"What?! Another one?"
Woken from the gloom of his deep stone chamber, Shamoli froze at the news delivered by the attendant before him. A wave of acute embarrassment washed over him, and he muttered under his breath, "How is there another… Wh-which one is this now?"
"To answer the prince, it is already the fifth!"
A bitter taste filled Shamoli's mouth. He had cultivated here among the Eastlanders for two years, consuming several spirit fruits before finally breaking through to the fifth layer of Embryonic Breathing. It was supposed to be a speed he could take pride in, yet who could have guessed that his wives and concubines were conceiving far faster than he could cultivate?
"The first child born on this side can already walk… It is truly astounding."
Shamoli had kept wives and concubines in the palace back in Eastern Shanyue, but the court had acted under Mu Jiaoman's secret orders, ensuring none of them ever managed to bear children. Who would have thought that once he arrived here, sons and daughters would pop up one after another?
In a daze, Shamoli walked out into the courtyard. Looking upon the crowd of wives and concubines gathered before him, he could barely match which face went with which name. The pregnant concubine stepped forward with a beaming smile. She had conceived before he entered seclusion and was now nearly due.
*Surely… surely… it must be my seed…*
Shamoli felt uneasy drums beating in his chest. After months without seeing these women, every single face looked fresh and unfamiliar. Drawing the pregnant concubine close, he looked at her shy expression, unable to recall for the life of him when he had last shared pleasure with her.
*Never mind, never mind. At least the eldest son is definitely mine…*
Shamoli glanced toward the woman standing at the very front of the crowd. In her arms was a child around one or two years old, with slightly narrowed eyes and healthy wheat-colored skin—at a glance, unmistakably of Mulu clan blood.
That wife had been pregnant when he first arrived in the Eastlanders' territory. It was Shamoli's very first child, and he had cherished the boy dearly, watching over him with meticulous care and calculating the dates carefully in his heart to ensure the child was truly his own.
*That is the future heir to the throne!*
Pleased with himself, Shamoli took the child into his arms and teased him for a moment. Soon, another servant entered the courtyard and announced respectfully, "Prince, Young Master Jiao has arrived."
At these words, the grin on Shamoli's face instantly vanished. He cursed inwardly, *Dammit… He’s definitely here to deliver spirit fruits again. Back to cultivating I go.*
Shamoli longed to spend some leisurely time with his wives and concubines, but living under someone else's roof forced him to abandon any thoughts of slacking off. Muttering curses in his heart while pasting a broad smile across his face, he hurried out to greet the guest with a laugh. "Young Master, you’ve arrived!"
Having lived in the Eastlanders' territory for two years, Shamoli had gradually picked up some of their manners and speech, finally managing to sound polite for once. Li Yuanjiao briskly walked into the courtyard, raising an eyebrow. "Cousin, why so courteous today?"
"Heheh."
Shamoli let out a foolish chuckle. He had only learned those first couple of polite phrases, and never expected Li Yuanjiao to deviate from the script by questioning him in return. His mind instantly blanked, and he could only laugh awkwardly, at a loss for how to reply.
The wives and concubines all withdrew. Shamoli ushered Li Yuanjiao into the courtyard, and the two took their seats as servants served tea. Only then did Li Yuanjiao speak: "Cousin, you have broken through to the fifth layer of Embryonic Breathing, bringing you one step closer to reaching Qi Refinement and storming back into Eastern Shanyue to reclaim your throne. Heartiest congratulations!"
Shamoli chuckled and nodded clumsily, but Li Yuanjiao casually waved his hand and remarked nonchalantly, "Your eldest brother, Qimu, has already secured the throne, gathering the tribes and clans across the realm. Not a single one of your brothers managed to survive. He is basking in glory and triumph these days."
"Despicable bastard!"
Hearing this, Shamoli was instantly consumed by envy and hatred, unable to hold back a curse. Yet Li Yuanjiao took a sip of tea and seemingly let slip without care, "Your eldest brother actually has some foresight. The moment he secured the throne, he dispatched a merchant caravan laden with five or six cartloads of tributes and offered a daughter in marriage to maintain our kinship. Right now, the streets outside are packed with carriages and horses, and the whole town has gathered at the border to watch."
"What!"
Those words struck Shamoli like a hard tread on his tail, nearly making him leap three feet into the air. In an instant, envy and hatred gave way to sheer terror and panic. His head spun, his mouth hung open, and he was struck utterly dumb.
Shamoli currently enjoyed a carefree, comfortable life with plenty of wives and concubines, and his strength had even risen to a new tier—all of which depended entirely on the Li family. Shamoli was oblivious at times, but he was no complete fool; he understood well enough that his sole value lay in delivering a docile, obedient Eastern Shanyue.
His brother had never been an easy customer and likely understood this all too well, which explained why he had rushed to submit without delay. Realizing he had lost his usefulness, how could Shamoli not be terrified out of his wits? His legs trembled uncontrollably, and he could not utter a single word.
Grabbing his teacup, Shamoli gulped down several mouthfuls before his trembling hands set it down. Though he lacked deep cunning on ordinary days, he still had some wits about him in critical moments—otherwise, he would never have fled to the Li family in the first place. Stuttering with anxiety, he pleaded, "Young Master… Young Master… Qimu is a greedy man, never one to stay content in his place. He has certainly not submitted in earnest; he is merely biding his time…"
"Sigh."
Seeing that he was terrified out of his mind, Li Yuanjiao deliberately remained silent for a while. Watching the man's eyes redden, he judged that the heat had done its work, and only then adopted a solemn expression. "Rest assured, Cousin. Your cousin Jiao understands. You are my true brother. That Qimu murdered his brother and patricidally slew his father—how could he possibly submit with an easy mind?"
"Right, right, right! He murdered his brother and killed his father! There is no way he has submitted with an easy mind!"
Shamoli nearly clapped his hands in cheer for Li Yuanjiao. The deduction followed so naturally that Shamoli breathed a massive sigh of relief. Yet Li Yuanjiao then put on a troubled face and ground his teeth. "The hateful thing is that he disguises himself far too well. Several elders in the family actually believed him. I argued fiercely with reason before I managed to stop them from handing you over… It is just…"
"Just what?!"
Shamoli was moved nearly to tears, deeply touched by his cousin's steadfast support. But seeing Li Yuanjiao's sudden hesitation, as though holding something back, he hurriedly pressed for answers.
"It is just that you cultivate far too slowly, brother… It has shaken the family's confidence."
*Thud!*
Shamoli scrambled to his feet so abruptly that he hooked and snapped a leg off the heavy wooden chair beneath him, sending it toppling crookedly to the floor. His face flushed bright red, and he roared, "Damn it all! I'll go cultivate right this instant!"
"Wait!"
Li Yuanjiao had not expected such a violent reaction, stunned for a breath by the outburst. He asked in a deep voice, "Brother, are you practicing the crude native method of the Shanyue?"
Shamoli's face fell in embarrassment. Nodding awkwardly, he stammered, "Indeed… That method is agonizingly slow. When breaking through, one must also draw in a wisp of turbid qi from Taixu, which takes merely over a month of condensing before it can be swallowed down. It cannot compare to the exquisite arts of you Eastlanders."
Cultivation methods had been a centuries-old agony for the Shanyue. Every chieftain who ruled supreme on their own turf, once they poked their heads out and touched the outside world, immediately realized they were nothing before true cultivators. They did not even need to be of a higher realm; any cultivator practicing an orthodox method could easily take on three or four Shanyue Qi Refinement figures who practiced crude arts and ingested turbid qi.
"I know your cultivation art is lacking, brother, so I specifically petitioned the family, hoping they might bestow an orthodox method…"
"What?"
Shamoli was struck dizzy by this tremendous surprise. The wild swings of fortune in a single day left his breath ragged and his emotions unmanageable. With a choked voice, he said, "That you treat me this well, brother, Shamoli will engrave it on his heart forever! But please, do not offend your clan elders on my account…"
"Rest assured."
Li Yuanjiao shook his head and said solemnly, "As long as you can reach the peak of Embryonic Breathing within the next few years, I am confident I can persuade the family to grant you an orthodox art, and I will even seek a wisp of pure qi for you, making you equal to Jianixi of old!"
Hearing these words, how could Shamoli contain himself any longer? His chest surged with turbulent emotion, tears streaming down his face. Nodding vigorously, he bowed deeply toward Li Yuanjiao and ground out, "Great kindness needs no words of thanks! Henceforth, so long as I live in the Shanyue, Brother Yuanjiao, you shall be the King Above Kings of our Shanyue!"
Chapter 171