Li Mu had a foreboding that Taibai County would become a hodgepodge of all kinds of people.
The trend had already emerged.
There dwelt the 10,000-year-old ghost lesbian, the little demon with a mysterious background, the Fox Spirit, and the pretty girls… Hmm, Qiu Yin, who was determined to achieve something after his sect was rooted up, might also be counted in… In a nutshell, flowers of every kind were in bloom in Taibai County.
One day, Li Mu summoned Qing Feng, the little attendant, to his study.
Those days, Li Mu played his role as the hands-off boss even more thoroughly. He did not attend to any of the county affairs, for he had delegated all the duties to Feng Yuanxing, Zhen Meng, and Ma Junwu. As for Qing Feng, the one Li Mu found most trustworthy, he served as the restraint mechanism to keep Feng Yuanxing, Ma Junwu, and the others within the bounds.
By then, Li Mu’s absolute authority in Taibai County had been initially established.
Weeks ago, when Huang Shengyi, the Fire Devil, invaded the county and when the news that the second prince had been murdered spread about, the folks and the officials in the county all panicked. But this time when Emperor Qin Ming’s imperial edict arrived and ordered Li Mu to confess his crimes in the capital, everyone in the county remained rather composed.
That was attributed to the propaganda launched by Qing Feng, Feng Yuanxing, and the others who deliberately downplayed the majesty of the Western Qin royal family. By that time, everyone knew that the Western Qin was already on the downhill. As to Emperor Qin Ming’s amazing accomplishment in martial arts, it was understated in the publicity. Therefore, in the minds of ordinary county residents, Lord Taibai was invincible and had no fear of anyone at all.
In a word, Li Mu’s team did an excellent job of stabilizing the mood of the folks in the county.
More often than not, Li Mu only needed to say a few words and Qing Feng, the little attendant, would quickly get the gist and immediately carry Li Mu’s idea out after a discussion with Feng Yuanxing, Ma Junwu, and the others. Day by day, Taibai County grew more and more ideal to Li Mu. Although Li Mu did nothing other than exercise the muscles on his lips, the little attendant always got the work down. Sometimes, Li Mu even felt that Qing Feng’s quick wit was as brilliant as those Earth residents. In comparison, Feng Yuanxing and others were much less shrewd and perceptive, though they were truly loyal to Li Mu.
Even so, Li Mu did not hope that the little attendant would get preoccupied solely with the county affairs. As Feng Yuanxing and the others had passed the prime of their life and long since established their foundation, for them, on the road of pursuing higher martial arts, there was little room left for advancement. But the little attendant was quite young and highly talented. So, Li Mu would like Qing Feng to make more progress in martial arts. After all, Li Mu himself would one day go beyond the planet and step into the vast universe. He wished the little attendant could also follow him when that time came.
In the study, Li Mu got straight to his point.
“I will do whatever Young Master tells me to do.” The little attendant replied respectfully in his wheelchair.
Li Mu nodded.
In those days, he had also been observing Qing Feng in private.
His observation was not aimed to test his loyalty but evaluate his talent.
By then, Li Mu was almost certain that Qing Feng was not as good as Daji, Xu Wan’er, Lu Shengnan in terms of combat skills, but he might have the mind of a science man. In terms of tactical deployments, machines and gears, and alchemy, he had shown remarkable talent. If Qing Feng had lived on Earth, he would undoubtedly become someone like Einstein. Given that, Li Mu intended to train Qingfeng into a master of tactical deployments, Taoist magic arts, and an alchemist. The old faker once said that to possess the extreme of cultivation in any kind of art would generate power of great terror, which could allow the cultivator to conquer the universe with great ease.
Li Mu had obtained a load of secret manuals on tactical deployments and alchemy from Zheng Cunjian, the Heartless Scholar, and other “post deliverers” before. Now, he handed all of those manuals along with the old faker’s dictated theories on Taoist magic arts and tactical deployments that he had compiled as well as some of his own tips to the little attendant.
By that time, owing to the beginning-level Xiantian Skill he had been practicing that strengthened his internal qi and the blessed Taibai County that helped him progress more rapidly, Qing Feng had put one foot into the Natural Realm. His spiritual force had already approached the top level of the Natural Realm. Well, of course, the rank of one’s internal qi and spiritual force did not equal to his combat ability. Truthfully, Qing Feng’s current combat ability was more or less around the level of a Great Master. Indeed, that was understandable, for the little attendant had to go around in a wheelchair. And since he never enjoyed combating, he seldom studied combating skills. That went the same with many renowned martial arts masters who focused on cultivating their spirit and qi. Despite their outstanding internal cultivation, they could be easily beaten into a pulp in real combats.
Regardless, with the internal qi bordering on that of a Natural Expert, Qing Feng would have no problem tapping into the preliminary studies of Taoist magic arts, tactical deployments, and alchemy.
“These are Star Stones, which can be the major material in alchemy, puppet-making, and deployment-setting. You will find the other necessary resources in the weapon warehouse of the Knife Hut. Make good use of them whenever you want. You don’t have to ask for my approval every time.” Li Mu said.
“Yes, Young Master.” Qing Feng bowed his head.
After a brief pause, he remarked, “Young Master, what about Ming Yue…”
Li Mu said, “I’ve got some clues and asked the Yue Mountain Faction and some people in the Northern Song to check around for her. She ought to be in the Northern Song. When I’ve sorted out all the things at hand, I will go to the Northern Song and look for her myself. You will come with me then.”
Li Mu had not forgotten that rude, adorkable, silly attendant named Ming Yue who had been missing for over a year. Nor had he ever given up looking for her.
Qing Feng sighed with relief, paid obeisance to Li Mu, then, slowly rolled his wheelchair around and headed out.
Watching the little attendant leave the room, Li Mu heaved with a sigh.
Despite the care of Zhao Ling, the female pharmacist, Qing Feng’s legs had not recovered yet. So, he could not walk around on his own but have to rely on a wheelchair. Li Mu felt guilty about that. Because it was kind of his fault that got Qing Feng in that wheelchair. After Qing Feng lost his legs, Li Mu had hoped he would enter the Celestial Being Realm so as to gain the power of sprouting a new pair of legs.
When Qing Feng had mastered all the skills in those books he just gave him, Li Mu would prepare more resources and Cultivation Methods for his further cultivation.
Deep down, Li Mu had regarded Qing Feng as his successor, his most hopeful disciple.
After the conversation with the little attendant, Li Mu summoned Feng Yuanxing, Ma Junwu, and Zhen Meng in the study one after another. He gave each of them a high compliment and a ton of rewards, including books on Cultivation Methods and secret techniques. They, in turn, expressed their deep gratitude and staunch loyalty to Li Mu.
Those men’s cultivation had increased several folds in the past year. So did their vision and strength. At the time, they all carried an imposing air like those high-level officials. However, compared with Li Mu, they were a far cry. All they saw was still the secular world. As to going beyond that planet and stepping into the universe, they probably never considered it and would not consider it.
After several rounds of pep talks, they all left the study. Li Mu then told the servants to not let anyone disturb him because he would start the closed-door training.
The battle against Yingshan Snow-eagle, the Emperor’s Broadsword, had brought him a great haul of knowledge and experience. He needed some time to digest them.
In the coming ten days, Li Mu had engaged himself in the closed-door training.
The first thing he did was to solidify his cultivation. He was still studying the complicated reaction between the qi of the Southern Fire Emperor and the Eastern Wood Emperor. He had learned that the Five Emperors’ Immortality Scriptures contained too many possibilities of changes and development. Every time his spiritual force activated the jade scroll in his Mud-pill Palace and the voice of the Taoism preach rang in his Sea of Consciousness, he could learn something.
The power of the Emperors’ Fire combined by the qi of the two emperors was also growing as Li Mu had gained more and more enlightenment.
At last, Li Mu could cast the Emperors’ Fire all around him with just a stir of his mind. Also, he could blend it into his combat moves. The only pity he had was that his Samsara Knife could not stand the refine of the Emperors’ Fire so he had no way to drive the broadsword with it.
Thus, the idea of refining the Samsara Knife again jumped into Li Mu’s mind.
He still had that gigantic Star Stone with wool power that he found in the hidden small space. Even though he already gave some of it to Qing Feng, there was still plenty left. If he could melt the stones into the Samsara Knife, the quality of the broadsword would improve magnificently, perhaps making it a Taoist instrument.
And then, the Samsara Knife would be able to bear the Emperors’ Fire and the power of his Broadsword-commanding Skill would double, or even triple.
In fact, Li Mu’s thoughts went way farther than that.
There were three scriptures in the Five Emperors’ Immortality Scriptures that he hadn’t mastered yet. But that was just a matter of time. As he proceeded with the increasingly advanced skills, his natural qi was bound to evolve over and over again. For that reason, he ought to refine his Samsara Knife in time to upgrade it. That was the only way to make sure it was still a suited weapon to him. Li Mu certainly did not want to be distressed like the Monkey King, who once had trouble finding a proper weapon after completing his practice.
After figuring out the crux of the matter, Li Mu began to refine his Samsara Knife right off.
He withdrew from the storage spaces the Star Stone with wood power, which was more than 10 meters in height, and started the refining.
Time flew by.
10 days passed in the blink of an eye.
Li Mu had not taken Emperor Qin Ming’s edict seriously in the first place.
In the eyes of the people outside Taibai County, Lord Taibai, Li Mu, had chosen to act against the imperial edict. And that meant he would really break up with the entire Western Qin, even though Emperor Qin Ming was unprecedentedly powerful at that time. People started guessing why Li Mu picked such a strategy. They either reckoned that Li Mu knew there was no wiggle room left between him and Emperor Qin Ming after he killed the crown prince so he had to put up a desperate struggle, or assumed that he had some other forces backing him and so deemed Emperor Qin Ming beneath him.
Another couple of days went by. The royal family of the Western Qin finally made a move.
Emperor Qin Ming issued another edict ordering Li Gang, the magistrate of Chang’an to besiege Taibai County and arrest Li Mu.
Unlike what the masses had imagined, Emperor Qin Ming did not go to capture and execute Li Mu himself. Instead, he sent out a challenge letter to the Wendao Academy in the Southern Chu, claiming that he would duel the last of the Nine Superbs in the three great empires.
When that news came out, everyone on the Divine Land dropped their jaw.
Did that mean Emperor Qin Ming was going to tackle the Southern Chu?
Even though the problems in the Western Qin’s northwest had died away after the death of the pope of the Magic Sun Temple, the Yue Mountain Faction within the empire and the ten cities and nine counties in the border area were still in rebellion. Adding that Lord Zhenxi had taken up the Fufeng City, the secession had not been ended. But Emperor Qin Ming rushed to attack the Southern Chu before sorting out the domestic problems… Was he really that confident about his strength?
At the same time, a rumor furtively bandied about.
It said that except for the deceased Li Poyue, the Guanshan Master, Dao Chongyang, the Taoism Master, and the pope of the Magic Sun Temple, the rest of the Nine Superbs in the World was forming an alliance against Emperor Qin Ming. After all, when the lips were gone, the teeth would be exposed. If Emperor Qin Ming knocked them off one by one, soon, the entire land would fall into his hand.
The troubled time was in full swing and a storm was approaching.
Still, Li Mu shut himself in the Knife Hut to do his closed-door training and refining his broadsword.
Li Gang, the magistrate of Chang’an, dared not disobey the emperor’s command. He led an army constituted by 200,000 soldiers to besiege the Taibai Mountain. Yet, all the army did was pick up small-scaled fights instead of launching massive attacks. In fact, the soldiers were too unnerved to thoroughly provoke Li Mu… For the time being, the heart of the Secular Sword Whiz was filled with bitterness, for he was Li Mu’s father. However, that evil spawn of his did not regard him as a father at all.
Time lapsed.
One day, a man came to the Taibai County uninvitedly and requested a meeting with Li Mu.
He turned out to be a messenger from the Northern Song.
“Lord, the Countess is in trouble now. She has been threatened. Lord Virtuous the Eighth failed to repel the enemy. Your Highness, please come and help Her Highness.” Zhao Ji urged. As the messenger arrived, he was severely injured and almost at his last breath.
