The next morning, Kanoru heard a knock at the door. He was surprised—only two days had passed since they settled in, and they had no acquaintances in Yulansar.
Opening the door, he found two men standing outside. He immediately recognized one of them—the guard who had accompanied Gu Mingzhu on the boat.
The guard cleared his throat. "Sir, I don't know if you remember me. I was—"
Kanoru cut him off. "Gu Mingzhu's guard. Why are you here?"
The other man, taller and more imposing, stepped forward. "We need to discuss something with you."
Kanoru studied him briefly before stepping aside. "Come in."
He led them to the living room, gesturing toward the seats. "Sit."
The taller man took a seat, but the guard remained standing. Kanoru also sat, his posture relaxed but alert. "Tell me what you want to discuss."
The man's gaze was steady. "I want you to marry Gu Mingzhu and participate in the royal hunt."
Kanoru's brow arched. If this man weren't stronger than me, I'd throw him out immediately. He could sense the man's power—likely a high-ranked warlock. Rather than ask why or whether he knew Kanoru was already married, he got straight to the point.
"Who are you?"
"I am Fu Qinzhou, Gu Mingzhu's maternal uncle."
Kanoru's eyes narrowed slightly. "So, this isn't about marriage. It's about the royal hunt, isn't it?"
Fu Qinzhou nodded. "Yes."
Leaning back in his chair, Kanoru replied, "I have no interest in marrying her or joining the hunt. But I still want to know the real reason behind this request."
Before Fu Qinzhou could respond, a familiar voice cut in.
"I'd like to know as well."
Asuna walked into the room, her expression unreadable as she took a seat beside Kanoru.
Kanoru glanced at her and immediately understood—she had been listening the entire time.
Fu Qinzhou acknowledged her with a nod. "You must be his wife, Asuna."
"Then you already knew he was married. Why bring my husband a marriage proposal?" Asuna's voice was calm, but there was a sharpness beneath it.
Fu Qinzhou sighed. "I should start from the beginning."
Kanoru and Asuna gave him a curt nod.
"Gu Mingzhu is the daughter of the previous king, Gu Zhen, and my sister. Ten years ago, the Prairie Clans invaded our kingdom, and Gu Zhen died in the war. His younger brother, Gu Jian, then took the throne. Gu Mingzhu was sent to the border city, Wen, to live in exile."
Kanoru and Asuna remained silent as Fu Qinzhou continued.
"Now, ten years later, Gu Jian's cultivation has reached the peak of a High-Ranked Warlock, but he cannot break through into the Great Warlock immediately. Advancing to that level requires at least two years of secluded training. However, according to the ancestral laws of the Desert Kingdom, a Great Warlock cannot sit on the throne."
"So, a Royal Hunt has been declared. The objective is to enter the Spirit Forest and retrieve the Five-Elemental Spirit Herb, which grows at its center. The herb will greatly increase Gu Jian's chances of reaching the Great Warlock Realm."
Asuna frowned. "Why doesn't he go and get the herb himself?"
Fu Qinzhou's expression darkened. "Because the Spirit Forest is home to a Great Demon Clan."
Kanoru, who had heard of Great Demons before, sat up slightly. "Great Demon Clan?"
He had never heard of Great Demons forming clans.
Fu Qinzhou explained, "A demon's intelligence increases as their cultivation realm advances. Upon reaching the Great Demon Realm, their intelligence becomes equal to that of an average human."
Kanoru nodded. He was already aware of this—Blood Beasts followed a similar pattern.
Fu Qinzhou continued, "However when two Great Demons have children, their offspring inherit their intelligence—even if one parent is of a lower demon realm. These descendants, despite being in a lower realm, are significantly smarter than ordinary demons of the same level. This trait continues through their bloodline, forming demon clans."
"The Spirit Forest belongs to the Spirit Fox Clan, one of the reasons why the Ming Empire refrains from challenging the Gu Royal Family of the Desert Kingdom."
Asuna frowned slightly. "If the two are in alliance, why doesn't the king simply ask for the herb?"
Fu Qinzhou shook his head. "He could, but the royal hunt also serves another purpose—it is an excellent opportunity to select the next king or queen."
Kanoru's eyes narrowed. "But Gu Mingzhu won't be participating. I would be in her place. How will that prove who is the most powerful?"
Fu Qinzhou's lips curled into a faint smile. "Connections are power as well."
Kanoru and Asuna exchanged a glance, both ready to send him on his way.
Before they could dismiss him, Fu Qinzhou said, "I know you don't want to participate—but hear me out. I will reward you with something even before you enter the trial."
Kanoru and Asuna remained silent but stared at him expectantly.
Fu Qinzhou's eyes gleamed. "Two Snake Fruits—one for you, and one for your wife."
Kanoru's eyes narrowed slightly. He knew the value of Snake Fruit—it could enhance one's vitality and strengthen their physique. He glanced at Asuna, seeing the faint spark of curiosity in her eyes.
Still, he shook his head and turned back to Fu Qinzhou.
"No. I'm married."
In his previous life, he had lived in a monogamous society. More importantly, he hadn't even had a girlfriend back then. Now, even with Asuna, he still struggled to properly express himself. Adding another wife? That was out of the question.
Fu Qinzhou smirked. "What powerful man doesn't have more than one wife?"
Kanoru's gaze sharpened. "Asuna's father."
Fu Qinzhou's smirk faltered slightly, but he quickly recovered. "You wouldn't have to live with her. You would only be needed to father an heir."
Kanoru's jaw tightened, fully prepared to refuse again.
But before he could, Asuna spoke, her voice calm but firm.
"Can we discuss it privately and give you our answer later?"
Kanoru's eyes narrowed slightly. He tilted his head to the side, staring at her with a raised eyebrow.
Fu Qinzhou smiled faintly, sensing an opening. "Very well. I'll return in two days."
Without another word, he and the guard turned and left the house.
As soon as the door closed, Kanoru turned to Asuna. "You want me to agree."
Asuna met his gaze calmly. "The Snake Fruits will strengthen our physiques and shorten our training time to reach the peak of the Higher-Rank Samurai realm."
Kanoru sighed. "I know, but..."
Asuna continued, "My father only married my mother, but he had other lovers."
Kanoru's expression shifted slightly as he was reminded—the culture of this world was different from his past life. After a moment of silence, he exhaled. "Alright. I'll agree, then."
A small smile touched Asuna's lips. "Good."
Kanoru stretched slightly and said, "I'm going to train now."
Asuna nodded. "I'll prepare lunch for us."
Without another word, Kanoru stood up and left the room. After a few moments, he arrived at the training ground, seeking shade beneath a large tree.
Ordinarily, he would have focused on understanding the nature of heat, but without a proper sword capable of withstanding high temperatures, he had to wait for the blacksmith to complete his weapon. His visualization training was also complete, having already awakened his spiritual power.
That left him with two options—sword training or body refinement.
He chose body refinement.
He started his regimen, pushing his body to its limit, and after forty minutes, he stopped, shifting his focus to healing. He estimated that each refinement strengthened his body by approximately 0.01% to 0.1%.
"The Snake Fruit will drastically shorten the time I need for body refinement," he thought as he began the healing process.
His gaze drifted slightly as another thought surfaced.
"And all of this… is to increase the energy within the Dream Seed. The Dream Seed will return to my real body when this body dies. Whether this world is real or just a dream... in the end, it won't matter."
Closing his eyes, he focused entirely on healing.