Chapter 122 - A Self-Created Cultivation Technique, A Baby Girl Is Born - Part 1

Creak!

The gate to the shanty district swung open, letting out a stale, musty draft. Xue Ning remained in the carriage outside. Li Yuan helped Yan Yu step over the threshold and into the small home where Bear and Feng’er had once briefly stayed.

Inside, everything was tidied up and spotless. A few patched garments, neatly folded, still sat in the wardrobe. Out in the courtyard corner stood a little flower bed bordered by smooth pebbles, with a single, unrecognizable sapling planted in the soil.

Yan Yu murmured, “Feng’er wanted to live here for a long time.”

Li Yuan thought back. “I haven’t seen her since she and Bear left. The Fragrant General’s people departed in two groups. I followed the first, so I didn’t see the second. Bear left later, so maybe he helped her settle down somewhere.”

After saying that, another possibility, much darker and more unpleasant, flashed through his mind.

Li Yuan quickly pushed it aside, not wanting to speak of such matters when his wife was with child.

But Yan Yu was too perceptive not to sense his worries. She said nothing, merely wandered through the rooms. In front of a polished bronze mirror, she picked up a wooden comb still entangled with a strand of long hair and whispered, “Feng’er left this behind.”

Li Yuan came up from behind and gently embraced her. “Perhaps she has a better one now,” he said softly.

She turned around, and they shared a tender smile. Then she said, “Husband, would you grind some ink for me? I’ll leave a note before we go.”

“All right.” Li Yuan went back to the carriage to retrieve paper, brush, and inkstone. Only then did Yan Yu sigh, calling Feng’er a silly girl under her breath, though she kept any further thoughts to herself.

She put the comb back where it was. Suddenly, a gust of icy wind howled in from outside, slamming the inner door shut with a raspy creak. Yan Yu shivered. Glancing at the mirror, she thought she saw the reflection blur for a moment. After rubbing her eyes, it cleared again.

At that point, Li Yuan came back inside, set up paper and ink on the table like an attentive young scribe, and Yan Yu composed her note. It read—

We have moved to Hundred Lotus Manor. If you return one day and find nowhere to stay, come to Hundred Lotus Manor and look for me.

- Yan Yu

When she finished, she weighed the letter down. After a moment’s thought, she told Li Yuan to place a few coins next to it and wrote a small slip of paper.

If you’ve come to steal, take these coins and be on your way. Please don’t touch this letter.

Thank you.

“Let’s head back,” she said.

“Very well.”

Li Yuan carefully helped Yan Yu out of the house and back onto the carriage. A man who looked like a caretaker hurried over and bowed, speaking to Li Yuan with obvious deference. Yan Yu lifted the curtain for a quick glance, then let it fall.

Li Yuan climbed aboard the carriage, and the caretaker locked the door behind them. The clank of the chains and padlock echoed sharply in the distance. Not far away, barely ten meters or so, a chill lingered inside the darkened house. The old copper mirror grew hazy again, and a sudden, ghastly image emerged—a pale woman’s face with dark hair, her eyes bleeding black tears.

Look closer, and one might notice a network of cracks spread across her face. Look even closer, and each crack seemed to be crawling with tiny, pallid versions of that same woman. The sight was horrifying, enough to make one’s skin crawl. Then, just as suddenly, it vanished like an illusion.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

After about an hour's journey, the carriage arrived at a lovely estate. It was similar in design to the previous residence in the inner district—outer courtyard, inner courtyard, and living quarters—yet on a much grander scale, complete with pavilions, gardens, exotic blooms, and winding walkways. It was clear the place had been kept up by servants, as everything was neat and tidy.

Li Yuan led his two wives to their new home in the inner residence. Auntie Wang and the four maids—Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju—busied themselves with organizing everyone’s belongings.

Meanwhile, Xiao Sheng and Niu Niu ran about laughing, exploring the new place.

“If only Nian Nian were here,” Niu Niu sighed wistfully.

Xiao Sheng grinned. “Master will bring her over soon. You know how much he likes children. And guess what? We’re going to have a baby young master here before long.”

“Why not a young lady?” Niu Niu asked, hands on her hips.

“Well, maybe Madam Yan will have a boy, and Madam Xue will have a girl. That way, we’ll get both a baby young master and a baby young lady. Then I can be the young master’s study companion, and you can do the same for the young lady,” Xiao Sheng suggested.

The pair giggled and chased each other around. The estate had it all—artificial hills with trickling streams, a small mound crowned by a charming pavilion, winding corridors—making it perfect for children’s hide-and-seek. They darted from spot to spot, squealing with delight.

Elsewhere, Auntie Wang and the four maids paused to take it all in, astonished.

“This place is enormous,” Auntie Wang sighed.

Xiao Mei nodded. “I thought the old house was spacious enough, but here... Even if each of us lived in our own courtyard, there’d still be empty rooms.”

Xiao Lan fretted, “But Master doesn’t want to hire more maids.”

Xiao Ju chimed in, “He’s a decent man. I’ve heard of families where the master would bring more than a dozen maids into the inner residence to frolic and play...”

She trailed off, and the group continued unpacking, each wrapped in her own thoughts, marveling at just how much their lives had changed.

Xiao Zhu blushed. “Stop talking nonsense. Even if Master wanted to, well...he’s still a decent man.”

“What kind of decent man?” Xiao Mei teased, grinning.

Xiao Zhu’s face grew redder. Xiao Ju pretended to walk away, laughing as she said, “I’m telling Master!”

Startled, Xiao Zhu grabbed her arm, but then let go and stamped her foot. “I am Master’s maid, after all. I’m loyal to him, and I don’t care who knows it.”

Xiao Mei tried to play mediator. “All right, all right. Aren’t we all Master’s maids? The bigger problem is this place is huge and we’re short on staff—it’s kind of spooky with so few people around.”

Auntie Wang chimed in, “Master will have his own ideas. Best not to chatter too much.”

“Yes, yes, Auntie Wang!” the others chorused.

They were still adjusting to life in the new estate. Meanwhile, Li Yuan overheard every word of their conversation. Before they’d arrived, he’d had the white finches and little sparrow circle the manor a few times. After conducting his own inspection, he couldn’t help catching snippets of what they were saying.

He, too, had been thinking about how to fill the place without hiring a bunch of strangers. Turning to Xue Ning, he asked, “Do you think people from your hometown would be willing to move here?”

She considered it. “They’d love to come as maids and attendants, but they still have work at the Ginger Tavern and Full Moon Teahouse. Back in Silver Creek, it was a short trip; here, it would be much farther. The roads are in chaos, and if something happens on the way, who knows what could go wrong.”

Li Yuan thought for a moment. “What if we convert the front courtyard into a distillery, so they can make wine right here? The property is big, and if we need to expand, that’ll be easier. I noticed some unused farmland nearby. If we plant rice there, we can cut down on buying ingredients.”

Xue Ning gave it some thought. With the Ginger Tavern distillery’s growing reputation, every batch of wine sold out as soon as it was made. It would be convenient to relocate here. She smiled. “All right, but then Hundred Lotus Manor might become Distillery Manor before long.”

Li Yuan grinned. “We’ll just have the wine-making out front, keep the flower gardens in the back, and the hot spring indoors. It won’t interfere with anything.”

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

About half a month later.

Li Yuan’s plans began to take shape. Craftsmen arrived to build a new distillery in the front courtyard.

A total of 15 demon dogs were also delivered from Silver Creek. Li Yuan personally released them from their cages and stationed them around the inner residence to guard the grounds.

Only then did he start to feel more at ease, though not entirely. Zhou Jia and Tang Qiu moved into the front courtyard early to serve as additional security. Niu Niu and Xiao Sheng were thrilled when Nian Nian finally arrived; the three children ran around happily, playing together.

Tang Qiu would often watch them with a gentle smile. One day, he approached Li Yuan.

“Master,” he said respectfully, “if you trust me, I suggest purchasing some puppets and mechanical devices. I want to turn this estate into a fortress that’s easy to defend and hard to attack. I can install a main control mechanism in your private quarters. If invaders break in, you and the madams can activate it at any time, and all the puppets will come to your defense and eliminate the threat.”

Li Yuan had long known of Tang Qiu’s skills. This proposal likely stemmed from his desire to teach Nian Nian a few things—and to protect his own daughter by creating a safer environment. Puppets were commonly used for home defense among many clans, and even Senior Li’s former residence had some.

Although Li Yuan already had demonic beasts guarding the place, having puppets as backup was no bad thing. Besides, Nian Nian was now part of the family and constantly bounding around under their watchful eyes—he found himself growing fonder of her each day.

Seeing Li Yuan hesitate, Tang Qiu smiled. “I don’t have long to live. I just want to teach Nian Nian as much as I can before I go. It’s just—”

Li Yuan raised a hand to stop him. “Old Tang, you misunderstand. I’m not against it; I was simply thinking.”

After a brief pause, he continued with a smile, “What if I want to formally adopt Nian Nian as my goddaughter, would you agree?”

Tang Qiu froze in surprise, then the weathered look in his eyes brightened. His breath quickened, and a happy curve tugged at his lips. He knew how remarkable Li Yuan truly was—or at least, anyone with a discerning eye could sense it.

In just two years, Li Yuan’s rank had risen multiple times. And when things got messy in the black market, Tie Sha rewarded him with a lavish estate far from any trouble.

Tang Qiu had heard stories about Tie Sha. Frankly, that man wouldn’t even treat his own son so generously, let alone someone unrelated. There was only one explanation. Li Yuan deserved it. True, he was only eighth rank, but there had to be more beneath the surface.

Tang Qiu had already gleaned a clue from Nian Nian; there was a huge

doggy

in the inner residence. When Nian Nian described it, he instantly recognized it as an ebony marquis. Remembering the recent carts, cages, black tarps, and Li Yuan’s beast taming abilities, Tang Qiu had little doubt that Li Yuan could indeed command a seventh rank demonic beast.

Controlling multiple seventh rank demonic beasts—what kind of power was that? An eighth rank martial artist? Absolutely not. Managing so many demonic beasts was a clear sign he’d reached at least seventh rank. Even if his own cultivation wasn’t quite there, the fact that he could command so many beasts was extraordinary. No wonder Tie Sha held him in such high regard.

Tang Qiu had always worried that, after his death, Nian Nian would be left without anyone to rely on. Now, hearing Li Yuan’s offer, he was overjoyed. He stepped forward to kneel, but Li Yuan quickly helped him up and patted him on the shoulder with a playful grin.

“What’s all this? There’s no need to drop to your knees. Old Tang, I was just sharing a thought. Nian Nian’s a sweet girl, so I had the idea. But if you, as her father, don’t approve, then—”

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Tang Qiu hastily blurted, “No, no, no, I’m grateful. Master, if Nian Nian can acknowledge you as her godfather, that’s a blessing for both her and me!”

Li Yuan asked, “So you agree?”

“One hundred percent! A thousand times, yes!” Tang Qiu’s eyes shone.

The two men exchanged a look and burst into laughter.

Li Yuan patted him on the shoulder. “Old Tang, then from now on, we truly are one family.”