In the hall, Lu Yuanding and Uncle Fu both watched Lu Changsheng, waiting for him to make his choice.
"Lineage head, the terms here are excellent, of course. I'm very satisfied and have no objections."
"I just have two questions. Do my current children belong to me or the Lu Lineage? And if I keep living with the Lu Lineage, can I still take wives and concubines?"
Lu Changsheng voiced his questions.
He was no fool. How could he possibly believe Lu Yuanding's claim that these terms had been thought up on the spot and that he could raise any shortcomings?
Although he was now a ranked talisman master, he was still far from qualified to negotiate with the Lu Lineage as an equal.
If he brought up leaving right now, it would certainly affect the Lu Lineage's impression of him, their opinions, and their plans for him.
Living under someone else's roof, he did intend to leave once he made it through the early stages.
But for now, he still needed to grow under the Lu Lineage's protection and would be living here for quite some time.
Negotiating terms at this point would therefore be unwise.
As long as the terms were reasonably acceptable, that was enough.
If they were harsh, so be it.
Besides, it would be a stretch to call the Lu Lineage's contract particularly harsh.
It was still within what Lu Changsheng could accept.
After all, the Lu Lineage would nurture him and help him safely through the early stages. It was only natural that he should pay a price in return.
Lu Changsheng also had confidence in himself.
He believed that once he made it through those early stages with the Lu Lineage, repaying three times the resources they had spent on him would be no great problem, thanks to the system and his second-rank talisman master craft.
If nothing else, when the Lu Lineage supplies materials for him to practice Talisman Making in the future, his hundred-percent success rate will let him earn back a considerable amount.
After all, magical artifacts, medicinal pills, and talismans all had extremely high profit margins. They were immensely lucrative.
"???"
Lu Yuanding froze at Lu Changsheng's words, momentarily at a loss for what to say.
Seeing Lu Changsheng hesitate earlier, he had assumed he was agonizing over the terms and benefits.
He had never expected Lu Changsheng to ask questions like these.
Who would the children belong to?
Could he still take wives and concubines in the future?
It was simply...
But remembering that Lu Changsheng came from an ordinary farming household, he understood.
This was pure peasant thinking. All he wanted was a wife, children, and a warm bed.
Only through a chance turn of fate had he gained a spiritual root and stepped onto the path of immortality, while also proving exceptionally gifted at Talisman Making.
In Lu Yuanding's eyes, this was even better. It would make him easier to integrate into the Lu Lineage and put to use.
Uncle Fu, standing nearby, was also left rather speechless by Lu Changsheng's questions.
Lu Changsheng really has nothing but women on his mind.
He's already married nine women from the Lu Lineage, yet he still isn't satisfied and wants more wives and concubines.
Luckily, the servants I assigned to attend Lu Changsheng were all older women. If they'd been young, pretty maids, he probably would have had his way with them long ago.
It was not that he begrudged him the girls. He genuinely hoped Lu Changsheng would focus on the Talisman Way rather than remain constantly immersed in women.
Lu Miaoge, meanwhile, remained as serene and ethereal as ever, her thoughts unreadable.
"Hehe, rest assured. Under these terms, you'll be a son-in-law of our Green Bamboo Lu Lineage, not a live-in son-in-law. Naturally, all your children will belong to you."
"As for taking wives and concubines, that's your freedom. Our Lu Lineage certainly won't interfere."
Lu Yuanding smiled as he spoke.
It was Lu Changsheng himself they valued.
Given the talent and worth Lu Changsheng had displayed, a few children and mortal women were trivial matters in their eyes.
"Thank you, lineage head!"
"Then I have no other questions."
Lu Changsheng cupped his hands as he spoke.
Lu Yuanding then had Uncle Fu bring out the contract Lu Changsheng had previously signed and annulled it.
He signed a new agreement with Lu Changsheng on this Spirit Contract.
"From now on, think of the Lu Lineage as your own home."
Lu Yuanding spoke with a warm, refined smile.
Then he lightly patted Lu Changsheng's shoulder and continued, "Over the next few days, I'll have someone prepare your Identity Plaque and arrange a residential courtyard for you in Green Bamboo Valley. Once everything is ready, Uncle Fu will notify you."
"For the next few days, stay here for the time being. Your benefits will count from this month onward."
Lu Changsheng paused briefly, knowing the man was trying to win his loyalty.
Still, there was no denying that these words and gestures made him feel comfortable. He nodded and cupped his hands. "Yes. Thank you, lineage head."
Lu Yuanding then left with Uncle Fu and Lu Miaoge.
Lu Changsheng walked them to the door.
"Whew!"
Watching the three leave, Lu Changsheng took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
From now on, he could count himself as having gained a firm foothold in the Lu Lineage, couldn't he?
Then his wives and concubines came hurrying over.
They gathered around Lu Changsheng, asking whether the lineage head's visit had been about him becoming a talisman master.
Ever since learning two days earlier that Lu Changsheng could draw first-rank talismans, they had been looking forward to this even more than he had.
Lu Changsheng hid nothing and told them the truth.
He told the women that before long, their whole household would be able to move to Green Bamboo Valley with the children.
The news filled them all with unexpected joy, and their gazes grew even more tender and affectionate as they looked at Lu Changsheng.
The next day.
News that Lu Changsheng had become a first-rank talisman master and would soon move to Green Bamboo Valley spread throughout Green Bamboo Manor.
Like a massive stone thrown into a tranquil lake, the news stirred wave after wave.
The Lu Lineage disciples at Green Bamboo Manor were all intensely envious of Lu Changsheng, their eyes red with jealousy.
After all, even as Lu Lineage Disciples, they were not qualified to live in Green Bamboo Valley and could only reside at Green Bamboo Manor.
Yet now Lu Changsheng, an outsider, was allowed to move into Green Bamboo Valley.
That meant this live-in son-in-law's status had already risen above theirs.
As for the immortal seedlings who had come to the Lu Lineage alongside Lu Changsheng, they were so envious they nearly ground their back teeth to pieces.
As the saying went, you feared seeing your brother suffer, but you also feared seeing him drive a Land Rover.
Ordinarily, they would not compare themselves to Lu Lineage disciples.
But Lu Changsheng was just like them: rejected by the Azure Cloud Sect and taken in as a live-in son-in-law of the Lu Lineage.
Seeing Lu Changsheng achieve so much now naturally left them envious, jealous, and miserable.
They bitterly resented their own lack of talent in this field.
Whatever they thought, now that Lu Changsheng had become a first-rank talisman master, they chose to curry favor with him.
They came one after another to congratulate him and bring gifts.
After all, having been exposed to immortal cultivation for so long, everyone understood the worth of a
twenty-year-old talisman master.
Not only those immortal seedlings, but many Lu Lineage disciples at Green Bamboo Manor also set aside their pride and visited Lu Changsheng's home with congratulations and gifts, hoping to make his acquaintance.
"Changsheng, congratulations!"
Li Feiyu from next door was the first to arrive, bringing his wife to congratulate him.
He also carried a box of Spirit Tea.
Half a year earlier, his martial cultivation had broken through to the innate realm, allowing him to give up his virginity. Now his wife was pregnant too.
"Thank you. There's no need for gifts between us. You're being far too polite."
Lu Changsheng stepped forward with a smile.
He could tell that Li Feiyu felt somewhat dejected.
After all, Li Feiyu devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivation, and with his seventh-grade spiritual root, his cultivation had always been far ahead of Lu Changsheng's.
Now, however, Lu Changsheng had become a first-rank talisman master, overtaking him on a bend and gaining prospects far brighter than his.
Of course, Li Feiyu was still sincerely happy that Lu Changsheng had become a talisman master.
He was not so narrow-minded that he could not bear to see others do well.
After spending more than two years together with Lu Changsheng, they had developed a very good relationship.
"It's fine. Such a happy occasion doesn't come along often. How could I show up empty-handed?"
Seeing that Lu Changsheng put on no airs and was just as he had always been, Li Feiyu smiled as well.
The two then caught up and chatted, while people arrived one after another with congratulatory gifts.
After spending the day receiving well-wishers, Lu Changsheng checked and found that he had received quite a few gifts.
Some had given spirit stones outright, while others had brought Spirit Tea, Spirit Fruit, talisman-making materials, and the like. Altogether, they were worth roughly fifty-six spirit stones.
Lu Changsheng could not help marveling.
If I held a banquet every time I had a child in the future, wouldn't I be accepting gifts until my hands went limp?
But it was only a passing thought.
With the Many Children, Many Blessings System, Lu Changsheng's chosen course for the future was to act cautiously in all things and forge good relationships far and wide.
After all, he was a man with a family and quite a few children. He needed to mind his reputation.
Doing something like that once or twice would be fine, but doing it too often would damage his reputation and affect how others viewed him.
There was no need. The losses would outweigh the gains.
Over the following days, Lu Changsheng continued his usual routine, cultivating in peace and spending time with his children at home while waiting for word from Uncle Fu.
His wives and concubines, meanwhile, spent those two days visiting their sisters and close friends, their faces glowing like a spring breeze as they caught up and chatted.
To put it plainly, they were showing off the fact that Lu Changsheng had become a talisman master.
This left their sisters and friends who had married the other immortal seedlings consumed with envy, jealousy, and resentment.
Why didn't I marry Lu Changsheng back then? they wondered.
Lu Changsheng noticed all this but said nothing.
After all, his wives and concubines were human beings, not childbearing machines. They had the full range of human feelings and desires.
What they were doing now was harmless enough, but he could already foresee that once he had a multitude of wives and concubines and countless descendants, some of them would inevitably stir up trouble for him, their "patriarch," and drag him into it.
A lineage had its benefits, but sometimes it could also become a burden.
Still, that was the nature of immortal cultivation. With every gain came a loss.
Since he had the Many Children, Many Blessings System and had chosen this path, Lu Changsheng was mentally prepared.
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