Chapter 368: Bound to the Child-Bearing System and Becoming a Life Winner Chapter 369: Ordinary Person Striving to Live (37)

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Protagonist:

Shen Yao

Thunder rumbled, black smoke churning endlessly under the strikes, as if something were about to emerge.

Liu Xiuwen and Liu Jingsheng stopped moving, standing in place watching the black smoke being struck again and again.

Of course, the thunder was spectacular, and those hiding in tents resting came out more or less to join the liveliness, then unconsciously began discussing.

How strange, how unlucky they were once they arrived in Luojing.

And that ominous black smoke—was it portending something?

"I heard that before Wei State fell, thunder also fell from the sky, striking... it seemed to be the royal mausoleum."

"Who told you that? Over the past few decades, any problems should have turned to ash by now."

"Hey, who knows, it's being struck right now, what if—"

"......"

There were too many people in the team, all sorts of talk; Liu Mingxuan and the others naturally heard these idle gossips, and though they kept cold faces and reminded them a few times, they couldn't find the source for a moment.

"Alright, Eldest Young Master, let's go find Great Ancestor," Liu Mingfei pulled Liu Mingxuan, her eyes swiftly scanning the surroundings, taking Liu Mingjin away with her.

"Great Ancestor, Eldest Uncle."

Pushing aside the crowd blocking the front, the three ran to Liu Xiuwen and Liu Jingsheng.

Liu Xiuwen stood straight, hands clasped before his chest, constantly calculating and deducing, but every time at the critical moment, it ended in failure.

"Don't get too close to Luojing, this thunder..." Liu Jingsheng's expression was grave, the roar of thunder in his ears, black smoke fading before his eyes.

Liu Mingxuan anxiously glanced toward Luojing City, but the city gate blocked everything; he could see nothing.

"Uncle, how is Mingchen?" Liu Mingfei spoke, thinking this thunder wouldn't single out Liu Mingchen.

One strike, a large area; Liu Mingchen stayed in the city, and if he didn't dodge in time, he would vanish with Luojing into smoke.

Just imagining this scene made Liu Mingfei uncomfortable all over, her eyes fixed on Liu Jingsheng before her, hoping to hear news from her uncle's mouth.

Liu Jingsheng did not disappoint Liu Mingfei's regard; he repeated what Liu Xiuwen had said, emphasizing that this thunder seemed spiritual, striking only the rolling black smoke, so Liu Mingchen was relatively safe.

Liu Mingfei:... Safe?

Safe was good; she didn't ask how Great Ancestor sensed her second brother's whereabouts, patted her chest, and turned to observe the increasingly thinning black smoke.

Indeed, the black smoke's color visibly lightened and faded. The Luojing city wall couldn't escape the thunder either, crashing down piles of rock fragments.

Liu Mingxuan subconsciously pulled the people beside him back, "Careful!"

Liu Xiuwen waved his hand for Liu Jingsheng and the others to return, "The timing has come; hurry to rest and reorganize the team. Once the thunder ends, we enter Luojing immediately."

The opportunity was rare; Liu Xiuwen thought of what Liu Mingchen had said upon entering, decided not to hesitate any longer, but to give it a try.

Liu Jingsheng nodded in agreement, and while turning, gave Liu Mingxuan and the others a look.

Marching and fighting demanded obedience above all; Liu Mingxuan and the others were Liu family members and also commanders leading troops in the team.

Not making things difficult for their uncle, the three temporarily set aside their worry for their second brother/Second Young Master, returned to the rear to assemble the scattered troops they had brought.

At Zi Hour in the middle of the night, with the last explosion ending, Luojing under the thunder was unrecognizable.

Liu Mingxuan and the others had their subordinates rest well; by early the next day, they quickly packed their luggage and were ready to depart.

"Depart!"

Liu Jingsheng took the lead, personally pushing open the tottering Luojing city gate, stepping into the city again after over twenty years.

Liu Mingxuan and the others followed closely behind, then came various commanders and a considerable number of ordinary soldiers.

As for Liu Xiuwen? He had quietly entered Luojing City as soon as the thunder ended, just like Liu Mingchen, not moving with the main force.

The main force had its affairs; Liu Xiuwen and Liu Mingchen each had their own missions.

After using the Heavenly Dao Consciousness's hand to deal with that evil people's black smoke, Liu Jingsheng set out again.

The troubles left behind in Luojing were too many; the resentment qi formed by the black smoke was only one, and there were other things even harder to deal with.

"Sigh, Mingchen is fine in every way, just too serious about everything."

"That resentment qi directly affects the Human Race's life; once resolved, eighty percent of the troubles can be dissolved."

The remaining twenty percent, or troubles with greater impact on the future, could be put aside and dealt with slowly later.

As a result, this person not only didn't rest, but seemed to continue pressing on, continuing to clear hidden dangers within Luojing City.

Shen Yao looked speechless, thinking her four children were too straightforward in character; it seemed she had to hurry to Luojing.

"Host, the Luojing crisis is temporarily resolved; we can set off right away."

The system threw confetti and spun in circles in her mind, extremely happy.

Going to Luojing meant their mission was nearing its end; no matter how the four children achieved in the future (whether they could inherit the great position), the reward they received from the Heavenly Dao Consciousness was excessively rich.

"Yeah, staying in Yingchuan all the time has made the body lazy; it's time to move around and go see."

Shen Yao took the opportunity to stretch her body; although she kept her mouth shut and said nothing, Qing Shui still felt her mistress's happiness.

Qing Shui:... Huh? Is something good happening? I haven't heard anything either.

Shen Yao covered her mouth, smiling gleefully in her heart; in a few more months, everyone would know—their Liu Family could count as a sudden rise to mastery, walking the path of their predecessors.

Three months later, the entire estate was filled with joy.

Qing Shui had a stern face as she had the servants prepare everything that needed preparing, then turned and quickly ran back to the courtyard to report their progress to her mistress.

Based on the urgent letters sent back these past days, the Yingchuan Liu Family was in a state of near-success.

After all, almost succeeding and truly succeeding were two different concepts.

Previously Lady Liu had been fairly composed, striving to keep the rear stable so as not to trouble the front lines, but now that she heard Luojing had fallen and the Heaven-and-Earth Sacrifice was imminent, how could Lady Liu remain seated? Every day she bared her big white teeth and bustled about, all to reach Luojing a day earlier and witness her eldest son's path to ascension.

Yes, that's right.

After Liu Xiuwen retired to the second line and Liu's father was pressed down along with him, Liu Jingsheng became the Liu Family's undisputed head of the family.

This time the Liu Family unified the Human Race and established a new country. That position naturally went to Liu Jingsheng.

Luojing's side is currently working overtime on construction and cannot spare manpower to receive people from Yingchuan, so they can only rely on Lady Liu to handle it herself.

"By then we'll hire more escorts; the dangers on the road have already been cleared several times, and I reckon those forces won't dare cause trouble at this time," Lady Liu touched her chin, deciding to bring the entire Liu direct line, including the concubine-born children and cheap concubine she had never much liked.

Not for any other reason, but to make herself safer, lest someone with a bad brain think they could intercept the final result by sneaking around.

Shen Yao also felt that at such a time, anyone with a bit of political sense wouldn't cause trouble at the outset; after all, this was precisely the stage where the Liu Family was full of ambition and vigor, and if the Liu Family got angry, it wouldn't just be a few people dying.

"Mother, I'll go arrange people to properly scout the route we'll take," Having resources and not using them is purely asking for bitterness.

Shen Yao felt that over these years, the women of the inner household had contributed greatly to the Liu Family; now that the men held great power, there was no reason for them to still worry timidly about things.

From Yingchuan to Luojing, even traveling at full speed would take over a month, let alone these ladies of the family, who had to consider both comfort and safety, so delays on the road would only grow longer.

"Mm, scout more; the letter only said to reach Luojing as soon as possible," with no specific time set, they could go at their own pace.

Shen Yao smiled and nodded, turning around to take Qing Shui's hand and leave Lady Liu's apartment.

"Also go sound out the servants for me, and the people to be taken along.

Remember, loyalty is most important; no matter how smart a person is, if they're not used by us, they have no value at all."

They also had to guard against being outmaneuvered by smart people—simply not worth the loss.

Qing Shui completely obeyed her mistress's words; basically, whatever the mistress said was law.

Since loyalty was emphasized as most important, then for this departure from Yingchuan, anyone brought along who had even a little scheming would be left behind at the estate.

Qing Shui acted swiftly and decisively; after issuing order after order, she herself stood on high ground, watching these people reveal their true colors.

Kick out those who should be kicked out, keep those who should be kept.

Half a month later, Shen Yao boarded the departing carriage, and behind her the estate gradually disappeared from her sight.

"Returning to Luojing, I wonder how Luojing is? Has it recovered the prosperity of earlier years?"

Shen Yao leaned against the soft pillow, with plates of pastries and floral tea and beverages set beside her.

Qing Shui sat outside; as long as Shen Yao shook the bell when she had something, she would come in to serve.

Mistress and servant for many years, Shen Yao planned to set Qing Shui free once they reached Luojing—this was one of the few things she could do for Qing Shui.

"Luojing was destroyed completely; Host wants Luojing to recover to its heyday, which still needs many years of development," but as the new capital city, Luojing would naturally become a dream city many people flocked to.

As long as people kept pouring in endlessly, Luojing would not decline.

"These are matters of those in power; I'm going this time only to enjoy blessings," she wasn't going to be a wet nurse, and how Luojing's future would be depended on the policies Liu Jingsheng issued.

Liu Jingsheng had a plan in mind and should choose the correct path.

System:...

The System saw its Host shirking responsibility and simply went to observe the four children.

Liu Mingxuan and the other four were currently living in the Liu Family's old residence in Luojing.

After repairs, this place had been restored to its original state, but Liu Mingxuan and Liu Mingfei were too young when they left, and Liu Mingchen and Liu Mingjin had not yet been born then, so their impressions of this place were not deep.

Unlike Liu Xiuwen and Liu Jingsheng; the grandfather and grandson, if not for pressing matters, would have liked to stay in the old residence twenty-four hours a day.

"Eldest Young Master, when will Mother and the others arrive?" Liu Mingfei ran to the study to find Liu Mingxuan; with no battles to fight, the idle Liu Mingfei grew increasingly bored and had already planned to follow Liu Mingchen behind to slay demons and eliminate devils.

But Shen Yao had always opposed Liu Mingfei getting involved in these things; Liu Mingfei feared exposing herself, so she ran over to confirm the news with Liu Mingxuan.

"You stay home obediently; Mother and the others should arrive in half a month."

The implication was: don't run out at a time like this, he couldn't explain it to Mother.

Liu Mingfei:...

Liu Mingfei pouted, "What's good about staying at home? Walking around a few circles and you can figure it all out," it wasn't even one-third the size of the Yingchuan estate.

Liu Mingxuan rubbed his forehead and sighed, "You can't say that; this is the foundation of our Liu Family in Luojing City."

Liu Mingfei's eyes turned, and clutching her fists she giggled as she came over to help pound Liu Mingxuan's shoulders, "With Eldest Young Master holding the fort, who dares to provoke?"

Her strength wasn't as strong as Eldest Young Master's, just a bit better than Third Young Master's; Third Young Master had been going out with Second Brother a lot recently, surely hiding something from her.

Liu Mingfei activated her clever little brain, deciding to pull a trick to deceive the heavens and cross the sea—first solve her own boredom, then talk about other things.

Liu Mingxuan:...

Liu Mingfei sneaked out; Liu Mingxuan knew he couldn't stop his troublesome younger sister, so he had to drag Liu Mingchen over and tell him to take care of her more.

Liu Mingchen also had a good temper; or rather, the more strange things he resolved, the less popularity he seemed to have among people above and below himself.

Plus Liu Mingchen deliberately restrained his emotions, always smiling on his face; those not close to him found it hard to notice his emotional fluctuations.

"Eldest Young Master, just wait for Mother to come."

Liu Mingchen still held a thick book in his hand, recording the strange things existing within Luojing City; he went out early and returned late every day, and the number of strange things was constantly decreasing at a visible rate.

"I'm worried Mother will be angry," an elder brother is like a father; he should be taking care of the younger ones, but instead he was pushing the matter onto the parents—truly unfilial.

Liu Mingchen raised an eyebrow, "It won't happen, Eldest Young Master."

"Indeed it won't; my body, how could it stand you making me this angry," Shen Yao stood in the courtyard, facing four children who all lowered their heads in unison.

Liu Jingyan was not here; indeed, he was in another city and had not returned to the capital in time.

The Liu Family's territory was too large; Liu Xiuwen and Liu Jingsheng could not leave, and the four children Liu Mingxuan and the others were too young, so Liu Jingyan had to bear the hardship.

But Liu Jingyan was Liu Jingsheng's younger brother; setting other things aside, just the fact that the four children and Liu Jingyan's own mansion and title had been given out was enough to make Liu Jingyan's family work for Liu Jingsheng.

"Idle with nothing to do, you can go help your father, instead of doing these jumping-around things," Liu Mingfei and Liu Mingjin were not Liu Mingchen; they two needed secular life, and social obligations had to be fulfilled.

"Mingxuan, enter the palace tomorrow and personally request an edict from your Imperial Uncle, to give Mingfei and Mingjin a chance to gain experience."

After speaking, Shen Yao took Qing Shui back to the back courtyard; she had not even finished organizing the things she brought, and she would not waste all her time educating the children.

Causing trouble often had its benefits—at least it could make those in power feel more assured.

Do not presume to guess the thoughts of those above you; do well what you ought to do, and only then can you live long.

Liu Mingxuan entered the palace the next day, bringing Shen Yao's words to Liu Jingsheng.

Liu Jingsheng naturally did not agree, but instead chose several city-defense administrative posts near Luojing City in a more tactful way—not only were they relaxed and free, but there were no constraints at all.