As You Command, My Lord...

Li Zhengjun took out the pills and Cultivation Method for strengthening essence and nourishing vitality, looked around, and called out:

"Fang Yuan, Fang Qing, distribute these to the hall masters."

Establishing a family and carrying on its line in another world were only to be expected. The Li Household's descendants all understood and stepped forward one by one to receive their share.

But when Li Chenxuan's turn came, the rigid old man clasped his hands behind his back, and two deeply unnatural patches of embarrassment appeared on his aged face.

"Ahem, my lord, I'm nothing but an old bag of bones. These things... would be better left to the younger generation."

Li Dongping's cheeks ached from holding back his laughter. He leaned in, waggled his eyebrows, and said:

"Great-uncle, you've got it backward. We're all in our prime: hard as steel, lasting as long as a meditation session, swift as lightning, and fiercer than beasts. What use have we for these? You, on the other hand, ought to keep them safe. You mustn't let the True Person's kind intentions go to waste."

Li Chenxuan had grown accustomed to his time in the Ancestral Law Hall. When had a junior ever teased him to his face like this? His expression immediately hardened, and he was about to assume an elder's authority and scold the loose-lipped youngster.

Before he could speak, Li Zhengjun waved a hand with a smile and gently persuaded him:

"Uncle, this is the True Person's command. Young or old, everyone must obey. Please don't make things difficult for me."

Only then did Li Chenxuan accept his share, his face red as he murmured:

"Oh, very well. I'll just have to put these old bones on the line and do my duty for the Li Household one more time."

Everyone smiled knowingly at his words, and the atmosphere in the hall relaxed somewhat.

Li Zhengjun continued, "Though marriage is a clan mandate, no one is to be forced. The woman's wishes must be considered. The clan intends for you to first seek partners among cultivators. If you find no one suitable, then look among mortals."

He paused, then continued:

"The relatives of every woman who marries into the Li Household will receive rewards. For every child she bears, there will be an additional award of Contribution Points. If the child possesses a Spirit Root, the reward will be even greater."

He placed particular emphasis on Contribution Points. They were essentially a guarantee of credit. The lower-level cultivators held on to their points, gazing longingly at the advanced Cultivation Methods and high-grade pills, unwilling to spend them.

Thus, no matter how many Contribution Points a cultivator had, they were only an illusion; they became real only when spent. This greatly reduced how often the Li Household had to hand out rewards.

After all, the Li Household's spiritual resources were scarce, and even low-grade pills were exceedingly precious. At present, it had no spiritual resources to spare as rewards for the natives of the Ning Kingdom.

Therefore, when the Li Household first arrived here, it gave out only Contribution Points as rewards, hoping to establish the system as quickly as possible.

At first, some people were skeptical and tentatively tried to exchange their Contribution Points for spiritual items.

Without another word, the Li Household paid out on the spot. After this happened a few times, everyone was reassured.

Now the Li Household's Contribution Point system was running smoothly.

These Contribution Points naturally had some of the marvelous effect of "painting a cake to stave off hunger." With the cake hanging there, people had something to strive for.

The Li Household had not come to the Great Scarlet Realm to do charity. It had come to develop the Lineage and support Li Zhengjun in reaching the Purple Mansion realm.

Yuhong had only a little over twenty years left to live. That meant Li Zhengjun had a little over two hundred years in the Great Scarlet Realm to reach the Purple Mansion realm.

This path required everyone to pull together as a single rope to clear the way for him, vast quantities of resources to be directed toward one person, a rigorous system to operate on his behalf, and enough people to run about doing the work.

"According to the outline, all matters will be divided into two branches. One will be dedicated to gathering spiritual items, and the other will oversee establishing families and livelihoods. Both must advance together; neither may be neglected."

The clan elders in the Yuyu Realm had already drawn up the regulations. Li Yuankai only needed to follow their orders and did not have to trouble himself further.

Everyone had always acted swiftly and decisively. Having received their orders, they went their separate ways.

Fang Yuan also intended to leave, but when he saw that his younger sister Fang Qing was reluctant to move, he immediately understood.

His sister had been straightforward since childhood and had never known what it meant to beat around the bush.

From the look of things, she clearly intended to reveal her feelings to their lord!

He hardly dared linger. He quickly lowered his head and hurried out, gently pulling the hall doors shut behind him.

Only the two of them remained in the hall. Li Zhengjun still wanted to practice the Cultivation Method, but seeing that Fang Qing was reluctant to leave, he asked:

"Qing'er, is there something else?"

Fang Qing took a deep breath and stepped forward, her voice crisp and clear.

"My lord, you just said the Li Household intended to recruit suitable partners here and carry on its bloodline. Is that true?"

Li Zhengjun thought nothing more of it and smiled.

"Of course it's true. The order has already been passed down. Though it hasn't been announced throughout the Ning Kingdom, the Li Household's young men all know what to expect. When they choose partners and marry in this other world, they'll have the Lineage behind them for support and protection, so they won't be left lonely and helpless."

Fang Qing nodded, her clear black-and-white eyes fixed on Li Zhengjun.

"My lord, do you think I would do?"

Li Zhengjun froze, then slapped his forehead and laughed.

"Ah, what was I thinking? I actually forgot someone right beside me. Tell me, which of the Li Household's young men has caught your eye?"

Fang Qing did not answer. She only shook her head.

Li Zhengjun began asking one by one. "Yuankai?"

"Dongping?"

"..."

Each time he mentioned a name, Fang Qing shook her head.

Her lips had already pressed together slightly, and a trace of hurt appeared in her eyes.

At the very end, Li Chenxuan was the only one he had not asked about.

A strange guess flashed through Li Zhengjun's mind, and he ventured, a little surprised:

"Uncle Chenxuan... he could do too. Hmm, yes, he could... A Qi Ingestion cultivator has a lifespan of a hundred and fifty years. He's in his prime, just..."

Fang Qing suddenly cut him off, intending to walk straight up to him.

But in the end, she stopped three paces from the steps, not daring to come any closer.

Fang Qing stared into his eyes, took several breaths, and asked her question again:

"My lord, do you think I would do?"

Understanding dawned on Li Zhengjun. He finally realized that the woman before him had feelings for him!

He had never thought in that direction, but now that he came to his senses, he realized he had overlooked quite a lot.

Only now did Li Zhengjun take a careful look at Fang Qing.

The young woman was about seventeen or eighteen, slender without looking frail. In her oval face were a pair of remarkably lively almond-shaped eyes, their pupils dark and bright, like two clear mountain springs whose bottoms could be seen at a glance.

He suddenly remembered how he had fallen into the river when he first arrived in the Great Scarlet Realm. At the time, the Fang siblings had been pursued by the Jade Wave Turtle, facing danger at every turn and barely able to look after themselves.

Yet even at that critical moment, Fang Qing had glimpsed a stranger bobbing in the river and turned back without hesitation to save him.

That instinctive kindness had been utterly genuine, as pure as her eyes.

Without his noticing, Fang Qing had left a faint mark on Li Zhengjun's heart.

The True Person said that those of the Bright Yang Dao Lineage have difficulty bearing children and must have as many as possible while their realms are still low. Qing'er is kind and pure of heart, and her aptitude is exceptional too. She reached Fetal Breath in just two months; that would be nothing to be ashamed of even in the Yuyu Realm. Besides, she was the first person I met after coming to the Great Scarlet Realm, and we know each other well. That's far more reassuring than marrying a woman whose background I don't know amid the exchange of cups with the various powers in the future.

Li Zhengjun considered it for only a few breaths, but to Fang Qing, that short time felt as long as an age.

Her bright eyes gradually dimmed, and her head slowly drooped. Her body seemed to deflate.

"I was presumptuous..."

Suddenly, Li Zhengjun crossed the three paces between them and came to stand before her.

"Qing'er, you... are wonderful... but you heard what I just said. The Li Household intends to recruit many suitable partners here... Have you thought it through?"

He could not marry only one woman while conquering another world and establishing a family, so he told her beforehand.

Fang Qing jerked her head up and met his eyes.

"My lord! Ever since you saved me from a Demon Beast's jaws in the river, and since you slew the demon leader above the imperial palace and restored peace and clear skies to the people of the Ning Kingdom, there has been no room in my heart for anyone else. I know that a man like you will surely have many women devoted to following you in the future, and countless marriages will be arranged for the great undertaking of the Lineage. Bearing children and spreading the family's branches are all heavy burdens on your shoulders. I, Fang Qing, neither wish nor dare to have you all to myself..."

She took a deep breath, her eyes slightly red.

"I only wish to be one among the many. If I can stand by your side, help you, relieve even a little of your worry, and do my part, that will be the greatest wish of my life."

Li Zhengjun looked at the pure-hearted young woman before him, and it was as though something in his heart had been gently stirred.

He said nothing more. He simply reached out and gently took her clenched fist, unfolded her slightly sweaty palm, solemnly placed a Cultivation Method in it, and used both hands to gently close her small hand around it.

"This is a dual cultivation method. Take it and study it carefully. I'll tell Yuankai and the others to make the arrangements over the next few days and give you a recognized status."

Fang Qing, usually so carefree and forthright, suddenly blushed.

A flush spread from the roots of her ears all the way down her neck. A thousand words welled up in her heart, but in the end she said none of them, only murmuring a soft assent.

"As you command, my lord..."

The atmosphere gradually grew awkward.

Li Zhengjun had been single from birth through both his lives, but he knew he ought to do something now.

For some reason, his heart beat a few strokes faster. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he slowly leaned a little closer to Fang Qing...

"My lord! I have urgent business..."

A figure suddenly burst in!

It was Li Yuankai. Before he could finish speaking, he was startled by the two figures in the hall.

Wh-what's going on here!?

Li Yuankai suddenly realized he had come at the wrong time. He turned and fled.

To his surprise, Fang Qing ran even faster than he did!

When she was almost at the hall doors, she doubled back and handed Li Zhengjun a protective charm fashioned from the Jade Wave Turtle's shell. Then she fled without looking back.

Li Zhengjun looked at it. The words "peace and safety" were carved on it.

At the foot of the stone steps outside the hall, Fang Yuan was pacing back and forth, sweating with anxiety.

At that moment, he was even more anxious than his sister Fang Qing, silently beseeching every deity he could think of, one by one.

I wonder how it's going...

Just then, his sister came rushing out in a fluster.

Fang Yuan hurried over to meet her. Her cheeks were flushed, and though traces of embarrassment still lingered around her eyes and brows, the corners of her lips kept curling upward despite her efforts to suppress them.

How could Fang Yuan fail to understand?

He slapped his thigh, held back the wild joy in his chest, and cried out in a low, breathless voice:

"Good!"