Chapter 1504: Unwilling to Be an Official

The return journey passed very quickly. After the flying boat carried Zhou Yiqiao and others through the space channel, it landed at the border of Daxuantian.

Now that we have returned to the world of Daxuantian, the flying style of the flying boat has become much more bold.

As the flying boat escorting Ouyang Guangming, their priority was extremely high among the many flying boats and they had an unimpeded journey.

In just less than ten days, they arrived above Tiansheng City.

At the exit of Tiansheng City, a long queue was waiting there to greet them.

At the head of the long dragon were Luo Lishang, who was dressed in gorgeous attire, and Luo Xingyu, who looked lazy.

Zhou Yiqiao and Zhuang Yan got off the flying boat, looked at the two people not far away, and hurried forward.

"Your Highness, the Seventh Prince."

Seeing this, Luo Lishang smiled, nodded and said.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Luo Xingyu shouted at Zhou Yiqiao with excitement.

"Brother-in-law."

His calling him brother-in-law made many people around him look surprised.

Although they knew about the unclear relationship between Zhou Yiqiao and Luo Lishang, after all, without actual evidence, no one dared to be sure whether anything had actually happened between the two.

Luo Xingyu's call of "brother-in-law" has, at least from the royal level, acknowledged the relationship between Zhou Yiqiao and Luo Lishang.

Seeing that there was no change in Luo Lishang's expression, Zhou Yiqiao felt warm in his heart and nodded to Luo Xingyu with a smile.

"Seventh Prince."

By calling him the Seventh Prince, he was implicitly acknowledging the relationship between himself and Luo Lishang.

"Brother-in-law, you have done a great deed this time! Father said that he would reward you handsomely."

Luo Xingyu said excitedly.

Zhou Yiqiao heard this, smiled and shook his head.

"Zhou has only done what he can. The real contributors are Senior Tielan and Master Zhuang."

Luo Lishang smiled slightly and spoke at the right time.

"Mr. Zhou has made great contributions this time. Father will naturally reward you generously in front of all the ministers during the grand court meeting."

"But before that, my father has ordered you to go back to the palace with me first."

When Zhou Yiqiao heard this, he was moved and bowed quickly.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Luo Lishang nodded, then said to Luo Xingyu.

"Seventh brother, you go back first. If you want to reminisce with Master Zhou, wait until Master Zhou settles down. I will send someone to invite you then."

Hearing this, Luo Xingyu nodded, then turned and left.

Seeing this, Luo Lishang watched Luo Xingyu leave before taking Zhou Yiqiao towards the palace.

Along the way, Luo Lishang and Zhou Yiqiao never talked to each other, and an inexplicable atmosphere shrouded them.

Ling'er was very tactful and arranged for Zhuang Yan to stay away from the two of them, giving Zhou Yiqiao and Luo Lishang enough space to be alone.

However, even so, there was still no communication between the two.

It was not until the two of them arrived at the Immortal Emperor Palace and Luo Lishang brought Zhou Yiqiao to the Nine Dragon Palace where Luo Fengtian lived all year round that he finally spoke.

"Father is inside."

After saying that, she turned and left.

Zhou Yiqiao looked at her back, his heart moved, and he quickly stepped forward and said.

"Your Highness..."

However, before he could finish his words, Luo Lishang turned around and walked out quickly.

Seeing this, Zhou Yiqiao could only shake his head helplessly. After calming himself down, he walked into the Nine Dragon Hall alone.

Inside the Nine Dragon Hall, Luo Fengtian was still busy with memorials, as if he was completely unaware of Zhou Yiqiao's arrival.

This was not the first time Zhou Yiqiao had met Luo Fengtian, so he was not surprised by this situation. After stepping forward to pay his respects, he brought Luo Fengtian's thoughts back from the memorial.

"You did a great job this time."

Luo Fengtian looked at Zhou Yiqiao with undisguised satisfaction in his eyes.

It was the first time that Zhou Yiqiao saw such simple emotions in Luo Fengtian's eyes. He was immediately flattered and saluted again.

"Your Majesty, thank you for your praise. It is all the credit of Her Royal Highness, Senior Tielan, and Lord Zhuang. I am just carrying out the mission step by step."

Luo Fengtian smiled slightly when he heard this.

"You don't have to be too modest. I know your abilities."

After saying this, he stood up and paced back and forth in the Nine Dragon Hall for a while before speaking.

"Zhou Yiqiao, I ask you, are you willing to serve as an official in the court?"

Zhou Yiqiao was stunned when he heard this.

The position of Daxuantian is the glory that all cultivators in Tianchen Realm dream of. Once you have it, you will get the strong endorsement of Daxuantian and have unimpeded access in Tianchen Realm.

It is particularly worth mentioning that even the lowest-ranking ninth-grade officials have salaries that are far beyond the imagination of ordinary monks.

If an ordinary cultivator had heard the invitation from the Great Xuantian Immortal Emperor himself, he would probably have accepted it with great joy.

However, Zhou Yiqiao didn't want to do so.

As his cultivation has become stronger over the years, the role of the Moonstone Space to him no longer seems to be as important as when he first saw it. However, for Zhou Yiqiao, this treasure is still the foundation of all his improvements so far.

Becoming an official of Daxuantian would certainly bring him endless benefits, but just the most basic audit of his skills would very likely expose the existence of the Moonstone Space.

Between the two, Zhou Yiqiao would naturally choose the Moonstone Space without hesitation.

However, after all, it was Luo Fengtian who invited him personally, so he couldn't just refuse.

The other party is the Lord of Daxuantian. Even if Luo Fengtian himself does not care, once the rumor gets out, many people in the court will cause trouble for him in order to protect Luo Fengtian's dignity.

Thinking of this, Zhou Yiqiao bowed quickly.

"Your Majesty, I am grateful for your kindness."

After he finished speaking, he continued.

"However, officials of the Great Xuantian not only look at cultivation qualifications, but more importantly, knowledge of governance. I am inexperienced and cannot be qualified for an important position in the court. Your Majesty, please withdraw your order."

Hearing this, Luo Fengtian smiled slightly and then asked.

"Do you know why I want you to serve as an official in the court?"

When Zhou Yiqiao heard this, he was moved and answered tentatively.

"Could it be because of the junior's performance in this mission?"

Luo Fengtian shook his head and said with a smile.

"That's true, but it's not entirely true."

"You have made great contributions in this mission, but this is not the fundamental reason why I want you to serve as an official in the court."

After hearing this, Zhou Yiqiao became even more confused, but he did not ask any more questions. Instead, he waited quietly for Luo Fengtian's next words.

Sure enough, after a moment, Luo Fengtian spoke again.

"The real reason is that after this incident, no matter whether you like it or not, the influential forces in the Tianchen Realm will find out the relationship between you, Zhou Yiqiao, and Li Shang."

"You have now become the image of that girl Li Shang in public. I gave you an official position to show these people how much I value Li Shang."

"Of course, in addition to this, I also hope that you can become the dignity of Li Shang's dynasty after she ascends the throne."

When Zhou Yiqiao heard this, his heart moved.

He naturally knew what the word "solemn" meant by Luo Fengtian.

As the head of the Supervisory Council promoted by Luo Fengtian himself, Imperial Censor Zhuang Yan has helped Luo Fengtian deal with many troubles over the years. Although his rank is not the highest, his power in the court is second only to Luo Fengtian.

Luo Fengtian did this entirely out of the hope that Zhou Yiqiao could become Luo Lishang's dignity and help her deal with court affairs.

When Zhou Yiqiao heard this, his heart moved, and then he bowed and said.

"Your Majesty, I am grateful for your kindness."

After he finished speaking, he spoke again.

"It's just that this matter is of great importance. Your Majesty, please allow me to consider it for a while."

Hearing this, Luo Fengtian nodded, then said with a smile.

"I have plenty of time to wait for you. You don't have to rush to reply to me. Think about it carefully."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yiqiao bowed and said yes.

Afterwards, he chatted with Luo Fengtian for a few more words before saying goodbye and leaving.

After Zhou Yiqiao left the Kowloon Palace, he went straight back to his residence in the imperial palace.

He did not go looking for Luo Lishang, but sat alone in the room, thinking about the conversation he had just had with Luo Fengtian.

Luo Fengtian's proposal was indeed very tempting to him.

Regardless of the high salary offered by Daxuantian, the fact that he could use Daxuantian's intelligence network to openly investigate the Moonstone Space Fragments after becoming an official of Daxuantian was enough to make him excited.

In addition, if he can help Luo Lishang deal with the affairs of the court, his position in Daxuantian will become extremely special.

At that time, even if someone wants to cause trouble for him, they will have to consider their own weight.

However, even so, Zhou Yiqiao still did not agree immediately.

The reason is very simple. Although he cannot be said to be affectionate to everyone during his practice, he has had brief romances with quite a few women.

Zhou Yiqiao never felt any moral burden of being responsible for these women with whom he had close contact, let alone Luo Lishang, with whom he had only a slight ambiguity.

But if he accepted Luo Fengtian's invitation and became an official of Daxuantian, even if his thoughts remained unchanged, other people would see his relationship with Luo Lishang as extremely ambiguous.

By then, even if there is no relationship between him and Luo Lishang, no one else will believe it.

Zhou Yiqiao was a cold-hearted person. Not only was he aware of this, but many women who had come into contact with him had also commented on him in this way.

He didn't want to be forced to be tied to Luo Lishang from now on and be restricted in every way on the road of cultivation.

"Forget it, let's talk about this later."

After bowing his head and pondering for a long time, Zhou Yiqiao finally made up his mind.

Although he had some feelings for Luo Lishang, it was not to the point where he had to have her.

If there really is any connection between me and Luo Lishang in the future, it won’t be too late to make a decision then.

Thinking of this, Zhou Yiqiao stopped worrying about it. He quickly returned to the residence arranged for him by Luo Lishang and began to think about his next plans.

Although his journey to the Source Realm was safe and sound, the battle with Ouyang Guangming caused Hunyu and other beings living in his body to fall into a deep sleep again.

If he wants to recover his fighting strength as soon as possible, he must find a way to wake them up.