If you die, I will be able to inherit your cultivation.

Emperor Yongchang lay sprawled on the ground, his arms being half-supported and half-carried by his personal eunuch.

His whole body was still trembling, and his teeth were chattering.

The imperial crown fell to the ground and no one dared to pick it up; the hem of the bright yellow dragon robe was still wet and dripping with an unknown liquid.

He stared at the night sky with bloodshot eyes, then lowered his head to stare intently at the civil and military officials, and then suddenly looked up at the night sky again.

His lips trembled for a long time before he managed to squeeze out a hoarse roar:

"It's you...it's you!"

"The Divine Phoenix is ​​you! The Heavenly Punishment is you! It's all your fault!"

He shook off the eunuch's hand, struggled to get up from the ground, staggered a couple of steps and almost fell again, only managing to steady himself by grabbing the railing of the reception platform tightly.

He pointed to the air, his finger trembling like a withered branch in the autumn wind, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth, his voice so hoarse that it was almost impossible to hear his complete words:

"You just wait."

"When the Ancestor returns, I will definitely report this to him!"

"You all just wait."

Zhou Ming stood among the officials, his face still bearing that sorrowful and solemn expression, but his heart was already churning with turbulent emotions.

Who are the "you" that Emperor Yongchang referred to?

It doesn't look like him and Su Mingyue standing opposite him!

Emperor Yongchang said "You wait" instead of "You wait".

This indicates that the "you" he was referring to did not refer to the group of people in the court, but to a group of people who had existed for a long time.

A group of people related to the "ancestor" he mentioned.

And who is the "ancestor" he mentioned?

Emperor Yongchang was the ninth son of Emperor Zhengde. His father died when the Zhong Sheng Sect captured Anzhou City.

One can imagine the noble status of someone who could be addressed as "Old Ancestor" by the emperor's son.

However, when Emperor Yongchang fled Anzhou, he couldn't even bring a single member of the royal family with him.

The person currently confined in the palace is his maternal grandfather, Su Mubai. So who is this ancestor?

A man so great that even the emperor would address him as "Ancestor".

Could he be a cultivator?

And are the "you" he mentioned also cultivators?

There are indeed other cultivators in this world.

The puppet emperor in front of him must know about the situation of cultivators that Zhou Ming does not.

Zhou Ming silently memorized the information, then slowly withdrew his gaze, stood at attention with his hands at his sides, and remained composed.

A perfectly good welcoming ceremony ended abruptly.

The local people were still talking about it, some saying they had seen a phoenix fly three times over the young marshal's head.

Some swore that the lightning bolt struck down from the sky.

Some people even claimed that when they saw His Majesty lying on the ground, the hem of his dragon robe was soaked.

The imperial guards dispersed the crowd for quite some time before the official road gradually became empty.

Zhou Ming escorted Emperor Yongchang back to his temporary palace.

Emperor Yongchang did not speak again on the way, and was shoved into the imperial carriage by two eunuchs holding his arms.

The crown was askew to one side, and his once bright eyes were staring blankly at a point in the void, while he muttered several inaudible words over and over again.

Zhou Ming scanned it with his divine sense.

He pronounced it as "Old Ancestor".

Without changing his expression, Zhou Ming escorted the imperial carriage into the Qian Yuan Hall, instructed the imperial guards to protect it well, and then turned and left the palace.

He did not return to Wuying Hall, but went straight to the Marquis's residence.

He had walked the road from the imperial palace to the marquis's residence countless times; he could feel the walls of the Begonia Garden with his eyes closed. But today, walking this road, he felt a little uneasy.

He was the one who orchestrated the appearance of the Divine Phoenix, and he was also the one who caused the Heavenly Tribulation with Thunder.

These two matters could be kept secret from the entire court and from the hundreds of thousands of people in Yongning City, but they could never be kept secret from Su Mingyue.

Upon arriving at the Marquis's residence, after passing through several familiar covered corridors, the gate to the Begonia Garden was half-closed, and several second-class maids were carrying basins of water as they retreated from inside.

Dongmei waited at the entrance of the main hall. When she saw Zhou Ming, she didn't say anything to him as usual. Instead, she gestured strangely toward the main hall and whispered.

"Miss has just returned from Madam's place and is waiting for you."

The main hall was brightly lit.

Su Mingyue had already removed her black armor and changed into a plain moon-white jacket. She was sitting in the main seat, slowly sipping a cup of tea.

The steam rising from the teacup blurred the usual indifference in her eyes.

Chunlan stood by her side, while Xiahe and Qiuju guarded the door. Hearing Zhou Ming's footsteps, Su Mingyue gently placed her teacup on the table and raised her chin.

"Sit down and let's talk."

Zhou Ming sat down in the chair that Su Mingyue had placed down.

The moment his bottom touched the chair, he felt two pairs of eyes fall on his face. The gazes were calm and indifferent, yet they seemed to be able to turn him inside out.

Su Mingyue stared at him for a while before speaking.

The tone was very soft, as if asking what the kitchen had cooked that day:

"Was it your doing that the Divine Phoenix appeared in the world?"

Zhou Ming's back stiffened slightly as he quickly racked his brains for an excuse.

He wanted to struggle a little longer, so he put on an innocent smile and cupped his hands in greeting.

"This...this...Miss, this is a divine phoenix descending from the heavens, an auspicious omen sent down by the heavens, it has nothing to do with me."

Su Mingyue glared at him fiercely when she heard his words.

Zhou Ming was all too familiar with that look. Back when he stood timidly at the entrance of the cave in Xishan, clutching a broken plank, the young lady had looked at him with the same eyes.

Su Mingyue placed the teacup on the table, the porcelain bottom striking the mahogany surface with a crisp sound.

"You dare say you weren't behind this?"

"Young Miss, let me explain."

"Solving excuses?" Su Mingyue raised her eyebrows very slightly.

Zhou Ming noticed the almost imperceptible curve at the corner of her mouth and realized what he had just said.

He quickly said, "Miss, please let me explain."

Su Mingyue rolled the word "sophistry" on her tongue, looking at him with a half-smile.

"Then go ahead and try to justify yourself."

Zhou Ming looked at the young lady, then decided to drop the pretense, shrugged, and lowered his voice.

"This...this divine phoenix descending to earth, young lady, this is the destiny of heaven, this is the heavens sending you to that position."

Su Mingyue stared at him for a long time. The sharpness in her phoenix eyes slowly faded, but it didn't disappear completely; instead, it sank deeper into her pupils.

She picked up her teacup again, took a sip, and then slowly began to speak.

"And that punishment? Was that your doing too?"

"This...this is what I did. It's just a simple little spell."

Seeing that she didn't pursue the matter of Phoenix, Zhou Ming felt relieved, and his tone became lighter.

"After I cultivated the Qi sensation through the 'Scripture of Salvation', I developed some minor techniques in my spare time. They are not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning at all."

"What? Magic? You researched it?" Su Mingyue's voice suddenly rose a fraction, her hand holding the teacup hovering in mid-air.

Her eyes widened slightly, and a rare, undisguised shock appeared in her usually calm phoenix eyes.

This was the first time Zhou Ming had seen this expression on her face.

She was unfazed when she was besieged by dozens of men in black in Xishan, and she was unfazed when Emperor Yongchang bestowed a marriage upon her. But when she heard the words "magic" at this moment, she was shocked.

It wasn't just her.

Chunlan's hand holding the tray froze in mid-air, Dongmei's body, which was leaning against the door frame, suddenly straightened up, and Xiahe and Qiuju poked half their heads in from outside the door.

None of the four personal maids could maintain their usual composure; they all stared at Zhou Ming with eyes that looked at him like he was a monster.

"Hmm," Zhou Ming said, feeling a little embarrassed by her gaze, and touched his nose.

"Since I was just idling around in the palace, I figured it out."

Su Mingyue put the teacup on the table and stood up.

She walked up to Zhou Ming, looked down at him for a moment, and then turned and walked towards the door.

"Go to the training grounds. Let me see what kind of techniques you've developed."