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

When the black blade grazed Lou Xiaotian's ear, it did not touch a strand of Jiang Yining's long hair.

Lou Xiaotian grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to the inside of the bed, while his other hand transformed into a green wood qi, precisely blocking Fan Chenxin's five fingers that were reaching for his throat.

"If you're truly worried about Ning'er, then move this knife away from her bedside first. Right now, your murderous intent is out of control, and you're far more likely to hurt her than I am."

"You knew she didn't give permission, yet you still dared to leave teeth marks on her under the guise of healing. Even if I don't take your life today, I'll make sure you never dare to touch her again."

"She already said she would punish me herself. When did it become your place to decide the outcome for her? If you were truly qualified to interfere in these matters, you wouldn't have been just standing outside the door eavesdropping."

Fan Chenxin suddenly clenched his five fingers together, and dark golden Buddha blood condensed into a Vajra hand seal. The power that erupted from that small space caused Lou Xiaotian's wrist bone to make a muffled sound.

Lou Xiaotian did not retreat. The roots of the green wood wrapped around his forearm and bound the Vajra Hand Seal, trapping all the impact in their palms. The two forces crushed each other, and the candlelight beside the bed was almost compressed into a straight line of fire.

Jiang Yining pulled her torn silk dress tighter and pushed away Lou Xiaotian's arm that was protecting her behind her shoulder.

"You should both withdraw your qi and blood now, and I can stop dealing with tonight's matters here."

Fan Chenxin's black dagger was still held against Lou Xiaotian's neck, and his voice became hoarse from restraint.

"Ning'er, he knew you were refusing but still dared to cross the line. Why did you still protect him?"

"I'm not protecting Lou Xiaotian; I'm just not allowing you to take his life in my room."

Lou Xiaotian's lips were bruised by the Vajra Handprint, but his gaze remained calm, as if deliberately provoking people.

"She only didn't allow me to leave any traces, but she allowed me to guide the Green Wood Spirit Essence for her. At least when I entered this room, I received her personal permission."

"If it weren't for her injured meridians, you wouldn't even have had the chance to get close to this bed."

"Even if I step back now, the green teeth marks on her collarbone will remain until tomorrow. If you insist on seeing them clearly, I can straighten Ning'er's collar for her."

Lou Xiaotian raised his hand to gather Jiang Yining's clothes, and the pale blue teeth mark suddenly lit up as his blood and qi flowed. The mark was exactly symmetrical to the dark golden lotus petal on the other side, like two streams of energy drawing their respective boundaries on the snow-white collarbone.

The crimson light in Fan Chen's eyes instantly spread, and the black knife flew from his hand and embedded itself in the broken door frame behind him.

"Take your hand off her collar, or I'll break it myself."

"If you were truly capable of erasing Aoki's essence, you wouldn't have waited outside the door for so long."

"I just don't want her to hear the sounds of fighting, but that doesn't mean I'll tolerate your repeated provocations."

Fan Chenxin swiftly bridged the gap between the two, his Vajra Hand aimed straight for Lou Xiaotian's throat. Lou Xiaotian sidestepped, his elbow simultaneously striking Fan Chenxin's chest, where the cracks in his Buddha bone were most severe.

Despite their surging killing intent, both men avoided the bed where Jiang Yining was. All their escaping energy was compressed within half a foot, and each clash of fists and palms produced no loud noise, only fine, sharp energy cutting through each other's sleeves like blades.

Fan Chenxin grabbed Lou Xiaotian's elbow and pushed him toward the screen.

"If you had hit her even slightly harder just now, Ning'er's meridians, which had just been repaired, would have been torn open again by the Green Wood Origin."

Lou Xiaotian hooked his toes on the corner of the table, preventing his body from hitting the wooden table behind him.

"At least I know which part of her meridians is injured, unlike you who just goes crazy. If you continue to activate the shattered Buddha bone, in the end she will still have to expend her life force to heal you."

"You have no right to provoke her with my injuries, and you have even less right to call today's crossing the line a sign of concern."

"I've already admitted my mistake and am willing to accept her punishment. If you weren't afraid of losing her, why did you insist on dealing with me before she did?"

Jiang Yining felt a sharp pain in her forehead from the two streams of blood and qi rushing towards her, and finally stopped wasting her breath on them.

"Since none of you will listen, then let's all be quiet."

The Myriad Spirits Divine Tree suddenly unfurled from within the dantian, and two Soul-Devouring Demon Vines traversed the sides of the bed. The purple-gold vines wrapped around the wrists of Fan Chenxin and Lou Xiaotian respectively, their sharp barbs clung to their raging blood vessels.

Just as Lou Xiaotian was about to shake off the vines, he realized that the other end was connected to Jiang Yining's meridians, which were not yet fully repaired.

"Ning'er, your meridians have only just stabilized tonight. Forcibly absorbing the blood and energy of both of us will cause your injuries to reopen."

At the same moment, Fan Chenxin also stopped resisting, letting the demonic vines tighten around her wrist bones.

"You can take as much power as you want, but first make sure the Myriad Spirits Tree avoids the injured right rib."

"You didn't consider my meridians when you attacked, but now you're all becoming more and more clear-headed."

The two demonic vines suddenly tightened, drawing in the dark golden Buddha blood and the ancient green wood's vital energy simultaneously. The two men, who had just been raging with killing intent within a small space, quickly lost all color in their faces.

Lou Xiaotian's knee hit the carpet first, and he only managed to stay upright by bracing himself with one hand.

"If this energy and blood can replenish Ning'er's losses tonight, I can open up three more main meridians."

Fan Chenxin slumped down against the bedpost, but with her other hand she pushed the black knife even further away.

"Qingmu's blood and qi are not as gentle as Buddha's blood, so don't deliberately unleash too much power to impact her dantian."

"Your Buddha blood is so domineering that it almost suppresses the Myriad Spirits Divine Tree, yet you still have the nerve to criticize my Green Wood Origin for not being gentle enough."

"You're still sitting on the ground and won't shut up. It seems the Divine Tree of Ten Thousand Spirits hasn't been extracted thoroughly enough."

With a flick of her finger, Jiang Yining drew another sliver of life force from the wrists of the two men. Fan Chenxin and Lou Xiaotian groaned simultaneously, their legs unable to support their weight any longer.

They tacitly refrained from using their internal energy to resist, even dispersing their protective qi on their own, allowing her to drain all their rampaging power.

Lou Xiaotian looked up at her disheveled collar, his voice much lower than before.

"I didn't follow your rules just now. If you want to erase the teeth marks, I will personally take back the green wood energy and blood within them."

"You left traces without permission, and you should indeed be punished for that. Once you have recovered, go to the courtyard and repair all the pavilions that were damaged by Chu Ling Shuang."

"As long as you don't push me away because of this, I can rebuild the entire inn."

Upon hearing this, Fan Chenxin immediately gripped the vines wrapped around her wrist.

"His mistake only required repairing the gazebo, so what punishment should I receive for smashing a wooden door?"

"You broke into my room without permission and almost used a knife next to my bed. Tomorrow, in addition to repairing the wooden door, you will also be responsible for cleaning up all the debris."

"By barging in, I at least stopped him from crossing the line further. This cannot be confused with ordinary damage to a door."

"If you hadn't barged in, I could have dealt with Lou Xiaotian myself. Fan Chenxin, you can protect me, but you can't treat me like someone who can't fight back without you."

The crimson in Fan Chen's eyes slowly faded, and his fingers gripping the vine loosened.

"It's not that I think you're powerless to resist, it's just that when I saw him get close to you, all my reason was overwhelmed by jealousy. If you want to punish me, I won't argue anymore."

Lou Xiaotian leaned against the other bedpost, his face pale, but he still couldn't help but look at him.

"The Buddhist disciple finally admitted that he was merely jealous and not truly qualified to deal with others on Ning'er's behalf."

"At least I won't leave any traces after she clearly rejected me. You've already lost completely tonight."

"If you hadn't been hiding outside the door and heard everything, how would you have known when she rejected me?"

"I'm standing outside the door to keep watch for her, not to listen to your endless nagging under the guise of healing."

Suddenly, the sound of a blanket being dragged across the floor came from the outside room, and the two of them shut their mouths at the same time.

Wu Bao, wrapped in an embroidered quilt, crawled into the inner room, still holding the Fire Spirit Falcon, whose feathers were disheveled from sleep. She rubbed her eyes and saw two tall men sitting on the ground, each holding a purple-gold vine, and immediately perked up.

"Mommy, are Uncle Chenxin and Uncle Zhonghua playing tug-of-war? They both look like they're about to lose."

Jiang Yining buttoned up her loose collar again and reached out to hug her daughter to her side.

"They wouldn't rest quietly just now, so Mother had the Demon Vine help them stretch their bodies."

Wu Bao placed the Fire Spirit Falcon on the edge of the bed, wrapped himself in a blanket, and squatted between the two of them.

"Uncle Chenxin's face is so pale, and Uncle Zhonghua's forehead is covered in sweat. If you can't pull out the vines, you can ask the big red chicken to help hold one side."

Sensing the oppressive aura of the two powerful figures, the Fire Spirit Falcon immediately buried its head in its wings, pretending that it hadn't heard anything at all.

Fan Chenxin forced herself to sit up straight, trying her best to keep her voice steady.

"Don't worry in April. Your uncle is just having some of your mother's excess blood and energy drained. She'll be able to stand up again soon."

Lou Xiaotian reached out and pulled the corner of the blanket that had dragged on the ground back onto his shoulder for Wu Bao.

"Uncle ate too much while planting flowers today, so he'll stay with your mother to help her digest some of the energy. April, go back to the outer room to continue sleeping, and you can get up tomorrow to train the Fire Spirit Falcon."

Wu Bao did not leave; instead, he grabbed the middle of the demonic vine and pulled it back carefully.

"Since neither of you can pull it out, April will help her mother pull the vines back."

Sensing her Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox bloodline, the Divine Tree of Myriad Spirits spontaneously sprouted a purple-gold flower bud in her hand. Wu Bao happily hugged the bud, instantly dispelling the tense atmosphere.

Jiang Yining withdrew her devouring power, but did not immediately untie the two men's wrists.

"Lou Xiaotian left his teeth marks without permission; he will be responsible for repairing the pavilion and flowerbeds tomorrow. Fan Chenxin lost control and shattered the door; he will be responsible for repairing the door and cleaning the inner room tomorrow. If you have any further objections, you may raise them now."

Lou Xiaotian glanced at her already buttoned collar and lowered his head.

"I accept your decision. In the future, if I want to get close to you, I will ask for your permission first."

Fan Chenxin also put the black knife into her storage space, and her dark gold blood energy completely returned to calm.

"I will fix the door and will no longer decide how to deal with the people around you. But if he knowingly does it again, I will still stop him immediately."

"You can stop them, but you can't take lives so easily. Lou Xiaotian has already abandoned his identity as the young master of the Lou family and is now willing to stand by our side. He is not an outsider who can be harmed at will."

Lou Xiaotian raised his eyes, and his previously pale face finally showed some warmth.

"As long as Ning'er is willing to keep me by her side, I will learn to stop deliberately provoking Fan Chenxin."

Fan Chenxin remained silent for a moment, but ultimately did not refute this statement.

Wu Bao hugged the purple-gold flower bud, looked left and then right, and suddenly clapped her little hands vigorously.

"Uncle Chenxin and Uncle Zhonghua haven't decided a winner yet. Tomorrow, the big red chicken can pull you up into the sky to continue the tug-of-war."

Jiang Yining raised her hand and tapped her daughter's forehead, then looked at the two men sitting on the ground.

"Was the tug-of-war fun? If not, tomorrow I'll tie you both to the talons of a Fire Spirit Falcon and fly you around all day!"