Starting with being handed over to the Imperial Concubine, building a family with a thousand-year hi

"Uh..." Su Mu was taken aback, only then realizing that he had actually regarded Xiao Anran as an equal.

As a transmigrator, he had no sense of hierarchy; now that he had cultivation, he did not feel inferior to Xiao Yuanhou, let alone Xiao Anran.

"Princess, I must keep a close eye on Feng Bao's situation." Su Mu pointed to the room where Cheng Ping'an and Yu Tian had stayed. "His injuries are quite serious, and he needs someone to take care of him. I cannot leave."

"Little Su, your excuse is rather far-fetched." Xiao Anran clearly didn't believe it.

Judging from her attitude towards Su Mu, Xiao Yuanhou did not tell her that Su Mu was the one who killed Lu Xiang. If she knew Su Mu's strength, she would never have called him "Little Su" directly; she should at least have addressed him as "Eunuch Su".

"Princess, Feng Bao is very likely sent by His Majesty to test us." Su Mu lowered his voice. "If an ordinary eunuch dared to doze off in the Imperial Study, he would have been beaten half to death and thrown out long ago. Why would he be punished by being sent to the library to 'reflect on his mistakes'? If His Majesty's men cause any trouble here, this servant cannot bear the responsibility."

"Never mind, never mind." Hearing Su Mu say this, Xiao Anran stopped insisting.

She was unwilling to eat the coarse food from the library's kitchen, so she went to the Imperial Kitchen herself. During her meal, she instructed the head eunuch to deliver meals to the library on time every day thereafter.

Feng Bao was still recovering from his injuries and had difficulty moving around, so Su Mu had to cook for him himself.

Feng Bao was similar to Yu Tian when he first entered the library; both were thin and frail. However, his condition was not due to the depletion of his vital energy by the innate true fire, nor did he have any special constitution. It was purely due to overwork from serving the princes and princesses in their studies.

Although the princes and princesses had heavy studies, their meals were extremely refined; Feng Bao, as a palace attendant, naturally had much worse meals.

He lacked Yutian's innate true fire and Cheng Ping'an's natural talent, making him unsuitable for martial arts.

But Su Mu was not picky—even rotten wood can be transformed into something useful if one is willing to carve it.

The key question is whether it's worthwhile to cultivate Feng Bao.

At dawn, Su Mu was still weighing his options.

At this moment, there is no need to think about it anymore.

Whether Feng Bao is the Emperor's man, or whether he will be as devoted as Cheng Ping'an and Yu Tian, ​​is not important. What Su Mu wants is the system reward.

According to his plan, he wanted to take in many adopted sons in the palace, who might one day replace Wei Zhongxian and become the "ancestor" in the eyes of the palace.

Of course, not every adopted son will be loyal.

Human hearts are complex and inherently fickle. Even biological children can become estranged, let alone adopted children.

It's nothing more than mutual exploitation.

Su Mu was not concerned that cultivating Feng Bao would arouse the emperor's suspicion—since Xiao Yuanhou did not make a move, no one in the palace could touch him. Once Feng Bao's cultivation reached the Grandmaster level and he condensed his primordial spirit, even a senile Grandmaster like Xiao Yuanhou might not be his match.

He knew that Xiao Yuanhou would not attack him, but instead hoped that he would use him to check the Situ family in the future.

"Here, Feng Bao, have some water first."

Su Mu brought the prepared food into Feng Bao's room and handed him a cup of warm water, saying, "I put healing pills in the water, which will be beneficial to your injuries."

As he spoke, he sat down on the edge of the couch and helped Feng Bao sit up.

Feng Bao put down his book, took the water cup, and drank it all in one gulp.

As the effects of the Ganlindan gradually took hold, he soon felt the pain in his back lessen considerably.

"Thank you so much for your care, Eunuch Su. I will never forget this kindness." Knowing the value of such a fast-acting medicine, Feng Bao said sincerely, "If I have the opportunity in the future, I will definitely repay Eunuch Su."

"No need for repayment. We're all unfortunate people, it's only right that we look after each other." Su Mu smiled kindly. "I'm over forty, with no children, and I can't bear to see you young people suffering."

"Not to mention you, I treat Cheng Ping'an and Yu Tian, ​​those two lads who were just punished and sent to the library, the same way. They are both promising, they recognized me as their godfather, and now they are highly valued in the Martial Arts Academy, and they often come back to visit me."

These words were deliberately said to Feng Bao.

Feng Bao is a clever person.

As soon as Su Mu finished speaking, the child struggled to his feet and knelt down before Su Mu.

"If Eunuch Su does not mind, Feng Bao is willing to become your godfather!"

"Get up quickly, you're injured." Su Mu pretended to help him up, saying, "If you don't mind that I'm just a useless eunuch guarding the pavilion, why would I mind you?"

"Godfather!" Feng Bao kowtowed three times.

"Alright, alright, good boy, eat your meal." Su Mu used a little skill to lift Feng Bao back onto the bed.

At the same time, a familiar notification sound rang in my mind:

"Congratulations, host, on gaining another adopted son. The reward has been sent to your storage space. Please check it."

After the meal, Feng Bao's complexion improved significantly, but he still needed to rest in bed due to his injuries.

Su Mu cleared away the dishes and returned to the kitchen, where he then examined what he had obtained.

The elixirs remained plentiful, all of which were highly beneficial to cultivation.

In addition, I obtained another talisman and a book.

The talisman, named "Golden Vine Mystic Talisman," is a high-grade Xuan-level talisman for binding enemies. Once activated, it can conjure countless tough golden vines to firmly bind the opponent. Even a Grandmaster would find it difficult to break free for a short time.

Known as "Phantom Shadow Step," it is a high-grade Xuan-level movement technique, far superior to "Wind Shadow Step." With a foundation in "Wind Shadow Step," learning this technique will be twice as effective.

"This is a good result; we have another trump card to protect ourselves."

Just as Su Mu finished cleaning the kitchen, the imperial kitchen eunuch arrived to deliver the meal.

Xiao Anran, however, did not enter the pavilion to study.

"Make some tea." She tossed over a bag of tea leaves.

It must be a fine tea obtained from the Imperial Kitchen.

Su Mu went to the kitchen to fetch firewood and start a fire, then boiled water and made tea on a small stove by the door.

Xiao Anran picked up a long sword and stepped into the snowy courtyard.

She practiced a set of sword techniques.

His movements were nimble, and the sword light flowed, making for a truly beautiful sight!

Snowflakes fluttered around her, creating a scene reminiscent of a painting.

Su Mu had already grasped the essence of the "Instantaneous Light Sword Technique." This sword technique was not complicated; its key was to concentrate one's strength on the sword and unleash a sharp sword light. He had been secretly studying it but had never actually practiced it—using such a sword technique in the library would only cause trouble.

He thoroughly mastered "The Complete Explanation of Kendo Basics," gaining a deeper understanding of Kendo.

In fact, when one's mental strength is strong enough, comprehending martial arts and swordsmanship can be twice as effective with half the effort. If one can visualize and deduce in one's mind, it is almost indistinguishable from actual combat.

Having already condensed his divine sense, Su Mu's soul was no ordinary thing. With his current spiritual power and swordsmanship knowledge, he could tell at a glance that although Xiao Anran's swordsmanship was wonderful, it had many flaws.

Her swordplay appears ethereal and agile, drawing upon the power of heaven and earth, but in reality, it lacks sufficient force and has limited lethality. It has a somewhat "showy" feel to it.

The sword is a weapon of death, and sword techniques are born for killing; they should be fast, accurate, and ruthless.

This point is also emphasized many times in "Complete Explanation of Kendo Basics".

Su Mu would not offer any guidance to Xiao Anran—besides, there would be no system reward for such guidance.

After practicing for a while, Xiao Anran sheathed his sword, returned to the corridor, took out a pot, and poured himself a cup.

The aroma of tea is overwhelming.

The tea that Xiao Anran brought was of far superior quality to the tea that Su Mu usually drank.

Just as Su Mu was about to raise his cup, Xiao Anran spoke up, "If you want to drink, then drink, but... shouldn't you at least ask the host before drinking tea?"

"Uh..." Su Mu was taken aback. "I thought the princess wasn't that petty."

The tea was given to him by her, and it was indeed somewhat impolite of him to drink it without her permission. Besides, she was a princess.

However—he brewed the tea.