Taking You as My Master, Yet Asking Me to Help You Have a Child

Stone was stunned by the sudden question.

Just then, he had been too busy burying his head in the rare Half-Spirit Beast meat he normally never got to eat. How could he have paid attention to what the two people at the table were saying?

Seeing his puzzled look, Wang Zhiyue was not displeased and repeated herself:

"Stone, do you want to join our Wang Family?

"Once you come, not only will you have Half-Spirit Beast meat to eat every day, but you can also become a cultivator who flies through the heavens and burrows through the earth, just like your sister Seedling."

Of course Stone wanted to.

Meat every day, and the ability to fly through the heavens and burrow through the earth.

That was the life every child dreamed of.

But he did not agree at once. Instead, he blinked and turned to Jiang Fu'an.

"I'll listen to Father."

As soon as those words fell, the smile on Wang Zhiyue's face stiffened slightly.

She had not expected this father and son pair to be harder to persuade than the other.

Jiang Fu'an knew that after this refusal, they could no longer stay for the meal.

He immediately rose to his feet and cupped his hands.

"Family Head Wang, there are still some household matters waiting to be handled. We will take our leave for today."

Wang Zhiyue rose as well, her gentle, proper smile still in place.

"Since Fu'an has matters to attend to, I will not force you to stay.

"Please give what I said some further thought, both of you. The Wang Family's doors will always be open to Stone."

"Thank you for your generous favor, Family Head. I will think it over carefully after returning."

After speaking, Jiang Fu'an took Stone's hand and headed outside.

Stone looked back at the unfinished meat on the table, somewhat reluctant, but he still obediently followed his father out the door.

Only after the footsteps of the father and son had faded into the distance did Wang Zhiyue slowly put away her smile.

She turned around, her gaze falling on Ma Ping, who was still leisurely picking at his food. A chill seeped into her voice.

"Aren't you on good terms with Jiang Fu'an? Why did you not say a single word to help persuade him just now?"

Ma Ping raised his eyes and smiled.

"Brother Fu'an knows my situation in the Wang Family. If I had spoken to persuade him, I fear it would only have backfired."

Wang Zhiyue's delicate brows furrowed.

"What do you mean by that? Are you accusing my Wang Family of treating you poorly?"

Ma Ping did not answer. He simply picked up another chopstickful of food and slowly chewed it.

Wang Zhiyue stared at him for a moment before finally snorting coldly and sweeping out the door with a flick of her sleeve.

Just before reaching the threshold, she paused and lightly tossed out a sentence.

"If you can break through to the Qi Refining Mid-Stage... I will permit you to enter my bedroom."

Ma Ping's chopsticks, reaching toward the plate, abruptly froze in midair.

Jiang Fu'an led Stone all the way out of Peace Town. Only when there was no one in sight did he ask in a low voice:

"Stone, how much Half-Spirit Beast meat did you eat just now?"

Stone rubbed his round belly and smacked his lips in satisfaction.

"So much! I'm completely full!"

"Then let's hurry home. Father will teach you the Eternal Spring Technique."

With that, he took the lead and began jogging down the dirt road.

Though Stone did not understand why, he stretched his short legs and closely followed.

Stone possessed four spiritual roots of metal, wood, fire, and earth. Cultivating the wood-attributed Eternal Spring Technique suited him perfectly.

For now, he would use this technique to get started. If an opportunity arose later, he could seek out something better.

Jiang Fu'an was in such a hurry because he wanted to test just how much Half-Spirit Beast meat could aid cultivation.

The spiritual energy within food was easier to refine into spiritual power than the energy drifting through heaven and earth.

Though its effects were far from as immediate as pills, spiritual food was cheap and easily acquired, and there was no worry of Pill Poison.

Cultivators with the means ate spiritual food at nearly every meal.

And Jiang Fu'an felt that under the influence of the Devouring Physique, he and Stone would likely gain far more from cultivating through spiritual food than ordinary people.

This thought had circled in his mind for a long time, but the number of Half-Spirit Beasts raised at home was limited, so they could not be slaughtered freely.

Today's meal was the perfect opportunity to test it.

Seeing that there was no one in the wilderness, father and son simultaneously used the Cloud-Soaring Steps.

Wind rose beneath their feet, and their figures skimmed the ground like low-flying geese, their speed suddenly soaring.

The journey home, which originally required an hour, took only a quarter of an hour.

After pushing open the gate, Jiang Fu'an first informed the waiting Su Wanqing that they were safe. Then he pulled Stone into the bedroom and shut the door behind them to teach him the technique.

The candle flame flickered through the night.

After observing him all night and hearing Stone's own feedback, he finally reached a firm conclusion:

Cultivating after eating one's fill of Half-Spirit Beast meat had an effect roughly equal to one-tenth of a Qi-Nourishing Pill.

The result filled him with excitement.

This meant that even without pills, as long as they had enough spiritual food, Stone could hope to break through to the Qi Refining First Layer within three years!

From then on, Jiang Fu'an's focus in life became increasingly clear.

As the owner of an estate, he no longer needed to personally manage many of the farmstead's trivial affairs.

Other than entering the mountains every few days to hunt and replenish their meat supply, he and Stone spent most of their time alternating between martial training and seated cultivation.

Martial training consumed physical strength, while cultivation taxed the mind.

One tensed and one relaxed; work and rest complemented each other. Their progress was surprisingly smooth.

During those peaceful days, however, an incident occurred that left Jiang Fu'an caught between laughter and tears.

That afternoon, he was practicing martial arts with Stone in the backyard.

Miao Ruolan suddenly came looking for him.

Several months had passed, and she had recovered from the blow of the spiritual root test. Her face had regained its former radiance.

The moment she entered the courtyard, she waved Stone over, her manner mysterious.

"Stone, I have something to discuss with your father. Go play in the front yard for a while."

Stone was honest and obedient. Seeing that his father did not stop him, he meekly headed to the front.

Jiang Fu'an looked curiously at Miao Ruolan.

"What could be so mysterious?"

But Miao Ruolan did not answer at once. She first craned her head around to make sure there was no third person in the backyard before lowering her voice to probe:

"Master, two of your three children have spiritual roots... You are a person blessed with great fortune. Can I ask you for a favor?"

Seeing her like this, Jiang Fu'an could not help laughing.

"You have to tell me what it is first. If you do not explain it clearly, how would I know whether I can do it?"

During this time, Miao Ruolan had not only taught him much common knowledge about the cultivation world, but had also imparted to him every bit of her skill in making talisman paper.

In a sense, she counted as half his master.

So long as it was within his ability, he would naturally be willing to lend her a hand.

Miao Ruolan looked around once more before softly saying:

"Can you help me have a child?"

Jiang Fu'an was dumbfounded and did not react for a moment.

Once he understood what she meant, a wave of absurdity surged through him.

He immediately shook his head, his tone decisive.

"I can't help with that. I cannot let my own flesh and blood bear an outsider's surname.

"Besides, even if I helped you conceive, the chance of giving birth to a child with spiritual roots would still be exceedingly slim. Why put yourself through such hardship?"

In truth, as someone who had crossed over into this world, Jiang Fu'an was not so old-fashioned about a child's surname.

What he truly feared was that if he really helped Miao Ruolan conceive a child of extraordinary talent,

then once the news leaked, he might be captured and reduced to a breeding tool for certain Lineages.

Of course, before doing it, he could also remove the binding of the bedroom.

That would most likely prevent them from producing a child with spiritual roots.

But would that not amount to taking advantage of her for free?

Not to mention that Miao Ruolan would be burdened for the rest of her life by this child without spiritual roots.

He simply could not bring himself to do such a thing.