Chapter 11: Fifty-Two and Ninety-Three

Ye Jiuyao let out a satisfied moan, feeling an ease and comfort seep through his whole body. His gaze settled on Xuan Niang, and he asked uncertainly, “Xuan Niang, have I really succeeded in cultivating? Is this truly the first step?”

“Probably… maybe… perhaps… I suppose…” Xuan Niang’s answer made Ye Jiuyao realize that his unreliability might be contagious, perhaps a case of one’s nature being influenced by those around them.

“Well then, Xuan Niang, why don’t you transmit the Soul Feast and Sleep Technique to me? I only glanced at a bit of it…”

“Oh? How much is ‘a bit’?”

“Just a tiny bit…” Ye Jiuyao immediately wilted, not daring to meet Xuan Niang’s eyes. Yet she did not press further, instead gently touching his forehead with her jade-like finger.

A flood of intricate symbols poured into Ye Jiuyao’s mind. The cryptic, elusive script resembled celestial tomes, like stars in the sky—visible yet unreachable.

“Damn! This is so obscure and hard to understand!” Ye Jiuyao grumbled inwardly, his thoughts anything but refined. Outwardly, though, he wore a calm expression, pretending to comprehend it all.

Suddenly, another set of words arrived—Xuan Niang’s own interpretation of the Feast and Sleep Technique. This delighted Ye Jiuyao; it was as if she had translated ancient prose into plain speech, allowing him to instantly grasp the essence of the method.

“Cultivate well. I’ll be leaving now,” Xuan Niang said, leaving behind a single sentence before she drifted away, her brows furrowed in puzzlement.

Ye Jiuyao felt entirely awake now, no trace of drowsiness remaining. He earnestly pondered the technique Xuan Niang had left in his mind, examining each word with utmost care, not daring to be careless.

Yet, after a while, Ye Jiuyao found that the method suited him perfectly, as if it had been tailor-made for him. He was so happy he felt a bit scattered.

“Xuan Niang didn’t deceive me; truly, by eating and sleeping, one can cultivate. This fits my nature exactly. Without the feedback from the Canglang Map, I won’t feel compelled to eat and sleep so much, but I’m so used to it now. Denying me food and rest… it’s unbearable.”

Ye Jiuyao was inherently lazy. He was gifted, but simply too lazy to cultivate. If not for the nine great demons sealed within him, perhaps he would never have bothered to practice.

Thirteen years ago, after entering that eerie cave and emerging, he inexplicably gained a mark. Whenever he was awake, it tormented him, as if he were suffering half the agony of a woman’s monthly pains.

Thus began his monstrous life, cultivating up to the Qi Fusion stage, though always passively. With his exceptional wit, he surmised that the Canglang Map was likely a great seal, and he himself a minor one—thus the map unreservedly sent him energy, strengthening his cultivation.

As for the people within the Canglang Map, they seemed like natives. Having finally met an outsider, they naturally sought to temper him, forging his body into steel and sinew, his physical strength far surpassing ordinary men.

Indeed, it was no exaggeration to say his body was comparable to a fully grown demon—one capable of tearing apart Qi Fusion cultivators with bare hands.

Yet he never actively cultivated, instead relying on the power of the Divine Monkey. Demon energy and vital force surged, allowing him to crush Huang Wuji and the others with ease.

“There’s no beast meat here for me to try the ‘eating’ path, which is a pity. But the ‘sleeping’ path… hmm… seems promising.” With that, Ye Jiuyao lay down and fell asleep again.

When he awoke, he had already exited the Canglang Map.

“Jiuyao… Jiuyao…” Outside, urgent calls rang out. Night Han Zhou pounded frantically on the door, finally losing patience and kicking it open, striding to the bedside and delivering a swift kick.

“Ah… ow…” Ye Jiuyao opened sleepy eyes and glanced at Night Han Zhou.

“All of Great Zhou awaits your presence at court, and you’re still sleeping?”

“Ahaha… hehe… the weather was nice, so I took a quick nap,” Ye Jiuyao replied awkwardly. Night Han Zhou grabbed his wayward son and whisked him away.

“Haha… good morning, everyone,” Ye Jiuyao greeted the familiar crowd with a sheepish smile. The officials nodded back, equally embarrassed. The sun was already high, well into midday, but none dared to comment.

After all, they couldn’t hope to defeat him in battle.

And reason? That was futile—his fists spoke louder.

“From now on, I’ll act as Emperor Regent and lead you lot in cultivation. But don’t ask me to cultivate. If I really tried, you’d never catch up…”

His words were deeply sarcastic, yet everyone felt there was nothing wrong with them—indeed, they seemed quite reasonable.

“Emperor Jiuyao speaks truly. If he put in effort, none of us could keep up, not even riding swords. I agree wholeheartedly.”

Soon enough, someone stepped forward to flatter him. Ye Jiuyao’s gaze settled on the speaker, and he nodded in satisfaction.

“You show promise.”

“We all think the same—let His Majesty focus on eating, drinking, sleeping, and the rest. Leave the other matters to us.”

As soon as Ye Jiuyao spoke, more savvy officials stepped forward to echo his sentiments.

Standing below, Night Han Zhou wore a dark, gloomy expression.

“Ye Jiuyao!!” As more voices chimed in, Night Han Zhou could no longer hold back. He stepped forward and shouted angrily.

“Father, what’s wrong?”

“If Great Zhou is entrusted to you, it’ll fall sooner or later. How can you face Qingyu?”

“Oh, you’re right. Then I’ll supervise your cultivation for five days, and rest the remaining two. I’ll instruct you for an hour and a half at mid-morning, starting again in the afternoon.”

Ye Jiuyao spoke with resignation. This schedule had actually been taught to him by a lazy, chubby boy inside the Canglang Map, under the noble banner of ‘enjoying life.’

“Are you trying to infuriate me?” Night Han Zhou looked at Ye Jiuyao, feeling his chest tighten with rising anger, his face flushed as he roared again.

“Look at my father—this is the balance of work and rest. Otherwise, how would my cultivation be so high? Father, have you ever seen me actually cultivate? No? There you have it—follow my lead and you won’t go wrong.”

Ye Jiuyao questioned. Night Han Zhou felt that, oddly enough, his son’s words made sense, and so he said nothing further.

“Remember to come to the training grounds from now on. My time is precious. Eating and sleeping are life’s greatest pleasures. The consequences for missing out are severe.”

Ye Jiuyao issued a simple threat before dismissing the court.

The officials quietly took his words to heart, but Night Han Zhou was unwilling to let Ye Jiuyao have his way. Early the next morning, he kicked his son out of bed and dragged him to the training ground.

Night Han Zhou hauled the still-sleepy Ye Jiuyao along. All the court officials were present, though not many—just seventy or eighty people.

Night Han Zhou stood beside Ye Jiuyao, who yawned ceaselessly, showing no intention of offering guidance whatsoever.