50: Chapter 50 This hot pot smells so good!

Yao Shifei gazed at Jiang Feng.

That calm, unruffled face was now etched with a dominance and composure she had never seen before.

She had witnessed the majesty of Sect Elders and experienced the arrogance of so-called Prodigies.

Yet, no one had ever been like this old man before, speaking of annihilating an entire clan as if it were as simple as eating or drinking, and then casually presenting this bloody "interest" as a gift to her.

Was it humiliating?

Perhaps a little.

But more than that, it was a sense of relief at finding support in a desperate situation.

Her heart, frozen by betrayal, felt a glimmer of warmth at this moment.

Yao Shifei's pride was crushed to pieces before Jiang Feng's immense strength and this unquestionable protection.

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the ice in her eyes had melted.

She did not speak again, but instead, slowly and solemnly, performed a Wanfu bow—a gesture from a wife to her husband—before Jiang Feng, bowing her head deeply.

This action declared that the former Prodigy of Medicine King Valley had completely buried her past.

Jiang Feng's lips curled slightly upward. Without sparing another glance at the Tang Family, he turned and boarded the carriage directly.

"Return to the inn."

Young Master Jiang Chen received the order, cracked his whip, and the carriage turned, leaving the wails of the Tang Family and the tremors of Black Wind City resolutely behind them.

Back in the private room of the inn.

Jiang Feng placed the snow-white "mortal shedding pill" back on the table and pushed it toward Yao Shifei.

This time, Yao Shifei did not hesitate.

She picked up the Medicinal Pill with her slender fingers, her fingertips sensing the peculiar texture on its surface that isolated Spiritual Qi.

She placed the Medicinal Pill in her mouth, and it melted instantly.

The next instant, a gentle yet majestic life force exploded within her, instantly rushing into her limbs and bones!

"Ugh!"

Yao Shifei let out a muffled groan, feeling her shattered Foundation Establishment Foundation first being completely pulverized by this force, and then, amidst the surging life force, being recast in an even sturdier way!

Her broken Meridians were forcibly reshaped by a gentle power, becoming wider and tougher.

Every inch of flesh, every cell, was being reborn!

Intertwining pain and pleasure made her delicate body tremble uncontrollably.

She quickly sat cross-legged, and the Spiritual Qi within her began to surge uncontrollably and wildly!

Yuan Chu glanced over, waved her small hand to set up a barrier in the room to isolate the aura, and then went back to the window, happily watching the peddler downstairs hawking candied haws.

Su Wan and Yu Niang refilled Jiang Feng's tea with tacit understanding, long accustomed to such things.

...

Three days later, Huoyang Commandery, west of the city.

Jiang Feng and his group had already settled down here.

They did not choose the east side of the city where the aristocratic families gathered, but instead bought a spacious courtyard in the west side, a place where people of all sorts mingled.

The courtyard was somewhat dilapidated, quite out of place with the prosperity of the main city of Huoyang Commandery.

"Husband, why did we choose to settle here?"

Yu Niang asked curiously while directing the few servants they had just bought to decorate their new home.

Her little abacus had long since calculated it: land prices in the west of the city were cheap, but it was a chaotic mix of people, not a long-term solution.

Jiang Feng stood in the courtyard, gazing at the rolling Black Mountain Range in the distance, and explained calmly, "Yu Niang, if a Family wants to grow, relying solely on its own members is not enough."

"This west side of the city backs onto the Yao Beast mountains and gathers the most Loose Cultivators in Huoyang Commandery."

"What do they lack? They lack resources, they lack Medicinal Pills, and they lack a backer they can risk their lives for. And these are exactly what we have."

At the same time, he looked at Su Wan, who was standing quietly to the side, "Those aristocratic families view them as ants to be oppressed at will. But in my eyes, they are the best blades; as long as we provide enough whetstones, they can be used by us."

Su Wan smiled gently and stepped forward to straighten his collar, "Husband is far-sighted; Wan'er understands."

What Jiang Feng wanted to do was not just to expand the Family line, but to build a massive force of his own.

The Jiang Family descendants were the Foundation, and these Loose Cultivators would be the sharpest claws and teeth of the Jiang Family in the future.

Just as they were speaking.

The door to a quiet room in the deepest part of the courtyard creaked open.

A fragrance of vegetation, rich to the extreme, accompanied by a surging ripple of Spiritual Qi, instantly swept across the entire courtyard!

The few withered trees in the courtyard began to sprout branches and leaves at a speed visible to the naked eye, and within just a few breaths, they were covered in small, unknown white flowers, full of vitality!

Everyone looked toward the source of the fragrance.

Yao Shifei walked out slowly, dressed in a simple-colored long dress.

Her appearance had not changed; she was still otherworldly, but her entire aura had undergone an earth-shattering transformation.

Her skin was lustrous, her eyes shimmered with Spiritual Qi, and a faint cyan halo lingered around her. The natural fragrance of her body made one's mind feel tranquil just by smelling it.

Foundation Establishment Mid-stage!

Not only was her cultivation fully restored, but it had even advanced a step further than it had been in her prime!

More importantly, she could clearly perceive that the Spiritual Root within her had transformed from the former Low Grade Wood Spirit Root into a legendary form she had only ever seen in the oldest Sect scriptures.

Supreme Wood Spirit Root!

Yao Shifei walked up to Jiang Feng. Those eyes, which once held only aloofness and wariness, now held only deep shock, gratitude, and a trace of reliance she hadn't even noticed herself.

She bowed gracefully, her voice solemn and trembling slightly.

"Husband."

This "Husband" was called with heartfelt submission, without a shred of reluctance.

Jiang Feng reached out to help her up and smiled gently, "From now on, we are all one Family; there is no need for such formalities."

That night, the new Jiang Family residence was decorated with lanterns and streamers, though it was not a grand banquet for guests.

In the spacious hall, only one large round table was set.

In the center of the table, a uniquely shaped copper pot was bubbling and steaming; half was filled with churning red oil, and half with a rich white soup.

This was the unique "wedding banquet" Jiang Feng had prepared for Yao Shifei.

"Come, come, everyone, don't be polite! Dig in!"

Yuan Chu was the most excited. She picked up a slice of Yao Beast meat, sliced as thin as a cicada's wing, swished it up and down in the red soup, dipped it in the sauce Jiang Feng had personally prepared, and popped it into her mouth, her eyes squinting in happiness.

Su Wan and Yu Niang followed her example, eating with great delight, their cheeks flushed.

Yao Shifei sat beside Jiang Feng, appearing somewhat reserved.

Since being expelled from her Sect, she hadn't felt this atmosphere for many years. There was no scheming, no calculating of interests, only the aroma of food and the happy laughter of a Family.

Jiang Feng noticed her discomfort and personally swished a pair of chopsticks worth of green spiritual plants, placing them in her bowl.

"Try this."

He leaned close to her ear, lowered his voice, and said with a smile, audible only to the two of them, "This hotpot seasoning was secretly prepared by your husband, and it has miraculous effects on your newly born Supreme Wood Spirit Root. Eat more, so you'll have the strength later?"

The warm breath brushed against her ear, and that suggestive "have the strength later" made Yao Shifei's heart tremble, her fair earlobes instantly turning bright red.

She looked up at Jiang Feng. This sixty-year-old man had graying temples, but his eyes were brighter and deeper than any young person's, carrying a hint of playfulness that seemed to see through people's hearts.

He treated every wife with heartfelt tenderness and respect, yet possessed an unquestionable sense of control.

Su Wan's gentle virtue, Yu Niang's shrewd cuteness, Yuan Chu's whimsical nature.

Three women with completely different personalities could live together so harmoniously by his side, without even the slightest rejection of her, the "newcomer."

Yao Shifei picked up that piece of spiritual plant and slowly put it into her mouth.

It was very refreshing and sweet.

She looked at the churning hotpot on the table, watched the people around her chatting and laughing, and looked at Jiang Feng, who was wiping the corner of Yuan Chu's mouth, and a certain corner of her heart melted completely.

Perhaps... bearing him a child would be truly nice.

The hotpot meal was enjoyed by both host and guests.

After the meal, Su Wan and Yu Niang, being very tactful, dragged the still-eager Yuan Chu back to her room to rest. Before leaving, Su Wan cast an encouraging look at Jiang Feng, as if to say "Good luck, Husband."

In the spacious hall, only Jiang Feng and Yao Shifei remained.

The atmosphere instantly became ambiguous.

Yao Shifei lowered her head, her hands nervously twisting the hem of her clothes, her heart pounding like a deer.

Jiang Feng walked up to her, dispensed with unnecessary chatter, and swept her up into his arms in a bridal carry.

"Ah!" Yao Shifei exclaimed, subconsciously wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Husband..."

"A moment of a spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold."

Jiang Feng carried her, step by step, toward the wedding room that had long been prepared, laughing softly in her ear with a hint of undeniable dominance in his voice.

"Tonight, your husband will let you experience it for yourself."

"Just what kind of vitality this Supreme Wood Spirit Root can conceive."