23: Chapter 23 Father, do you still want me to be the Great Emperor?

Back in the backyard, a group of concubines were sitting together, gossiping and playing with the children.

Several babies in diapers were crawling all over the floor. They would occasionally bump into each other, pushing and scratching while wailing loudly.

Only Xiao Yan was sharp-eyed. He spotted Xiao Ye entering the door and immediately rushed over excitedly.

Then—

"Plop!"

A faceplant.

His whole body slammed onto the ground, nose landing first.

Seeing the little mouth pucker up to start howling, Xiao Ye acted quickly and scooped him up. He patted the dust off the boy's knees, squatted down, and said earnestly, "Yan'er, you are someone who is going to become a Great Emperor in the future. You can't be a crybaby."

"Daddy, I don't want to be a Great Emperor!" Instead of stopping, Xiao Yan cried even harder, tears splashing down.

Xiao Ye was stunned. "Why? Do you even know what a Great Emperor is? Why wouldn't you want to be one?"

"I do know!" Xiao Yan sniffled and began counting seriously on his fingers. "Auntie Li, Auntie Liu, my mother, Auntie Gu, Auntie Bai..."

"They are Big A, B, C, D, and G respectively."

"I don't like chest muscles that are that big!"

“...”

The expression on Xiao Ye's face froze inch by inch.

Yan'er, you really are a genius.

I was talking about 'Great Emperor', not that kind of 'Great'...

He opened his mouth, wanting to salvage the situation, but found his throat felt like it was being squeezed; not a single word would come out.

Behind him, Zhang Waner, Gu Sanniang, Bai Susu, Liu Qianqian, and Li Linglong were walking over with tea and snacks, hearing every word clearly.

The air was silent for a full three seconds.

Then—

"Hahahahahaha—"

The five women burst into laughter simultaneously. Zhang Waner laughed while slapping her thigh, Gu Sanniang doubled over, Bai Susu covered her mouth as tears of laughter came out, and Liu Qianqian directly squatted on the ground, unable to stand up. Li Linglong was the youngest and her laughter was the most reserved, but her face was as red as an apple.

Why was their reaction so strong? This had everything to do with Xiao Ye's big mouth.

He told dirty jokes every day and kept these terms on his lips. Forget about 'Big D', they even understood oil grades like 92, 95, and 98.

"Yan'er!" Zhang Waner laughed until she was out of breath. "Who... who did you hear that from?"

Xiao Yan blinked his large eyes, looking innocent. "Daddy said it when he was Flipping name tags at night."

"Xiao Ye!!!"

The laughter of the five women came to an abrupt halt.

Five sharp gazes shot toward the same target simultaneously.

Well now, this fellow actually dared to make such name tags to humiliate us!

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Xiao Ye's forehead. He instinctively took a step back, protecting his head with both hands, and squeezed out a smile that looked worse than crying. "That... if I say I didn't mean it that way, would you believe me?"

"What do you think?" Zhang Waner narrowed her eyes and cracked her knuckles.

"You're sleeping in the study tonight," Gu Sanniang added coldly.

Xiao Ye: “...”

He looked down at the innocent-looking Xiao Yan, wanting to cry but having no tears.

Son, oh son, you really are my biological son.

This stab was both accurate and ruthless.

Xiao Yan completely failed to realize how much trouble he had caused. He tilted his little face up and asked in a milky voice, "Daddy, do you still want me to be a Great Emperor?"

Xiao Ye's mouth twitched, and he squeezed out three words through his teeth: "...Be... be my guest."

The five women burst into another fit of laughter that could be heard from far away.

Days filled with playful bickering always passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the day An Xiaotong was due to give birth.

Xiao Ye waited outside the delivery room, pacing back and forth.

Although he didn't have much of an emotional foundation with An Xiaotong, the one in her belly was likely his seed.

"Wah—"

A loud cry rang out from inside.

Immediately after, a familiar notification sound exploded in his mind—

Ding!

Xiao Ye's hanging heart finally settled. Good, good, it was his own seed; he hadn't been cuckolded.

Congratulations to the host for birthing a Mortal Grade High Grade Spiritual Root offspring! Rewards: Lifespan +10 years, Low-Grade Spirit Stone x100! Alchemy Experience +10 years! Small-scale Spirit Gathering Formation Diagram x1!

"Holy crap! A Spirit Gathering Formation Diagram?"

Xiao Ye's eyes widened like copper bells, and his grin reached his ears. This thing was a treasure! With it, it meant that even without relying on Dual Cultivation, his independent cultivation could take off.

Now that he had mastered the first layer of the Taihuang Flame Emperor Art, plus the assistance of the Spirit Gathering Formation, wouldn't his cultivation speed soar?

No sooner said than done.

It was time to personally visit Sunset City. Firstly, to buy the Formation Flags needed to set up the Spirit Gathering Formation, and secondly, to purchase medicinal ingredients for spirit gathering pills and Foundation Establishment Pills.

He hadn't been idle this past year or so. On the surface, it looked like he was toiling in bed every day, but in reality, the Yin-Yang Invincible Emperor Art he practiced relied on Dual Cultivation to increase his cultivation level.

Others thought he was enjoying himself, but he was actually cultivating—it was just that this method of cultivation was indeed a billion times more comfortable than sitting in meditation.

By now, his cultivation had reached the eighth level of Qi Refining. He had improved by three minor Realms compared to a year ago, which was absolutely incredible.

Furthermore, Gu Sanniang had also reached the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Both of them were on the verge of Foundation Establishment.

Next, it was time to prepare for Foundation Establishment.

With his current forty years of Alchemy experience, refining a second-grade Medicinal Pill like the Foundation Establishment Pill should not be a problem.

Xiao Ye rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining.

Foundation Establishment.

That was Foundation Establishment.

Once successful, his Lifespan would explode and his strength would soar; he would then become a Foundation Establishment Old Ancestor!

An Xiaotong's weak voice came from the delivery room: "The baby... how is the baby?"

Xiao Ye snapped back to reality, pushed the door open, took the wrinkled little fellow from the midwife's hands, and grinned.

"He's doing great. He looks like his dad; he'll definitely be successful in the future."

An Xiaotong rolled her eyes at him: You're already an old geezer, and you're still talking about being successful.

Holding the child, Xiao Ye stood by the window, looking at the rolling mountain range in the distance, already planning his trip to Sunset City in his heart.