What does my ancestor's pregnancy have to do with me, a mere servant?

Jiang Huaiyue's smile faded slightly, and she raised her hand in a gesture of pressing down, her voice light and gentle.

"Please wait, senior sisters."

She stepped between the two, speaking calmly, "Our master is currently at a crucial stage in his breakthrough to the Core Formation realm. If we make such a commotion outside and disturb his cultivation, who can bear the responsibility? Then none of us will get anything to eat. Do you think it's worth it?"

Lin Feilu and Wen Yuci exchanged a glance.

Neither of them spoke, but their imposing manner subtly diminished.

"What do you suggest we do?" Wen Yuci spoke first, her tone still cold, but she no longer urged them to take action.

"Of course, of course." Jiang Huaiyue's lips immediately curled up. She took out a neatly folded roll of snow-white Xuan paper from her sleeve, and then magically produced a vermilion brush.

The movements were fluid and natural, clearly indicating that it was prepared in advance.

She found a relatively flat large rock to use as a table, neatly spread out the Xuan paper, dipped the tip of her brush in cinnabar, and began to draw on it.

The paper was filled with densely packed grids, and each column was marked with a date.

"The logic is simple," Jiang Huaiyue said without looking up, "We need to consider the order of arrival, fairness, and efficiency. Since everyone's demand is so high, let's follow the rules. Let's make a schedule so we don't waste each other's time here every day."

Wen Yuci leaned over for a look, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Schedule?"

"Yes, the schedule." Jiang Huaiyue wrote with flowing strokes, muttering as she wrote, "The first, fourth, seventh, and tenth of each month, and so on, will be assigned to Senior Sister Wen. She's a new member, so she deserves extra compensation. Is this a reasonable amount?"

Wen Yuci stared at the column of numbers and silently calculated it.

Fair, but not taking advantage.

She pursed her lips and did not object.

"The second, fifth, eighth, and eleventh of the month, and so on, this is for Senior Sister Lin." Jiang Huaiyue turned to look at Lin Feilu, her tone half-serious and half-joking, "Senior Sister Lin is now a top-grade Golden Core cultivator and needs to stabilize her realm and consolidate her foundation. She must make the most of these ten days and not be like last time, just busy waiting outside the door and not getting anything done."

Lin Feilu snorted, glancing at the Xuan paper without objection.

"The rest—the third, sixth, ninth, twelfth…" Jiang Huaiyue finished writing, her smile deepening. "Naturally, they're all mine."

She paused for a moment, then added something as if casually.

"The extra days, such as the 31st of each month, will be determined based on everyone's performance that month, or... it's not something we can't discuss."

Wen Yuci's eye twitched slightly; that subtle movement betrayed the momentary breach in her defenses.

She coughed, looked away, and spoke in a dry tone.

"absurd."

"What's so absurd about it?" Jiang Huaiyue calmly put the cinnabar brush back into her sleeve, folded the Xuan paper, and stuffed it directly into her storage bag. "We're all seeking immortality and enlightenment, and everything should be prioritized for the sake of cultivation. What's there to be coy about?"

She looked up and glanced at Lin Feilu and Wen Yuci, her smile carrying three parts sincerity and seven parts cunning.

"It's settled then. If anyone sneaks off to Black Crow Mountain on a day that isn't theirs and gets caught, we sisters will team up and kick them out of the game. Nobody else will be allowed back in."

"Agreed." Lin Feilu's tone was brief, as if she were signing an insignificant contract, but her eyes were already calculating the itinerary for the second day of the Lunar New Year.

Wen Yuci remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded.

"Can."

The three of them withdrew their auras, and the tense and murderous atmosphere quietly dissipated, restoring the usual tranquility to the desolate mountaintop.

……

……

Danbao Pavilion, backyard.

The array of light enveloped the entire courtyard completely, isolating it from all fluctuations of energy, both inside and outside.

The century-old locust tree in the courtyard has branches and leaves that can be seen as a canopy, with shimmering light floating between the leaves.

Li Lan stood outside the courtyard, her magnificent purple dress shimmering with the cool sheen of satin in the morning light. Her chin was slightly raised, and a carefully crafted smile played on her lips.

She had been waiting for this day for far too long.

From childhood to adulthood, Li Yang was the eldest daughter of the main wife, a prodigy whom the family focused on cultivating, and the apple of the eye of all the elders.

As for Li Lan, she was also a legitimate daughter, with the same bloodline and the same face, but she was forever overshadowed by her sister's glory, becoming a dispensable shadow.

But it's different now.

My sister is ruined. Her dantian is internally injured, her cultivation has stagnated, and she has become a bargaining chip for the family to exchange for benefits.

And she, Li Lan, became the only outstanding direct descendant of the Li family in the next generation.

"Sister, do you think hiding inside and not seeing anyone will allow you to escape the Sima family's marriage proposal?"

Li Lan's voice was clear and sharp, each word pronounced crisply and clearly.

"The family elders' council has unanimously passed the resolution. The Sima family's wedding procession will arrive at the Li family's residence on the third day of next month."

She paused for a moment, as if waiting for the sound of a breakdown or the shattering of porcelain to come from inside the courtyard.

However, there was no response from the hospital.

Li Lan sneered, a complex light flashing in her eyes, a mixture of jealousy and pleasure. She reached out and smoothed a stray hair behind her ear, her posture extremely relaxed.

"Sister, you can't stay in seclusion in the courtyard forever, can you? I've already delivered the message, you'd better make plans as soon as possible."

"In that case, this can be considered your final contribution to the Li family. Accept your fate sooner rather than later, sister. Accepting your fate will actually make things easier."

The voice just fell.

"Buzz—"

Without warning, the array patterns on the courtyard gate rippled like water, and spiritual light spread out from the center to both sides, creating a gap in the light barrier just wide enough for one person to pass through.

A calm, even somewhat languid voice drifted out from inside the courtyard.

"Since you've conveyed the message, please come in and have a cup of tea."

Li Lan was slightly taken aback.

Then a deeper sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.

Have you resigned yourself to your fate? That's the right thing to do.

She thought Li Yang would lock herself inside and hold on until the very end, but she didn't expect her to give up so quickly.

Indeed, what right does a cripple stuck in the early stage of the Golden Core realm with an injured dantian have to resist a Nascent Soul cultivator and the collective decision of the Elders Council?

Li Lan lifted her skirt and stepped into the courtyard with her head held high.

She is ready.

Get ready to witness the twin sister's desperate, haggard, and tearful state. Ideally, her eyes would be red and swollen, her face gaunt, as she kneels on the ground begging for her help. That would be the perfect scene.

But the moment she stepped over the threshold, her gaze fell upon the figure in the courtyard.

Li Lan's steps froze on the spot.

The mocking smile on his lips froze completely, as if it had been frozen in ice.

Under the century-old locust tree in the courtyard, Li Yang sat upright at the stone table.

She wore a bright red ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with cloud patterns, the fabric subtly embroidered with flowing cloud patterns outlined in gold thread, which flickered in the light.

Her long hair was casually tied up, with a few stray strands falling around her ears. She wore no makeup, yet her beauty was so striking that it was almost blinding.

That face, which looked exactly like Li Lan's, now displayed a completely different expression.

Her skin was as smooth and lustrous as jade, her complexion was rosy and translucent, her eyes were as clear as if they held two pools of autumn water, and her lips were full with a faint touch of natural blood.

He exuded a terrifying vitality that was completely renewed from the inside out.

That was not a false appearance forcibly created by elixirs, but a genuine radiance that blossomed after a complete transformation from the depths of one's foundation and the very source of one's spirit.

Like an old tree that was withered and only half a trunk remained, it suddenly sprouted new branches and blossomed all over the night.

But what's even more terrifying than the change in her appearance is her cultivation level.

Li Yang didn't deliberately release any pressure. She just sat there quietly, one hand holding the teacup and the other resting on her knee.

However, the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to be drawn by some invisible force, spontaneously and eagerly rushing towards her without her needing to use any techniques.

The leaves on the spirit locust tree swayed gently even without wind, not because of the wind, but because the flow of spiritual energy created a visible airflow.

A very faint ripple of spiritual light naturally formed within a three-foot radius around Li Yang, like ripples spreading outwards in concentric circles.

"Golden Core... late stage?!"