Chapter 283: Chapter 252_1

“This… alright!”

Strangely, Zhao Jingrou hesitated briefly but didn’t put up much resistance to Xu Mu’s outrageous demands.

She assumed that Xu Mu wanted to leverage Zhao Yan’s status to legitimize his power, or else even with her backing, there could be issues.

It was just a pity for Yan’er, who would have to endure a few years of a celibate life.

She didn’t believe that Xu Mu, at his age, still had any virility to speak of.

However, it wasn’t all bad news. This status would allow Yan’er to easily take control of the family. If she could win Xu Mu’s favor and gain resource support to advance to the Foundation Establishment, it would be perfect.

“I’m not fond of forcing others. If she’s unwilling, friend, you could help me find a replacement,” Xu Mu proposed.

His thoughts were similar to Zhao Jingrou’s. Indeed, he aimed to take advantage of Zhao Yan’s identity to manage Zhao family more conveniently.

As for physical matters, he was more than capable of managing that as well!

Once the deal was settled, they chatted for a long while. Xu Mu learned about the more intricate dynamics of the cultivation world in Chi Zhou Prefecture from Zhao Jingrou and gained a better understanding of the Da Yuan Dynasty.

When she learned that Xu Mu was an alchemist, Zhao Jingrou was pleasantly surprised, although she was somewhat disappointed because of his age.

But considering that Xu Mu must have agreed to her due to his age, she became more hopeful.

In the following days, while the Zhao Family prepared for the wedding, Zhao Jingrou took Xu Mu to visit the various forces and families in Chi Zhou Prefecture, especially those affiliated with the Palm Immortal Office.

Without the approval of the Palm Immortal Office, his position as Supreme Elder was hard to secure.

Fortunately, the Palm Immortal Office was quite lenient about this. As long as they were given enough spirit stones, they generally wouldn’t interfere.

This was Xu Mu’s first exposure to the gigantic operation of the Palm Immortal Office.

Seeing how the Palm Immortal Office functioned, it may seem somewhat corrupt, but it wasn’t rotten to the core. He could consider turning in the bodies of those he killed to earn Contribution Value.

The dozen cultivators he killed were notorious bandits well-known to the Palm Immortal Office. Turning them would bring a substantial amount of Contribution Value.

This value was roughly equivalent to that rewarded by sects. It could be exchanged directly for various treasures and martial methods, or even titles of nobility.

The title was significant, primarily for the establishment of families and sects. Without a noble title, it wasn’t possible to establish these institutions.

Based on the rank of the title, the size and number of members of the sect were also regulated.

Families like the Zhao’s required at least the title of Viscount.

Fortunately, these titles were inheritable, otherwise many families would struggle to acquire one.

There were also limitations. On the one hand, only those from the same family could inherit. On the other hand, the title could only be held for a hundred years. After this period, it had to be exchanged again or risked downgrading.

For example, the Zhao family’s Viscount title would degrade to Baron, and after another hundred years, they would become commoners.

This rule forced all the families and sects to constantly contribute to the Da Yuan Dynasty, or they would end up like the Divine Gu Valley, which could get exterminated by the Palm Immortal Office at will.

The bandits Xu Mu killed were at least worthy of the title of Earl. If he worked it right, even a Marquis title was possible.

“For now, I should wait! Anyway, those corpses aren’t going anywhere,” Xu Mu thought.

Being new, Xu Mu felt it was better to watch and make sure everything goes smoothly before making any moves.

In a blink of an eye, the day of the wedding arrived. Families from all over Chi Zhou Prefecture came to celebrate, even the Palm Immortal Office sent a gift.

Though they were at each other’s throats behind the scenes, they all tried to maintain a veneer of civility in public.

The wedding went off without a hitch. No sane person would openly make trouble for Xu Mu, a recognized alchemist who had killed the Lord of the Divine Insect Valley.

As for Xu Mu, he had little regard for these people. After all, as a Great Cultivator at the peak of Golden Pill cultivation, why would he care about merely Foundation Establishment Families, let alone that he only viewed the Zhao family as a stepping stone.

When the visitors had left and Xu Mu returned to the bridal chamber, Zhao Yan was sitting there, looking delightful.

Her red lips were inviting, her skin as white as jade, reminding one of a vibrant painting on rice paper.

“Honored elder!”

Zhao Yan rises respectfully, wishing to serve him tea.

Despite being married, she was seen more as a decoration rather than a wife.

She felt desolate, but helpless as this was the fate of those born into influential families.

If she refused, Zhao Jingrou wouldn’t force her. Plenty of others were willing to marry Xu Mu. However, she would then be ostracized and could barely retain her current level of cultivation, let alone advance further.

If she squandered this opportunity, her family would never rise to prominence again.

The attack on her was a result of information leaked by her own family members, aiming to weaken her branch.

Internal strife is deadly while external fights are bearable. It’s one of the reasons why many families decline.

If she couldn’t win over Xu Mu, Zhao Jingrou wouldn’t stand up for her given the current state of the Zhao family. They couldn’t afford more unrest.

Now that she agreed to marry Xu Mu, those who had conspired with outsiders to harm her were quietly disappearing.

Everyone knew where they’d gone.

Thus, both emotionally and rationally, she had to serve Xu Mu well, stick to him no matter what, and prevent any accidents. This was also what Zhao Jingrou repeatedly instructed.

In dealing with Xu Mu, Zhao Yan seemed less like a wife and more like a personal maid.

“You don’t need to bother about that!” Xu Mu waved his hand, preventing Zhao Yan from washing his feet.

“Get up here. Let’s rest early,” Xu Mu said.

“Ah?”

Zhao Yan’s face alternated between white and red, her body trembling slightly.

Didn’t the ancestor say nothing like this would happen?

Could this old guy have some weird fetishes?

Despite her deep reluctance, she had no choice but to endure. She only hoped that Xu Mu wouldn’t be too excessive.

Seeing Zhao Yan with her eyes closed and a pitiful expression, Xu Mu couldn’t help but laugh, waving his hand to dim the room.

Watching from afar, Zhao Jingrou sighed deeply.

Yan’er, I’m sorry for making you go through this.

…

In the room, the humiliation Zhao Yan imagined never happened.

She knew Xu Mu was an alchemist!

It was only after a long while that the dense fog lifted, and she fell into a deep sleep as exhaustion took hold.

…

[Congratulations to the Host for achieving]

[You will receive 10 Luck Value points daily!]

[Luck Value: Can be used to advance skills proficiency, but cannot be used directly to improve cultivation!]