Legendary Son-in-Law: The Man with Poison Talismans

The Celestial Venerable frowned slightly, and his white beard trembled gently.

He leaned on his Wuji Staff, remained silent for a moment, and shook his head: "It shouldn't be like this. The demonic energy has weakened to this extent, it's definitely not as simple as the opening of the Path of the Crossroads. There must be some changes deep within the Sealed Demon Realm, but no one knows about them yet."

The Empress blinked, her brows furrowing slightly. "Is that so?" She turned around, took a couple of steps, then turned back to look at the Celestial Venerable. "That's perfect. The commander of the Demon Sealing will be arriving in the capital in a few days. Then, Grandfather Celestial Venerable and I will ask him in person."

The Celestial Venerable stroked his beard, nodded, and his expression softened slightly: "Very well. It's been a long time since I've been to Bichon. I'll take this opportunity to visit the Royal Martial Arts Academy and see the Empire's fresh blood. I've also gained some new insights over the years, which I'd like to share."

The Empress's eyes lit up, and a smile appeared on her face: "It's their good fortune that Grandfather Heavenly Venerable is willing to take action. I'll have someone make the arrangements."

The Celestial Venerable waved his hand, his tone indifferent: "No need for a grand display. I'm just an old man; I can go by myself."

He paused, then stroked his beard. "But Your Majesty must make sure they don't pull my beard."

The Empress smiled and agreed, and was about to say something more when the Celestial Venerable suddenly stopped smiling, his white beard trembled slightly, and his gaze darkened.

"Your Majesty, things are not going well at Bai Ri Men."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word carried weight: "In the forests surrounding Crimson Moon Canyon, the number of Sky Wolf Spiders is 30% higher than usual."

The Empress's smile also vanished.

"The guards of Bai Ri Men are exhausted from running around on the official road. The orc leaders have become very clever, hiding in the forests near the road. Anyone who passes by will be met with a flying axe; anyone who ventures deeper to search for and pursue the orc leaders will be surrounded and attacked by the swarm of Sky Wolf Spiders hiding in the forest. In other words, the orcs and the monsters from the Crimson Moon side seem to have made a pact to cooperate."

The Celestial Venerable paused, his tone becoming even more grave, "Furthermore, the defenses of the jungle maze are also shrinking, and the White Sun Gate guards are simply powerless to deal with the increasingly frenzied Crimson Moon demons."

The hall fell silent. The candlelight flickered, and wisps of incense smoke drifted between the two of them.

"What does Grandpa Celestial mean?" The Empress's voice lowered slightly.

"If the great calamity really comes, Bai Ri Men will be the first to bear the brunt."

The Celestial Venerable looked at the Empress with an indescribable heaviness in his eyes. The monsters in the Crimson Moon Valley outside the White Sun Gate grew stronger with each generation. He had guarded it for nearly two hundred years and knew the changes there better than anyone else.

"Then there's Fengmo Valley, then Woma Forest, and then Bichon."

The empress did not respond.

The two remained silent for a moment, the candlelight in the hall flickered, and the smoke from the incense slowly rose between them.

The Celestial Venerable didn't stop, and continued, "Beyond the border village, outside the First Pass Under Heaven, lies an even more powerful monster. For hundreds of years, no one has dared to leave the pass, and no one knows what the situation is like outside."

He shook his head. "At that time, everyone will have no choice but to retreat to Mengzhong. But Mengzhong is a place of endless yellow sand and scarce water resources, which cannot support so many people. If we retreat, a whole group will die."

He paused, his voice lowering as if talking to himself: "Or we could set sail and search for the legendary Crescent Moon Island. But what dangers lie at sea, and where Crescent Moon Island is, remains unknown."

The Empress leaned back on the soft couch, her fingers tapping lightly on the armrest, once, then again. The palace was quiet, save for the occasional crackle of the candlelight.

She didn't ask any more questions, and the Celestial Venerable didn't say anything more. Some things are best left unsaid; saying more only keeps people up at night.

-

Overlord's Hall.

Upon receiving Bich's order, Yang Xiong dared not delay and immediately arranged to set off back to Fengmo City.

Lin Mu was surrounded by guards and his subordinates on all sides, the torchlight forming a continuous expanse.

The group traversed the Netherworld Corridor, passed through the Thunder Path, and passed through the stone gate of the Blazing Palace that had once been blocked by white boars...

The journey was unimpeded; the monsters had clearly been eliminated beforehand.

When passing through the mining area.

Hungry and miserable, Qin Yumo was squatting in a corner outside the mine, secretly munching on dry rations.

Qin Yumo's hands were filthy, with blackish-gray mineral dust embedded in her fingernails. She held a hard, dry biscuit in her hand, took a bite, chewed for a long time, and just wouldn't swallow it, whether because it was too disgusting or because she couldn't bear to eat it.

Suddenly, a cacophony of footsteps and hoofbeats arose. She looked up and saw a troop of Imperial Guards emerging neatly from the depths of the mine, like a ceremonial guard.

A young man, dressed in a gray-white robe and holding a light brown stick, sat on a horse with his back ramrod straight.

The Imperial Guards surrounded him, some leading his horse, some holding torches, and some clearing the way for him, as if they were escorting some important figure.

Chapter 146 Road Closure

Qin Yumo squinted, trying to make out the person's face. The torchlight flickered, casting shadows on the person's face, but she still recognized them.

Lin Mu.

The pancake in her hand fell to the ground, and her mouth was open, unable to close for a long time.

Those Imperial Guards, those Imperial Guards who would never even glance at her normally, were now surrounding Lin Mu as if they were surrounding a prince.

She rubbed her eyes, and when she looked again, it was still Lin Mu.

That's right, it's that first-level Taoist priest who was laid down three rules with her in the backyard of the Qin residence, and the son-in-law she told to his face that "there is absolutely no possibility between us."

As she stood there stunned, a hand patted her shoulder.

Qin Yumo froze, instinctively shrinking her neck. She thought she'd been caught slacking off by the supervisor. Her mind raced, trying to figure out how much she'd dug today, how much was still short, whether it was enough to meet the deadline, and whether it would exempt her from punishment.

“Yu Mo”.

She froze. That voice...it was all too familiar.

I turned my head abruptly and saw a smiling face.

"Father?" Qin Yumo's voice trembled.

Qin Zhengchuan stood before her, wearing armor with the insignia of the Golden Guard embroidered on his chest and a Purgatory sword at his waist, looking quite spirited.

"Father, what's wrong with you..." Qin Yumo looked him up and down, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly.

"Your father is now a member of the Imperial Guard." Qin Zhengchuan patted the gold-rimmed phoenix emblem on his chest, his tone tinged with pride. "From now on, you won't have to mine anymore if you follow your father."

Qin Yumo opened her mouth, as if to say something, but then swallowed it back. She glanced in the direction the procession had gone; the figure sitting on horseback, surrounded by the Imperial Guards, was almost out of sight.

“Father, that person…” she pointed in the direction of the group.

Qin Zhengchuan's smile faltered. He glanced at the object his daughter was pointing at, then looked away and shook his head: "That's a master in plain clothes, not Lin Mu."

"But……"

"Alright." Qin Zhengchuan patted her shoulder, interrupting her, "Stop thinking about it..."

Qin Yumo didn't say anything more.

She stared in the direction the group had gone, watching the figure disappear around the corner of the mine tunnel, and something felt off.

-

The sky over Fengmo Valley was still gray, but after leaving the mining area, the demonic energy was noticeably weaker than before entering, and the sulfurous and putrid smell in the air had mostly dissipated.

The female Taoist priest named Jingqiu stayed by Lin Mu's side the whole time, riding alongside him on horseback.

When Yang Xiong was around, she was very proper, with her back straight and her eyes fixed straight ahead, like a flag standing in the wind. But as soon as Yang Xiong turned around, she became a different person.

She first glanced at Lin Mu furtively, and seeing that he wasn't paying attention, she became bolder and winked at him.

Lin Mu glanced at her but ignored her. She then touched Lin Mu's sleeve again, her fingertips lightly brushing against his cuff, as if unintentionally, yet also as if deliberately.

Lin Mu knew what the girl was up to.

He read the note; the handwriting was delicate, just a few lines long. The gist was that the person wanted to be transferred away from Fengmo and asked him to put in a good word for them with the Commander and His Majesty.

But he doesn't even understand his own situation yet, how can he make this decision? Let's talk about it later.

When they reached the end of the official road, Yang Xiong's carriage was already waiting there.

As Lin Mu approached, he finally saw the true nature of the eight black wheels—they weren't wheels at all, but eight living, black maggots. What shocked him even more were the four axles connecting the wheels to the frame; they were clearly four Wuji rods.

Lin Mu inwardly exclaimed, "Holy crap!" His previous plan had already come true here?

He was still dreaming of becoming a Ford or FAW in another world, a car tycoon, but it turns out they've already started mass production.

However, he quickly regained his composure and got into the car with Yang Xiong.

Jingqiu followed behind on horseback with the Imperial Guards.

The space inside the carriage was much larger than he had imagined, and it was also isolated from the demonic energy outside, making it almost like a small, mobile room.

This car clearly uses a space technology similar to that of a manor, which expands the interior space by more than 50% out of thin air.

Lin Mu stepped on the thick felt mat under his feet, then looked up at the roof of the car, measured the height, and secretly clicked his tongue in amazement.

This thing is more luxurious than any luxury car he had ever ridden in in his previous life, although he had only ridden in a few, apart from taxis and ride-hailing cars.

A large, low couch with thick, soft cushions and several pillows was placed by the window, making one want to lie down on it.

Opposite the low couch was a small square table with a jade inlay on the top, polished smooth as a mirror, and the edges wrapped with silver metal, showing exquisite craftsmanship.

On the table were celadon tea sets and several plates of snacks, and next to them stood a copper lamp with a short wick, the flame burning steadily without swaying, emitting a faint scent of herbs and wood.

Lin Mu also noticed a bronze incense burner, about half a person's height, standing in the corner. The furnace was tightly closed, with only wisps of smoke coming out from the openwork patterns on the top cover. It was an incense burner.

The aromatherapy made the air inside the car fresher, and even breathing became easier.

Lin Mu touched this and rubbed that, marveling at it.

"Brother Lin, are you interested in this car?" Yang Xiong sat opposite him, holding a teacup, a smile on his lips.

"I've never seen one before." Lin Mu leaned against the car window, looking at the gray sky outside. "It's quite rare."

Yang Xiong smiled, put down his teacup, and said casually, as if he were saying that the weather was nice today: "Maybe you'll get this treatment someday, little brother."

Lin Mu didn't reply. We'll talk about the future later.

The driver kept the car in control; the speed wasn't fast, but it was steady, and you could barely feel any bumps.

Lin Mu fell asleep by the car window, and when he woke up, it was almost dawn.

The group entered the Demon Sealing City at dawn.

The city gates were wide open, and the Imperial Guards and their subordinates were already stationed on both sides of the road, keeping pedestrians and vendors outside the cordon. The torchlight was dim in the morning light, casting flickering shadows on everyone's faces.

There are already quite a few small vendors on the street.

The pancake vendors, vegetable sellers, and groceries vendors were all blocked by the Imperial Guards and huddled together on the roadside. Some people stood on tiptoe to peek inside, some whispered among themselves, and some complained quietly.

"What big shot is he? Why is the road blocked so early in the morning?"

"Shh, keep your voice down, those are the Imperial Guards, do you want to die?"

"Pah! I'm not a criminal, why shouldn't I be allowed to pass?"

The voice wasn't loud, but the resentment was immense. The Imperial Guards stood there expressionless, like a wall blocking their way, preventing anyone from taking a single step forward.