A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

More than ten days have passed, and the signs that Lü Qingzhu is about to give birth are becoming increasingly obvious.

That day, Li Baoyue invited the midwife from the sect's medicine pavilion to her residence, intending for her to stay for a few days in preparation for delivering Lü Qingzhu's baby at any time.

The midwife had just settled into the mansion when Duan Rong came over that day, and the two bumped into each other at the door of Lü Qingzhu's room.

Duan Rong had already learned a few days ago that the midwife would be staying at the mansion, and this was at Lü Zhongtang's suggestion. Lü Zhongtang was acquainted with Sun Fujia, an elder of the Medicine Pavilion sect, so having a midwife stay at the mansion ahead of time was not a big deal.

But Duan Rong didn't expect that the midwife was actually an acquaintance, Xia Honghua from the medicine pavilion.

He was taken aback when he suddenly saw Xia Honghua following Li Baoyue out of Lü Qingzhu's room.

When Xia Honghua saw Duan Rong, she smiled and said, "Young Duan, no, I should call you Lord Duan now. Lord Duan, you wouldn't be so forgetful as to not remember me, would you?"

Duan Rong said, "Why are you still a midwife?"

Xia Honghua said, "What's so strange about that?! I'm from the Medicine Pavilion, and I've been a midwife in the sect for over ten years. I'm very experienced."

Duan Rong couldn't help but chuckle.

To be honest, he and Xia Honghua had some history. Back when he was a disciple of Shang Xiangyu, he wouldn't have been able to get many things done if it weren't for the job he had with Xia Honghua.

Li Baoyue's gaze swept over Duan Rong and Xia Honghua's faces, and she couldn't help but ask, "What? You two know each other?"

Xia Honghua said, "That was a long time ago. Back then, Lord Duan was just a disciple. Look at him now, not only is he cultivating by the Ancestor's side, but he's also become the son-in-law of the Lü family. Who would have thought... that greenhorn from back then would become such a figure!?"

As Xia Honghua spoke, she couldn't help but marvel.

Duan Rong said, "I have to thank Aunt Xia for finding me a good job back then. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to become the son-in-law of this Lü family."

Xia Honghua's face lit up with a smile, and she laughed, "Sir, you really know how to flatter people, and your words are still so sweet! No wonder you were able to win the heart of a beauty."

Duan Rong said, "Aunt Xia, I'm entrusting the safety of Qingzhu and her child to you."

Xia Honghua stopped smiling and said, "My lord, there's no need to worry. The baby is in the correct position, so everything should go smoothly."

Duan Rong said, "That's good."

Xia Honghua bowed to Duan Rong, and Li Baoyue then led her towards the flower hall to see Lü Zhongtang.

Duan Rong watched the two walk away for a while before entering Lü Qingzhu's room. Perhaps because she had just seen Li Baoyue and Xia Honghua, Lü Qingzhu was a little tired and was now fast asleep, leaning her head against the pillow.

Duan Rong gently took her pulse, and after confirming that she was alright, he withdrew.

With nothing else to do, Duan Rong returned to his courtyard, sat in his room, and began to open the yellowed book. This second reading brought a completely different feeling compared to his first, meticulous study of it.

Looking at the descriptions in the booklet again at this point, there are basically no more obstacles; they flow by like a gentle stream.

Several days passed, and Duan Rong had taken the time to go through his ancestor Lü Yinlin's notebook again. This time, he felt a sense of mutual confirmation, as his understanding and the descriptions in Lü Yinlin's notebook were corroborating each other.

That afternoon, in Lü Zhongtang's courtyard, Lü Zhongtang was seen pacing anxiously at the door of Lü Qingzhu's room. Duan Rong was also standing there with a worried look on his face. Maids were constantly going in and out, carrying hot water and towels.

Although he knew the baby was in the correct position, Duan Rong was still a little worried about Lü Qingzhu. In his previous life on Earth, childbirth was considered the most painful of the twelve levels of pain.

Lu Zhongtang walked around for a while, then suddenly looked at Duan Rong and said, "Duan Rong, are you alright? Is your pulse normal? Haven't you been taking your pulse every day these past few days?"

"Nothing will happen," Duan Rong said. "Father-in-law, stop wandering around there, you're making my eyes blurry."

“If I don’t sway, how can I stand?” Lu Zhongtang said, pacing back and forth in front of Duan Rong again.

Suddenly, the curtain was lifted, and a figure stood in the doorway. The two looked and saw that it was Xiao Yu. In the sunlight, they could see a layer of fine sweat on her forehead.

At this time, Xiao Yu and Li Baoyue were both inside, assisting the midwife Xia Honghua.

Upon seeing Xiao Yu standing there, Duan Rong and Lü Zhongtang immediately asked, "How is it inside?"

Xiao Yu didn't have time to pay attention to the two of them. She just shouted towards the kitchen, "Hot water, faster!" Then she pulled down the curtain and disappeared.

Then, two maids came running out of the kitchen carrying hot water.

The two waited there for a full half hour before finally a baby's cry came from inside the room.

"It's born! It's born!" Lu Zhongtang exclaimed with joy, "Listen to how loud my little grandson's cry is!"

Duan Rong smiled, his eyes involuntarily reddening slightly. He had originally thought that Duan Rong didn't care about having offspring at all, but upon hearing that loud cry, a strange sense of emotion welled up in his heart.

At this moment, Xia Honghua lifted the curtain and came out, looking at Duan Rong and Lü Zhongtang, and said with a faint smile: "I have fulfilled my mission and the mother and child are safe."

"Congratulations! Congratulations, sir!"

Xia Honghua was looking at Duan Rong when she spoke, but Lü Zhongtang looked at Xia Honghua and said excitedly, "You've worked hard. You'll be richly rewarded later."

"Thank you, sir," Xia Honghua said happily.

After Lü Zhongtang finished speaking, he lifted the curtain and went inside, and Duan Rong immediately followed him into the room.

Inside the room, Li Baoyue held an infant in her arms, while Lü Qingzhu lay exhausted on the bed, and Xiao Yu sat by the bed wiping the sweat from Lü Qingzhu's face with a towel.

As soon as Lü Zhongtang entered, he immediately moved closer to Li Baoyue and said with a smile, "Let me see my little grandson."

Duan Rong walked to the bedside, looked at Lü Qingzhu's tired face, and said softly, "Qingzhu, you've worked hard."

Lü Qingzhu smiled slightly. She wanted to speak, but she simply didn't have the strength.

At this moment, Li Baoyue and Lü Zhongtang were playing with the child. Duan Rong turned his head and looked over. Li Baoyue's eyes lit up, and she immediately picked up the child and came towards Duan Rong.

Li Baoyue said, "Come, son-in-law, take a look at your Shen'er. Look, he's so chubby and cute, everyone loves him."

Duan Rong had never held a child before. He imitated Li Baoyue and awkwardly held the child. His cautious manner made it seem as if all the grappling techniques he had mastered had been wasted.

Duan Rong looked at the child in his arms, his heart filled with emotions he had never experienced before.

Li Baoyue laughed and said, "Look at this child, his nose is exactly the same as his son-in-law's." Xiao Yu wiped Lü Qingzhu's sweat and laughed, "Shen'er has both his husband's heroic spirit and Qingzhu's fair skin. He will definitely be a handsome man in the future."

After waiting for a while, seeing that Lü Qingzhu had recovered somewhat, Duan Rong held the child and sat down by the bed.

Lu Qingzhu opened her eyes and looked at the child, her eyes filled with a mother's loving kindness.

At this moment, Lü Zhongtan noticed that Lü Qingzhu seemed somewhat weak, so he said, "My dear son-in-law, please prescribe a remedy to nourish Qingzhu. You see, Qingzhu is weak right now."

Duan Rong then handed the child in his arms to Li Baoyue and began to take Lü Qingzhu's pulse.

After taking the pulse, Duan Rong immediately wrote down a prescription on the table.

Lu Zhongtang took the prescription and saw ginseng and lingzhi this time. He couldn't help but smile and said, "That's more like it! It's not like our family can't afford it."

After Lu Zhong finished speaking, he left the room, transformed into a streak of black light, and headed towards the medicine pavilion.

Before long, the medicine was brought back, and Li Baoyue personally decocted it and fed it to Lü Qingzhu.

After taking the medicine, Lü Qingzhu not only looked better, but also fell asleep peacefully.

After that day, Li Baoyue and Xiao Yu took turns guarding the room until about five days later, when Lü Qingzhu gradually recovered, and Xiao Yu returned to her place.

Ten days later, Lü Qingzhu was able to get out of bed.

After dinner that day, Duan Rong suddenly called Xiao Yu and Zhu Xiaoqi to his room.

Zhu Xiaoqi was heavily pregnant and had some difficulty getting around, so Xiao Yu helped her sit down in a grand chair.

Duan Rong looked at them and said, "I'm going into seclusion these next few days to begin condensing my inner energy. I don't know when I'll be able to come out. Maybe a year, maybe three years, or maybe even longer."

"Ah!?" Xiao Yu's expression changed upon hearing this.

Zhu Xiaoqi's eyes also dimmed.

Xiao Yu said, "Husband, Xiao Qi is about to give birth, won't you wait a bit?"

Duan Rong sat there, his eyelids drooping slightly, and said, "Xiao Qi's pulse is stable, and the baby is in the right position, so the delivery should go smoothly. Moreover, it was also the Ancestor's intention for me to start condensing the Cave of Darkness as soon as possible; it wouldn't be good to delay it for too long."

Xiao Yu fell silent for a moment.

Duan Rong then handed the envelope on the table to Xiao Yu, who took it and asked, "Husband, what is this?"

Duan Rong glanced at Zhu Xiaoqi's belly and said, "The second son's name."

Xiao Yu's eyes flickered, and she immediately opened the envelope, pulled out the paper, and saw that it read: Siqian.

Xiao Yu smiled slightly.

Zhu Xiaoqi shifted slightly, and Xiao Yu immediately went over and showed her the paper. Zhu Xiaoqi's eyes lit up at the sight of it, and she murmured, "Siqian..."

Xiao Yu smiled and said, "Duan Sishen, Duan Siqian. These two names of my husband are very well chosen."

Duan Rong said, "I hope they will be able to be brothers in harmony and respect in the future."

After Duan Rong finished speaking, his eyes flickered, and he said, "Xiao Yu, Xiao Qi needs to rest more now. Take her away."

"Yes, husband."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu immediately helped Zhu Xiaoqi up. Zhu Xiaoqi tightly clutched the name Duan Rong had written, glancing back at Duan Rong from time to time, her expression quite reluctant as Xiao Yu helped her out of the room.

The following day at noon, after the family had a reunion dinner at Lü Zhongtang's place, Duan Rong prepared to leave and begin his secluded cultivation to condense his inner energy.

In the courtyard in front of the flower hall, Duan Rong was saying his final goodbyes to them.

Xiao Yu and Lü Qingzhu stood opposite him.

Li Baoyue, holding her child, stood behind Lü Qingzhu. Zhu Xiaoqi, heavily pregnant, stood behind Xiao Yu.

After saying goodbye to Xiao Yu and Lü Qingzhu, Duan Rong hugged Shen'er again before walking up to Zhu Xiaoqi. He reached out and touched Zhu Xiaoqi's belly, saying softly, "Take good care of Qian'er."

Zhu Xiaoqi's eyes reddened, and she hummed in agreement.

Duan Rong suddenly raised his hand and gently touched Zhu Xiaoqi's face.

Zhu Xiaoqi's eyes flickered, but the next moment, Duan Rong suddenly turned around, clasped his hands, and said to Lü Zhongtang, "Father-in-law, we are counting on you for all the affairs of the family."

Lü Zhongtang said, "Duan Rong, don't worry. I'll take care of things at home."

"That's good... In that case, Duan Rong is off."

As soon as Duan Rong finished speaking, he suddenly rose up on the wind, swept over the rooftops without looking back, and flew into the clouds and mist of the valley.

Shen'er, who was being held in Li Baoyue's arms, suddenly started crying out for some unknown reason...

Duan Rong's figure moved nimbly and gracefully amidst the misty clouds, and soon he landed on a mountaintop.

He walked slowly along a path, and soon came to see a thatched hut.

Chu Wushang stood in front of the thatched hut, hands behind his back, as if he had been waiting for him all along.

Duan Rong walked over, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Mr. Chu, I've arrived."

Chu Wushang glanced at him and said, "Come in with me."

After Chu Wushang finished speaking, he turned around and walked towards the thatched hut behind him. Duan Rong followed him into the hut.

He had seen that unassuming thatched hut countless times, but this was the first time he had ever entered it.

Duan Rong only recently learned that Chu Wushang's thatched hut, though unassuming in appearance, actually contained a secret chamber with a talisman array that held profound spiritual energy. (End of Chapter)