31: Chapter 31: A Child Born, Mother and Child Receive Heavenly Blessing

Su Qingyue was sweating profusely from the pain, her ten fair, tender fingers gripping Li Qingfeng's arm so tightly that her nails dug into his flesh.

This little ancestor just had to choose this critical moment to make an appearance.

Li Qingfeng's heart raced wildly as he shouted at the top of his lungs toward the courtyard, calling for the midwives and womenfolk to enter the room immediately.

The New Courtyard instantly turned into a scene of chaotic activity.

Several midwives, who had been prepared in advance, hurried in and out with basins of hot water. Upon hearing the commotion, the Grand Elder gathered a dozen core clan guards overnight, strode into the courtyard, slammed a large, grand armchair right in the middle of the entrance, and sat down imposingly to hold the line.

Li Qingfeng had been driven out of the inner chamber and was pacing anxiously back and forth on the bluestone slabs outside the door.

He had never been this panicked in his entire life. Now, listening to Su Qingyue's suppressed cries of pain through a thin wooden door, he felt his palms covered in cold sweat.

Just as he was so anxious he wanted to smash the wall, a crisp "ding" sound rang out in his mind, and the blue System panel popped up directly.

[Detection: The mother has been stimulated by external Qi, triggering premature labor.]

[Temporary phased feedback activated: Maternal Meridian Protection, Spiritual Purification, and Fetal Stabilization.]

[Function Description: Childbirth is the most draining moment for one's Foundation. These two feedback effects can forcibly protect the mother's core Meridian network, preventing Spiritual Qi from rampaging due to intense pain. Simultaneously, it will inject the purest Water-Wood Origin, helping the mother stabilize her descending Fetal Breath and providing a continuous supply of vitality.]

After reading the description, Li Qingfeng didn't say a word and walked a few steps to the Formation eye in the center of the courtyard.

His hands moved quickly to form seals, and his Qi Refining Stage 7 Wood-element magic power surged out without reservation, slamming hard into the Formation eye.

The water in the Fetal Protection Spirit Spring Well instantly began to boil.

A surge of Water-Wood Spiritual Qi, concentrated to the extreme, followed the patterns of the Formation and transformed into layers of soft, blue-green intertwined halos, completely enveloping the entire inner chamber.

Inside the room, Su Qingyue's previously ragged breathing miraculously steadied under the nourishment of this Spiritual Qi.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the New Courtyard.

Li Chengyue ran over, face covered in sweat, and shouting in a low, urgent voice from across the defensive line of guards brought by the Grand Elder:

"Brother Qingfeng! Something happened at the perimeter of the spirit fields!"

"We caught two groups of Loose Cultivators who snuck in. That Formation cultivator from the Zhao Family, Chang Gui, has also made a move and is relentlessly attacking our outer Earth-element shield!"

Li Qingfeng turned his head sharply, his eyes becoming terrifying, and the Killing Intent radiating from his entire body could no longer be suppressed.

His mind raced. The Zhao Family must have calculated that there would be a major disturbance at the New Courtyard and wanted to take advantage of the chaos to completely destroy the spirit fields.

He stood firmly at the entrance of the inner chamber, not moving an inch, his voice icy cold:

"Chengyue, I am not going anywhere. Today, I will defend this door with my life."

"You take the men to the spirit fields and activate all the hidden Formations on the perimeter! Use Spirit Stones to forcibly trigger the Wood Vine Strangling Formation; don't leave any survivors."

"If Chang Gui dares to cross the boundary, kill him on the spot! I'll take responsibility for whatever happens!"

Li Chengyue nodded vigorously, drew his long sword, and ran out.

Sitting in the chair, the Grand Elder listened to Li Qingfeng's crisp and decisive arrangements and stroked the beard with satisfaction. The Grand Elder remained calm in the face of trouble and could distinguish priorities; this was the future pillar of the Li Family.

Inside the inner chamber, Su Qingyue bit her rosy lips tightly.

Enduring the excruciating pain, she mobilized the Foundation of her Water-Wood Dual Spiritual Roots and, combined with the pure vitality injected by the System, pushed through the difficulty time and again.

For any ordinary female cultivator, premature labor would certainly lead to the danger of a sharp decline in cultivation.

But Su Qingyue was different. That massive influx of vitality not only prevented her cultivation from dropping but, instead, washed over her Meridians repeatedly, cleansing away the last traces of impure Qi in her body and forcibly protecting her Foundation in its most peak state.

Time passed little by little.

"Waa—!"

A crisp, loud cry from an infant suddenly pierced through the wooden door and exploded over the entire New Courtyard.

Everyone in the courtyard breathed a long sigh of relief.

The tightly shut wooden door was pushed open a crack, and the midwife poked her head out, full of joy, and announced the good news loudly:

"Congratulations, Young Master Qingfeng! Both mother and child are safe! It's a big, healthy baby boy!"

Li Qingfeng felt a surge of warmth in his chest and rushed into the room like a gust of wind, even stumbling over his own feet, appearing somewhat clumsy.

The moment he crossed the threshold, the System in his mind entered the grand settlement mode, with notification sounds ringing incessantly.

[Ding! The first child has been born successfully.]

[Aptitude check complete: High-grade Spirit Rank (Extremely high affinity for Water and Wood).]

[Congratulations to the host for receiving the grand settlement rewards!]

[1. Host's cultivation level improved.]

(Li Qingfeng felt a boom in his Dantian; his cultivation, which was originally at the mid-stage of Qi Refining Stage 7, surged forward significantly, steadily stepping into the threshold of the Late Stage of Qi Refining Stage 7.)

[2. Family Luck significantly increased.]

[3. Special building blueprint issued: Seedling Spirit Pond.]

(Description: High-Aptitude offspring cannot adapt to ordinary cradles. This Spirit Pond can gather the vitality of surrounding spiritual plants, specifically providing an absolutely safe and suitable growth environment for newborn seedlings.)

[4. Maternal postpartum nourishment and feedback effect is now active.]

Li Qingfeng couldn't bother to look at the dazzling array of rewards and strode to the side of the bed.

Su Qingyue lay on the bed, completely drained of strength.

The thin, silky undergarment she wore had long been completely soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to her body. Because she had just given birth, her stunningly full breasts were still standing high, and in the snowy-white, deep cleavage were beads of fine sweat, emitting a pleasant, mature womanly scent.

A few strands of dark hair, dampened by sweat, clung to her beautiful, delicate face. Although exhausted, thanks to the System's postpartum feedback, her complexion did not appear pale; instead, it radiated a peach-blossom pink, white tinged with red.

Covered by a thin quilt, her snake-like waist remained slender and supple, her long, straight, beautiful legs slightly curled under the covers, her entire being exuding an extreme allure that radiated the glow of motherhood.

Li Qingfeng took her slightly cold little hand in his, feeling a pang of heartache, and lowered his head to plant a heavy kiss on her sweat-covered forehead, his voice slightly hoarse:

"Wife, you've worked hard."

Su Qingyue smiled gently, a few teardrops still hanging at the corners of her eyes.

She squeezed Li Qingfeng's broad palm in return and said in a soft, sweet voice:

"Go and see our child."

The midwife quickly brought over the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes.

The child was a small bundle, his skin reddish, eyes closed, sleeping soundly.

Li Qingfeng carefully took the swaddling clothes. With a thought, he directly activated his Vitality Perception talent.

Upon checking, Li Qingfeng almost exclaimed out loud.

The little guy's affinity for Water-Wood Spiritual Qi was simply ridiculously high. The lingering vapor from the Spirit Spring Well in the room was all involuntarily gathering toward the swaddling clothes, and even the fluctuations of spiritual power in the air became extremely smooth.

This was definitely not a phenomenon that ordinary Aptitude could produce!

Just as Li Qingfeng was immersed in joy, the Grand Elder outside the door could no longer wait and shouted loudly:

"Qingfeng! Quickly bring my darling great-grandson out and let me have a look!"

Li Qingfeng smiled and carried the child outside the door.

The Grand Elder only needed one look, and the wrinkles on the old face bloomed with a smile. The Grand Elder decided on the spot that at dawn, they would open the ancestral hall and write the child's full name properly into the genealogy.

The horizon gradually turned a fish-belly white.

Although the Li Family didn't hold a grand banquet, after dawn, they still officially sent out birth announcements to all parties in Qingshi Town.

The news flew out of the Li Family courtyard as if it had grown wings.

In the Wang Family's main hall.

Wang Qingluan was sitting on a grand armchair, holding a cup of morning tea.

Today, she had changed into a tight-fitting black martial arts outfit, the neckline open to reveal a large expanse of snowy, smooth skin. Her breathtakingly long legs were crossed casually, black long boots tightly wrapping her sturdy calves, her entire person exuding a cold, glamorous wildness.

After listening to her subordinate's report, the hand Wang Qingluan held her teacup with paused for a moment.

Her alluring peach-blossom eyes narrowed slightly, her fingers tapping lightly on the tabletop, and suddenly, everything became clear to her.

She finally understood.

No wonder Li Qingfeng had been defending that shabby New Courtyard like an iron barrel for the past few months, not retreating a single step even when the Qingyun Sect came to inspect the fields.

So, what that man was protecting so desperately in the courtyard was not some shameful secret technique for the spirit fields.

It was his beloved wife and his Bloodline.