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

Yun Zhongce certainly knows how to do business.

After the treasure appreciation banquet, he never mentioned the empty warehouse. Instead, he intensified his efforts to get closer to Jiang Yining.

He personally delivered the spiritual materials for the formation to the workshop, along with a pot of spiritual spring tea that was said to be available only to the core disciples of the merchant guild.

While Jiang Yining was consulting ancient books, he moved a chair and sat down next to her, fanning himself with a folding fan at a leisurely pace, occasionally handing her a plate of spiritual fruit, a roasted fish leg, or a casual remark.

"Miss Jiang looks quite well today."

"You've been saying this for three days now."

"Because you looked good all three days ago."

"Is the young master's mouth pickled in sugar?"

"Whether it's been pickled or not, Miss Jiang, you'll know for sure once you try it yourself."

A dull metallic clang came from the side.

Xie Wuwang tapped the wine pot on the corner of the table, leaving a dent in the bottom.

He sat in the corner behind the bookshelf, his long legs propped up on a low table, clutching an ancient book of formations held upside down, his gaze fixed on the back of Yun Zhongce's head, looking past the spine of the book.

He had already clenched the spine of the ancient book with five finger marks.

Jiang Yining glanced at the crumpled book out of the corner of her eye, but said nothing.

She turned a page of an ancient book, her fingertip pausing on a yellowed passage of text.

Xuantian Divine Palace, Emperor Xuanqing.

Ten thousand years ago, he severed the path to heaven with a single sword, sealing off all passages from the mortal realm to the divine realm, and proclaimed himself emperor.

Anyone who tries to peek into the laws of the divine realm will be annihilated.

Anyone who hides ancient divine artifacts will be slaughtered in the entire city.

She looked down.

For nearly a century, Emperor Xuanqing has been searching the entire world for an ancient relic known as the Key to Breaking Boundaries, which is said to be able to tear apart the barriers between realms and lead to higher worlds.

In the search for this item, seven immortal cities have been razed to the ground in the last ten years alone.

Jiang Yining moved her fingers away from the text, letting them hang below the table, and gently pressed her lower abdomen through the fabric of her waistband.

The Divine Tree of Myriad Spirits trembled slightly in his dantian.

She closed the ancient book and stood up.

That's all for today.

Yun Zhongce closed his folding fan and then stood up.

"Will Miss Jiang come again tomorrow?"

"Come."

"Then I'll have someone replace the Lingquan tea with a new batch."

"No need to change." Jiang Yining stopped at the door, glanced back at him. "Young Master, are you investing or gambling by pouring so much money into me every day?"

Yun Zhongce held the folding fan to his lips, his smile deepening.

"bet."

"What are we betting on?"

"It's worth betting on Miss Jiang."

A piercing tearing sound came from behind the bookshelf, and the ancient book that was being held upside down was torn in half by Xie Wuwang.

Jiang Yining didn't turn around and went straight out the door.

Xie Wuwang threw the torn book on the ground, took a few steps and chased after her to catch up with her.

They remained silent the whole way until they reached the inn's corridor, where he finally managed to squeeze out a sound through gritted teeth.

"What kind of score do you have with that guy surnamed Yun?"

"Business matters are none of your business."

"It has nothing to do with me?" The veins on the back of his hand, which was holding the wine jug, throbbed. "He's been hanging around you every day, sending tea, sending fruit, and if he sends more in a couple more days, won't he have the betrothal gifts ready?"

Your analogy isn't quite right.

"What's wrong with it?"

"A betrothal gift is only considered a betrothal gift if both parties agree to it; if one party gives it unilaterally, they are just being taken advantage of."

Xie Wuwang paused for a moment, the gloom on his face dissipating by half, but he quickly pulled it back.

"Does he know he's being ripped off?"

"Does he know what it has to do with me?"

"You're not going to refuse at all?"

Why refuse free benefits?

"Because it's not free!" Xie Wuwang stepped in front of her, backing away, glaring down at her. "Jiang Yining, you've been a mother for so many years, how come you can't even see through a man's little tricks when he gives you gifts?"

Jiang Yining raised her eyelids to look at him.

"I can tell."

"You saw through me, yet you still accepted it?"

"Accepting his things doesn't mean accepting him as a person."

Xie Wuwang's lips twitched from being silenced. He unscrewed the wine pot and took a swig, but the pot was empty. He drank into the dry rim of the pot, feeling utterly empty.

Jiang Yining walked past him and pushed open the door.

"He's going to set off fireworks in the city tomorrow, saying it's to celebrate the start of the battle formation repair."

"A firework that farts."

"If you don't want to go, then don't go. Don't stop me."

The door closed in front of him.

Xie Wuwang stared at the door, his lips moved, but he swallowed back the curse and gulped down the empty wine jug.

The following evening, the skies above Tianyan City were taken over by Yun Zhongce.

Three hundred and sixty celestial fireballs were arranged by the array master according to the star map, covering a small part of the city's sky.

When the first firework exploded, a shower of light fell from the sky, and the cultivators in the city all stopped to look up.

Jiang Yining stood on the rooftop terrace of the Chamber of Commerce, the wind blowing her sleeves.

Yun Zhongce leaned against the railing, fanning himself with a new painting on his fan: a purple-gold vine entwined with a firework.

"Was it specially drawn?" Jiang Yining glanced at it.

"Written by the young master himself."

"His drawing skills haven't improved at all."

"The painting skills are not important, as long as the sentiment is there." Yun Zhongce turned the folding fan so that the painting was facing her, his smile full of sincerity. "Miss Jiang's eyes were very bright when she watched the fireworks, and I want to preserve this scene."

Before he could finish speaking, a sharp whooshing sound came from above.

A deep purple blade of energy cleaved down from the sky, like an invisible giant axe.

The second firework, which had just bloomed, was split in two, its light scattering across the sky.

Then came the second cut, the third cut, and the fourth cut.

The law of annihilation, carrying an aura of destruction, crisscrossed the night sky, and before the three hundred and sixty immortal fireballs could even finish blooming, they were cleaved into nothingness.

Firework fragments, along with the remnants of firecrackers, fell to the ground like raindrops.

As Yun Zhongce watched the fireworks he had bought for 800,000 immortal crystals turn into a rain of shattered fragments above his head, he nearly snapped his folding fan in two.

"Xie Wuwang, you mad dog! Eight hundred thousand! A whole eight hundred thousand immortal crystals worth of fireworks, and you chopped them all up!"

Xie Wuwang fell from mid-air, his boots crushing a granite brick on the edge of the terrace.

He didn't look at Yun Zhongce, but walked straight to Jiang Yining.

He stretched out his arm and pulled her into his embrace, his broad back shielding her from the falling fireworks debris.

He lowered his head, resting his chin on the top of her head, his voice hoarse and deep.

"What are you watching for fireworks? If you're bored, I'll kill someone to liven things up and show you some blood, okay?"

Jiang Yining was held in his arms, smelling the cold fragrance mixed with the aura of annihilation on his body, and laughed in anger.

She raised her hand, pinched his cheek, and gave it a light but firm squeeze with two fingers.

"Shut up, you spendthrift."

Xie Wuwang didn't move as she pinched his face, his dark purple pupils reflecting her smiling face.

The tips of her ears were so red they looked like they were about to bleed.

At the other end of the terrace, Yun Zhongce slowly closed the folding fan.

The debris landed on his shoulder, but he didn't brush it off.

He watched Xie Wuwang hold Jiang Yining in his arms, and watched the curve of her eyes when she reached out to pinch the man's cheek.

She never showed that kind of smile to herself.

The knuckles gripping the folding fan handle tightened one by one, the bones cracking.

After a while, he turned around and smiled at the empty night sky.

Qian Yong jogged over, opening his mouth as if to say something.

Yun Zhongce raised his hand to stop him, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Prepare another 360."

"Young Master?"

"I said to prepare another 360 fireballs, and we'll continue firing them tomorrow."

Qian Yong watched the young master's retreating figure, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly, but ultimately he didn't dare to ask any more questions.