“Your Majesty, the Holy Emperor, and Lady Houtu, this is my son, Tianfeng Wuqi.”
Tianfeng Yuan entered with his son, Tianfeng Wuqi.
Tianfeng Wuqi appeared to be a young man in his thirties, but his cultivation had already reached the Saint Realm. Gu Changsheng estimated his bone age to be similar to Feng Chen's. To reach the Saint Realm before the age of one hundred was a rare feat in any era, a peerless genius. Even the ancient emperors of the past didn't have cultivation as high as Tianfeng Wuqi at that age, including Gu Changsheng himself.
However, cultivation was just cultivation; combat power wasn't solely determined by it.
“Tianfeng Wuqi greets Your Majesty, the Holy Emperor, and Lady Houtu!”
Tianfeng Wuqi bowed respectfully to Gu Changsheng and Houtu, his expression and attitude far better than his father's, Tianfeng Yuan, who had almost fallen to the ground upon seeing them. His performance was undeniably poor.
Tianfeng Yuan, seeing this, grew anxious for his son. 'You foolish boy, you should be kneeling before His Majesty and Lady Houtu! You're hopeless!'
Gu Changsheng and Houtu simply nodded. Having reached their level, they didn't have strict requirements for etiquette, as long as people weren't rude to their faces.
Gu Changsheng looked at Tianfeng Wuqi and said, “Tianfeng Wuqi, do you know why we've summoned you?”
“I know!” Tianfeng Wuqi nodded.
“Oh? Tell me,” Gu Changsheng said with a smile.
“Your Majesty and Lady…”
“Cough, cough…”
Before Tianfeng Wuqi could finish, Tianfeng Yuan coughed a few times, repeatedly winking at his son.
“Father, what's wrong with your eyes?” Tianfeng Wuqi asked.
It's over!
Tianfeng Yuan was filled with despair. This foolish boy had no sense of tact.
Tianfeng Yuan sighed inwardly and then said to Gu Changsheng and Houtu, “Your Majesty, the Holy Emperor, and Lady Houtu, this subject has failed to educate his son, and he has offended you both. Please forgive him.”
After speaking, Tianfeng Yuan glared at Tianfeng Wuqi and said, “You must address them as His Majesty, the Holy Emperor, and Lady Houtu, understand?”
A hint of confusion flashed in Tianfeng Wuqi's eyes, but seeing his father's urgency, he didn't ask further.
Gu Changsheng was also helpless. He glanced at Houtu and noticed a faint smile in the corner of her eyes, despite her expressionless face.
“What are you laughing at?” Gu Changsheng asked through voice transmission.
“Am I? I'm not laughing!” Houtu replied calmly.
“…”
Seeing Houtu's denial, Gu Changsheng was resigned.
Gu Changsheng said, “Alright, let's not make such a fuss over a title. Tianfeng Wuqi, continue.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” Tianfeng Wuqi nodded and continued, “I have indeed been in contact with beings from outside the Red Dust World. My current cultivation is a result of that contact, which allowed me to break through directly from the凝神境 (Ning Shen Realm, roughly Spirit Focusing Realm) to the Saint Realm.”
“What, you unfilial son!”
Tianfeng Yuan flew into a rage. He said to Gu Changsheng, “Your Majesty, this subject has failed to educate his son, resulting in such an unfilial wretch. Please allow me to personally execute this rebellious son, and then I will plead guilty to Your Majesty.”
After speaking, Tianfeng Yuan unleashed an extraordinary aura. His cultivation had unexpectedly reached the Saint level. He raised his hand to strike Tianfeng Wuqi, who hadn't expected his usually loving father to attack him so suddenly. Overwhelmed by Tianfeng Yuan's aura, he was unable to move.
“Stop!”
At the critical moment, Gu Changsheng stopped Tianfeng Yuan.
“Your Majesty, I…”
Tianfeng Yuan's aura faltered.
“With me here, it's not your turn to act,” Gu Changsheng said calmly.
Tianfeng Yuan felt a chill in his heart and quickly apologized, “Your Majesty, this subject was wrong. Please forgive me.”
“Alright, alright, all I've heard from you today is 'forgive me.' What crime have you committed? Do you think I'll attack you because your Tianfeng clan is related to the Qilin clan? To be honest, the Qilin clan's destruction had nothing to do with me. It was all Lady Houtu's idea.”
Gu Changsheng said.
“Yes, that's right. The Qilin clan refused to submit, so I ordered their extermination. However, I'm just working for Your Majesty. Without his approval, I wouldn't have taken such drastic action,” Houtu said calmly, not wanting to take all the blame.
Tianfeng Yuan was not only ashamed but also relieved. When he learned that the Qilin clan had been exterminated for refusing to submit, the Tianfeng clan had been worried for a long time. One of their ancestors, a graceful woman, had married a powerful figure from the Qilin clan. Although both had long since passed away, they were still considered relatives of the Qilin clan, and they naturally feared being implicated.
Even now, Tianfeng Yuan was still worried, but hearing His Majesty and Lady Houtu joking around, he felt relieved.
“This subject was worrying unnecessarily!” Tianfeng Yuan said.
“Father, we're actually related to the Qilin clan?” Tianfeng Wuqi asked in surprise. “That's quite a coincidence, isn't it?”
“What's a coincidence?” Tianfeng Yuan asked.
Tianfeng Wuqi rolled his eyes at Tianfeng Yuan and said, “You were about to kill me before I could finish speaking. Are you really my father?”
“You…” Tianfeng Yuan was furious, but Tianfeng Wuqi quickly said, “Your Majesty, Lady Houtu, although I've been in contact with beings from outside, I haven't done anything to harm our Red Dust World.”
Gu Changsheng nodded and asked, “Then explain how your cultivation suddenly increased so dramatically without any side effects.”
“This…”
Tianfeng Wuqi looked troubled.
Tianfeng Yuan, hearing that his son hadn't done anything to harm the Red Dust World, already believed him. He thought that as long as Tianfeng Wuqi truthfully explained what he had encountered, His Majesty and Lady Houtu wouldn't blame him, and their current attitude didn't seem like they wanted to punish him. His son might not have to die.
“What are you hesitating for? Tell them quickly!” Tianfeng Yuan was even more anxious than Tianfeng Wuqi.
Gu Changsheng and Houtu, although they had countless ways to improve someone else's cultivation without side effects, were now very curious.
“Want to make another bet?” Gu Changsheng asked through voice transmission.
“No!” Houtu refused decisively.
“Too bad. I was wondering if I should block your Heavenly Secrets. Alas!” Gu Changsheng sighed.
Houtu looked at Gu Changsheng with disdain. After losing two bets, she had realized that no one could win against Gu Changsheng because he could block your ability to deduce, while he could deduce without restraint.
Seeing his father's urgency, Tianfeng Wuqi first moved a few steps away from Tianfeng Yuan and then cautiously asked, “Father, I found you a daughter-in-law. Do you mind?”
