Chapter 948 - The time for relaxation is over.

Chapter 948: 948 - The time for relaxation is over.

With the Mu Family and Zhang Family tokens in hand, Qingyi had no trouble at all entering even the largest and most luxurious restaurant in the Immortal Celestial Capital.

The manager himself hurried out to greet him, bowing so deeply that he nearly folded his body in half, before personally guiding the group through corridors lined with silk.

The private room reserved for them was the largest and most luxurious in the entire establishment.

In the center stood a huge round table of dark wood, surrounded by more than enough chairs to seat all of Qingyi’s wives.

Aware of his taste for beautiful women, the restaurant had gone so far as to handpick its most attractive waitresses to serve them.

Every one of them wore a form-fitting dress that clung to her waist and hips, with a neckline that walked the fine line between respectful and obscene.

Each time one of them bent over the table to set down a dish, the generous swell of her breasts pushed against the thin silk, swaying softly with the motion before settling back into place.

Qingyi naturally didn’t complain.

Still, it was hard for those women to compete for his attention when his wives were sitting right there, each of them a beauty capable of holding the top spot in any sect of the Celestial Heaven.

Because of this, the whole arrangement made little difference.

Rouxi sat to his left with Lingxi on her lap. The baby was already stretching her curious, chubby hands toward everything that sparkled on the table.

As soon as the menus were handed out, Qingyi and his wives began making their selections.

Akane, to his right, naturally went for the dishes that looked familiar to her—those closest to what she knew from Earth—flipping through the pages and pointing at one after another.

Qingyi ended up ordering the same things she did.

Each of the other women had her own tastes, but fortunately, the menus were so extensive they seemed endless, so no one was left without something to her liking.

While they waited, the waitresses kept the appetizers coming: still-steaming spirit beast meat dumplings, candied fruits that glistened in the lantern light, and paper-thin slices of raw fish that melted in the mouth.

Everything was delicious and clearly top-notch.

Lingxi, on the other hand, didn’t like much of anything besides the ice cream.

After getting herself completely covered in the ice cream she’d been given—her nose and cheeks smeared with cream—she finally agreed to try a little of the baby porridge one of the waitresses brought over.

She didn’t hate it. But, well, one spoonful was enough to compare it to the porridge Elize used to make, and the difference was too great to ignore.

"Mamma Eize!" Lingxi shouted, reaching out her pudgy little arms toward her second favorite mommy, right behind Rouxi, her true mother.

Elize made the best food and had the sweetest milk of all, so that love was only natural.

Elize turned to the little girl, who was pointing at the bowl of porridge with an indignant expression, her cheeks puffed out as if she’d just been betrayed.

When Rouxi tried to feed her another spoonful, Lingxi turned her face sharply from side to side, pressing her lips together with all the stubbornness a baby could muster.

Seeing that, Elize chuckled. "It’s okay, sweetie. When we get back to the World of the Mind, I’ll make you some delicious porridge, okay?"

Lingxi pouted, but in the end she gave a small nod of agreement.

Her sulky expression lasted only until her father stretched out his arms and scooped her up.

They ate very well that afternoon.

For nearly two hours, they devoured the vast array of rare and expensive dishes that kept arriving at the table.

They chatted about all sorts of things, laughed, and took turns playing with Lingxi, who was passed from lap to lap among her mothers.

When the meal finally ended, it was naturally time to leave. There was no bill to pay, since the Mu Family had arranged everything in advance.

For the rest of the afternoon, Qingyi mainly visited clothing stores, letting the women browse countless rows of expensive, luxurious fabrics, all neatly organized on shelves that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Lingxi herself picked out more than twenty new dresses, along with swimwear and even some children’s costumes to use as pajamas, including one with a chubby little dragon that made everyone laugh.

Although bored, Qingyi followed his wives with patience and affection. He offered his opinion on every dress, carried the shopping bags, and made sure each of them received a little of his attention.

Unfortunately, the fun couldn’t last long.

After about four hours of shopping and a small fortune spent, one of the Golden Guards protecting Qingyi and his family approached.

By that point, the women had practically taken over a children’s toy store, trying to figure out what Lingxi wanted most, while the little girl pointed at everything at once.

Qingyi was waiting outside, leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed and a sleepy look on his face.

When he noticed the Golden Guard approaching, he smiled.

"Has something happened?" he asked.

"Nothing urgent, Young Lord Qingyi." The Golden Guard shook his head. "I’ve just received word from Lord Long Tianjin. He requests that you return to the Celestial Orthodox Martial Alliance as soon as possible."

At those words, Qingyi’s smile vanished, and his face hardened instantly.

"Has the date of the war been set?" he asked, his voice firm.

"Yes, Young Lord. It will take place in exactly ninety-three days. The date has already been agreed upon between the Orthodox Commission and the Demonic Commission," the Golden Guard declared.

"As soon as you return to the Alliance, you should begin preparing, establish your base properly, and refine your techniques. If you wish, we can provide suitable training partners."

"That won’t be necessary." Qingyi shook his head. "But yes, I will isolate myself for training. How many days from now will the main entourage leave the Alliance for the battlefield?"

"In about sixty days. We should arrive there a week ahead of schedule. Lord Tianjin has already confirmed that you will be the commander in charge of all the young talents.

"The assistant generals are still being selected, but as soon as you arrive at the Alliance, you’ll receive a list and can approve whomever you wish," the guard replied.

Qingyi nodded slowly, already doing the math in his head.

Normally, there would be no need to leave so many days in advance, since plenty of ships could make the trip in less than a week.

The problem was that they were transporting literally tens of millions of young people, and that called for much larger—and consequently much slower—ships.

With a sigh, Qingyi motioned for the guard to leave and stretched, his shoulders cracking slightly.

He wanted to spend a few more days there, maybe take Lingxi to an amusement park and watch that little face light up, but that would have to wait.

His eyes fell on the status screen, which appeared before him with a single thought.

[Name: Long Qingyi

Age: 24

Cultivation: First Stage of the Stellar Sovereign Realm

Mana Manipulation: Eighteenth Ring

Affinities: Lightning: 720,500 - Sword: 810,500 - Fire: 700,500 - Ice: 750,500 - Space: 1,531,530 - Light: 500,500 - Shadow: 800,500 - Wind: 600,500 - Metal: 400,500 - Water: 500,500 - Earth: 500,500 - Life: 10,000,000 - Charm: 1,000,000 (can be upgraded in the Lust Store)

Spiritual Roots: Primordial-level Primordial Creation Seed Spirit Root (Lightning, Sword, Fire, Ice, Wind, Metal, Water, Earth, Space, Light, Life, Shadow) (Spiritual Roots Ascension required to continue upgrading.)

Spiritual Roots2: None / Primordial-level Primordial Creation Seed Mana Heart (Spiritual Roots Ascension required to continue upgrading.)

Lineage: Blood of the Corruption Dragon God (Primordial grade; Lineage Ascension required to continue upgrading.)

Constitution: Primordial Dragon Body (Primordial grade; Constitution Ascension required to continue upgrading.)

G Lust Points: 245,129,120]

Recently, Qingyi had been spending a considerable fortune buying gifts for his wives and helping Akane regain her powers.

Even so, she and Yuehan alone were already yielding him a seemingly endless supply of Lust Points. Just one night tangled in the sheets with either of them was enough to send the numbers skyrocketing again.

Even while investing heavily to raise all his other affinities above one million, his G Lust Points balance just kept growing.

Of course, that would have to change soon. With war knocking at the door, he would need every single point.

Qingyi dismissed the screen and looked up when he sensed someone approaching.

It was Ma Mingzhu.

There was a tense expression on her beautiful face, and she was twirling a strand of her dark purple, almost burgundy hair between her delicate fingers as she walked over, her steps hesitant.

"Young Master Qingyi..." she called softly.

"I received a sound transmission from my sect... I’ll return there tomorrow, and shortly after, I’ll be sent to the Celestial Orthodox Martial Alliance to join the group of young geniuses who will form the vanguard in the war."

"I know... I just received the news myself." Qingyi nodded, raising a hand to the top of her head.

"I understand this is your first time in a real war, but you don’t need to worry. I’ll be there."

He stroked Mingzhu’s soft hair, his fingers gliding slowly through the wine-colored strands. She blushed and lowered her gaze, the flush spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.

The time for relaxation was over.

It was time to bring death to a few filthy demons who had strayed from the path of the true demon, the path Akane herself had founded.

It was time to restore the throne to his Empress and Wife.