Longevity starts from having a daughter in old age

Xu Mu flatly shook his head.

Even though the Fifth Prince has always been quite friendly towards him, it’s better for less people to know about certain matters.

“Really none?”

“None!”

The Fifth Prince seemed somewhat skeptical.

There was a tension between the two of them that anyone could perceive.

But since Xu Mu adamantly denied, the prince did not push him further.

“Alright then! However, be careful in the future. If you ever need anything, you can directly approach me. The forces backing Seventh Princess aren’t as simple as they appear!”

“Thank you for the warning, your highness.”

“We’re all on the same side, no need to be so formal. Let’s part ways here. We’ll meet again after the trial period.”

The Fifth Prince nodded with a smile.

“Your Highness, aren’t you coming with me?” Xu Mu asked, puzzled.

He initially assumed that the Fifth Prince would accompany him to find Li Youlan. Now, with the Fifth Prince going alone, getting the first place would be difficult without collaborating with Li Youlan.

“No need! I was purposely provoking the Seventh Princess so she wouldn’t cause you harm! Now that we’ve distanced ourselves, I doubt she’ll make a move against you. Once you’ve teamed up with Youlan, she’ll have no choice but to leave you alone. In the meantime, I’ll take this opportunity to gather more Qi to ensure that I’m not too far down the ranking and become a laughing stock.” The Fifth Prince laughed.

It seemed he was not particularly concerned about the rankings, nor having any intentions to take advantage of Li Youlan.

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

Xu Mu thanked him again.

“I told you, there’s no need to be so formal.”

The Fifth Prince laughed, transformed into an escape light, and flew off towards the distance, soon disappearing beyond the horizon.

“This boy probably sees you as something extraordinary. He wants to win you over, which is why he is being so generous. But be careful, those from the Da Yuan Royal Family can be double-faced and backstabbers. They could betray you on any given day.” the Black YuanYing advised.

“Aren’t you part of the royal family yourself? Isn’t it a little inappropriate to say that?” Xu Mu chuckled.

“I’ve already severed ties with them. Don’t lump me together with them!”

Clearly, the royal family had hurt the Black YuanYing deeply in the past, or else he wouldn’t say such things.

Asserting your independence while still referring to yourself as ‘king’, are you sure you’ve severed ties?

“Hahaha!”

Xu Mu chuckled and added, “It’s the deeds, not the intentions, that matter. Regardless of his motives, he has indeed helped me. I’ll reciprocate when opportunity arises.”

“Whatever you do, just don’t get me involved!” Black YuanYing responded, disdainfully.

“Don’t worry!”

Xu Mu spoke, “Let’s talk about the Heavenly Creation Chi now.”

While communicating mentally with Black YuanYing, Xu Mu quickly made his way back to meet Li Youlan and the others who were still hunting ghosts. There were also quite a few townsfolk in the Qi Cultivation Stage, likely brought over by Xu Ling.

“Master!”

Upon seeing Xu Mu return, the first person to greet him was not Li Youlan, but Xu Ling, possibly hoping to show off her relationship with Xu Mu.

“Mmm.”

Xu Mu simply nodded back and walked towards Li Youlan.

“Your Highness!”

“It’s good to see you back! I heard from our ancestors about what happened in the palace. Are your injuries severe?” Li Youlan asked with concern.

Hearing that the old woman had searched the entire space and encountered Li Youlan was not surprising at all.

“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness! These are just minor injuries, nothing to worry about.”

“That’s good.”

Li Youlan let out a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on her face, “Tell me what happened.”

“Alright.”

Xu Mu nodded in agreement.

The two of them separated from the group to discuss. Xu Mu disclosed everything, barring the details about the God Refining Tripod and his deal with the Black YuanYing, to Li Youlan.

Obviously, he couldn’t reveal his quick mastery of the Corpse Puppet Skill. He just claimed that his proficiency in formations enabled him to succeed.

“In that case, you’ve truly offended Seventh Princess. She has a small temper and is very arrogant. She will certainly trouble you once we’re out of here!” Li Youland said with a bitter smile.

“Don’t worry, Your Highness. Once we’re out of here, I’ll disconnect myself from the princess’s manor. I won’t drag you into it.”

“What kind of nonsense is that? You offended her because of me. If I let you take the fall, how could I live with myself!” Li Youlan became somewhat angry.

Seeing her react this way, whether genuine or not, Xu Mu couldn’t help but feel touched.

“My apologies, I was overthinking. Please forgive me, Your Highness!” Xu Mu responded.

“Alright! Just don’t say such things in the future. You are under my charge, and it’s my duty to protect you. Here, take this.”

Li Youlan took out a small, glowing green sword and handed it to Xu Mu.

“What’s this?”

Xu Mu asked, without reaching out to accept it.

“This is a talisman from the Nascent Soul Stage. Regardless of your cultivation level, using this could stall a Nascent Soul practitioner momentarily.” Li Youlan explained.

“…”

Xu Mu was in shock.

Knowing that it could stall a Nascent Soul practitioner, there was no need to speculate on its value. This item was as valuable as the Purple Jade Talisman possessed by the Seventh Princess, both being treasures of immeasurable value.

“This girl is indeed generous!”

Even the Black YuanYing was slightly surprised.

Li Youlan was not the Seventh Princess. She probably had only this one talisman, yet now she was actually giving it away because Xu Mu had verbally offended the Seventh Princess.

“This is too precious, Your Highness. Please take it back!” Xu Mu declined.

His refusal was not out of politeness but genuine surprise at Li Youlan’s generosity.

“Xu, my friend, just accept it. Unlike you, no one dares to offend me in the imperial city. But, she will likely resort to dirty tricks against you, so keep this talisman as a safeguard.”

Xu Mu declined several more times, but Li Youlan forcefully gave it to him and declared that if he didn’t accept it, she would simply discard it. Left with no other choice, Xu Mu had to accept it.

“Could this girl be interested in you? I initially thought that she would simply pretend to give it to you to win over people’s hearts. I didn’t expect her to actually give it to you!” the Black YuanYing wondered.

“That’s impossible!”

Xu Mu laughed inwardly.

Li Youlan was not an ordinary woman. She was a princess of the Da Yuan Dynasty. Whether it be her status or talent, she could marry a Nascent Soul practitioner with limitless potential while barely lifting a finger. There’s no way she’s interested in him.

Furthermore, the two hardly communicated.

If it had been before losing his life force when he was still handsome and promising, there might have been a slight chance. But now, if she had any sight at all, there was no way she would be interested in him.

“In that case, this woman really does have a magnanimous spirit!”

Black YuanYing then thought of the Fifth Prince and couldn’t help but speculate that it’s likely he was indeed righteous. After all, he was from the same lineage as Li Youlan.

“Regardless, I now owe another favor.”

Xu Mu sighed and put away the talisman.

He told Li Youlan about offending the Seventh Princess not because he wanted her protection, but because he wanted to warn her. Should the Seventh Princess start causing trouble while Li Youlan remained in the dark, Li Youlan might end up bearing the brunt of it.

He initially planned to leave right after the end of this trial, since from the beginning, his agreement with Li Youlan was to help only until the end of the Magic Duel. However, Li Youlan’s gift of the talisman made things somewhat complicated for him.

As time swiftly passed, a month was soon up. Everyone returned to the entrance to wait for their departure.

“I wonder what rank we’ll end up with this time?”