Chapter 347: The Final Book

The full moon celebration wasn’t held at the Human Sovereign Hall, but rather in Great Zhou. Official matters were official matters, and private matters were private – this distinction needed to be clear.

Commander Liu also rarely left the Human Sovereign Hall, taking a day off for this occasion. As the second-in-command of the Human Sovereign Hall, he naturally had to request leave from the leader Jiang Li.

However, when Commander Liu asked Jiang Li for leave, he felt something was odd. Shouldn’t it be someone else overseeing the Human Sovereign Hall?

Jiang Li chuckled awkwardly and quickly approved Commander Liu’s leave before ending the communication talisman call.

Jiang Li flew to Great Zhou’s imperial capital and, seeing there was still time, decided to wander around. He entered a bookstore and found some people looking troubled yet frantically scrambling for a particular book.

“Friend, what are you all rushing for?” Jiang Li asked curiously, watching their movements resemble people grabbing supplies during doomsday. 

Jiang Li wouldn’t use his divine sense in a bookstore – if he did, all the book contents would enter his mind instantly, ruining the joy of reading. It was best to read page by page to maintain anticipation.

The man eyed Jiang Li warily, but seeing his genuine ignorance, showed him what they were grabbing – the rather unhealthy books written by the Ma Zhuo couple.

Even with Great Zhou’s strict laws, they still had humanity and didn’t completely ban the sale of such books. As long as sellers weren’t too blatant, the authorities turned a blind eye. After all, these could be considered educational materials. Thus, the Ma Zhuo couple’s works had quite a market in Great Zhou.

“It’s the final edition. The authors said they won’t write anymore – this is their last book. A tremendous loss,” the man said mournfully, flipping to the last page showing the authors’ farewell message.

The gist was that after painful reflection, the authors decided to quit writing permanently, wouldn’t allow further publications, and bid farewell to their readers. This final book thus became a commemorative item – people weren’t just buying a book but memorializing their youth. Though it was an embarrassing part of their youth.

Jiang Li didn’t need to buy the book, just came to watch the commotion. He heard someone sigh: “Another great author gone. Now only Teacher Qingyu remains writing.”

The Ma Zhuo couple were much older than Jiang Li – they’d been writing before he transmigrated and were quite famous in certain circles. Teacher Qingyu also wrote before Jiang Li’s transmigration, so people had wondered who would quit first. Now it seemed Teacher Qingyu outlasted them.

The man who showed Jiang Li the book paid secretly and slipped away. Such books weren’t recorded in ledgers, only memorized by the bookstore owner. If Great Zhou officials came to audit taxes and found Ma Zhuo couple’s books being sold, there’d be trouble. The authorities turned one blind eye, but not both.

…

Following Commander Liu’s directions, Jiang Li arrived at Great Zhou’s finest restaurant – famous for its exorbitant prices where meals were paid with premium spirit stones. Perfect for someone like Jiang Li who only carried premium spirit stones in his spatial ring.

He found he’d arrived early – only Commander Ma Zhuo and Commander Liu were present. 

“Hall Master, long time no see,” the two commanders greeted Jiang Li warmly with beaming smiles. “We’ve booked the entire restaurant. Don’t worry, we didn’t use our status but our financial power.”

Aside from their side incomes, just being Unity Stage cultivators proved their wealth. Booking an entire restaurant was nothing for them.

Commander Zhuo remained elegant, though one month pregnant showed no visible signs yet. 

“After years of trying, you finally succeeded. Boy or girl?” Though a divine sense scan would reveal it, Jiang Li couldn’t just scan a pregnant woman.

“A boy.”

According to ancient texts, at conception a soul crosses the River of Forgetfulness, drinks Granny Meng’s soup to cleanse memories, then merges with the embryo – that’s when life begins and gender is determined.

“You’re early,” Zhang Konghu arrived, dressed very formally – clearly having prepared carefully. In contrast, Jiang Li and others were casually dressed.

“Good thing I’m not the last,” Commander Mu arrived belatedly from the Southern Border. His investigations found many demonic cultivators there. Even after purges, many remained, so he was cooperating with the major and minor Witch Kingdoms to eliminate the remnants.

“I’m here,” seeing everyone present, the hesitant Commander Huang flew over from his hiding spot.

“Old Huang, control your technique,” Commander Ma Zhuo warned cautiously. Commander Huang’s technique made people nearby feel depressed and despondent regardless of affiliation. 

As Unity Stage cultivators they were unaffected, but the unborn baby might be. Inviting Commander Huang had been debated, but they ultimately invited him as a colleague.

“I’m here, no worries,” Jiang Li guaranteed with his Mahayana Stage cultivation. 

Hearing this, Commander Ma Zhuo relaxed while Commander Huang looked gratefully at Jiang Li. 

Jiang Li’s concerns proved unnecessary – Commander Ma Zhuo had already arranged the feast.

“Drinks?” Commander Ma asked the group.

“Hawthorn juice,” Jiang Li said, having little interest in alcohol.

“Peach juice,” Commander Liu chose.

“Spring water for me,” Zhang Konghu said. During his Southern Border training as a youth, he ate beast meat and drank spring water to temper his body, developing lasting habits of only drinking water. His insistence on proper sleep also stemmed from those days – only with adequate rest could one face challenges.

“Sparkling water,” Commander Mu chose, a newly popular drink in Great Zhou.

“Am I the only one drinking alcohol? Maybe I’ll have water too,” the often-lonely Commander Huang said. He typically drank to drown sorrows, but being the sole drinker would seem odd, so he followed Zhang Konghu’s example. 

Commander Huang most envied Zhang Konghu’s ability to befriend anyone and often mimicked his behavior.

The Ma Zhuo couple also avoided alcohol, bad for the baby.

Exquisite dishes arrived. Cultivator food fell into two categories – either cultivation-enhancing or purely taste-focused. The Ma Zhuo couple naturally chose the latter, having passed the stage of relying on food for cultivation.

“We’re deeply honored you all traveled far to attend our child’s full moon celebration. Hall Master Jiang Li’s presence is an especially pleasant surprise. On behalf of my spouse and unborn child, I sincerely thank you all for coming.”

“Please enjoy the feast.”