Xiao Mingshu's Family Background

Seeing her expression, Shen Jingchuan asked:

"Sis, you seem a little unhappy. Don't keep it to yourself, tell me, maybe I can help you solve it. Don't forget, I'm not alone."

Xiao Mingshu shook her head:

"I'm not unhappy at all, I'm quite happy, it's just that I was thinking about other things."

She paused.

"Since we've gotten this far in our conversation, let me tell you a little something. Although I was born into the royal family, my mother was just a lowly palace maid."

"My father favored her after drinking, and that's how I came to be. From the time my mother was pregnant with me until I was born, he didn't even ask about me once."

"My mother died not long after I was born. I don't even know how she died. I've never seen her since I was a child, and I have no memory of what she looked like."

"In the royal family, I was always a nobody until I was six years old. When all the royal children of the right age had their Spirit Roots tested, I was found to have Three Spirit Roots, and that's when I caught their attention."

"First, I received my initial education in the palace, learning to guide qi into the body and build a foundation. Later, seeing that my Spirit Root was decent, they sent me to the Azure Cloud Sect for cultivation."

"The first two years were fine, but when I reached the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, I hit a bottleneck and have been stuck for so many years without making any progress."

"But just at this time, my second brother broke through. He is the second prince, with Two Spirit Roots. He is in the same Azure Cloud Sect as me, but he is inner disciple. His Spirit Roots are better than mine, and he is also ambitious. Naturally, all the resources in the family are poured into him."

"If I get stuck here, no one will be willing to put in any more effort on me."

Shen Jingchuan didn't interrupt, but listened quietly.

"You may not know the details here. For us cultivators, it's best to Foundation Establishment before the age of fifty. After fifty, our Qi and Blood declines, making it much more difficult."

"It's not unheard of for someone to reach Foundation Establishment at sixty, but that's one in ten thousand, practically nonexistent. In other words, I need to reach the Qi Refining Great Perfection before I'm forty-five to have any chance of Foundation Establishment."

Xiao Mingshu continued:

"I'm stuck on the sixth floor and can't get up. I'm getting older every year, and everyone can see that I've lost all hope, so they just abandoned me."

"In the Azure Cloud Sect, I've always been an outer disciple. I have to do all sorts of miscellaneous tasks myself, and I live in the most ordinary cave abode, where the Spiritual Qi is not as abundant as the one we rented today."

"Outer disciples only get a dozen or so Spirit Stones a year, which isn't enough; they have to earn it all themselves by running quests. As for the royal family, they only give me a few dozen a year, and even then, they're reluctant to give it to me."

"Besides, I'm not a legitimate child, and I'm a girl. Born in a place like that, I'm not well-regarded. Sooner or later, I'm destined for a political marriage, just to get benefits for my family."

Two years ago, the Qi Kingdom sent envoys to propose marriage, wanting me to go. I refused.

She said calmly:

"After that, they became even colder towards me. But they didn't dare to push me too far. After all, I'm a cultivator. If they really pushed me too far, I could just leave, and they wouldn't be able to do anything about it. They couldn't very well kill me."

At this point, she looked around the cave abode and smiled softly:

"That's why I said this period has been the most affluent and comfortable time of my life. Now, do you believe me?"

After saying all this, Xiao Mingshu felt relieved, as if she had let go of something.

After listening, Shen Jingchuan sighed inwardly.

He never expected that Xiao Mingshu, who appeared to be a dignified and noble princess of a nation, was hiding so many troublesome things behind the scenes. It's true that every family has its own troubles.

He didn't know how to persuade her, and after hesitating for a long time, he finally spoke:

"Sis, let's not talk about this anymore. Now that you have me, things will only get better from here on out."

Xiao Mingshu tilted her head and glanced at him, her gaze somewhat ambiguous. She felt there was something ambiguous in his words, and her cheeks flushed slightly. She didn't reply.

Just then, a cheerful voice came from outside the door. "I'm back!"

Huan'er ran into the house like a gust of wind, her face flushed and her eyes full of excitement—she had never lived in such a nice place since moving to the new house.

She handed the completed cave abode certificate to Shen Jingchuan with both hands.

Shen Jingchuan took it, glanced at it, and handed it to Xiao Mingshu:

"Sister, you should keep it."

Huan'er chimed in from the side:

"Young master, I've bought a lot of groceries! Let's celebrate in our cave abode tonight and warm up the house!"

Shen Jingchuan was taken aback. He saw Huan'er take out a large pile of ingredients from her small Storage Bag: spirit lean meat, spirit rice, and various spirit vegetables, which filled almost half the table. He was somewhat surprised.

"When did you become a little rich woman, buying so much?"

"My young lady's money."

Huan'er answered matter-of-factly:

"I manage our allowance and daily expenses."

As she spoke, her eyes darted around, and she stretched out a small hand in front of Shen Jingchuan:

"What, if Young Master Shen thinks I don't have enough money, you can give me more, right?"

Xiao Mingshu raised her hand and slapped the small hand down, glaring at her:

"How can you just ask people for money like that? You have no manners at all."

Huan'er stuck out her tongue, withdrew her hand, and then grinned as she moved closer to Shen Jingchuan:

"Young Master Shen, thank you for your hard work tonight. I'll assist you; your cooking is the best."

Shen Jingchuan stood tall and righteous:

"Yes, it's my duty."

Huan'er's eyes lit up, and she cheerfully replied, "Okay!" She tiptoed up, then gently jumped back down, her pert buttocks swaying, perfectly showcasing her youthful charm. Shen Jingchuan watched this scene, then turned his head away, unable to bear it...

Without hesitation, Xiao Mingshu cast a Method Formula, and a Cleaning Technique swept across the entire cave abode, removing all the dust from top to bottom, inside and out, leaving it looking brand new.

Shen Jingchuan entered the kitchen and took out all the bottles and jars he had brought from the modern world from his Ring. A row of them was laid out on the counter next to the stove: soy sauce, vinegar, salt, sugar, cumin, chili powder, and all sorts of seasonings. Huan'er squatted to the side, washing meat and preparing vegetables, busy as a bee.

Shen Jingchuan rolled up his sleeves, lined up the seasonings, and clapped his hands:

"Let's get started!"

Shen Jingchuan spent half an hour preparing six dishes and a soup, which were served steaming hot and had a wonderful aroma that wafted into his nose.

The three of them picked up their chopsticks. They had only taken a few bites when Huan'er frowned slightly:

"Young Master Shen."

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

"Didn't you forget to play that... that 'hardcore' thing you mentioned?"

Huan'er tilted her head:

"I always felt that the flavor was a little off."

Shen Jingchuan paused, his hand holding the food in his chopsticks.

"That's fine. That stuff isn't healthy to eat."

Huan'er, looked up with her little face, her expression serious:

"Is that 'fierce' treatment you mentioned really that serious? Even more serious than erysipelas?"

Shen Jingchuan opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a moment.

That's it. He suddenly realized that they were all cultivators. Refining medicinal power and expelling pill toxins was commonplace for cultivators. That little bit of fragrance enhancer would be easily refined by their Spiritual Power. What could possibly happen? Habitual thinking really does kill you!

Seeing Huan'er blinking and still looking at him, Shen Jingchuan waved his hand and said repeatedly:

"Alright, alright, next time I'll put in that 'hardcore' stuff for you, plenty of it."

Huan'er then smiled broadly and lowered her head to eat her rice.