(I was the first to do this monthly ticket extra, and it completely threw me for a loop.)
(I posted it under work-related content before, but many people did not receive update notifications, so I am now posting it directly after the main text.)
(I just learned that many authors have been burned by this before. Cold sweat is already pouring down my back!)
The Ning family's immense migration convoy arrived in the southern fields alongside the footsteps of March.
Spring was warm and vibrant.
Vast stretches of rapeseed blossoms were in full bloom. Stirred by the spring breeze, their golden flowers looked like a layer of golden radiance upon a green sea, bringing boundless hope.
The convoy rolled onward with a thunderous rumble.
A middle-aged man dismounted and leaped onto a Mechanism Carriage within the convoy.
He hurriedly pushed open the door and entered.
"Madam, look what this is?" The middle-aged man produced a pill as though presenting a treasure.
His wife was heavily pregnant, her belly high and round, and lay on the bed with her eyes closed as she rested.
The carriage windows were shut.
The middle-aged man sent mana through the air and lit a Spirit Lamp on the ceiling.
Under the lamplight, his wife slowly opened her eyes and looked at the pill. Its entire body was crystal-clear, like a glazed orb, glimmering with a faint yellow light.
His wife took a light sniff. The pill fragrance was fresh and pleasant, like the air in a forest after rain, calming the spirit and making the mind feel clear and transparent.
His wife said in surprise, "This is an Early Wisdom Pill, a top-grade pill. Where did you get it?"
The middle-aged man grinned. "Didn't I help Strong Fist Monk out once? He cultivates the Buddhist path and places great importance on karma and retribution, so he insisted on repaying my kindness."
"So I told him that my wife would soon give birth, and hoped Master could provide some help for my son's future cultivation."
But his wife's joy turned to worry. "Husband, you could have used this opportunity, used the Master's repayment, to treat your injuries."
"At the very least, you could have asked for a lotus seed from the Buddhist Salvation Lotus Throne to improve your cultivation talent."
The middle-aged man shook his head and sighed. "Forget about me."
"Although my old injury causes me pain whenever it flares up, it will not kill me. At worst, I will suffer for a few days. Even if it were cured, it would not bring any qualitative change to my combat strength."
"Even if I obtained a lotus seed, my Cultivation Aptitude would only rise from middle grade to middle upper grade. I am already this old. With merely middle upper grade immortal aptitude, I cannot break through my bottleneck."
As he spoke, the middle-aged man crouched down and gently caressed his beloved wife's belly. "When all is said and done, it is better to leave this opportunity to our child!"
"One of the main ingredients of the Early Wisdom Pill is a root of wisdom from the Bodhi Tree."
His wife let out a faint sigh and nodded slightly, acknowledging her husband's choice.
"Come, take the pill." The middle-aged man stood and handed it to her. "I will circulate my cultivation to help you refine it."
His wife swallowed the pill, and its gentle Medicinal Power took effect upon the child in her womb.
The Early Wisdom Pill could strengthen the mind, transform the Spirit Platform, nourish the soul, moisten the Heart Field, allowing one to gain wisdom early and possess extraordinary intelligence.
Having accomplished this, the middle-aged man beamed with delight. "Wonderful! With this pill, our child will gain wisdom early. Perhaps he can already remember every word we say now."
"Next, we can try reciting Cultivation Techniques to him. Who knows? Perhaps he can cultivate while still in the womb!"
His wife laughed. "What a beautiful thought."
"Even if he can remember every word and every sentence we say, he would not understand their meaning."
"Besides, his body meridians have not fully developed yet. If he truly began cultivating, it would only be harmful."
The middle-aged man grinned. "Of course I know. I was only joking."
He took his wife's hand. "Ah, only after becoming parents does one understand the sincere heart parents hold for their children."
"Our child has not even been born, yet I cannot help thinking for him and worrying about his future."
"I truly hope he has good Cultivation Aptitude. The higher, the better. I do not want him to be like me."
But his wife shook her head. "If he has no Cultivation Aptitude, would I stop loving him?"
"No. No matter what, he is our child, flesh of our flesh and blood of our blood."
"I hope he has some Cultivation Aptitude, but not too much."
"Of those children we have seen or heard of, those with astonishing talent who died young—have there been few?"
"I only hope he can live his whole life in peace and safety."
Just as they spoke, an alarm suddenly sounded.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" someone shouted loudly.
The expressions of both husband and wife changed.
The middle-aged man told his wife to remain calm, then threw open the door and rushed out.
The next moment, he saw heaven and earth undergo a dramatic change. Icy winds howled, sharp as countless blades slicing through every living being.
"We have fallen into a great array!" Startled and enraged, the middle-aged man forcibly calmed himself, immediately surging mana into his magical artifact to protect himself. The Mechanism Vehicle beneath him, controlled by his wife, also lit up with all manner of runes, its defenses greatly strengthened.
"Who are you?" The Ning Family Old Ancestor rose into the sky with an awe-inspiring aura and shouted furiously.
The attackers remained silent, merely manipulating the Ice and Snow Great Array and stirring up another transformation.
Fist-sized hailstones blanketed the sky and rained down.
Casualties immediately appeared within the Ning family convoy.
The Ning Family Old Ancestor laughed in fury. "Heh heh, very good! Even if you hide your heads and show your tails, do you think I cannot recognize you?"
"Frost Marquis, Absolute Ice Wanderer, it truly was not easy for you to wait until we entered South Bean Country before launching this ambush."
With their identities exposed, Frost Marquis and Absolute Ice Wanderer both revealed themselves.
The former said, "Elder Ning, once you left my North Wind Country and led your entire Lineage to seek refuge in South Bean Country, you should have expected this day."
The Ning Family Old Ancestor shouted, "I made matters clear with the King long ago, leaving behind magical artifacts and reaching an agreement. Your North Wind Country royal family has gone back on its word. After this battle, I shall certainly spread word of it across the world!"
Absolute Ice Wanderer gave a sinister laugh. "That is precisely why I came here. Elder Ning, rest assured. After this battle, even if rumors spread, they will only say that I, Absolute Ice Wanderer, came here to settle a personal grudge."
A great battle erupted.
The Ning Family Old Ancestor was already outnumbered, and he also had to protect the entire Lineage. Before long, he fell into a disadvantage.
Sensing that things were amiss, the Ning Family Old Ancestor did not hesitate to self-destruct a magical artifact, blasting open a temporary passage through the formation.
"Run!!" the Ning Family Old Ancestor roared.
With the situation critical, the Ning Family Patriarch personally led the way, bringing as many clansmen as possible fleeing through the passage.
Snow Wolves formed from ice and snow came in packs, pursuing and slaughtering them.
The passage was shrinking, yet more than half of the Ning family members remained trapped within the great array.
"Do not shove! Do not shove!" people cried, thrown into complete chaos.
The Snow Wolves charged into the crowd, raising a bloody wind and rain.
Amid the chaos, the Ning Family Young Patriarch and two others squeezed into the middle-aged couple's Mechanism Vehicle.
"Brother Ning Zhong!" Young Clan Leader Ning Xiaoren saluted the middle-aged man, his face filled with panic. "The passage is about to close. Please lend us the Mechanism Vehicle."
But burdened by so many people and damaged by the ice and snow, the Mechanism Vehicle's power dropped sharply, and it fell behind.
They were about to fail to squeeze through, leaving everyone sealed inside the array once more.
The Young Clan Leader's two attendants looked at Ning Zhong. "Brother Ning Zhong is also in the Foundation Establishment Realm. We hope you will descend with us and fend off the enemy!"
His wife cried out, "Brother Zhong, do not go!"
Ning Zhong frowned deeply. Experienced in battle, he saw the situation as clearly as fire. "If I do not go down and stop them, none of us can leave!"
Ning Zhong abruptly turned his head, fierce light flashing in his eyes as he stared at the Young Clan Leader.
The Young Clan Leader's body trembled, and he hurriedly raised a hand to swear an oath. "Brother Ning Zhong, rest assured. I, Ning Xiaoren, swear that if we escape alive this time, I will certainly protect Sister-in-law and your beloved son. I am also willing to give my full aid to your son upon the path of cultivation!"
Ning Zhong gave his wife one final, deeply affectionate look.
Her eyes had already been reddened from weeping.
"Take good care of our child!"
Ning Zhong gritted his teeth, abruptly turned around, and leaped from the carriage with the Young Clan Leader's two attendants.
The Snow Wolves howled. The Mechanism Vehicle staggered and lurched as it disappeared into the passage.
Before you continue