Mu Tianyou remembered when he was a child, his mother would often take him to the underground caves to pick mushrooms.
The caves were pitch black, and he could see nothing, but his mother would hold his hand, leading him forward step by step.
“Do not be afraid,” his mother said. “Mother is here.”
After walking for a while, a patch of glowing mushrooms would appear ahead. They were of various colors, like stars carpeting the entire cave.
His mother would squat down, pointing at the mushrooms and telling him their names one by one.
“This one is called the Red Cloud Mushroom. Eating it can nourish your qi and blood.”
“This one is the Green Spirit Mushroom. It can be used in medicine to treat the common cold.”
“This is the Topaz Mushroom. It is unique to our Jiao Mu Kingdom. Once dried, it can be preserved for a long time. We rely on it in the winter when there is nothing else to eat.”
Mu Tianyou was still small then and did not understand these things. He only thought the mushrooms were beautiful and wanted to reach out and pick them.
His mother did not stop him; she let him pick them.
But every time they finished picking, his mother would replant a new batch.
“Mushrooms possess a spiritual nature,” his mother said. “If you take them, you must plant them back. Only then can they grow again next year.”
Mu Tianyou nodded, though he only half-understood.
Later, as he grew up and began his cultivation, he no longer went to pick mushrooms.
But every time he saw those glowing mushrooms, he would still think of his mother, the pitch-black caves, and that star-like light.
Those were the warmest memories of his childhood.
Mu Tianyou looked up toward the sky.
The green light had completely dissipated, leaving only the gray, overcast clouds.
But in his palm, there was still a ball of warmth.
Mu Tianyou clenched his fist, holding both the divine light and the mushroom in his hand.
“Imperial Father,” he said. “I will not fail your trust.”
In the first year of Tianyou, Mu Jinghe abdicated and installed Mu Tianyou as the new monarch.
On the day of the coronation ceremony, the entire Royal Capital was in a state of excitement.
The streets were crowded with people. Some climbed onto rooftops, some squeezed into windows, and some even climbed trees just to catch a glimpse of the new monarch.
“The new monarch is coming out!”
“Where? Where? Let me see!”
“Hey, don't push! I haven't seen him yet!”
Mu Tianyou wore black sacrificial robes embroidered with gold-threaded jiao-dragons that shimmered in the sunlight. Standing on the high platform and looking at the dense crowd below, he felt a bit nervous.
However, he did not show it on his face. He simply straightened his back and looked into the distance.
Beside him, a ceremonial official was reciting the sacrificial oration.
“In the first year of Tianyou, the second month of spring, Mu Jinghe, the seventeenth generation monarch of Jiao Mu Kingdom, abdicates the throne to Crown Prince Mu Tianyou...”
The sacrificial oration was very long, taking a full hour to recite.
Mu Tianyou stood there, motionless.
The people below did not find it tedious either. They listened, occasionally whispering to one another.
“The new monarch is truly handsome.”
“Of course. I heard he could achieve Qi Induction at the age of three. What kind of talent is that? He is truly the pride of our Jiao Mu Kingdom.”
“If only my son had half his talent.”
“Your son? Your son can't even achieve Qi Induction, and you want to compare him to the new monarch?”
“I was just saying...”
Once the sacrificial oration was finished, Mu Jinghe walked onto the high platform.
He was dressed in plain clothes rather than imperial robes, and his hair hung loose. He looked much older than usual.
But he had a smile on his face, one full of relief.
He walked up to Mu Tianyou, untied the jade pendant from his waist, and personally fastened it to Mu Tianyou's belt.
“This is the ancestral jade pendant,” he said. “Passed down from the first generation monarch. Today, I give it to you.”
Mu Jinghe looked at him, his eyes filled with fatherly love.
“Tianyou,” he said. “The thing I am most proud of in this life is having a son like you.”
“You are the most outstanding talent since the founding of Jiao Mu Kingdom, and I know you possess a benevolent heart.”
“After you ascend the throne, you will surely be a good monarch.”
After saying this, Mu Jinghe picked up a scroll of silk from the offering table.
The silk was unfurled, covered in dense rows of characters.
“This is the national motto of Jiao Mu Kingdom,” he said. “Your grandfather passed it to me, and now I pass it to you.”
Mu Tianyou took the silk scroll and opened it.
The first line consisted of eight characters: “Be as a towering tree, shading those who come after.”
Mu Tianyou took a deep breath, tucked the scroll away, and took a solemn oath: “I, Mu Tianyou, the eighteenth generation monarch of Jiao Mu Kingdom.”
“Ascending the throne today, I hereby swear.”
“I am willing, like my father and our ancestors before me, to be a towering tree that shades future generations, protecting our Jiao Mu Kingdom so it may prosper for ten thousand generations.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the people below the platform began to cheer.
“Long live the new monarch!”
“Long live Jiao Mu Kingdom!”
“May the heavens bless our Jiao Mu!”
The cheers rose wave after wave, echoing throughout the Royal Capital.
Mu Tianyou looked up at the sky. The sunlight was blinding, but he did not blink.
In the days that followed, Mu Tianyou fulfilled his oath.
Over the next ten years, he governed with diligence, reformed the court, reclaimed wasteland, and built water conservancy projects.
He then led his armies on expeditions to pacify the surrounding regions, subjugating small human and demon settlements and unifying Tianchi Province.
He treated the people with kindness, reduced taxes and labor service, opened granaries to distribute food, and provided relief to disaster victims.
In the eleventh year of Tianyou, Mu Tianyou began large-scale construction of the underground city. In the eighth month of autumn, the red-banded giant snake hidden deep underground finally appeared.
That evening, while Mu Tianyou was inspecting the offerings on the altar, he suddenly felt a violent tremor beneath his feet.
The tremors grew stronger and more fierce until, with a loud boom, a massive crack split the ground.
A giant snake, entirely crimson, surged out from the fissure.
The snake's body was a hundred zhang long and as thick as three men could span. It was covered in crimson scales, and transparent flames constantly seeped from the gaps between them. Wherever the flames passed, stone was melted into magma and soil was scorched into glass.
The giant snake raised its head, its amber vertical pupils scanning the surroundings, before it opened its mouth and let out a piercing hiss.
The hiss was sharp and ear-splitting, making eardrums ache.
Transparent flames erupted from its mouth, instantly engulfing the entire underground space.
Mu Tianyou's expression changed drastically. Without time to think, he immediately activated the divine light bestowed by Qing Lu.
Cyan light surged from his body, forming a barrier in front of him to protect himself and the several craftsmen nearby.
The flames exploded against it, sending rolling heat waves. The cyan light trembled violently. Mu Tianyou gritted his teeth, desperately pushing the divine light to barely hold it steady.
“Go!” he shouted to the craftsmen. “Get everyone out of here!”
The craftsmen scrambled away in a panic.
Mu Tianyou stood alone on the altar, staring at the giant snake, which stared back at him.
His reflection was mirrored in those amber eyes.
Mu Tianyou suddenly noticed that within the snake's eyes, besides animalistic ferocity, there seemed to be a sense of grief.
At times they were chaotic, at times confused, and at times they erupted with savage intent.
However, the giant snake quickly looked away. It lowered its head and retreated back into the magma within the ground fissure.
Mu Tianyou did not know what the complex emotions in those eyes meant, but he had no time to ponder it, for the ground began to tremble again.
In the ninth month of autumn, the giant snake began to appear frequently, bringing disaster with every emergence.
The first time, it appeared in the eastern suburbs of the Royal Capital. The flames it spat destroyed three villages, leaving over three hundred dead.
The second time, it appeared in the western mining area. The flames ignited the methane in the caves, causing the entire mine to collapse and burying over five hundred miners alive.
The third time, it appeared at the northern granary. The flames set fire to the stockpiled grain, burning for three days and three nights, turning a million stone of mushrooms to ash.
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