Give me the tiger tally, and let me leave.
Where there is life, there is hope.
Ming Li did not want to hear his nonsense and directly swung her sword. A deep, bone-chilling gash appeared on the Grand Tutor's hand.
Before the Grand Tutor could react, he heard the cold voice of the woman opposite him, "I don't like people dictating terms to me. Since you didn't choose when given the chance, I'll choose for you."
As the words fell, a flash of sword light struck towards the Grand Tutor.
Grand Tutor: ......?! He watched, eyes wide, as the sword hurtled towards him, getting closer and closer. The Grand Tutor wanted to dodge but was horrified to find he couldn't move!
When Mu Qinghe entered the carriage, he found that the Grand Tutor, whom he hated to the bone, was thoroughly dead. Crimson bloodstains had soaked a large area of the floor.
Mu Qinghe: He realized his master was becoming increasingly violent.
Seeing Mu Qinghe arrive, Ming Li made space for him. "The tiger tally should be on him. I'll go look for it."
Mu Qinghe: ?!
After searching the Grand Tutor from head to toe, she finally found the dark red tiger tally, the size of a palm.
With the tiger tally found, Ming Li and Mu Qinghe prepared to spend the night in the trees outside. However, looking at the comfortable-looking hammock before him, Mu Qinghe thought: ?! Did master prepare this for him because he feared his delicate skin wouldn't be accustomed to sleeping in trees?!
As Mu Qinghe was happily contemplating this, he saw his master lie down on it herself.
Mu Qinghe: Fine, it seems I was overthinking. Wuwuwu, he was so pitiful.
Then he went to find a tree to lie on himself, childishly turning his back to Ming Li, leaving her with a desolate silhouette.
Ming Li: ?! What madness was this guy indulging in now?!
The next morning, as the soldiers were packing their gear, they saw their Emperor suddenly appear in a clearing ahead. Upon seeing Mu Qinghe, several generals immediately paid their respects. A group of soldiers had never seen Mu Qinghe before, but seeing the generals pay their respects, they also quickly knelt and saluted.
Mu Qinghe took out the tiger tally obtained from the Grand Tutor the previous night and explained the situation. These generals were not part of the Grand Tutor's faction. They had brought their troops out to battle following the Grand Tutor's orders because he held the tiger tally. After hearing Mu Qinghe's explanation, they followed Mu Qinghe to lead their troops back to the country.
Mu Qinghe instructed the generals to lead the soldiers back while he returned with Ming Li to clean up the mess. The Grand Tutor's faction had already been dealt with by his master last time, leaving many vacant positions in the court. He would have to reopen the imperial examinations this time, keeping him busy.
On his second ascent into the sky, Mu Qinghe was no longer as frightened and even had the leisure to ask Ming Li about many things.
"Master, did you really mean it when you said you wanted to unify the world last time?"
Ming Li thought for a moment, recalling that she seemed to have said something of the sort, and nodded.
"Then, Master, are you truly an immortal?"
"Are there other immortals in this world besides you, Master?"
"What were you like before you became an immortal, Master?"
"Were you also a mortal before, Master?"
Seeing Mu Qinghe asking questions like a curious baby.
Ming Li: Too many questions, not inclined to speak.
The little phoenix couldn't stand it anymore, "Are you daydreaming? Your world has no spiritual energy at all. How could there be other cultivators?"
Mu Qinghe: ?! Feeling a little disappointed, he suddenly grasped the main point, "What do you mean, 'your world'? Does that mean my master isn't from this world?!"