Chapter 1071 The Dust Settles
“Do you have any plans?”
Before setting off, Liu Qingfeng looked at Lord Nan Shan and posed the question.
“Before the war, there were 13 magnates in the King’s Domain, who happened to each own a Domain. Now there are only three magnates. Black White Palace Master doesn’t care about worldly affairs. To put it bluntly, there are only two magnates to rule the place, which are me and Lord Dong Gu,” said Lord Nan Shan.
“I don’t want to be involved in mundane matters either. I will go back to my old base. That leaves you to call all the shots in this world,” Lord Dong Gu immediately responded.
Lord Nan Shan was bereft of speech.
He felt exhausted from within.
“So what now I’ve obtained the whole King’s Domain? It’s not much fun anyway.”
After thinking for two seconds, Lord Nan Shan said, “Now, I have many subordinates and Real Kings under my command. There are about 700,000 people in total. It’s too few for the King’s Domain. I’m going to appoint some Real Kings to be… What’s that t.i.tle again? Oh, yeah, Provincial Governors. Yes, I’ll let them manage the vast land. The King’s Domain will also become peaceful. Also, I plan to select some people from the Ancient Mine and bring them into the King’s Domain to cultivate. Then, there’s nothing much left to do. I’ll focus on cultivating for some time. If there is time, I’ll also travel to the secular world to have a look. I think it’ll be great.”
“Don’t lose your fighting spirit.” Liu Qingfeng suddenly smiled and said, “Our goal is the vast cosmos.”
“Hiss!”
As soon as he said that, the expressions of Lord Nan Shan, Lord Dong Gu, Lord Liu, Si Nan, and many others changed greatly.
“You…”
“Swoosh, swoosh, swoos.h.!.+”
These people’s eyes were all focused on Zhang Han and Yue Wuwei.
“Is there any secret that we don’t know yet?”
“You are really smart.”
Yue Wuwei looked at Liu Qingfeng and said with emotion, “Zhang Han, it’s only been a few years. How come you already got yourself so many capable followers in such a short time?”
“They don’t belong to me, they belong to themselves,” Zhang Han replied.
“No, we belong to Master!” Mu Xue retorted mischievously.
“Yes.” Jiang Yanlan nodded.
“Yes, as always.” Zhao Feng showed the same stance.
“Our ultimate goal is the vast cosmos. That’s right.” Chen Changqing knew that there were some secrets that could be revealed to Lord Nan Shan and the others. Thus, he gave a mysterious smile and said softly, “We’ve been there. And we’ll soon go there again.”
“R-Really?” Lord Nan Shan was dumbfounded. “What is the cosmos like?”
“It’s wonderful,” Zhang Mu laughed and said, “and its vastness is beyond your imagination.”
“Can we go as well?” Lord Dong Gu’s breathing quickened.
“Well…”
Zhang Mu glanced at Yue Wuwei. Seeing him waving his hand casually, Zhang Mu said with a smile, “Sure, and the time will soon come.”
In his opinion, they might be able to go on this upcoming trip. But they perhaps had a chance on the next one or the one after that.
The Sea Dragon Star Area was so big. The forces in the Heavenly Knights Sect, the Luo Fu Sword Sect, the Shuiyun Sect, and even the Deep Valley alone were far from enough to conquer it. But what if the entire Dark Shadow Clan was added to it?
If so, they would establish a super force with incredibly high status!
“Sure, sure. Hahahaha. I’m glad to! I will definitely be ready at any time!”
Lord Nan Shan and the others were extremely excited.
Lord Liu, Si Nan, and the others looked at one another. “We’ve found a whole new world! G.o.d, we’re going to the cosmos. What a wonderful life it could be!”
“Alright, let’s set off.”
“Come on, let’s head home!”
Zhang Mu and others led 30,000 people on the way back.
In the secular world. That night, the whole Mount New Moon was enveloped by a festive atmosphere.
When Mengmeng came back from school, she instantly became the focus of attention. Mu Xue ran over and asked with a smile, “Mengmeng, did you miss Aunty Xue?”
“Yes,” Mengmeng answered cooperatively.
“Granddaughter, did you miss Grandpa?”
“Yes.”
“Great-granddaughter, did you miss Great-Grandpa?”
“Yes.”
“Little girl, did you miss me, your Uncle Chen?” Chen Changqing held Chen Chuan in his arms and asked with a smile.
“Yes.”
Mengmeng answered each of them with love and respect. In the end, she even forgot how many times she had said, “Yes, I missed you”.
After everyone was done with the question, Zhang Han chuckled and said, “My daughter, I haven’t seen you for a whole day. Did you miss me, your daddy?”
“Yes, yes, yes! Smack, smack!”
Mengmeng snuggled up to Zhang Han and kissed him hard on the cheek.
That put a smug smile on Zhang Han’s face.
“See that? Mengmeng differentiates between me and the others.”
“Granddaughter, give Grandpa a kiss,” Zhang Guangyou immediately requested.
“No.”
“How about Great-Grandpa?”
“No.”
“Can Aunty Xue have your kiss?”
“No.”
“Uncle Liu also…” “Bang!”
Instructor Liu brazenly ran to Mengmeng. But before he could finish speaking, Zhang Han raised his hand and slapped him dozens of meters away with a loud bang.
The crowd burst into laughter.
Regarding this, everyone sighed with deep feeling. “In this respect, Zhang Han is still as domineering as ever.”
The room was in a joyous atmosphere. Liu Jiaran, Liang Mengqi, Zhou Fei, and others were all laughing without a stop.
They spent several lively days on end. Everyone stayed on Mount New Moon and had a leisurely life. Zhang Han was right. Love and care from family and friends were constantly softening their recent hostility brought about by war. In terms of cultivation, the continuous battles had brought them close to a breakthrough. In particular, those who had been to the Sea Dragon Star Area with Zhang Han even felt that they would soon enter the Elixir Realm Peak-Stage.
Happy hours always pa.s.sed quickly.
Shortly, it was school day again. This day, Zhang Han was escorting Mengmeng and Yue Xiaonao to the First Middle School.
On the way, Mengmeng said, “Daddy, it’s July.”
“Yes.”
“We have a week left before the final exam,” Mengmeng reminded him.
“That’s right.”
Zhang Han’s lips curled upward, but he pretended that he had not picked up the hint.
“Humph!”
Mengmeng pouted. “Daddy, did you forget something?”
“What?”
“After the final exam, I’m going to take the summer vacation!” Mengmeng reminded him again, “Then, what are we going to do during the summer vacation?”
“Oh, I see.” Zhang Han patted his forehead.
“Hahaha.”
Just as Mengmeng was waiting for his response with a chortle, Zhang Han said flatly, “When the summer vacation comes, we can sleep in every day.”
Mengmeng was lost for words.
She immediately looked aggrieved.
“Oh, I remember.” Zhang Han immediately added, “We are going to attend Princess Nina’s Coming of Age Ceremony.”
“Bingo!”
Mengmeng’s sullen expression was immediately replaced by a bright smile. “Daddy, you’re so clever. I wanna give you a kiss.”
“Bah, you’re making me sick,” Yue Xiao grinned, revealing a look of disdain.
“Humph, you’re just envying me.” Mengmeng snorted softly.
Knowing Mengmeng’s temperament very well, Yue Xiaonao teased, “Fine, you’re always right.” Then, she asked curiously, “Who is Princess Nina?”
“She is a good friend of mine, the first elf friend I’ve had. She is the seventh princess of the Elemental Elf Clan, who lives on the Roland Star in the Sea Dragon Star Area.” Mengmeng showed an expectant look as she continued, “She’s going to have her Coming of Age Ceremony. The Elf Clan attaches great importance to this kind of event. When we were hanging out last time, she invited us to her Coming of Age Ceremony. According to our calendar, it happens to take place in July. When the time comes, Grandpa Yue will take us there. Xiaonao, do you want to go with us?”
“Of course I do!”
Yue Xiaonao fiercely widened her eyes and said, “If he refuses to take me with him, I’ll get mad and make a scene!”
Zhang Han didn’t know what to say.
He found it a blessing that Mengmeng didn’t know Yue Xiaonao when she was little.
Otherwise, she might go off the track under the influence of the peevish Yue Xiaonao.
“Then let’s go together. I’ll introduce Nina to you when we meet,” Mengmeng said seriously.
“What do elves look like?” Yue Xiaonao probed.
“They look basically the same as us, only their ears are longer and sharper. Besides, they are generally taller and like to wear dresses or long robes. Unlike you, they value etiquette a lot and usually speak in a quiet and gentle manner,” Mengmeng answered.
“Am I not gentle and quiet?” Yue Xiaonao asked suspiciously.
“Your question is kind of profound.” Mengmeng curled her lips.
Yue Xiaonao s.h.i.+fted to left and right and snorted to express her disgruntlement.
“Alright, alright, I was kidding. Except for not being gentle and quiet, you are very nice in every other aspect,” Mengmeng said with a smile.
“Pfft.”
“That’s hurtful to hear!”
“Yeah, you’re always right,” Yue Xiaoxi said bitterly.
“We’re going to the Sea Dragon Star Area for summer vacation. It’s gonna be a really special summer.”
Mengmeng’s mood lifted. She swayed her long legs and wagged her head, saying, “This summer vacation, Beibei and Muen won’t be able to locate me either. That’s the case for the last vacation. Last time, they wanted me to play that online game with them and lead them to kill enemies. Hee-hee, they definitely can’t even dream of where I’m going to have fun in the coming summer vacation.”
“Of course, they are just ordinary people,” said Yue Xiaonao. “Recently, I suddenly found that the life ordinary people have is actually very interesting. I’ve already discussed this with my dad. He’s agreed that if it makes me happy, I can take people to cultivate with me. As the saying goes, if a person succeeds, the ones close to him or her will rise to power as well.”
“No, you can’t.”
Hearing this, Mengmeng put on a stern look and said, “Not everyone likes to cultivate. Because, because it’s dangerous. w.a.n.g Yihan, a good friend of ours, used to play with me and the other girls. She could have gone to the same school that Muen and I attended. We were at first in the same school. But later, her father found about the martial arts world and the constant fights going on in the circle. He hated that. Later, he made Yihan transfer to another school. He rarely comes to Mount New Moon now.”
“There are some who don’t like cultivation?” Yue Xiaonao was stunned. “Cultivation can keep ordinary people away from all kinds of diseases and let them live a long life. It brings in so many benefits.”
“Different people have different pursuits and believes.” Zhang Han said with a smile, “Sometimes, that’s the case. People who walk different paths can’t work together. This has been the case since ancient times. I believe that most people in this world yearn for the martial arts world. But there are also many people who pursue ordinary lives. Sometimes, some great figures will rise in ordinary people, such as Liu Qingfeng, your Uncle Liu. He is only at the Qi Strength Level, but he has made Lord Nan Shan and the others admire him.”
“I’ve heard about it,” Mengmeng said. “Aunty Xue, Uncle Feng, Uncle Hu, and the others are all praising Grandpa Liu. It seems that he is very awesome.”
Zhang Han smiled and said, “Every profession produces its own topmost master. My daughter can be the topmost master in all professions.”
“Hee-hee, Daddy, do you know who is the most amazing topmost master?” Mengmeng asked with a smirk.
“Who?”
“The one who has a great daughter!” Mengmeng showed a smug expression.
Yue Xiaonao made a face, saying, “Hey, you are bootlicking. It’s is a new word I just learned.”
Zhang Han was rendered utterly speechless.
He suddenly realized that perhaps after the visit to the secular world, Yue Xiaonao would bring Yue Wuwei and Lisa more and more headaches.
“Time to go to school.”
Zhang Han safely parked the car near the school gate.
“Daddy, bye-bye. Come on time to pick us up in the afternoon.”
Mengmeng waved her little hand at Zhang Han, then ran into the campus with Yue Xiaonao.
They came to their cla.s.sroom.
The two arrived relatively early. In the cla.s.sroom, about 20 students were chatting in threes and fours.
At the sight of Mengmeng, Bei Jinnan waved at her and called, “Mengmeng, come here, quick. Xiao Wu found something strange.”
“Huh?”
Mengmeng put down her schoolbag and walked over with Yue Xiaonao. There were about six students surrounding Xiao Wu, her male cla.s.smate.
“What strange thing?” Yue Xiaonao asked curiously.
Hearing her question, Xiao Wu looked left and right several times, as though he was worried that the wall had ears.
Then, in a low voice, he whispered, “My uncle has a superpower.”
“A superpower? Really? What is it?” Mengmeng asked.
“The day before yesterday, I went to my grandpa’s house in the countryside. It was my father’s youngest brother’s wedding ceremony. I went there and hung out with my youngest uncle.”
Xiao Wu slowly told the story.
“My uncle then bragged to me that he could tell the scent of a woman and tell which woman in the village it was. He said his nose was exceedingly sharp.
“I said he was just bragging. He said I could test him.
“Thus, I fetched a towel. The wedding ceremony was going on at that time. I pretended to accidentally b.u.mp into several women to catch their scent with the towel. As a result, my uncle guessed them all. Then I realized his power was amazing. It’s said that women can be distinguished by their scents. It turns out to be a real thing.”
Xiao Wu’s face was over-the-top awestruck.
“Why is that amazing?” Yue Xiaonao complained. “I thought you had big news. It turns out to be just boring.”
“Wait, he hasn’t finished the story yet,” Bei Jinnan said with a laugh.
“Yes, I haven’t finished yet.” Xiao Wu coughed softly and continued, “Later, I refused to admit defeat, so I took a new towel and ran out. At the east of the village, I saw someone was grazing a herd of cattle, so I went over and asked the cowherd to rub the towel on a cow’s b.u.t.tocks. Then, I went back and let my uncle sniff the towel. After that, he was lost in thought.”
At that time, he thought to himself, “I haven’t smelled this scent before. Could there be a newcomer in the village?”
However, Xiao Wu didn’t know that. He just stared at his uncle.
After a full five seconds, he patted Xiao Wu on the shoulder and praised, “You’re good. I’m impressed!”
“You got in touch with the new woman in the village so quickly. Bravo!”
As a result, Xiao Wu’s expression at that time became very absurd.
“He guessed correctly!”
Xiao Wu said to Yue Xiaonao and the others, “I didn’t believe it at first, but now I’m fully convinced. My uncle has the ability to recognize women by smelling their scents. He can even tell the scent of cattle.”
“Uh… Your uncle’s taste is really strong.” Mengmeng grinned. “Could there be any misunderstanding?”
“Probably not. I don’t know either. Anyway, his guesses were all correct,” Xiao Wu muttered.
“It’s just a cheap trick.” Yue Xiaonao patted Xiao Wu on the shoulder and said, “Young man, you are still too young and naive.”
“Huh? What does it have to do with my age?” Xiao Wu was confused.
But Yue Xiaonao didn’t say anything more. When Mengmeng saw Li Muen coming, she and Mengmeng went over to chat with her.
After chatting for short while, the cla.s.s started.
These days, Yue Xiaonao also paid full attention to lectures.
She finally understood why Mengmeng was angry with her on her first day in school. It was really annoying to be disturbed when she was trying to focus on studying.
As for who had disturbed Yue Xiaonao?
One would know the answer if one saw that a lock of Yue Wuwei’s beard was missing.
“Cla.s.s begins.”
The first cla.s.s was mathematics. When the teacher came in, Bai Yilin was also beside him and waved at Mengmeng in the doorway.
“Zhang Yumeng, come with me.”
“Oh, okay.”
Mengmeng got up and walked out.
With a mysterious smile on his face, Bai Yilin took Mengmeng aside and said in a low voice, “I have something to discuss with you, and then you can go back and discuss it with your family.”
“What’s the matter?” Mengmeng was curious.
“After the end of this semester, we have a cooperation project with Seol International High School. It’s an exchange students project, which lasts about a week. The project starts at the beginning of the next semester. It is open to students other than the first graders in the junior high department. In our grade, about five students can take part in the project. As the cla.s.s with the best grades in the grade, I’m allowed to choose two students to apply for the project. Your grades are very good. I think it will be a good thing for you if you can take this opportunity to go abroad and see the world.”
After saying this, Bai Yilin subconsciously took half a step back and glanced inside through the back window of the cla.s.s.
The next moment, he was stunned by what he saw it.
“Geez, is Yue Xiaonao fiddling with her mobile phone?”
“Go abroad to see the world?” Mengmeng quickly blinked and said, “No, I think I’ll pa.s.s. I often travel abroad when there is time. It’s okay to go out for sightseeing. But if it’s to attend another school, it won’t be much fun.”
“Huh?”
Bai Yilin flickered his eyes back to Mengmeng. He pondered for two seconds before saying with a smile, “Well, I respect your decision, but I suggest you discuss it with your parents.”
“There is no need. In my family, Daddy listens to me and Mummy listens to Daddy,” Mengmeng answered seriously.
Bai Yilin could not speak.
“You might as well say that you call all the shots in your family.”
“Well, I just want you to be aware of this. Just think about it. Now, go back to cla.s.s. Oh, by the way, what’s Yue Xiaonao’s mobile phone number?” Bai Yilin asked.
“Eh? Mr. Bai, why do you want to know her mobile phone number?” Mengmeng looked suspicious.
“She’s using her mobile phone in cla.s.s. I want to give her a warning.”
Bai Yilin chuckled.
“Oh, okay.” Mengmeng ran to the back window and found that Xiaonao was really using her mobile phone. Thus, she told Bai Yilin a series of numbers.
She didn’t go away because she wanted to see how Bai Yilin would warn Yue Xiaonao.
As it turned out…
Bai Yilin didn’t mind Mengmeng watching him. He even let out a chortle. Then, he sent a text message and showed it to Mengmeng.
The message read, “Why are you not paying attention to the lecture?”
“Who are you?” Yue Xiaonao replied.
Bai Yilin wrote, “Look out the back window.”
Yue Xiaonao turned her head only to see Bai Yilin standing there. Her face immediately turned a little stiff.
She slowly turned around and put the phone in an inconspicuous place.
“Beep!”
Just when Bai Yilin was about to put away his mobile phone, he heard it ring again. He clicked open the new message and found that it was from Yue Xiaonao.
“Thank you for reminding me. Talk to you later. The lead teacher is watching us outside the cla.s.sroom.”
Bai Yilin was bemused.
“Hahaha.”
Mengmeng couldn’t help laughing out loud. She then scampered her way back into the cla.s.sroom. She planned to tell Yue Xiaonao the good news after cla.s.s.
After returning to her seat, Mengmeng listened carefully to what the teacher was saying. To study hard in cla.s.s was much more efficient than trying to absorb the knowledge on one’s own after cla.s.s. For a bright girl like Mengmeng, after school, she spent most of her time playing. Truthfully, many students who usually studied until 11 or 12 o’clock in the evening were envious of her.
They often lamented that life was not fair. “Zhang Yumeng spends so much time playing, but her grades are always the best in the cla.s.s. There is no reasoning with that.”
This also provided excuses for some students who were bad at exams.
When they came home to play, they always said, “Look at Zhang Yumeng. She plays when she gets home from school every day. Thus, whether one can get good grades has nothing to do with whether one does homework or takes after-school lectures.”
Parents usually replied, “If you want to enjoy Zhang Yumeng’s treatment, win first place in exams as she does.”
That was pure gold.
Grades mattered most.
In the King’s Domain, after a few days of reorganization, the first batch of cultivation resources had been distributed.
Of the 700,000 soldiers, basically, everyone had gained something, which made the Dark Shadow Clan’s army in the King’s Domain more loyal. They were also grateful to the generous Lord Nan Shan and Lord Dong Gu.
The two lords became more and more famous in the Dark Shadow Clan.
Zhang Han also obtained some resources, including the first batch of crystal stones mined from the great mine and other crystal stone mines. In the entire King’s Domain, there were dozens of crystal stone mines. Zhang Han had obtained hundreds of thousands of top-grade crystal stones. The number of medium-grade crystal stones he had obtained was even larger. However, the number of low-grade crystal stones was relatively small. Most of the low-grade crystal stones had been distributed to the cities in the Ancient Mine. The people there could use the crystal stones in cultivation. For Lord Nan Shan’s group, low-grade crystal stones were no longer of much use.
Compared to crystal stones, the King’s Domain was richer in spiritual herbs. Zhang Han had also received a lot of Holy Spirit Water and a large number of sixth-tier spiritual herbs. Now, most parts of the herb garden on Mount New Moon were filled with sixth-tier spiritual herbs. There were also fifth-tier, fourth-tier, and third-tier ones, which had been planted on the edge of the mountain.
Recently, Zhang Mu and the others were also cultivating, but they had more leisure time than before.
By July, they knew that they were about to set off for the Sea Dragon Star Area.
Liu Qingfeng had lived on Mount New Moon.
He had also remained in close touch with the King’s Domain. Lord Nan Shan often asked him questions about many specific issues. Every time, Liu Qingfeng provided him with detailed answers.
It could be said that in Lord Nan Shan’s heart, Liu Qingfeng was already a good boss and leader.
As for Zhang Hanyang? Well…
When had he ever cared to deal with mundane affairs?