39: Chapter 39 Uncle, please don't do this...

"Su Xiaoxiao." Xu Changkun's voice was gentle and mellow, carrying a touch of an elder's concern for a younger generation, yet it also seemed to hide some deeper meaning.

Su Xiaoxiao blinked her large eyes, completely missing the subtext in his words, and just nodded vigorously: "Mm-hmm! I don't want that! If Sister fails her foundation establishment, she will be very sad! For the sake of this foundation establishment pill, Sister endured so much hardship with me, and we almost lost our lives..."

At this point, the little girl's eyes turned slightly red, making her look pitiful.

Although she was already eighteen, because she had always been protected too well by her sister, her temperament was as simple as a child's, and her every movement revealed a natural, naive cuteness.

"Then do you not want to help your sister?" Xu Changkun guided her step by step, his gaze falling on her face, which had yet to shed its childishness.

"Mm... Sister really needs this." Her eyes were fixed straight on the pill in Xu Changkun's palm, as if looking at a rare treasure. "Uncle, will you really give it to Sister? As long as we have this, Sister can achieve foundation establishment, and we won't have to be afraid of those bad people anymore."

"Of course." Xu Changkun smiled slightly, the pearly-white foundation establishment pill in his palm emitting an alluring medicinal fragrance. "However, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world; if you want to obtain it, you must pay something for it."

"Pay what?" Su Xiaoxiao tilted her head, her twin tails hanging by her shoulders, swaying gently with her movements.

Her body leaned forward unconsciously, eager to express her sincerity: "Then... then I, Su Xiaoxiao, will trade things for it! I have spirit stones, and also..."

She rummaged through her small pouch in a flurry, pulling out a pile of odds and ends—a few low-grade spirit stones, a few sugar beans, a hair ornament that wasn't very valuable, and a pretty stone she had picked up from somewhere.

"Are these enough?" She looked up with her small face, holding that pile of "treasures" in both hands, looking at Xu Changkun with eyes full of anticipation. "This is all of my belongings."

Xu Changkun chuckled, reached out to gently rub her head, his tone doting: "These are not enough."

"Ah?" Su Xiaoxiao's small face instantly fell, and she looked at the items in her hands with some frustration. "Then... then what do you want? Uncle, what are you lacking? As long as it is something I can do, I will definitely find it for you!"

She bit her lip, her large eyes filled with confusion and anxiety, afraid that Xu Changkun would go back on his word and not give her the foundation establishment pill.

Xu Changkun leaned in closer, looking into her clear, bottomless eyes, his voice slowing down: "I lack a wife."

"A wife?" Su Xiaoxiao was stunned for a moment, clearly not having reacted yet.

"Yes, I want you to marry me and become one of the matriarchs of the Xu Family." Xu Changkun looked straight into her eyes, his tone serious.

Su Xiaoxiao was completely dumbfounded, her small mouth slightly agape, her cheeks turning red at a visible speed, like a ripe apple: "Marry, marry Uncle?"

"Mm." Xu Changkun nodded. "As long as you marry me, this foundation establishment pill will be the betrothal gift, and I will give it to your sister immediately."

"Then... then does that mean I have to live with Uncle? Like Sister Ling'er and the others, accompanying Uncle to eat and talk every day?" Su Xiaoxiao asked, stuttering, her mind in a jumble.

"Yes." Xu Changkun held the foundation establishment pill out in front of her and shook it slightly. "Not only that, but this place will be your home from now on. You can live in a spacious and bright house without having to sleep in the open; you can eat the most delicious spirit food without having to chew on dry rations; and your sister can also stay, practice peacefully, and never be hunted down again."

Su Xiaoxiao bit her lip, her eyes somewhat dazed. She had just turned eighteen this year, and she was still in an ignorant state regarding matters between men and women. But she knew what a "home" was; it was the place she dreamed of having.

In the past few years, following her sister, hiding here and there, sleeping in caves, eating wild fruits, and living in fear—she had truly had enough of those days. But the liveliness and warmth in the Xu Family residence, the smiles on the faces of those sisters, and the way Uncle treated her—she liked it from the bottom of her heart.

Su Xiaoxiao tilted her head and thought for a moment, then asked in a low voice: "Then... after I marry you, can I still be with Sister? Will Sister not want me anymore?"

"Of course you can." Xu Changkun smiled, his eyes gentle. "Your sister can also stay. This is your home, and no one can chase you away."

Su Xiaoxiao's eyes instantly lit up, as if filled with starlight: "Really?"

"I never lie." Xu Changkun promised solemnly.

Su Xiaoxiao bit her lip, and the last shred of hesitation in her heart vanished. She suddenly stood on tiptoe and quickly kissed Xu Changkun on the cheek: "Then, then I agree!"

After the kiss, she only realized later to feel shy and turned to run, but was grabbed by the wrist by Xu Changkun and gently pulled into his arms.

"Since you agreed, you cannot go back on your word." Xu Changkun looked down at her flushed little face, a smile curling the corners of his lips.

Su Xiaoxiao's heart beat like a drum, like a startled little deer. She could smell the faint medicinal fragrance on Uncle, a scent that made her feel inexplicably at ease.

"No, no going back..." Her voice was soft and sweet, her small hands pressed against his chest, but she didn't push him away with force, just too shy to look up at him.

She looked up, her large eyes shimmering with moisture, carrying a touch of innocence and ignorance, her long eyelashes trembling uneasily, making her look exceptionally pitiful and lovable.

Xu Changkun looked at her pink, tender lips, his heart stirred, and he slowly lowered his head to press a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Mm..." Su Xiaoxiao's body stiffened, then relaxed, her cheeks becoming even hotter.

Xu Changkun did not make any further moves, just gently held her, enjoying this moment of warmth. He could feel the tension and reliance of the little girl in his arms; this pure trust stirred a strong desire to protect in his heart.

"Xiaoxiao," Xu Changkun whispered in her ear, his voice deep and magnetic, "From now on, I will protect you, and I will also protect your sister."

A warm current welled up in Su Xiaoxiao's heart; she nodded gently and whispered: "Uncle, you are so good."

"Call me Husband." Xu Changkun corrected her.

"Hus... Husband..." Su Xiaoxiao's voice was as thin as a mosquito's, so shy she almost buried her head into that pile of "belongings."

Xu Changkun chuckled, released her, and led her to sit on a nearby soft couch.

"Xiaoxiao," Xu Changkun looked into her eyes, "Your sister... is very important to you, right?"

"Mm!" Su Xiaoxiao nodded vigorously, her expression becoming serious. "Sister is the best person in the world to me. For my sake, she gave up many opportunities to practice, and she also has to take care of me, this burden..."

"Then do you want to be with your sister forever?" Xu Changkun guided her. "No more drifting around, no more worrying about being bullied, just living and practicing here, safely and securely."

"I do!" Su Xiaoxiao replied without hesitation, her eyes shining brightly.

"Then..." Xu Changkun gently stroked her hair, "let your sister marry me too, okay? That way, the three of us can always be together, never to be separated."

Su Xiaoxiao was stunned; this proposal clearly exceeded the range that her little brain could handle.

Let Sister marry Uncle too?

Her mind raced. Sister had always been working very hard, almost losing her life to find the foundation establishment pill. If she married Uncle, they could get the foundation establishment pill, have a stable home, and have someone as capable as Uncle to protect them...

And... she sneaked a glance at Xu Changkun. Uncle was handsome, capable, and gentle to others. If Sister married him, she should be happy too, right?

"But... will Sister agree?" Su Xiaoxiao hesitated. "Sister has high standards. In the past, there were others who wanted to marry her, but they were all beaten away by her."

"You go tell her." Xu Changkun encouraged. "As long as she is willing, the foundation establishment pill will be presented immediately. Moreover, I will do my utmost to assist her in foundation establishment and give her the best cultivation resources. You sisters will have someone to rely on from now on, and you will never have to live a life of displacement again."

Su Xiaoxiao thought about that kind of life, and her heart was filled with longing.

"Okay! I will go tell Sister!" Su Xiaoxiao clenched her small fists. "Sister listens to me the most; I will definitely be able to convince her!"

"Go." Xu Changkun pinched her chubby cheeks.

"Mm..." Su Xiaoxiao responded and jumped off the soft couch.

Her cheeks were flushed red, and, harboring a longing for a bright future, she skipped away, her twin tails swinging behind her, full of youthful vitality.

Xu Changkun watched her petite figure disappear at the doorway, the smile at the corners of his lips deepening.

This little girl, although simple, had the most intuitive judgment. Having handled her, half of the success with Su Qingxue was already achieved.

As long as Su Qingxue had attachments in her heart and a longing for a stable life, she would not be able to refuse this "betrothal gift."

Xu Changkun stroked the foundation establishment pill in his hand, his eyes profound. He not only wanted to take this pair of sisters, but he also wanted them to willingly stay in the Xu Family and become an asset on the Xu Family's path to rise.