"What?! Another one?" Shamoli was roused awake in the deep, dimly lit stone chamber.
Upon hearing the news from the person before him, he was momentarily stunned. He muttered in embarrassment, "How is that possible... H-How many does that make now?"
"Your Highness, this is the fifth one!"
Shamoli felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He had been cultivating among the Easterners for two years and had consumed several spirit fruits, finally breaking through to the fifth stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm. He had thought his progress impressive, only to find that the rate at which his concubines were becoming pregnant far surpassed his own cultivation speed.
"The firstborn here has already learned how to walk... It truly is astonishing."
Back in his palace in Eastern Mount Yue, Shamoli also had wives and concubines, who, under the directive of Mu Jiaoman, had been delayed in bearing children. Unexpectedly, since coming here, children seemed to spring forth one after another.
Confused, Shamoli stepped out into the courtyard, facing a host of wives and concubines. He was barely able to match their faces to names. One concubine approached him with a radiant smile; she had been pregnant even before his seclusion and was nearly due.
"S-Surely... it's mine, right...?" Shamoli asked, fraught with uncertainty. After months away, the faces of his many wives and concubines seemed all but new to him. He pulled the pregnant woman closer, peering at her bashful face, struggling to recall any shared moments of joy.
"Never mind, at least the first son is definitely mine..." Shamoli mumbled as he looked toward the crowd and spotted a woman at the forefront, holding a child who looked about one or two years old. The child had narrow eyes and a healthy tanned complexion—clearly of the Mulu Clan lineage.
This concubine had been pregnant when he first arrived in the lands of the Easterners. It was Shamoli's first child and so he cherished the baby deeply, watching over him carefully. He had managed to keep track of the timing and was confident that this child was indeed his own.
"Look who's here? The future heir to the throne!" Shamoli declared as he proudly took the child in his arms and played with him for a while.
Soon after, an attendant approached respectfully.
"Your Highness, Young Master Jiao is here."
Shamoli's beaming face instantly fell, and he muttered under his breath, "Damn it... he must have brought spirit fruits, and now I have to return to cultivation!"
Shamoli wanted to enjoy more time with his wives and concubines, but he could not possibly slack off while living under another's roof. Internally cursing, he plastered a forced smile on his face and hurried out to greet his guest.
"Young Master, you're here!"
Having lived on the Easterners' territory for two years, Shamoli had finally come to understand their way of speaking and managed to be polite for once.
Li Yuanjiao entered the courtyard with a raised eyebrow as he heard Shamoli's greeting.
"Cousin, you're unusually polite today..."
"Ah..." Shamoli chuckled awkwardly. He had only learned how to greet but was unprepared for Li Yuanjiao's off-script question which had caught him off guard and left him laughing with painful awkwardness, unsure of how to respond.
As the wives and concubines dispersed, Shamoli led Li Yuanjiao into the courtyard where they took their seats, tea being consequently served to the two men.
It was then that Li Yuanjiao spoke.
"Cousin, with your breakthrough to the fifth stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm, you're one step closer to reclaiming the throne in Eastern Mount Yue. Congratulations are indeed in order!"
Shamoli chuckled awkwardly, nodding clumsily, only to see Li Yuanjiao wave his hand dismissively. He spoke nonchalantly, "Your elder brother, Qimu, has now firmly secured the throne, rallying the tribes and factions within the state. None of your brothers have survived to challenge him. He truly enjoys his glory now!"
"That's truly infuriating!"
Shamoli felt a mix of jealousy and hatred as he heard this, and could not help but curse aloud.
Li Yuanjiao, sipping his tea as if it were a matter of no consequence, casually revealed, "Your brother does have some foresight... As soon as he secured his position on the throne, he dispatched trading caravans laden with five or six carts of tributes, and he also arranged marriages to maintain alliances. Right now, the streets outside are bustling with people drawn to the spectacle at the town's edge."
"What?!"
This statement hit Shamoli like a lightning bolt out of the blue, nearly making him jump three chi in the air. Now, he felt not only jealous and hateful but also fearful and panicked; so much so that he was momentarily stupefied and left unable to speak.
Shamoli was currently living a carefree life, not only surrounded by numerous wives and concubines but also having ascended a level in strength—all thanks to the Li Family.
While Shamoli was not the sharpest tool in the shed, he was not completely foolish. He understood that his value lay in bringing the Eastern Mount Yue under control.
His brother had always been a force to be reckoned with and was likely well aware of these dynamics. This prompted him to swiftly submit, making Shamoli feel redundant and frightened. He was so terrified that he trembled and found himself speechless.
Grasping a teacup, he gulped several mouthfuls. Although Shamoli usually was not strategic, he possessed some wits when it counted, which was why he fled in haste to the Li Family.
He stammered nervously, "Y-Young... young master... Qimu is greedy and unloyal! He's definitely not genuinely submitting, but waiting for an opportunity to strike..."
Seeing how terrified he was, Li Yuanjiao sighed and deliberately remained silent for a while. Watching Shamoli's eyes redden, he felt it was the right moment to speak solemnly, "Rest assured, Cousin... I understand. You are my true brother. How could Qimu—who murdered his brother and father—ever be genuinely submissive?"
"Exactly... exactly! He who kills his brother and father could never be truly submissive!"
Shamoli nearly applauded Li Yuanjiao for his spot-on analysis, which greatly relieved him. However, Li Yuanjiao's expression suddenly darkened and turned serious as he gritted his teeth.
"But that man disguises it too well... Some elders at home actually believed him. I had to argue based on reason to prevent them from handing you over... but..."
"But what?!" Shamoli gasped exasperatedly, deeply moved by his cousin's staunch support and alarmed by the twist in the conversation.
"It's just that your cultivation is progressing too slowly... it's causing the family to lose confidence," Li Yuanjiao answered after a short pause.
Thump!
Shamoli stood up so hastily that he broke the leg of his large wooden chair, which fell awkwardly to the ground. His face flushed with anger, he shouted loudly, "Damn it! I'm going to cultivate right now!"
"Wait a moment!"
Li Yuanjiao was taken aback by Shamoli's sudden and drastic reaction, pausing for a moment before speaking in a deep voice, "Are you practicing the native methods of Mount Yue?"
Shamoli's face reddened with embarrassment as he nodded awkwardly and stammered, "Yes... This method is very slow to cultivate. When breaking through, it involves condensing a mere portion of unrefined qi from the sky over the course of a month and consuming it. It can't possibly be compared to the sophisticated techniques of your Eastern people."
The issue of cultivation methods had been a longstanding pain for the people of Mount Yue. Any ruler who rose to prominence there and had seen the wider world would soon realize how inferior they were compared to true cultivators.
A cultivator who practiced authentic techniques could easily overpower multiple Mount Yue cultivators who had ingested unrefined qi and practiced crude techniques, even those from Mount Yue were superior in terms of cultivation realm.
"I know your methods are unreliable, brother... That's why I've specifically requested our family to grant you a proper technique," Li Yuanjiao said as he reassured him.
"What..?"
His words were shocking, and they overwhelmed Shamoli, causing his breathing to hasten as he struggled to maintain his composure. In a hoarse voice, he said, "Brother, such kindness I will remember forever! Please... do not offend the elders on my account."
"Don't worry," Li Yuanjiao reassured, shaking his head as he continued, "As long as you can reach the peak of the Embryonic Breathing Realm within a few years, I am confident that our family will bestow a proper technique upon you... one that will make you comparable to the legendary Jianixi!"
Overwhelmed with emotion and now with tears streaming down his face, Shamoli nodded vigorously, bowing deeply to Li Yuanjiao. He then made a loud declaration through his tightly gritted teeth.
"No thanks needed! As long as I live, you, Brother Yuanjiao... are the king of the kings in Mount Yue!"