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

Jiang Yining pressed her fingertips against the collar that had been blown open by the morning breeze, her gaze lingering for a moment on Lou Xiaotian's reddened eyes.

"The Yin energy left behind by the Meridian-Locking Gu last night approached my heart meridian, and Fan Chenxin was merely healing me. If you would like to hear a more detailed explanation of the meridian circulation, I can explain it to you slowly."

Lou Xiaotian didn't press the matter further, nor did he show any aggrieved expression as usual.

He placed the mud-covered cloth on the stone table and extended his palm toward Jiang Yining.

"I know the healing is real, and I know you don't need to explain it to me. Ning'er, give me your hand. I just want to see if Qingmu's origin has been injured by that Buddhist energy."

"You don't look like someone who just wants to check my meridians."

"If I were to really question you, what would I get out of it? You haven't promised me anything, so it would be unreasonable for me to even be angry."

He spoke with restraint, but before Jiang Yining could turn around, he grabbed her wrist and led her into the pavilion next to the flowerbed.

Fan Chenxin was still on the second floor of the inn, while Wu Bao was chasing the Fire Spirit Falcon toward the backyard.

The pavilion was mostly obscured by bubbles emitted by the colorful Ganoderma lucidum, and pale light and shadow constantly swept over the two people's shoulders.

Jiang Yining did not break free, but instead grabbed Lou Xiaotian's pulse point with her hand after stepping into the pavilion.

"If you want to use healing to cover up the traces left by Fan Chenxin, you'd better make your intentions clear now. I can tolerate your jealousy, but I don't like others using concern to scheme against my body."

Lou Xiaotian's breath hitched, and the pent-up soreness in his eyes finally surfaced.

"I am indeed driven mad with jealousy, but I will not use the essence of the Green Wood to harm you. The essence from the herb garden is still deep within your meridians; I simply want it to surface again."

"Release your wrist first, and I'll allow you to continue later."

Lou Xiaotian released his grip as instructed, but his palm remained in front of her.

"Ning'er, I want to help you sort out the origin of the green wood, and I also want to cover that Buddhist seal for a while. If you are unwilling, I will now retreat outside the pavilion."

Jiang Yining stared at him for a long time before finally raising her hand to unbutton the white jade clasp on her collar.

"You can only use 30% of your vital energy, and you cannot leave any new wounds. Once I tell you to stop, you must stop immediately."

"I will abide by these rules as long as you let me near."

The high collar of her dress was parted slightly, and the dark gold lotus petals above her collarbone glowed gently as her blood and qi circulated.

When Lou Xiaotian saw that mark, his eyes reddened again, but his fingertips maintained a very steady force.

A pale blue aura ignited from his palm, slowly climbing up Jiang Yining's wrist like a newly sprouted vine.

The force did not impact her heart meridian, but instead flowed inch by inch towards her shoulders and neck along the source of the green wood left in the herb garden.

A tingling warmth spread through Jiang Yining's collarbone as the ancient green wood energy penetrated her skin, colliding with the dark gold Buddhist breath at the edge of her meridians.

"Your power is too hasty; take back 20% before continuing."

"I have already stopped exerting force, but that Buddhist breath refuses to let go."

"Fan Chenxin used his Buddha bones and blood to suppress the Gu poison for me, so his aura will naturally remain deeper. If you forcibly remove it, you will only damage my main meridian."

Lou Xiaotian paused, then dispersed the green wood qi and blood into fine light threads.

"I won't strip it away, nor will I force you to forget last night. I just want to leave a trace of my scent on you, even if it can only last for half a day."

"Lou Xiaotian, I am not a spoils for you to fight over and leave your mark on."

"I know you're not a spoils of war, so you've never had the right to demand that you only look at me."

His voice lowered, and his fingertip slowly touched the center of the dark gold lotus petal.

As the Qi and blood of the green wood seeped into the red marks, the originally clear lotus petals gradually turned a light blue color.

As Lou Xiaotian bent down, Jiang Yining raised her hand and braced herself against his shoulder.

"If you had moved just half an inch further, this hand would no longer be needed to plant flowers for me today."

"I didn't mean to overstep your rules, it's just that Aoki Hongen needs to get closer to suppress the Buddhist aura."

He brushed his lips against the hickey through his fingers, his breath falling on Jiang Yining's neck.

In that instant, extremely light, the green wood's qi and blood suddenly lit up, completely concealing the last wisp of dark golden light under a pale blue hue.

Jiang Yining's shoulders and back were tense, and her fingers were already pinching his shoulder bone.

"Lou Xiaotian, your concept of 'closeness' seems to encompass much more than I understand it."

"If you feel offended, I apologize to you now. But seeing this mark today, I simply cannot pretend to be indifferent."

"Instead of questioning me, you've resorted to this way to express your jealousy; you're actually a bit smarter than before."

"I can continue to learn to be sensible, as long as you don't push me further away because of this."

A soft thud came from the wooden door on the second floor at that moment.

Fan Chenxin slowly descended the stairs, her dark robe billowing in the wind from the dark gold aura emanating from it.

He had been holding a sandalwood mallet in his hand, which he used to strike the wooden fish to suppress the cracking of the Buddha's bones. Now, the mallet had turned into powder in his palm.

Fine wood chips fell through his fingers, and the colorful bubbles around the pavilion burst at the same time.

"Lou Xiaotian, take your hands off her. If you don't understand what I mean, I can take them back for you myself."

Lou Xiaotian remained calm, simply adjusting Jiang Yining's collar before turning to meet his gaze.

"Ning'er has already allowed me to sort out the essence of Qingmu for her. You've been standing on the second floor for so long, didn't you hear what she just said?"

"All I saw was you using healing as an excuse to get close to her, and you even used your own aura to cover the Buddhist seal I left behind."

"That Buddhist seal shouldn't have been so conspicuous in the first place. You deliberately left it on her neck simply to let everyone know what happened last night."

Dark gold energy pressed down along the stone steps toward the pavilion, while ancient green wood energy rose from beneath Lou Xiaotian's feet.

As soon as the two forces collided, the outermost stone pillar of the pavilion cracked open with numerous fissures.

The colorful Ganoderma lucidum in the flowerbed was bent under the pressure, and the Fire Spirit Falcon picked up the wooden tiger of the Five Treasures and hid under the eaves.

Jiang Yining raised her hand and placed it on Lou Xiaotian's chest, while her other hand pressed down on Fan Chenxin's surging blood and qi from a distance.

"If you dismantle the pavilion, you will all stay here today to repair the stone pillars. Anyone who pushes the weight forward even half an inch further, I will personally throw him out of the inn."

Fan Chenxin stood at the bottom of the stone steps, his gaze falling on the edge of her light blue collar.

"Ning'er, he just used the essence of the Green Wood to cover the Buddhist seal. Did you also allow this?"

"I allowed him to straighten out my origins, but I did not allow you to demolish the courtyard in front of April. Fan Chenxin, withdraw your oppressive aura."

Lou Xiaotian's palm still held some green wood energy, but his tone was much calmer than before.

"She doesn't want to see us fight, so I won't touch you today. But Fan Chenxin, if you treat her injuries as a way to leave marks, I will still cover them up for her in the future."

"If you dare to use this opportunity to get close to her again, I will not tolerate it indefinitely just because she pleaded for you."

"When did I plead for him? You'd better not make up a stance for me."

Just as Jiang Yining was about to separate the two completely, a heavy whistling sound suddenly came from outside the inn's gate.

A massive iron hammer, weighing hundreds of pounds, flew horizontally from the end of the long street, its head enveloped in crimson energy, and smashed into the tightly closed door of the Cloud Crane Inn.

The wooden door, along with its two side frames, shattered into pieces on the spot, and smoke and dust billowed into the front yard.

Several martial artists who were dining in the main hall hurriedly overturned their tables to avoid the danger, while the innkeeper clung to a pillar, watching helplessly as half a door panel brushed past his head.

"Whoever dares to vandalize my inn in Tianhuang City must compensate for all losses today."

Jiang Yining pulled down her collar and walked out of the pavilion. Lou Xiaotian and Fan Chenxin followed behind her, still separated by a layer of unyielding energy.

Deep within the smoke and dust, a hand wearing a crimson gold wrist guard gripped the hammer handle and pulled the heavy iron hammer embedded in the floor tiles with a single hand.

The tall woman was clad in crimson armor, with ferocious beast patterns from the city lord's mansion etched on her shoulder armor. Her long, black hair was tied into a neat high ponytail.

Her eyes were bright and sharp, her waist was slender, and with each step she took, the broken wood beneath her feet would be crushed into powder by her inner energy.

"All losses to Yunhe Inn will be sent to the City Lord's Mansion. I, Chu Ling Shuang, will compensate for whatever I have broken tenfold."

Upon hearing her name, the shopkeeper immediately withdrew his outstretched hand.

"It's good that Miss Chu is willing to compensate, but there are still children in the backyard. Please don't throw this heavy hammer into them again."

Chu Ling Shuang shouldered the Xuan Tie heavy hammer, her gaze first passing over Fan Chen Xin, then landing on Lou Xiao Tian's apron covered in mud.

"Lou Xiaotian, I've been challenging you since I was sixteen, and you wouldn't even give me a second glance. Now, you've scaled the wall to escape the Lou mansion for this woman, and you're even wearing an apron to plant Ganoderma lucidum for her in the courtyard?"

Lou Xiaotian stepped in front of Jiang Yining, his expression no longer showing the humility and bitterness he had just displayed.

"Who I plant flowers for is none of your business. If you're just asking such trivial questions, you can go back to the city lord's mansion now."

"I don't care who you're willing to plant flowers for, I just want to know why she made you into this state."

Chu Ling Shuang stood the heavy hammer upright on the ground, its handle pointing directly at Jiang Yining like a spear.

Crimson aura rose from her shoulder armor, causing the beams and pillars of the entire inn to creak under its weight.

Fan Chenxin turned to protect Wu Bao, who was peeking out from behind the eaves, and his dark gold aura quietly enveloped the flowerbed.

Lou Xiaotian clenched his fist, and the Primordial Green Wood Qi had already condensed into the outline of a giant tree behind him.

Jiang Yining stepped out from between the two and raised her hand to press down Lou Xiaotian's arm that was blocking her.

"If you want to know what makes me so special, just ask me directly. Miss Chu smashed half of the lobby as soon as she walked in; she doesn't seem to be here just to chat with me."

"I never listen to others boast about their strength, nor do I believe that Lou Xiaotian would lose his senses if he were bewitched by a few beautiful women. If you really have the ability to make him willingly plant flowers, then you should first take my heavy hammer."

Chu Ling Shuang raised the Xuan Tie Heavy Hammer with one hand, and her qi surged straight up to the roof like a raging fire, causing the broken wood on the ground to float up at the same time.

"A woman who could make Lou Xiaotian abandon his status as the young master—I'll see if you can withstand three of my blows!"