69: cooperate

After bidding farewell to his Sworn Brother from his previous life, Xiao Linyuan beckoned Chord Moon, who was standing at the door, to come over as he prepared to return to the Imperial Capital.

As if remembering something, Xiao Linyuan picked up Chord Moon and asked, "Chord Moon, did you feel anything unusual just now?"

The unusual thing Xiao Linyuan referred to was that when Su Yi placed his hand on his wrist earlier, his connection with Chord Moon was suddenly severed.

As his guardian Wandering Deity, Xiao Linyuan and Chord Moon shared a telepathic bond unique to them.

Sometimes, with just a passing thought, Chord Moon would know what he was thinking.

But just now, when Su Yi placed his hand on Xiao Linyuan's wrist, the connection between Xiao Linyuan and Chord Moon was broken.

Xiao Linyuan could not Cultivate, so naturally, he did not know why.

This world was messed up but also fair; the closer one was to the Mortal World, the thinner the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi became.

Those Cultivators outside the cities who possessed the power to overturn rivers and seas would find their strength severely suppressed upon entering cities where the Human Race gathered.

The more populous the area, the harsher this suppression became.

The longer a Cultivator stayed in the Mortal World, influenced by the Human Race's Luck, their cultivation base would slowly decline, potentially even dropping to the level of an ordinary person.

Even Spirit Demons would not lightly set foot in the human realm.

In places where the Human Race gathered, there were omnipresent deities watching over everything.

The more incense power there was, the stronger the deities became; with one side waxing as the other waned, Cultivators were reluctant to visit the human realm.

As for the imperial family, who were most blessed by the Human Race's Luck, they could not even perceive the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, let alone Cultivate.

This was where the fairness lay, as they were the nobles who enjoyed the greatest power in the human realm.

With just a single command, countless people would rush to find the Heaven And Earth Treasures that Cultivators required.

If they could Cultivate, held the power to confer godhood, and relied on massive amounts of Heaven And Earth Treasures to stack their way to becoming a Great Cultivator...

...the world would likely have long since been reshaped into whatever form these nobles desired.

Since nobles could not Cultivate, they also faced mortal threats when dealing with Cultivators.

But human affairs had human solutions.

That was the imperial family's power to confer godhood; those powerful deities were not the least bit weaker than a Great Cultivator!

Inside the imperial ancestral temple, besides the ancestors, there were various deities.

These deities, enshrined by the imperial family and enjoying the Human Emperor's Luck, would naturally protect the descendants of the imperial clan.

Every year, Great Xia's Imperial Astronomical Bureau, Great Liang's Star Gazing Tower, and Great Chu's Moon Gazing Pavilion would hold a God-Summoning Ceremony for the imperial family and high-ranking officials.

Anyone participating in the God-Summoning Ceremony could summon their own unique guardian deity from the imperial ancestral temple!

Chord Moon was the guardian deity that Xiao Linyuan had summoned from the ancestral temple.

Guardian deities were generally summoned from the Divine Souls of famous ministers, generals, and even renowned scholars and wanderers from past dynasties.

Although they no longer possessed memories of their past lives, they retained the talents within their Divine Souls.

With the blessing of incense power and the Human Emperor's Luck, the strength of a guardian deity would grow exponentially.

Unless it was a moment of life and death, a guardian deity would not manifest.

This was where it was special: Chord Moon could accompany him anytime and anywhere!

In his previous life, Xiao Linyuan had scoured ancestral records and historical allusions but could never find out who exactly Chord Moon was!

This question troubled Xiao Linyuan until he immolated himself in the ancestral temple.

Hearing Xiao Linyuan's question, Chord Moon's expressionless little face was full of confusion as she blankly shook her head; she hadn't noticed anything unusual earlier.

It seems that silly boy Chaoge's Master is truly unfathomable!

Xiao Linyuan sighed, feeling more at ease regarding Yin Chaoge.

In his previous life, Yin Chaoge was just like him; while he faced constant peril in the imperial court, Yin Chaoge's path of cultivation was equally fraught with murderous intent.

He relied on schemes, while Yin Chaoge relied on fighting.

Ultimately, they were just two people in the same boat.

In this life, with a changed Dao Foundation, Yin Chaoge wouldn't have to suffer so much, and as his Sworn Brother, Xiao Linyuan was happy for him.

As for losing the support of the demonic sect's influence, Xiao Linyuan wasn't worried at all, because what he was best at was bargaining with the devil!

Xiao Linyuan's gaze fell upon Han She, who was hidden in the shadows in the distance, and the smile at the corners of his mouth turned cold.

"What are you still waiting for? Has the Henan Circuit been handled?" Xiao Linyuan asked nonchalantly as he walked up to Han She.

Standing in the shadows, Han She looked at the elegant and noble Xiao Linyuan and asked, "I don't understand. Wouldn't it be better for Your Highness to cooperate with my Master? No one else in this world can help you with what you want to do except my Master!"

Xiao Linyuan stared quietly at Han She and said calmly, "You are a smart man, Gu Wanquan is a smart man, and I am currently a smart man as well."

"Smart people find it easy to get things done and convenient to cooperate, but I hate smart people!"

"Because smart people all have one fatal flaw: they believe that if something isn't done well, it's because others aren't smart enough, or they themselves aren't smart enough!"

"This way of attributing everything to intelligence makes me feel sick!"

Xiao Linyuan's words left even the meticulous Han She feeling a bit dizzy.

Han She wanted to say a few words in defense of Gu Wanquan, but was directly interrupted by Xiao Linyuan: "I still need to be a smart man for now. You are also very smart for finding yourself a good Master, and your Master is very smart as well. This is why we can cooperate!"

A wicked son carrying a demonic sect supreme treasure with his traitor, and an idiotic prince being used as a blood bag by his own father.

Both sides had dirt on each other, and neither dared to act rashly.

They could only be like two hedgehogs in the middle of winter, carefully huddling together for warmth while fearing the other's quills.

By leveraging each other's strength, Xiao Linyuan might ascend to the throne of the Supreme Sovereign, and Gu Wanquan might reach the top of the Demon Sect Headquarters.

By then, even if they were dissatisfied with their cooperation, having reached their respective pinnacles, there would be no need for them to turn against each other.

Thus, Xiao Linyuan and Gu Wanquan cooperating made for the most perfect partnership.

Han She thought so, Gu Wanquan thought so, and even Xiao Linyuan thought so.

But the reason why Xiao Linyuan's relationship with Yin Chaoge was so good that they could perform the ceremony of beheading a yellow chicken to become Sworn Brothers...

...and even when Xiao Linyuan sat on the Dragon throne, he specially enfeoffed Yin Chaoge as Great Xia's One-Word Co-Shoulder King...

...allowing him to enter the court without scurrying, not have his name announced during greetings, and wear his sword and shoes into the palace!

...was because Yin Chaoge really wasn't that smart!

After dealing with smart people his entire life, Xiao Linyuan suddenly met the not-so-bright Yin Chaoge and felt as if he had found a true kindred spirit!

The longer he spent with Yin Chaoge, the more Xiao Linyuan felt that smart people were actually quite foolish.

This world is just a massive makeshift stage; there will never be a shortage of black swans!

Xiao Linyuan said in a low voice, "Go report to your Master; I agree to cooperate with him!"

Han She bowed slightly to Xiao Linyuan with some skepticism, then vanished from before him.

In cooperating with Yin Chaoge, there was no distinction between them, and their resources could be used at will.

This allowed Xiao Linyuan to use the demonic sect's power as he pleased, but the downside was that Yin Chaoge's impulsiveness could easily lead to trouble.

On the day of his transformation into a Dragon, which was known to all, part of the reason was actually a black swan event.

Cooperating with Gu Wanquan was different; as long as the interests were sufficient, the two would be the closest of allies.

One involved baring their hearts, the other involved exchanging interests; compared to the former, the latter was actually easier to accept.

Xiao Linyuan looked at the spot where Han She had disappeared, sighing inwardly:

"Han She is also a smart man, but he's a bit too smart. In this life, with Gu Wanquan keeping him in check, I probably won't need to take action myself, right?"