Three Kingdoms Lords: Starting by walking into the mouth of a giant python

Chapter 112 The Peerless Marquis of the Abyss

June 28th, [Fanghu], early morning.

Li Yu awoke in the Palace of Gold and Jade Glazed Glass, washed up, and drank the Dew offered by the Xuanju clan.

The [attributes] have become "Strength 32, Constitution 37, Agility 33, Spirit 39".

In forty more days, he will be considered to have "graduated from Xuanlu" and will be able to take [Python Gallbladder and Wind-Preventing Pills].

"Young Master Li, dinner is ready."

The little maid's voice came from down the mountain.

Li Yu then led [Snake Princess] Ya Ya and [Thirteen Ants] out of the palace gate to have a meal.

Yesterday, Li Yu returned, and the entire Sky Courtyard was deserted as everyone flocked to it.

Tens of thousands of members cheered, sang, and danced until the rooster crowed halfway through the night before dispersing in high spirits.

Li Yu led Wang Bin, Wang Zhang, and Xiong Ba into the [pot], reuniting the two families. Last night, the young lady and her servants stayed at the lord's mansion and did not go up the mountain.

Although the porridge and rice that Xiong Mu made early in the morning were far inferior to Ya Ya's skills, the ingredients she used were all local specialties of [Hu Zhong], such as red millet and white millet.

Wang Zhang found the food delicious and praised it repeatedly.

After finishing her meal, [Thirteen Ants] rode Horse-Face Little Green-Tail to Canghai Island. Recently, the little one had become obsessed with treasure hunting in [Qiaofengjing], but after more than twenty days, she had found nothing. Undeterred, however, she happily went searching three to five times a day.

Li Yu and the young lady accompanied Wang Zhang on a walk.

Wang Zhang was most curious about [Langhuan Paradise].

[Langhuan Paradise] covers a vast area, approximately several hundred acres.

The towering cliffs and majestic palaces, the rushing rapids and swirling streams with water droplets as white as snow, the ancient pines and rocks, and the lush flowers and trees.

The scenery was beautiful, but the library was empty, which was a disservice to the name [Langhuan]. So Wang Zhang suggested that all the books in the Wang family study be moved here.

Li Yu readily agreed.

On the other side, Wang Bin and Xiong Ba compared their martial arts skills with [Snake Princess] and [White Tiger Queen].

Wang Bin's strength exceeded Li Yu's expectations.

In the third [Dream], Wang Bin, although he entered [Moonlight Scroll - Three Thousand Swords], only cultivated his swordsmanship to the [Minor Success] level.

But now, not only has he achieved minor mastery of swordsmanship and advanced to the [Profound Rank] in [Martial Power], but he has also earned the title of [Earth Rank].

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"Unrivaled Under the Sun"

[Rank] Earth Grade (1984/10000)

[Attribute] The Sword of Thousands, its aura soaring to the stars and its light illuminating the sun. It also possesses the [Characteristic: Sword Aura].

[Description] A master swordsman, unparalleled in the world.

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[Sword Qi] The sound of the bells stirred and the north wind rose; the sword qi surged and the Southern Dipper was leveled.

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He practiced diligently day and night, wore out over a hundred longswords, suffered wounds and sores, and defeated King Wen's three thousand retainers, finally achieving success.

Li Yu was impressed by his brother-in-law.

The title "Peerless Under Heaven" was also bestowed upon Li Yu in a dream.

Defeating a hundred swords results in a [Mysterious Grade] item, granting the [Special Feature: Sword Echo].

Defeating a thousand swords grants a [Earth Grade] title and the [Special Feature: Sword Qi].

Defeating Wan Jian, one becomes a [Heavenly Grade] and gains the [Special Feature: Cloud Interception].

It is truly extraordinary.

When Li Yu and his son-in-law returned from the [Unburnt Wood Forest], Wang Bin had already defeated [Snake Queen] Xiao Er and Hong Yu.

However, like Xiong Ba, he was defeated by the White Tiger Queen's pine sword.

It was getting late, so Li Yu, along with Wang family father and son and Xiong Ba, left the [pot].

Before leaving, [Thirteen Ants] came flying over with a loud shout and handed over a [Yellow Grade Arrowhead].

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[Sky Courtyard], Village Committee Office.

Li Yu sat in the main seat, while the senior officials of the courtyard gathered.

After Li Yu briefly recounted his trip to Wangwu Mountain, Lu Xiuxi and the others began to report on the events that had occurred at [Sky Academy] over the past month and a half.

Firstly, the courtyard has been equipped with [Yellow-grade Millet God Shrine], [Yellow-grade Kitchen God Temple], and [Black-grade Fierce God Shrine]. Its [attributes] are already over four hundred; it's just waiting for the headmaster to upgrade it into a town.

Secondly, the "Marking Operation" was executed relatively successfully. However, with the continuous emergence of player territories, conflicts and incidents inevitably arose. At the border of [Xixiang] and [Moshangxiang], there is a leveling spot called [Ghost Star Stone Chamber]. The [Sky Courtyard Construction Corps] sent out by the courtyard was blocked and driven away. Xiong Ba went there but did not gain any advantage.

Thirdly, Wang Bin's sworn brother, Pan An, was exposed as "General Pan Feng." After his name spread, Yuan Shu of Runan came to invite him to join the Yuan family, promising him great treasures. Before Pan Feng could agree, Yuan Shu set his sights on the [Sky Palace], showering it with countless gold and silver, causing unrest among the people.

Fourthly, in the past, White Tiger Mountain was occupied by players as their territory. Instead of engaging in roadside robbery, they built a brothel and, taking advantage of the high foot traffic of [Sky Courtyard], quickly became a notorious den of iniquity.

Fifthly, the old Chinese medicine doctor returned from [Moonlight Scroll: Tiger-Striped Apricot Grove], bringing back a [Yellow Grade] cultivation method he and the divine physician Dong Feng had jointly created—"Tiger-Style Fist." This fist is not a fighting technique, but an internal strengthening exercise. Through breathing exercises and imitating the movements of a tiger, it aims to strengthen muscles and bones.

Sixth...

After everyone finished reporting, they looked at the dean.

Just as Li Yu was about to speak, a gatekeeper came to report that Magistrate Liang had arrived.

He rose to greet the visitor at the door, smiling as he said, "Welcome, Your Excellency."

"Haha, I knew my nephew was returning home, so I rushed over early. It's been a month since I last saw him, and he's even more dashing now."

After some polite conversation, Magistrate Liang and his entourage of more than ten people entered the office.

After they sat down, Magistrate Liang introduced the man to his left: "This is Commandant Jian from Henan Province. He wishes to use your esteemed courtyard's two temples, [Fish Stone Lady] and [Nine Sons Mother Goddess]."

"Commander Jian" was broad-shouldered, thick-browed, and had a long beard. Li Yu recognized him at a glance as Jian Shuo, a eunuch with a fake beard.

Although Li Yu still didn't recognize the woman from before, he roughly guessed who she was.

Empress Song, who should have fallen out of favor and been banished to the cold palace.

After all, there are few in Luoyang who can receive such treatment from Liu Hong's confidant Jian Shuo. And the only one who came seeking a child is Empress Song, who has been in the palace for eight years and still has no offspring.

Li Yu nodded in agreement. Commandant Jian thanked him and, accompanied by Magistrate Liang and others, went to the ancestral temple.

Li Yu examined the attributes of the territory and several buildings on the [Sky Monument].

There's no need to elaborate on the two temples related to praying for children. The [Kitchen God Temple] enshrines the ancient Kitchen God, Qiong Chan, and the people's faith in worshipping him has greatly increased.

The Ji God in the [Ji God Temple] is not Hou Ji, but Qian Ji, the son of Emperor Yan.

The Guoyu (Discourses of the States), Lu Yu Shang (Discourses of Lu, Part 1) states: "In the past, when Lieshan clan ruled the world, his son was named Zhu, who was able to cultivate all kinds of grains and vegetables; when the Xia dynasty rose, Zhou Qi succeeded him, so he was worshipped as the god of grain."

The [Li Shen Shrine] is dedicated to the ancient "Li Shen" (厉神). The *Guanzi* (管子) states, "The ruler requests the establishment of sacrifices to the Five Li, and to the Five Officials of Yao," referring to this deity. Worshiping him is believed to ward off plagues and toxins, cleanse filth, and ensure the prosperity of people and livestock, as well as abundant harvests.

The function of the three shrines is reflected in their [attributes]: "Popularity +50", "Reproduction +40", and "Protecting the territory from a certain degree of plague and disease".

It's passable.

After Li Yu finished reading, the higher-ups in the Sky Academy eagerly awaited, thinking that their territory was about to be upgraded, but then they heard their own dean say, "Summon all the disciples of the Inner Academy."

Lu Xiuxi agreed and instructed someone to carry it out.

Li Yu took out [Huang Pin She's arrowhead].

Li Yu had no immediate need for [yellow-grade] items. However, after hearing Lu Xiuxi mention that the "people's hearts were unsettled" in the territory, and recalling the conversation between Cao Yuan and others yesterday, Li Yu had an idea.

He picked up the arrowhead, made a wish, and a blade of grass appeared in his hand.

Like the one planted at the south gate of [Chicheng] in Shanggu, it can point out treacherous people and those who harbor hostility.

The group looked on with curiosity, and Li Yu ordered Li Min to plant it at the entrance of the [village committee].

More than two thousand members of the [Sky Academy] [Inner Academy] arrived one after another, some eager and some laughing and joking, all calling out "Hello, Dean!"

Li Yu nodded in response.

Most people walk by, but the stems and leaves remain still. More than forty people walk by, but the leaves move while the stems remain still.

Only one person, whose stems and leaves dance wildly.

Li Yu looked over and saw that it was indeed the "man surnamed Liao" from yesterday.

Mu Jin made marks on the list of [Inner Court] members, and when she got to "Liao Changpeng", she crossed out two lines with great force.

When everyone arrived, Li Yu touched the [Sky Academy Stele].

"[System]: Congratulations to the player whose territory [Sky Courtyard] has reached a total [attribute] value of ≥300, and has been upgraded to a [Town]."

"[System]: Territory trait [Yellow Grade - Cold Valley White Steed] upgraded to [Black Grade - Abyss Marquis]."

(End of this chapter)