Wait a minute, where is my master?

The young Taoist returned to the courtyard, but before he could rest, an unexpected visitor arrived.

The visitor was Xia Yunzhao's mother, the same elegant lady in white attire who called Master Jin Xu "Uncle Taoist" and addressed Jin Xu himself as "little brother."

Her purpose for visiting was to invite the young Taoist and companions to the palace to attend the coronation ceremony of the Seventh Princess the next day.

"It's been a while since we last met, little brother still looks as spirited as ever."

In the yard, Xia Yunzhao's mother showed much more warmth towards Jin Xu than the last time.

The last time she only knew that this young Taoist was her daughter's lifesaver and a disciple of an acquaintance.

But now, she was aware that not only was this young Taoist a grandmaster with unfathomable cultivation, but he also recently helped her daughter eliminate a rival for the throne.

Naturally, her attitude had changed.

"Sister Chen, you flatter me."

The young Taoist responded politely.

Xia Yunzhao's mother should be respected, but according to the seniority from his master's side, they were of the same generation. As her surname was Chen, Jin Xu felt this was the most polite address.

The lady in white twitched at the corner of her eyes upon hearing Jin Xu's address.

Before she could say anything, Yu Yaoer and Little White also came out of the house, having been informed by the young Taoist's voice transmission that Xia Yunzhao's mother had arrived.

"Good day, Sister Chen."

"Good day, Sister Chen!"

Following the young Taoist's instruction, both ladies greeted her politely.

"Hehe, little brother, your demon pets are so delicate and charming, you're truly fortunate."

"Sister Chen, you give too much praise."

"Sister Chen, you give too much praise."

"Sister Chen, you give too much praise!"

"..."

No longer wanting to hear this form of address, Xia Yunzhao's mother promptly revealed her reason for coming.

Upon learning her purpose,

the young Taoist asked with curiosity, "Isn't the coronation of Miss Yunzhao tomorrow? Are guests supposed to enter the palace today?"

Xia Yunzhao's mother explained that distinguished guests were always invited in advance.

This time, the Seventh Princess's coronation was arranged hastily, and with Great Xia recently grappling with many affairs, she could only come to invite them a day before.

Jin Xu nodded in understanding upon hearing this; indeed, Great Xia had too many affairs to deal with.

Attacks by the Demon Sect on Xia Xuanmin, the assaults on four cities, a prince's failed rebellion resulting in his death, the discovery of Demon Sect imposters, and the infiltration of numerous Demon Sect followers in the city, among other things.

When they first settled in Little Platform Mountain, aiming to gradually seek out their master, they were attracted by the good public order in Great Xia.

Now, upon reconsideration...

This choice seemed less wise.

Of course, these thoughts just flickered through the young Taoist's mind, and he said nothing aloud.

"So, little brother, do you need time to prepare anything? If not, the carriage outside is already ready."

Upon hearing this, Jin Xu pondered for a moment; it seemed there was no time left to investigate outside Shangjing City today.

Then he turned and headed back to the rear courtyard, tossing the Age Chicken, which was running around chaotically, into his twenty-four Mystic Treasure Pearls.

He had to bring the chicken along; now that less than two days remained, it was time to perform the Body Purification Skill. The free range time for the Age Chicken was getting shorter and shorter.

Afterwards, the young Taoist went to the side room to remind Xu Qian, who was blind and deaf to the outside world, that the three of them were going to attend Xia Yunzhao's coronation. He instructed him to recuperate well in the residence.

After completing all this, he returned to the courtyard and said politely,

"Sister Chen, we can depart now."

"..."

Xia Yunzhao's mother led the three onto a grand carriage pulled by an exotic beast, heading straight for Great Xia's imperial city.

The journey was silent.

Upon reaching the great gates of the imperial city, they disembarked from the carriage.

They noticed a group of cultivators dressed like those from Tingfeng Building setting up some kind of apparatus near the gate.

Curious at the scene, Little White politely asked Xia Yunzhao's mother,

"Sister Chen, what are these people doing?"

"..."

The lady in white was now deeply regretting her initiative to personally invite the group.

"That's Tingfeng Building's live broadcast formation. It can televise the entire coronation ceremony in real-time.

Whenever there is a major event, all the major powers of the Nine Provinces invite Tingfeng Building to set up this formation to proclaim across the Nine Provinces.

Especially since Zhaoer's coronation was so hastily arranged that we couldn't invite the major powers of the Nine Provinces Immortal World nor summon all the city lords to the Capital, this live broadcast formation becomes even more important."

After the white-clothed woman explained, Little White nodded her head, somewhat comprehending.

The young Taoist by her side understood immediately – this was the Immortal Realm's version of a live broadcast.

Following Xia Yunzhao's mother, Jin Xu and the others entered the imperial city and headed towards a palace specially prepared for them.

Along the way, the young Taoist saw many cultivators of various demeanors and appearances, arousing curious speculation. He inquired aloud,

"Sister Chen, wasn't it said that this coronation of Miss Yunzhao wasn't going to invite major powers from the Immortal Realm? Who are these people?"

By now the white-clothed beauty had grown accustomed to the address of Sister Chen, and following Jin Xu's gaze, she explained with a light laugh,

"Little brother, not inviting major powers of the Cultivation World refers to those at the level of Qingmu Academy. These people, on the other hand, are from smaller sects and factions living near Shangjing City. Their sects have intricate relationships with the Great Xia imperial family, and now that Great Xia, this great colossal entity, has changed its ruler, they naturally have come to pay their respects."

Upon hearing this, the young Taoist nodded in understanding – this was the Cultivation World's version of paying respects to the new leader.

On their way, the group didn't see anything else worth inquiring about, so they refrained from calling out "Sister Chen" again.

After delivering the three individuals to the palace, Empress Xia Yunzhao's mother introduced them to some matters needing attention, and then, leaving behind a Communication Jade Token, she bade a hasty farewell.

She evidently had other matters to attend to.

Meanwhile, Jin Xu and his two companions enjoyed an exceedingly rare day of tranquility within the palace.

...

Late at night, within the Taiji Palace of the imperial city.

"Have you found where the citizens abducted by the Demon Sect were taken?"

An aged and stern voice inquired.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, we have found them; they are all in a valley a hundred miles away."

"And have you determined exactly how many common households have gone missing from Shangjing City?"

"To answer Your Majesty... more than thirty thousand households."

Upon the completion of this statement, a lengthy silence descended upon the Taiji Palace.

Indeed, Shangjing City was vast, and the number of common citizens was exceedingly high, so thirty thousand households could only be seen as a drop in the bucket.

But, if calculated as three people per household, that accounted for the very real disappearance of a hundred thousand individuals!

"After Zhaoer ascends the throne, the soldiers responsible for guarding the eight city gates should be replaced."

Even with the involvement of the Demon Sect, these city guards had been grievously negligent in their duties.

The elderly voice asked another question.

"Do you know what the Demon Sect intends to do with these people?"

"It's not yet clear, but we are investigating."

"Ah, never mind. You may withdraw."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Within the deserted Taiji Palace, after a long while, another aged and burdened sigh echoed.

"Empress Dowager has let Great Xia fall to such a state; I fear that even after Zhaoer succeeds the throne, her path will not be easy. Alas!"

...

The first day of the eighth month!

In front of the Golden Throne Hall, the square was abuzz with noise, lively and bustling.

Guided by a palace lady, Jin Xu and his group made their way from their residence to this place.

The sight of the dense crowd made their heads spin a bit.

Yu Yaoer couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, young master. So many people!"

Her clear, slightly foolish large eyes blinked incessantly.

The little Taoist nodded in agreement, overwhelmed by the number of people, feeling his social anxiety creeping up on him.

Little White, upon seeing the substantial assembly, was visibly excited, carrying a cage in her hand which housed the Age Chicken.

After the trio had finished expressing their awe, the palace lady led them to their designated seats.

Due to the special status of Jin Xu and his companions, the seats arranged for their meal were amongst those of the Great Xia imperial family members, and moreover, in the very front row.

Basically, they were adjacent to Xia Yunzhao's imperial table.

After leading the three to their seats, the palace lady excused herself and departed.

While the little Taoist and his companions took their seats, there was still some time before the coronation ceremony officially started, and as they had arrived quite early, the nearby seats were only sparsely occupied by a few strangers.

Jin Xu had never met these people before, so naturally, there was no talk of greeting them.

However, he did note that although they were conversing, their gazes were inadvertently cast in his direction.

Initially, the little Taoist thought they were looking at the faceless mask on his face, but he later realized they seemed to be more interested in the identity plaque on his table.

To prevent guests from sitting in the wrong seats during the coronation ceremony, each table had a fixed identity plaque for identification.

Curious, Jin Xu stood up and went around to the front of the table.

When the palace lady had led them to their seats, he hadn't paid much attention to the item, so he was unsure what it said. Initially, he thought it might simply bear his name or something of the sort, but the reactions of the nearby guests suggested otherwise.

Indeed, upon turning around, he saw his table's identity plaque unmistakably read,

"Xia Yunzhao's Uncle."

"???"

There was no need to ask; this was undoubtedly Sister Chen's handwriting!

Turning his head towards the identity plaques in front of the two women, he discovered, to his astonishment, they read—Xia Yunzhao's uncle's demon pets.

It was no wonder the nearby guests kept glancing this way. The new Emperor of Great Xia suddenly had an uncle, and who wouldn't be curious?

But that was not the most preposterous part.

The most astonishing thing was that the officials of Great Xia had also arranged a separate table for the little Taoist's Age Chicken. The identity plaque on that table was quite possibly the ultimate reason for the covert glances.

Staring at Little Hong's designated table, Jin Xu was stunned for a full two seconds.

Then, he silently approached, expressionlessly snapped off the identity plaque embedded there, and tossed it into his Mystic Treasure Pearl.

After completing these actions, he expressionlessly returned to his seat.

A stick of incense worth of time later.

The melodious chime of ritual bells began to resonate.

Amplified by a magical Formation, the sound spread throughout the entire Golden Throne Hall and across the plaza before it.

This signified that Xia Yunzhao's coronation ceremony was about to formally begin!

Jin Xu had already gathered information on the way here; the coronation consisted of several phases, including the sacrifice, succession, congratulatory rites, proclamation, and feasting.

The sound of these bells was part of the music only played during the sacrificial rites.

...