Hermit in the Mountains

Longevity Cave

Jin Yuanbao and his two siblings returned to the mortal island with puzzled expressions after receiving a message from their father.

In front of the courtyard with the plaque bearing the name "Jin Family," Mr. Jin saw his children return and said, "You three siblings are back. I have good news to tell you."

The three siblings were even more puzzled when they heard their father say that there was good news.

Seeing his father's excited face, Jin Yuanbao couldn't help but ask, "Dad, what's the good news?"

"You'll know once you come inside," Mr. Jin said mysteriously, leading his children into the house.

The four of them entered the living room and saw their mother sitting in a chair, greeting them.

Jin Yuanbao noticed something different about his mother: she kept stroking her belly with her left hand.

A thought suddenly popped into his mind: "My mother is pregnant," and his pupils dilated.

He gently probed his mother's abdomen with his divine sense, and a strange life force appeared in his perception.

Mr. Jin stood next to Mrs. Jin, with his hands on her shoulders, looking at his three children.

"You have a younger brother or sister now."

Jin Yuanbao was speechless. He raised his right hand to his forehead, too ashamed to look.

The old man is almost sixty years old, and he still gave them a younger brother or sister.

"Holy crap, Dad, you're something else!" Jin Yinbao gave his father a thumbs-up.

Jin Yubao, standing to the side, had his mouth wide open, big enough to swallow an egg whole.

A look of surprise flashed in her eyes, and she thought to herself, "If I have a younger brother or sister, I won't be the youngest in the family anymore."

"If it's a little sister, spoil her; if it's a little brother, hehehe~"

The more she thought about it, the happier she became, and she almost burst out laughing.

Looking at his three children's expressions, Mr. Jin puffed out his chest and asked, "What's wrong? Are you unhappy?"

"The three of you are useless and still single."

"We're not allowed to start a new account yet."

"We'll arrange a marriage for your younger siblings when the time comes."

"Or raise a child bride or son-in-law."

"By the time you get married and have children, I'm afraid our Jin family will only have two generations left."

The father's thunderous remarks left the three Jin siblings quite stunned.

The three Jin siblings never expected that even in a technologically advanced society, or a society focused on cultivating immortality, they still couldn't escape the pressure to get married.

Jin's mother also looked embarrassed and slapped Jin's father's arm, saying, "If you can't speak properly, then don't talk nonsense."

Mr. Jin muttered under his breath, "We can't be with our children forever."

Jin's father's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, but everyone present was a cultivator with excellent hearing, so they heard it clearly.

The three Jin siblings' expressions darkened.

The Jin family is protected by the Longevity Cult, so they are not in much danger.

The cultivation world is even more cruel; those with good aptitude are better able to cultivate, improve their cultivation level, and gain a longer lifespan.

Without qualifications, even with resources, one cannot go far; lifespan is ultimately limited, and one day one will still grow old.

Jin's mother sensed that the atmosphere was not right, so she immediately changed the subject, "Yuanbao, it's rare for you three siblings to come back, so have a meal at home today."

"Mom will cook some of your favorite dishes."

When Jin Yuanbao saw his mother get up, he quickly stopped her, "Mom, I'll cook today."

"Let my little sister keep you company and talk to you."

As he spoke, Jin Yuanbao gestured to his younger sister with his eyes.

Jin Yubao understood immediately, blinked to indicate that she had received the message, and then got up and ran to her mother's side to act coquettishly.

Jin Yuanbao led his younger brother away from the living room and headed to the kitchen.

Mr. Jin also made an excuse to leave, and then followed him into the kitchen.

When Jin Yuanbao saw his father coming over, he said, "Father, there are no doctors, escorts, or midwives in the cave. We need to make preparations as soon as possible."

Jin's father then shared his thoughts, "Eldest son, what do you think about me taking your mother to Wandao City to rest and recuperate during her pregnancy?"

"It's too far." Jin Yuanbao refused without even thinking.

The exit of the Longevity Cave is on Longevity Peak, but now, with the expansion of the blue planet, the Wandao Mountain is tens of millions of kilometers high.

He was also worried that his parents were away and wouldn't be able to help if something happened to them.

Their registered disciples can use the teleportation array when they go out, thanks to their identity tokens, but their parents are not qualified to use it.

It's impossible to bother the Fifth Disciple to open the teleportation array for personal matters.

His biggest concern was whether the pregnancy period for practitioners would become longer.

If a woman is twelve months pregnant and the planet Earth expands, it will be a huge problem for her parents to prepare for childbirth in Wandao City.

The first three expansions of Earth were regular, occurring once every one or two years.

The first expansion of Earth was approximately fifteen times.

A year later, Earth experienced its second expansion, growing more than a hundred times larger.

Two years later, Earth expanded for the third time, increasing in size by thousands of times.

He dared not gamble on whether Earth would expand several times over, or whether it would expand once every year or two.

It expanded a thousandfold, and was now hundreds of billions of kilometers away from Wandao City.

Expanding ten thousand times, it would be hundreds of billions of kilometers away from Wandao City.

With his current cultivation level, several dozen times the speed of sound is already his limit for flight. He wants to rely on his own flight speed to reach Wandao City.

Disaster--

Even flying non-stop for a day, it would only cover a distance of about 5,000 to 10,000 kilometers.

This is under ideal conditions; unexpected events on the road are the biggest problem.

Jin's father and Jin Yinbao quickly understood the meaning behind the words "too far".

Thanks to the existence of the Virtual Myriad Realms, they can grasp the situation in the outside world in real time.

They all knew that Earth had expanded thousands of times over.

The cave they were in was tens of millions of kilometers away from Wandao City.

Mr. Jin looked worried. "What should we do?"

Jin Yuanbao made arrangements, "Today, our family will have a meal to celebrate Mother giving the Jin family another child."

"I will report this matter to the Lord of the Manor tomorrow and ask for his advice."

Jin Yinbao chimed in, "Dad, listen to your eldest brother."

"Today we had a happy meal with our mother."

"Thank you for your trouble, boss." Mr. Jin felt very guilty.

Three months ago, he couldn't resist indulging for one night, and somehow he won the lottery.

"At that time, you'll wonder if you're being cheated on."

"Back then, the Longevity Cave was quite lively."

"Dad's fine." After saying that, the three of them got busy in the kitchen.

The next day, Jin Yuanbao and his two siblings returned to work on Caishen Island.

Jin Yuanbao immediately went to Yang Dashan and reported that his mother was pregnant.

In Yang Dashan's office, after listening to Jin Yuanbao's report, Yang Dashan first congratulated him, saying, "Brother Jin, congratulations."

"Remember to invite me to your baby's one-month celebration for a drink."

After congratulating him, he asked in return, "What are your thoughts?"

Jin Yuanbao thought about it for half the night and came up with a good idea, but he couldn't make the decision.

He offered his idea, saying, "Lord, may I invite a midwife to the cave?"

"As soon as my mother gave birth smoothly, I sent the midwife away."

Yang Dashan pondered for a moment, but he couldn't make the decision either.

The two of them entered the virtual world of myriad paths to find Zhang Yuanfu and told him what had happened.

Inside a virtual courtyard, Zhang Yuanfu listened to Jin Yuanbao's request, thinking it was something important.

"Don't even think about finding a midwife outside, just go to Master Shen."

"Master Shen used to be a doctor, he knows traditional Chinese medicine and he has done midwifery."

"A one-stop service for pregnancy care, delivery, and postpartum recovery; a magic pill to ensure your mother is lively and energetic again."

Yang Dashan couldn't help but ask, "Brother Yuanfu, does Master Shen also know how to deliver babies?"

"Medicine and Taoism are inseparable; a true Taoist priest knows many skills." After saying this, Zhang Yuanfu looked at Jin Yuanbao and said, "Remember to invite me to the full moon celebration."

"Our Changsheng Cave Heaven has welcomed a new life; perhaps it is the will of Heaven."

Jin Yuanbao stood up, cupped his hands in a bow, and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Lord Zhang. I will personally visit you in a while."

Jin Yuanbao left the virtual world and then left Caishen Island to visit Shen Qingxu on Erxian Island.

After Shen Qingxu and Shi Yideng were granted the status of nominal disciples, they were given a two-immortal island to use for planting spiritual herbs, refining elixirs, and cultivating.

The two of them had settled down and established themselves in Changsheng Cave.