Chapter 2480: Never Too Late

The elm trees’ money-like leaves adorned the branches thickly, like countless scrutinizing eyes.

“Mother, I’m fine.”

Linzi City in late spring was already noisy with chirping cicadas. Though not yet summer, a dry intent had already taken hold.

Bao Xuanjing, with a helpless tone, looked at Miao Yuzhi, who was pinching him here and there: “It’s not like I was the only child being confined! So many people were in the Court Hearing Dao Heavenly Palace, weren’t they? See who had a problem!”

“You must never go into that Taixu Illusory Realm again,” Miao Yuzhi said, wiping tears: “To say confine is to confine, it’s not safe at all!”

Perhaps she had adapted to widowhood, or perhaps it was because her precious son was indeed striving, but her state compared to previous years was much better. Her cloud-like hair was adorned with hairpins, and her willow brows were etched with joy, showing quite a bit of mature charm of late spring. Even her tears were full of worry, flowing with happy troubles.

“This precisely proves the safety of the Taixu Illusory Realm,” Bao Xuanjing didn’t think so: “What kind of barbarous place is that Jing State? If it were somewhere else, they’d just haul you to prison, judge first and investigate later, it wouldn’t be strange at all. Where else could you go to reason? The Taixu Illusory Realm must not be a place they can just do as they please, so they still showed some face.”

“That’s still not as good as being at home!” Miao Yuzhi said indignantly: “We haven’t suffered this kind of loss before. You just stay in Linzi, can people from Jing State still come and take you? Even if the Da Luo Mountain sect leader came to take someone, the army god would stop him!”

She was not like in previous years, when she listened to every word her swaddled baby said, like a walking corpse. Now she would even retort and scold Bao Xuanjing, truly having taken on the role of a mother. This precisely showed that Bao Xuanjing had already adapted to the present world.

And she had also, from personality to destiny, already been completely controlled by Bao Xuanjing.

Under such a premise, Miao Yuzhi’s free life bloomed.

Using power to control thought was a relatively lazy behavior. In the sparsely populated Nether Great World, it was easy to do and be done with, and there was no need to worry about the future.

After being born in the present world, Bao Xuanjing began to use “human” ways.

For example, love, trust, and responsibility.

How could this not be a kind of cultivation?

“Mother, those words are wrong!” Bao Xuanjing retorted loudly and seriously: “A man’s ambition is in all directions, how can he shrink his head at home? My going to the Court Hearing Dao Heavenly Palace is precisely to see the world’s heroes! I will sail far ten thousand li, establish fame in the human world! Any small waves wanting to block me from raising my sail, that is absolutely impossible!”

“Well said! Good, sail far ten thousand li, establish fame in the human world!” Shuofang Bo’s voice rang out from outside. He soon pushed the door open and looked at Bao Xuanjing with satisfaction: “Jing’er rarely has such grand ambition, it should resound in the world!”

He added: “Yuzhi, your cultivation is not enough, your vision is insufficient, don’t rashly interfere with him.”

Miao Yuzhi dared not object and lowered her head in a bow: “Understood, Father.”

Then she sensibly said: “I’ll go to the kitchen to watch the soup.”

After Miao Yuzhi left, Bao Yi looked at his good grandson: “Your performance is too much, your tone is like reciting from a storybook. Did you know Grandpa was coming?”

Bao Xuanjing said with a serious small face: “Grandpa, you can’t speak to my mother like that in the future?”

“Why?” Bao Yi asked expressionlessly: “If she’s not right, can’t Grandpa criticize her?”

Bao Xuanjing said seriously: “But if you say it so directly, Mother will be sad.”

He looked up at the head of the Bao family: “The Miao family was originally not as good as my Bao family. Mother always lives cautiously and prudently. As a son, if I don’t respect her, then no one will respect her.”

“There’s some truth to what you say.” Bao Yi nodded: “Grandpa will pay attention next time.”

Bao Xuanjing then chuckled: “To answer Grandpa’s previous words—Grandson did indeed guess Grandpa was coming. Grandson was suddenly trapped in the Taixu Illusory Realm by Jing State. Grandpa must have been anxious, surely finding it hard to eat or drink these past few days. Upon hearing the news of grandson’s release, you would definitely rush here immediately. So grandson thought, I’d say some heroic words that Grandpa would love to hear, to avoid having to do extra homework! But they are indeed grandson’s true feelings!”

Bao Yi seemed to smile but didn’t, and let out a hum, then asked: “Did Jing State do anything excessive in the Taixu Illusory Realm? No one interrogated you, right?”

“With Jiang Zhenhe blocking in front, and a Taixu Dao Lord above, what could Jing State do?” Bao Xuanjing laughed: “Just confined me for three days, didn’t allow communication with the outside, but my cultivation wasn’t affected. They were also anxious!”

“At such a young age, you understand big country politics? You dare to speak nonsense and judge arbitrarily!” Bao Yi glared at him: “Before going to the Court Hearing Dao Heavenly Palace, what did Grandpa tell you?”

“Listen more, watch more, speak less.” Bao Xuanjing recited without missing a word, even mimicking the tone. Of course, he didn’t take a single word to heart: “I entered the Heavenly Palace just like a mute. When Jiang Zhenjun knocked to my front, I only let out two farts!”

“Oh?” Bao Yi became interested: “Jiang Zhenjun actively greeted you?”

Bao Xuanjing waved his hand: “He said something about being clever and lovely, having held me when I was young, and that in the next ten years he looks forward to me the most, and so on.”

Bao Yi, on the contrary, didn’t doubt it. He originally believed that ‘My grandson Xuanjing is born with a saintly nature, no less than Jiang Wang or Chongxuan Zun’. Of course, he would never tell Bao Xuanjing these words.

At this time, he also earnestly taught: “You must be polite to your Uncle Jiang, and you must handle your relationship with him well. You must be close, but not flatter. He is the kind of person who is qualified to follow his heart and is naturally not fond of people who are too worldly. Also, don’t lose your sense of propriety just because he appears peaceful. He is actually a very distant person…”

Bao Xuanjing listened seriously to the “Former Wuan Marquis Capture Handbook”, then shook his head: “It sounds so complicated! Getting along with people really is a great learning!”

“Learn slowly.” Bao Yi smiled slightly: “You should be fortunate that you were born into the Bao clan. There are not many people in this world worth you treating so seriously!”

“I hope there are fewer.” Bao Xuanjing clicked his tongue: “Because getting along with people like this is really very tiring!”

“That depends on how much effort you put in and what position you can reach.” Bao Yi didn’t miss the opportunity to express his expectation.

“I’m only eight years old! I can’t eat expectation as food!” Bao Xuanjing’s clever eyes rolled: “Instead, you, Grandpa, you are only over seventy years old, exactly in your striving age!”

Bao Yi laughed in amusement: “How can Grandpa still strive?”

Bao Xuanjing shook his head: “Grandson is not talented, I am now the first young man in Linzi—”

“You are only eight years old! At such a young age— alright, you continue.” Bao Yi couldn’t help but interrupt, but then retreated under his grandson’s reproachful gaze.

Bao Xuanjing continued item by item: “I heard Bowang Marquis’s lady is already with child. When this child is born, Dingyuan Marquis is his uncle-ancestor, Chongxuan Fenghua is his paternal uncle, Jiang Zhenhe is at least a godfather— I might not be able to compare with him!”

He blinked his eyes: “We are still opposing families!”

Bao Yi waved his hand: “Looking across the entire present world, there are not few families with this kind of background. What are you staring at others for!”

Furthermore, it’s not necessarily true that anything will be born. What if it’s another Mingguang?

“Yan Da Shao is also going to marry. He’ll soon have a child too.” Bao Xuanjing counted with his fingers: “Once this child is born, his great-grandfather is the former prime minister, his maternal grandfather is a court discussing doctor… Ho, Jiang Zhenhe is his godfather again.”

Bao Yi slapped his forehead: “You young people compare family background? You compare yourselves! Look at that Jiang Zhenhe, what kind of family background does he have? What is he like now?”

“Oh.” Bao Xuanjing closed his mouth aggrievedly.

Looking at his clever grandson’s small face wrinkled into a ball, even a person like Bao Yi couldn’t help but reflect—could it be that the old man was not working hard enough, only letting the child have such a lack of confidence?

Your Bao clan is already a family of three lords!

To be further sealed as a hereditary marquis, it cannot be achieved without heavenly timing, earthly advantage, and human unity.

Furthermore, that extraordinary and absolute peak realm, is it something that can be achieved through effort?!

“Some things are not convenient for Grandpa to say directly to your mother.” Shuofang Bo felt quite weary. He only wanted to finish things quickly, go wandering around, relax, and also see if there were any opportunities to build merit and establish industry…

His clever grandson is right, he is indeed still in his striving age. If he can put in some effort, then he will.

He said deliberately: “I heard she has been interacting very closely with a woman from the Liu clan recently. You can pretend to inadvertently advise her, just say that Grandpa doesn’t like Fufeng Liu. If you say that, with her nature, she will naturally distance herself from her.”

Bao Xuanjing first nodded obediently in agreement, then asked: “Is Auntie Liu not good? She has established many businesses in Linzi over the years, and behind her, she has the Master of Huaying Palace… Grandpa, why do you not want my mother to associate with her?”

Bao Yi, on the contrary, didn’t mind his grandson always asking why. He was very willing to teach him everything he could! At that moment, he simply said: “Grandpa remembers, your mother and Wen Tinglan are close friends in the boudoir?”

Bao Xuanjing was inwardly shocked, knowing what mistake his stupid mother had made, and he was also caught in the dark!

How could Miao Yuzhi be close friends with Wen Tinglan in the boudoir, and at the same time be close to Liu Xiuzhang?

These two people, from personality to handling affairs and even their usual social circles, were completely different.

Liu Xiuzhang was now often in places of wind and moon, welcoming and sending off officials and merchants of all roads. Wen Tinglan’s social range was limited to literati elegant gatherings, and the people around her were all famous ladies.

The most important barrier lay in Yan Fu!

Adult social etiquette was originally about minding one’s own business. This was also the reason he had overlooked it—but it didn’t include women trapped by love.

Although there was no problem on Wen Tinglan’s side.

But wasn’t this the biggest problem?

Because of Liu Xiuzhang’s matters, Wen Tinglan might not have caused less trouble. Initially, there was a sit-in at the Yan family, and Yan Fu and Jiang Wang rushed overnight to Fufeng County to clarify the relationship. This matter might have spread widely in Linzi.

He blinked his eyes and said innocently: “Because Auntie Liu and Auntie Wen’s relationship is not good, so Mother flatters both sides, but in reality, she flatters neither side?”

“You can understand it that way for now.” Bao Yi patiently taught his grandson: “As for other reasons, you can think about them after you grow up.”

“I’m already eight years old!” Bao Xuanjing timely showed innocence, and then innocently and unintentionally said: “Right, Grandpa, what is Ba Fu?”

“Ba Fu?” Bao Yi looked at him seriously: “How did you know?”

“I once heard Auntie Liu and Mother talking. She was always investigating some case that seemed related to some Liu Shentong, and then they talked about Ba Fu. I didn’t quite understand… The Master of Huaying Palace was also there at the time.” Bao Xuanjing looked very nervous: “Grandpa, did I say something wrong?”

Bao Yi suddenly stood up!

But he quickly controlled his emotions and lightly straightened his clothes.

“No, you didn’t say anything wrong.” He touched his clever grandson’s head: “Keep this matter in your heart, and don’t tell anyone else.”

Shuofang Bo had experienced winds and waves in his life and had personally sent away his last son, but in front of his only remaining grandson, he still couldn’t help but show warmth: “Good child, the opportunity for you to inherit the marquisate may have appeared…”

“Grandpa?” Bao Xuanjing looked ignorant.

He was now increasingly aware of the benefits of being a small child and enjoyed it somewhat. Small children were usually not on guard and could hear many secrets, and they could also effectively play dumb.

“Study hard, Grandpa will come back and check.” Bao Yi patted him, then went out with hurried steps.

“Eh? Still have to study?” Bao Xuanjing’s small face was bitter: “Oh dear!”

Bao Yi had been gone for a long time, and his expression hadn’t softened.

Nine Palaces Heavenly Cry, Ba Fu Immortal Palace, didn’t he get a share?

To be honest, this trip to the Court Hearing Dao Heavenly Palace was a loss compared to going to his grandmother’s house!

Once, there was a rich ritual gift from a god, related to the provisions of the present world’s gods, just placed in front of him.

Cangtu God was silent, and the Original Heaven God was like a dog. He was the person in this world most qualified to enjoy it!

But he was precisely trapped in the Taixu Illusory Realm!

Jing State was watching, the Taixu Dao Lord was watching, the Taixu Cabinet members were watching, and he could only watch and miss this time.

Just watching Gu Shiyi fail again in impacting the present world’s god, watching the Original Heaven God wear the crowns of various gods—if it were him, this step would have been so glorious. How could it be like the Original Heaven God, finally putting on shackles himself and being confined to Tianma Plain?

If he were a free body, he would have too many ways to get a share. Provisions from transcendent-level gods, even if just a share, would have absolutely great benefits for the future road.

He could eat the effect of several hundred mouths of that waste Original Heaven God in one mouth.

But he missed it perfectly.

All this was just because Jiang Wang built a Court Hearing Dao Heavenly Palace, saying something about spreading the Dao to the world, and he went to pretend to be cute and innocent and listen to a class!

Too expensive a tuition fee!

Time and fate too.

Having been born from a Dao fetus, a genuine spirit of the present world, he still felt a kind of being targeted by the will of heaven in the dark.

What, did he take a wrong step in the Source Sea, and was difficultly made into a bastard son of the way of heaven?

Bao Xuanjing rubbed his eyebrows and walked painfully to his desk, spread out paper and pen, and obediently began to make up his homework.

In that unobservable, unable to observe deep place of thought, was a vast and incomparable blood sea.

Waves surged in the center of the blood sea, and a mountain of corpses of magnificent scale emerged.

A huge bone hand, in a supporting posture, reached out from the mountain of corpses!

Its palm facing the sky, its five fingers like mountains.

That was the majestic white bone god seat!

On that white bone god seat, an indifferent Bao Xuanjing, draped in a divine robe, sat firmly.

“Give me all the intelligence on Xiyue Nunnery.”

He instructed indifferently: “The key is a nun named ‘Yuzhen’.”

He added: “Besides, there was a Kurong Courtyard in Qi country before. Give me the related intelligence on Kurong Courtyard.”

Within the mountain of corpses, several complete corpses swayed and crawled out, planting their heads one by one and leaping into the blood sea. Corresponding to this, within the present world, one by one normal people suddenly developed a sense of mission, a strong curiosity, and an urgent desire to know the answers to some questions. Thus, they acted accordingly.

It had been eight years!

As a Nether Transcendent gradually recovered his vision, the operations of these eight years had already surpassed the lifetime of many strong individuals.

In Linzi City, under the emperor’s feet, he dared not do anything too excessive. But the eyes that should be planted were planted early, one by one.

This trip to the Court Hearing Dao Heavenly Palace, it couldn’t really be a waste, could it?