After Jiang Junlin had been defeated, he escaped on the back of the Pegasus. He had been so impressive, carrying himself with superior airs. But now, with his face rubbed full of dirt, he was a laughable figure.
"Luckily, you're good at running. The next time we meet, I'll pay you back tenfold for all the hardship you made my sister suffer."
Without the Heavenly Cloud Roc to pursue, he could not chase him down.
Besides, Wu Yu was more worried about Wu You's safety for now.
She had languished on top of the castle walls for four days. Some martial cultivators could not even hold out for that long.
When the battle ended, the citizens of Capital Wu rushed out cheering. Capital Wu, shrouded in gloom for many days, was now alive with good cheer.
In their hearts, Wu Yu was already a legend surpassing that of any powerful emperor.
Whoosh!
Without a word, Wu Yu returned to Carefree Palace. Wu You was currently recuperating here. There were many casualties littering both the inside and the outside of the palace. Many were the guards who had died protecting her.
Presently, the news that Wu Yu had defeated Jiang Junlin had not yet travelled back. The atmosphere within the palace was still very tense.
Wu You was half-inclined on the bed. Even though her complexion looked good, anyone would be shaken up after going through such torture.
Wu You was worrying about Wu Yu, and could not rest properly. Her pale face, framed by her limp, black hair, made for a pitiful sight.
"Sister!"
Suddenly, a bolt of golden light rushed into the room. It was Wu Yu, completely unharmed.
He tossed the Demon Subduing Staff aside. He only had eyes for his kin.
"Jiang Junlin suffered grievous wounds and was sent packing." Wu Yu smiled slightly. The troubled times had passed, and he was more at ease now.
He walked up quickly, extending his arms to enfold her in his embrace. He could feel her frail body shaking with sobs in his arms. This was a pleasant surprise. He could feel the tension in her body start to ease up.
"Kinship...."
The warmth in his heart allowed Wu Yu to understand the true gravity of the word.
How many in this world could one claim blood was thicker than water?
Wu Yu only had this one sister.
Luckily, she was not harmed this time.
"I swear that henceforth, I will never allow you to fall into danger again. Sister, no one will be allowed to bully you. Whether demon or god turned evil, anyone who dares to touch you will have to fight me to the death!"
This was his vow!
"I only want you to live well and chase your dao."
Wu You tilted her head up at him. She was a strong person, but now her eyes were red-rimmed.
Wu Yu hurriedly retrieved a medicinal immortal essence from his Sumeru Pouch. Although it had no spiritual mark, it could rebuild bones and one's vital energy. Although its effectiveness was average, it was well suited to Wu You's currently weakened state.
"Take this white lingzhi. Rest for a month, and then use the Ocean Trawling Longfists I taught you. It will help you return to your peak condition."
"Alright."
Wu You knew that Wu Yu would only have peace of mind to pursue his own path of dao once she had fully recovered.
Finally, things were stabilized.
Wu You rested for the night. Throughout the night, Wu Yu was beside her. He did not sleep, but instead thought long and hard about the girl on the bed.
"She is a mortal. One day, she will leave me."
He imagined that when he was 100 years old, he would still be a youth in his prime, but Wu You would be old and emaciated. There was a sharp, unspeakable pain in his heart.
However, the cycle of life and death was natural order. Not even immortals could get around it.
Wu You came awake at dawn, her energy already significantly refreshed. After consuming the immortal essence, some pink had also returned to her cheeks. After freshening up, she resumed the appearance of a princess about her duties.
However, she still had worries. "Jiang Junlin escaped with injuries. But given his proud nature, what if he seeks allies upon his return to the Zhongyuan Dao Sect and comes back to do you harm?"
This was not impossible.
Wu Yu calmly replied, "Don't worry. If he is really shameless enough to go that far, I have a way to deal with him."
Wu You trusted him and finally pushed the matter from her mind.
In truth, if Jiang Junlin really resorted to that and called for many strong fighters to destroy Wu Yu, then Wu Yu had no solution.
With the Heavenly Cloud Roc slain, Wu Yu also could not easily send a message to the Bipo Mountain Range.
"And if Jiang Junlin returns alone, then he will be coming to his death."
With his unbelievably good Fixed Body Art, Wu Yu had no cause to fear Jiang Junlin.
He planned to linger at Capital Wu for some days. The rest could wait until Wu You was recovered.
In the following days, besides training the Fixed Body Art, Wu Yu finally had time to bring the doubts he had to Ming Long.
He had huge ambition in the world of dao. He wanted to know more of this world. He wanted to know how long the road was until immortalhood.
"Ming Long."
"You dare call Granny by name?"
Ming Long normally slumbered within the Jingu Bang. She only came out to tease Wu Yu when she was bored.
"Almighty Dainty Beauty...."
Wu Yu had no way to deal with this old witch. He could only use this false honorific with her.
"Out with it then."
Ming Long appeared before him. Her sleepy countenance was actually quite cute.
It was currently late at night. Wu Yu was sitting on the roof of Tian Wu Hall, looking up at the vast, starry sky. His gaze was cast far and filled with longing.
"One yuan ago, you were an influential figure. Tell me, just how big is the world? Outside the Dong Sheng Divine Continent, what else is out there, besides the islands?"
Ming Long gave a sly cackle. "You want to know?"
"Of course."
She said in a secretive manner, "This is fairly valuable news. The price is fairly high. You want to know it, and I'm not your enemy to hold it from you. But I can't tell you for free either, right? Seeing as we're both heirs to the Jingu Bang, I'm only asking for one God's Way Pill."
She affected a look that seemed like she was cutting Wu Yu a good deal.
What was he expecting....
This greedy glutton guarded her mouth closely. Everything would be traded for God's Way Pills, or some other strange request. But Wu Yu did not dare to acquiesce easily.
He was afraid that one day, when he became an immortal, he would be cleaned out by her.
"You and I are mutually dependent on each other. Based on our relationship, won't you just tell me?" Wu Yu was unwilling.
"No way. Don't try to steal a deal and act innocent. Just the Great Way of Immortality Art and the Fixed Body Art alone are good deals for you already. Back in the day, Granny didn't do deals."
It seemed like she was rather regretful about these two things.
"Then tell me. If I want to become an immortal, Body Refining, Qi Condensation, and then the Jindan. What comes after? How many more steps before I can enter the sky palace? And become a heavenly general?"
This was what Wu Yu really wanted to know.
The Chronicles of the Dong Sheng Divine Continent only spoke of the Jindan Dao Realm and was vague about what happened after. All it said was that the Dong Sheng Divine Continent was in a core position. There were many here who had already surpassed the Jindan Dao Realm and could make waves with a single gesture.
"That information is even more valuable. I won't bargain anymore. Two Phoenix Heart Pills. If you find it acceptable, put it on your tab," Ming Long said in a crafty manner.
"...."
In the end, he still had no way to deal with this person.
"Aren't you afraid that I'll just say yes now, and then not give you anything when the time comes? If I have the ability, but then choose not to resurrect you?" Wu Yu threatened.
Ming Long held her stomach as she guffawed, "I'm not at all worried. The Ruyi Jingu Bang chose you. I know your nature. Someone as straight as you, your word is gold. You wouldn't go back on your word to a little girl."
"Then why did it choose you?"
It seemed like Ming Long was completely lacking in these qualities.
Ming Long rolled her eyes. "It must be because Old Mother was so devastatingly beautiful. Why do you ask so many questions? Poor scum. You don't even have a single Spirit Concentration Pill. None of your business! Stop interrupting my sleep!"
Saying thus, she disappeared before Wu Yu's eyes with a puff, declining to appear again.
"Forget it. I'll go back and ask Master."
Perhaps Ming Long was right. They were just passing acquaintances. They were neither foes nor friends. Why should she give him everything and tell him everything? From the start, since the , she had made things clear. This was a deal, not a gift.
And in the days since, he had learnt much from Ming Long.
He roughly knew that she had been somebody important 120,000 years ago. In terms of ability, she had been close to immortalhood. She had acquired the Ruyi Jingu Bang and been bestowed with its legacy. Her ability was incredible, dominating the other orthodox dao cultivators in the world. In the end, she had been surrounded and died, and a sliver of her soul had been absorbed into the Ruyi Jingu Bang, becoming this ancient being which had slumbered till today. Until Wu Yu came.
Wu Yu wanted to reach immortalhood and then reincarnate her.
But how difficult was it to become an immortal?
At least, on this long and winding road, Wu Yu had only just stepped up. He could not imagine how many obstacles there would be on his path.
After roughly 20 days, Jiang Junlin still had not brought anybody back. And Wu You was mostly recovered as well.
The saying went that a country could not survive a day without a leader.
After Yuan Hao had been hung by Wu Yu, the Dong Yue Wu Kingdom had been plunged into a period of chaos, and the neighboring countries had been eyeing them with avarice.
Today, Wu Yu decided to let Wu You ascend to the throne and become the first queen in the history of the Dong Yue Wu Kingdom to unite Dong Yue Wu!
When Wu Yu announced this decision in Capital Wu, there were no protests, only cheers!
It was as though the populace themselves had already thought of this.
Wu You had been talented at governance since young. The previous emperor had discussed national affairs with her frequently. In terms of governing the country, she was a hundred times more capable than Yuan Hao. Wu Yu could relax if Dong Yue Wu was in her hands, and Wu You would be given a chance to give back.
She did not resent it, but rather welcomed it.
"I will make everyone in the nation healthy and happy. I will bring a smile to every face. You can go and cultivate your dao with peace of mind! Even if you return in a hundred years and I am gone, my descendants will make your hometown into a beautiful place for you to see!"
The night before ascending, Wu You had said the above tearfully.
A hundred years....
Wu Yu realized it. Although he was connected by blood to Wu You, there was a gulf between them. It was the dao.
"Alright."
This was the only word that could convey his feelings.
10 days after she took the throne, the entirety of Dong Yue Wu had indeed reverted to a stable state.
As long as Jiang Junlin did not come and look for trouble, Wu Yu was prepared to sit here and accompany Wu You for a few years. But less than 10 days later, Feng Xueya actually came to Capital Wu to look for Wu Yu.