It was late at night, but the Forbidden City was wide awake.

Lin Tianyuan was shell-shocked.

However, this blow knocked him down a peg or two from his arrogance.

Following Lin Jiufeng's reprimand, Lin Tianyuan began to reflect on his actions during this period of time.

He was scared!

Thinking about it, his back broke out in cold sweat.

It was instantly drenched.

"Fortunately, I have Uncle…"

"Otherwise, my Yuhua God Dynasty would have truly been in trouble," Lin Tianyuan said with lingering fear.

His pride, arrogance, and his ego were nowhere to be found in him at this moment.

It was already incredibly late in the night.

A eunuch saw Lin Tianyuan standing in the palace for a long time.

He said softly, "Your Majesty, it's already late. Please rest now."

"No need. I want to leave the palace and visit my court officials one by one."

Lin Tianyuan shook his head.

After his reflection, he began to think of ways to reverse what he had done.

Fortunately, the court officials that he had deposed were still in the Imperial Capital.

They still haven't left.

After all, their families were huge and they had a lot of people under their care. It just wasn't possible for them to leave so quickly.

Lin Tianyuan visited them overnight and talked to them one by one, persuading them to come back.

He had made a mistake and was willing to correct it.

He would appease these court officials tonight and interrogate that slut tomorrow.

…

In the Cold Palace, Lin Jiufeng's Divine Soul returned and merged with his body.

The white cat wrote and asked, "What happened in the Forbidden City?"

Lin Jiufeng replied softly, "A mountain spirit used a strange cultivation technique and changed its body shape and appearance. It entered the harem and caused trouble, creating unrest. I went out there to expose her."

The white cat looked at Lin Jiufeng in surprise.

It moved its claws and wrote. "A mountain spirit?"

"Yes." Lin Jiufeng carefully introduced Concubine Ming's original appearance.

The white cat listened before it silently wrote a few words.

"Mountain Ghost Race!"

Lin Jiufeng raised his brows and said, "You also think that she's from the Mountain Ghost Race, right?"

After seeing Concubine Ming's true form, Lin Jiufeng suspected that she was from the Mountain Ghost Race that he had read about in those ancient books.

There were historical records that in the world back then that had an abundance of spiritual energy—apart from humans who could cultivate—there were many wild beasts that gained intelligence to the point of being able to cultivate.

Like the white cat, they eventually became demons.

Among them, there were different types of beasts and races.

The Mountain Ghost Race was one of them.

Mountain spirits and the mountain ghosts that ordinary people often allegedly encountered were creatures that gained intelligence and slowly cultivated to the point that they became strong enough to become a member of the Mountain Ghost Race.

But the history books also mentioned that 1,500 years ago—the Mountain Ghost Race was exterminated and hunted to extinction.

He didn't expect that they would reappear 1,500 years later and even target Lin Tianyuan.

Mei Niang's skin drawing skills were superb. If it weren't for Lin Jiufeng, none of the hundreds of Martial Sages in the Imperial Court would have noticed something amiss.

They really thought that she was just that innocent teenage girl.

"I didn't expect them to be so ambitious." The white cat wrote in surprise.

"Even if they are ambitious, they still need to have the ability to match their ambitions. Else, it is only a pipe dream." Lin Jiufeng's expression turned slightly cold.

The mastermind must definitely be found.

But he shall leave this matter to Lin Tianyuan.

After all, Lin Tianyuan probably wanted to know more about the identity of the person behind Mei Niang than anyone else.

…

The next day, Dachun's monthly food delivery came.

The white cat followed Lin Jiufeng and started to eat and drink.

Dachun brought good wine, good food, and the fruits that the white cat liked to eat.

"Your Royal Highness, there was an earth-shattering turn of events in the Imperial Capital last night! Let me tell you about it." Dachun began the small talk like usual.

Lin Jiufeng drank some wine and asked, "What turn of events?"

"I told you last month that Emperor Ming was going to abolish the Empress and appoint the Imperial Concubine Ming as his Empress. He really abolished her two days ago," Dachun said.

"But just last night, or more accurately, in the latter half of the night, an imperial decree was sent out of the city, announcing that the Empress had been reinstated."

"That Concubine Ming—who was doted on by Emperor Ming—was instead sent to prison and is currently being strictly monitored. Her crime is bringing disaster to the harem."

As Dachun spoke, his confusion grew.

This reversal was just too shocking and too sudden.

Everyone thought that Emperor Ming had made up his mind to abolish the Empress, but who would have thought that the tables would turn around so fast?

The Empress returned to her original position.

Nothing happened to her in the end.

But the favored Concubine Ming was sent to prison.

Lin Jiufeng chuckled. "It's better for you not to inquire about the harem."

"Your Royal Highness is right. I don't really inquire about the harem. But last night, Emperor Ming left the Forbidden City overnight and went to the residences of every court official. He personally persuaded them to stay…"

"Earlier in the morning, I discovered that they really stayed behind!"

"The court officials were reinstated and they all went to the Imperial Court early this morning."

Dachun felt that he couldn't understand the situation in the Imperial Capital anymore.

Two days ago, there was a lot of commotion.

There was even discord between the Emperor and the court officials.

The outsiders were starting to look at them as a bunch of clowns.

But today, they were suddenly united in harmony?

"Your Royal Highness, I don't understand the changes in the imperial capital anymore."

Dachun sighed.

Lin Jiufeng laughed and said, "I don't understand it either, that's why I stopped bothering about it."

"Your Royal Highness is right. If I don't understand it, then I should just ignore it. It's better to just do my own thing. Other matters have nothing to do with me."

Dachun waited happily for Lin Jiufeng to finish his meal.

Afterwards, he packed the dishes and took them away.

Lin Jiufeng and the white cat were both satisfied with their food.

Then, they started cultivating on their own.

In the evening, Lin Tianyuan came.

Since Lin Jiufeng refused to see Lin Tianyuan the last time, this was his first time here in a few years.

This time, Lin Jiufeng let him in.

After a single night, Lin Tianyuan aged more than ten years.

He was both mentally and physically exhausted.

The moment he saw Lin Jiufeng, he immediately knelt down.

Peng! Peng! Peng!

Before saying anything, he kowtowed three times first.

"Uncle, thank you for saving my life," Lin Tianyuan said sadly.

"I'm only doing this for the sake of your father. If there's a next time, even if you'll die, I won't save you," Lin Jiufeng said coldly.

His attitude towards Lin Tianyuan became cold.

"Uncle, I know my mistake. From today onwards, I will put my heart and soul into governing the dynasty. I will not think about anything else." Lin Tianyuan was telling him the truth.

He was truly disheartened by what had happened.

He now had no interest in women at all.

"What brings you here?" Lin Jiufeng asked.

"I've discovered the identity of the mastermind behind that mountain spirit," Lin Tianyuan said solemnly.

"Who is it?" Lin Jiufeng was quite curious.

"The mastermind mentioned by the mountain spirit is a powerful cultivator named Lord Mountain Ghost. He was also the one who gave her the human skin mask. He was also the one who planned all of this," Lin Tianyuan said in a deep voice.

"Lord Mountain Ghost… Where is he?"

"That mountain spirit's status is too low. She doesn't know where Lord Mountain Ghost is."

Lin Tianyuan shook his head, his expression looked ugly.

"What exactly is the method that he used to put on someone else's skin yet none of you were able to discover it?" Lin Jiufeng asked curiously.

"It's called Livestock-Making Technique. It's a very evil technique that strips the skin off a young lady's body perfectly. After being refined by another secret technique, the skin becomes a vessel for the cultivator. Then, it uses the mountain spirit as a catalyst for the Livestock-Making Technique. Once the skin is put on, it will become a beautiful woman's body."

"With the addition of the art of Skin-Painting Technique, it would be a piece of cake to deceive other people with someone else's skin."

When Lin Tianyuan was done saying all of these, his heart was in extreme pain.

He really regretted it!