The Great Ruler: Starting with the Contract Goddess Luo Li

As one of the top three powers in the nine domains of the Northern Spirit Realm, the Mu Domain's main city boasts an exceptionally grand layout.

Although it is still not as good as the place protected by spiritual power, it is better than the South City where Lin Suzhou first entered.

The main city was several tens of feet high, with a wide city gate, imposing guards, well-equipped, and a constant flow of people.

Lin Suzhou stepped into the city and, after asking the roadside vendors for directions, finally arrived at a huge mansion.

The plaque above the gate clearly read "Mu Mansion," and the entrance was heavily guarded.

Lin Suzhou explained his purpose to a guard, who then went inside to report.

A moment later, Mu Chen emerged, and upon seeing Lin Suzhou at the bottom of the steps, his face lit up with surprise: "Brother Lin, it really is you!"

"Hehe, I, Lin, have always kept my word."

Lin Suzhou stepped forward and hugged him before following him into the courtyard.

Sure enough, although Mu Chen was a young master like Xiao Yan and Lin Dong, his starting point was definitely much better than theirs.

With one opportunity after another and without encountering any major setbacks, he even surpassed Xiao Yan and Lin Dong to be the first to leave his name on the Sky Ranking.

He is practically a standard protagonist in a wish-fulfillment novel. Just based on the family business built by his father, he has a significant head start over others.

Passing through artificial hills and flowerbeds, and turning past red pillars and gray walls, Mu Chen led him to a pavilion in the middle of a lake.

"Spring flowers and autumn moon, go to the kitchen and get some good wine and food. Today, Brother Lin and I are going to have a good drink!"

After Mu Chen had two pretty maids bring him some good wine and food, he continued to reminisce with Lin Suzhou.

"Hey, Brother Lin received the Spiritual Path Initiation, and I can't even sense his cultivation level anymore..."

Mu Chen realized that he couldn't sense Lin Suzhou's specific cultivation level, and sighed.

"Hehe, I believe that even without the Spiritual Path Initiation, Brother Mu can surpass me and those people on the Spiritual Path with his own abilities."

Lin Suzhou's words were not meant to comfort him, but rather to indicate that Mu Chen truly possessed the ability.

Not only does it contain the "Great Floating Pagoda Manual," but also a page from the "Immortal Divine Scripture," which has resolved countless crises.

"Hey, Brother Lin, stop teasing me. I broke through to the Spirit Realm yesterday, and as soon as I got back, I went into my father's Spirit Technique Room. I couldn't even cultivate the Spirit Technique I found later."

Mu Chen seemed to have thought of something sad, and his face instantly darkened.

"Brother Mu, please don't joke around. With your talent, how could you not be able to cultivate?"

Lin Suzhou smiled, but a look of surprise flashed in his eyes, after all, Mu Chen's expression didn't seem like he was joking.

"Hey, it's this incantation. My mother left it to me. I originally thought I could cultivate it, but when I followed the incantation, I found that I couldn't circulate my abilities at all..."

After Mu Chen finished speaking, he took out a black scroll from his pocket.

Lin Suzhou took it and unfolded it, and found that this spiritual manual was indeed the "Great Floating Pagoda Manual"!

How could that be...?

"Um!?"

At this moment, Lin Suzhou suddenly had a bold guess!

The Yang scroll of the Great Floating Pagoda Technique can only be cultivated by those with the bloodline of the Floating Pagoda Ancient Clan. If Mu Chen cannot cultivate it... doesn't that mean he is not Qing Yanjing's biological son?!

This guess took hold in his mind and wouldn't go away.

"Young master, the wine and dishes have arrived."

Just then, the two maids returned with wine and dishes and placed them on the table.

"You guys go to the side first."

Mu Chen dismissed the two maids, but as Mu Chen's personal maids, they dared not stray too far and stood by the wooden bridge over the lake watching him.

"Hehe, you can't get this on Linglu Road, but it doesn't taste the same when you eat it with others. Brother Lin, let's drink and eat heartily today!"

Mu Chen lifted the red cloth covering the wine jar and poured a large bowl full of it.

"clang."

The two touched hands and drank it all at the same time.

After finishing his drink, Lin Suzhou savored it.

He discovered that although this wine was not as good as Wen Qingxuan's spirit wine and monkey wine in the spirit road, it was better than the wine in the restaurant where he stayed a few days ago.

It can be considered a good wine.

"Brother Mu, you probably know something too, right?"

After returning the Yang scroll of the "Great Floating Pagoda Technique" to Mu Chen, Lin Suzhou did not explain directly, but instead let Mu Chen speak first.

"Um."

Mu Chen nodded emphatically, then took a big gulp from the wine jar and said with a wry smile, "I can't cultivate the spiritual technique left by my mother, probably because I'm not her biological son."

"Have you asked your uncle about this?"

Lin Suzhou poured himself a full glass and pressed for an answer.

"No, I plan to ask tomorrow."

A hint of desolation flashed in Mu Chen's eyes. "Hehe, it's fortunate that you came today, Brother Lin. Otherwise, I wouldn't know who to vent my frustrations to."

"Yes, we need to find out the truth about this, otherwise it will become a mental obsession for you, Brother Mu."

Lin Suzhou clinked glasses with him again and finished another bowl.

As they ate beef and vegetables, the two men began to chat over drinks.

"My dad said my mother left to protect us when I was very young, but she wasn't my biological mother, so why would she do that?"

Looking at the bright moon surrounded by stars in the sky, Mu Chen said sadly, "When I was a child, I often looked up at the moon when I felt lonely, thinking that she was my mother and the stars around her were her children."

Later, I imagined myself as one of the stars, and the moon as my mother. Now, I've realized that my mother isn't my biological mother. So where is my real mother?

After saying this, Mu Chen was already emotional, and his eyes were red.

"I believe Uncle Mu will give you the answer tomorrow, and then you will be able to reunite with your mother."

Lin Suzhou clinked glasses with him, ostensibly drinking, but inwardly he was utterly shocked.

There's always gossip to be had, but right now only he knows.

It's a real shame that all those readers from my past life were kept in the dark by Potato...

But then, Lin Suzhou noticed a middle-aged man in fine clothes with graying temples and a rugged face walking across the bridge behind Mu Chen.

When he reached Mu Chen from behind, the middle-aged man patted him on the shoulder.

"Xiao Chen, you've suffered all these years."

Hearing this, Mu Chen turned his head in a daze, then suddenly snapped out of it upon seeing who it was: "Dad!? What are you doing here?"

"Hehe, I came here because I was worried you might do something rash, so I came to explain the reasons to you."

The middle-aged man sat down on the stone bench and greeted Lin Suzhou: "I am Mu Chen's father, Mu Feng. Young friend, you must be the good friend my son often talks about, Lin Suzhou?"

"Uncle Mu, it is I."

Lin Suzhou nodded and greeted him.

"Since you are a good friend of Mu Chen, it's alright for you to know about this."

"Don't worry, Uncle Mu, I promise I won't tell anyone!"

Lin Suzhou nodded solemnly.

Me too.

Inside his dantian, Jiuyou and the little mare also pricked up their ears, curious about how big the melon was.

"This is their family matter, you two shouldn't spread rumors."

"I promise!"

Jiuyou and the little mare exchanged a glance and said in unison.