5: Chapter 5 If there's a next time, I'll bite you to death.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the first kill, rewarded with a Mortal Grade Low Grade Spiritual Root!]

"I have a Spiritual Root? Hahaha!"

Xiao Ye was so excited that he slapped Zhang Waner's pert little buttocks, the sound crisp and bright.

"Faster!"

Zhang Waner: "...?"

She was completely dumbfounded—this old thing, he just finished and he's already raring to go again?

A night passed.

Zhang Waner held onto the door frame, inching out of the room step by step. Her gait resembled someone who had been riding a horse for three days and three nights, her legs trembling uncontrollably.

Yet, on her face hung that look of triumph, the "I won" expression.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Xiao Ye lay sprawled on the bed, his face devoid of any desire to live, looking like sugarcane pulp squeezed of its last drop of juice, or a salted fish that had been dried for three days and three nights.

Damn it.

This young lady really doesn't know how to respect her elders.

Ouch, my old waist~ I'm afraid it's going to break down.

But who is Xiao Ye?

An old man who could still toss about at sixty, his heart was harder than his waist.

He lay on the bed, staring straight at the ceiling beams, a fire igniting in his eyes.

Unconvinced.

Again.

He swore that he would definitely overturn Zhang Waner and let her know—not just anyone could ride on his face and dominate.

He had this confidence.

Because he was no longer a Mortal.

He had a Spiritual Root.

Mortal Grade Low Grade, it was still a Spiritual Root!

Just like a hundred bucks—no matter how much you look down on it, it's still money!

From now on, he would embark on the path to immortality, living forever!

Of course, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and the most pressing task was—

To get a Cultivation Technique.

He heard that in Sunset City, a hundred miles away, they sold the "Basic Qi Induction Technique."

This was the only Low Grade Cultivation Technique in Sunset City that could be bought with silver; all others required Spirit Stones.

The price—ten thousand taels of silver.

Xiao Ye looked at his shriveled money pouch and gritted his teeth.

"Old Li! Sell off all the properties except for the restaurant!"

Butler Li widened his eyes, his eyeballs nearly popping out: "Master, what are you…"

"Less chatter, sell it!"

Half a month later.

Butler Li hurried back from Sunset City, covered in dust; a single gust of wind could shake off two pounds of dirt from him.

He brought back a piece of jade.

A Rune Stone.

A Rune Stone recording the "Basic Qi Induction Technique," it was a one-time use item.

Xiao Ye sat alone on the stone bench in the backyard and pressed the Rune Stone against his forehead.

The next second, a massive amount of information surged into his mind, pouring in like a torrent.

Every word, every diagram, and every circulation route of the Qi Induction Technique was as if carved into his brain, clear and distinct, firmer than anything carved on stone.

So that's how it is.

So this is what it feels like to Cultivate.

Xiao Ye opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth slowly curling up.

For the next month, Xiao Ye lived a life focused on three points.

During the day, he would Cultivate, take dietary supplements, Cultivate, and take dietary supplements.

Things like tiger penis and deer antlers were eaten like meals, without missing a single one.

He was so nourished that his nosebleeds flowed profusely, unable to be stopped.

Li Fu hurriedly stepped forward to dissuade him: "Master, there's no need to go this far! You must exercise restraint! You must exercise restraint!"

Xiao Ye ignored him and continued to do as he pleased, as stubborn as a mule—determined.

His body gradually gained vitality with his Cultivation, no longer stiff; even his walk carried a breeze, moving with the vigor of a tiger.

At night, he would occasionally spar with Zhang Waner.

Zhang Waner also changed from a queen to a young lady... or more accurately, from a queen to a maid.

This night, a marathon that lasted for two hours finally ended.

Zhang Waner lay on the edge of the bed, dry heaving.

"Ugh—"

Even sour water was vomited out.

She glared fiercely at Xiao Ye, her eyes reddening: "Bastard... are you trying to kill me!"

Xiao Ye sheepishly leaned over, reaching out to wipe her mouth, looking like an elementary school student who had done something wrong.

"This is good stuff…"

"Get lost—!"

Zhang Waner slapped his hand away, the slap crisp and loud.

Gritting her teeth, she said word by word:

"If there is a next time, I will bite you to death!"

Xiao Ye shrank his crotch, sheepishly daring not to reply.

Another month passed.

After a month of Xiao Ye's hard tilling and sowing, there was finally some movement.

When the doctor smilingly said, "Congratulations, Madam, you are with child," Zhang Waner was completely stunned.

No way.

Are you kidding me?

She sat blankly on the chair, her hand unconsciously touching her lower abdomen, her mind completely blank.

What now?

The script wasn't written like this!

Her original plan was—marry over, wait for the old man to die, inherit the family property, and live a carefree life.

Now, it's great; the old man hasn't died yet, and there's already a little one in her belly.

Who wrote this script? Come out and get beaten!

In a panic, she secretly returned to her maiden home and told her mother about the matter, wanting to hear her mother's opinion.

Who knew that her mother immediately turned around and told her father about it.

Upon hearing the news of his daughter's pregnancy, Zhang Dekai was furious on the spot, pacing around the room three times like a donkey pulling a millstone, making people dizzy. He smashed two teacups, shattering them all over the floor.

This child cannot be kept!

If the Xiao Family has an heir, how can he steal the family assets?

That day, Zhang Dekai secretly arranged to meet Zhang Waner in a secluded spot in the back alley of the Xiao Family residence.

He looked around, like a thief, and after confirming no one was there, he pulled a small porcelain bottle from his bosom and stuffed it into his daughter's hand, lowering his voice, his face full of ruthlessness, his expression looking like he wanted to eat someone:

"This child cannot be kept. Come, drink this bottle of medicine."

Zhang Waner pulled her hand back as if burned, protecting her belly, and retreated repeatedly.

She looked at the man in front of her in disbelief—her own father.

She hadn't expected that her own father could be this ruthless.

This was his own grandchild!

Zhang Waner's eyes reddened instantly: "I won't! This is your own grandchild! How can you be so heartless?"

"What do you know!" Zhang Dekai's face turned livid, and he stepped forward, ready to act: "If the Xiao Family has an heir, how will it ever be your turn to control it? Drink!"

"I won't!"

"Don't force me to use force!"

Zhang Dekai gripped the medicine bottle in one hand and approached step by step, his expression nearly ferocious, like an evil ghost crawling out of Hell.

Zhang Waner was forced into a corner, with nowhere left to retreat. Her back pressed against the cold wall, her heart sank bit by bit, as if falling into an ice cave.

She protected her belly and closed her eyes in despair—

"How dare you—!"

A thunderous roar rang out, shaking a few specks of dust off the wall.

Zhang Waner opened her eyes abruptly.

She saw Xiao Ye rush out from who knows where and kick Zhang Dekai in the chest.

The speed was as fast as lightning, completely impossible to see clearly.

"Bang—"

Zhang Dekai flew five meters away, crashing heavily onto the ground like a bag of flour thrown away, kicking up a cloud of dust. The medicine bottle flew out of his hand, smashing into the wall and shattering into bits, the medicine splashing all over the floor.

Zhang Waner stood there blankly, her mouth slightly agape, enough to fit an egg inside.

Is this... the Master who would escape while holding the wall every night?

That old man who would shout "Ouch, my old waist" after finishing?

Xiao Ye turned around, looked her up and down, his gaze pausing on her belly for a moment, and his voice softened:

"Are you alright?"

"I-I'm alright..." Zhang Waner shook her head blankly, tears finally falling from her eyes, "Thank you, Master."

At this moment, she suddenly felt that the hunched-back old man in front of her was exceptionally tall.

Exceptionally imposing.

Her eyes were full of little stars, like the galaxy in the night sky.

Confirming Zhang Waner was okay, Xiao Ye turned around and looked at Zhang Dekai, who was clutching his chest and climbing up in a sorry state.

His gaze was as cold as a knife, and like the cold wind of the twelfth lunar month, capable of cutting flesh.

"For the sake of you being Waner's father, I won't kill you today."

Word by word, each word seemed to have jumped out of an ice cellar.

"Get out."

"From now on, Waner will have no relation to your Zhang Family whatsoever."

Zhang Dekai clutched his chest, his face deathly pale, his lips trembling as he wanted to say something, but when he met Xiao Ye's eyes, all the words on his lips were swallowed back.

He scrambled away, his speed faster than a rabbit.

The back alley quieted down.

Xiao Ye held the wall and quietly rubbed his waist, which he had sprained while kicking earlier.

Hiss—

He was getting old; his movements couldn't be too large.

That kick felt great, but his waist was half-ruined.

From behind came Zhang Waner's voice, as soft as a mosquito's hum: "Master..."

Xiao Ye immediately took his hand off his waist, straightened his back, and turned around without changing his expression; his face-changing speed was faster than Sichuan opera:

"Hm?"

"It's nothing." Zhang Waner lowered her head, the corners of her mouth quietly curling up.

She decided not to expose him.

This old man.

His mouth is as hard as a stone, but his waist is as soft as a noodle.

But he is just... a little cute.

[Spiritual Roots are divided into nine grades: Mortal, Profound, Earth, Heaven, Extreme, Variant, Immortal, Divine, and Chaos.]