"Have you finished reading?"
Seeing that Li Xuan was no longer looking at the contents of the scroll but had turned his gaze to him, Emperor Yongyuan asked casually before putting the scroll away.
After rolling up the scroll, he pressed his palm against it, and the scroll vanished.
At this moment, Li Xuan saw a ring on Emperor Yongyuan's middle finger; it was indeed the di hong bone ring.
However, the style was somewhat different from Li Xuan's; it was more rugged and larger in size.
"Look, I have one too."
Seeing Li Xuan's curious gaze fixed on his finger, Emperor Yongyuan extended his hand to show it to him.
Emperor Yongyuan's hand was very large; by spreading his fingers, he could cover most of Li Xuan's figure.
Li Xuan leaned in to look closely, then flicked his tail to bring the two di hong bone rings together.
Only then did he notice that the two di hong bone rings had different patterns on their surfaces.
His di hong bone ring had faint feather patterns, while Emperor Yongyuan's had patterns resembling hooves.
Then, Emperor Yongyuan tapped the di hong bone ring on his middle finger with his thumb, and a translucent barrier instantly appeared, shielding the two of them inside.
Emperor Yongyuan continued:
"Yours is the Feather Ring, and mine is the Hoof Ring."
"Compared to the Feather Ring, the Hoof Ring possesses greater space and some special abilities."
Emperor Yongyuan's voice began to echo; it was actually a barrier that isolated the inside from the outside.
Li Xuan looked at the di hong bone ring on Emperor Yongyuan's hand with wonder, appearing somewhat envious.
But looking at the barrier shielding the two of them, he couldn't help but glance at Zhao Feng outside, filled with pity.
It was one thing that Chief Steward Shang had sent him away earlier, but now Emperor Yongyuan had activated a barrier, clearly keeping secrets from Zhao Feng alone.
It seemed that even though he had reached the position of Chief of the Internal Affairs Bureau, he was still not qualified to know about the di hong bone ring.
Zhao Feng was looking down and naturally did not notice Li Xuan's gaze.
At this moment, Emperor Yongyuan's voice sounded again.
"The Great Xing Dynasty has a total of three di hong bone rings. Besides the ones on your hand and mine, there is another one in the hands of my Imperial Uncle."
Li Xuan's expression changed instantly; he seemed to have guessed what Emperor Yongyuan wanted him to do.
"This guy doesn't want me to help him steal his Imperial Uncle's di hong bone ring, does he?"
Seeing Li Xuan's expression, Emperor Yongyuan actually curled the corners of his mouth and said, "Don't be in a rush; now is not the time."
Li Xuan couldn't help but tilt his head; he hadn't expected him to actually have this idea.
But he immediately understood that Emperor Yongyuan, despite being an emperor, was not entirely unrestrained; otherwise, if he wanted something from his Imperial Uncle, couldn't he just ask for it?
"I want to tell you today that the di hong bone rings can sense each other, just like this."
As soon as Emperor Yongyuan finished speaking, Li Xuan's tail felt as if it had been electrocuted; his fur stood on end, and a series of shivers emanated from the di hong bone ring.
Moreover, through this strange sensation, Li Xuan immediately understood that the di hong bone ring on his tail was indicating the direction of the one on Emperor Yongyuan's hand, and from it came an impatient craving.
This craving had even begun to affect Li Xuan.
Just as Li Xuan was feeling unable to restrain himself, that special feeling disappeared again.
"Did you feel it?"
Emperor Yongyuan said, gently rubbing the di hong bone ring on his hand.
"The Hoof Ring can temporarily block this sensing, but the time it can be blocked each day is very limited, about a quarter of an hour."
"However, a single Feather Ring does not have this ability."
Hearing this, Li Xuan's eyes widened suddenly.
Wasn't this saying that in the eyes of other di hong bone ring holders, Li Xuan was constantly radiating this irresistible temptation?
Seeing Li Xuan's surprised expression, Emperor Yongyuan knew that he had realized the seriousness of the situation.
"That's right, so you must be careful in the future."
"If you are discovered by other holders of the di hong bone ring, they will definitely cut off your tail and steal this ring."
Li Xuan swallowed hard after hearing this.
But recalling the contents of the scroll earlier, he found that it only contained methods for binding and Fusion, with no record of how to unbind it.
Li Xuan meowed and glanced at the di hong bone ring on his tail, feeling something was amiss.
"Now, do you understand your situation?"
"Li Xuan."
After saying this, Emperor Yongyuan grinned, revealing his stark white teeth.
Only then did Li Xuan realize that his acquisition of the di hong bone ring seemed to have been deliberately arranged by Emperor Yongyuan.
"It's over, I seem to have been tricked onto a pirate ship!"
Li Xuan cried out in his heart that it was bad.
"Of course, you don't need to worry too much; it's still very safe in the Imperial Palace."
Emperor Yongyuan consoled.
Li Xuan breathed a sigh of relief at this.
Indeed, who would dare to snatch his di hong bone ring in the Imperial Palace?
Although the di hong bone ring was now worn on his tail, it nominally still belonged to the Great Xing Dynasty, and Emperor Yongyuan would not stand by and suffer such a loss.
Understanding this, Li Xuan felt a little more confident.
"At worst, I'll just stay in the palace for now."
"Once I have Cultivated enough, I'll just take Ankang and Yu'er out of the palace."
"I guess this counts as being forced to start the longevity path."
Li Xuan thought to himself and sighed secretly.
Ankang's Physique was improving day by day.
The only problem was whether the growth of Li Xuan's strength could keep up with the chill erupting within Ankang.
But just at this moment, Emperor Yongyuan added in a strange tone:
"But if you leave the palace, that might be a different story."
Li Xuan felt confused; not to mention he hadn't left the palace before, now that he knew about the mess with the di hong bone ring, he dared not go out even more.
However, Emperor Yongyuan would not speak without reason, but Li Xuan still couldn't quite figure out what he meant.
Seeing Li Xuan full of suspicion and wariness toward him, Emperor Yongyuan just smiled slightly without further explanation.
"Chief Steward Shang just wanted to tell you these things today, to make you more cautious in the future."
"As for the matter of the di hong bone ring, whether you tell Ankang or anyone else is entirely up to you."
Emperor Yongyuan believed that Li Xuan was not stupid; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to get on his desk today.
After bowing his head and pondering for a while, Li Xuan decided to keep the matter of the di hong bone ring to himself.
For such matters, the fewer people who know, the safer it is.
If Ankang and Yu'er knew, Li Xuan might end up implicating them instead.
The reason he didn't agree to Chief Steward Shang's conditions earlier was because he didn't know if the secret he wanted Li Xuan to keep would pose a threat to Ankang and Yu'er, so he hadn't agreed.
But now it seemed that even if Li Xuan had the choice to tell them, he would still hide this matter.
However, Emperor Yongyuan still hadn't answered the question he most wanted to know.
Li Xuan continued to write on the paper:
"Why give the di hong bone ring to me?"
"If I lose this ring, wouldn't you suffer a huge loss?"
Looking at the crooked handwriting on the paper, Emperor Yongyuan didn't mind at all; instead, he found it quite interesting.
Unexpectedly, Emperor Yongyuan said generously:
"It's just one di hong bone ring; I don't take it to heart."
Hearing this, Li Xuan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
He didn't even take a storage Magic Treasure related to the ancient Divine Beast Di Hong to heart?
Was Emperor Yongyuan just boasting, or did the Great Xing Dynasty really have such strength?
Li Xuan couldn't quite figure it out.
"Putting this ring under the Moon Yin Pond was merely to motivate the descendants of the royal family; it has been submerged at the bottom of the water for quite a long time."
"You just obtained it by chance; don't be too conceited."
Emperor Yongyuan shook his finger, a disdainful smile on his lips.
"Li Xuan, you are just a cat."
"I'm afraid you still don't have a clear understanding of the Great Xing Dynasty."
"Have you thought about one question?"
"There is a di hong bone ring under the Moon Yin Pond, so what might be under the Sun Flame Pond?"
"It will be the first day of next month soon, and the effects of the Sun Flame Pond will be at their peak then."
"Oh, that's right."
"Has anyone told you what happens if you reach the bottom of the Moon Yin Pond and the Sun Flame Pond?"
Emperor Yongyuan asked a series of questions on his own, causing Li Xuan to fall into deep thought involuntarily.
Especially the words about the Sun Flame Pond.
If what Emperor Yongyuan said was true, there might be treasures under the Sun Flame Pond that were no less inferior to the di hong bone ring.
As for the bottom-reaching issue mentioned by Emperor Yongyuan, Li Xuan had never heard Chief Steward Shang mention it at all.
Curiosity, immense curiosity, took root and sprouted in Li Xuan's heart, making him unable to stop.
But he knew that the more this was the case, the less he could show it.
Otherwise, he would be manipulated by Emperor Yongyuan.
Li Xuan pretended to be disdainful; since Emperor Yongyuan said he didn't care about this di hong bone ring, he didn't need to care even more.
Besides, what Emperor Yongyuan said made sense.
No one in the Imperial Palace would dare to snatch this di hong bone ring, so Li Xuan could just Cultivate in the palace with peace of mind.
As for the question of the Sun Flame Pond?
Fine, Li Xuan was really curious about what was under the Sun Flame Pond.
And if one were to reach the bottom of both ponds, what exactly would happen?
However, neither Li Xuan nor Emperor Yongyuan started to speak.
The man and the cat did not cast their gazes on each other, both looking completely indifferent.
"It seems Li Xuan is not interested, so let's stop here for today."
"I am tired, you may withdraw."
When Emperor Yongyuan said the last sentence, he released the barrier projected by the di hong bone ring, allowing his voice to spread out.
Chief Steward Shang and Zhao Feng heard this and respectfully accepted the order.
Seeing that he was really yawning and preparing to sleep, Li Xuan had to jump off the desk, preparing to go back with Chief Steward Shang.
He jumped back onto Chief Steward Shang's shoulder, watching Emperor Yongyuan walk into the depths of Ganlu Hall. By the time they came out, the lights inside had just gone out; it seemed Emperor Yongyuan had really gone to sleep.
"Inexplicable."
Li Xuan felt very unhappy.
This Emperor Yongyuan really stopped halfway through his words.
On the way back, Li Xuan meowed "meow woo, meow woo," rubbing against Chief Steward Shang incessantly.
After walking out of the range of Ganlu Hall, Chief Steward Shang couldn't help but laugh out loud, amused.
"Li Xuan, I told you to be arrogant."
"You dared to be rude in front of Your Majesty just now!"
Chief Steward Shang lectured with a straight Face.
The meow Li Xuan let out in Ganlu Hall just now had scared Chief Steward Shang and Zhao Feng so much their legs went weak.
It was fortunate that Emperor Yongyuan didn't hold it against him; otherwise, Li Xuan would likely have been in big trouble.
But thinking about it, facing a cat, Emperor Yongyuan probably wouldn't be embarrassed to take it seriously.
"I know you are curious about the Sun Flame Pond."
"But this is not the place to talk. Let's talk about it in detail when we get back."
Chief Steward Shang patted Li Xuan on his shoulder, telling him to stop fidgeting.
Hearing Chief Steward Shang say this, Li Xuan had to settle down.
However, seeing Zhao Feng looking at him from the side, he couldn't help but give him a pitying look.
"Li Xuan, why are you looking at me like that!"
Zhao Feng asked unconvinced.
He naturally knew why Li Xuan looked at him like that, but his seniority and level were not enough, so it was normal for him not to be able to access some secrets.
But being looked at like this by a cat was something no one could stand.
Especially for Zhao Feng, who cared extra about Face.
"You still dare to despise me? I think you don't know the immensity of heaven and earth again."
Seeing that they were already far from Ganlu Hall, Zhao Feng reached out to use his Qi to control Li Xuan and teach him a lesson.
However, as soon as his Qi approached Chief Steward Shang, it dissipated silently.
"Godfather, you won't help me either!"
Zhao Feng was furious.
"Ahem, Fenger, how old are you? Why do you always bully Li Xuan?"
Chief Steward Shang's words made Zhao Feng feel a chill in his heart.
"After so many years, has Godfather finally changed his heart?"
Zhao Feng said in a resentful tone, as if he had been abandoned.
Just then, a team of Imperial Guards happened to pass by.
Zhao Feng immediately restrained his expression, assuming the appearance of a cold and ruthless Grand Eunuch.
"You change your Face quite fast."
Li Xuan laughed secretly.
That team of Imperial Guards saw it was Chief Steward Shang and Zhao Feng, and quickly saluted together, not daring to have the slightest negligence.
Zhao Feng just gave them a cold Face, nodded, and didn't even say a word.
The Imperial Guards continued their patrol, diligent and conscientious.
After they passed, Zhao Feng was back to his resentful expression, looking at Chief Steward Shang and Li Xuan on his shoulder, as if he were just an outsider.
Until they returned to the Internal Affairs Bureau, he was like this, which made Chief Steward Shang impatient.
"If you keep acting like this, just hurry up and go back to sleep, don't be an eyesore to me."
"Li Xuan and I still have serious business to discuss."
Hearing this, Zhao Feng immediately revealed a fawning smile and asked:
"Godfather, can I listen in?"
Well, actually, Zhao Feng was also very concerned about having secrets kept from him.
It was just that he dared not show it in the slightest in front of Emperor Yongyuan.
In private, facing Chief Steward Shang and Li Xuan, he had no scruples.
Looking at his adopted son's funny appearance, Chief Steward Shang nodded.
"You, don't be anxious. In a few years, you will naturally be told what you should know."
"And knowing more is not necessarily a good thing."
Chief Steward Shang admonished his adopted son.
But that is how the human heart is.
When they don't know, they always want to get to the bottom of things.
After knowing, they feel it's nothing much.
It even becomes a burden instead.
They returned to the Internal Affairs Bureau, to Chief Steward Shang's small courtyard.
Chief Steward Shang said straightforwardly:
"Li Xuan, you have already touched the bottom of the Moon Yin Pond."
"You should have felt the changes in yourself."
"But if you can touch the bottom of the Sun Flame Pond later, you should be able to directly advance to the Marrow Refining Realm."
Hearing this, Li Xuan couldn't help but widen his eyes.
"There is such a good thing!"
Thanks to "Nickname Change" and "Angel Loves to Laugh" for their tip support.