Looking at the condensed green crystal in his palm, Li Daoyi was somewhat puzzled.
"What is this thing?"
"Scan the system," Li Daoyi hurriedly said.
"The scanning and identification process requires one million points."
Li Daoyi rolled his eyes upon hearing this.
"One million? So I've worked for nothing all day? What the hell is this thing? The appraisal fee is the same as the War God Manual?" Li Daoyi was somewhat shocked.
"Dao Yi, what is this?" At this moment, Dongfang Bubai and Xiaolongnu also came over and examined the strange stone that was glowing.
"I don't know either," Li Daoyi replied, still undecided about whether to have it tested.
"Boom..."
Suddenly the ground shook, and the Qilin turned around and poked its head down. Mengmeng took the opportunity to jump onto Li Daoyi's head.
"Eeya?"
The little guy tilted his head, blinked, and stared at the stone, lost in thought.
"What? You know her?" Li Daoyi reached out his left hand and picked Mengmeng up.
"Hmm..." Mengmeng bit her finger, as if she was recalling something.
Suddenly, the little guy's eyes lit up, and he said happily.
"I know, it's a space stone."
“A space stone…” Li Dao was stunned for a moment. Then he looked at Mengmeng in confusion, wondering how this girl knew about it.
"Mengmeng, how did you know?" Long'er asked.
"Whoosh..."
"Click..."
"Smack, smack..."
In the blink of an eye, Li Daoyi's right hand was empty; the stone had vanished, and he immediately heard a crisp cracking sound and a chewing sound.
"Ah, Mengmeng, you can't eat this!" Long'er exclaimed.
"Wow..." Li Daoyi also exclaimed.
"Click..."
"Smack, smack..."
The little girl was holding the green stone with her chubby hands and gnawing on it, just like she was eating a cookie.
“Delicious…” Mengmeng said.
Li Daoyi swallowed hard, and a chill ran through him.
"The appraisal fee is one million, so this thing is worth at least ten million. Are we just going to eat it like this?" Li Daoyi looked helpless.
However, he quickly lifted the little girl up in front of him with both hands and examined her closely.
"Hmm...? Smack smack." Mengmeng looked at Li Daoyi in confusion, but her little mouth kept eating.
"She's fine." After observing for a while, until Mengmeng finished eating the stones and he didn't find anything unusual about her body, Li Daoyi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Dongfang Bubai picked Mengmeng up and gently patted her little bottom a few times.
"Why are you so naughty? What if you get an upset stomach?"
"Mengmeng, you should ask before you eat next time," the two girls said with a hint of reproach.
"Hehe, I just can't resist. This thing seems really tempting to me," Mengmeng said with a grin.
Although Li Daoyi felt a little heartbroken, this thing was not his original purpose for coming here; it was an unexpected gain, and now that it's gone, so be it.
However, he became increasingly curious about Mengmeng's identity. Although he had never come into contact with a space stone, he knew that space and time were top-level laws in the myriad worlds and could not be easily accessed. Yet Mengmeng was able to ignore the rules and eat it directly. One could imagine how extraordinary this child was.
"Ugh...Taoist brother, I'm sleepy." Suddenly, Mengmeng rubbed her eyes and then snuggled into Dongfang Bubai's arms, wanting to sleep.
"Alright, let's go out." Li Daoyi nodded.
"What should we do with this big guy?" Long'er asked.
Li Daoyi looked at the enormous creature behind him, a Qilin.
"This..." He was also stumped.
"Little Black, shrink." Mengmeng's voice came from that moment.
"Roar..."
The Qilin let out a few low roars.
Its body emitted bursts of dark green light, and its body began to slowly shrink.
"Oh, how could I forget about that?" Li Daoyi said. Even Niu Er could change size at will, so naturally Qilin could too.
As the light faded, a Qilin the size of a piglet appeared before them. It was so tiny and cute that it looked somewhat silly. The two horns on its head had disappeared, leaving two protrusions.
"So small."
Long'er bent down and picked up the Qilin.
Li Daoyi reached out and touched the Qilin, and the little guy comfortably squinted its eyes.
"Haha, interesting, let's go."
After saying that, Li Dao waved his hand, and the group flew out through the passage they had come from. However, what they did not know was that after they left the War God Temple space, the reliefs that had turned into dust gathered together again and floated in mid-air as before.
Soon, everyone left Jingyan Palace. Li Dao waved his hand and put the boulder back in its place.
A large blue ox was leisurely grazing not far away. After seeing the group of people, it slowly walked over.
"Niu Er, did I keep you waiting?" Li Daoyi said with a smile.
"Waaah..."
At this moment, the little Qilin in Xiaolongnu's arms suddenly made a sound.
"What's wrong?" Little Dragon Girl gently stroked it.
The Qilin began to struggle, crying out incessantly.
Then the Qilin broke free from Long'er's embrace and leaped directly to the ground.
The Qilin did not revert to its original form. Instead, it took small steps toward the Green Ox, and the two creatures, one large and one small, stopped a short distance away.
"Will everything be alright?" Dongfang Bubai asked.
Li Daoyi did not answer; he was also curious about what would happen.
"Moo..."
The green ox called out to the qilin.
Suddenly, the small Qilin's forelimbs knelt down, its rear end sticking up high.
"Woo woo..." Qilin cried out to Niu Er a few times.
"Submission..." The word flashed through Li Daoyi's mind.
The green ox lowered its head, sniffed the qilin's body, rubbed its chin against the qilin, and then nodded to the qilin.
"Woo..." The Qilin stood up happily, then hopped and skipped around Niu Er, looking very happy.
"What's going on here?" Li Daoyi was completely bewildered.
"Mengmeng is asleep," Dongfang Bubai whispered.
Li Dao looked over and, sure enough, the little girl was sleeping soundly with her finger in her mouth, looking very well-behaved and cute.
"It might be related to that stone." Given that Mengmeng had experienced a similar situation before, Li Daoyi was prepared.
The group flew onto the bull's back, and the Qilin leaped directly onto the bull's head, obediently lying down.
"Moo..."
A sudden gust of wind swept through the area, and the massive body of the blue ox vanished from its spot in an instant.
Daxing City was the capital of the Sui Dynasty.
Yang Guang has been back in the capital for several days now, and the entire court has been extremely busy. News has spread throughout the capital that the emperor is about to personally lead an expedition against Goguryeo. At this time, supplies are constantly being transported to the capital from all over the country via the Grand Canal.
In the imperial court, the ministers were engaged in a heated discussion.
"The Demonic Sect? No, how can we rely on them for military campaigns? This old minister objects to this."
"It's a good thing that the Demonic Sect is willing to submit to the imperial court. Moreover, these martial arts figures are quite useful, so we shouldn't refuse them. Besides, the late emperor once cooperated with the Demonic Sect when he was alive."
"The people of the martial arts world are unruly and difficult to control once they cause trouble, and the imperial court will find it hard to suppress them."
Several ministers were arguing among themselves about something related to the Demonic Sect.
It turns out that Shi Zhixuan told Zhu Yuyan that he wanted her to lead the Demonic Sect to help attack Goguryeo. After the last battle of Luoyang, the Yin Kui Sect was now the only powerful sect in the Demonic Sect. Zhu Yuyan wanted to integrate the Demonic Sect and restore it to its former glory. Assisting the court was an excellent opportunity. First, it could eliminate dissidents, and second, it could strengthen its own power and get closer to the court.
"quiet."
Yang Guang's voice rang out, and everyone immediately stopped arguing and looked towards the dragon throne.
"Lord Zhennan, Minister Pei, what are your thoughts on the Demonic Sect?" Yang Guang asked.
Song Que and Pei Ju stood at the forefront of the civil and military officials respectively. Even Yuwen Huaji could only obediently stand behind them. At this time, he already knew Pei Ju's true identity and dared not be disrespectful in the slightest. Of course, Yang Guang also knew this. He did not blame Shi Zhixuan for this and still allowed him to walk in the court as Pei Ju.
“Your Majesty, the Demonic Sect can be used, but we still need to establish three rules. After all, national affairs are not like those of the martial world, and cannot tolerate the slightest carelessness,” Song Que stepped forward and said, glancing specifically at Pei Ju beside him.
“What Lord Zhennan said makes sense. I am willing to personally go and supervise the Demonic Sect,” Pei Ju said, cupping his hands in greeting.
Yang Guang nodded in satisfaction, then his gaze fell on a grand chair in front of the court officials. Unlike the standing officials, an elderly man with white hair and a dignified face was sitting in the chair. The old man's eyes were closed, and he seemed to care nothing about what the people had just been discussing.
"Uncle, is there anything else you would like to add?" Yang Guang bowed slightly and asked respectfully.
This man was none other than Yang Lin, the Prince of Kao Shan.
Yang Lin slightly opened his eyes, a glint of shrewdness flashing within them.
“What you both say makes sense, but I have a question for Your Majesty.”
"Uncle, please ask."
Yang Guang immediately stood up, slowly walked down the steps, and came to Yang Lin's side.
"Money. Military campaigns cost money. Your Majesty has spent years building canals and opening official roads. How much money does the court have left? Even if the war against Goguryeo was enough, what about next? The court still has many places to wage war. If natural disasters or man-made calamities occur again, the local areas will also ask the court for money. Has Your Majesty ever thought about this?" Yang Lin said softly.
"This..." Yang Guang was stunned. He had naturally thought about money, but he hadn't thought this far ahead.
Song Que and Pei Ju exchanged a glance, their gazes towards Yang Lin now filled with more respect. As expected of the Prince of Kao Shan, his thoughts and ideas were extraordinary and far-sighted.
"The rainy season is coming soon in Henan, and the Yellow River may overflow again. Where will the money for its management come from? If we don't take action, it will inevitably lead to a popular uprising. Your Majesty shouldn't just focus on the war against Goguryeo; you should also think more about other things," Yang Lin said in a heavy tone.
Yang Guang stood aside like a child, nodding repeatedly. He wasn't thinking about all that; all his attention had been focused on the war against Goguryeo.
"Your Majesty's insight is truly remarkable. I will certainly consider it carefully, but what about the money?" Yang Guang said, frowning as he spoke.
“Your Majesty, how about we levy taxes on the nobles?” a minister suggested.
"No..."
"Absolutely not."
Immediately, more than half of the ministers present stepped forward to object.
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