The Family's Pillar Industry

At that moment, the Bedroom door creaked open a crack, and the midwife poked her head out with a delighted smile.

"Congratulations, Master! It's a healthy young master! Mother and son are both safe!"

"Good, good! You've worked hard, Midwife! Please accept this small token!"

The moment Jiang Fu'an heard this, his face broke into a smile.

As he spoke, he pulled a tael of broken silver from his sleeve and pressed it into the midwife's hand.

In truth, he had already learned Jiang Xiangqian's general condition through the panel.

But only upon hearing with his own ears that Su Wanqing was safe did the heart that had been hanging in his chest for half the day finally settle back into place.

About a quarter of an hour later, after the midwife had tidied everything inside, she finally allowed him in.

The room still carried a faint smell of blood and medicinal herbs.

Su Wanqing lay pale-faced on the bed, several strands of sweat-soaked black hair clinging to her temples.

Yet her eyes, fixed upon the tiny swaddled bundle beside her, brimmed with a gentle smile.

Jiang Fu'an crossed to the bed in a few strides and clasped her icy hand, his voice full of heartache.

"Wanqing, you've suffered. We'll only have this one child. We won't have any more."

He meant every word.

While waiting outside earlier, he had repeated the same thought over and over in his heart.

As long as Wanqing made it through this ordeal safely, he would never let her suffer such hardship again.

Raising children already consumed both money and effort, much less children born with spirit roots.

He planned to raise these four children properly first.

If the Ancestral Home's future upgrade conditions required more descendants, then he would take a few concubines to bear them.

Su Wanqing's lips curved faintly, though her voice remained weak.

"It wasn't hard... I'm fine."

At this moment, Yue'er and Stone slipped into the room one after the other. Standing on tiptoe, they gathered by the bed and curiously examined the tiny person wrapped in cloth.

The little fellow's whole face was wrinkled up, curled there like a walnut freshly peeled from its shell.

Yue'er stared at him for a long while, her little brows gradually knitting together.

"He... looks so ugly!"

Jiang Fu'an was immediately amused and laughed.

"When you were born, you were even more wrinkled than him. You looked like a little monkey."

After a pause, he added warmly.

"Yue'er, you're the older sister. From now on, you must look after your little brother more."

Medical skills in this world could hardly be called advanced, and children dying young was a common occurrence.

He hoped that Yue'er's "Lucky Star Shining" fate would bring good fortune to this newly arrived child.

Yue'er was usually somewhat lazy. Hearing this, she pouted a little, clearly reluctant.

But when she thought of how this was her own little brother, she still nodded and answered softly.

"Oh... all right."

Jiang Fu'an bent down and carefully gathered Jiang Xiangqian into his arms.

He studied that tender little face closely, but another thought was turning in his mind.

He was hesitating over whether to use his final copying opportunity on the Talisman Saint Physique.

The potential of this physique was beyond doubt. It was absolutely among the finest.

But since Jiang Xiangqian already possessed it, would copying another one be somewhat redundant?

After all, it mainly aided the path of talismans; it did not directly enhance combat strength or cultivation speed.

If it had been the latter, he would not have hesitated at all.

Yet after considering it for only a moment, Jiang Fu'an made up his mind.

For a family to develop over the long term, it needed a pillar industry capable of holding up its name.

He had long decided that the Jiang Family's future foundation would lie in talismans.

If that was the case, relying on Jiang Xiangqian alone, no matter how gifted a talisman prodigy he was, would be far from enough.

Two months slipped by in the blink of an eye amid the cries of the child.

That day, the Xu brothers came to visit together.

Though everyone lived in the same grand residence, the Xu brothers had spent nearly all their time at the Wang Family's side these past days, rarely appearing before Jiang Fu'an.

"Master!"

Xu the Elder clasped his fists in salute and got straight to the point.

"My brother and I will be joining the Wang Family's men in attacking the Rong Family in a few days."

Jiang Fu'an nodded slightly after hearing this and warned them solemnly.

"Blades and swords have no eyes. Be careful in all things, and make sure to preserve your lives."

Ever since declining Ma Ping's invitation, he had deliberately kept away from this conflict and no longer involved himself in it.

Even before the Xu brothers, he tried not to speak much of it.

"Thank you for your concern, Master."

Xu the Elder responded, a flicker of hesitation passing over his face before he asked again.

"Master, when you declined Ma the Immortal Elder's invitation, did you have some particular concern?"

"If it's convenient, could you offer us brothers a word or two of guidance?"

Only then did Jiang Fu'an understand their true purpose in coming today.

To be fair, the Xu brothers were steady in their work and trustworthy by nature. He truly did not wish to see them suffer any mishap in the fighting.

Since they had taken the initiative to ask, he thought it over and decided there was no harm in saying a little more.

"The methods of immortals are not something we mortals can withstand head-on. Since you're already involved, remember not to charge too far ahead. Don't draw attention and become targets in others' eyes."

"Remember, Cuihua and Yu'er are still waiting for you to return safely and marry them into your homes."

At those final words, Xu the Elder's heart jolted. He hurriedly bowed.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master! We will put our lives first."

The two brothers took their leave and departed from the hall.

Xu Lao'er, who had barely spoken all this time, could not help muttering the moment they left the courtyard.

"Big Brother, I told you there was no need to come ask him."

"To put it bluntly, Master is just timid and afraid of death."

"He wants us to hide in the rear like turtles with our heads tucked in. How are we supposed to earn merit and claim rewards that way?"

Xu the Elder shook his head, his expression grave.

"I think Master is right. How could the spells of immortals be something you and I can deal with?"

"If we stand out too much, and one of the immortals in the enemy ranks strikes at you, your life will be gone."

"Big Brother, why are you acting like Master too, afraid of wolves ahead and tigers behind?"

Xu Lao'er refused to accept it and argued.

"Didn't Ma the Immortal Elder promise again and again? The Wang Family will tie up all the enemy immortals. They absolutely won't have a chance to attack us mortals."

"Besides, I already promised Cuihua that I'd fight hard for merit this time, earn more bride price, and marry her in with great fanfare..."

"You might live long enough to earn it, but not long enough to spend it!"

Before he could finish, Xu the Elder cut him off sharply, staring hard at his younger brother.

"You have to listen to me this time! Once we reach the battlefield, don't act on your own. Stay close to me, and don't charge around recklessly!"

Xu Lao'er pressed his lips together and said nothing more, only lowering his head.

Who knew whether he had truly taken those words of warning to heart.

Naturally, Jiang Fu'an had no idea that the two brothers had such an argument after leaving.

At this moment, he sat before his desk, holding two items obtained from the cave abode.

One was a suspected talisman brush, the other a stack of things that seemed to be talisman paper. He stared blankly at them.

He had already successfully copied the Talisman Saint Physique onto himself.

But with no one to teach him the tricks of drawing talismans, and without the slightest trace of spiritual energy in his body,

the talisman industry tied to the family's future still had not even taken shape. There had been no progress at all.

Fortunately, the day when the next Fu Yuan would descend was not far off.

Anticipation rose in his heart.

What would this Fu Yuan be this time?