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

Xiao Anran knew that Su Mu was the only one in the pavilion. At this point, she was completely certain that the two golden lights from before were Su Mu's doing.

The golden light was so sharp that even a grandmaster would be severely injured by it.

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the pavilion dissipated, and peace returned.

"Stingy!" Xiao Anran snorted, turned around and went back to her room to continue her breathing exercises.

However, it was difficult to calm down.

She thought of Su Mu using Qi Condensation Pills and Spirit Essence Pills to brew tea, and then she thought of Cheng Ping'an, Yu Tian, ​​and Feng Bao breaking through one after another, and a sense of resentment welled up in her heart.

"If I had enough resources, I should have broken through to the Grandmaster level long ago..."

Xiao Anran sighed inwardly, but there was nothing she could do.

"If the treasure beneath that crevice truly is the legacy of an ancient sect, and has been acquired by the Great Qian imperial family... my cultivation progress may be greatly accelerated."

"Many royal experts, even my great-grandfather, have already gone there. Hopefully... they've gained something."

She and Xiao Anxun were the most talented among the younger generation of the Daqian royal family. If the royal family truly obtained the secret treasure, they, siblings, would undoubtedly be the biggest beneficiaries.

After generations of depletion, the royal family's cultivation resources are nearly exhausted, with high-level resources almost nonexistent. Many geniuses who once had the potential to reach the Grandmaster level are now finding it difficult even to break through to the Innate Realm.

The next morning, shortly after the three had breakfast, Cheng Ping'an arrived at the library from the Martial Arts Bureau.

Last night he successfully broke through to the late stage of the Day After Tomorrow realm and came to report the good news to his godfather.

Some are happy, some are sad.

Su Mu, Feng Bao, and Cheng Ping'an all had smiles on their faces. Feng Bao was happy because he was also an adopted son, and he hoped that he could also make rapid progress like Cheng Ping'an in the future.

Xiao Anran felt a strong sense of resentment.

She didn't need to guess to know that Cheng Ping'an's rapid breakthrough must have been due to the resources provided by Su Mu and the large amount of pills that aided his cultivation.

A mere ten-year-old eunuch's cultivation progress far surpassed hers—no one would believe it if told. Even her elder brother, Emperor Xiao Anxun, had to cultivate diligently for over ten years before reaching the Acquired Realm.

Seeing the pride and excitement on Feng Bao's face, Xiao Anran felt even more uncomfortable.

These past few days, she could clearly sense Feng Bao drawing qi into his body—meaning that this mediocre eunuch had truly embarked on the path of cultivation!

In Xiao Anran's view, letting someone with Feng Bao's talent learn martial arts was simply a waste of his potential.

Why are Cheng Ping'an, Yu Tian, ​​Feng Bao... all eunuchs?

Xiao Anran couldn't understand: even if Su Mu had a lot of pills, was it necessary to use them all on these eunuchs? What benefit would it bring him?

Just to become a "godfather"?

She knew very well that the title of "adoptive father" was worthless in the palace. Most adopted sons had little loyalty or respect for their adoptive fathers; they were merely seeking a powerful patron.

While Xiao Anran was still churning with emotions, Su Mu had already led Cheng Ping'an up to the second floor of the library.

"This is for your self-defense." Su Mu took out the Heart-Piercing Nail, erased his own mark, and handed it over.

The low-grade Xuan-level magic weapon was of little use to him.

"Godfather, I have already received so much kindness from you, how dare I accept such a generous gift?" Cheng Ping'an declined.

"A gift from an elder should not be refused." Su Mu placed the piercing nail into his hand. "Take it. There will be plenty of time to repay the favor in the future."

"Thank you, Godfather!" Cheng Ping'an knelt down to accept the gift, his expression respectful.

"Close your eyes and don't move."

Cheng Ping'an closed his eyes as instructed and remained kneeling.

Su Mu forced out a drop of essence blood from his fingertip, separated a wisp of divine soul power, and quickly formed a hand seal, quietly sending a "Blood Soul Curse Seal" into Cheng Ping'an's sea of ​​consciousness.

The curse seal silently merged into the soul fire.

From this point on, if Cheng Ping'an harbors any ill will toward Su Mu, the cursed seal will activate.

Get up.

Cheng Ping'an stood up, looking bewildered—he had only felt a slight pain in his sea of ​​consciousness, which disappeared in an instant, and he felt no discomfort. He had no idea what had happened.

Su Mu didn't explain further, only saying, "Have Yutian come over when he has time."

"Yes, Godfather."

Cheng Ping'an left happily, clutching the piercing nail in his hand.

An hour later, Yutian arrived.

Also on the second floor, Su Mu planted the Blood Soul Curse on him. Although Yu Tian did not receive any magical treasures, he was delighted to be given elixirs.

Next was Feng Bao.

The afternoon sun was just right. Winter has passed and spring has arrived; although it is still slightly chilly, the sun is already showing signs of warmth.

Su Mu lay back in the chair, pretending to sleep with his eyes closed, but in reality he was still absorbing the imperial aura.

Suddenly, he frowned slightly.

"Why has the imperial aura in the palace suddenly become so thin?"

"Could it be that the northern barbarians and the northern deserts have joined forces to invade?"

Unless a major event occurs that could shake the foundations of the nation, the imperial aura will not suddenly diminish.

Previously, due to setbacks in the northern border war, the imperial aura had been somewhat weakened. This latest disturbance made Su Mu uneasy.

Furthermore, no new battle reports have been heard from the North.

There were no large-scale animal tides in the vast mountains of western Xinjiang.

What exactly happened that could shake the fate of the Great Qian Dynasty?

If we were to ask who would be most unwilling to see the Great Qian Dynasty collapse, aside from the Xiao imperial family, it would probably be Su Mu.

Once the Great Qian Dynasty collapses, let alone continue to draw upon the imperial aura, it will be difficult to even find a safe place to live.

Finding another place with such a strong imperial aura as the Great Qian Palace is by no means an easy task.

The Great Qian Dynasty has existed for thousands of years, and its imperial aura is deeply accumulated. Even if a new dynasty is established and Su Mu can move to the new capital, the imperial aura will inevitably be thin in the early days of the new dynasty, which will be very detrimental to cultivation.

Moreover, establishing a new dynasty is no easy task. If the world were truly in chaos and warlords were vying for power, it might take decades or even centuries for a new unified dynasty to emerge.

Small countries with few people cannot cultivate the aura of a true emperor.

For an empire to be called an "empire," both territory and population are indispensable; otherwise, it would be difficult to generate enough imperial aura for cultivation.

The imperial throne... is not something anyone can sit on.

Not just any country can be called an "empire"!

With his current strength, he could support or even establish a dynasty, but that would require a great deal of time and effort.

The most ideal situation at present is still that the Great Qian Dynasty is stable and its fortune is long-lasting.

At least—it's best to do so before Su Mu breaks through to a higher realm.

He asked Feng Bao to inquire about recent major events in the court and among the people. Feng Bao did as he was told and inquired everywhere, but did not get any special information.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

As the festival for worshipping the gods approaches, the palace is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, adding to the festive atmosphere.

Early that morning, a royal grandmaster personally came to the library and took Xiao Anran away.

She returned the following day at noon.

Her eyes were red and swollen, clearly from crying.

Su Mu immediately understood—Xiao Yuanhou was probably no longer alive.

The death of the only Grandmaster of the Xiao imperial family is enough to shake the foundation of the country and further weaken the imperial aura in the palace.

The royal family chose to keep the death a secret.

Given the current situation in the Great Qian Dynasty, not only can Xiao Yuanhou not be given a grand funeral, but the matter must be covered up as much as possible.

When Xiao Yuanhou was alive, assassins would still sneak into the palace from time to time; now that the position of Grandmaster is vacant, even if there are still a few Grandmasters, it will be difficult to stop more villains from coveting it.

In the past, those Grandmasters who had grudges against the Xiao family were somewhat wary of Xiao Yuanhou and dared not force their way into the imperial city—after all, becoming a Grandmaster was not easy, and who would want to easily fight to the death with someone of the same level, especially since the imperial family was also at risk of being besieged by a group of Grandmasters.

But things are different now.

Once it is confirmed that there are no more Grandmasters in the royal family, the risk of enemies or those with ulterior motives infiltrating the palace will be greatly reduced.