"Holy crap, God!" Lin Mo was both amused and exasperated.

That makes some sense; the system itself could be considered a god.

The so-called gods on Earth refer to the creators and rulers of heaven and earth and all things, beings that exist above humankind.

Of course, whether the system within Lin Mo has life is worth exploring.

"It's good that you thought of it this way, otherwise it would be really hard to explain!" Lin Mo thought to himself.

The main faith in this world is still gods and Buddhas. In the very distant ancient times, there were many, varied and chaotic gods worshipped in this world.

Later, a great figure similar to Qin Shi Huang emerged, conquering a vast territory and, just like Qin Shi Huang, forcibly unifying thought.

It has led the vast majority of people in the world to believe in gods and Buddhas.

The faceless god that He Xiao worshipped was one of many gods in ancient times. The faceless god had many names. In Qiuzi, it was the "evil god"; in Dashi, it was the "night god".

In Great Xia, he is "Death!"

“Your Highness, don’t tell me you worship gods and Buddhas.” He Xiao continued, “Using tens of thousands of his own men as bait to kill 400,000 Dostoevsky Allied troops, this is not the work of gods and Buddhas.”

"Ancient gods!" Lin Mo simply made it up.

Unexpectedly, this answer made He Xiao burst into laughter. "Hahaha, just as I thought!" he laughed. "Only the representatives of the Old Gods on Earth could have such a bloodthirsty heart!"

Just from the name "Old God," Lin Mo could guess the general idea without relying on the original body's memories.

Since it's old, it must have been replaced and overthrown by the current Buddha.

The Old Gods were the earliest gods worshipped by the people of this world.

They used towering trees as the "vessel" for the old gods, painting faces on the trees and arranging them into the shape of "gods" for worship.

Simply put, the so-called Old Gods are "the gods of the forest!"

Much like on Earth, ancient people evolved from tree-dwelling "monkeys".

Out of reverence for nature, it is perfectly reasonable to worship the "god of the forest".

Lin Mo could guess perfectly well why He Xiao was interpreting things this way.

Whether it's the faceless god or the forest god, they are both "outdated" products that have been replaced by "Buddha".

He Xiao was so devout and principled that he must believe Lin Mo was the representative of the old gods on earth.

What are the Old Gods up to? Do we even need to guess?

Let's take back our territory!

Whether the faceless gods of ancient times were allies with the Old Gods is no longer important.

He Xiao understood the principle that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Therefore, when he heard Lin Mo utter the words "Old Gods," he replied without hesitation, "Your Highness, shall I lend you a hand?"

"Tsk tsk tsk! I just got a teammate for free?" Lin Mo thought to himself, "Why not take advantage of freebies? After getting rid of Wei Maozhen, He Xiao and his Xuanhua Palace will be of great use to me."

But right now, in his eyes, I am God's spokesperson.

It has to be high-class; you can't just agree to anything.

Thinking of this, he then asked, "What can you do for me?"

"Your Highness, with just a word from you, Wei Maozhen will die a violent death within three days!"

The claim of three days is somewhat exaggerated, but I believe he could assassinate Wei Maozhen.

"Just kill her? This is a piece of cake for me!"

Lin Mo wasn't bragging.

As long as he sees Wei Maozhen, he can just swarm him with a dozen "Nightmare Cavalry" right in the face, which is just like slaughtering a pig, isn't it?

Upon hearing this, He Xiao immediately frowned.

After thinking for a moment, He Xiao steeled his resolve and continued, "Your Highness, the entire Xuanhua Palace, and I myself, are at your disposal!"

"Hehehe," Lin Mo's lips curled up slightly, "Take it down!"

"Then what do you want me to do for you?"

“Your Highness, you should know!” He Xiao hinted.

Lin Mo could certainly guess what was going on. "Alright, I agree!"

And so, the cooperation was reached happily.

"May I ask Your Highness, is there anything I need to do for you tomorrow, the Lantern Festival?" He Xiao asked again. "Wei Maozhen has no intention of letting you off easily."

"Nothing needs to be done!" Lin Mo said. "I have my own way!"

After thinking for a moment, he changed his words and said, "If Lord Sun and his daughter are here, then I will trouble He Xiao to ensure their safety!"

"It's no big deal!"

~~~

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the weather turned bad. The morning was sunny, but by the afternoon it started to pour rain.

Wei Maozhen arranged the engagement ceremony for the evening. When Lin Mo walked out of the residence, it was already dusk, and the streets were quiet and deserted.

The Imperial Guards escorted him through the palace gates. He looked up and saw several guards in golden cloaks patrolling back and forth.

The royal residence is located to the east of the palace. It is a huge square inner city, hidden deep in the heart of the capital, surrounded by walls several meters thick.

Soon, the royal residence appeared in the torrential rain, and as people approached, the yin energy gradually condensed and took shape.

Through the pouring rain, Lin Mo discovered that there were more Imperial Guards here than he had expected.

The Great Xia Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon Banner was soaked through with water and hung on the pole, so that its color was no longer visible.

In fact, at this moment, the whole world seemed to have turned gray.

"Your Highness, you must be careful," He Xiao, disguised, warned. "Don't eat or drink anything indiscriminately... otherwise, even I, He, cannot protect you."

"Don't worry, I'm not hungry, just a little wet..." Lin Mo said, "I wonder if the furnace in the Great Xia Imperial Palace will explode?"

“Wei Maozhen doesn’t believe in the Red God, so he’ll be fine!” He Xiao joked.

Soon, Lin Mo and He Xiao arrived at their destination.

Four Imperial Guards in magnificent armor appeared; each of them was tall, imposing, and incredibly dignified.

"Welcome, Your Highness, King of Shu!" The leader was tall and handsome, with flowing black hair and a striking appearance.

This man was none other than Zheng Changqing, the new favorite of Empress Wei Maozhen.

"Lord Zheng!" Lin Mo replied, "You are indeed as rumored, handsome and promising young!"

“Compared to His Highness the Prince of Shu, I am still far inferior!” Zheng Changqing said. “Your Highness, it seems you are late.”

"The rain was too heavy, which delayed our journey," Lin Mo said. "His Majesty's Imperial Guards were worried that I would get lost, so they wouldn't let me ride too fast."

"Oh?" Zheng Changqing smiled. "The capital has indeed been quite turbulent lately, and Your Highness's comfort is of utmost importance to us."

As he spoke, Zheng Changqing gestured for them to come in, "Please come in quickly."

Upon entering the banquet hall, the first thing you see is Wei Maozhen holding a cup in the center of the hall.

We meet again, Empress!

The empress wore a dragon robe, a gold ring inlaid with jewels on her hand, and a matching dragon crown on her head.

A dozen or so Imperial Guards stood on either side of the Empress. They were dressed in exquisite armor, with long swords hanging at their waists.

"Does this many Imperial Guards really need to be brought to the banquet?" Lin Mo thought to herself. "Yes, you're the Empress; there are always troublemakers who might try to harm you. Bringing more bodyguards is definitely the right thing to do."

When Lin Mo stopped, Ling Tiande stood up and said, "Welcome, King of Shu of Great Xia."