Zhuan Xu is one of the Five Emperors, known as the Black Emperor.
He actually made such great contributions? As a fellow emperor, Li Yue had simulated it several times in his mind but couldn’t imagine how he himself could save the people.
Truly a sage king of antiquity, isn’t he?
To others, the ever-composed and playful Ghost-God suddenly became serious, speaking with a faint sense of admiration:
“My master once said that if Emperor Zhuan Xu had not severed the connection between heaven and earth, sealing the passages between the Three Realms, humanity would not have become the rulers of the mortal realm. Future generations should remember him.”
As soon as the words fell, Ling Xiao stopped speaking and instead looked meaningfully at the Emperor…
Li Yue understood immediately. His long sleeves billowed like clouds as he bowed deeply:
“I, as an emperor of later generations, swear that the merits of the Black Emperor shall be known throughout the world, and sacrifices shall be offered to him year after year without end!”
Seeing this, the others hurriedly knelt as well. Having heard of Emperor Zhuan Xu’s achievements, their hearts swelled with emotion.
They were all deeply grateful to this great emperor of antiquity.
After a long while.
“Alright, alright, rise now,” Ling Xiao jumped down from her seat and stretched lazily, her round, large eyes curving into crescents as she smiled:
“Whew, although that one is noble and virtuous, having good deeds remembered is still better than being forgotten. When the mortal realm offers sacrifices to him, he will naturally sense it.”
Li Yue rose gracefully and pushed a plate of Nine-Petal Heart-Uniting Cakes toward her. “Thank you, Aunt, for planning this on my behalf.”
The two had just cooperated seamlessly—with just a glance from Ling Xiao, the Emperor understood what to do.
Emperor Zhuan Xu had accomplished such great deeds, yet even Li Yue, honored as the Emperor, had never heard of them. It was likely that very few in the world knew of them.
Thus, for Li Yue, in his dignity as the Son of Heaven, to vow nationwide sacrifices to Zhuan Xu was, without a doubt, a grand gesture of flattery.
Even if the one being flattered paid no heed, there was certainly no harm done.
But if it brought some joy, and that favor was returned to Great Jin or the Emperor himself, then Li Yue would have gained immensely.
Ling Xiao continued explaining why she chose the execution ground as the site for Taizu’s sacrifice:
“After the severance of heaven and earth, travel between the Three Realms could no longer be done freely. My master left me a little backdoor to maintain contact with the underworld. This place has the heaviest Yin energy and is a relatively weak point between the Yin and Yang realms. It’s the best spot to briefly open a passage.”
A glint flashed in Li Yue’s eyes as he began to form plans in his mind.
After shooing away the Emperor and the others, 18888, detecting that no one was around, asked in confusion:
“Host, are you planning to create a grand spectacle? But our System Points aren’t enough. What if we get exposed?”
Even with the basic illusion skill upgraded, it couldn’t deceive the senses of so many participants.
If they were to purchase other skills or one-time items from the system mall, even counting the system’s own small savings, it would still fall far short.
“We won’t get exposed. Although we’re broke, we can maximize the use of the resources we already have.”
“Among the rewards we received, the Beauty-Enhancing Pill has been used, the outfit has been worn, and we still have the Sweet Dream Pill and the Child-Bearing Pill. What use are these?”
18888 listed them one by one. With so few items, it racked its brain but couldn’t figure out how to proceed.
“You’re supposed to be a System, assisting me in completing tasks. Look at you—relying on me for everything.”
18888 hung its head in shame. Yes, it was so useless. As a System, it depended entirely on the Host for everything. How could it even qualify as a System?
“Sigh, but since you’re my System, I can’t just abandon you. After all, I’m the only one who would take you as a System.”
With a round of emotional manipulation, Ling Xiao brought 18888 to the brink of tears.
“If illusion magic can’t handle a crowd, then add Dream Pill!”
18888 suddenly understood. Dream Pill was one of the Palace Intrigue System’s flagship products, mainly used to let the Host leave an impression on the Emperor through dreams before officially pursuing him.
For example, dreams of a Goddess, destined marriage, and such—sounded a bit similar to what the Host was doing now.
But, “This Dream Pill can only be given to one person at a time. There are so many people at this sacrificial ceremony?”
Ling Xiao looked at the System and sighed deeply, her tone full of disappointment:
“They want to see my master, a big shot from the underworld. Should I just let them see him? Even buying a cake has different tiers. When the time comes, I’ll just say only a select few can see him.”
The System seemed to understand, yet also seemed confused. It shamefully avoided her gaze and said weakly, “Still not enough…”
“Old rules, take out a loan!”
“Another loan? We just paid off the last one…” Under Ling Xiao’s accusatory stare, 18888’s voice grew softer and softer until it finally acquiesced.
Ling Xiao secretly smiled. She had known the System would object. If it weren’t for the fact that loans had to go through the System, why would she have gone to such lengths?
As for the high-interest loan—commonly known as usury—that 18888 was worried about, Ling Xiao clicked her tongue regretfully. In the past, she would have simply eliminated the creditor… Now she actually had to repay the money. How the times have changed!
………………
On the morning of the third day, crowds of people arrived one after another. Li Yue, as the head of the Li clan, managed the sacrificial ceremony alongside Empress Wen, keeping them extremely busy.
Ling Xiao had climbed up a large tree not far from the altar early on, holding a paper bag of snacks. Swinging her legs back and forth, she pointed at the people below and happily gossiped with the System.
A burly, muscular man walked by. 18888 said confidently:
“Don’t be fooled by his intimidating appearance. He’s actually extremely timid—the kind who screams at the sight of a cockroach.”
“My nephew seems to have complained about him. He’s a descendant of a founding noble, and I heard his martial skills are quite impressive.”
“Nonsense! It’s all just for show.”
Ling Xiao took note and arranged a bit of a role for him.
The next person to pass by was a noblewoman with extremely fair skin, her eyes filled with emotion. When she glanced around, it felt as if a feather gently brushed against one’s heart.
“Wow, a great beauty.” This woman wasn’t the most beautiful Ling Xiao had seen here, but she was the most charming.
“What a beauty,” the System said, leaning forward to look at her while gossiping:
“She’s the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Pingxi. Her current husband is the legitimate eldest son of the wealthy Zheng merchant family.”
“Wealthy merchant?” Ling Xiao paused her chewing, unusually bewildered.
In ancient society, the hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants was extremely strict. For the legitimate daughter of a marquis’s household to marry the son of a wealthy merchant was simply earth-shattering and unbelievable.
To put it in modern terms, it was like a noble young lady marrying a young delinquent with dyed yellow hair, riding a noisy moped, and only having a middle school education.
“Did the marquis’s household owe a huge debt and get chased by the Emperor for repayment, or was it the marquis’s daughter’s legendary, world-shaking romance?”
These were the only two reasons Ling Xiao could think of.
“Neither,” the System said with a hint of laughter in its voice. “Because this Mr. Zheng is her fifth husband! Hahahahaha!”
“No wonder, no wonder. But the customs here are quite open-minded.”
Ling Xiao, who had always dealt with bloodshed and horror and had never seen much of the world, huddled with 18888 to gossip about which husband the beauty was most satisfied with.
Until the sacrificial ceremony was fully prepared, the Emperor stood at the forefront in majestic imperial robes, with the Southern Barbarian Khan bound like a dead pig at his feet.
Court officials, imperial clan members, nobles, and renowned scholars stood in utter silence.
The Ghost-God stood leisurely on the left side, his expression inscrutable, his aura growing increasingly ethereal and elusive, as if he might vanish with the wind at any moment.
The ceremonial officer was still reciting the sacrificial text.
“System, begin.”
The jade orb worn by the young girl silently emitted a glow, and over a dozen pills suddenly appeared within the incense burner ablaze on the altar.