"Things were indeed tough, but it is now all over." Lin Mu replied to Monk Hushu before looking at his companions.
Lin Mu's companions were very excited to see him.
After all, Lin Mu winning was a great thing and since he was their benefactor who had helped them not only get a lot of money and resources but also taught them, they were extremely happy for him.
To them it was a matter of great pride that someone they knew had become the winner of the Tournament of the Four Guardian beasts.
And it wasn't just them.
Even the companions of the Crown prince were similarly pleased. Crown Princess Shang was especially happy since Lin Mu had fulfilled his part of the deal. He might not have managed to kill Yao Changying, but her current state may as well be a death sentence for her.
There was no way she would be able to live a normal life with all the empires looking for her in the Rust Sky World.
The Temple of the Four Guardian beasts would also not let her go after all she had done. After all, her actions of injuring the people as well as the members of the temple were a great offense too.
"Well, since we're all here there is no way we cannot celebrate this achievement." Crown Prince Feng Shun suddenly said. "It's not every day we get to have the winner of the Tournament among us after all." He added before sending a message.
"Indeed, this calls for a Banquet!" Lu Xu said out loud.
"A Celebration would be a good way to unwind." Daoist Chu agreed.
"You all just wait a bit, the servants will get everything ready soon." Crown Prince Feng Shun said with a smile.
"Alright. I do feel a bit hungry." Lin Mu replied.
"Haha, brother Mu Lin deserves to eat as much as he wants after all that." Ming Aolian chuckled knowing just how much he could eat.
"Yes!" Ming Dandan chimed in.
With that said, the servants soon arrived in the hall and brought a large table with them. It was big enough to accommodate all of them along with tens of dishes. Seats were also set up with two largest ones meant for the Crown Prince and Lin Mu. The large seats were sit opposite to each other, while the rest of the seats were put according to the relations.
Lin Mu's companion sat near him, with Lu Xu, Luo Liqin, Qian Wen on his right and the Ming Sisters on his left.
Opposite him sat Crown Prince Feng Shun, on whose right side sat Crown Princess Shang, and Monk Hushu and on the left sat Daoist Chu and Commandeer Dui.
A few minutes later various dishes were brought in and everyone started eating.
The Crown Prince and his companions finally got to witness how Lin Mu actually ate and were left speechless.
By the time everyone had finished half a plate of food, Lin Mu finished half of the entire table!
"My, my… Daoist Mu Lin certainly eats vigorously." Crown Princess Shang couldn't help but see.
"That's how a man should eat!" Commander Dui seemed particularly impressed by it all.
~crunch~crunch~crunch~
Of course, that was until Lin Mu started munching on bones.
The Commander's expression became stiff as he watched Lin Mu chew on ribs as if they were crackers.
The Crown Prince's companions were certainly taken aback by it, while Lin Mu's own companions were already used to it. They had seen him do the same a few times and didn't mind it.
"Uhh… Daoist Mu Lin, you don't have to eat the bones too. I can ask them to get more food." Crown Prince Feng Shun spoke, unable to continue watching Lin Mu eat bones after all the food was gone.
"Oh, it's fine. Bones got a lot of nutrition too. They're all Immortal beast bones anyways." Lin Mu replied. "After all, they can be refined into alchemical pills too." He added.
"They are but… These are already cooked…" Crown Prince Feng Shun was at a loss for words.
By the time he finished speaking, Lin Mu had already cleared out the bones.
~Sigh~
"Get more food." Crown Prince Feng Shun ordered.
"Yes, my lord!" The Servants quickly brought in the second serving and the table was filled up again.
"Thank you," Lin Mu said as he got busy in eating again.
Others didn't know but his stomach was actually demanding more and more food for some reason.
'I haven't felt continuous hunger like this for a while… Did I use up too much of the stored vitality during the battles?' Lin Mu wondered.
At least Lin Mu was happy that the tournament was over.
'Once I go out, I can focus on hunting and getting more meat.' Lin Mu thought.
They banquets continued for a while as everyone talked at the same time. Though Lin Mu was mostly listening and focused more on eating. He would interject everyone once in a while but it was only when someone asked him questions directly.
This gave Lin Mu's companions the opportunity to talk to the Crown Prince and his companions too. After all, they were all from different worlds and had been training in the Immortal Court.
As such their experiences were worth listening too.
They too answered the doubts of Lin Mu's companions and found them to be decent people.
The Crown Prince even debated whether they were worth bringing to the expedition later. Of course, they won't be in the core group but the auxiliary groups.
'Guess I'll consider them if there are still spots left. Lu Xu though is a good choice regardless.' The Crown Prince thought internally.
While the Crown Prince was reviewing his choices though Luo Liqin approached Lin Mu.
"Brother Mu Lin, I have your share of the winnings with me." Luo Liqin spoke in his ear.
"Oh yeah, how much did the final turn out to be?" Lin Mu asked.
"Why don't you see yourself?" Luo Liqin said with a smile and handed a Immortal Stone pouch to Lin Mu.
He held it and let his Immortal sense scan the insides.
A couple of seconds later, Lin Mu raised his brows.
"Seven Hundred Thousand High Grade Immortal Stones?" Lin Mu muttered.
"Indeed." Luo Liqin confirmed. "We made over a million High Grade Immortal stones. I've already split the other's share. This is the amount that is for you alone." He explained.
"I see… Looks like we've made a rather decent profit." Lin Mu replied.
"Decent? This is way more than decent." Luo Liqin stated. "With the amount we have, I don't think we'll have to worry about cultivation resources for the coming decade or even more. In fact, if we use it frugally, it can easily last a century or two." He added.
"That does seem right." Lin Mu said knowing that not everyone used Immortal Stones in bulk like him.
The discussion continued through the night, while outside the mansion the capital city underwent a few changes.
The security in the entire city was increased two fold, while everyone in the city with a few exceptions had to verify their ident.i.ties again. People tried to complain, but this time the orders had come from the Temple itself.
As such, all the voices of opposition were silenced.
Lin Mu didn't know that the Temple had already begun its investigation and was looking at all possible links.
But that wasn't all, as the Three Emperors were also having their own meeting in the Imperial Palace.
Unlike the usual hustle and bustle of the imperial court, it looked rather desolate tonight.
There were no guards, nor servants in the court. Not even the ministers and other imperial officials were present there.
Only the three emperors were present there as it was a private meeting.
"How are we to proceed now?" Huiqing Emperor asked.
"How else… we do whatever the temple asks." Emperor Feng replied.
"Why are you even asking this, you and your empire aren't the ones getting scrutinized." The Holy Topaz Emperor said with a hint of frustration. "It is the Dao Wind Empire and the Holy Topaz Dynasty that will have to endure the hardships now." He added.
"Let it be." Emperor Feng waved his hand. "The mistakes have already been committed by our kin. With their scale, we will have to shoulder them." He said in a tired tone.
"Are you really going to hand over the authority to the Temple?" The Huiqing Emperor asked still finding it unbelievable.
"I have to… at least for the time being." Emperor Feng said. "With Baxing being in his state, he cannot take on the punishment decided for it. As such I'll have to pay for it. We're still lucky it isn't an outright seizure.
Having to let the Temple have free authority for the coming decade is much better compared to that." He explained, having given up already.
After all, even if he was a transcendent immortal, there were limits to who he could oppose.