After Wu Yi left, Long Qiyue clasped her hands behind her back and suddenly asked, “Li Yin, what do you think?”
Li Yin nodded slightly. She had been standing outside the Golden Throne Hall the entire time, using her spiritual sense to clearly perceive everything that had happened in court. She knew Long Qiyue was referring to Wu Yi’s sudden personality shift.
“Your Majesty, Wu Yi’s words and actions today were indeed unusual. It was as if he became a different person, sharper and more aggressive. But from what I know of him, his past behavior as a pampered wastrel never seemed like an act.”
Her voice was pleasant, just like her name—crisp like the notes of a zither, and as clear as mountain spring water. It gave one the feeling of drinking lots of water and not producing foul-smelling urine. Yet, it carried an icy edge that kept people at a distance.
Long Qiyue found it amusing. “Could it be that Ninth Sister beat some sense into him and knocked him awake?”
She recalled Wu Yi’s various performances in court today, as well as their recent conversation. Her phoenix eyes reflected a hint of intrigue and hesitation.
After a brief silence, Li Yin shared her honest thoughts. “Your Majesty, whether or not his previous frivolousness was an act, today’s bold display in court lacked composure. He acted too impulsively and erratically—it could easily lead to unnecessary trouble.”
She didn’t say the rest, but her meaning was clear: she was advising the Empress not to entrust Wu Yi with important responsibilities. After all, impulsiveness was a fatal flaw and unfit for heavy responsibility.
Unexpectedly, Long Qiyue gently shook her head. “No, that’s actually the smartest part of him.”
She turned to look at Li Yin, her voice steady. “Wu Yi’s arrogance today may have seemed reckless, but it also showed others how forceful he could be. Think about it—if he had chosen to endure and not killed Xu Yangshuo or Lin Zhengtang, would the Xu family have spared him?”
“Of course not.”
“An enemy who truly wants to kill you will never show mercy just because you changed your behavior. Since he and the Xu family are already mortal enemies, the stronger he appears, the better. It deters small fry and lets him focus on taking down the real threat—the Xu family.”
Hearing the Empress’s tone full of praise for Wu Yi, Li Yin chose silence.
Since Long Qiyue ascended the throne more than a year ago, this was the first time she had spoken so highly of any subject.
“You may go.”
Li Yin bowed. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
…
As soon as Wu Yi exited the palace, Eunuch Liu greeted him with a grin, looking like he was meeting an old lover. His smile was especially flamboyant. “Young Master, you’re out! I’ve already prepared the carriage. This way, please~”
Wu Yi couldn’t help but speak up. “Eunuch Liu, no need to smile that… flirtatiously. It makes me uncomfortable.”
Eunuch Liu rolled his eyes in annoyance, then glanced around to ensure no one was nearby before whispering shyly, “Young Master, do you know why I joined the palace and became a eunuch?”
Wu Yi had a bad feeling and instinctively took a step back. “Why?”
Eunuch Liu gave him a shy smile. “Because… I don’t like women.”
Wu Yi grimaced and stepped even farther away. “Eww—stay away from me.”
He suddenly felt the air around him was no longer clean.
Not long after walking with Eunuch Liu, he saw a luxurious carriage ahead. But the carriage wasn’t pulled by ordinary horses—it was drawn by four flaming red spirit beasts.
6th-grade spirit beasts: Scarlet Flame Dragon Steeds!
With dragon heads and horse bodies, they were massive and exuded a majestic aura. These were the exclusive mounts of the Longhua Empire’s royal family—a symbol of status.
Inside the carriage, Wu Yi waited for Li Yin while planning his next steps. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
“The Xu family will definitely seek revenge. They might even send assassins or death squads after me. Right now, with Grandfather away for months, only Father remains in the Duke of Dingguo’s residence—he’s at 8th stage Martial King Realm, which isn’t enough. If something major happens, we need someone at the Martial Emperor level in the house.”
“Besides that, I need to fully utilize the other functions of the Hammer of Boundless Merit.”
The hammer had ten functions—ten strikes in total—and each was incredibly powerful.
First Hammer: Reversal of Heaven and Earth
Second Hammer: Legacy of Wei Wu
Third Hammer: Turn Stone to Gold
[Turn Stone to Gold: Allows unlimited enhancement of any item’s grade, quality, or effects using the Hammer of Boundless Merit. It can turn trash into treasure, treasure into supreme artifacts.]
For example:
He could upgrade a 1st-grade pill into a Heaven-grade Saint Pill, an ordinary dagger into a Heaven-tier divine weapon, a basic technique into a top-tier Saint technique, or a weed into a Saint-grade spiritual herb. He could even turn the Empress’s bitter tea into an aromatic divine brew that scented the entire capital.
This was the most OP function of all—and the only one that couldn’t be used to hammer people.
Fourth Hammer: Tempering into Steel—enhances others’ cultivation, physique, etc.
Fifth Hammer: Output Forbidden
Sixth Hammer: One Strike to Finalize
Seventh Hammer: Speak the Truth from the Heart
The last three—Hammer Eight, Nine, and Ten—were locked and required large amounts of merit points to unlock.
In short, each ability was ridiculously powerful. If used well, he could quickly rise to power and resolve the current crisis.
“Commander Li!”
At that moment, Eunuch Liu’s sharp and flattering voice came from outside.
“Hmm.”
Li Yin replied coldly, then lifted the curtain and entered the carriage, sitting directly across from Wu Yi.
The carriage was spacious, and even with both of them seated, there was plenty of room.
Wu Yi glanced at her favorability rating. It had dropped to –80.
“Tsk. At –80, how many times do I have to hammer to reach 90?”
Just raising Yu Jia’s favorability from 84 to 90 earlier had taken over 200 hits.
Outside, the four Scarlet Flame Dragon Steeds slowly rose into the air, pulling the luxurious carriage as it soared toward the Duke of Dingguo’s residence.
As 6th-grade spirit beasts, they were equivalent to Martial Sect Realm human cultivators and could naturally fly. Their intelligence rivaled that of adult humans, and once they had visited a place, they could find their way back without any guidance.
As Wu Yi kept staring at Li Yin, her cold eyes flashed with disgust.
“Why are you looking at me like that, Young Master?”
Wu Yi grinned shamelessly, “If you didn’t look at me, how would you know I’m looking at you?”
This woman had been hostile toward him from the start. Though he understood she looked down on the original Wu Yi for being a good-for-nothing second-gen heir, it still annoyed him.
Li Yin, “…” Get faster updates on g.com.
She knew Wu Yi was good with words, so she coldly snorted and turned her head away, choosing to ignore him.
“Here~”
Unexpectedly, Wu Yi suddenly held out the 7th-grade Snow Spirit Ginseng Fruit in front of her.
Li Yin glanced at it and said coolly, “I appreciate the thought, but I don’t need it.”
To her surprise, Wu Yi pulled it back with a mischievous grin. “Who said I was giving it to you? I’m just showing it off. Don’t flatter yourself.”
Li Yin, “?”
She gritted her teeth in anger, rolled her eyes with a haughty expression, and ignored him again.
Though the Snow Spirit Ginseng Fruit was priceless and precious, she really wasn’t that impressed—she’d had it before. As a water-attribute spiritual material, it would help her pseudo water spirit root, but only the first time gave full effect. After that, it was a waste.
However, if it were an 8th-grade version, it might upgrade her pseudo root into a true water spirit root.
Seeing Wu Yi still eyeing her up and down, Li Yin became visibly annoyed by his invasive stare and snapped, “Can you stop looking at me?”
Clang—
[Merit +1]
Li Yin, “?”
She watched as Wu Yi suddenly pulled out the mysterious black wooden hammer and gave the air a tap. Her head buzzed slightly, but nothing else happened.
She frowned, her eyes full of annoyance. “What are you doing?”
“None of your business. I’m just tapping for fun. Can’t I?”
Wu Yi didn’t care. He held the hammer in one hand, clasped his other hand in a respectful gesture, closed his eyes, and started chanting mysterious verses as he continued to hammer away.
Of course, he was using the Second Hammer: Legacy of Wei Wu to increase the favorability of his No. 2 baby candidate—Li Yin.
“Since ancient times, who has not died? Your life is just beginning.”
“A young man doesn’t know sorrow. No tears until he sees the coffin.”
“If only Flying General were here again, I’d never speak of love.”
“Yellow River flows from the sky—behold, the Noxian guillotine.”
“…”
Clang~ Clang~ Clang~
[Merit +1]
[Merit +1]
[…]