152: Chapter 151 Zhang Wan'er's Worries

But on the surface, he remained as steady as an old dog, his smile unchanging as he explained in all seriousness, "Master, how could there be anything wrong with me? I just saw that you were having a good time, Master, and wanted to make you even happier. Just think about it, Fairy Saintess Wu Qingqing's legs, her waist, her—"

"Enough, enough." Xiao Ye waved his hand, looking at him with a half-smile. "Li Fu, are you thinking about holding a banquet to skim some profits again?"

"I'm being wronged, Master!" Li Fu had a Face full of grievances. "I am thinking of Master's happiness with all my heart and soul! Heaven and earth can bear witness!"

Xiao Ye stared at him for three seconds, then suddenly smiled. "Fine, then tomorrow it is. Go arrange it. The scale must be grand, the banquet must be lavish, and the gift list must be accepted—but if you dare to take kickbacks, hmph!"

Li Fu nodded repeatedly, patting his chest as he guaranteed, "Rest assured, Master. I, Li Fu, swear to the heavens that I will absolutely not take any kickbacks! Every single Spirit Stone will enter Master's vault!"

In his heart, however, he silently added: 'I only collect a "service fee," that's not called a kickback.'

Xiao Ye didn't bother to argue with him and waved his hand. "Go on."

As if granted a great amnesty, Li Fu turned and ran, his steps as light as a fox that had just stolen a chicken.

Watching his departing figure, Xiao Ye shook his head and muttered in a low voice, "This old rascal will end up dead in a money trap sooner or later."

Over the next month and a half, Xiao Ye made a spurt of progress and took several more concubines, including Saintess Wu Qingqing and Divine Maiden Bai Jie. For those divine maidens and Fairies with prominent backgrounds, he personally visited their homes to marry them, giving them plenty of Face.

As for the others? With his current reputation, he didn't even need to make a move personally; people would automatically deliver their girls straight to his bed.

Nowadays, the female cultivators who wanted to enter the palace could line up all the way from the Great Qian Imperial Capital to Baihua Valley, a queue longer than the Spring Festival travel rush.

Just like that, Xiao Ye took concubines while breaking new ground.

Before long, Saintess Yu Keqing became pregnant. She let out a long sigh of relief—she could finally take a temporary break!

Doing this every single day, who could take it?

Fortunately, heaven rewards those who try.

Xiao Ye's current harem could be described as a hundred flowers blooming in unison. Some were good at business, some at Alchemy, some at management, and some at diplomacy.

He delegated all court affairs and completely became a hands-off manager. Every day, he was only responsible for flirting in the harem and "receiving gifts," living a life more carefree than an immortal.

Meanwhile, his offspring were gradually growing up. The oldest, Xiao Yan, was already twenty-two years old, his cultivation advancing by leaps and bounds, and he was already capable of taking charge of things on his own.

As for his other children, those with good talent focused on Cultivating, Alchemy, and Artifact Refining; those with lesser talent took up positions in the court or went to other regions to do business. The Xiao Family imperial family was now thriving with a booming population, and the figures of the Xiao Family's younger generation could be seen in all walks of life.

Restaurants, elixir workshops, Spiritual Artifact shops, merchant associations... the "Xiao" signboard was hung everywhere.

Xiao Ye would occasionally attend court. Seeing that many of the civil and military officials in court were his own sons, and returning to the palace after court to be served by a group of concubines in turn, he felt quite emotional:

"If I had known being an emperor was this great, why on earth did I Cultivate to become an immortal back then?"

The System replied coldly, "Why don't you try doing it without me?"

Xiao Ye shut his mouth immediately.

On this day, Xiao Ye was painting in Zhang Waner's small courtyard.

Suddenly, a single sentence from Zhang Waner silenced him completely!

"Master, I have been married into the Xiao Family for over twenty years, and I've given birth to five or six children." Zhang Waner put down her paintbrush, her voice soft and gentle, as if afraid of waking something up. "Tell me the truth—do you want to achieve Ascension to the Immortal Realm?"

Xiao Ye was taken aback, not understanding why she was asking this.

Zhang Waner had heard about the Ascension matter from the newly entered Saintess Yu Keqing.

She said that once the Emperor's cultivation reached the Mahayana Peak, he would begin his Ascension, and she would follow him then.

Her tone had been casual, as if she were saying, "I'm going shopping tomorrow."

But when these words reached Zhang Waner's ears, they tasted completely different.

Indeed, Master could achieve Ascension, and those concubines with good talent could also make a Breakthrough to the Mahayana Peak and follow Master in his Ascension.

But what about her? What would someone with poor talent like her do?

Relying on the spirit ascension pills given by Xiao Ye, her Spiritual Root had with great difficulty been raised to Earth-Grade Low Grade, and her cultivation had stumbled its way to the Golden Core 1st Layer.

But she couldn't learn the Cultivation Techniques; she relied entirely on popping pills. Cultivating immortality wasn't just about Spiritual Roots; it also depended on Comprehension Ability. If she couldn't learn Cultivation Techniques, how could her cultivation speed be fast?

For instance, with the "Jade Maiden Immortal Scripture," some concubines had already reached the third layer, quadrupling their Cultivation speed; yet she had not even entered the first layer.

This gap would only grow wider and wider. Perhaps by the time Xiao Ye and the others were about to achieve Ascension, she would have only just reached the Nascent Soul Realm.

After listening, Xiao Ye fell silent for a long time.

He had never really thought about this issue before. He always felt that since he had the System, Medicinal Pills, and spirit ascension pills, he could just slowly pile up his concubines' cultivations.

But now it seemed that simply piling up cultivation was not enough; if their Comprehension Ability couldn't keep up and they couldn't learn the Cultivation Techniques, it would all be in vain in the end.

He held Zhang Waner's hand, his tone as solemn as if he were making an oath, "Waner, don't worry. Master will not abandon you.

I will find a way to bring you all to the Immortal Realm together when the time comes."

While comforting her with words, his actions did not lag behind.

The next day, Xiao Ye began rummaging through chests and cupboards, searching his System space, searching Hao Sailei's Legacy, and combing through every ancient text he could find—looking for a way to improve Comprehension Ability.

There were plenty of spirit ascension pills and Spirit Stones to go around, and he even specifically invited several concubines with high Comprehension Ability to act as "private tutors" to teach Zhang Waner how to Cultivate hand-in-hand.

He also spent a large sum of money to buy a stalk of "Enlightenment Tea" from the Tianji Holy Land, which could temporarily boost one's Comprehension Ability when drunk. Although the effect was limited, it was better than nothing.

Drinking that terribly bitter Enlightenment Tea, Zhang Waner looked at Xiao Ye with teary eyes, "Master, this tea is so bitter..."

"It's right that it's bitter; good medicine tastes bitter." Xiao Ye said in all seriousness, "Hurry up and Cultivate after drinking it, and strive to conquer the first layer of the 'Jade Maiden Immortal Scripture' today."

Zhang Waner gritted her teeth, gulped down the tea in one breath, and then sat cross-legged in meditation, her brow furrowing so deeply it could pinch a mosquito to death.

Xiao Ye squatted beside her, not daring to make a sound, more nervous than when he was Undergoing Tribulation himself.

Just like that, Xiao Ye was busy plowing the fields, taking concubines, and finding ways to help his concubines improve their cultivation, living a life busier than a spinning top.

In a flash, two years passed.

In these two years, Xiao Ye took in another dozen or so concubines, and the total number in his harem surpassed the fifty mark.

He also added over a dozen offspring. The oldest, Xiao Yan, was already twenty-four years old, and his cultivation had reached the Nascent Soul Early Stage, completely leaving his peers far behind.

His own cultivation had also skyrocketed to the third layer of Soul Transformation due to the birth of a large number of offspring.

There was no helping it; raising a minor Realm in Soul Transformation actually required fifty years of cultivation.

Meanwhile, under Xiao Ye's "special training," Zhang Waner finally conquered the first layer of the "Jade Maiden Immortal Scripture." Her Cultivation speed doubled, and her cultivation also made a Breakthrough to the Golden Core 3rd Layer.

Although there was still a gap compared to those Genius concubines, she was already very satisfied.

At least, she wasn't left too far behind.

Xiao Ye stood on the highest Star-Gazing Tower of the imperial palace, looking at the brightly lit imperial city in the distance, watching those younger generations of the Xiao Family busy in the city, and looking at the flock of beautiful women in the harem, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

"Ascension?" He stroked his chin and muttered to himself, "It's still early. Let's gather all three hundred and sixty-five first before talking about that."