Star Gate

"How are you unable to accomplish this?" Li Hao frowned. "You have a lot of ideas! You always have a solution for everything. See how we instantly took the City of Supernaturals! Remember how you easily turned situations around through manipulating public discourse and the people's hearts?

"When the Forbidden Sea awoke, you spun that as a gift from me. You can turn black into white and into black again. Gan Wuliang is hated by the Silver Moon martial masters, but you're on good terms with both sides. The Silver Moon martial masters think you're decent and Gan Wuliang leans towards you. You're more suited to be the hand in the shadows than he is!"

"......" Was this a compliment or an insult? Lin Hongyu really didn't know what to say.

"This is a very important matter and intricately tied to our future!" Li Hao said solemnly. "Everything I'm doing today is to ensure we keep strong foes locked in place for one month. I need them to lose their control over me! I'm going to make big changes during this month, enough to reverse the course of events!

"It's not just them, but the Red Dust exalted emperor as well who won't be in a mood to keep an eye on anyone this month. The heavenly will has gone into hiding to bide its time. We can say that this is the cleanest the world has been since the dawn of time!"

He only had one month!

The heavenly will might reappear after a month. Li Daoheng, the Moon God, Zheng Yu, Ying Hongyue, and the Red Moon exalted emperor might show themselves as well after that.

Li Hao wasn't joking. Everything he was doing was in preparation for a showdown a month later. He needed to fully remake himself during this period of time, so that everyone would lose their power over and understanding of him. If anyone treated him as the Li Hao of old, they would be in for a difficult time.

As for tapping Lin Hongyu for the task... he had no choice in the matter. Just as the young man had said, she was the one with the greatest authority over the world apart from him.

Cold sweat beaded Lin Hongyu's forehead. She took a long moment before saying, "My lord, this will be very hard! There is very little time left and you just said that the room for error is very low. This puts me in difficult straits!"

She set her jaw with determination and said after a while, "My lord, I have a request of my own if you want me to do all this. I hope you agree!"

"Speak of it!"

"I... The marquis is about to go into closed door cultivation to rest and recover! I'm going to shamelessly take advantage of the situation for once. I'm... going to announce to the outside world that I will try to resurrect Professor Yuan and the others!"

The woman looked at Li Hao. "The marquis needs to first proclaim that you're going into seclusion and thus handing over the reins of power to me. Even the main cities and Saints need to answer to me!

"And I... I wish to give the marquis a surprise. That is why I need to direct the people in a joint exercise while the marquis is in closed door cultivation. I will do so to resurrect the lord's teacher and others.

"Of course, you and I know that that is impossible," Lin Hongyu pivoted. "What I want is control over the world's resources. I need to be able to use them how I wish. I also need the appropriate title and authority that comes with it, because I need to be able to punish those who defy me, including... Silver Moon martial masters!

"That's still not enough! I also need a position..."

"Speak of it!"

"Marquise of Silver Moon!" [1]

Li Hao froze.

"I'm just an outsider, how would those Silver Moon martial masters listen to me?" Lin Hongyu ducked her head. "Will they really care about me when the marquis is in closed door cultivation? The New Martial powerhouses venerate and care about the lord. I have to be able to truly represent you. When you are in seclusion for the dao universe, I must be able to rule over the world!"

Li Hao stared blankly at her.

"I... I need to be able to announce to the outside world that the lord... will marry me." Lin Hongyu lowered her head even further. "I... am the Skystar commander and the soon-to-be marquise. Therefore, I wish to give the marquis a surprise of having your teacher and various seniors attend our wedding. I will spare no effort to resurrect them. That will be the best excuse possible!"

Li Hao's jaw dropped.Are you kidding me?? I want you to help me organize the great dao, but you want to be my wife!

"How about... I... take you as a disciple instead?" Li Hao stammered after a long while.

"......" Lin Hongyu didn't meet his eyes. "Do you think... anyone will believe that? Only as your wife will I have the right to do what I've proposed! A disciple doesn't mean anything and will seem to be a cover-up instead!

"The marquis making me your wife is what fulfills everyone's expectations. They will think you're doing so to ensure that I remain on your side and fully tie Senior Redwood to your camp. They'll think you've done so to forge closer ties to Gan Wuliang and others from the City of Supernaturals.

"This will check the power of Silver Moon martial masters and outsiders, which is in line with the dao of an emperor! The surface story is that you had to do so in order to consolidate your rule after the decline of your strength. Marrying me is in line with the lord's goals!

"At the same time, I'll be able to openly notify the people with a legitimate reason that I wish to prepare the biggest surprise of all while you are in closed door cultivation!"

Li Hao did not say a word.

"Your Lordship, it's just a title..." Lin Hongyu set her jaw. "Only in this manner do we stand a chance of success! Otherwise, the lord will have to truthfully announce your plans yourself. The reorganization isn't feasible otherwise!

"The people trust the marquis, not Lin Hongyu! Silver Moon martial masters and New Martial powerhouses trust the marquis, not me. I am just your spokesperson and do not truly hold their hearts in my hand!"

Li Hao scratched his head, displaying the unease and restlessness of a youngster for the first time. He seized up Lin Hongyu and asked after a beat, "You... don't have ulterior motives toward me, do you?"

"My lord misunderstands me..." Lin Hongyu hastily said.

"Really?" Li Hao frowned. "I thought all women beneath the heavens would fall to my charisma. I'm the most powerful man in the world, after all!"

"......" Lin Hongyu wanted to vomit blood.What kind of answer do you want? You'll find fault with my answer if I say I have ulterior motives, wouldn't you?

"What... do you think about my proposal, my lord?" she asked weakly.

Li Hao frowned, subconsciously squeezing Panther's head while he thought. The dog grimaced with pain before the young man let go and scratched his head. He wasn't too used to or familiar with the situation. "So you mean that I need to announce this to the world?"

"Of course! You also need to set a date for the wedding, such as a month from now. This will further convince everyone that I'm doing all this to give the marquis a surprise. That will explain my big movements during your seclusion. It will be an extreme investment of time, effort, people, and resources..."

"Is there no other way?" Li Hao scratched his head.

"None." Lin Hongyu shook her head. "The only other way is for the marquis to announce that you want to take a stand against strong enemies, so you want to reorganize the great dao into something different and hope for everyone's cooperation."

That's bullshit! What's the point of doing all this if I just tell people what my goals are?

The typically noncommittal young man was presenting a rather awkward front. "I'm... I'm just twenty-one... I've never been in a relationship yet... I've always been fighting and focused on revenge... And now I'm suddenly announcing that I'm going to take a wife? Will people believe that?"

"And why not?" Lin Hongyu countered calmly. "The world will revitalize in a month and the marquis will be in a very dangerous position. Why not take a wife, continue the family line, make some preparations, and enjoy life a bit before you die?

"There are three main sins when it comes to being unfilial. Dying without continuing the family line is the biggest one of all. Perhaps the marquis wishes to produce an heir to carry on the family name. Skystar can be very traditional at the end of the day.

"When it comes to the saying of 'making one's home and establishing oneself in business', making one's home is listed first. The marquis has yet to finish establishing your business, so making a home first will put everyone at ease!"

Li Hao's headache worsened!Why is everything happening so quickly? I just wanted you to help me organize the great dao, not having you create more work for me. Why am I suddenly getting married, and married toyou??

"How... old are you?"

"That's not important, Your Lordship!"

"No no no, that's very important!" Li Hao shook his head. "Tell me how old you are first, I've forgotten. I think someone said before that you're thirty? Or even older?"

Lin Hongyu's eyebrows shook before she said, "I'm in my twenties!"

"That's impossible!" Li Hao shook his head. "No way. How many years has it been since the City of Supernaturals was founded? You ruled over it a long time ago!"

Lin Hongyu stared dumbly at him.Do you know that if you weren't the Silver Moon Marquis, I'd probably take off your head?Her curved blade itched for some blade!

"Thirty-one!" She clenched her jaw and growled after a while.

"That old??" Li Hao gasped. "You're ten years older than me!"

"......" Lin Hongyu clenched her fist.That old?! Is that old?? Am I old in the age of supernaturals?? This is an age of superhumans!! Any powerhouse lives for one hundred thousand years at most. You don't think they're old, but you think I'm old at thirty-one?!

"Thirty-one... you're ten years older than me." Li Hao was highly conflicted. "You've ruled over the City of Supernaturals for more than ten years. I was still in elementary school, maybe even kindergarten then!"

"......" Lin Hongyu could barely keep herself contained. She forced her rage down, but only just barely.

"My parents died early, my teacher's gone, and my brother's gone as well. There's no one who would oppose this idea, but... ai!" The young man sighed continuously. The entire dao universe seemed to be glum. "Must I pay such an enormous price for the sake of my grand enterprise, for the sake of success?"

"My lord!" Lin Hongyu shrilled. "I'm only suggesting this for the sake of your enterprise. I don't mean that I really want to marry you!"

"But if I announce this to the world and make it public, that will make it real," Li Hao laughed ruefully. "If word later gets out that I don't want you anymore... wouldn't the entire world despise me? Do you really think that I don't get that? I'd be bearing a tarnished reputation for the ages!"

"......"You think too much!

"You can leave for now, I'll think about it." Li Hao waved her off with a sigh. "I'll give you an answer later. I need to think about whether this is worth it or not. Should I gamble with my lifetime of happiness for a chance of success..."

Lin Hongyu spun on her heel to leave, but quickly turned back with suppressed anger. "My lord, I need a passageway!"

"Oh, oh yeah."

Lin Hongyu was gone as soon as Li Hao patched a path through the dao universe back to the world outside. The young man patted Panther as he watched the woman leave. "Panth, do you really think she's out of ideas, or does she lust after my body and identity?"

"......" Panther wagged its tail and head.Don't ask me, I'm just a dog. How would I know!

1. The wife of a marquis or a woman holding the title in her own right. ☜