[Ding! Congratulations, Host has lain flat for one month and eight days. Reward: one Nourishing Origin Pill!]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host has lain flat for one month and ten days. Reward: one 1,000-Year-Old Ganoderma!]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host has lain flat for one and a half months. Reward: one Sonic Martial Skill Scroll!]
In the blink of an eye, seven days passed. Relying on the rewards from lying flat, Ning Chen’s cultivation steadily and continuously increased!
Even the Shadow Ghost, who had been heavily injured while facing Wanyan Tianxiong, fully recovered to peak state after taking the Nourishing Origin Pill!
However, during these seven days, there was no word at all from An Nanjing, who had entered the palace to meet the emperor. This made everyone in the An Residence grow increasingly anxious and unsettled.
Chu Kui and Liu Ying were on the verge of returning to the military camp to incite rebellion, and even An Beixue couldn’t help but feel deeply worried.
Fortunately, on the eighth day, An Nanjing finally returned from the palace!
Compared to when she left, her flawless and heroic face now showed less vigor and more helplessness and fatigue.
Before anyone could ask, An Nanjing took the initiative to speak.
“The matter with the Wanyan Family has been concluded. The An Residence need not worry about them anymore.”
“However, as per Emperor Chu Yuan’s decree, I’ve surrendered command of the Heavenly Dragon, Tiger Guards, Flying Leopards, and Greedy Wolves armies. I have been officially appointed as Commander of Northern Liang, tasked with restraining the Northern Barbarians.”
“I’m ordered to depart—effective immediately!”
Whoosh!
At those words, the expressions of everyone in the An Residence shifted drastically!
An Beixue was filled with worry. An Fu sighed deeply. Chu Kui and Liu Ying, the two Martial Saints from the military, turned pale. “General…”
An Nanjing raised her jade-like hand to stop them from speaking, “No need to say more. When the monarch commands, his subject dares not disobey.”
“Besides, in recent years, the Northern Barbarians have grown more ambitious and frequently harassed our borders. This is my duty as the Empire-Defending General.”
“You only need to carry out my prior instructions and safeguard the An Residence. I’m heading to Northern Liang now to take up my post!”
Neigh—!
An Nanjing had always acted decisively. She never hesitated. As soon as she finished speaking, she donned her armor, picked up her spear, mounted her horse, and departed alone—heading for Northern Liang, 3,000 kilometers away!
Watching her disappear into the distance, everyone in the An Residence fell silent.
Even Ning Chen understood clearly—this was the price of destroying the Wanyan Family.
Even someone like An Nanjing, a peerless general wielding both military and martial might, couldn’t escape demotion and suppression when caught in the political crossfire.
“Now that Sister has been reassigned to Northern Liang, I fear the An Residence will be coveted by malicious forces even more.” Find the original chapter at g.com.
“Pass down my order: from this day forward, the An Residence is sealed off. Unless necessary, no member of our family may step beyond the gates!”
An Beixue immediately issued her command with a heavy expression.
Yet everyone silently shook their heads and sighed.
Because who in the An Residence didn’t know that their Second Mistress—An Beixue—was the most lively and restless of all?
Sealing off the estate would impact no one more than her.
“Seal the estate? That makes no difference to me.”
Ning Chen smiled and shook his head, feeling completely unbothered.
After all, even without a sealed estate, he had barely stepped beyond the An Residence gates—he rarely even left his own courtyard.
His courtyard was spacious and elegant, with rock gardens, fish ponds, and lotus gazebos. Reclining chair set up, sunshade opened, fresh fruit on the side—fishing when he felt like it, napping when he didn’t. Most importantly, he received daily system rewards just by lying flat!
This lying-flat lifestyle was practically heavenly!
Leave the house? Not even if someone carried him!
Sure enough, in the days that followed—whether due to the sealed estate or the fall of the Wanyan Family—perhaps both—the An Residence finally returned to its former peace.
No more troublemakers. No more fools looking for death.
As the sun rose and fell, dust scattered and winds blew, time passed day by day.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host has lain flat for one month and sixteen days…]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host has lain flat for one month and twenty days…]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host has lain flat for one month and twenty-eight days…]
As time went on, Ning Chen’s lying-flat rewards piled higher and higher!
With the help of his Supreme Divine Body’s passive cultivation, his strength skyrocketed. Especially with the special reward—a Spiritual Gathering Pill—during his second month of lying flat, his cultivation began advancing toward the Martial Monarch Realm!
By the third month, not only had he successfully broken through to the Martial Monarch Realm, but he also received another special reward.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host has lain flat for three months. Reward: special item — Heart-Control Spirit Ring!]
[Heart-Control Spirit Ring: A special spiritual artifact. Once activated, it can forcibly dominate the target’s mind, turning them into your slave.]
[Note: Effect depends on the target’s cultivation. The greater the gap below your realm, the stronger the control. It is ineffective against Martial God Realm targets and above!]
“Judging by the system’s description, this Heart-Control Spirit Ring is a real treasure!”
Ning Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly. The first person he thought of was Emperor Chu Yuan.
If he could control that old emperor, it would be like indirectly ruling the entire Great Chu Empire.
However…
That thought only remained in his mind. Even assuming Emperor Chu Yuan hadn’t reached the Martial God Realm, the imperial palace was filled with tightly woven defenses and powerful cultivators—including Martial God experts.
If he dared to strike at the emperor, he’d be turned into minced meat before he even touched the throne!
“Forget it, forget it. Better to put it away. I’m just a lazy man lying flat—what am I thinking chasing imperial ambitions?”
In the end, Ning Chen suppressed all those chaotic thoughts and stashed the Heart-Control Spirit Ring.
Then, casting his fishing rod with leisure, he resumed his peaceful days.
Two days ago, An Beixue had emerged briefly from closed-door cultivation, and the two of them met.
Even after just over a month apart, the burden of leading the family and cultivating relentlessly had clearly made An Beixue visibly thinner.
This made Ning Chen feel a pang of pity for his sister-in-law. He instantly decided—today, he had to catch a fat fish and brew her a nourishing soup!
At the same time, within the Great Chu Imperial Palace, layer upon layer of grand halls and pavilions stood in magnificent rows.
Among the seventy-two palace courtyards, the Phoenix Cry Palace!
This palace was especially opulent, with golden-tiled roofs, jade-carved beams, open crystal windows on all sides, and radiant light streaming in from every direction.
Whoosh!
That day, from deep within Phoenix Cry Palace, a graceful figure stepped out from a quiet chamber.
Bright eyes, pearly teeth, delicate brows like moth wings. She wore a flowing purple palace dress draped in wide-sleeved silk, and with every gesture, she radiated irresistible charm and allure.
Yet more striking than her beauty was the powerful aura radiating from her entire body—
A Martial Saint Realm cultivator!
“Greetings, Consort Meier!”
“Congratulations, Your Highness, on your successful breakthrough to the Martial Saint Realm during seclusion!”
A crowd of palace maids and eunuchs all dropped to their knees, respectfully and loudly congratulating her.
The woman’s identity was clear as day.
None other than the most favored consort in Emperor Chu Yuan’s harem—Imperial Consort Meier of the Inner Palace…
The daughter of Wanyan Tianxiong—Wanyan Meier!