"Greetings, Eldest Princess of Great Liang!"
Led by a maid, a burly man arrived before the pavilion and gave the Eldest Princess inside a cultivator's salute.
The Eldest Princess lifted her beautiful eyes slightly. One glance told her what he was: a tiger demon.
"What brings you here?"
As always, the Eldest Princess treasured her words like gold.
"I heard that an extraordinary man has appeared among Great Liang's imperial household, producing a piece of calligraphy with six inches of Righteous Qi that helped Your Highness successfully achieve Tribulation Transcendence. My lord wishes to make his acquaintance and hopes to invite him to our king's birthday banquet."
The burly man cupped his hands as he answered.
A few days earlier, just as he was about to reach Great Liang's main city, he had suddenly received word from his king, saying that he must invite this man at all costs.
The burly man had been somewhat puzzled. Although this man could produce calligraphy with six inches of Righteous Qi, surely that did not make his attendance absolutely essential.
But afterward, he had learned that the message had not been sent to him alone. The other envoys abroad had all received orders to secure this man's attendance.
The burly man wondered why, but unable to figure it out, he still put every effort into carrying out his king's task.
"The Nine-Tailed Fox's birthday banquet?"
At this, the Eldest Princess could not help raising her graceful brows, a trace of an unusual expression crossing her lovely face.
The Nine-Tailed Fox was probably inviting Su Mu over to help her deal with Tribulation Transcendence.
During her own Tribulation Transcendence, that prayer Su Mu had written, despite containing only six inches of Righteous Qi, had caused the Heavenly Dao to manifest its divine presence. Given that, it was only natural for the Nine-Tailed Fox to send someone to invite him.
"Yes."
The burly man's expression did not change when he heard her refer directly to the Nine-Tailed Fox.
With the Eldest Princess's status, she had no need to use an honorific.
"And what remuneration would there be?"
"What would Your Highness like? So long as it is within this lowly demon's authority, I can agree to it."
His king had demanded that he accomplish the task and granted him considerable authority, so the burly man dared not show the slightest negligence now.
"I hear the Nine-Tailed Fox has Immaculate Lotus? That is what I want."
The Eldest Princess spoke without the slightest hesitation.
Immaculate Lotus?
At the name, the burly man's expression involuntarily changed. That was an extremely precious substance, the finest material for creating an External Incarnation, something even Nascent Soul Cultivators coveted. Was he to hand over such a treasure merely to bring this man to a banquet?
The burly man drew a deep breath, his expression complicated, but he did not dare refuse outright.
"Your Highness, this is beyond this lowly demon's authority. Might I report this first and return with a reply?"
The burly man cupped his hands as he spoke.
"Mm."
The Eldest Princess lightly waved her delicate hand, indicating that he could withdraw.
Seeing this, the burly man withdrew respectfully.
"Your Highness, are you truly going to let that Su Mu attend this demon king's birthday banquet?"
Seeing the burly man leave, a maid quietly stepped forward, somewhat hesitant.
This demon king within Great Liang's borders had long held sway over a region, claiming territory and ruling over it, and was indeed a thorn deep in Great Liang's side.
If the Nine-Tailed Fox died during Tribulation Transcendence, it would only benefit Great Liang.
"That is shortsighted."
The Eldest Princess shook her head at this. "Only with the Nine-Tailed Fox there can the demons of Green Hollow be kept in check. Once she dies, those lesser demons will start whipping up wind and waves. That would instead be bad for Great Liang."
"If Su Mu has the ability, then naturally it would be best to help her survive this tribulation. It would also forge a good karmic bond. With the Nine-Tailed Fox there in the future, we can ensure that the lesser demons of Green Hollow and Great Liang keep to their own waters without either encroaching on the other."
The Eldest Princess spoke softly, moving her graceful hand as though writing something.
The maid looked thoughtful as she listened. "I see. But even so, surely it will not be so easy to get her to hand over the Immaculate Lotus?"
"Of course it will not be that simple. When the time comes, we shall see whether we can add some other items in exchange for it."
The Eldest Princess replied casually, then finished writing on the bamboo slip in her hand. "Deliver this to my imperial father."
"Yes!"
The Jade Slip landed steadily in the maid's hands. After answering respectfully, she withdrew.
Meanwhile, Su Mu reckoned that enough time had passed, returned to his room, and went back to Earth.
He went downstairs, opened the front door, and began brewing the medicine. Meanwhile, he took out his phone and contacted someone he knew in town, asking them to help buy some new appliances.
The washing machine at home had been broken for a long time. His parents could not bear to spend the money and preferred to wash their clothes by hand every day. The refrigerator was nearly broken too and ought to be replaced. He could also get a new television for the house so his parents could watch it in the evenings.
As the sky darkened, he heard his parents talking in the distance.
When Su Mu saw how the two looked as they returned, his expression relaxed a little.
Both had rosy complexions and did not look particularly tired, a great improvement over yesterday.
"The medicine's ready. Hurry and drink it."
Su Mu pointed at the medicinal decoction on the table as he spoke.
His parents both walked over at his words. After going up the mountain today, they had both felt strength coursing through their bodies, a sensation that made them feel several years younger.
They readily accepted the medicine, especially since it did not taste all that bitter.
While his parents drank their medicine, Su Mu opened his phone.
Messages had come in earlier, but Su Mu had been focused on brewing the medicine and had ignored them.
Only when he opened it did he discover that the messages were from the cultivation group.
A group of people were tagging him, asking when he had time and whether he could come teach them how to cultivate.
It seemed the others had all learned what happened that day, so they now had their minds set on it.
"I've been pretty busy lately. I'm afraid I won't have the time."
Su Mu picked up his phone, sent a casual reply, and closed the group chat.
He had only taught the group owner and the others to cultivate because they had led him to a place rich in Spiritual Qi, allowing him to reach the entry level directly.
As for the others, they were neither kin nor friends. Getting Su Mu to spend more time teaching them was hardly possible.
In the days that followed, Su Mu brewed medicinal decoctions for his parents on schedule every day.
In the Immortal Cultivation Realm, he had Xiao Lian teach him to read at night and watched the two work for him during the day. Time passed quickly.
Some of the appliances at home were also replaced with new ones. After grumbling a little, Su Mu's mother said no more.
Finally, after the medicinal ingredients had all been used up, Su Mu took his father into the city to have his health checked.
If he had recovered, he could stop taking the medicine for the time being.
If he had not, they could get some more medicine then.
Soon, the hospital's test results came back. Apart from a few minor ailments, all his previous conditions had actually cleared up!
Looking at the results, Su Mu's father was overjoyed. After being a medicine jar for several years, he could finally stop taking medicine!