is the "person" Elder Yierbu is referring to?

P. S.: Typos will be corrected later.