"This is prepared for Li Mo. Since you've already inherited the destiny of the Great Shang, breaking through to rebuild anew..."

The Southern Suppressing King took out a yellow object, holding it in one hand. He cleared his throat, his expression turning solemn.

Just as he was about to unfold and read it aloud, he suddenly noticed Li Mo silently retreating behind the crowd.

Zhong Qin: "?"

"Young Hero Li now possesses the fortune of the previous dynasty, his name is justified, his words carry weight—it's time to achieve greatness!"

"The Azure Heaven is dead, the Phoenix Heaven shall rise! Long live the Great Shang, King Li Mo!"

"Right, right, that's how the lines go."

"I'll have the affiliated carp tribe stuff the proclamation into their bellies. Who’ll make sure the fox tribe memorizes their lines?"

The Southern Border demon tribes' eyes lit up, each eager to participate.

"Me—no, We are to become the Retired Emperor?"

Li Dalong was first stunned by how suddenly happiness had arrived, then he clasped his hands behind his back, exuding an aura of dominance and dignity unbefitting his modest county official status.

He didn’t forget to embrace his wife:

"My dear, rest assured, We shall love only you from now on."

"Husband!"

The two embraced tightly.

"As for the future purpose of our Qingyuan Sect..."

Shangguan Wencang and the elders discussed: "Do you think we’ll become the state sect, the national religion or something?"

"Could I oversee the national treasury then?" Qian Bufan's eyes gleamed.

Zhong Qin: "??"

A elder from Hengyun Sword City sneered: "So, the Heavenly Mountain Sword Manor, eh? Now that we’ve contributed to the rise of the true ruler, we’ll surely replace them! Heh heh!"

"Ah, splendid! The Sword City shall reclaim its place as the sacred land of swordsmanship!"

"Kekeke."

"......"

Elder Xu fell into silence.

Zhong Qin frowned and cleared his throat as a reminder: "Old Xu, what kind of behavior is this? Are you joining the demons in their nonsense?"

If the demons don’t know better, fine—but why is the Sword City stirring up trouble too?

What will the rest of the martial world think if you all act like this?

Elder Xu nodded and scolded the crowd: "Stop laughing like that. You sound even more arrogant than the demonic cultists. Is this appropriate?"

Zhong Qin chimed in: "Exactly, is this appropriate?!"

Elder Xu continued: "We are carrying out a righteous and honorable cause!"

"Right, we must be righteous and honorable." Zhong Qin dutifully followed his lead.

"As the army of the righteous king, we must correct the wrongs. Even our laughter should reflect that."

Elder Xu took a deep breath: "Baaahahahaha!"

"Baa—" Zhong Qin barely started laughing before freezing, his face darkening in despair:

"What 'army of the righteous king' or 'correcting wrongs'—you almost led me astray!"

Elder Xu scratched the back of his head awkwardly: "Well, the words just came out. Strange, my mouth just ran ahead of me."

Zhong Qin gave up on him and turned his gaze to Qin Yuzhi and Shang Qinqing.

"Ah, you two—never mind, it’s none of your business. Go ahead and keep chatting."

"How is it none of our business?"

"......"

Zhong Qin was on the verge of despair. Don’t you two have any self-awareness of your own roles here?

"Young Hero Li, say something!"

Indeed, if Li Mo didn’t speak up soon, someone might start singing coronation tunes.

Seeing this, Li Mo had no choice but to step forward with a sigh. He raised his hands to signal for silence.

He sighed again, but the words that came out were:

"Everyone, I’ve told you before—I don’t like wearing yellow robes. You’ve really brought trouble upon..."

"What nonsense is this? There’s no yellow robe—this is an imperial edict!"

Zhong Qin shook the edict, letting it unfurl with a crisp sound.

"......"

The vast square before Qingyuan Sect’s main hall fell so silent that only the wind could be heard.

After a long pause.

"Tonight’s weather is so pleasant, the sun is shining brightly." Li Mo tilted his head at a 45-degree angle, as if nothing had happened.

"Alright, enough nonsense."

The Southern Suppressing King waved his hand helplessly and handed the edict to Li Mo:

"Read it yourself later."

Strangely, he suddenly lost all interest in proclaiming the edict aloud.

......

The illegal gathering concluded in this bizarrely peaceful yet treasonous atmosphere. Everyone claimed they had urgent matters to attend to and took their leave—like the Southern Suppressing King.

But in reality, a good number stayed behind at the Qingyuan Sect.

Come to think of it, since his journey to the Southern Border, Li Mo hadn’t seen these friends from all corners of the land in a long time. Who’d have thought they’d all gather here today because of him?

After settling everyone, Li Mo finally returned to Autumn Water Pavilion with his parents and the "ice block" (Ying Bing).

Stepping into the long-absent Autumn Water Pavilion, especially seeing his mother and father looking around curiously, he felt a rare sense of relaxation and comfort.

"Mom, let me help with dinner."

"Rest, you’ve just recovered. Don’t push yourself."

"It’s fine. By the way, where’s Dad?"

"He said, as the Retired Emperor, he must observe proper decorum and refuses meals outside designated hours."

"???"

Li Mo knew his father had a flair for theatrics, but he was usually diligent. Why was he so deeply immersed in the role this time?

Huh?

Something’s off. It wasn’t just his father and the others—even he himself had acted strangely earlier. At the main hall, he’d meant to tell everyone to stop fooling around, but the words that came out were, "You’ve really brought trouble upon Us."

He knew himself well—while he fancied the idea of being a carefree sword immortal, he had zero interest in being an emperor or nobility.

"Was it just the atmosphere getting to me?"

Lost in thought, Li Mo began chopping vegetables.

Hmm.

At least cooking with his mother felt safe—no risk of poisoning here...

As night deepened, Autumn Water Pavilion lay quiet, filled only with the hum of cicadas and the warmth of home.

Shang Qinqing, Qin Yuzhi, Shang Wu, the Southern Border demons, and Elder Qian all followed the aroma straight to the door.

Thankfully, Li Mo had anticipated this and prepared a generous portion, using high-quality ingredients.

Once inside, the demons seemed oddly reserved.

"Is that really... the Qingluan Goddess?"

"Of course... wait till you’re married..."

Wu Qing followed their gaze.

Amid the homely scene, Ying Bing—her hair in a simple braid, dressed in plain robes—was sweeping away dust and the mess left by Shang Wu’s drunken antics.

When Li Mo passed by carrying dishes, she stopped him to roll up his sleeves.

"Hard to wash if they get dirty. Go on."

Her voice was cool and detached, yet she still reached out to straighten his collar with a resigned sigh.

"Can one... learn this... after marriage?" Manbo asked.

"......"

Wu Qing nodded, but the scene still felt surreal.

Earlier, the demons had subtly questioned Shang Qinqing—something that had puzzled her before.

Li Mo could mimic demons through his divine abilities—call it form-based martial arts if you will.

But how did Ying Bing do it?

And why did she exude an inexplicable, soul-deep pressure that made them want to kneel...?

Shang Qinqing pointed a finger upward.

The demons looked up.

But all they saw was the dark night sky.

Qin Yuzhi even muttered something cryptic:

"Whether Xiao Li can stand his ground is debatable, but reaching the heavens might be a certainty soon..."