Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Foremost Among Those Below the Golden Core
Two days later, when Gu Xiaopang awoke again, he found himself in a chamber within the imperial palace reserved exclusively for cultivation by the royal family.
“Sir! His Majesty commanded that when you have finished cultivating, you are to proceed to the imperial study.”
“Very well! Lead the way.”
Knowing that since he was already in the palace, an audience with the emperor was inevitable, Gu Xiaopang was not at all surprised to hear the maid’s message when he opened the door.
...
“Your humble subject pays respects to Your Majesty.”
Guided to the imperial study’s entrance by an elderly eunuch, Gu Xiaopang, brimming with curiosity, stepped boldly inside.
He beheld a man whose mere presence radiated authority, his countenance ageless yet marked by the trials of life, head bent over memorials, not sparing a glance for his visitor. It was clear this could be none other than the Emperor Zijin, Zi Qiankun himself.
After bowing deeply with clasped fists, Gu Xiaopang’s eyes darted about, taking in every detail of a place that, in his previous life, he could only have seen in television dramas.
“This décor, these furnishings... they’re not all that impressive after all,” he mused, realizing that some dreams are best left to the imagination. Seeing the emperor ignore him, he merely curled his lip, strolled to a nearby cushion, sat lightly, and began munching on several spirit fruits he produced from his sleeve.
The previously tranquil imperial study was now punctuated by the crisp crunching of fruit.
The elderly eunuch, who had led Gu Xiaopang in, stood quietly by the emperor’s side, frequently glancing at the emperor immersed in his documents, then nervously at the audacious Gu Xiaopang devouring spirit fruit, cold sweat beading on his brow.
“Pfft! Hahaha...”
“Brother Wuji, you might as well come out now—it can’t be comfortable hiding back there.”
“Brother Wuying, you too! Come out and meet your precious disciple.”
“Haha...”
After a while, as the emperor Zi Qiankun could no longer suppress his mirth and burst out laughing, Gu Xiaopang, face full of mischief, looked toward the screen behind the emperor. There, Song Wuji, looking decades younger, emerged laughing, followed by a silent rift in the air from which his master, Wuying, floated out.
“Master, you’ve come too!”
After rising to pay his respects to Master Wuying, Gu Xiaopang didn’t spare Song Wuji a single glance, turning away to sit once more on the cushion.
“You rascal, how can you be so disrespectful before His Majesty?”
“Brother Wuji, it’s no matter, no matter at all—hahaha!”
“This boy is a great hero, and also my only son-in-law...”
“Wait! Your Majesty, what did you just say?”
“Whether or not he’s a hero, let’s set that aside. What do you mean by ‘son-in-law’?”
“Eh? You don’t know?”
“What should your humble subject know?”
“Boy! I’ve only known you a few days, but you’re bold beyond measure.”
“Referring to yourself as ‘your humble subject’ before me—are you deliberately trying to annoy me?!”
“That’s not important. Tell me, what scheme have you cooked up for me this time?”
“What do you mean, ‘scheme’? Am I so unworthy in your eyes?”
...
It turned out that after Gu Xiaopang had assigned the remaining disciples of Nanyan Commandery to take over his battle, he soon entered a breakthrough in his physical body. During that transformation, his injuries—flesh and bone—were healed, and he once again entered a state of selfless focus, leaving him with little memory of subsequent events.
What he did not know was that his name, Gu Changqing, had spread like wildfire throughout the southern domain of the Fengshen Continent in a single day, and he was spontaneously given the title “Number One Below Golden Core” by countless people.
His name and likeness were now firmly planted in the minds of the upper echelons of countless sects, royal courts, and noble families of the southern domain.
Even in the main hall of the Misty Sect’s summit, Gu Xiaopang’s exploits had sparked such a commotion during the early stages of his training that they became a topic of heated discussion among the elders of all seven peaks.
...
At the conclusion of the grand ceremony, Emperor Zi Qiankun, with characteristic decisiveness, disregarded the prior arrangement of awarding an additional 180,000 troops to the top three commanderies, and instead gave the entire reward in one sweep to Song Wuji, governor of Nanyan Commandery.
In the end, apart from arranging for Beiyan Commandery to hand over ten thousand troops to Dengfeng Commandery as a reward for their first victory, the other nine commanderies were each required to contribute twenty thousand soldiers to help Nanyan Commandery reach the promised total of 180,000.
As for the other governors, vanquished in the group battle, not one could muster the face to protest. Instead, the wildly jubilant Song Wuji took the opportunity to shame them further, managing to extort no fewer than four or five hundred treasures from their defeated hands.
...
Afterward, Emperor Zi Qiankun further announced that his youngest daughter, Zi Yao’er, was to be betrothed to Gu Xiaopang, elevating him on the spot to the rank of Imperial Son-in-law. He even allocated a sizable estate near the palace for the construction of a new residence befitting his new status.
This left the heads of the great noble houses—who had hoped to recruit Gu Xiaopang into their families at any cost—bitterly disappointed, sighing that the emperor’s move had been so swift and decisive that they were left with no room to maneuver.
The immediate result was that countless spectators, who had once hoped Gu Xiaopang might join their clans, now turned in an instant to cursing and veiled insults.
After all, before the ceremony, these people had all placed heavy bets, only a few of them wagering on Nanyan Commandery, while the rest lost everything in that decisive group battle.
With both their hopes and fortunes dashed, their admiration turned to gnashing resentment. Their anger even extended to the nine commanderies that had performed so poorly.
...
Most astonishing was the case of old Master Murong Quan, who had been dejected from the outset, having lost half his fortune and aged several years in his distress. Yet, after a secret transmission from the emperor and his own desire to risk little for much, he boldly placed two million lower-grade spirit stones on the least favored Nanyan Commandery—and reaped a return of many times his wager.
What none realized was that the greatest winner of all was Emperor Zi Qiankun himself, whose treasury more than doubled in a single day, providing ample supplies for the subsequent deployment of one hundred thousand troops to the border.
...