Longevity starts from having a daughter in old age

The affectionate scene between the two of them made the surrounding officials and nobles quite taken aback.

Both Mu Chen and Sheng TieFeng, as Martial Arts Grandmasters, hold positions of immense power and importance, with numerous forces backing them. Even when meeting the emperor, they would not act this enthusiastically.

Now, everyone was not only curious about Xu Mu’s identity, but also becoming more intrigued by Yin Wen and his companions.

Although Yin Wen had visited a few times before, his status was relatively low, and none in the crowd recognized him.

Even if someone did recognize him, they probably wouldn’t dare to confirm it.

“You two are too kind. We just said it casually, there’s no need to take it too seriously.” Yin Wen politely refused.

A few sets of clothes might not be significant gifts for the two grandmasters, but they would indeed hold considerable weight for the trio. Accepting them might imply a reciprocal gesture of help in the future which could cause trouble.

When that time comes, should they refuse or not?

The three of them could not offer much help, except if it involved Xu Mu. If such actions upset Xu Mu, they were not capable of dealing with the consequences.

So, no matter what the favor, they dare not casually agree unless Xu Mu gave his consent.

At this time, Xu Mu suddenly spoke: “It’s rare to come here. You three go ahead and explore the city at your leisure. You’ve had little time to yourselves following me all this time.”

He planned to devote some time to reading later on, and having the trio around would not serve much purpose.

“Master…”

Clearly, the three of them dared not accept it readily and even felt a bit uneasy.

They worried whether Xu Mu had taken offense to their close interactions with Mu Chen and Sheng TieFeng and was saying these things as a reprimand.

However, after Xu Mu raised his hand, the three immediately fell silent.

Because this was Xu Mu’s principle. His words, even if they were hurting, could not be refused or contradicted.

Once they entered the city, the three could only follow Sheng TieFeng and the others with trepidation, while only Xiao Tian Yuan accompanied Xu Mu to the library.

As for the group of distinguished officials and aristocrats, they naturally followed Sheng TieFeng and his crew.

As for Xiao Tian Yuan, they wouldn’t dare to follow him simply because they weren’t qualified enough to curry favor with him.

Which is to say, they didn’t even stand a chance to strike up a conversation.

Setting aside Xu Mu’s visit to the library, Zhang Ergou thoroughly enjoyed his time.

Without Xu Mu and Xiao Tian Yuan around, the atmosphere in the group changed dramatically, becoming much more relaxed and less formal.

Even though Sheng TieFeng and Mu Chen were Martial Arts Grandmasters, they conducted themselves in a very cordial manner, showing no regard for the trio’s status. They even addressed Zhang Ergou, a great martial master, and Yang Jiang, a War King, as brothers.

For Zhang Ergou, there was nothing to it. Although Yang Jiang and Yin Wen had told him about the grandeur of the Martial Ancestor, he had yet to truly feel it, so he didn’t have any profound feelings towards their enthusiasm.

Yang Jiang, on the other hand, was genuinely taken aback.

Even though he thought that following Xu Mu might one day allow him to reach the level of Martial Ancestor, that was in the future. The reverence for the Martial Arts Grandmasters had already been ingrained deeply into his bones. Now that two of the top Martial Ancestors suddenly treated him like a close friend, it was a bit too much for him to adapt to all at once.

Only Yin Wen coped a bit better and was able to respond more smoothly.

Time is the greatest healer. As time passed, Yang Jiang and Zhang Ergou gradually adjusted.

While Xu Mu secluded himself in the library, the trio effectively acted as his representatives. Coupled with Xiao Tian Yuan’s instructions, the dignitaries of the City of Daxia showed extreme warmth towards the trio.

Every day, either a Martial Ancestor or a prince or princess would come to visit. Even the Emperor of the Great Summer met with them on several occasions, treating them each time with respect and as equals.

He even bestowed upon each of them a wonderfully located mansion.

If these estates were to be sold, they would fetch at least ten thousand jin, and without a certain status, even having wealth wouldn’t guarantee one such a house.

Additionally, a large number of carefully selected servants were assigned to them.

At this point, Zhang Ergou was truly living the life of a master.

And those maids, so beautiful, he couldn’t resist them in the end.

Yang Jiang and Yin Wen, who were once high-ranking individuals with their own servants, managed to adapt to this situation quite quickly.

Aside from the Emperor’s rewards, all sorts of gifts flooded their courtyards when nobles and martial arts grandmasters came to visit. They wouldn’t dare to arrive empty-handed.

Because Xu Mu was reading undisturbed in the library, the three of them couldn’t consult him about minor matters like this.

But the gifts were just too numerous. They couldn’t refuse them, especially because many of them were thrust upon them forcefully. Even if they wanted to, they had no idea who to return them to.

Luckily, Yin Wen, shrewd as she was, thought of something. She knew that Xu Mu needed various kinds of ores and the essence blood of wild beasts, so she spread the word that these two types of gifts were acceptable. All others were to be refused.

This way, when Xu Mu finally left seclusion, they would have accepted gifts on his behalf. Even if other people sought their help later, they wouldn’t be able to blame Xu Mu’s party.

Yang Jiang was full of praise for this plan.

Besides the gifts and various rewards, what was left was pure enjoyment.

High-ranking officials, nobles, and even the Emperor regularly invited them to banquets and events. The level of luxury was dizzying.

Even Yin Wen was incredibly amazed.

She had experienced many high-end pleasures, but compared to the elites of Da Xia’s capital city, she felt like a country bumpkin.

It truly showed the lavish lifestyle of the rich.

The three of them tried to restrain themselves, but they nearly got sucked in.

Luckily, Sheng TieFeng and Mu Chen were there to remind them quietly, so the nobles didn’t dare to scheme against them.

Otherwise, the three would have been consumed without even their bones left.

After all, how could they compete with the cunning old foxes of the capital, who spent every day scheming and plotting?

As a result of this baptism, the trio lost much of their naivety and gained a touch of authority.

Time flew, and in just over ten days, Xu Mu, who had been immersed in the library, had finally almost finished all the books.

The reason it took so long was partly that there were so many books, and the supply kept coming from outside the city.

For Xiao TianYuan, as long as Xu Mu kept quiet, he would try his best to gather all kinds of books for him.

After all, compared to finding treasures or beautiful women, collecting books was much simpler and easier.

Also, Xu Mu wasn’t too picky about the books he wanted. Besides the hardest-to-find martial arts knowledge books, he accepted all kinds of niche literature.

So, it was much easier to collect for him this way.

Because of Xu Mu, a trend of writing and collecting books surged through the whole canyon, and the literary standards even saw a significant improvement.

On the other hand, as he couldn’t use his Divine Intent, even with his superior memory, he had to flip through the pages one by one.

That’s why most of the past ten days were wasted on turning pages.

However, the speed with which he read the books was already quite miraculous in this world.

To finish reading tens of thousands of books in just over ten days was like a fairytale for ordinary people.

Due to the cultivation system in this world, progress in cognitive skills was limited. Although powerful martial artists had improved memory, they could never attain Xu Mu’s monstrous level.

Although continuous streams of books were still being delivered, most of them were anecdotal and hastily written. He didn’t bother reading these.

The reason he read these random books wasn’t because he was bored. Instead, he wanted to explore the secrets of this world and find a way to leave.

“I can’t stay in this world for too long!”