"Ouch... it hurts!" Lin Zihao's words had barely fallen when his head was struck by a fair hand.
Lin Xue looked at her younger brother with a dangerous expression and warned him again, "Lin Zihao, I advise you not to harbor any unrealistic thoughts. Otherwise, even if Grandpa tried to stop me, I'd still beat you soundly!"
Lin Zihao rubbed his head, grinned, and was about to retort. But seeing his sister's displeased face, he immediately backed down.
Yet, he grumbled inwardly, "Such a fierce sister is too dangerous to keep at home. It's better to marry her off soon. Then no one will dare to hit my head so easily."
"What are you thinking?" Lin Xue, seeing Lin Zihao's eyes darting around, knew he wasn't thinking of anything good and was surely slandering her.
Lin Zihao quickly shook his head, "N-nothing."
"Hmph!" Lin Xue glared at him, feeling both angry and helpless, having such a restless brother.
Ever since their trip to the Imperial Capital, Lin Zihao's desire to cultivate had grown even stronger. He shouted about cultivating every day and even threatened to "sell his sister for cultivation methods."
Not only Lin Xue, but even Alice had been included by Lin Zihao, who claimed Alice was his newly recognized god-sister.
Rounding it up, she was practically a biological sister, a buy-one-get-one-free deal.
What was even more crucial was that in Lin Zihao's words, his own sister, Lin Xue, was the one being given away for free!
Alice, watching the Lin Xue siblings, smiled. Her smile was as bright as the sun, beautiful.
"You're still smiling? This kid is planning to sell you off too," Lin Xue shot Alice a glare, unable to understand how Alice could still smile at a time like this.
Alice said, "That's only if someone dares to teach your brother cultivation methods. But that's impossible. Without the Great Qian Emperor's approval, these cultivators won't teach us cultivation techniques."
She saw things very clearly. The cultivators of the Great Qian Dynasty revered the Great Qian Emperor immensely, treating his words as divine decree and executing them strictly.
If the Great Qian Emperor didn't give the order, absolutely no one would reveal cultivation methods to them.
Lin Xue also felt a stir of desire for cultivation. Hearing Alice's words, she said with some regret, "You're right. We are captives now, so cultivating is impossible."
To obtain cultivation methods, the Great Qian Emperor had to grant permission. But who was the Great Qian Emperor?
Over the past two days, they had fully understood the extraordinary deeds of this Great Qian Emperor.
He rose from the ranks of an obscure rogue cultivator, cultivating at an incredibly fast pace. In just a few decades, he became the strongest in the Eastern Region of the Great Wilderness.
After refusing the recruitment of the dynasty at that time, he was hunted. In a fit of rage, he joined the rebel army, eventually overthrowing the old dynasty and establishing the current Great Qian Dynasty.
After becoming emperor, he accomplished many extraordinary feats, with the Great Qian Academy being one of them.
Having learned of the Great Qian Emperor's journey, Lin Xue and the others were deeply shocked and simultaneously filled with awe.
A hero with such innate talent would be respected wherever he went.
Lin Xue couldn't help but recall the moment she saw the Great Qian Emperor that day. His tall stature, his incredibly handsome appearance, more handsome than any celebrity on Earth.
She felt a flutter of attraction.
Lin Wencheng was chatting with Professor Sam when he suddenly noticed a figure appearing abruptly in the open space of the mansion.
"Brother Wang, you're here..." Lin Wencheng habitually greeted, thinking it was Wang Hao.
But he stopped halfway through his greeting, suddenly sensing something was wrong. He looked closely and gasped!
It was the Great Qian Emperor himself who had arrived!
Lin Wencheng and Professor Sam's expressions changed drastically. They were about to kneel to pay respects to the Great Qian Emperor.
"No need to bow. You are guests from Earth, and I know such etiquette has long been abolished there," Xu Mo said with a faint smile, gently waving his right hand.
Mainly, being bowed to by a group of Earthlings felt too strange. Moreover, he himself disliked the ceremony of kowtowing and had repeatedly proposed its abolition, but was strongly opposed by ministers led by Gongsun Rou, so he eventually gave up.
Lin Wencheng and the other two had only bent their knees halfway when a force stopped them and helped them up.
Both were deeply shocked by the extraordinary skills of cultivators, able to achieve this from a distance.
The others, alerted by Lin Wencheng's shout, turned their heads. Upon seeing the Great Qian Emperor, they immediately stood up, their faces filled with nervousness. They didn't know why the Great Qian Emperor had come, or if he was here to judge them.
Everyone was sensible and bowed in unison.
"Greetings, Your Majesty the Emperor, long live, long live, long live!"
"Rise." Xu Mo nodded slightly, then looked directly at Lin Wencheng and the others, saying, "I heard you were looking for cultivation methods?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere instantly froze.
Lin Wencheng and the others' hearts pounded, and cold sweat broke out on their foreheads!
What did the Great Qian Emperor mean by this? Was he angry that he knew they were inquiring about cultivation methods?
Or was he beginning to suspect their intentions, thinking that their inquiry about cultivation methods was a ploy to learn their techniques and then use them against them?
So, was he here to judge them, to settle all accounts?
For a moment, everyone's breathing stopped, their hearts filled with immense tension. Finally, Lin Wencheng stepped forward, bracing himself, and said:
"Your Majesty the Emperor, we have no ill intentions. We are merely immensely curious about the cultivation methods of the Great Qian Dynasty and wished to observe them. Of course, I admit we also harbored thoughts of cultivating. If this violates the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty, I am willing to bear all responsibility!"
He took all the blame upon himself, solely to protect his grandchildren.
"Grandpa..." Lin Xue called out worriedly, her heart filled with unease, fearing her grandfather might truly be in trouble.
Lin Zihao immediately jumped out and said, "Me too, Your Majesty the Emperor. I want to cultivate, and it was I who kept pestering Grandpa Chen."
"Zihao! You..." Lin Wencheng glared in anger. He hadn't expected that after he had taken all the responsibility, his grandson would jump out and confess. Was this foolishness or straightforwardness?
His expression instantly changed as he worried about Lin Zihao's safety.
Xu Mo watched this scene and couldn't help but smile. "Actually, you don't need to be so nervous. The Great Qian Dynasty is not some devil's den or monster's lair; it's not as terrifying as you imagine. As long as you don't act recklessly, you'll be fine."
Hearing this, Lin Wencheng's expression immediately relaxed, and he let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Emperor." He bowed in gratitude.
Just now, he had truly believed the Great Qian Emperor had come to cause trouble for them. Now, it seemed he had judged a gentleman with the heart of a villain.
The Great Qian Emperor was not as tyrannical as he had imagined. This was his ingrained prejudice, associating the Great Qian Emperor with the cruel tyrants of history.