Back in his little courtyard, Mu Feiyang spent more than an hour busily working before finally turning some Purple Thorn Spirit Rice into milk powder. He mixed up around a hundred milliliters and fed it to his daughter.
Purple Thorn Spirit Rice was a type of rice previously awarded by the system. Mu Feiyang found it tasted quite good, so he had reclaimed a patch of paddy field on the back mountain of Laga Village and planted some himself.
Laga Village did not have many residents—fewer than ten households, totaling just over fifty people. Mu Feiyang's home stood at the easternmost edge of the village, deep within Laga Village.
Mu Feiyang's original body had been raised on the villagers' charity. With no parents, he had grown taciturn, and after reaching adulthood, his personality became even more withdrawn. Gradually, the villagers had little contact with him.
In any case, Mu Feiyang was already an adult. Whether he could survive on his own was his own affair. After Mu Feiyang transmigrated and took over the original body, being from two entirely different worlds, he felt even less close to those villagers.
More than anything, he feared exposing some flaw and letting others discover that he was another soul inhabiting this body. After all, this was a world of cultivators.
Mu Feiyang's little courtyard was quiet, but his own life had been leisurely. Especially these past few years, he either fed the koi in the pond or tended to the flowers and plants.
Whenever he was bored, he would take Little Black out hunting. Now that he had a daughter, Mu Feiyang's life began to grow more hectic.
Watching his daughter gulp down the milk powder, Mu Feiyang's heart brimmed with a sense of accomplishment.
"Ling'er is such a good girl!"
Seeing that his daughter had finished the milk powder in no time, Mu Feiyang could not resist planting another kiss on her chubby little cheek, making her burst into laughter again.
Mu Feiyang did not mix any more milk powder. Although Purple Thorn Spirit Rice did not contain much spiritual energy, his daughter was only a few months old, after all. He did not dare let her consume too much.
Before long, Mu Qingling fell asleep in Mu Feiyang's arms. He gently laid his daughter on his bed. Once she woke up, what realm would she have reached? Mu Feiyang could not help looking forward to it.
Mu Feiyang left the room and came into the little courtyard. He planned to go outside and prepare some things for his daughter. When he had lived alone before, it had not mattered if he was casual about things, but now he could not let his daughter suffer.
"Little Black, I'll be back soon. Help me keep an eye on my daughter. Otherwise, when I return, I'll stew you."
Woof! Woof!
Little Black barked twice in a very humanlike manner. Her wagging tail looked especially adorable, as though she were making some kind of promise to Mu Feiyang.
Seeing Little Black like this, Mu Feiyang's figure vanished from the little courtyard. Yet not long after he left, the previously quiet courtyard suddenly became lively.
Little Black, who had previously been a black dog, transformed into a young man and plopped down at the doorway, seemingly guarding Mu Qingling, who was sleeping inside.
As Little Black turned human, several koi suddenly leaped from the pond and transformed into human forms as well. There were both men and women, all young.
Then the flowers and plants Mu Feiyang had grown were no exception either. Every last one transformed into humans and gathered before Mu Feiyang's door.
"Wonderful! Now that Master has a Little Master, he probably won't have so much time to manage me anymore. I can finally grow freely and unrestrained!"
"Brother Black, can you let us go in and take a look at Little Master?"
"Get lost, get lost! Little Master is sleeping right now! What if you go in and disturb Little Master? I still don't want to end up on the dinner table!"
"Brother Black, we only want to take one look. We definitely won't disturb Little Master. Just let me have one look!"
"You dog thing, move aside. This young lady wants to go in and see Little Master."
Some figures were very polite to Little Black, but some looked down on him. At that moment, a woman dressed in a fiery red gown spoke without the slightest courtesy.
"Old Hen, who are you calling a dog thing? My true form is a qilin—the one and only Ink Jade Qilin beneath heaven and earth! Show me some respect from now on, or be careful that Master might come back and chop you up."
Little Black, who had been sitting at the entrance, sprang to his feet upon hearing the red-clad woman's words and retorted in exasperation.
"You dog thing, who are you calling Old Hen? This lady carries the undying bloodline of the Phoenix Clan. I am a phoenix, not some Old Hen in your eyes!"
The red-clad woman flew into a rage after hearing Little Black's words. Seeing that the two were about to start another fierce quarrel, everyone else could only shake their heads helplessly.
It was somewhat better when Master was home. But if Master went out, the two would definitely have a fight.
"Enough, you two. Restrain yourselves!"
"If you frighten Little Master, none of us can bear the consequences. There will be plenty of time to see Little Master later, so why rush at this moment?"
Just as the two were about to continue arguing, the ancient tree at the center of the courtyard transformed into an old man. He came before them and spoke sternly.
"Ancestor!"
"Ancestor!"
Seeing the old man appear, everyone present greeted him one after another. His true form was a Bodhi Tree, and he had also been the first thing Mu Feiyang planted. Moreover, the Bodhi Tree's cultivation was the highest among them all.
Therefore, whether it was the Ink Jade Qilin, the Undying Phoenix, the Heavenly Dragon Clan, or those rare flowers and exotic grasses, everyone respectfully called him Ancestor.
"Disperse."
"Yes, Ancestor!"
After answering, everyone transformed back into their true forms and returned to their places. Only Little Black remained sitting there alone.
Suddenly, Little Black, who had still been sitting at the doorway, instantly transformed into a little black dog and lay down at the entrance again.
Just as Little Black turned into a dog, a figure suddenly appeared in the courtyard—it was Mu Feiyang, who had left earlier.
He had gone out to purchase a batch of daily necessities for his daughter, but after making a round outside, he found that none of those things suited his tastes.
Mu Feiyang decided to personally refine them for his daughter. Returning to the room, he checked on her and found that she was still asleep, seemingly looking very happy.
Afterward, Mu Feiyang entered the System Space and began refining the things his daughter needed for daily life. The first thing he intended to make was a baby bottle for her milk.
Mu Feiyang took out a piece of Marrow-Generating Jade. It had been obtained through a critical hit reward when he signed in after binding to the system for a year. It was a God-level ore.
The primary effect of Marrow-Generating Jade was purification. No matter what passed through its purification, its quality would rise several grades.
Even if ordinary water were stored in Marrow-Generating Jade, it could purify the water into spiritual liquid. It was an exceptionally precious material, and using it now to refine a bottle for his daughter's milk was just right.
If those old fellows of the Immortal Spirit Realm learned what Mu Feiyang was doing, they would definitely curse him for squandering treasure—using God-level material to refine a baby bottle.
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