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

"If Elder Six's words are a well-intentioned warning, then I, Su Mu, am extremely grateful." Su Mu raised his hand and waved his fist, his tone somewhat perfunctory, before quickly changing the subject. "However, since Elder Six has given me such a subtle reminder, I should return the favor with a small gift. I will definitely deliver this token of my appreciation to Elder Six in the future."

"No need." Lin Zhengying waved his hand, his tone indifferent. "As a Grandmaster, I have the ability to protect myself wherever I am, and I do not need gifts or protection from others." After saying that, he turned and gestured to his entourage. The group left the library courtyard without lingering.

Su Mu did not get up to see them off. After Lin Zhengying and the others disappeared from sight, he turned around and led Xiao Anran outside the courtyard.

Xiao Anran watched Su Mu stretching and warming up in front of the door and couldn't help but gently advise, "Elder Su, it's really not worth acting so impulsively and making such a fuss over a Grandmaster. Lin Zhengying has just broken through to the Grandmaster level and is in high spirits. We don't need to offend him."

"What I hate most are those outspoken, arrogant guys, even if he's a Grandmaster!" Su Mu said with a hint of impatience, letting out a cold snort as he continued, "He didn't come here genuinely to talk to me or find out the whereabouts of the mysterious Grandmaster. Instead, he's just taking advantage of his recent breakthrough to bully the weak, putting on airs and showing off. How can I let him succeed?"

"Elder Su, aren't you afraid he'll cause you trouble in the future if you talk back to him like this?" Xiao Anran could clearly feel the confidence in Su Mu, but he still couldn't understand where this confidence came from—Lin Zhengying was a true Grandmaster, and even if Su Mu was powerful, he was still only a Grandmaster.

"Your Highness, do not forget that I personally killed a Grandmaster!" Su Mu said with a hint of pride and firmness. "The Grandmaster I killed was at his peak at the time, and he was not a newcomer to the Grandmaster realm. His foundation was solid, and his strength was even greater than that of Lin Zhengying."

"Elder Su, that may be true, but if the Grandmaster of the Duanmu family hadn't been restrained and put in a dilemma, how could you have so easily killed him?" Xiao Anran's face was full of doubt as he frankly expressed his concerns.

"That's not necessarily true." Su Mu's tone was firm, and he was not bragging. "If I really didn't have the strength to kill him, how could Situ Jing have managed to escape back then? Unless that Grandmaster of the Duanmu family, like Situ Jing, was willing to give up everything and fight with all his might to escape, he would have been dead without a doubt."

"Situ Jing..." Upon hearing this name, a hint of worry flashed in Xiao Anran's eyes. She sighed softly, "If he manages to recover from his injuries and makes a comeback, he will be a huge hidden danger for us and the entire Daqian royal family, with endless consequences."

"Your Highness need not worry." Su Mu spoke confidently, his face showing a hint of composure. "When he fled, he was severely injured by the Four Extremes Golden Thunder Sword that I used. The sword's light pierced through his chest, damaging his heart meridian and dantian. Such a severe injury will not be easy to fully recover from. It is already a stroke of luck that he was able to save his life."

Just then, a middle-aged man stepped forward and asked softly, "Elder Su, where is Feng Bao? Why isn't he in the library?"

"He's currently training at the Martial Arts Academy and won't be back for a while," someone replied in a deep voice.

"Will he come to the library again in the future?" the middle-aged man asked again.

"Yes, but it will take some time."

Xiao Anran frowned, turned to look at Su Mu, and asked, "With Feng Bao gone, who will be in charge of the daily affairs of the library? This matter is complicated and messy, and Elder Su, with his noble status, naturally cannot do it personally."

"If Your Highness is unwilling to arrange this personally, you can send a eunuch to take charge." Su Mu's tone was calm, and his words were very clear. No matter who was given this task, he would never do it himself. He was the Emperor's appointed Grand Eunuch of Loyalty and Filial Piety, a man of noble status. How could he do such trivial and messy menial tasks?

"Alright, I'll arrange it later." Xiao Anran nodded in agreement. After saying that, he didn't linger any longer, turned around and left the library.

That afternoon, many young eunuchs of varying ages came to the library. Most of them had heard that Su Mu liked to adopt sons and came specifically to seek refuge with him. As soon as they saw Su Mu, they all knelt down and respectfully called him "godfather" with earnest expressions.

As always, Su Mu did not refuse and agreed to each request. As the number of adopted sons increased, the rewards given by the system also continued to increase. Looking at the increasingly full pills and magical artifacts in his storage space, Su Mu was overjoyed and could not hide his smile.

Meanwhile, in a teahouse near Fenghe Hall, Lin Wen was sitting face to face with her grandfather, Lin Zhengying. There was no one else in the hall except the two of them.

Lin Wen poured herself a cup of hot tea, her fingers gripping the cup tightly. Her voice was filled with anger and resentment: "Grandfather, what I said is true! That Su Mu is far too arrogant. He hasn't even broken through to the Grandmaster realm yet, but he dares to talk back to you and disregard your authority. If one day he really breaks through to the Great Grandmaster realm and his strength increases greatly, he will probably be even more unscrupulous. At that time, he might not even take our Heavenly Martial Sect seriously!"

Lin Zhengying picked up the teacup on the table, took a small sip, and said slowly, "What you said makes sense. He was originally just an insignificant eunuch in the palace. He spent his years in the deep palace, so he was ignorant and didn't understand things. Now that he has suddenly risen to power and his strength has increased by leaps and bounds, it's inevitable that he will become arrogant and conceited. This is only human nature."

"Moreover, Xiao Yuanhou, the royal grandmaster of Yangxin Hall, has been confirmed dead for some time now, and Su Mu has no royal support or protection behind him." Lin Wen's tone softened slightly, and she added, "Furthermore, I also found out that on the morning of the sacrificial festival, another grandmaster appeared, seemingly targeting Su Mu, but then suddenly disappeared for some reason."

"If what Su Mu said is true, and he really does have a Grandmaster from an unknown land backing him up, then his current rise makes sense." Lin Zhengying put down his teacup, his brows furrowed slightly, and continued his analysis, "Su Mu is a direct descendant of the Western Sichuan royal family, and his talent is already quite good. If he could have a reclusive master to guide him, coupled with ample cultivation resources, his achievements today would not be accidental. Here in our Great Qian, the spiritual energy in the world is becoming increasingly scarce, and cultivation resources are almost exhausted, but other unknown lands may not be in the same situation. Perhaps they are still rich in spiritual energy and abundant in resources."