Chapter 120: So you're here too, right? (First update, seeking monthly votes)

"The Emperor is the most wise, martial, and capable emperor I have ever seen! He is countless times better than the emperors of the other three dynasties!"

"Little brother, your big brother would absolutely never lie to you."

This was the evaluation of Chairman Li by a certain founding core employee surnamed Shi who had been brainwashed for many years.

"My father... er, my father is a very gentle and considerate person; he is very good to my mother and me."

This was the evaluation of her father by a naive, ignorant girl who had been well-protected.

"The Emperor is very serious in front of people, um, but he is quite easygoing in daily life, and sometimes he does things that I don't understand."

"For example, I once saw him and a certain Imperial Concubine on a small boat in the middle of the lake... In short, the Emperor is a very complex emperor."

This was the evaluation of her unreliable uncle by a certain niece surnamed Shi.

From the mouths of different people, the evaluations Ren Yidao received were vastly different.

Some said he was wise and martial, some said he was kind and polite, some said he was cold and ruthless...

But no matter how great the differences were, before arriving at Wentian, he had still gradually pieced together a vague image of Li Long.

An unfathomable emperor whose talent and virtue rivaled the High Ancestor Emperor, proficient in both civil and military strategies, yet easygoing in daily life.

That remark about having had a Spirit Communion for a long time was not just a casual joke by Ren Yidao; his understanding of Li Long might be greater than many people imagined.

After all, he was the Emperor of the Beigan Dynasty; he would not be a purely kind and gentle father.

That could be one side of Li Long, but it could never represent the whole of him.

And what surprised Ren Yidao was that after truly coming into contact with him, he unexpectedly discovered that Li Long was someone who could be on the same wavelength as him.

It was more than just their personalities being compatible; he was practically my own brother from another mother!

Much more interesting than someone like Jian Xinxin... Oh, wait, don't these two seem to have a kinship as well?

If I round it up, can Senior Brother Jian also be my relative?

But at this moment, regardless of what conclusions Ren Yidao had reached before...

They were all overturned!

I finally understand what this "talent and virtue rivaling the High Ancestor" is all about.

Your Li Family's founding emperor was a farmer by trade, so his talent and virtue were just so-so...

As a dignified emperor, the supreme ruler, is it appropriate for you to not stay properly in the Inner Palace hugging your Imperial Concubine, but instead come here to do this kind of thing...

Do you think it's appropriate?

Huh?

To put it nicely, it's sharing joy with the people; to put it bluntly, it's being unreliable.

You, a Heaven Realm cultivator, why are you coming here to join in the fun?

Being both the head referee and a contestant... trying to have your cake and eat it too?

Ren Yidao muttered in his heart, mentally berating Li Long over and over again.

But he also had to admit that this move by Li Long made him feel a bit excited as well.

"Things seem to be getting more interesting."

Li Long has even abandoned his dignity; do you think he will just let it go at that?

He won't.

Just watch, there will definitely be other big shows waiting for everyone later.

"Heh."

Thinking of the situation at that time, Ren Yidao quietly laughed.

The sound was extremely light, and only Li Qiushui, who was standing in front of him, could hear it.

"Hm?"

Li Qiushui did not know what Ren Yidao was laughing at now; was there anything worth laughing at in this Secret Realm test?

Quietly turning her head to look behind her, she happened to meet a pair of gentle eyes.

!!!

"What... are you laughing at?"

"Why am I laughing? Heh, it's nothing."

Ren Yidao smiled, stalling the Princess with a look of tenderness:

"Before this, I really never thought there would be such a day, being able to stand with you and face the trials together."

"Don't you think fate is truly interesting?"

"Miss Li, had you thought about it before?"

I can't exactly tell you that I'm thinking about how to scam your dad, right?

That would be too distant!

"..."

Her lips moved, but Li Qiushui said nothing; after gazing deeply at the young man, she withdrew her gaze.

That's right...

I also never thought there would be such a development.

A few days ago, this man was still an annoying guy, a pest hovering around Shi Xue.

But from that day on, his image in her heart underwent a huge transformation.

Now, in her own heart, what exactly are her thoughts about him?

Is he an enemy? A friend? Or...

Li Qiushui did not know.

At the very least, in her twenty-plus years of life, she had never encountered such a situation.

In the past, she had also never assumed that a man would break into her inner defenses in such a reckless manner.

"What should I do..."

As the culprit who had successfully plunged Li Qiushui into turmoil with just a few words, Ren Yidao did not remain idle after finishing his work.

He felt several gazes.

The princes and princesses present were all extremely familiar with one another, and they each had a rough idea of how many trump cards the others held.

But in the knowledge of those people, there had never been anyone by the name of Ren Yidao.

There had never been any record of his experiences, and not a single piece of information could be found.

Furthermore, no one could figure out why he was standing behind Li Qiushui or what kind of relationship they had.

Among these probing gazes, two lines of sight particularly caught Ren Yidao's attention.

One gaze came from the Second Prince, Li Fengyao.

Even among all the princes, his temperament was the most outstanding—noble and elegant.

He stood in the crowd, and even without saying a word, he could make the gazes of those around him be drawn to him involuntarily.

Some said this was the emergence of a budding talent, some said it was an innate aura, and some said it was the kingly aura of a Child of Destiny.

But if it were up to Ren Yidao to say, the principle behind this was actually very simple.

Charisma.

Relying on inner personality charm and outer physical attractiveness, a person with extremely high charisma would have varying degrees of influence on others.

Making people involuntarily lower their guard, easily turning enemies into friends, and even having an affinity with Heaven and Earth... these were all manifestations of extremely high charisma.

Ren Yidao understood the ins and outs of this, because he was exactly that kind of person.

As a white fox with ancestral bloodlines, born of Heaven and Earth, a spiritual beast of exquisite beauty, he was favored by Heaven and Earth.

Not to mention that the Fox Demon was itself a creature adept at bewitchment.

However, Li Fengyao and Ren Yidao were still somewhat different.

Li Fengyao's charisma was mostly cultivated postnatally.

A portion came from the cultivation of the heart through calligraphy and painting, a portion came from the practice of Dao Technique, but more of it...

"It's a cultivation technique, isn't it."

Regarding Wanhua Valley, which was also one of the three major sects of Beiming Divine Continent, Ren Yidao still had some understanding of them.

Although he did not know why they would accept a male disciple, he assumed there must be some secret about him that they valued.

Looking back at those gentle eyes, Ren Yidao smiled and nodded at him, returning an even more tender and affectionate gaze.

Playing that game, are we?

Fine, I'll play too!

Li Fengyao: "..."

Having never encountered such a situation, Li Fengyao's face twitched imperceptibly, and he silently averted his gaze.