64: Chapter 64 Hope Gu

"Mmm..." Lu Shiyin was caught off guard, a muffled groan escaping from her petite, exquisite nose.

Her body immediately went limp, and her arms wrapped around his neck, responding with awkward yet passionate fervor.

After a deep kiss, he only let her go when her breathing became ragged and her fair face flushed crimson.

"Husband... th-this isn't the place..."

Lu Shiyin buried her face in his chest, her voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz.

Ye Changge chuckled lowly, breathing hot air into her ear:

"Then... should I call Shiqing over?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Shiyin raised her glistening, beautiful eyes and gave him a reproachful glare.

The way her eyes flickered was full of charm, only stoking Ye Changge's inner fire even more.

He laughed heartily, said no more, swept her up into his arms, and headed straight back to the bedchamber.

Afterward, Ye Changge held Lu Shiyin, who seemed to have melted into a puddle of spring water, his fingers unconsciously toying with the dark hair scattered across her chest.

Lu Shiyin took a good while to recover before speaking softly, her voice still carrying the hoarseness and languor of the aftermath: "Husband..."

"Hmm?"

"Can we... have a baby?"

Ye Changge's movements paused, and he looked down at her with some surprise, smiling:

"Why bring this up all of a sudden?"

He truly hadn't been in a rush to have Lu Shiyin, now a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, get pregnant.

For one, it was inherently more difficult for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to conceive than one in the Qi Refining Stage.

Secondly, as the Family was newly established and Lu Shiyin was one of the matriarchs, she had many affairs to handle.

Lu Shiyin nuzzled against his chest, finding a more comfortable position, and parted her red lips slightly, speaking in a soft voice:

"It's nothing... I just see how sensible and lovable Bufan is. Besides, Husband, you like children, and I... I also want a baby that belongs to the two of us."

Seeing the gentle anticipation in her eyes, Ye Changge's heart softened completely. He kissed her forehead and smiled:

"Alright, I'll listen to you, Shiyin. But there's no rush for this; we'll take our time and let nature take its course."

He suddenly remembered that a "Spirit Nourishing Pill" was still lying in his Storage Pouch.

It was a reward from the System from earlier, capable of improving a descendant's Aptitude and stimulating a Spirit Body, but it was restricted to use by female Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage or higher, so it had been sitting idle.

Now, it was perfectly suited for Lu Shiyin. However, there was no rush for that either.

A few days later, Ye Changge arrived above the "Dragon Transformation Lake" on Longmai Mountain.

The lake surface shimmered with green waves, and Spiritual Qi was thick and misty, with various types of spirit fish vaguely visible swimming about.

Several fishermen responsible for the breeding were working by the lake. Seeing him arrive by flying through the air, they hurriedly put down their work and bowed respectfully: "Old Ancestor!"

Ye Changge waved his hand, signaling them to continue:

"Go about your business; I'm just catching a few fish to take a look."

He plucked a few sturdy-looking "Green Wave Flood Dragon Fish" with scales faintly shimmering with spiritual light from the air and brought them back to the quiet room in Changge Hall.

Inside the quiet room, he held his breath and focused his mind, circulating the method for initially refining Dao soldiers as recorded in the "Ten Thousand Soldiers Dragon Control Canon".

Wisps of unique Spiritual Qi surged from his palm, carefully transferring into one of the flood dragon fish, attempting to engrave the most basic Dao soldier spirit patterns into its flesh and bones as described in the Cultivation Technique.

However, not long after the Spiritual Qi was injected, the originally lively flood dragon fish began to tremble violently.

Fine beads of blood seeped from the scales on its body, and within a few breaths, its eyes rolled back, and its life force was extinguished.

"Sigh..." Ye Changge sighed, set the dead fish aside, and tried with a few others, but the result was the same without exception.

Although the physical bodies of these ordinary flood dragon fish were much tougher than common fish, they still could not withstand the impact of the Spiritual Qi and the burden of the spirit patterns required for refining Dao soldiers.

"Is it really not possible?" He frowned slightly, but there was no complete disappointment in his eyes.

Although this attempt failed, it also gave him a glimmer of hope:

These flood dragon fish did not reject the Spiritual Qi of the "Ten Thousand Soldiers Dragon Control Canon" and even had a faint, weak affinity for it; it was just that their physical bodies were too weak to bear it.

"It seems the key lies with that 'Flood Dragon Fish King'."

Ye Changge recalled the introduction from the Li Family steward: every few years, one or two "Flood Dragon Fish Kings" would be born in the lake.

They were larger, had more spiritual intelligence, and were said to contain a trace of thin flood dragon blood.

Such individuals should have physical strength far exceeding ordinary flood dragon fish, so there might be a possibility of success.

He decided to wait patiently and could also ask the clansmen responsible for the fishery to keep a closer eye out.

A month passed in the blink of an eye. This day, as Ye Changge was meditating in the quiet room, a crisp System notification sound suddenly rang in his mind:

[Ding! Congratulations to the Host, the number of descendants has reached forty. You have obtained one lottery Opportunity!]

[Bloodline effect increased: Descendant Spiritual Root quality at birth +3%!]

Ye Changge's face showed joy; another child had been born. As usual, he went out to comfort the newly delivered concubine, gave the newborn a name, and bestowed Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills before returning to the quiet room to summon the System.

The familiar large golden wheel appeared, and the text in the center changed to [Descendants 40/50].

"Begin the lottery!"

The wheel spun rapidly, and after a few breaths, it slowly stopped in the [Other] area.

[Ding! Congratulations to the Host for obtaining the exotic treasure — hope gu (Heaven Rank · Disposable)!]

[hope gu: Heaven Rank disposable gu. When used on someone with firm hope, it can significantly improve their Spiritual Root quality. Note: Only effective on Cultivators below the Foundation Establishment Stage.]

"Oh? A gu that can improve Spiritual Root quality?" Ye Changge's eyes lit up; this was truly a good thing!

Spiritual Roots are determined by heaven, and means to improve them after birth are considered Heaven-Defying Opportunities in the Cultivation World.

Although this "hope gu" had restrictions, could only be used on low-level Cultivators, and was disposable, its value was still immeasurable.

He immediately had a plan in mind. There were many descendants in the Family with low Spiritual Roots, but for this precious gu, the first person he thought of was still his eldest son, Ye Bufan.

This child had a resilient Heart-Nature, was sensible and hardworking, and even knowing his Spiritual Root was poor, he had never truly given up.

This heart of "hope" perhaps fit the requirements of this gu perfectly.

A few days later, Ye Changge arrived at the courtyard where Xiao Cui lived.

In the courtyard, Ye Bufan was surrounded by several younger brothers and sisters; little girls like Ye Ruyi and Ye Zhi were chattering away, watching him demonstrate the Object Manipulation Technique.

A small stone rose wobblily under his awkward manipulation of spiritual power; although it was unstable, it already had his younger siblings exclaiming in amazement.

"Brother is so amazing! Is Brother the most powerful one in the Immortal Sect?" Ye Ruyi clapped her little hands, her face full of admiration.

Ye Bufan controlled the stone to fall, scratching his head with some embarrassment:

"No, in the Immortal Sect... I'm considered on the lower end."

His tone was calm, but the lingering sense of loss deep in his eyes was still caught by Ye Changge, who had just walked into the courtyard.

This child, after a year in the Sect, had truly realized what a Ninth-Grade Spirit Root meant, yet he always tried hard to appear cheerful and sensible in front of his Family.

"Bufan." Ye Changge called out.

"Father!" The children immediately cheered and surrounded him.

Ye Changge smiled and distributed some snacks, coaxing the children into beaming with joy, before saying:

"Father needs to find your Brother Bufan for something."