The stolen magic is a bit magical

The order to return to Beijing has been issued.

The warships all turned around.

Lin Xiaosu raised her eyes and stared at the fluttering warship in front of her. For a moment, the fluttering flag seemed to stop waving.

His heart was filled with a surge of emotion.

The battle flags stopped flying; it wasn't an illusion, but a real scene.

No one noticed because everyone was in a time misunderstanding.

Inside Lin Xiaosu's body, in front of his heart, the Time Dao Seed that rotates day and night broke open at this moment, blooming into a flower of the Time Law Dao.

From the initial analysis of this Dao seed to the blooming of the Time Dao Flower, it took two months.

It seemed like a considerable amount of time had passed, but Lin Xiaosu knew just how bizarre it was.

What practical effect does the blooming of the Time Flower have on him?
His time-based swordsmanship, "Time Break," will be a legend.

He can stop time with a wave of his hand. Although this pause is measured in seconds, such a brief pause is enough for him to kill his opponent ten times over!

In another case, he went back in time and took a big step forward.

For example, while on a warship, he could see a village below where a boy, barely a teenager, was nursing in his mother's arms more than ten years ago.

In other words, his time travel is no longer limited to one year, but spans ten or twenty years!
The warships returned from Jiangnan, a journey that took three hours.

Upon arriving at the desolate capital, a group of attendants in yellow robes waited before the return to the capital.

Returning to the capital was a necessary destination for officials and soldiers on official business.

This was a special era, an era in which officials could travel by air. Without a fixed platform, there would be no detailed records of officials leaving and returning to Beijing, which would lead to chaos.

Therefore, a special platform for returning to Beijing was set up.

Lin Xiaosu led fifty warships back to the capital. The fifty warships hovered in the air on the return platform, and he, Kuanglang, and Zhang Tao landed on the platform.

On the platform leading back to the capital, a pale yellow figure stood, accompanied by a group of attendants in yellow robes.

The figure in pale yellow, with an imposing presence, was the Seventh Prince, Hong Yun.

Upon seeing Lin Xiaosu's arrival, the Seventh Prince stepped down from the high platform and said, "Welcome back to the capital, Lord Su."

Lin Xiaosu quickened her pace and bowed deeply: "Your Highness's personal welcome is too much for this humble official! How could I possibly accept such an honor?"

"Lord Su, with a mere garrison commander, pacified Jiangnan in three months. This is not only an unparalleled feat, but also a battlefield legend that is beyond the imagination of someone like me who is a military man. I regret that I was unable to personally witness Lord Su's god-like demeanor on the battlefield in Jiangnan. I can only raise a cup in respect from the capital!"

"Your Highness is too kind!"

The Seventh Prince said, "My father is currently in the Hall of Grace and has ordered me to welcome Lord Su into the palace to meet the Emperor! Everyone from Zhentian Pavilion, please return to Zhentian Pavilion first. Rewards will be given later!"

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Kuanglang and Zhang Tao bowed simultaneously.

"Lord Su, please!" The Seventh Prince stepped aside.

"Your Highness, please!"

The group entered the palace.

The prince personally greeted them, and the attendants in yellow robes lined up in two rows, riding in a three-dragon chariot, passing through Xuanwu Avenue.

The people on both sides were discussing it...

"Is this the Lord Su who stirred up the Jiangnan trend?"

"Is it him? He's so young."

"It's him, in his early twenties, handsome and dashing, with literary talent and a brilliant military strategy. He's already a high-ranking official of the third rank in the imperial court. Tonight, I'm afraid countless young ladies in the desolate capital will be sleepless."

“The former third-rank official will probably no longer be a third-rank official after today!” someone said. “His Majesty’s gathering of officials in the Hall of Grace and the prince’s welcoming of guests is an omen of a great reward.”

"Heavens! Is a third-rank official going to be promoted? Could it be that this is going to set a precedent in our Great Wilderness, where someone is not even thirty years old yet, and is already being promoted to the second rank?"

"If you ask me, Lord Su would be a pillar of the state with the rank of second-grade official, for he truly has the world in his heart..."

Lin Xiaosu sat in the dragon carriage, and the discussions on both sides were clearly heard through his super-sensory abilities, which made him slightly surprised.

The Hall of Grace is no ordinary place.

The so-called grace and favor is itself a hall specifically for bestowing rewards.

Otherwise, why do you think it's called "Gratitude"?
Is His Majesty really going to promote him?
This script is wrong.

His role as Su Lin can only be fully realized when he leaves Beijing.

A third-rank official was the highest rank a person could attain outside the capital.

If he is promoted again, it will be inconvenient for him to leave the capital in the future.

From this perspective, this official position cannot be promoted any further.

Speaking of his official position, it's quite interesting. He obtained his official positions before the fourth rank through his wisdom and cunning. For example, when he was first appointed to the fifth rank, it was because he realized that His Majesty had to give him this fifth-rank official position so that he could inspect the Heart Pavilion.

For example, a fourth-rank official position was something he held in the palm of his hand, because he was to inspect various clans, and His Majesty had to give him such an official position in order to maintain the prestige of the court and to normalize the inspection process.

The third rank was given to him by His Majesty only because he had made great contributions.

In fact, at this point, His Majesty was already in a difficult position.

His Majesty, deep down, did not want to promote him.

However, due to the circumstances, it was necessary to increase [the effort].

There is evidence to support this point.

That was His Majesty's appointment of Zhang Yiran. He could have directly appointed him as a second-rank prefect, but he didn't want Lin Xiaosu to follow him directly to the second rank. So, he went to great lengths to get Zhang Yiran the position of governor of Huzhou as a transitional post.

This shows that His Majesty truly does not want to promote him; in fact, one could say that His Majesty is trying every possible means to suppress him.

But today, the situation is quite different. It would be unreasonable not to promote him after he's been brought into the Hall of Grace.

What is this all about?
The Hall of Grace is ahead.

The eunuch shouted in a hoarse voice, "Su Lin, a third-rank official, is here to pay his respects."

The palace doors swung open, and Lin Xiaosu followed the Seventh Prince step by step forward.

On both sides were ministers, the last three rows were fifth-rank officials, the middle two rows were fourth-rank officials, the front rows were third-rank officials, the third-rank officials were junior third-rank officials, and then the first and second-rank officials.

Among the high-ranking officials, there was one whom Lin Xiaosu knew: Lei Tianlun, the master of Zhentian Pavilion.

His Majesty was on a high platform, dressed in imperial attire, with a glazed crown.

After three months apart, His Majesty's complexion was noticeably better than it had been three months ago. Lin Xiaosu sighed inwardly, thinking that this was all thanks to the life force he had taken from his son.

"Your humble servant Su Lin has returned from his inspection tour of Jiangnan and pays his respects to Your Majesty!" Lin Xiaosu bowed deeply.

"Minister Su, please rise!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty said, 'Minister Su's inspection tour of Jiangnan has been heard by all of you, but your knowledge may not be complete. Why don't you share what you have learned from your trip to Jiangnan with us?'"

Lin Xiaosu said, "Yes! Your Majesty, esteemed officials, this humble subject's trip to Jiangnan is entirely due to Your Majesty's good fortune and the prestige of the court. All the clans in Jiangnan have submitted, and the 576 backlog cases in the Ministry of Justice, involving 3,729 criminals, have all been brought to justice."

complete!

His Majesty smiled gently: "Minister Su is modest and reserved, never mentioning his own achievements, and his reports are extremely brief. Prince Dingbei, please provide some supplementary information for him."

"Yes!" The Seventh Prince stepped forward, raised his hand, and a piece of golden paper appeared in his palm: "Lord Su's trip to Jiangnan this time is led by a Zhen-level battle team from the Zhen Tian Pavilion, totaling 2,923 people. In their first battle, they destroyed the Dongxuan Sect, killed four lawbreakers at the Wugui Realm, 363 at the Wushen Realm, and 1,127 at the Wushen Realm, and crippled 760,000 Dongxuan disciples. They wiped out the sect that had been entrenched in Fuyao Prefecture for a thousand years in one fell swoop, relieving the people of Fuyao of their calamity..."

The mere listing of numbers astonished the entire hall.

"The second battle was against the Eight-Pan Sect..."

"Three battles against the Azure Profound Sect..."

"Four Battles at Huzhou Xin Pavilion..."

"At the Ningcheng gathering, all seven major sects arrived. Lord Su personally beheaded the leader of the Broken Sword Sect, Jian Qingtian, a great swordsman of Jiangnan, and annihilated the elders of the Broken Sword Sect. The entire Huzhou submitted!"

The entire hall was silent, and half of the ministers had their mouths slightly agape, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Is a whole province really pacified like this?
The long-standing problem of sectarianism that had plagued Huzhou for thousands of years was finally swept away like autumn leaves.
"After Huzhou was pacified, it was the turn of the Zhidao Sect. Lord Su first took Luohua Nunnery, then Hanyue Valley the next day, and then Sancai Sect on the same day. This led to the nine Zhidao Sects in Jiangnan issuing a joint appeal, and Jiangnan was now at peace!"

The astonishment in the eyes of everyone in the hall was completely uncontrollable.

The Seventh Prince took a deep breath: "My lords may be wondering why I did not report our casualties. The reason is simple: our troops used the battle formation created by Lord Su, and not a single person was killed!"

The entire hall erupted in a thunderous roar, followed by a chorus of approximately hundreds of exclamations.

The Seventh Prince said, "There is another matter. Lord Su brought back a total of 370 million in gold from the wilderness for the court during his trip to Jiangnan. The Great Wilderness Treasury is already full before the tax payment date!"

The entire hall was completely silent; you could hear a pin drop.

This staggering number was so astonishing that even His Majesty, let alone everyone in the hall, felt like he was dreaming.

Even Lin Xiaosu herself hadn't expected this at first.

The initial principle behind the spoils of war he acquired was that spoils within sects would be returned to His Majesty, while all external wealth would be distributed to the people. This was how it was done in Huzhou. Therefore, the result was that only by destroying sects could His Majesty gain wealth. If a sect submitted, there was no reason to destroy it, and thus no way to seize its entire treasury, leaving His Majesty with no financial gain.

But that was Huzhou.

Once outside Huzhou, the situation regarding the Zhizong clan had changed.

The sect leaders had too much wealth. Even when they closed their peripheral businesses, they managed to pull a fast one and use some clever tricks to bring most of the wealth back to the sect. However, the wealth they symbolically left behind still far exceeded that of ordinary sects.

Lin Xiaosu glossed over the matter and did not pursue it further. Instead, he adopted a compromise: he divided the wealth in two, giving half to the local people and turning the other half over to the national treasury.

In this way, the staggering figure of 370 million was achieved...

The Seventh Prince added, "The wealth of the eighty-one clans in Jiangnan all came from the one billion people of Jiangnan. Lord Su not only brought 370 million to the court, but also, in keeping with the noble tradition of taking from the people and using it for the people, used most of the floating wealth for the livelihood of the people. In these three months, the situation of thousands starving to death every day has been completely reversed. In three months, not a single person has starved to death! The people's hearts and minds are at an unprecedented high, and 1.7 billion people are praising the emperor's benevolence!"

He gently closed his hands, put away the gold paper, and turned to face His Majesty: "Father, I believe that such a virtuous minister should be richly rewarded!"

His report is finished.

The entire hall stirred.

His Majesty's gaze swept across the hall: "Gentlemen, what are your opinions?"

Minister of Justice Song Lifu was the first to step forward: "Your Majesty, this old minister believes that Lord Su's talent is that of a pillar of the court, and his achievements are worthy of being recorded in history. This old minister proposes that he be granted a marquisate!"

He shall be granted a title of nobility!

Lin Xiaosu was shocked!
Lei Tianlun stepped forward: "Your Majesty! As the master of Zhentian Pavilion, I know that the Zhentian Pavilion's power at the Zhen level is insignificant. The unparalleled feat of conquering Jiangnan belongs to Lord Su. I agree with Lord Song's opinion. Lord Su's merit deserves to be ennobled!"

Grand Secretary Yin Ti of the Wenhua Pavilion also stepped forward: "Your Majesty, this old minister believes that although Lord Su's trip to Jiangnan this time was not a meritorious act of granting land, it was still a substantial act of stabilizing Jiangnan. Since ancient times, granting land and bestowing titles of kings has been the norm, and Lord Su is only one level below that. Granting him the title of marquis is appropriate!"

A first-rank official and two second-rank officials issued a proposal at the same time.

The Seventh Prince knelt down immediately: "Father, I believe that in the Great Wilderness, merit should be rewarded and demerit should be punished. This is the foundation of the court's operation. Now, in the Great Wilderness, sects run rampant, which has long been a great calamity for the country. Lord Su has stabilized Jiangnan and is a deterrent to the entire Great Wilderness. This achievement is enough to make him a marquis!"

Well, now we have another prince added to the list.

Although there were over a thousand people in the hall, only four people stepped forward, but these four were all of an unapproachable rank.

One was a prince, one a first-rank official, and two second-rank officials, all wielding real power. Their words were becoming increasingly direct.

The Seventh Prince's words, in particular, revealed the true nature of the situation to all the ministers.

In today's world, sects run rampant.

It is a chronic disease of the Great Wilderness.

Faced with this intractable problem, the entire court was at a loss.

Even His Majesty himself was helpless.

This Su Lin, with only a Zhen-level sect, went to Jiangnan for three months and suppressed eighty-one sects in Jiangnan. No, he has already destroyed four sects, leaving only seventy-seven sects. These seventy-seven sects dared not raise their heads. With the sects suppressed, wealth poured in, and His Majesty's prestige in Jiangnan soared. He gained both fame and fortune. His Majesty was truly unwilling to give up such a thing.

The world is more than just Jiangnan!
The world also includes Jiangbei, Hedong, Xihai, Beiyuan, and Zhongyuan.

Therefore, His Majesty needs to bestow a generous reward upon Su Lin, and needs to tell him that he should continue to charge into battle! He has the potential to be made a king…

“Your Majesty, this old minister believes that Lord Su’s merits deserve to be ennobled as a marquis!” The newly appointed Minister of War, Li Gang, stepped forward.

"This old minister seconds it!" The Minister of Personnel stepped forward.

"This old minister seconds the motion..."

Immediately, the entire court echoed the sentiment.

Even Zhou He, a first-rank physician who secretly wished he could strangle Su Lin to death, stepped forward to express his agreement now that His Majesty's goal was clear.

He absolutely does not agree with Lin Xiaosu.

He simply saw the situation clearly.

He was the father-in-law of Song Yuncang, the former prefect of Huzhou, and he was a long-time associate of the former crown prince.

His Majesty resolutely seized his son-in-law, Song Yuncang, imprisoned him, and executed his father's entire family.

How could he not resent Su Lin, the instigator?
However, if he actually dares to reveal it, he'll be courting death.

People who share his ideas... at least half the court!
Through the incident of replacing the prefect of Huzhou, everyone felt the glint of swords that His Majesty was wielding against the officialdom. At this time, anyone who dared to defy His Majesty was courting death.

His Majesty's gaze swept across the entire hall, and he slowly stood up: "Issue the decree!"

The attendant stepped forward, extended his hand, and the imperial edict appeared in his hand…

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Su Lin, a third-rank Vice Minister of the Censorate, was ordered to inspect Jiangnan. He has rendered meritorious service in stabilizing Jiangnan and has brought real benefits to the court and the people. He is hereby granted the title of Marquis of Xueyi and an additional thousand taels of gold..."

"Your Majesty, Su Lin, thank you for your kindness!"

……

A grand and lively investiture ceremony brought this trip to Jiangnan to a perfect close.

And Zhen Tian Pavilion is even more lively.

The seventh team of Zhentian Pavilion returned to their old training ground, and the twenty-six teams looked at them in disbelief.

From the day Su Lin selected this team and led them down to Jiangnan, the leaders and soldiers of these teams all had a destiny drawn in their hearts.

In their minds, this team would be wiped out without a doubt.

They became yet another victim of the dynasty's military action against the sects.

Why "again"? Because similar things have happened countless times.

However, the news from the front lines, when it reached their ears, had already been distorted.

The anticipated total annihilation never happened; instead, there was only upheaval, upheaval, relentless upheaval, upheaval in every aspect and in every way…

This team is completely outmatched by the sect!
Sects were wiped out one after another, but this team suffered zero casualties, with only a few dozen wounded.

Even more unbelievable is that each of their warriors received a reward of at least 400 Wild Gold.

400 barbarians! An ordinary soldier's annual salary is only 20 barbarians. 400 barbarians is equivalent to 20 years of bloody battles on the battlefield!

This is under ideal circumstances, assuming full payment of military salaries.

In fact, military pay is never paid in full.
The three-month trip to the south of the Yangtze River, which felt like a leisurely outing, brought them military pay equivalent to twenty years of battlefield campaigns, as well as unparalleled fame.

How could this team not be the envy of other teams?
The soldiers from the other twenty-six squads were increasingly displeased with their respective commanders.

The commanders and deputy commanders turned pale and then flushed.

They had an opportunity presented to them, but they didn't cherish it...

This is perhaps a sentiment shared by everyone.

One of them was truly like a dog being beaten up; this person was Hong Bin, the former commander of the Seventh Team.

His team was selected by Lin Xiaosu.

He viewed this as a catastrophe.

In order to escape the trip to the south, he staged a farce, with his father personally breaking his leg.

It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone, and now exactly a hundred days have passed. He returned to Zhen Tian Pavilion, but because he made the biggest mistake a general cannot make: being afraid of death and ashamed to lead troops, he became an idle member of Zhen Tian Pavilion.

Watching Mad Wolf lead his army in triumph, receiving envious glances from everyone, he felt like dying.

The person who was truly happy and excited was Li Yafu, the head of the Bingtang Hall.

Mad Wolf is his daughter.

He would never have admitted that this was his daughter before, because she had caused him, the head of the military corps, so much trouble and made him bear the consequences time and time again.

But today, he wished he could stand on the highest pavilion and announce to the entire Zhen Tian Pavilion that this was his illegitimate daughter.

But he forced himself to suppress his inner impulse and greeted the triumphant army with standard etiquette.

After the formalities were completed, he met with Mad Wolf privately. Mad Wolf's first words to her father were: "Get me a set of Ruyi Armor!"

"Serie A?" Li Yafu frowned slightly.

Mad Wolf glanced around, making sure no one else was watching: "Father, my body can contract and expand freely, but I can't do without the Ruyi Armor..."

Li Yafu was utterly shocked, almost unable to believe his ears...

It's a secret.

He never told his daughter.

This secret was told to him by his wife, who said that their daughter actually had a huge constraint. The direct manifestation of this constraint was her unusually tall stature. This constraint also had a dangerous consequence: she would not live a long life.

Knowing that his daughter was unlikely to live long, this father was always tolerant of her unconventional behavior.

Now, his daughter is telling him that this characteristic of being tall has been rewritten?

what does this mean?
Li Yafu said, "Quickly, come with your father to see your mother!"

The two hurried away to Li Yafu's small courtyard, beneath which lay a deep underground abyss.

Deep within the abyss lies a pool of black water.

The black water was steaming as if it were boiling.

However, upon reaching the edge of this black water, one does not feel heat, but rather, a bone-chilling cold.

A woman's head slowly emerged from the pool water.

This woman is extremely strange.

Her skin was golden, and her hair was white. Golden skin and white hair in this black pool of water looked incredibly eerie.

However, her face was delicate and her figure was extremely beautiful.

"Mother!" the mad wolf cried.

The woman's gentle gaze fell on her face: "You've returned from your trip to Jiangnan?"

"Um……"

“Tie’er, our daughter says her body can shrink,” Li Yafu said.

The woman named Tie'er trembled violently, staring intently at the mad wolf, who nodded slightly.

The woman took a deep breath: "Master, please go out for a moment!"

Li Yafu stepped out of the basement and closed the door from the outside.

Inside the basement, Mad Wolf's body shrank, and with that shrinking, her armor naturally fell off, along with her clothes, leaving her completely naked, maintaining a height of about 1.7 meters, as she appeared before her mother.

The mother stared wide-eyed, then slowly closed her eyes, and two glistening silver tears slid down her cheeks.

“Mother, you…” the wolf whispered.

The mother opened her eyes again, her vision blurred with tears: "The shackles of fate have finally been broken, my son... my son has finally escaped the judgment of destiny, Shengnan, your mother is so happy, so happy!"

"What shackles are you talking about? What fate is this?" Mad Wolf said.

“You didn’t know this before, and you don’t need to know it now. All you need to know is that your fate has finally changed!” Her mother gently took her hand: “Come, tell me, how did all this happen?”

Mad Wolf followed her hand and slid into the black pool. A faint blush appeared on her face. "Mother, I don't know why. I guess it's related to... to... to that matter..."

"what's up?"

"Mother, your daughter... your daughter has gone with someone!" As soon as Mad Wolf uttered these words, he sank into the black water, not even showing his face.

The mother's face shifted dramatically.

She's with someone!
OMG……

Only now has she realized that her daughter has indeed lost her virginity.

"You..." The mother gently raised her hand, grabbed her daughter, and lifted her up: "Who have you been with? A man from the giant race?"

"No!" Although Mad Wolf was outspoken, he was also a little hesitant to say it on this issue.

"He's not from the giant race, so how...how did he defile you?"

“He…he’s from the Ancient Sect, and his body can be enlarged.”

"An ancient sect? You met a member of the ancient sect in Jiangnan and just followed him without really understanding why?" The mother was a little surprised.

"No, it's...it's Lord Su!"

The bubbles in the pool water have stopped rising.

The basement was as quiet as night.

Mad Wolf was somewhat surprised. He slowly raised his head, and his mother's expression shifted dramatically: "Lord Su led his troops south of the Yangtze River, and his evil claws have reached out to you?"

"No...it's not his fault! It's because my daughter likes him, she took the initiative to be with him. Think about it, he's so handsome, so capable, and a high-ranking official of the third rank. So many young ladies from prominent families in Jiangnan like him! How could he possibly lay his hands on me? It's because I like him, I like him so much, and he couldn't bear to reject me, that's why..."

The mother gently shook her head: "You've never had any romantic feelings, how could you suddenly like a man? But I understand what you mean. You're worried that I'll cause him trouble, so you've taken all the blame upon yourself. This shows that you truly like him. But Shengnan, you're wrong too. I won't blame him; I'll only be grateful to fate..." (End of Chapter)