I Have A Martial Dao World

Emperor Yong'an's "assumption of personal rule ceremony" was set for the first day of the first month.

Lu Yao paid little attention to this, seeing that the affair in Imperial City was drawing to a close, the family prepared to return to Yunzhou.

Liao Ya was concerned about her own disciple; it had been over a month since she had seen her, and she wondered whether Liao Qe had been slacking off.

Li Pei also wished to take her master and leave this place.

Lu Yao had been living in the Fragrant Hills Jingyi Garden for more than a month, and more and more people knew he was there.

Especially after Sect Leader Zhang Yunshu's visit, the number of daily visitors increased.

Such noise was not conducive to cultivation, nor was it beneficial for Yu Yanmei's upcoming breakthrough in her realm.

It so happened that Lu Yao also wanted to return, to copy the Secret Manual he had obtained for Taoist Zhou He and to discuss matters of Spirit Refinement and Out-of-Body Technique.

As Zhou He had been immersed in the Fetal Breath Realm for decades, he was sure to have many insights.

~~~~~~~~

Once the decision to leave was made, everyone began to pack their bags.

That day, Li Pei's trusted eunuch—Zhang Jin—unexpectedly arrived.

Having not seen him for many days, he appeared quite despondent, his face bearing a sorrowful expression.

A eunuch's honor and life were bound to their master's fortunes; with the fall of Prince Gong's household, he naturally suffered as well.

At this moment, Zhang Jin prostrated himself before Lu Yao, his voice shrill as he exclaimed, "Young Master, this servant pays his respects to you!"

After he spoke, ten men in black and two elderly female attendants also knelt down, chanting in unison, "This servant pays respects to Young Master."

"Rise, there is no need for such formality," Lu Yao gestured for them to stand.

Li Pei explained, "These are my house-born servants, leaving them to wither away in the Wang Mansion is too wasteful, better they serve you."

Although these house-born servants lacked freedom, they were the personal retinue prepared for the nobility.

From a young age, they received elite education and training, not the least bit inferior to the core disciples of prestigious sects.

Li Pei thought it too wasteful to let them languish in the mansion for the rest of their lives; better to let them out to do something.

Lu Yao saw no objection, "All right, they can come with us to Yunzhou."

In truth, he was indifferent to matters of power and status, but having people to handle various tasks was certainly welcome.

Seeing Lu Yao agree, Zhang Jin and the others breathed a sigh of relief, hastily bowing again, "Thank you, Young Master, for taking us in."

With nowhere else to go, and unwilling to decay in the mansion, serving a powerful Spirit Refinement of Divine Fetal Breathing expert was considered an excellent opportunity.

The group of thirteen, with Zhang Jin having undergone marrow cleansing, and the rest having completed Bone-Tempering, constituted a fairly decent force. And all being house-born servants, their loyalty was assured.

Lu Yao nodded, indicating he was about to depart.

"Ahem," Li Pei coughed dryly, "My lord, Zhang Jin has some thoughts he would like to share with you."

Her family had fallen from grace, and these house-born servants were the remaining shadow of their former wealth, so of course, they deserved the attention of her lord.

"Oh? Let's hear it." Lu Yao obliged, of course giving face to his "Goddess of Delight," who worked hard every day using facial cleanser to cleanse his pores.

Zhang Jin promptly said, "We are all willing to serve until death, but with so many more mouths to feed, it's even more critical to open up financial avenues for you.

Recently, the foreigners have been fighting fiercely; the frontlines require a large amount of gauze. There's a huge profit to be made in this business!"

He paused for a moment before continuing, "With your name as a backing, we can start a factory with just an investment of 300 Silver, the annual net profit would be around 200 Silver. This way, we will have a place to belong instead of idly consuming resources. Moreover, it allows us to become active and gather information."

Lu Yao nodded, then sent a Mind Sound Transmission toward Liao Qe. Shortly after, the girl came with two thousand Silver.

"Here are two thousand Silver, to serve as your operational funds."

Zhang Jin was both shocked and delighted, never expecting the Young Master to trust him so much!

But immediately following, Lu Yao spoke again, "Let me put this bluntly. Anyone who dares to betray me, even in the slightest, I'll kill them without hearing any explanations."

After speaking, he casually executed the "Tathagata Divine Palm: Buddha Shakes Mountains and Rivers."

With the rigorous practice of recent days, he had reached the point where he could unleash this palm technique in an instant.

With a thunderous boom, a great stone weighing a thousand jin was blasted into the air and shattered, sending fragments flying in all directions.

Zhang Jin and the others quickly knelt down, "We wouldn't dare! We are all born and raised in the household, and will be servants of the family for life."

Lu Yao dusted off his hands and slowly said, "Don't be afraid, as long as you work diligently, my rewards are also generous.

No matter who it is, as long as they accomplish enough meritorious deeds, I guarantee them one safe advancement to the Jin Realm."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jin and the others showed an eagerness they could hardly conceal—that was indeed the greatest benefit of serving a Spirit Refining Expert!

Holding Li Pei's hand, Lu Yao instructed, "On normal days, you all should still follow the mistress' arrangements, she will have the final say on all the details."

[The servants acknowledge the order.]

Li Pei nodded with a smile, offering no refusal, as this was exactly her area of expertise.
Your journey continues at empire

She had already made up her mind to build up forces for her husband, taking on responsibilities such as gathering intelligence, protecting the homestead, serving as guards, and even... doing dirty work like assassination!

All to make her husband more comfortable. Only in this way could she secure his favor and make him love her forever.

Li Pei, coming from a royal family, was well aware of the art of favor in the palace.

~~~~~~~~~

The return trip to Yunzhou was 1,000 kilometers long. Although there was a more comfortable method of travel called "wing-suit flying," someone needed to drive and carry the luggage.

The main concern was the three Fire God Cannons, with a total weight nearing 500 kilograms, which could only be transported over land.

Everyone obviously wanted to fly, so it was decided that they would play rock-paper-scissors, and the loser would carry the luggage.

Lu Yao played rock-paper-scissors with the three girls, "Rock, paper, scissors!" but Liao Qe lost.

She pouted so hard she could almost hang an oil bottle on it, but soon she thought of a plan—

She clung to Lu Yao's arm, acting coquettishly and adorably pleaded, "I wanna fly~ Can you do it for me, please~"

"Alright, go fly then," Lu Yao, who doted on her the most, said as he ruffled her head and agreed with a smile.

"It's perfect, I plan to carry the vehicle the whole way and train, striving for the early proficiency of both 'Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill' and 'Dragon Roar Golden Bell Shield.'

Having practiced both these cumbersome skills for half a month, Lu Yao had already grasped their basics, and was only a little away from proficiency.

Both these martial arts had been famous for over a thousand years, practiced by countless mighty experts throughout history.

They were the type that didn't seem special at the beginning but became more formidable the longer one trained. There were no marvelous effects visible at the moment, but in the days to come, they were sure to become powerful assets once his cultivation progressed.

~~~~~~~~

Just as everybody was about to set off, a beautiful middle-aged woman appeared at the foot of Xiangshan.

She wore an elegant green jacket and skirt, appearing to be nearly 40, with a strikingly beautiful face. She walked slowly up the mountain path.

Lu Yao was the first to see her, and he felt a jolt of surprise in his heart. This beautiful woman bore a 70% resemblance to Liao Ya and Liao Qe, the spitting image of a "mature" version of them.

He realized at once who she was and hesitated for a moment.

The sisters, with their consistently sharp senses, soon also saw the woman.

After careful observation, Liao Qe's eyes brightened, her face beamed with joy, and she became excited, clutching tightly at the corner of her own clothes.

However, Liao Ya's face darkened, her beautiful eyes grew fierce, and she pursed her lips, clearly displeased.

Li Pei and Yu Yanmei exchanged glances and quickly said, "We'll go and pack a bit more."

After saying this, they left, to avoid any awkwardness that might arise later.