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

"But that's not necessarily true." Lin Zhengying changed the subject, gently shaking his head, his tone speculative. "I think the Grandmaster behind him might not be that powerful. Otherwise, if that mysterious Grandmaster had intervened when Situ Jing fought the Grandmaster of the Duanmu family, Situ Jing wouldn't have had a chance to escape, let alone use the Overlord Spear to blast him away and cause him to fall from the sky and get injured."

"Grandfather is right," Lin Wen nodded in agreement.

Lin Zhengying continued slowly, "Perhaps that so-called mysterious grandmaster didn't come from some unknown place at all. He may have found an ancient treasure left over from ancient times in some ancient ruins, and was able to quickly break through to the grandmaster realm by relying on the resources in the treasure, just like Su Mu. The reason he hides his identity and is unwilling to show himself may be because his true identity is inconvenient to reveal, for fear of attracting the covetousness and pursuit of various forces."

"Grandfather is almost right!" Lin Wen's eyes lit up, and she quickly chimed in, "In the northwest of our Great Qian, there are many ruins of ancient sects. Since we have found one treasure, there may be other hidden treasures that have not yet been discovered—after all, not all ancient treasures can be found by the world."

"I speculate that he initially broke through to the Grandmaster realm using the high-level cultivation resources in the treasure trove. Later, he went to the imperial city to secretly help Su Mu grow and establish himself in the palace," Lin Zhengying said confidently. "You just said that after Su Mu entered the library, he began to take in many adopted sons and carefully cultivate them, wanting to turn them into his confidants. I think this was probably not Su Mu's own idea, but rather the instruction of the Grandmaster behind him. That Grandmaster is clearly making arrangements in secret, wanting to use Su Mu to cultivate a group of loyal forces in the palace, preparing for future plans."

"Grandfather is absolutely right, it's very possible!" A glint flashed in Lin Wen's eyes, as if he had instantly understood the mystery. "Moreover, the reason that Grandmaster has been hiding and unwilling to show himself is not only because he was injured by Situ Jing and his injuries have not yet healed, but more importantly, he has a secret he cannot tell anyone. He must hide behind the scenes to manipulate everything and cannot easily show himself. Otherwise, once his identity is exposed, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"You previously suspected that the mysterious Grandmaster had been killed by Situ Jing's Overlord Spear, but now it seems that you were wrong." Lin Zhengying looked at his granddaughter and said slowly, "If that Grandmaster had really fallen, with Su Mu's current cultivation level, he wouldn't dare to so recklessly defy me and belittle me. He doesn't have that kind of confidence."

"Grandfather, what should we do now?" Lin Wen asked anxiously. "That mysterious Grandmaster is secretly plotting to have Su Mu develop his own power in the palace. Judging from this, he probably covets the throne of Daqian and wants to seize imperial power. Are we just going to stand by and watch the Xiao royal family fall into crisis and see their conspiracy succeed?"

"This imperial throne rightfully belongs to the Xiao royal family. In the past, the Xiao royal family would have certainly noticed this and taken action in advance to stop it, never giving them a chance to take advantage of the situation," Lin Zhengying said slowly and solemnly. "But now, the Xiao royal family's power is declining day by day, and it has long lost its former glory. It simply does not have enough strength to contend with a Grandmaster, let alone deal with the various forces that are eager to make a move."

"Yes, the royal family is also powerless and has no choice in the matter." Lin Wen sighed softly, a hint of helplessness on her face. "I have just ascended to the throne as Empress and I am determined to stabilize the court and preserve the Xiao royal family's rule. I really don't want to see the Xiao royal family decline and be destroyed in my hands."

"You don't need to be in such a hurry." A sharp glint flashed in Lin Zhengying's eyes as he said firmly, "If there's an opportunity in the future, I'll personally investigate and test the strength of that mysterious grandmaster. If his strength isn't as formidable as I imagine, I'll capture him directly, seize his cultivation resources and treasures, which will not only cut off Su Mu's backer but also strengthen my own power and elevate the Tianwu Sect to a higher level—a triple win."

Upon hearing this, Lin Wen immediately smiled and flattered him, his tone respectful and obsequious: "Grandfather is mighty! With your help, everything will be foolproof, and all will be well! I believe you will definitely capture that mysterious Grandmaster, resolve the crisis of the Xiao royal family, and restore the prestige of the Tianwu Sect!"

As evening fell and night gradually descended, Xiao Anran, accompanied by a young eunuch, once again arrived at the library.

This young eunuch was named Zheng He, and he was only thirteen years old. After being castrated upon entering the palace, he stayed in the Hall of Mental Cultivation to do odd jobs and never left the hall. Perhaps because the food in the Hall of Mental Cultivation was so good, Zheng He was chubby with a round belly that made him look very honest and cute.

Xiao Anran pulled Zheng He to Su Mu's side, pointed at Su Mu, and said softly to Zheng He, "Zheng He, this is Elder Su. From now on, you will stay in the library and serve Elder Su well. You must not be negligent in the slightest."

Zheng He hurriedly clasped his hands and bowed, wanting to pay his respects, but his belly was too big, and he couldn't bend down no matter what he did, making him look rather comical. He respectfully called out, "Zheng He pays his respects to Elder Su!"

Looking at his honest appearance, Su Mu smiled faintly, reached out to help him up, and said gently, "No need for formalities. From now on, you will stay by my side. You don't need to call me Elder Su; just call me Godfather."

"Godfather?" Zheng He was taken aback upon hearing this, his face showing astonishment and his eyes filled with doubt and confusion.

Since entering the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he had been confined there and had never been in contact with the outside world. He had no idea what was happening in the palace, let alone that the old eunuch Su in the library had always liked to adopt sons. Almost every young eunuch he took a liking to would be adopted by him and carefully nurtured.

Seeing him frozen in place, Su Mu smiled and asked, "What's wrong? Don't tell me you don't want to be my adopted son?"

"I'm willing! I'm willing!" Zheng He quickly reacted, immediately kneeling down and kowtowing repeatedly. His voice was choked with emotion as he said, "Zheng He greets Godfather! To be Godfather's adopted son is a blessing I've accumulated over many lifetimes. How could I possibly refuse!"

This is like a windfall from heaven! Only a fool would refuse! Zheng He felt incredibly lucky, like he was dreaming. He was completely dazed and couldn't believe it was real.