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

The echoes of Cen Jin's remnant soul were still reverberating inside the coffin when Jiang Yining's Soul-Devouring Vine had already pierced Lou Xiaotian's heart.

The wooden coffin slowly opened, and the soul fire from outside shone in through the crack in the door.

Instead of getting up immediately, she carefully nailed the nine purple-gold thorns into the edge of the root protection pattern.

Lou Xiaotian looked down at her as she set up the reverse lock seal, without giving way in the slightest.

"This lock drains my life force when I actively activate the Root Protection Contract, right?"

"We will only extract the portion of the Green Wood Qi mobilized by the contract; it will not damage your existing essence."

Jiang Yining checked along the root lines and confirmed that all the life-saving nodes were sealed. "If you want to express your feelings with your own life, you can give up on that idea first."

Lou Xiaotian leaned against the coffin wall, his bare chest covered with bloody marks from thorns.

The green vine pattern was coiled around his heart, but it was immediately dimmed by the purple-gold lock seal as soon as it appeared.

"Others who receive the Protector will at least treat this contract as a trump card."

He sighed softly, "What I received was a living person, not a protective charm that can be used up at any time."

Jiang Yining tightened the last magic vine and looked up to meet his gaze.

"If you really want to protect me, then live and pave the way for me. Don't think that dying is the easiest way."

The hint of disappointment in Lou Xiaotian's eyes slowly faded.

He lowered his arm, letting the purple-gold vine thorns sink into the deepest part of the root protection grooves.

"You've even blocked my only chance to die for you."

"If you feel wronged, I can add another layer of protection to prevent you from destroying your own essence."

"I can easily bear this little bit of grievance, so please don't add any more thorns."

Jiang Yining checked the reverse lock before loosening the magic vine on Lou Xiaotian's chest.

Both of their outer robes were mostly destroyed by the fire.

She could only put on Lou Xiaotian's tattered greenwood outer robe to cover the silver leaves and new vine patterns on her waist.

The blue fabric was loose, and the hem almost dragged past his ankles.

As soon as she stepped out of the wooden coffin, her legs lost strength for a moment due to the sudden severance of her blood vessels.

Fan Chenxin had already been guarding the main gate.

He didn't look at the green robe, nor did he pay attention to the lingering vine patterns on her collarbone.

The tall Buddhist monk immediately reached out and supported her left arm.

"Stand firm before you speak. Has your dantian reopened?"

He compressed the dark golden Buddhist aura into an extremely fine wisp, probing it only along her wrist.

The Buddha breath avoids the protective root lines and the silver leaves on the waist, and quickly examines the outer periphery of the heart meridian.

"The Qi Sea has been stabilized, and the third ancestral root has also been repaired by the Guiyuan Wood Marrow."

Jiang Yining used his arm to steady herself, then handed the protective bell to him. "The wooden coffin forcibly formed a protective contract with the roots, and I have already sealed the life-saving node with the magic vine."

Only after confirming that she could stand on her own did Fan Chenxin notice the traces of green pith on the corner of her lips.

His gaze followed the bluish tinge down to the collarbone.

The green vine pattern was faintly visible from deep within the collar, and the other end was clearly connected to Lou Xiaotian's chest.

The dark golden Buddhist aura surged out half an inch from his wrist, only to be forcefully sealed back into his dantian by himself.

The black sword emitted a low hum at his side, but ultimately remained unsheathed.

He restrained himself by clenching his fingers, his expression remaining impassive.

"Besides the root-protecting contract and the 'returning to the origin' wood marrow, what else has the wooden coffin been used for?"

Lou Xiaotian stepped out of the coffin, first re-tied the tassel of his broken spear back to his waist, and then took a half step back.

"She will tell you everything that happened inside the coffin; I won't explain it to her before she does."

Pei Yunji carried Jiang Siyue as they walked from the abandoned formation on the right.

The knife wound on his shoulder was burned deeper by the soul fire, but his arm holding the child remained steady.

As soon as Jiang Siyue saw Jiang Yining, she opened her arms.

"Mother and Uncle Zhonghua came out of a big wooden box. Why is Mother wearing his clothes?"

Jiang Yining took her daughter into her arms and first checked her fox ears and the veins in her limbs.

"The fire burned the original robe, and this green wood outer robe is only temporarily covering the wound."

Jiang Siyue pointed to the green vine between her collarbones.

"Mother, a new vine has grown here, and it looks exactly like the one on Uncle Flower's chest."

Pei Yunji glanced at the direction of the green vines on the two people, and his dark silver eyes gradually calmed down.

"This is not a marriage contract, nor does it represent ownership or belonging."

He raised his finger and condensed a drop of the young master's ancestral blood, which stopped outside the silver leaf at Jiang Yining's waist. "In the ancient battlefield, there was a root-protecting array contract where the host and the guard shared life and death. The root protector can bear the power of the root killing for the host."

Fan Chenxin looked at Lou Xiaotian's mouth, her voice remaining steady.

"Can this contract be invoked proactively by the protectors?"

"The ancient tomb inscription does not specify the activation method; at present, we can only confirm the existence of the life-substitution function."

Pei Yunji applied the ancestral blood to the outer layer of the silver leaf, temporarily suppressing the resurgent dark silver veins.

His fingertips always avoided the green vine pattern, and he did not use his ancestral blood to touch any of the protective root array positions.

"She used the Soul-Devouring Vine to seal the protective root pattern in reverse, so Lou Xiaotian was unable to activate the contract for a short period of time."

Fan Chenxin reached out and lifted the protective bell, confirming that the bell's core had been sealed by the Myriad Spirits Divine Tree. "Ning'er did not use his substitute life as a way out; she did a good job in this matter."

Lou Xiaotian looked at him, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"I thought that when you saw the vine, your first question would be why it was so deeply entwined."

"I really want to pull it out of your heart, but I don't want her to get hurt again."

Fan Chenxin closed her fingers and placed the protective bell back into Jiang Yining's palm. "We'll explain the other things inside the coffin after we leave Cen Jin's tomb array."

Jiang Yining did not avoid his gaze.

"The wooden coffin requires the host's wood breath and the protective root marrow to complete a full cycle. I will tell you the details in detail."

"Since you have promised to tell the truth, I will not distract you here."

Pei Yunji looked deeper into the tomb passage, where an ancient bronze mirror covered in dust stood.

The frame of the glasses is engraved with closed pupil patterns, each line pointing to the meridians of the person entering.

"Ahead is the Mirror of Recognition, which will track the alien aura on all those who enter."

"If the protective root pattern is locked by Cen Jin's remnant soul, Lou Xiaotian will become a substitute life node that the ancient tomb can use."

Jiang Yining took out Qingling medicinal powder from her storage bag, dipped a little of it and applied it to the corner of her lips.

The remaining color of the green wood pith quickly faded, and its scent was completely covered by the refreshing wood fragrance.

Fan Chenxin looked at the corner of her lips, his fingertips unconsciously pressing against the black dagger's guard.

"The powder can only mask the surface scent; the root-protecting texture will still be visible in the mirror."

"Therefore, you will also need your outer robe to cover the green wood fabric and the vine pattern at your waist."

Jiang Yining reached out her hand to him, her tone completely undisguised, "What I need to keep secret is Cen Jin's remnant soul, not any of you."

Fan Chenxin took off his black outer robe and restrainedly covered it with the outer layer of his blue robe.

His long, slender fingers pulled her clothes together, and the cool, woody scent emanating from her body lingered in his nostrils.

His eyes revealed an undisguised lust.

He then tied the belt in a position where it wouldn't weigh down the silver leaves, and the two layers of wide, black and blue fabric almost completely wrapped around Jiang Yining's body.

Only a pale and delicate face was visible.

Jiang Siyue circled her mother carefully, her fox ears swaying from side to side.

"Mother is now wearing two layers of clothes, one from Uncle Fan and the other from Uncle Zhonghua."

She reached out and measured the hem of Pei Yunji's dark black robe. "Uncle Black's robe is also very long. In April, we can leave a third layer for Mother."

Pei Yunji looked down at the only tattered inner robe he was wearing.

"If you put this on her too, your mother probably won't be able to walk properly."

"Keep the man in black for now, so Mother can use it next time her clothes get burned."

Jiang Yining gently pinched her daughter's fox ear. "You've made all the arrangements for your mother, but why didn't you deal with that troublesome bird first?"

Fire Spirit Falcon was squatting at Lou Xiaotian's feet, tilting its head to stare at the green vine pattern hanging down his waist.

The newly sprouted green leaf exuded a rich woody fragrance. It clearly mistook the vine for an edible spiritual herb and pecked at it with its sharp beak.

Startled, the protective root pattern immediately sent out a thin vine to entwine around the bird's beak.

Startled, the Fire Spirit Falcon rolled around wildly, its round body dragging a green leaf as it spun several times on the tomb bricks before finally crashing into the edge of Fan Chenxin's boots.

Jiang Siyue quickly squatted down to rescue him.

"The big red chicken didn't bite Uncle Zhonghua on purpose; it just thought this leaf smelled nice."

"If it pecks randomly again, it will eventually turn itself into a protective bird."

Lou Xiaotian bent down and grabbed the vine, but worried that he might hurt the Fire Spirit Falcon's sharp beak by using too much force.

Fan Chenxin squatted down first, and a faint Buddhist light condensed at his fingertips, gradually prying away the green vines that were entangled in the bird's beak.

His movements were gentle and patient, not even disturbing a single feather, but his gaze remained fixed on Jiang Yining's lips, which were covered by the powder.

After regaining its freedom, the Fire Spirit Falcon immediately hid in Jiang Siyue's arms and dared not approach the green leaves on Lou Xiaotian's body again.

"The mirror array ahead has begun to awaken; we cannot remain here any longer."

Jiang Yining took Jiang Siyue's hand and stepped into the area covered by the mirror first.

The first layer of pupil patterns on the glasses frame opened one by one, and the Qingling medicine powder successfully fooled the surface recognition.

The bronze mirror only reflected two layers of black and blue robes, without revealing any trace of the green wood marrow.

The group took three more steps forward.

Suddenly, layers of blue light appeared in the center of the mirror.

The azure light did not shine on Jiang Yining's current body, but instead traveled back along the protective root lines to exchange energy with her root meridians.

The scene inside the wooden coffin was clearly projected onto the bronze mirror.

Lou Xiaotian bit the tip of his tongue, letting the warm wood marrow condense between his lips.

Jiang Yining raised her hand and held the back of his neck, taking the initiative to close the distance between the two of them.

Two breaths overlapped in the narrow coffin, and the blue pith of the wood entered her body through her lips and teeth.

The mirror light followed that trajectory downwards, finally stopping in the silver leaves at the waist.

At the same time, a nearly imperceptible ray of light swept across Lou Xiaotian's heart, completely replicating the protective root pattern that had been sealed by the Purple Gold Demon Vine into the bottom of the mirror frame.

Fan Chenxin stood before the bronze mirror, her dark golden pupils gradually darkening.

He did not draw his sword, nor did he release his Buddhist aura; he simply shifted his gaze from their lips touching in the mirror to Jiang Yining.

"Was that aura of green wood in the mirror transmitted through your lips?"