Longevity begins with slaying demons and eliminating demons

Chapter 736 Xiao Wanjun loves working overtime
Half a year later, Gu Xu led his ministers to the outskirts of Luojing to welcome the expeditionary force returning with a full load.

He was wearing a bright red military uniform, looking stern, and standing at the front of the team.

The guards held up a yellow silk umbrella for him. The umbrella was embroidered with golden cloud patterns, which looked luxurious and solemn.

In the breeze, the red flag fluttered in the wind, and a golden dragon was circling on the flag, looking lifelike, as if it would jump out at any time.

Zhao Yan, wearing a red dress, stood beside him, holding his arm.

"This is also where we first met, right?" She spoke to him using her spiritual sense with a smile on her face.

"That's right," Gu Xu responded, "At that time, I was just a small fry in the Exorcist Division, and you rode a tall horse with the head of a barbarian king on the tip of your spear, looking majestic and attracting everyone's attention. At that time, I didn't even dare to think that the vanguard general who guarded the western border of Da Qi and frightened the enemy would become my wife."

"When I met you that year, I felt that this little follower was extraordinary and would definitely achieve great things in the future. Sure enough, you did not disappoint me, my majesty." Zhao Yan said with a smile.

"..."

Just as they were communicating with their spiritual consciousness, they saw the "Haotian Ship" like a golden sun, tearing through the world barriers and appearing above the dark sky.

In an instant, the world seemed to turn from night to day.

Everyone looked up and saw the "Haotian Ship" slowly descending until it hovered in the air above their heads.

When the hatch opened, Xu Man, Xiao Wanjun and others walked slowly down the golden stairs formed by condensed light.

They were still as energetic as when they went to the battle, but there was a hint of weathering between their brows.

"Your Majesty, we are honored to have fulfilled your mission."

When they came to Gu Xu, they stopped and bowed.

Xiao Wanjun held a scroll in both hands and handed it to Gu Xu: "Your Majesty, the 'Cang Yao World' is now completely under the control of Da Xia. We have drawn a detailed map, established a stable base, and built a teleportation array. When the teleportation array on the Great Wilderness side is completed, the monks will be able to travel freely between the two worlds and achieve rapid passage.

"The Haotian Ship also brought back a large number of natural treasures, including Qingming Stone, demon beast inner elixir, three-leaf Ganoderma lucidum, Ziyang soul crystal, etc. These are all unique to the Cangyao World and are extremely valuable. They can be used for alchemy, formation, and weapon making... It is expected that in the next few years, they can greatly alleviate the plight of the Great Wilderness's lack of cultivation resources..."

"Thank you for your hard work."

Gu Xu took a few steps forward, took the scroll, and helped her up.

He unfolded the scroll and saw that the map was extremely detailed - the terrain undulations, resource distribution, species ecology, climate characteristics, etc. of the "Cang Yao World" were all clearly displayed one by one, and even the locations suitable for establishing bases and mines in the future were carefully marked. It was obvious that countless efforts had been put into it.

"You have exceeded the task target." He smiled faintly and praised sincerely.

You have to know that half a year ago, his expectation for this first expeditionary force was just to complete the initial exploration. If they could bring back some resources, it would be a pleasant surprise.

Xiao Wanjun raised her head slightly, and her eyes met his.

Although she looked tired, she was as determined as ever, and her eyes seemed to express her determination to "repay your kindness on the Golden Terrace and die for you with the Jade Dragon."

"Your Majesty is willing to trust us, and we dare not fail to do our best." She responded softly.

She didn't know when it started, perhaps it was the day when Gu Xu asked her to join the cabinet, or maybe it was on that cool Mid-Autumn night, she placed an indescribable emotion on this emerging country.

As she watched it grow stronger little by little, from its past seclusion, poverty and hardship to its current proactive and enterprising appearance, she felt a strong sense of accomplishment, as if she was watching a child connected to her by blood grow stronger day by day. Gu Xu would never treat the heroes who worked for him unfairly.

At his eye signal, eunuch Han Shunxi immediately stepped out of the queue and read out the imperial edict that had been prepared long ago.

The general content of the imperial edict was that the expeditionary corps led by Xu Man and Xiao Wanjun was loyal and brave, had outstanding merits, and should be rewarded.

Xu Man had made great contributions in the founding war and had the title of Marquis. This time, he was promoted to Duke of Xing and awarded with a gold seal and a black red ribbon. Xiao Wanjun was named Marquis of Pingyang and was awarded with a silver seal, a blue red ribbon, and a fiefdom. Other monks who returned triumphantly from the "Cang Yao World" also received awards such as titles, promotions, and money.

For a moment, the scene on the outskirts of Luojing was solemn and inspiring, and the shouts of "Long live the emperor" resounded through the sky.

…………

The next day.

Changchun Garden, Imperial Study.

"Your Majesty, that..."

Xiao Wanjun looked up at Gu Xu behind the desk, her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something to him, but she hesitated.

In fact, after she made great contributions and returned from the other world on the "Haotian Ship", Gu Xu specially approved a one-month vacation for her, allowing her to go home and have a good rest, and she no longer had to come to the Imperial Study to assist in reviewing memorials.

But who would have thought that when the morning came, driven by her body's instinct, she unconsciously walked to the imperial study and bumped into Gu Xu.

"Wanjun, do you like working for me so much?" Gu Xu looked at her with a hint of surprise on his face.

He never imagined that there were people in the world who loved work so much that they would even give up their holidays to work for him.

If it were in her previous life, those capitalists would probably regard her as their dream employee.

Xiao Wanjun glanced at the pile of memorials on the table and said, "I just want to share your worries. After all, there are too many memorials. I am worried that your Majesty is overworked and has damaged his health..."

Her tone was a little hesitant, and it was obvious that she hadn't come up with a suitable excuse yet.

Gu Xu couldn't help but chuckled and said, "We are so familiar with each other, why do we need to say these polite words? If you have any ideas, just say them directly. I am not the kind of tyrant who gets angry easily because of a few words. Besides, didn't I handle these memorials myself during the six months you were in the Cang Yao World?"

Xiao Wanjun noticed that he had changed the way he called himself.

"Actually, Your Majesty, it's like this," she thought for a moment and said seriously, "After I came back on the Haotian Ship, I heard some officials mention that the decrees issued by Your Majesty were sometimes too concise and they were too dull to understand Your Majesty's deep meaning. They often needed to consult others or even come to see Your Majesty again before they could fully understand and clarify the implementation methods.

"With me here, maybe we can avoid some of this trouble."

Gu Xu nodded, acknowledging that what she said made sense.

As a novice emperor who had been on the throne for only three years, he was often concise and to the point when commenting on memorials, and sometimes even incorporated some concepts from his previous life, which inevitably made people confused.

Xiao Wanjun was different. With her rich experience in governing, whenever Gu Xu relayed his ideas to her, the decrees she wrote were always detailed and clear, and the implementation measures were extremely specific. Gu Xu once said with a smile: "Even a fool can understand it."

"So you think I'm not doing well enough," Gu Xu sighed and said half-jokingly, "You really care more about this country than I do as a monarch. I used to think that ministers who 'worry about the worries of the country before they enjoy themselves' were just idealistic, but I didn't expect there is actually one right in front of me."