What's wrong with me, a powerful minister, supporting a few female officials?

Chapter 267 Hunting the Super Whale! Returning to the Capital with the Emperor!
Su Mo never expected that the Empress would make him swear an oath.

Does the Empress see me as a greedy, lustful... greedy person?

This infuriates Young Master Su!
However, when it comes to the word "oath," it's no joke. The ancients took oaths extremely seriously, especially solemn oaths.

He looked at the serious-looking Empress with a wry smile, and found that Nangong Sheyue and An Wu were also staring intently at him.

To be honest, he didn't really believe that the Tao Te Ching was some kind of supreme immortal technique.

If one cannot cultivate immortality through the Tao Te Ching in a previous life, it is due to environmental issues.

But once I arrived in this world, I didn't feel that practicing the Tao Te Ching would lead to enlightenment and immortality.
Despite the Empress's insistence, Su Mo could only raise three fingers under her watchful gaze: "I, Su Mo, swear that I will never sell the Tao Te Ching for money. If I break this oath, may Heaven..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Empress hurriedly interrupted him, saying, "Enough!"

"As long as you don't sell the Tao Te Ching for money, that's fine!"

Su Mo didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

Is he worried about himself? Or does he think he's greedy and can't keep his word, and that he'll really be struck by lightning?

He rolled his eyes, showing no respect for the Empress: "This subordinate will return to the cabin to check the situation!"

The Empress watched Su Mo disappear, gave a soft hum, and then looked at An Wu suspiciously: "An Wu is very knowledgeable and has heard of many methods in the world."

"Do you think this Tao Te Ching originated from the Kunlun Mountains?"

After pondering for a long time, An Wu finally said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, this old servant has never heard of this kind of magic."

"But this technique must be an unparalleled immortal art!"

"This old servant has already gained a great deal of insight and understanding after listening to it once!"

He paused, his expression growing increasingly solemn: "This method may not seem to have much effect on increasing magical power, but it is a supreme method for tempering the Dao heart, capable of leading to sudden enlightenment. Its value is immeasurable!"

The Empress's expression was serious, and she nodded slightly in agreement.

An Wu hesitated for a moment, then said, "What puzzles this old servant is..."

"Lord Su is also a practitioner of Taoist arts, but why does he seem to value such a supreme immortal technique so little?"

The Empress frowned and pondered for a moment, then said with a sullen face, "It must be in Kunlun Ruins or Baiyujing, where such immortal techniques can be found everywhere."

“The cultivation secrets that we consider invaluable are probably like the Soul Fixation and Spirit Separation techniques in those ancient immortal sects.”

"He's seen it all before, so naturally he's not surprised anymore."

An Wu and Nangong Sheyue fell silent.

These seemingly absurd words actually make perfect sense!

Normally, such supreme immortal techniques would be kept hidden in a secret place where no one else could find them, and would never be easily revealed to outsiders.

Su Mo, however, seemed to have said it casually, as if it were a habit.

He answered the Empress's question without hesitation and told her the whole story.

It's clear they really don't care about the Tao Te Ching!

"The Jade Palace in the heavens, with its twelve towers and five cities, was touched by an immortal who bestowed upon me immortality!"

An Wu murmured the poem inscribed on the boulder outside the Baiyujing Restaurant, and finally sighed, "Could there be a true immortal in Baiyujing?"

"If this old servant could make it to the Jade Capital in this lifetime, I would die without regret!"

The Empress shook her head and laughed, "Where in this world are there immortals? I've never even heard of any terrestrial deities!"

"Even if there are supreme sages and wise men in Baiyujing and Kunlun Ruins, they would only be half-step terrestrial immortals like the Nine Dragons Demon Path."

She paused, then hummed, "It would be best if he didn't easily pass on this Tao Te Ching."

"If all the sorcerers in the world find out, I'm afraid... I'm afraid even the Nine Dragons Demonic Path will be tempted. At that time, not only will the cultivation world be in chaos... but Su Mo will also be in danger!"

Nangong Sheyue's expression suddenly turned strange. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Your Majesty, the oath Su Xianzi swore earlier was not that he would not sell the Tao Te Ching for money, but that he would not sell the Tao Te Ching for cash..."

Upon hearing this, the Empress was stunned for a moment, then her beautiful eyes widened and she shouted angrily, "What a Su Mo!"

"This is truly infuriating!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he deactivated the soundproofing array and charged towards Su Mo with overwhelming force!
This is no joke!

Nangong Sheyue and Anwu looked at each other in silence.

The orcas outside the boat had long since dispersed.

Nangong Sheyue pulled back the two crossbows that had been thrown into the sea.

The other crossbow, whose rope had snapped, was definitely gone forever, Nangong Sheyue couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.

These crossbows appear to be forged from refined steel, even surpassing the steel Su Mo used to forge his sword.

This demonstrates the superb forging techniques found in Baiyujing and Kunlun Ruins!

It's no exaggeration to say that such a crossbow would be considered a divine weapon if taken outside, and there would be plenty of people vying for it if it were priced at a thousand taels of silver!
……

Su Mo was frustrated and forced by the Empress to make another vow!

However, when the Empress half-jokingly said that if the Nine Dragons Demon Daoist knew about the Tao Te Ching, he might also be tempted and kidnap him, Su Mo was really startled.

Don't worry about whether the Tao Te Ching is truly effective.

But as long as others find it useful, even if it's fake, the consequences will be just as severe.

It seems I really can't tell everyone; I can only tell Lin Moyin at most.

He wondered if his wife could also achieve a breakthrough and advance to the mid-stage of the Returning Aperture Realm, just like the Empress and Nangong Sheyue.

Over the next three days, the warships caught more than 30,000 catties of various kinds of fish.

On the last occasion, they caught several large groupers weighing hundreds of kilograms each, as well as a huge swordfish, and the fishing net was completely torn.

Su Mo secretly lamented her disappointment and felt extremely depressed.

We need to find a way to improve the quality of the fishing nets.

The catch of tens of thousands of kilograms of fish was considerable. Although no coarse salt was prepared for curing, the temperature was extremely low, so there was no fear of it spoiling or rotting in a short time.

The Empress was also slightly disappointed, but her disappointment was different from Su Mo's.

Aside from seeing orcas on the first day, we didn't see a single whale for several days in a row.

It's almost time; if we don't return to Beijing soon, we'll have to.

Even without hunting a whale, the Empress had no choice but to order the ship to return to port.

Just as the ship turned around, Su Mo, who was standing at the bow watching, suddenly narrowed his eyes.

Five or six hundred feet away, a very tall column of water suddenly shot out, probably no more than five or six feet high.

"Whale?" Su Mo exclaimed instinctively!

Upon hearing this, the empress's beautiful eyes instantly brightened. She turned her head and looked around, but did not see any huge shadow.

"Su Lang, where is the whale?"

The Empress couldn't help but look at Su Mo.

Su Mo hesitated for a moment.

Just as they were about to return to port, they suddenly discovered the whale's whereabouts.

If the hunt fails and the Empress's competitive spirit is aroused, will she refuse to return?

However, seeing the Empress staring at him expectantly, Su Mo could only point to the area where the water column had appeared earlier: "There was no water column rising up; it was the whale exhaling to breathe."

The Empress blinked: "Whales can spout water?"

She's now used to calling the Kun fish a whale when she talks to Su Mo.

Su Mo nodded: "I've only ever seen water columns that are two or three zhang high, but the one I saw before was five or six zhang high. This whale's size is probably far beyond my estimation!"

The Empress grew even more excited: "Then hurry up!"

"I'm going to hunt a whale! This time I won't fail!"

Su Mo did not immediately order the warship to change course. He looked at the Empress seriously and said, "Your Majesty must first promise me that regardless of whether the whale hunt is successful or not, we must return to port today!"

The expressions of Nangong Sheyue and Zhang Xuzu standing next to them immediately turned strange.

However, he also looked longingly at the Empress.

They also wanted to see what the whale, weighing hundreds of thousands of kilograms, that Su Mo had mentioned looked like, and whether it was really worth several thousand taels of silver.

Although the orcas I had seen before were large, they were far from what I had imagined.

Chen Qian and Chen Zhong wiped away their sweat.

To put it bluntly, this is a threat to His Majesty, a threat that could result in beheading!
Fortunately, the Empress still indulged Su Mo as before, giving a soft snort and nodding irritably: "I know!"

Su Mo then instructed the crew to change direction and head towards the whale.

The crew members were all experienced sailors. Over the past few days, they had become quite proficient in operating the warship, and by pulling the sails, turning the rudder, and quickly changing direction, they sailed through the waves.

Soon after, everyone was stunned.

In the distance, a dozen or so huge shadows appeared on the sea.

It's more than ten times larger than the orcas we've seen before!
The largest shadow looks just like a warship!
Even Su Mo was shocked.

The largest adult blue whales on Earth are only about 30 meters long, but the black shadow we see today is 50 meters long!
Just as everyone was in awe.

Suddenly, one of the dark figures accelerated abruptly.

Then, a massive body, as large as a mountain, leaped from the sea and crashed back into the ocean, creating a huge splash!
Upon seeing this, the Empress's beautiful eyes widened instantly as she looked at Su Mo in disbelief.

Even the mighty Empress couldn't help but swallow hard: "Su Lang! This...this is the blue whale you were talking about, weighing hundreds of thousands of kilograms?"

"Are there really such enormous creatures in the world?"

Su Mo nodded and said in a deep voice, "This is indeed a blue whale!"

This pod of whales numbered more than a dozen, of varying sizes.

It is evident that such giant beasts with few natural enemies exist in far greater numbers in this world than on Earth in the previous life!

Of course, Su Mo couldn't say for sure whether other giant sea monsters or spirits were hunting whales.

Upon hearing Su Mo's words, the Empress sighed in admiration!
For people who have never lived in the sea, or even heard of whales.

The sheer impact of seeing such a colossal creature, as massive as a mountain, for the first time is unimaginable!

Zhang Xuzu was completely stunned, muttering, "Are you kidding me? We... we're supposed to capture something like this... a giant Kunpeng beast?"

Cao Feng swallowed hard: "Several hundred thousand catties of giant Kun, how many geniuses would it take to finish eating it!"

Su Mo...

Seeing the Empress eagerly reaching for the massive crossbow on the figurehead, Su Mo quickly said, "My lord! Use the ballista!"

The Empress turned to look at Su Mo in astonishment: "Why?"

"Although the blue whale is enormous and full of blood energy, it has no trace of magical power. I am confident that I will be able to hunt it this time!"

Su Mo explained, "The crew will need to use crossbows to hunt whales in the future, so you can set a good example for them, sir."

After a pause, Su Mo added, "Also, try to hunt whales that swim alone. It's best not to hunt mother whales that are accompanied by calves."

The Empress looked speechlessly at one of the shadows, which was over three zhang long.

It is several times larger than a land elephant!
Is this called a baby whale?
However, compared to the shadow that stretched for over ten feet beside it, it was indeed quite small.

The Empress nodded, then ordered the crew to cock the largest ballista at the bow.

She then turned to Nangong Sheyue and Zhang Xuzu and said, "You two also go and operate the ballistae, and hunt whales with me."

"Whales are too big; a single rope probably can't hold them up!"

The hemp rope is as thick as a child's arm, a product of the system, and extraordinary. But the whale is so big that it must have a force of tens of millions of jin. The Empress doesn't know if the whale will snap her!
Nangong Sheyue and Zhang Xuzu nodded at the same time!

The Empress then beckoned Su Mo to her side: "My dear Su, please give me your guidance. This time, I must not fail!"

The warships rose and fell with the waves, but the Empress stood firm as a mountain.

He turned the ballista and aimed it at the target: "Su Lang, is this the right position?"

Su Mo glanced at it briefly: "It should be fine."

Without further hesitation, the Empress swung her hammer at the trigger.

A piercing twang of the bowstring rang out, and a huge crossbow with several rows of barbs shot out from the shark figurehead, turning into a white light and piercing the sea like lightning!

In an instant, blood gushed forth!
Nangong Sheyue and Zhang Xuzu made their moves almost simultaneously!

All three crossbow bolts hit their target, easily piercing the blue whale's tough skin and thick layer of fat!

As the whale felt the pain, it frantically fled into the distance.

The three thick hemp ropes tightened instantly, and everyone could clearly feel the entire ship shake violently!
"What incredible strength!" Even the old eunuch An Wu couldn't help but exclaim softly!
The whale struggled, but the crossbow bolts were firmly locked onto its bones. Even though the ropes were taut and the warship was being dragged by the whale, it still couldn't escape!

This also shows that the Empress had the foresight to have Nangong Sheyue and Zhang Xuzu act at the same time.

If there is only one crossbow, it is hard to guarantee that it will not be snapped by the giant whale.

The whale hunt failed, and they even lost their valuable crossbow – a huge loss!

After struggling for most of the hour, the whale finally gave up and surfaced due to excessive blood loss.

Everyone was shocked.

That strength, that endurance, is truly terrifying.

No wonder Su Mo had to build a large ship before he dared to go out to sea to hunt whales!

Ordinary fishing boats, let alone whaling, can be capsized by a whale simply by flicking its tail!
If it weren't for the help of warships, even a powerful being like the Empress, who is at the Heavenly Infant level, might not have been able to fight the whale for so long!

Looking at the blue whale that had surfaced and was almost the size of a warship, the Empress took a deep breath and turned to look at Su Mo: "What should we do now?"

The rest of the people, including the sailors on the ship, looked at Su Mo with awe.

Su Mo gave a wry smile: "What else can I do?"

"We definitely can't haul the whale onto the ship; we'll just have to tow it back to the dock and figure out a solution later."

This whale must weigh over 200 tons. Even if there were a way to haul it onto the ship, there's a 90% chance it would sink the ship!

Su Mo really didn't know if his 600-ton warship could carry 200 tons of cargo!
The ship towed the carcass of a whale, as large as a mountain, back to the dock.

The entire fishing village was shaken!

Every day, fishermen would stand at the dock, gazing out and waiting for the warships and their loved ones to return.

They had never seen such a huge Kun fish before!

Unable to sail into the dock, the whale was eventually dragged back to the shallows by dozens of fishing boats.

It's impossible to drag them ashore unless the Empress and An Wu personally intervene.

Su Mo could only order everyone to cut the whale in half in the shallows.

The Empress was also wise enough not to mention the unrealistic idea of ​​transporting the whale back to the capital.

The problem is coming again.

Whale skin is so thick and tough that fishermen don't have the tools to cut it.

Su Mo and Nangong Sheyue had no choice but to take matters into their own hands, each summoning their sword embryos and wielding their precious swords to slice open the whale skin...

When Zhang Xuzu and Cao Feng saw the thick layer of fat under the whale skin, which looked like it was about to drip oil, they were instantly dumbfounded!

The Empress and Nangong Sheyue's eyes also lit up!

Zhang and Cao were stunned for a long time before they finally came to their senses. They looked at Su Mo in shock, and then exclaimed with joy: "So much fat!"

"How much oil would that take to refine, how much soap would that take to make!"

"We've struck it rich this time!"

At this moment, Cao Feng was completely convinced by Su Mo: "Lord Su was right!"

"This giant whale is worth far more than three thousand taels of silver! At least five thousand!"

Su Mo smiled modestly: "This whale was just a bit big. For an ordinary whale, three thousand would be about right!"

"low profile!"

Zhang Xuzu's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice: "Yes! Lord Su is right!"

"We must keep a low profile!"

"Hmm... Also, build warships immediately! Build as many as possible! We absolutely cannot let anyone get there first! This is an enormous fortune!"

Just as everyone was getting excited.

The Empress said calmly, "The giant whale has been hunted down. Commander Su, please return to the capital with me."

He paused, then added, "Uh... remember to bring a roll of whale skin back to the capital."

"Also, Su Lang, calculate the value of this whale... and send me the money according to my share."

Su Mo...

I shouldn't have had too many expectations of this greedy empress!

Next, the people from Gufeng Mountain also arrived at the fishing village.

Su Mo originally planned to have Chen Zhong stay behind to take charge of the ships and whaling, while also looking for a way out for himself.

However, Chen Qian was worried that Chen Zhong, who had been in the palace for many years, was unaware of what was happening outside, so he took the initiative to ask to stay.

With two uncles watching over him and the Prefect of Wanghai County having given instructions, Su Mo wasn't worried at all.

He gave his two uncles a few instructions separately.

Subsequently, Su Mo was summoned to a carriage by the Empress and personally "escorted" back to the capital!
(End of this chapter)