Chapter 160: These Days Can't Last Long

After leaving the Great Zhou court and also leaving her own family, Bao Si became much more cheerful.

Of course, this increase in cheerfulness is only relative to her former self. The current Bao Si is still a cold‑type beauty, but she does smile occasionally.

Sometimes she even teases Wang Wu, but the teasing always ends with her blushing furiously.

Wang Wu, of course, does nothing to her; he simply retorts bluntly, and the woman turns completely red.

After all, even the most lewd humans can't compare to monsters in degree. At least most humans aren't like monsters.

Moreover, as a woman from a great noble family, Bao Si could never be that lewd.

"Even if you kneel before me, I still won't help you," Wang Wu said with a smile, looking at Da Ji, who knelt with vacant eyes.

As for "pitying the fragrant and cherishing the jade," that phrase doesn't exist in Wang Wu's dictionary. He didn't bother with that before he transmigrated, and after transmigration he avoids it even more.

"Wu Lang, if there's nothing else, shall we go back? I think…" At that moment, after staring at Da Ji on the ground for a while, Zi Yuan lost interest, then turned to Wang Wu and cooed.

"Today I want to transform into a demonic body, then we can…"

"Eh? Good! Good!!" Wang Wu instantly got excited at the words, ready to pull Zi Yuan back, but just before acting he remembered there were still people with him.

"Um, we'll talk later, later. I'll deal with the situation here first," Wang Wu said after giving Zi Yuan a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Mm, okay."

Zi Yuan shyly nodded.

"I still have some business here; why don't we go back first?" Wang Wu asked Xuan Youzi, who had been a background figure the whole time.

"Um, about this Da Ji…" Xuan Youzi also stared at Da Ji on the ground for a while, then hesitated.

He was, of course, well aware of Da Ji's deeds in Great Zhou—assassinating the emperor, which is no small matter.

Clearly Xuan Youzi didn't know the details; although she is an important figure in the Dao Xuan Sect, she hardly involves herself in politics.

Even within the sect, she holds no administrative post, only occasionally mentoring disciples—a typical "researcher" in this world.

Indeed, cultivators in this world can be seen as "scientists" back home; some scientists, though accomplished in their fields, aren't political idiots but are relatively simple.

Other scientists, who are outstanding great scientists contributing significantly to human scientific history, also actively engage in politics.

A typical figure is the 17th–18th century top scientist Niu Jueye, and also… *cough cough*, just know that.

Xuan Youzi belongs to the type that neither cares nor pays attention to politics; she may know some national affairs, but only superficially.

As for internal sect news, because she doesn't care, no one makes a point of explaining it to her.

"What are you worried about?" Wang Wu asked.

After a moment of hesitation, Xuan Youzi said, "This Da Ji is the criminal who assassinated our Great Zhou emperor; I wonder what Commissioner Wang's attitude toward her is…"

"Isn't this matter decided by you yourselves?" Wang Wu paused, then said.

"Huh?"

Xuan Youzi also froze, "You mean…"

"You could just ask the people inside your sect when you get back and you'd know," Wang Wu said with a very odd look at Xuan Youzi. "I thought you already knew."

"Um, okay then…" Xuan Youzi nodded; although Wang Wu didn't state it outright, his mind wasn't stupid, and a slight prod from Wang Wu made her instantly understand the nuance.

He truly is a political idiot, but not that much of one.

"Alright, let's go back," Wang Wu said with a smile, opening Mirror Flower Water Moon, then asked, "Where do you plan to go back to?"

"Back to the Dao Xuan Sect."

"Fine." He nodded, adjusting the destination of Mirror Flower Water Moon to the Dao Xuan Sect: "Go ahead; passing through will bring you to the Dao Xuan Sect's main gate."

"Thank you, Commissioner Wang." Xuan Youzi bowed respectfully to Wang Wu, then slammed into Mirror Flower Water Moon and instantly shattered, disappearing.

He had already experienced this skill, and its subtlety left him utterly shocked.

Heavenly Court inheritance, truly extraordinary!

After seeing Xuan Youzi off, Wang Wu glanced at Da Ji again, noticing she was still kneeling on the ground, likely still undergoing a worldview reconstruction.

However, he didn't care about that, so he prepared to take Zi Yuan back to their home in Heavenly Python City.

"Let's go, Wu Lang." Zi Yuan wasn't as indifferent as Wang Wu; after all, Da Ji was considered the "last great king" of the Great Merchants.

"Alright." Wang Wu replied, then vanished inside Wang's ship.

Though she truly felt little sorrow over her homeland's downfall, it was still the place where she lived and grew up.

"You should think it over, or at least set those matters aside for now and consider how to develop the city you're in so its people can have good lives."

Having said that, Zi Yuan's figure flickered and vanished on the spot.

Da Ji knelt on the ground for a very long time; after more than half an hour, she finally lifted her head slowly.

Her eyes were filled with bewilderment.

It was clear this woman's skill level was indeed rather low.

"Hehe, Wu Lang, eh! … Where is…"

Though Zi Yuan is human, she is also a demon. Her demonic form feels similar to her former spirit state, but there are some differences.

As for the exact differences, it's hard to explain in detail.

Since they've already settled in Heavenly Python City, Wang Wu naturally has his own property there.

After all, he can't live in the Heavenly Python Palace every day, though that's fine; the celestial spirits and his son certainly have no objections.

As for the palace maidens of the Heavenly Python Palace, they have even fewer objections; they actually hope Wang Wu lives there daily, so they can challenge him every day.

Wang Wu now has two reputations: one as Commissioner Wang of the Supreme Celestial Palace, and the other as the top expert of Heavenly Python City, Wang Wu.

Compared to the Commissioner Wang of the Supreme Celestial Palace, Wang Wu actually values his latter reputation a bit more.

After all, that represents his strength, his greatness.

The number of palace maidens in Heavenly Python City isn't large, and though called maidens, their demonic bodies aren't restricted and they even have a shift system.

There are 421 in total, and Wang Wu remembers each of their names, even being able to recall the tiniest details about them.

After living here for years, how could he possibly be unaware of such matters?

Since the title "Extreme Heaven Divine Palace" appeared, Heavenly Python City has seen an explosive increase in demonic population, with many monsters rushing to relocate from other demon cities to Heavenly Python City.

However, Heavenly Python City is very selective about such influx from other demon cities, accepting only a very small portion.

The rest of the monsters were turned away at the gates, because diplomatic relations must be considered, so they cannot accept every newcomer.

Thus, among the newly added monsters, the overwhelming majority are mountain wild demons with extremely low cultural levels, which has caused the schools of Heavenly Python City to become overcrowded again.

As the demon city with the highest average cultural level in the Hundred‑Thousand Great Mountains, Heavenly Python City, though prosperous, was not the primary choice for most monsters before the Extreme Heaven Divine Palace existed.

The reason is simple: to obtain a household registration in Heavenly Python City one must first attend school and then take exams. Failing the exam means continuing schooling until the graduation exam is passed.

This may seem trivial, but even for monsters like Zhu San Niang, failing school grades results in a locked crotch, let alone other monsters.

If you lock a monster's crotch, even a bird demon can't stand it. Who could endure that? Bird demons may be devoted to one, but that doesn't mean they have no love for that matter.

In fact, in such matters they can be more attached to their partner than ordinary monsters, since there is only one, wouldn't they squeeze it to death?

In this world there are monsters who are devoted to a single partner for life, but there are no indifferent monsters.

In the Hundred‑Thousand Great Mountains there is even a competition—yes, that kind of competition—that Wang Wu participated in last year and even won a prize.

He plans to continue entering the competition this year; as long as he remains in the Hundred‑Thousand Great Mountains, if there is time to compete he will definitely take part, determined to keep the championship forever in his hands.

He wants to become the whole demon race—no, he wants to become the strongest in the world, worthy of everyone's admiration!

It is now May, and next month marks the day of the new year's competition.

Since last month Wang Wu has been rigorously preparing for the contest every day, spending at least ten hours on it each day, with only two hours for sleep.

As for whether it's tiring? Asking a monster that is like asking a creature why it eats.

It's not even about eating meals; eating rice can indeed become tedious, but you can't go without anything.

You have to eat something, because without food you cannot survive. For monsters this is the same; you must satisfy the urge, otherwise an insatiable desire often leads to serious problems.

In the afternoon, after Zi Yuan finished preparing for the contest, Wang Wu lay in Zi Yuan's arms, feeling her cold skin. At that moment, his phone rang.

It was a call from Tian Ling.

"Commissioner Wang, I have something to report to you."

"What is it?"

"It's like this…"

A moment later, Tian Ling explained to Wang Wu the matter that Si Tu Yuan had previously approached him about.

"You're talking about this?" Wang Wu hadn't expected that, just after returning he happened to encounter the Si Tu family of Nan Zhou looking for Da Ji and the Luo family.

"He came to you about this, probably because other families at the court don't support him, right?" Wang Wu asked the voice on the other end with a smile.

"U‑um… Your insight, Chief." Tian Ling flattered, and as he spent more time with Wang Wu he naturally learned how to please him.

The incident where Da Ji shot down the ghost king's carriage was, of course, tacitly approved by the nobles of Great Zhou.

The Luo family and Da Ji want to rebuild the Yin Shang? That's no problem at all.

Just as Great Shang could leave behind Great Xia, even contributing annually to the Xia Kingdom as a "tributary state."

The Zhou people certainly would not be as petty‑hearted as the Yin people.

As for the emperor's opinion, what opinion could the emperor have? When the whole realm formulates a national policy, it is discussed together; the emperor cannot rule unilaterally.

Although the Zhou Emperor is nominally the supreme leader of Great Zhou, the state is still feudal, and the nobles are the true masters.

Even in the two most centralized dynasties, Ming and Qing, from the mid‑later period the emperor had to watch the ministers' expressions.

Let's not even mention the Eastern Forest Party, the Eunuch Party, all those factions.

Even the ultimate form of imperial power in the Qing era eventually became a Southeast Mutual Protection.

The Manchu‑Han Great Defense, in its final stage, turned into a death‑sentence talisman, making it easier for the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and later the precise‑targeting military's firepower youth king to play.

The ultimate form of imperial society back home was like that, let alone here where centralization never truly existed; actually during King Mu of Zhou's era it was centralized, but now it has reverted.

Anyway, Great Zhou is certainly no longer centrally controlled; power has been delegated to the various provinces.

The so‑called "Governor" is called Governor but is in fact a feudal lord.

When internal power struggles erupted in Great Zhou, Nan Zhou chose to stay on the sidelines, but that's understandable since the Zhou Emperor previously wanted to trade Nan Zhou for external support.

Nonetheless, Nan Zhou did not contribute to this matter, so their troubles naturally did not receive enthusiastic help from other lords.

The court's attitude toward the Luo family and Da Ji is total disregard, but the Si Tu family is different because they have deep conflicts with them.

It's mainly the Luo family; as for Da Ji, the Si Tu family doesn't care.

That female demon has little ability and skill, though her strength is relatively outstanding, and that's all.

The real trouble lies with the Luo family; those guys have their own forces abroad and are far from Great Zhou.

"Let them rest assured, the people on the Luo side won't be a problem."

After listening to Tian Ling's suggestion for a while, Wang Wu replied.

At this moment Wang Wu's mind was relatively clear, and he understood why the Si Tu family wanted Heavenly Python City's help.

They say they only approach Heavenly Python City and not Wang Wu, but who doesn't know that Commissioner Wang spends most of his time in Heavenly Python City?

And if Heavenly Python City agrees, no effort from the city is needed; the court will naturally take interest in the matter.

When the court's fleet sets out, it can completely erase the Luo family's overseas territories.

That's the Si Tu family's calculation.

It's just a pity that the Si Tu family's intention was seen through by Wang Wu's world‑shaking wisdom.

"I previously ran into some Luo people and killed three of them. Da Ji, because of certain matters, has already suffered a Dao‑heart collapse; whether she will later support the Yin Shang restoration is uncertain."

"They're now internally likely to produce troublemakers, so the Si Tu family need not worry about that."

"Chief, have you already dealt with them?" Tian Ling on the other end was stunned.

"No, I just happened to meet them, I didn't do anything."

"Alright, I understand, Chief. I will forward your information to them."

"Mm." Wang Wu nodded, preparing to hang up, but the next second, Tian Ling's voice sounded again:

"Grandmaster, will you also take part in this year's Grand Competition?"

"Of course!" Wang Wu said toward the other end of the phone, then lowered his head and glanced, discovering that Zi Yuan had already awakened and had reverted to human form.

Seeing Wang Wu look at her, her eyes narrowed to a slit.

Gently massaging her disheveled black hair, Wang Wu continued toward the phone, "What's the matter?"

"The opponents this year may be quite formidable; I was thinking, Grandmaster, shouldn't you increase the training intensity?"

"I don't think any monster could be my opponent," Wang Wu boasted. "But when a lion and tiger fight a rabbit, they use all their strength; I shall indeed intensify my training a bit."

Tian Ling is a pure‑love enthusiast, but pure love doesn't mean he doesn't take this matter seriously.

He, after all, is also a monster; this competition has been held continuously for several hundred years in the Hundred‑Thousand Mountains.

Although Tian Mang City is abundant in snake demons, um, snake demons aren't any stronger than other monsters in this regard.

Everyone has already transformed, so the differences they had as animals have naturally been erased.

In the past roughly 150 years, Tian Mang City hasn't even cracked the top ten in the annual competition, let alone won the championship. Though Tian Ling appears indifferent, it is actually rather humiliating.

As for the few centuries before that, Tian Mang City never secured a single championship.

And now that Wang Wu is here, Tian Mang City finally clinched its first championship last year.

Hanging up the phone, Wang Wu smiled gently at Zi Yuan, who was already using her feet, and reached out his hand.

Time quickly advanced to the third day at the Green Duckweed Sect.

Inside Wang Lan's dormitory, the air was permeated with a certain odor from fermented, accumulated sweat; Wang Lan's personal maid Xiao Yun sat not far from her lady, the incessant sounds in her ears feeling like sitting on a bed of needles.

Wang Wu had become Xiao Yun's benefactor; after serving Wang Wu for a while, Xiao Yun's standing beside Wang Lan rose like a tide.

Now that the lady has come out to cultivate at the Green Duckweed Sect, she naturally followed.

Monsters have their own strengths, and humans, of course, have theirs.

At this moment Zi Yuan can't be counted as human, because she has already become a demon, so she is not in this category.

Wang Lan, Yao Qing, and Zhao Xingyue each have distinctive feet; Wang Lan's soles are relatively thick and reddish because she was once a yang‑energy fighter and spent years wandering.

Zhao Xingyue, having been pampered in silk and jade since childhood, has even more delicate feet, white with a hint of red.

Yao Qing is a sword cultivator of commoner origin; her childhood conditions were modest, but she entered the Green Duckweed Sect early, so she now lives without worry.

Thus her feet fall between those of Zhao Xingyue and Wang Lan.

The three women's foot shapes are rather similar, all slender with long toes, which seem to grip Wang Wu tightly.

Especially when those slender toes curl tightly then snap straight, trembling continuously.

Those who can endure without breaking defense are truly divine beings.

Wang Lan's room isn't large, as it's a single dormitory. She shares it with her maid: one room, one hall, one bathroom, two beds, over thirty square meters.

Xiao Yun tightly clenched her legs; because the space is cramped, everyone's warm breath turned into a hazy mist.

In this tiny room, the fermented sweat odor mingled, pushing Xiao Yun's mind to the brink of collapse.

In the past, this smell would have made her immediately cover her nose and frown.

But now, perhaps having been infected by her own lady, the smell is… um.

Ten hours of daily competition preparation; today is only the third hour, yet that's enough.

"Wu Lang, I'm about to condense the Impure Body."

On the bed, Yao Qing looked at Wang Wu apologetically, resting her head on his shoulder as she spoke.

"Ah!?" Hearing the news, Wang Wu jolted as if struck by lightning, his body trembling sharply.

"It's fine, Qing sister, I can lend you some of my shoes and socks."

Wang Lan smiled reassuringly: "The effect may be a bit lacking, but it's better than nothing."

As one of the three human‑race powerhouses—though there are four people—and the largest supplier among them, Wang Lan's wares are naturally the purest.

If Yao Qing's cultivation realm were a few levels lower, perhaps she could rival Wang Lan, but unfortunately she does not.

Of course, none of the three women have foot odor; it's merely caused by fermented sweat, thus non‑toxic and unpolluted.

Foot odor and sweat stink differ considerably; they can't be conflated. The former is actually quite healthy, the latter requires treatment.

Wang Wu has long known about the Pure Body and understands such days can't last, yet he has simply refused to face that fact.

"Sigh." He said lightly, shaking his head, "It's fine, it's fine, this matter isn't important."

During this period, Wang Wu usually cultivates in the morning, entertains or does other things in the afternoon, and prepares for the competition at night; sometimes he spends the entire afternoon and evening preparing.

Of course, practical training in the online world is also not forgotten.

Unfortunately, a day has only twenty‑four hours; even sleeping just one or two hours, Wang Wu still feels the day is far too short.

At four p. m., Zhao Xingyue returned to her own sect, while Wang Lan continued today's cultivation.

Yao Qing has nothing to do today, so the upcoming time will be spent accompanying Wang Wu wandering the Green Duckweed Sect.

After confirming her relationship with Wang Wu, Yao Qing became considerably more delicate; she often gets foot fatigue while walking and must have Wang Wu massage them.

Just like now.

"Senior sister."

As Yao Qing, cheeks flushed, watched Wang Wu give herself a foot massage, a voice rang out, interrupting her reverie.

Of course it's a normal massage, since this is a public place and there are quite a few people nearby.

Such interaction between a young couple is considered quite normal in human society.

"Junior brother?" When Yao Qing turned her head and saw her junior brother, the redness on her face immediately faded.

"Anything?"

Li Tianxuan said nothing, merely staring intently at his senior sister, his eyes showing no emotion.

Yao Qing and Wang Wu's relationship has been established for more than a day or two, a month or two. He had already seen them long ago.

Indeed, on the very day Yao Qing devoted herself, when the two had just confirmed their relationship.

Indeed, up until the next morning, Yao Qing was still sacrificing herself.

On that day, Li Tianxuan already learned what had happened to his senior sister from the marks on her neck.

How could he not know what that signified?

That night, Li Tianxuan had a dream.

All the pent‑up emotions in his heart erupted completely that night.

But when he got up the next day and looked at the woman beside him, he felt only nausea, even the urge to kill her.

After that, Li Tianxuan no longer saw such obvious marks on his senior sister, only her occasionally flushed cheeks and the affectionate eyes when she drifted off.

Yet even so, it was enough to tear Li Tianxuan's heart.

Pain, immense pain. Also anger and hatred.

It drove him nearly mad.

And today, after several hundred days, Li Tianxuan finally saw that man again.

The man who was with his senior sister.

However, when he saw him with his senior sister, for some reason Li Tianxuan's heart suddenly calmed.

No ripple at all, as if a pool of dead water.

Just staring, staring intently.

As if to imprint Wang Wu forever in his eyes.

Wang Wu only glanced at Li Tianxuan and then stopped paying attention, continuing to massage Yao Qing; after finishing one foot, he meticulously helped her put on shoes and socks.

Of course, before dressing he didn't forget to give a gentle peck, causing Yao Qing's toe to instantly stiffen.

And when Li Tianxuan saw this scene, especially the shy yet happy expression on her face, his heart instantly exploded.

Fresh blood surged to his throat, but he forced himself to swallow it.

Immediately after, he vanished on the spot.

(End of Chapter)