5: Chapter 5 Taking Another Concubine

"Is the meal ready? I'm hungry." Ning Yuan sat down in the main room and let his two sons sit on his lap.

"It will be ready right away." Madam Liu went back to the kitchen to busy herself.

Madam Lin poured a cup of tea for Ning Yuan and sat down opposite him. She hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Husband, there is something I want to discuss with you."

"What is it?"

"My father sent word yesterday saying that there is a family surnamed Su in Linhe Village, and they have a daughter who wants to get married. The girl is eighteen this year, and I heard... heard that she is not a Mortal." Madam Lin lowered her voice.

Ning Yuan's hand, holding the teacup, paused slightly. "Not a Mortal? What do you mean?"

"I heard that when she was young, she was spotted by a wandering Daoist nun who took her in as a Named Disciple and taught her skills for a few years. Later, the nun left, and she cultivated on her own. Now, it seems she is an Immortal at the Qi Refining Stage." As Madam Lin spoke, there was a trace of reverence in her tone.

In a small place like Pingan County, a Cultivator at the Qi Refining Stage is like an Immortal. Although Madam Lin knew her husband was also Cultivating, she was not clear about exactly what Realm Ning Yuan was at.

Ning Yuan put down the teacup, lost in thought.

A female Cultivator at the Qi Refining Stage? This was an unexpected surprise.

Over the past two years, relying on the System rewards from when his two sons were born, his Cultivation had reached the Third Layer of Qi Refining. This speed was considered quite good among Loose Cultivators, but it was still too far from his goal.

The rewards given by the System were very generous, but the problem was that he needed more children to trigger more rewards. Relying solely on Madam Lin and Madam Liu, the rate of childbirth was too slow.

Furthermore, the Spiritual Root Aptitude of children born to Mortal wives and concubines had too low a limit. Ning Changqing had a Medium Mixed Spirit Root, and Ning Changhe also had a Medium Mixed Spirit Root; this was already the best Aptitude that a Mortal mother could produce.

If he wanted to produce children with better Spiritual Roots, he had to marry wives or concubines who possessed Spiritual Roots.

"What are the conditions for the Su family's daughter?" Ning Yuan asked.

"The Su family wants three hundred taels of silver as a betrothal gift." Madam Lin bit her lip. "And the girl said she wants to meet you first before deciding whether to marry."

Three hundred taels of silver would have been an astronomical sum for the Ning Family two years ago. However, over the past two years, relying on some Spirit Medicine and Medicinal Pill rewards from the System, Ning Yuan had quietly started a medicinal herb business in town and saved up quite a bit of silver.

Three hundred taels—he could afford it.

"Then let's meet." Ning Yuan said indifferently, "Tell them I will visit in three days."

Madam Lin nodded, feeling somewhat conflicted.

She knew that sooner or later, Ning Yuan would take a concubine with a Spiritual Root; this was a necessity for the development of the Ning Family. But watching her husband take a new woman, she still felt a bit uncomfortable.

However, Madam Lin quickly suppressed this small emotional disturbance. Her life was given by Ning Yuan—if not for those medicines Ning Yuan had back then, she would never have been able to conceive a child in her life. She kept Ning Yuan's kindness toward her in her heart.

The position of the legal wife would always be hers.

Three days later, Ning Yuan arrived at Linhe Village alone.

Linhe Village was located southeast of Pingan County, by a small river, and the fields were better than those in Pingan County. The Su family was considered a well-off family in the village, with a three-courtyard residence, green bricks, and gray tiles, looking quite imposing.

Ning Yuan announced his name at the door and was quickly invited inside.

In the main hall, an old man of about fifty was waiting. He was the head of the Su family, Old Man Su.

"Master Ning, thank you for coming. Please forgive us for not welcoming you properly." Old Man Su cupped his hands with a smile.

Ning Yuan returned the gesture, "Brother Su is too polite."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Old Man Su got straight to the point, "Master Ning, surely your wife has already told you about my daughter's situation. That girl was spotted by an Immortal Master when she was young and learned Immortal techniques for a few years, so her standards are very high. There have been many who came to propose marriage over the years, but she didn't fancy any of them. This time, hearing that Master Ning is also someone who practices the Dao, she finally agreed to meet."

Ning Yuan nodded, "Then please ask Young Miss Su to come out and meet."

Old Man Su instructed a servant to invite her. Before long, a young woman wearing a green dress walked out from the back hall.

The woman was not tall, but she had a well-proportioned figure, delicate features, and a heroic air between her brows. When she walked, her steps were so light that one could barely hear a sound; she had clearly practiced some kind of movement technique.

"This young woman, Su Yuniang, greets Mr. Ning." The woman bowed slightly, her gaze sizing up Ning Yuan without any hesitation.

Ning Yuan was also looking at her.

Second Layer of Qi Refining.

He saw through Su Yuniang's Cultivation at a glance. To be able to reach the Second Layer of Qi Refining at this age, her Spiritual Root shouldn't be too bad; at the very least, it should be a Medium Mixed Spirit Root.

"Young Miss Su, there is no need for such formalities." Ning Yuan waved his hand.

Su Yuniang sat down opposite him and got straight to the point, "Mr. Ning, I heard that you are also someone who practices the Dao. I wonder what Sect you studied under, Mr. Ning, and what is your Cultivation?"

This young woman was certainly direct.

Ning Yuan smiled but did not answer. Instead, he picked up his teacup and gently blew away the foam.

Just as Su Yuniang frowned slightly, she suddenly felt a warm aura emanating from Ning Yuan's body.

The aura was not strong, yet it made the Qi in her body tremble involuntarily.

Third Layer of Qi Refining!

Su Yuniang's pupils constricted slightly.

When she became a Disciple under that wandering Daoist nun, she had once witnessed the pressure of a Cultivator at the Third Layer of Qi Refining. The aura radiating from Ning Yuan was exactly the same as that Senior Brother from back then!

"Mr. Ning... you..." Su Yuniang's voice trembled slightly.

Ning Yuan put down the teacup, retracted his aura, and returned to his appearance as an ordinary farmer.

"I have no teacher, nor am I a Disciple of any Sect." Ning Yuan said calmly, "I just happened to obtain a Cultivation Technique and explored Cultivating on my own. I came to see Young Miss Su today with the sincere intention of taking you as my wife. As for the betrothal gift, in addition to the three hundred taels of silver, I can add one more thing."

He took a small porcelain bottle from his bosom and placed it on the table.

"What is this?" Su Yuniang asked curiously.

"A marrow cleansing pill." Ning Yuan said, "A Medicinal Pill that can improve Spiritual Root Aptitude. After Young Miss Su consumes it, your Spiritual Root should be able to improve by one small Realm."

Su Yuniang stood up abruptly, looking at the small porcelain bottle in disbelief.

A marrow cleansing pill!

That was a Medicinal Pill that even Disciples of large Sects found difficult to obtain! Her Master, the wandering Daoist nun, had mentioned it once, saying that a marrow cleansing pill could improve Spiritual Root Aptitude and was a Spirit Medicine that all Cultivators with low Spiritual Roots dreamed of. However, the Pill Formula for this kind of pill had long been lost, and only a few large Sects with deep foundations had a small amount in stock.

And now, a bottle of marrow cleansing pills was sitting right in front of her?

"This... is this really a marrow cleansing pill?" Su Yuniang's voice was trembling.

"Young Miss Su, you can verify it yourself." Ning Yuan made a gesture of invitation.

Su Yuniang carefully opened the porcelain bottle and poured out a pale golden Medicinal Pill. The pill was warm to the touch and emitted a faint, serene medicinal fragrance, exactly as her Master had described.

"It really is a marrow cleansing pill..." Su Yuniang murmured.

She raised her head, and the way she looked at Ning Yuan changed completely.

Before, she had thought that Ning Yuan was just an ordinary Loose Cultivator; although his Cultivation at the Third Layer of Qi Refining was not bad, it wasn't particularly impressive either. But this marrow cleansing pill made her realize that the man in front of her was definitely not as simple as he appeared on the surface.

How could someone who could produce a marrow cleansing pill be an ordinary Loose Cultivator?

"Mr. Ning, this Medicinal Pill... where did you get it?" Su Yuniang couldn't help but ask.

"That is inconvenient to disclose." Ning Yuan shook his head, "Young Miss Su only needs to know that after marrying into my Ning Family, there will be no shortage of such Medicinal Pills. Your Cultivation will not remain at the Second Layer of Qi Refining forever."

Su Yuniang was silent for a moment, then put the marrow cleansing pill back into the porcelain bottle and placed it on the table.

"If Young Miss Su feels troubled, I will not force the issue." Ning Yuan stood up, making a move to take his leave.

"Wait." Su Yuniang called out to him.

She bit her lip, as if she had made up her mind. "I will marry."

The corners of Ning Yuan's mouth raised slightly.

It was done.

The ceremony for Su Yuniang entering the family was very simple.

Ning Yuan did not want to be too ostentatious, so he just invited a few relatives from the village to a meal, and that counted as officially taking his third concubine.

Su Yuniang did not care about this. She did not marry into the Ning Family for the pomp and circumstance. She did not care about the three hundred taels of silver betrothal gift; what she cared about was that marrow cleansing pill and the Cultivation resources Ning Yuan had promised.

On their wedding night, Ning Yuan was in no hurry to consummate the marriage; instead, he first instructed Su Yuniang to consume the marrow cleansing pill.

After Su Yuniang consumed the Medicinal Pill, she experienced the same painful purification that Ning Yuan had gone through. When she recovered from the purification, drenched in sweat, she was pleasantly surprised to discover that her Spiritual Root had improved from a Low-grade Mixed Spiritual Root to a Medium Mixed Spirit Root.

"It really improved!" Su Yuniang's voice was trembling with excitement.

Her original Spiritual Root was the worst kind of Low-grade Mixed Spiritual Root, and reaching the Second Layer of Qi Refining had been her limit. Now that her Spiritual Root had improved to Medium, she had the hope of pushing toward the Middle Stage of the Qi Refining Stage, or even the Late Stage!

"I will not go back on what I promised you." Ning Yuan said calmly, "From now on, you should Cultivate well and take good care of your pregnancy; there will be no shortage of Medicinal Pills for you."

Su Yuniang nodded repeatedly, and there was a bit more genuine respect in her eyes when she looked at Ning Yuan.

Three months later, Su Yuniang became pregnant.

At the same time, Madam Lin and Madam Liu also became pregnant one after another.

The sight of the three women in the Ning Family's back residence all heavily pregnant at the same time was quite spectacular. The neighbors all clicked their tongues in wonder, saying that Ning Yuan was truly blessed—his wives and concubines lived in harmony, and they were all capable of bearing children.

Ning Yuan himself was also very satisfied.