Lianshan Xin brushed it off. "Mother, you've never roamed the martial world. How do you know all heroines have such fiery tempers?"
He Miaojun told it like it was. "If you weren't my son, I'd want to beat you to death myself for what you just said."
"Father, have you noticed that Dai Yueying is prettier than before?"
Lianshan Xin realized that He Miaojun seemed to have formed a somewhat unfavorable opinion of him, so he decided to drag his father down with him.
But Lianshan Jingcheng was a well-tested stalwart. He said solemnly, "I have no impression of what Dai Yueying looked like before, so I can't tell whether anything has changed. My dear, your complexion looks much better today than it did yesterday."
Lianshan Xin had nothing to say. He could only give Lianshan Jingcheng a thumbs-up. "Father, you really are vigilant."
Lianshan Jingcheng raised his head proudly.
He Miaojun was amused by the father and son. After she finished laughing, she told Lianshan Xin, "Dai Yueying came to the clinic looking for you once before. I remember her a little, and she really was nowhere near as pretty as she is now."
"So I wasn't imagining it." Lianshan Xin looked thoughtful. "Mother, I know a girl goes through eighteen transformations as she grows, becoming prettier with each one, but can she really become this pretty?"
"It's hard to say. Some people really do undergo a complete transformation at this age, but most shouldn't change quite so much. This Dai Yueying... dear, could she have some special physique?"
He Miaojun looked at Lianshan Jingcheng.
Lianshan Jingcheng was a skilled physician. Through constant exposure, He Miaojun and Lianshan Xin had picked up some knowledge of medicine as well.
They had consequently learned that some people in this world were exceptionally gifted, born with physiques unlike those of others.
Lianshan Jingcheng pondered for a moment before giving an answer that surprised Lianshan Xin. "She probably does."
"Huh? Father, are you that sure?"
Lianshan Jingcheng glared at Lianshan Xin. "Your father is the Jiangzhou Sage Physician. My craft rests on observation, listening and smelling, questioning, and pulse-taking. Are you questioning my eye?"
"A little."
Yesterday, Lianshan Xin had almost been awed by Lianshan Jingcheng into believing his father was a top-tier miracle physician. But Lianshan Jingcheng had mistaken the lotus for a Century Snow Lotus, which had lowered Lianshan Xin's estimation of his medical skills.
Lianshan Jingcheng grew even more displeased and promptly showed off his expertise. "One look at Dai Yueying from a distance was enough for me to know that she has a born bewitching physique. She's an as-yet-unawakened beauty, one no ordinary man could possibly enjoy the fortune of possessing. Son, you were right to turn her down. A woman like her is beyond your league."
Lianshan Xin's eyes lit up, and he immediately tattled. "Mother, Father actually dared to look at another woman right in front of you."
Lianshan Jingcheng's heart lurched.
Damn it. The brat was lying in wait for me.
"My dear, let me explain..."
"No need to explain. Dear, tell me more about this born bewitching physique." He Miaojun was curious.
Seeing that He Miaojun was merely curious, Lianshan Jingcheng breathed a sigh of relief and explained, "It's exactly what it sounds like. People with this physique naturally exude a seductive, enchanting air from their very bones. They generally have alluring faces and enticing figures. If they practice seduction arts, their martial cultivation will advance a thousand miles a day. From what I saw of Dai Yueying, she likely has an inner bewitching physique that hasn't been awakened yet. Once her physique reaches full maturity, matching the Demon Cult's holy maiden or the finest courtesans of the two capitals should be well within her reach."
He Miaojun nodded admiringly. "Dear, you know so much. Did you meet beauties with this born bewitching physique back when you roamed the martial world?"
Lianshan Jingcheng immediately assumed a solemn expression. "I read all of this in medical books. As for roaming the martial world, I was just like our son. When I was young, I dreamed of wandering to the ends of the earth with a sword in hand, but I gave up because I was too weak."
"Father, you're the one who gave up. I'm still chasing my dream."
Lianshan Xin firmly drew a line between himself and Lianshan Jingcheng.
Having come to this world, if he never experienced the far reaches of the martial world or the lofty heights of the imperial court, then... he would need a great, great deal of money to make up for it.
Lianshan Xin did not have a great, great deal of money. As far as he knew, all that money lay in the far reaches of the martial world and the lofty heights of the imperial court.
So he had to visit both places.
"Don't get too full of yourself, either. Don't think that just because you got your hands on... that thing, you're invincible under heaven. Good luck and great strength are two different things."
Lianshan Jingcheng had to admit that his son's luck was off the charts. The Millennium Snow Lotus he had spent twenty years searching for had actually been found by his own son.
Comparing yourself to others really could infuriate you to death.
Fortunately, it was his own son.
But he was even more worried that this would inflate Lianshan Xin's confidence until he no longer knew how high heaven was or how deep the earth ran.
"Father, luck is part of strength, too. Don't worry. I know I'm not strong enough right now, so I'm planning to join the Nine Heavens and cling to a powerful backer. I thought I'd let you both know in advance."
"The Nine Heavens?"
Both Lianshan Jingcheng and He Miaojun were shaken.
Lianshan Xin had not explained this part to them yesterday.
Only now did they learn that Lianshan Xin had obtained the Millennium Snow Lotus with the help of the Nine Heavens.
Then both their expressions turned grim.
He Miaojun said gravely, "Xin, I don't know much about the Nine Heavens, but as far as I'm aware, their reputation among the people is terrible. Both at court and beyond it, many people would like nothing better than to wipe them out."
Lianshan Xin nodded. "Mother, the rumors are all true."
"Then isn't it very dangerous?"
"Mother, look at it from another angle. So many people in the imperial court and the martial world want nothing better than to wipe out the Nine Heavens, yet they've stood firm for a thousand years. Doesn't that prove how powerful they are?"
Lianshan Xin's argument was sound and well-founded. He Miaojun could find no opening in it.
So Lianshan Jingcheng took over. "Son, even if the Nine Heavens can withstand storms from outside, the infighting within an organization like that must be fierce, too, right?"
"That's inevitable." Lianshan Xin did not deny it.
There was no point in offering his parents nothing but reassurances.
Lianshan Jingcheng was a renowned physician in Jiangzhou, and He Miaojun was an educated young lady from a wealthy family that had fallen on hard times. They were not ignorant people, and Lianshan Xin did not believe he was doing anything shameful.
He could simply tell his parents the truth.
"That's why your son found himself a powerful backer. The Heavenly Sword, one of the Nine Heavens, thinks very highly of me."
"Why would the Heavenly Sword think highly of you?"
"President Qu next door was harboring a fiend from the Demon Cult. I reported him to the Heavenly Sword, and he was caught red-handed with undeniable evidence. I rendered a great service, so of course the Heavenly Sword thinks highly of me."
"What?"
Lianshan Jingcheng and He Miaojun were shocked once again.
Lianshan Jingcheng even felt a shiver of belated fear. "President Qu belongs to the Demon Cult?"
"Yes. He hid it very well. I only discovered it by accident. Father, you're lucky you escaped unscathed from a Demon Cult fiend."
Cold sweat seeped from Lianshan Jingcheng's forehead. "Xin, you're not lying to me?"
"Of course not. All our neighbors know about it. You only missed the big show because you spent yesterday brewing Mother's medicine and never went out."
"Wait. Why would the Heavenly Sword let you have the Millennium Snow Lotus?"
He Miaojun had spotted the flaw.
Lianshan Xin continued telling the truth. "The Heavenly Sword doesn't know about the Millennium Snow Lotus. I secretly kept it for myself. If anyone finds out, His Highness the Crown Prince is bound to retaliate against me. Mother, you wouldn't want to have no one to care for you in old age or see you to your grave, would you? So you absolutely must keep it secret."
He Miaojun said, "..."
"Who else knows about this?" Lianshan Jingcheng grew nervous as well.
"Qi Shiyun. She's the young leader of the Chosen of Heaven Lineage within the Nine Heavens. She said I have a talent for immortal cultivation and will recommend me to join the Chosen of Heaven Lineage. But I don't know the details of that lineage either, so I can't tell you two anything more yet. In short, from now on, the three of us are grasshoppers tied to the same string."
He Miaojun and Lianshan Jingcheng both went numb.
Their feelings were so tangled that neither knew what expression to wear.
"The treasonous deed is already done. Regretting it now won't help. Father, from now on, I'll charge into battle at the front and do my best to climb higher with the help of the Nine Heavens. Take good care of Mother's health and keep my rear secure. Our family will stay together, every last one of us. Either we'll go to the capital someday and earn a page of our own in the family genealogy, or you two will be dragged down with me, and we'll all meet our end in the Yellow Springs."
Lianshan Xin shrugged with reckless abandon. "That's how things stand. I never intended to hide it from either of you. Now that I've said my piece, if you want to beat me or scold me, come at me together."
Before you continue