Too Many People to Thank, A Special Thanks Today to Big Bosses Luo Tong Mengxin and Manbu Xinghe
Si Chen was originally in the middle of seclusion within his estate when he suddenly received a voice transmission from Yun Zheng. Yun Zheng’s voice, cold as ancient glacial ice, went straight into his consciousness: “Si Chen, seal all teleportation arrays in Luo Yun City.”
Luo Yun City was the capital of the entire Immortal Realm. The teleportation arrays there were essential, used daily by almost every immortal cultivator. They were also one of the primary economic lifelines for the Merchant Guild. While flying with a sword was a valid way to enter and exit the city, the speed was far too slow. It was manageable for traveling across one or two cities, but for any further distance, the teleportation arrays were far more efficient. Furthermore, the Merchant Guild relied on these arrays to transport goods to various regions. Some of these goods required instant freshness, and if they spent more than an hour or two in transit, they would become unsellable.
If every teleportation array in the city were to be sealed arbitrarily, it would inevitably cause a massive uproar. The other God Officials would not agree to it, and the Immortal Sects and noble clans would object even more strongly.
Si Chen originally wanted to advise Yun Zheng against it, but knowing Yun Zheng’s temperament, he changed his tack and asked, “Exalted One, has something happened?”
“The fox ran away.” Yun Zheng did not find it shameful that his fiancée had fled the wedding.
“He actually ran away?” Si Chen felt it was unbelievable.
To say nothing of how ungrateful this fox spirit was, how could a great power like Yun Zheng, who had already ascended to a God, let an animal with only two orifices open escape from under his very nose? What was even more absurd was that Yun Zheng wanted to seal the teleportation arrays, which both ordinary cultivators and large merchant guilds relied on for survival, just to catch this animal. How utterly ridiculous! Besides, could he not go and catch it himself?
After careful deliberation, Si Chen tried to persuade Yun Zheng: “The teleportation arrays cannot be sealed. If they are, the entire Immortal Realm will fall into chaos.”
There was no sound from Yun Zheng for a long time. Si Chen held his breath in the eerie silence, fearing that Yun Zheng would appear before him at any moment. But he did not. Moreover, Yun Zheng was uncharacteristically reasonable this time.
“Then seal only the central ones, and leave the ones in the suburbs open.” Yun Zheng quickly added, “But take more manpower and guard the suburban teleportation arrays.”
Si Chen wanted to agree immediately. Although his workload would suddenly surge, it was better than letting the entire Immortal Realm descend into chaos. Then, a sudden thought occurred to him, and he asked Yun Zheng on a whim: “Exalted One, would you like to try capturing his family or clan members to threaten him into returning on his own?”
Yun Zheng fell silent again. After a long while, he replied, “I never use despicable means to threaten others.”
“Fine, fine, fine.” Si Chen felt helpless and could only respond, “I shall obey your command, Exalted One.”
Given that his wedding attire was too conspicuous and cumbersome, Sheng Muxue changed back into the female clothing provided by the System. Wearing female clothing for the second time, Sheng Muxue was already quite familiar with it, and even found it somewhat comfortable. Truly, when it comes to wearing women’s clothes, there is only “zero times” and “infinite times.”
Fortunately, this time, the female outfit was not that “Death Barbie Pink.” It was a “Forgiving Green.” To prevent his fox ears from being exposed, the System thoughtfully included a green hat as well.
Sheng Muxue really wanted to ask the System: “By doing this, aren’t you afraid that if Yun Zheng finds out, he will beat you even harder than I would?”
But then he thought it over and felt something was off. If he wore a green hat, shouldn’t that imply Yun Zheng was the one cheating? Besides, why should he care what Yun Zheng thinks? He was not related to Yun Zheng anyway. At most, they had just kissed.
Following the three thousand long steps of the Cloud Palace, Sheng Muxue fled to Luo Yun City, located beneath the palace. Although he had completely run out of the Cloud Palace by now, he knew clearly that he had not entirely escaped Yun Zheng’s grasp. He was currently in the center of the Upper Spirit Realm, the town closest to the Cloud Palace, and also the capital of the entire Immortal Realm.
The Upper Spirit Realm and the Lower Spirit Realm were divisions created by ancestors ten thousand years ago based on resource richness, even earlier than the division of the Nine Prefectures or the Three Realms. The shameless human race had taken the Upper Spirit Realm, which was rich in spiritual energy, entirely for themselves, and drove the Demon race into the Lower Spirit Realm to live with ordinary mortals. This had led to ten thousand years of strife between the Demon and Human races, with very little peace, and constant conflict over territory and resources. It goes to show that root problems like racial discrimination and competition for supplies are inevitable in any world.
The System also explained the Seven God Officials to him. It was a new rule established by Yun Zheng: he ruled the Immortal Realm alone, but delegated administration to seven people. These seven were the Seven God Officials. Six of them each managed one of the six branches of duty in the Immortal Realm, similar to the Six Ministries in ancient central power, each performing its own functions. Only one official held a flexible position without specific duties, acting only upon Yun Zheng’s dispatch.
The titles of the Seven God Officials were also quite pleasant: Tian-shu, Tian-xuan, Tian-ji, Tian-quan, Yu-heng, Kai-yang, and Yao Guang. They corresponded to the seven stars of the Big Dipper, so they were also referred to as “Star Lords.” Sheng Muxue figured the one who came to find him yesterday must have been one of the Seven God Officials. He looked very free, so it was quite possible he was that flexible one: Star Lord Yao Guang.
Wandering around the city for half a day while wearing the green hat, Sheng Muxue kept pondering how to escape the city. The System gave the best method: “Big Brother, you have to take the teleportation array.”
“Otherwise, if you rely on walking, you do not have much spiritual power, and just walking to the city gate would take you an entire day. Furthermore, the inspection at the city gate is very strict, and there are a large number of cultivator troops stationed there.”
Sheng Muxue asked, “Can the teleportation array be guaranteed to be foolproof?”
“The inspections at the teleportation arrays are not strict. As long as you do not reveal your ears, you should be fine.”
Sheng Muxue was noncommittal, although he knew in his heart that the teleportation array was indeed much more convenient, and he did not have the stamina to walk any further.
He was very hungry. It was all because he had been dragged away to get married without eating anything early that morning, and he had just sprinted for several miles, which was almost equivalent to his total exercise for the year. He just wanted to find a place to have breakfast.
Coincidentally, a street vendor had just pulled a steaming basket of buns out of the steamer: “Red bean paste buns, fragrant and sweet! They do not taste any worse than meat buns. Would you like a basket, traveler?”
Sweet buns. This hit Sheng Muxue’s preferences perfectly.
“How much for a basket?” Sheng Muxue was already swallowing his saliva looking at the buns.
“Only three low-grade spirit stones.”
Sheng Muxue did not find it expensive. But when he felt his pockets, they were completely empty. He did not have a single spirit stone. Sheng Muxue had no choice but to look at the System. Obsessed with food, this was the first time he had ever acted so subserviently and flirted with the System: “Tong-tong, give me money.”
The System was unusually firm for once, standing straight and saying, “I can give you money, but you must promise me that after you buy the buns, you will leave. You are not allowed to wander around the city anymore.”
Sheng Muxue agreed wholeheartedly: “Fine, fine, fine.”
The System decisively transferred the money, giving a huge sum of ten low-grade spirit stones in one breath. In the modern era, that was equivalent to ten yuan. But Sheng Muxue did not mind the small amount of money. Once he got the cash, he bought three baskets of buns in a generous manner, and directly tipped the boss the extra spirit stone.
The System was stunned.
“Big Brother, the money I gave you was supposed to include the fare for the teleportation array.”
Sheng Muxue heard this but was unconcerned: “What is the big deal? Just give me another ten yuan, and it will be fine.”
The System sighed: “My level is too low, and I can only withdraw this much money from the Main System a day.”
“Otherwise, if I could give you whatever amount you wanted, this world would have been in chaos long ago.”
Sheng Muxue thought that made a lot of sense, because he was indeed the type of person who would just reach out for money rather than earn it himself. He was already a senior in college and was still cooped up in his dorm room watching novels and playing games all day, with absolutely no intention of going out to find an internship.
As a result, even as a dignified Demon Lord in his previous life, he lived quite frugally and had to rely on Yun Zheng to earn money to support him all day. Speaking of having worked hard to raise Yun Zheng, well, who was raising whom was still up for debate. Mostly, it was just that Yun Zheng was too sensible. After all, children from poor families become independent early; that is the truth.