17: As favor deepens, worldly desires begin to stir.

That night, Qi Yuan stayed in Su Wantang's room.

Five years seemed to have left little trace on her; instead, due to a stable life and the gradual recovery of her martial arts cultivation, she had gained even more charm.

Her figure remained slender, and because of her martial arts background, her waist was exceptionally supple and strong, her skin glowing like jade under the dim lamp.

Though she had already borne two sons for Qi Yuan, her brow still retained some of the elegant grace of a Yue Kingdom noblewoman from years past, and her eyes held a natural, moving charm.

The candlelight flickered, and the curtains hung low.

Su Wantang submissively massaged Qi Yuan's shoulders and neck, reporting in a soft voice:

"Master, the Family's various businesses are currently doing quite well.

The Baicao Hall's new batch of mountain goods is of good quality, and Jinxiu Pavilion also took two large orders from the neighboring county last month, though the payments haven't been fully settled yet... Spring plowing at the estate is also nearly finished..."

Qi Yuan listened with his eyes closed, having little interest in these mundane affairs.

With his current perspective, the accumulation of Mortal gold and silver was far less important than the recovery of his own cultivation and the nurturing of his offspring.

But he had always been patient with Su Wantang, not only because she was clever and organized the manor's affairs perfectly, but also because she possessed a Medium Grade Five Spiritual Roots, making her the one with the best Aptitude among all his wives and concubines.

For the two sons she had borne him—Qi Xuanqing and Qi Xuanlin—Qi Yuan had not hesitated to use the precious Child Seals.

These two children had not disappointed him either, both possessing Medium Grade Four Spiritual Rootss. Their Spiritual Root talent far surpassed his other two sons, making them a crucial part of his future Family plans.

Precisely because he had seen Su Wantang's ability to produce high-quality offspring, he had kept the last Child Seal, hoping she could bear him another child with even better Aptitude.

As for the worldly distinction between legitimate and concubine-born children, it held little weight in Qi Yuan's heart.

Coming from the cultivation world, he believed in the supremacy of strength, so resources naturally leaned toward offspring with potential who could help with the Family's continuation and his own Dao path.

This was why he took extra care of Qi Xuanfeng, and as his other children grew older, he didn't have much energy to focus on them.

At this moment, because there was hope for his Dantian injury to fully recover, the gloom in Qi Yuan's heart vanished.

He felt his thoughts were clear and his blood and Qi were vigorous. Looking at the jade-like beauty under the lamp, his interest became exceptionally high.

Before Su Wantang could finish speaking, he had already turned over and pulled her under him. With the faint fragrance of her hair lingering around his nose, he chuckled softly:

"These trifles can wait until tomorrow.

Wan Tang, right now it's more important to add another brother for Xuan Qing and Xuan Lin."

Hearing this, a rosy flush rose to Su Wantang's cheeks. Her eyelashes drooped slightly, but she offered no resistance, only letting out a soft 'mm' like the hum of a mosquito, adding to her charm.

In these five years, Qi Yuan had not mistreated those around him, providing various body-nourishing Medicinal Pills to his wives and concubines.

Su Wantang's originally damaged martial arts Foundation had long since recovered and even improved slightly, making her physique more lithe and vigorous.

At this moment, this depth rooted in her bones and muscles quietly revealed itself.

At first, she was still able to struggle with that resilience and coordination.

Her breath was calm and long, and her figure was like a slender willow in the wind, yielding to that irresistible force.

This was not the weakness of a Mortal woman; instead, it further stirred his desire for conquest as a cultivator.

He did not use spiritual power, dealing with her only with a physique far exceeding that of a Mortal, like a patient hunter savoring the resistance of his prey.

The candle shadows flickered violently on the gauze curtains, casting intertwined and tangled shadows.

Su Wantang's breathing gradually lost its rhythm, and fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, gathering into streams that slid down her smooth temples and vanished into her disheveled hair.

She bit her lower lip hard, trying to suppress the whimpers escaping her throat.

Her persistence was like the last thin ice of spring, melting inch by inch under the warm sun.

That bit of martial arts cultivation ultimately proved to be a drop in the bucket against Qi Yuan's strength.

She felt her strength being drained bit by bit, her entire body so sore and weak it didn't feel like her own.

Her fingertips unconsciously left a few shallow red marks on Qi Yuan's back.

Finally, amidst the trembling, her tension completely relaxed.

It was as if all the bones and muscles in her body had been removed, turning her into a pool of spring water, without even the strength to lift a finger.

Only the intermittent, tearful gasps proved what a fierce... and complete defeat she had just experienced.

Qi Yuan looked at the charming flush at the corners of her eyes and her blurred, misty eyes that had completely lost focus.

He slowly slowed down, his rough fingertips gently wiping away the moisture from the corners of her eyes.

After a moment, in Su Wantang's blurred gaze filled with plea and attachment, a new round of storm began to brew... until late at night, the intermittent sounds finally subsided completely, leaving only the sound of even, deep breathing.

Su Wantang had long since fallen into a deep sleep from exhaustion, her face extremely tired yet satisfied.

Qi Yuan remained high-spirited, holding the warm and fragrant beauty in his arms, full of confidence in his future Dao path and the continuation of his Family... The next morning, Su Wantang slowly woke up. Before she even opened her eyes, she felt as if every bone in her body had been taken apart and put back together, sore and weak, even her fingertips too lazy to move.

She struggled to open her heavy eyelids. The silk quilt beside her was already cold, and Qi Yuan was nowhere to be seen, causing a faint sense of empty melancholy to drift through her heart.

The human heart is like this: it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go back; once one gains a foothold, they desire more.

At first, she only sought survival and basic needs, but once she gained a bit of stability, she hoped for affection.

Having gained affection, she then foolishly sought for that unique favor to last forever, greed growing silently like creeping grass.

Recalling the past, when her parents were schemed against by their own kin, the Family business collapsed in an instant, and the entire Family met with disaster, she had long since given up any hope for her future.

She thought the rest of her life would be spent being passed between different men, serving them with her beauty until her youth faded and she was discarded like a worn-out shoe.

When she was sold to a border county of the Zhao Kingdom and fell into the hands of a human trafficker, she was disheartened.

As a remnant of the Yue Kingdom, she had to serve someone from an enemy country. According to the teachings of the sages she had read as a child, she should have found an opportunity to martyr herself for her former country to preserve her integrity.

But in the end, she was just a mundane woman; she couldn't harden her heart enough, nor could she bear such a heroic sacrifice.

She just thought this was her fate and resigned herself to it.

However, Qi Yuan's appearance was like a beam of light shining into her dark and hopeless life.

He did not, like the Zhao Kingdom nobles she had heard of, take pleasure in humiliating those from a fallen nation or basely questioning them about the taste of losing their country and Family.

Instead, he treated her quite differently.

Shortly after she entered the manor, seeing that she was literate, he let her assist the primary wife Liu Yueer in managing the household, giving her authority and trust.

The primary wife was also a generous person, never intentionally making things difficult for her because of her background or the master's regard; the atmosphere in the manor was exceptionally peaceful.

Not to mention those precious Medicinal Pills that helped her repair her damaged martial arts Foundation, and he even specially opened up a Martial Arts Practice Field for her in a quiet part of the manor, allowing her to exercise and not forget her old skills.

Even when she gave birth to twins, which was considered an "inauspicious" sign by worldly standards, she had been terrified, fearing that her hard-won stability would be lost.

To her surprise, the master not only didn't mind but also promoted her from a concubine to a Liang Concubine shortly after she gave birth, formalizing her status.

He treated the two children, Qing'er and Liner, like precious treasures and carefully nurtured them.

Item by item, the favor shown to her was already profound.

She should have been satisfied, peacefully enjoying this rare tranquility in a troubled world.

But that noble pride and unwillingness deep in her blood and bones would always quietly surface in the dead of night or when she was alone.

She would wonder, if she had met the master earlier, when her Family was still intact and she was still a noble daughter of the Yue Region, could she have stood by his side with a better status?

Instead of being like now, bearing the mark of an orphaned girl from the Yue Kingdom.

She didn't dare speak of these thoughts, and she even felt terrified of letting them show in her expression, so she could only bury them deep, turning them into a faint sigh that no one heard.

She propped herself up with her arms and struggled to sit up. The silk quilt slid from her shoulders, revealing some ambiguous red marks.

The morning light outside was faint, reflecting in her complex and indescribable eyes, where gratitude, satisfaction, and a ripple called regret were intertwined.