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

Lin Mu and Gu Qingyi both went to see her off, standing at a quiet little ferry crossing outside Bichon City, where sunlight fell on the river surface, creating a thin layer of golden ripples.

Lin Mu handed her a heavy Qiankun bag, which contained some usable equipment, gold coins, spirit gathering beads, and a large amount of potions and food, enough for her to use at sea for quite a while.

Chapter 334 Did you take a bath?

Gu Qingyi also handed over a Qiankun bag, without saying a word, but simply patted Huo Tang on the shoulder.

Huo Tang did not refuse, took it and put it away. He looked up at the two of them, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly. It was not a smile, but it was not sad either. It was just a faint arc, as if he had thought about it for a long time: "There is nothing left to care about on this continent."

After saying that, she turned around, stepped onto the small boat moored on the shore, and the boat rocked slightly before stabilizing.

She stood at the stern without looking back. The oars cut through the water, and the boat slowly moved away from the shore, heading towards the center of the Beach River.

The people on the bank stood for a while, until the boat's shadow became a smaller and smaller dot on the river, before they looked away and turned to walk back.

As they walked, Huo Tang recalled her plans. She said she wanted to go to sea and find Cangyue Island or the Snow Region, places she had never been before.

As soon as they entered the city gate, the two saw Liu Qingshuang riding up on horseback. She dismounted, walked quickly to them, and bowed, saying, "His Majesty summons you. Please enter the palace immediately."

Lin Mu and Gu Qingyi exchanged a glance, asked no further questions, and followed Liu Qingshuang through the streets and alleys, into the palace, around the front hall, and all the way to the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Liu Qingshuang stopped outside the door, stepped aside, and gestured with her hand: "His Majesty is waiting inside."

Lin Mu pushed open the door and went in, with Gu Qingyi following behind. The light inside the hall was a level dimmer than outside, and the window lattices filtered the sunlight into thin lines that fell on the blue brick floor.

The Empress sat behind her desk, glanced at the two of them, and without exchanging pleasantries, said directly, "Now all the black maggots have died, including those in Sealed Demon Valley, Stone Tomb, and Death Valley. Not a single one is left. It's impossible to get to Demon Dragon City via the maggot flying vehicle. We still need to find Crescent Moon Island."

She paused, tapping her fingers lightly on the table. "The Empire has had the Canghai Camp for many years, searching the seas but failing to find the location of Cangyue Island. Heavenly Venerable, I have heard that your skeletons can sense the aura of monsters from a distance. Could you use this ability to go to sea and locate Cangyue Island?"

After the Empress finished speaking, she waited for Lin Mu's reply. Sunlight streamed through the cracks in the window lattice and fell on the table. The palace was so quiet that only the occasional chirping of birds could be heard from afar.

After waiting for a while without hearing a reply from Lin Mu, the Empress raised her eyes and saw Lin Mu staring straight at her, his gaze falling on her face, on her brows, and on the edge of the shadow cut by the sunlight.

Lin Mu has become increasingly daring since that fight against the Crimson Moon Demon.

However, this also shows that I am still very charming.

She didn't speak immediately, but instead looked away and returned her gaze to the table, her fingers tapping lightly on the corner of the table.

Gu Qingyi, who was standing next to him, noticed the change in atmosphere and nudged Lin Mu lightly with her elbow. The force was not strong, but it was enough to bring Lin Mu's attention back.

Lin Mu blinked and quickly replied, "That is indeed the case. My skeleton does have this ability."

The Empress was pleased to hear this: "That's good. You can rest for a while and report to the Canghai Camp next month to temporarily serve as its commander. The previous Flying Eagle Camp will also be incorporated into the Canghai Camp. You will train for two months to get used to life on the ship before going out to sea to investigate."

Lin Mu accepted the order and bowed. As soon as he straightened up, the corner of his mouth turned down, and he muttered under his breath, "I have to work again... How come I, a dignified Celestial Venerable, have become a beast of burden?"

The voice wasn't loud, but the hall was quiet, so those few muttered words still reached the Empress's ears.

The empress glanced at him but didn't bother to acknowledge him.

Then she turned to Gu Qingyi, her tone becoming slightly somber: "Gu Changfeng's sentence has been decided. He will be temporarily placed under house arrest and undergo labor reform. He has been allocated ten acres of land to learn farming. He can eat whatever he harvests, and if he doesn't harvest anything, he'll have to bear the consequences himself."

She paused for a moment, then added, "Seven other women were arranged to take turns every night to try to continue the imperial line. Once all seven women are pregnant, they will be sent to Tucheng to rest and prepare for childbirth. Gu Changfeng himself will be demoted to a commoner and wear the Soul-Locking Cudgel for the rest of his life."

After she finished speaking, she glanced at Gu Qingyi and asked, "Do you have any objections to this arrangement?"

Gu Qingyi lowered her eyes and said calmly, "I will obey Your Majesty's orders."

The Empress nodded and waved her hand, "You may leave now."

Gu Qingyi bowed and turned to leave through the palace gate.

Lin Mu also took a half step back, and was about to turn around and walk out when the Empress's voice came from behind the desk, neither loud nor soft: "Your Majesty, please wait. I have something to say to you alone."

Lin Mu's foot, which had already stepped out, paused in mid-air before he pulled it back and stood back in his original position.

After the palace doors closed, the Empress did not speak immediately, nor did she look at the files on the table again.

Lin Mu stood in the hall, wondering to himself, "They've already said everything, so why are they leaving me alone?"

As he was thinking, he saw the Empress raise her hand again, dismissing all the servants and maids in the hall.

Lin Mu thought to himself, since he had been left alone, he might as well take another look at the Empress; she was pleasing to the eye anyway.

As he pondered, his gaze involuntarily returned to the Empress's face. His eyes remained fixed on her.

The Empress wasn't annoyed. Instead, she tilted her head slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips, and asked, "Beautiful?"

The voice was not loud, and it lacked the previous composedness. It was as if a corner of the curtain had been lifted, adding a touch of warmth to the tone.

Lin Mu nodded with a slight smile: "You look good, and you look even better when you smile."

As he finished speaking, a melody suddenly popped into his head at an inopportune moment—"Your smile is so beautiful, like a flower in spring..."

The tune played automatically twice in his mind before he finally stopped himself from playing it. He quickly drew his attention back to the face in front of him, trying not to make the curve of his lips too obvious.

Before he could continue thinking, the Empress suddenly changed the subject, her tone carrying a meaningful curve: "With your fickle nature, how can you be so unfair to Qingyi?"

Lin Mu smiled but didn't reply.

If it were an ordinary woman, he would definitely be worthy of Qingyi, but this is the Empress, and the temptation is a bit too great. Moreover, judging from the Empress's expression, she doesn't seem to be really worried about his love life. It's more like she casually throws out a question to test whether he can handle it.

He silently put those words aside in his mind, without replying, and continued watching.

Seeing that he didn't answer, the Empress didn't press him for an answer. Instead, she changed the subject: "I heard from Qingyi that you have the bloodline of the Snow Region, which is why the poison is so potent."

Lin Mu's heart skipped a beat, thinking to himself, "Why does Qingyi tell everything to her royal sister?"

But since the matter had already been brought up, he could only go along with it and nodded: "That is indeed the case. My poison was entirely due to the Snow Region bloodline, which activated the Wrathful Poisoning Technique."

The Empress nodded after listening, as if confirming something, then changed the subject, her tone suddenly becoming casual and natural: "Did you take a shower last night?"

Chapter 335 Not in Good Condition

Lin Mu was stunned, completely unprepared for her to ask this, but still answered truthfully: "I washed it."

Upon hearing this, the Empress's smile deepened, as if she had received a satisfactory answer.

Lin Mu looked at the Empress with a strange expression. She was indeed very beautiful, with a voluptuous figure, especially when she wore the dragon robe, which gave her a unique charm by blending solemnity and casualness. But why did Her Majesty seem to have some ill intentions? It was quite frightening. Lin Mu unconsciously shrank back.

Seeing his guarded expression, the Empress's smile deepened. She then spoke slowly and deliberately, her tone carrying a calmness that she had been preparing for a long time: "The royal family needs the strongest bloodline. I know about the Snow Region and internal energy you mentioned. I have also been looking for someone, someone who can inherit the throne in the future, for the sake of the royal family and for my own sake."

She paused, her gaze falling on his face as if to confirm that her words had reached his ears, "Now is the perfect time for you, my dear minister."

Lin Mu stood still, listening as the Empress calmly uttered these lewd words.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say that this was against the rules, but she herself was the one who set the rules.

And so Lin Mu finished the task half-heartedly.

An hour later, Lin Mu finished dressing with a grim expression, tying his belt several times before he got it right.

The Empress leaned against the headboard, her eyes carrying a faint disdain, her tone as flat as if she were evaluating an official report: "No good, only an hour."

Lin Mu paused in fastening his belt, then turned his head and replied, "Not in good shape, not in good shape today..."

He silently added in his mind: Next time I'll make you beg for mercy. This sudden turn of events, especially in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and with the Empress—her aura was far beyond what Qin Yumo could match. He wasn't prepared at all; anyone in his shoes would have been in the same situation.

Next time, I'll definitely teach them a lesson.

He fastened his belt and stuffed the few remaining thoughts into his clothes.

At this moment, the Empress had already put her dragon robe back on. With swift movements, she walked to the table and sat back down, glancing at Lin Mu sideways: "Alright, I'll give you another chance. It'll be the same time tomorrow. Remember to take a bath beforehand."

She said this with a slight blush still lingering on her face, but her tone had completely returned to its usual businesslike calm, as if those few sentences were notes written on a schedule and required no further explanation.

Lin Mu stood in the center of the hall, looking at the still flushed face, somewhat unable to believe that the Empress could say such words. He felt that what he had just said was merely polite talk.

He now strongly suspects that all of this was planned by the empress long ago.

-

For the next month, although it was supposed to be a rest period, Lin Mu didn't actually have a single day of free time.

Every day, under the guise of "entering the palace to check the nautical charts" and "reviewing the Canghai Camp's past nautical logs," he would appear on time at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and then emerge in the afternoon, clutching his back.

As the days went by, he gradually got used to that rhythm, and once he relaxed, time no longer felt as rushed as it had the first time.

But doing this every day has made his back a little sore. It's so sore that he has to use his hands to support himself on the chair before he can sit down steadily.

Qin Yumo was somewhat puzzled.

Although Lin Mu hadn't been very affectionate with her before, there were always intimate moments when they were together.

Now that the world has been settled, Lin Mu goes home every day and they meet every day, but in that aspect, things have suddenly cooled down.

She sat by the window, fiddling with a hairpin in her hand, her mind racing with thoughts.

Was it because of that Princess Gu Qingyi? Or had her own charm faded?

She looked down at herself, then looked up and thought for a moment, deciding to come up with a way to win back Lin Mu's attention.

She began to pay more attention to her clothes and appearance, to sit a little longer while eating, and to linger a little longer when the sunlight streamed into the room, as if using those small actions to fill a gap that she herself couldn't quite define.

Gu Qingyi, on the other hand, saw it more clearly.

Looking at Lin Mu's posture, which indicated a bad back, and then at Qin Yumo, who had dressed up specially recently, she took advantage of a quiet moment when no one was around and whispered to Lin Mu, "Be careful not to overindulge."

Upon hearing this, Lin Mu's heart tightened, and his mind raced.

Did she find out about her affair with the Empress?

Logically, this shouldn't be the case. Every time I went to the palace, I used the pretext of "checking nautical charts" and "reading through the nautical logbook." I always went during the day, and when I came back, my robes were always neat, and there were no obvious marks on my face.

He was nervously thinking about how to reply when he glanced at Gu Qingyi again. Seeing that her expression didn't seem to be implying anything, but rather that she was concerned about his relationship with Qin Yumo, he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly nodded, "I'll pay attention."

Then he went straight to the palace.

The Empress has become increasingly difficult to deal with lately, and his idea of ​​"teaching her a lesson next time" has only just been realized.

The next month arrived quickly, and Lin Mu reported to Canghai Camp as planned.

He practiced swimming every day, familiarized himself with life on the ship, and adapted to the waves and the rocking of the deck.

Life was dull, but it was still relatively peaceful.

-

At the same time, Lin Mu recalled the scene from the previous day.

"You don't need to come starting tomorrow."

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on the ends of her hair scattered on the pillow, and on the exposed, snow-white shoulder. Even her face still held a lingering trace of satisfaction, yet her tone was resolute.