Chapter 25: Shaoshao’s Grievance

A gentle knocking sounded at the door, and Shao Shao rose to answer it.

“Sister—ah—it’s the King—” Upon seeing the troublesome uncle, Shao Shao quickly retreated.

He chuckled—her reaction only made the plump uncle more enthusiastic.

“King, you should leave—no, I’ll leave instead—” Though Shao Shao’s spiritual power amounted to over a thousand, making her a first-class expert whose strike could unleash hundreds of spiritual energy, at this moment, she was as meek as a lamb, showing no intention to resist.

Lin Shu shook his head with a smile, no longer advancing upon her.

“Have you forgotten the orders and tasks the Eastern Emperor gave you, Shao Siming? I went to great lengths to spare Dongjun and so many disciples of the Yin-Yang School, all for the sake of you.”

“You came here, so you must have agreed, right?”

The task! The Eastern Emperor’s words immediately surfaced in her mind, and the panicked Shao Shao gradually calmed down.

Seeing her resigned demeanor, Lin Shu knew the Eastern Emperor Taiyi had surely had ulterior motives.

Though his heart ached for her, the plump uncle could not help but embrace Shao Shao at once.

Eyes closed, Shao Siming did not struggle fiercely; even her reflexive wooden arts failed to take effect.

The girl was frail, likely because the Yin-Yang School’s meals were not much to speak of.

Her delicate frame made Lin Shu feel even more tender toward her.

“Shao Shao, do you know? In my past life, I loved you for ten years! I adore you, but in this life, I won’t force you to do anything!”

Shao Siming had just breathed a sigh of relief, then became utterly bewildered, as if struck by lightning.

Moved, Lin Shu kissed her deeply, his hands greedily exploring—nowhere escaped his touch.

A few minutes later, his excitement forced him to stop.

Shao Shao trembled, her face glistening with tears, yet she made not a sound.

“Sigh!” Lin Shu pressed one last kiss upon her and released her. Love cannot be compelled; to force it is no love at all.

“Shao Siming, from now on you must not practice wooden arts. You can learn the arts of the Moon Goddess and Jingni. Afterwards, I shall appoint you as the Empire’s Saintess, responsible for overseeing the Empire’s Correction Office. If, after six years, you still wish to leave, then go—but you must never return to the Yin-Yang School.”

Having spoken, Lin Shu turned away in disappointment. In the end, his ordinary appearance did not win her true affection.

“Rest assured, I won’t touch you again.”

Before he could reach the door, Lin Shu vanished.

“By your command!”

After speaking, Shao Shao felt utterly drained. She squatted on the floor, hugging her knees in silence. The king’s love burned hot, his terrifying presence etched into her like a tattoo, lingering and hard to dispel.

Finally embracing Shao Shao as he wished, Lin Shu felt both joy and regret. Yet he did not regret his actions; the passionate kiss gave closure to a love from a past life, and refraining from forcing her was his respect for both her and Jingni.

Feeling somewhat empty, Lin Shu considered visiting his wife Jingni in the army camp.

But upon stepping off the carriage, Xinying’s voice immediately sounded in his mind.

[Commander, please do not leave the ship by more than one hundred meters, or rescue will be impossible!]

Now Lin Shu was but a weakling; even a wild warrior could easily defeat him.

“Sigh! Better not,” Lin Shu smiled wryly and halted.

[Rest assured, Commander. Once the ship upgrades again, it will be able to absorb spiritual energy, and your body may then become spiritualized. The current steam armored car cannot withstand the experts of this world.]

After living long in a world of spiritual energy, even a pig’s body contained considerable power.

Once the body is spiritualized, it can absorb and store energy, and strengthen bones and cells.

“Xinying, why didn’t you mention this before?”

[Commander, the ship has been attempting to absorb and analyze spiritual energy. The possibility of spiritualizing your body has only recently been theorized.]

“Xinying, so you want to use me for experiments!”

Lin Shu smiled bitterly, realizing true cultivation would take more time.

[Rest assured, Commander. Xinying will never let you take risks.]

The ship was now fully bound to its commander; if Lin Shu died, the ship would fall into eternal slumber, eventually erased by the spiritual world, never to awaken again.

Of all, Xinying worried most for Lin Shu’s safety.

“Xinying, if steam cars won’t suffice, let’s design steam mechas. I can’t sit in a carriage every day!”

Recalling the Mohist’s ability to craft mechanisms, Lin Shu thought of the mecha concept from future eras.

After some calculations, Xinying replied.

[Commander, steam mechas pose no difficulty, but the smallest humanoid mecha must be at least five meters tall, weighing tens of tons, or else its speed, defense, and maneuverability will be weak.]

“Five meters tall is fine, but that’s heavy! If it rains, it might not work well.”

[Indeed, Commander. You could also use beast-type mechas, with a minimum design of four meters long and over two meters tall.]

Two mecha projections appeared before Lin Shu’s eyes. The quadruped beast-type mecha offered stable performance, while the humanoid mecha was more imposing.

After some thought, Lin Shu made up his mind. “Xinying, integrate the manufacturing plans at once. Tomorrow we’ll go mining in the mountains for materials.”

[Yes, Commander. Integration and calculation will be finished in one minute.]

Perhaps uneasy about her husband and Shao Shao staying in the divine carriage, Jingni and the Moon Goddess soon returned from the army camp.

Just then, they saw Lin Shu nodding repeatedly atop the carriage platform.

“Husband, what are you doing?”

Lin Shu turned. “Wife, Little Moon, you’re back.”

Jingni nodded, “Yes, all the centurions and captains have become much more proficient, I need not teach much anymore.”

As the chief of the tribe and the army’s chief instructor, Jingni had organized several saber and spear techniques for the troops, along with some body-training arts practiced by assassins of the Net.

If the three Swordmasters of the Net knew Jingni was gradually handing out the Net’s secret techniques, they would surely be furious.

Upon entering the compartment, the rear door remained, and would always remain from now on.

Returning to the living area, the Moon Goddess and Jingni went to knock on Shao Siming’s door.

Feeling guilty, Lin Shu hurried back to his room, but also had Xinying eavesdrop.

Bang bang bang—another gentle knock, frightening Shao Shao into squatting and hugging herself.

“Who? Who is it?” Shao Siming had just cleaned away the dirty handprints and sweat, and dared not let the troublesome uncle in again.

The girl’s voice was anxious and weak; Jingni frowned and called, “Shao Shao, it’s your sisters.”

“Ah, sisters, I’ll open the door!”

“Sister, you’re finally back,” Shao Shao relaxed completely.

At this moment, her hair was freshly dried by her internal force, still showing signs of a recent bath.

“So you were bathing!” Jingni smiled, thinking no more of it.

Shao Siming smiled bitterly and nodded, “Yes, sister! I’m so glad you’re back!”

The sharp-eyed Moon Goddess, familiar with Shao Siming, sensed the girl was deeply aggrieved, as though she had been bullied.

“Shao Shao, what happened to your eyes? Did brother-in-law bully you?”

Startled, Shao Siming immediately shook her head, “No, the King didn’t bully me!”

Carefully inspecting her body and legs for abnormalities, Jingni was reassured.

“Shao Shao, when we’re alone, just call him brother-in-law. Earlier, your brother-in-law and I discussed arranging some tasks for you—would you be willing?”

Shao Siming didn’t hesitate, nodding at once. She remembered: the King had said she would become the Empire’s Saintess, overseeing the Correction Office.

“Good, that’s settled! The Empire needs people now! We simply don’t have enough hands!” The shortage of talent troubled Jingni. With hundreds of thousands of citizens and tens of thousands of soldiers, the couple could not manage alone.

An empire! The Moon Goddess grew excited. After all, the Seven Kingdoms of the Central Plains were mere kingdoms; the title of Emperor belonged only to the ancient Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.