Many children, many blessings: Stealing the offspring of powerful figures to cultivate immortality.

As the morning light shone over the eaves of the inn, Lou Xiaotian's voice echoed through the corridor.

"Miss Jiang, I've brought some nourishing things for you and Siyue."

Before Jiang Yining could get up, Fan Chenxin had already pulled her cloak tighter around her, then picked up the bone knife and walked outside.

He didn't open the door immediately, but asked a question through the door panel.

"Young Master Lou was blocking the woman's door early this morning; the Lou family's rules are certainly unique."

Lou Xiaotian choked so hard his face turned hot, but he still held the jade bottle tightly in his arms.

"I only heard that Miss Jiang was tired last night, so I specially brought her the Purple Jade Dew. This product is refined from rare herbs that have been grown for thirty years in the Lou family's medicinal garden. It is gentle and will not harm her meridians, making it perfect for her recuperation."

Fan Chenxin pushed open the door, leaned against the pillar with his upper body bare, and several fresh scratches on his shoulders and back were particularly conspicuous in the morning light.

He slowly and methodically sharpened the bone knife, the blade rubbing against the whetstone to produce tiny sparks.

"I will take care of her injuries. Young Master, you should take it back to water your flowers."

Lou Xiaotian's gaze lingered on the scratch marks for a moment, his ears turning red first, then a wave of sourness made his face turn pale.

"I won't hold it against you for guarding here last night. But I brought the medicine, and you can't make decisions for Miss Jiang."

"I never make decisions for her, I only shield her from unnecessary people."

"Who are you calling an unnecessary person?"

"Whoever is in a hurry to prove themselves is the one who is."

The two looked at each other from a few steps away, and the wind under the corridor suddenly stopped.

A half-finished wooden cart sat at Lou Xiaotian's feet, its wheels carved into the shape of small flowers, with wood shavings still stuck to the cuffs of his white silk robe.

He had clearly dressed up specially today; his hair was neatly tied up, and even the jade pendant at his waist had been replaced with a warm white one. However, no matter how much he washed his hands, which were used to turning over soil and planting flowers all year round, he couldn't get rid of the wood ash between his fingers.

Lou Xiaotian pushed the small wooden cart forward.

"This was made for April. She liked the Wind Spirit Tiger yesterday, so I made her a little wooden tiger that can run. It won't bite or scare the child."

Fan Chenxin glanced at the car.

"Young Master Lou's workmanship is rough; the wheels aren't even worn smooth yet."

"I tried three times last night, and it's not stuck anymore."

Lou Xiaotian retorted, sticking his neck out, "Besides, what else can you do for the child besides sharpening knives and killing beasts?"

"I can capture her alive."

"A living one will bite her."

"She'll bite back."

A soft cough came from inside the room, and the two of them shut up at the same time.

The next moment, the door was fully opened, and Jiang Yining stood inside, wearing a high-necked, moon-white dress, her hair loosely tied up with only a wooden hairpin.

Her complexion was much better than last night. Her collarbone and wrists were completely covered by her clothes, revealing only a pair of clear and aloof eyes.

"If you want to see who has the loudest voice, you might as well go to the arena and sign up."

Lou Xiaotian immediately gathered his qi and blood and handed over the Purple Jade Spirit Dew.

"Miss Jiang, please accept this bottle of spiritual dew. It's just a common medicine to replenish your qi and blood. If you suffered any damage last night, drinking a little will make you feel better."

Jiang Yining accepted the jade bottle without refusing.

"I accept this gift, but I also have a favor to ask of you, Young Master Lou."

Lou Xiaotian's eyes lit up instantly.

"Just tell me, and as long as the Lou family can do it, I will never refuse."

"I have an old sword that I need to be tempered by the earth fire in the Lou family's medicinal garden."

Jiang Yining took out a rusty short sword from her storage pouch, with a faint lightning pattern hidden along the edge of the blade. "The Hundred Cities Tournament will become increasingly difficult to resolve with just fists. I need to keep a handy weapon for myself."

Lou Xiaotian accepted the short sword with both hands, his expression as solemn as if he were receiving a priceless treasure.

"You can use the subterranean fire as you wish. The inner layer of the herb garden can be opened tonight. I will personally lead you in, and no one will make things difficult for you."

Fan Chenxin stood behind her, her gaze fixed on Lou Xiaotian's hand holding the sword.

"She is not going into danger alone; I will go with her."

Lou Xiaotian looked up at him, his tone hardening.

"The herb garden is a forbidden area of ​​the Lou family; outsiders are not allowed to enter at will."

Jiang Yining retrieved the short sword and gently placed it between the two of them.

"He's going, and he'll be going in April too. If Young Master Lou finds this difficult, I'll find another source of fire."

Lou Xiaotian looked at her, remained silent for a moment, and then took a step back.

"I'm not trying to stop you; I'm just worried about the complexity of the forbidden area's formation. Since you trust him, let's go in together."

Wu Bao ran out of the house carrying the little wooden tiger, with a tuft of messy hair sticking up on his head.

She placed the toy car on the ground and gave it a gentle push. The little wooden tiger actually wobbled and ran forward along the corridor.

"The little tiger that Uncle Zhonghua made can walk. In April, I'm going to take it to catch the big bad guy."

Lou Xiaotian squatted down to straighten the wheel for her, his expression gentle, a stark contrast to his earlier demeanor.

"It doesn't run fast, you have to walk slowly alongside it. Once I replace the wheels with animal bones, it will run more steadily."

Wu Bao looked at him carefully, then looked at the old tree with thick branches and leaves across the street.

"The older brother in the tree is also watching the little tiger. Does he want to play with it too?"

Lou Xiaotian followed her gaze and indeed saw half of a black garment peeking out from the tree canopy.

The man heard the child speak and originally wanted to hide, but unexpectedly Wu Bao pointed at him and continued to speak.

"Brother, are you hiding so high up because you're afraid Mother will find out you're peeping? If you're hungry, you can come down and eat some grass roots. Don't just hang up there all the time."

The innkeeper was passing by carrying tea when he heard this and looked up, almost dropping the tray.

Several early risers on the street also stopped and pointed at the tree canopy.

The Zhang family informant's face turned bright red, and he slipped and fell from the tree.

He scrambled to his feet, not even bothering to brush the dust off his clothes, and turned to disappear into the alley.

Wu Bao held the little wooden tiger and looked up at Jiang Yining.

"Mother, did you chase away the bad guys in April?"

Jiang Yining picked her up and kissed her on the cheek.

"You did a great job in April, but next time you spot a bad guy, tell Uncle Chenxin and me first. Don't chase after him yourself."

"Does Uncle Hua count as one of our own?"

Lou Xiaotian's gaze immediately fell on Jiang Yining's face.

Jiang Yining calmly straightened Wu Bao's collar.

"Young Master Lou is the one who will lead us into the herb garden today, so he is naturally considered to be traveling with us."

Lou Xiaotian's disappointment didn't completely disappear when he heard the word "colleague," but he still smiled.

"Then I'll have faith in April, and I'll have faith in you too."

Fan Chenxin added coldly.

"She doesn't need anyone's approval."

Jiang Yining glanced back at him.

"If you say another word, you'll stay at the inn and watch the door for me tonight."

Fan Chenxin immediately fell silent, while Lou Xiaotian couldn't help but chuckle.

The three returned to the house, and Jiang Yining took out a medicine cup and poured the Purple Jade Dew into it.

As the dew fell into the bottom of the cup, it emitted a soft purple light, and a sweet, herbal fragrance filled the air.

Lou Xiaotian took the towel and tried to wipe the medicine off her fingertips, but when she raised her hand, he saw half of a blood-red lotus mark that had not yet faded showing under her collar.

The mark wasn't large, but it was like a thorn, piercing straight into his eye.

Lou Xiaotian's hand froze in mid-air, and the medicine towel fell to the ground.

He didn't look at Fan Chenxin anymore, but stared at Jiang Yining's pale face, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

"Was your injury last night also related to him?"

Jiang Yining bent down to pick up the medicine towel, her tone remaining calm.

"Last night, I messed up my breakthrough, and Chenxin protected my meridians. If you blame him for this, you are wronging him."

"I'm not blaming him."

Lou Xiaotian's throat tightened. "I just feel that he'll always be the first to stand by your side. No matter how much medicine or other things I bring, I can only stand outside the door waiting to see if you're willing to see me."

Fan Chen's eyes flickered slightly, but he did not utter any more words to provoke him.

Jiang Yining put the medicine cup back on the table and looked at Lou Xiaotian seriously.

"Young Master Lou, I will remember you delivering medicine. I will also remember you making the wooden cart for April. But I will not trade myself and my child for care just because someone gives more."

"I didn't want to change."

"Then don't wrong yourself, and don't force me to answer a question I can't answer right now."

Lou Xiaotian stood still, his fingers clenching and unclenching.

He looked at Fan Chenxin, then at the bloodstain on Jiang Yining's neck, and his eyes slowly reddened.

"What exactly do you like about that monk?"