10: Chapter 10 The Beginning of Conception and the Web in the Dark

This line of shimmering golden text was like a red-hot iron rod, branded deep into Lin Chen's Sea of Consciousness, bringing a searing throb.

The cultivation he had just achieved was still surging within his body, not yet fully calmed, and this line of text pointed this power toward a direction that was both absurd and incredibly realistic.

The night was deep; in the courtyard, only the chirping of insects and the whimpering of the wind passing over the eaves remained.

The oil lamp in the room was turned up a little, casting long shadows of the two people that swayed gently against the mottled earthen wall.

Su Qingyao sat on the edge of the bed, her hands nervously crossed on her lap, watching Lin Chen who sat cross-legged on the floor.

His aura after the Breakthrough was much more condensed than before, but his expression remained tense, his eyes complex, as if he were making a difficult decision.

"Qingyao," Lin Chen finally spoke, his voice sounding somewhat raspy from the long silence.

He gathered his thoughts and recounted the information on the golden panel in his mind—which only he could see—as plainly and directly as possible.

He mentioned the System named "More Children, More Blessings," and mentioned that his ability to quickly achieve a Breakthrough relied precisely on the rewards from this System.

Then, he spoke of the core mission that had just been lit up, titled "Spreading Branches and Leaves."

"...The System indicates that as long as we have offspring, we can receive rewards. The rewards are very generous; there are Medicinal Pills that can cleanse Spiritual Roots and reshape one's Foundation, and also... the talent and cultivation of the offspring will be fed back to me at a certain percentage, enhancing my strength."

He paused here, his gaze falling into Su Qingyao's cold, clear eyes, his tone becoming exceptionally solemn: "But the risks are also great. You are already severely injured in your Origin Qi; conceiving offspring will inevitably consume your already weak Origin. I don't know how great this consumption will be, and the System hasn't specified."

He did not conceal any part that was beneficial to him, nor did he sugarcoat any potential risks.

This was a gamble, with her body and their unknown future as the stakes.

After speaking, Lin Chen said nothing more, just quietly waiting for her answer.

He didn't even dare to look into her eyes, instead letting his gaze fall on the flickering lamp in front of her.

The room fell into a deathly silence.

Su Qingyao kept her head down, saying nothing.

Under the dim yellow light, Lin Chen could see her long, slender eyelashes trembling slightly.

Her fingers were unconsciously twisting the hem of her washed-out clothes, her knuckles turning pale from the force.

Time seemed to have stretched out; every breath felt like torture.

Lin Chen's heart sank bit by bit.

He thought, perhaps he was too selfish.

She had already sacrificed too much for the Sect and for him; by what right should he drag her into such an abyss with no foreseeable future?

Just as he was about to say "Let's pretend I never mentioned it," Su Qingyao slowly raised her head.

Her eyes were a little red, with moisture shimmering within them, but her gaze was exceptionally firm, as if piercing through the darkness of this humble room to see some kind of hope.

"My life was saved by you," her voice was very soft, yet every word was clear. "My cultivation... my Meridians were broken and then reconnected; my Foundation has long been unstable, and I fear that even if I exhausted my whole life, it would be difficult to return to how I was before."

She took a slight breath, as if having made up her mind, and looking into Lin Chen's eyes, she continued: "If... if this child can help you become stronger, can allow us to have a sliver more chance of surviving in this dog-eat-dog world, and can leave a bit of Bloodline for... the Lin family..."

"I am willing."

She said the last three words very softly, yet they landed heavily on Lin Chen's heart.

She paused, the determination in her eyes slowly melting away, replaced by a layer of soft light—almost fragile—that Lin Chen had never seen before, her voice as light as a wisp of smoke: "And... I also want to have something to pin my hopes on."

In this world where one has no family and lives in constant insecurity, a child connected by blood might be the only trace that proves one has existed.

Lin Chen's heart felt as if it had been tightly gripped by a warm hand, and an indescribable emotion instantly filled his entire chest.

He reached out, over the simple low table, and took Su Qingyao's cold hand.

Her hand was cold and still trembling slightly, but once held by him, it stopped struggling, instead letting the warmth of his palm transfer over.

The moment their hands clasped, the rough stone ring on Lin Chen's right thumb suddenly emitted a layer of visible, soft white light.

The light flashed and vanished, as if some invisible connection had been quietly established and deepened between the two.

At the same time, that pale golden panel appeared in his field of vision again.

[Dao Companion "Su Qingyao" has confirmed the intention for "Spreading Branches and Leaves," contract deepening...]

[Long-term mission "Spreading Branches and Leaves" Stage 1 officially initiated...]

[Pregnancy Assistance Module loading... Loading complete.]

The next morning, before dawn, Lin Chen had already woken from his meditation.

After his Breakthrough to Qi Refining Stage 4, the speed at which he recovered Spiritual Qi through meditation was nearly twice as fast; his Dantian, which previously needed a whole night to be filled, was now brimming with Spiritual Qi.

With a thought, that familiar panel unfolded before his eyes.

Below the existing options, a brand-new sub-panel appeared—[Pregnancy Assistance].

The interface of the panel was exceptionally simple.

At the very top, a line of small text was displayed: [Dao Companion: Su Qingyao]

[Status: Pregnant (Early Stage)]

[Offspring Aptitude: Mortal Grade (Can be improved)]

Below was an option that could be triggered by thought: [Spiritual Qi Nourishment (Once daily)].

Following it was a line of light gray annotations: The host can actively input a small amount of Spiritual Qi daily to nourish the fetus, with a small probability of improving the offspring's Innate Aptitude.

This process will consume a portion of the host's Spiritual Qi; please use with caution.

Lin Chen walked to the bedside; Su Qingyao was still fast asleep.

Perhaps because the emotional fluctuations last night were too great, she was sleeping very soundly, though her brows were still habitually slightly furrowed.

Lin Chen reached out, his palm hovering above her abdomen without touching it.

He separated a strand of Spiritual Qi, finer than a hair, and following the System's guidance, carefully probed inward.

After that strand of Spiritual Qi entered Su Qingyao's body, it was like a drop of water merging into the ocean, instantly vanishing without a trace.

He couldn't even feel any feedback, but the pool of Spiritual Qi within his Dantian, which had just been filled, had indeed had a small ladle taken from it.

The consumption was not great, but over time, it would also be a considerable burden.

Just as he was about to withdraw his hand, the sleeping Su Qingyao on the bed suddenly let out a very faint moan.

Her tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and on her cheeks, which had always been slightly pale due to physical weakness and old injuries, a very faint, healthy flush appeared, like the first plum blossom blooming in winter.

She seemed to have sensed something; she turned over, pressing her cheek closer toward the direction of Lin Chen's palm, sleeping even more peacefully.

Lin Chen's heart stirred.

This was both hope and responsibility.

He must obtain more Spirit Stones, more resources.

Not only to deal with the Patrol Squad Captain's harassment, but also to protect this new life quietly gestating, for the sake of this... home.

Entering Black Stone Mountain again, Lin Chen clearly felt the difference.

The cultivation of Qi Refining Stage 4 made his total Spiritual Qi and recovery speed far exceed what they were before.

With his Spiritual Qi circulating within his body, his legs felt as if they were being carried by a breeze; when executing "Wind-Riding Steps," it was no longer as strenuous as in the past, and his figure weaved through the forest, enduring and light.

More importantly, his sensitivity to the stone ring on his right hand also seemed to have become much keener.

The Spiritual Qi of medicinal herbs that he previously needed to be within ten zhang to sense, now, even at a distance of twenty zhang, the stone ring would transmit a faint warmth.

This greatly increased his efficiency in gathering herbs.

He could go to steep cliffs he previously couldn't reach due to lack of stamina, and also explore deeper, rarely visited dense forests.

In just one day, he found five blood-vein roots, all over five years old, in several extremely hidden rock crevices and under old tree roots.

This was something completely unimaginable in the past.

Besides blood-vein roots, he also gathered a few "Coagulation Grass" and "Clear Wind Vine" that could be used as medicine.

But in the process of gathering, he also keenly discovered a problem—some of the common medicinal herbs in the mountain that were previously quite common and slightly older seemed to have traces of being deliberately picked by someone.

Those picking methods were very rough, often taking only the most valuable parts, with the remaining stems discarded casually aside, and many fresh footprints left around.

A trace of vigilance rose in Lin Chen's heart.

At dusk, Lin Chen took a detour to Huichun Hall.

He needed to exchange the newly gathered miscellaneous herbs for copper coins to buy some rice and grain.

Pharmacist Wang was still his usual shrewd yet indifferent self, taking the herbs and placing them on the small scale to weigh.

"Not bad, these are all fresh goods." While fiddling with the scale beam, he said in a low voice, seemingly unintentionally, "Little brother, it's not peaceful in the mountains lately. I heard the Patrol Squad has sent extra men to 'patrol the mountains'; quite a few old folks who have picked herbs their whole lives don't dare to go deep in recently."

Lin Chen's heart gave a jolt, his hand unconsciously pressing against the short knife at his waist.

Pharmacist Wang's peripheral vision caught his movement; he didn't stop his work, continuing to speak: "Some places, they look quiet and peaceful with nothing going on, but they might just be hiding animal traps, or... some other kind of snare. Young man, having good skills is a good thing, but making a living by gathering herbs isn't easy; some things... are enough when you have enough, don't be too greedy."

He finished weighing the medicine and pushed over a string of copper coins; it was neither more nor less, exactly the market price.

Lin Chen took the copper coins and bowed solemnly to Pharmacist Wang: "Many thanks for the reminder, Shopkeeper."

The Patrol Squad Captain was indeed not idle.

In the tavern at the east end of town, he was using a boning knife to leisurely scrape the meat off a braised bone.

Opposite him sat two of his most cunning henchmen.

"Captain, everything has been done according to your instructions," a team member with a scar on his face said in a lowered voice. "Near those few mountain paths the kid often takes, traces have been left. A small packet of gold sore medicine with an open mouth, a few copper coins deliberately made to look old; it looks just like a herb gatherer passing by in a hurry and accidentally dropping them."

"Well done." The Patrol Squad Captain licked his greasy lips with satisfaction and looked at another informant who lived at the foot of the mountain. "Monkey, what about your side?"

The thin youth named Monkey quickly smiled obsequiously: "Captain, rest assured! I've been watching these past few days. As long as I see that guy surnamed Lin enter the mountain, I hang far behind, ensuring he won't discover me. Once he walks toward that 'Jumbled Rock Slope' you mentioned, or gets into a conflict with anyone, I'll come back to report immediately!"

Jumbled Rock Slope was a treacherous place on the outskirts of Black Stone Mountain, very close to the area where the Black Wind Stronghold bandits were rumored to appear.

The Patrol Squad Captain gave a sinister laugh and threw the cleaned bone onto the table: "Good! When the time is right, I'll personally take men over to 'apprehend the bandits' and frame him with the charge of colluding with mountain bandits! When the time comes, with the culprit caught red-handed, I'd like to see how he can argue his way out! Even Old Man Wang won't be able to say a word against it!"

At dusk, the setting sun was like blood.

Lin Chen, carrying his herb basket filled with five blood-vein roots, walked on the mountain path returning home.

When he passed a narrow mountain col with steep slopes on both sides and only a zhang wide in the middle, his footsteps suddenly paused.

He stopped, his sharp gaze like that of a hawk, quickly scanning the dense bushes on the mountain slopes on both sides.

The wind passed through the forest, bringing a "rustling" sound, but in the gaps of the wind, he seemed to hear a trace of an extremely faint sound, like metal rubbing against rock, which flashed and disappeared; when he listened carefully again, only the sound of the wind remained.

The stone ring on his right thumb showed no signs of heating up, indicating there was no fluctuation of Spiritual Qi nearby.

But a kind of instinctive alertness honed between life and death still made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up slightly.

Something was wrong here.

He did not linger, urged his Wind-Riding Steps under his feet, and accelerated, leaving this area that made him feel uneasy while almost jogging.

When that dilapidated little courtyard finally appeared in his field of vision, his tense nerves finally slowly relaxed.

Pushing open the ajar courtyard gate, a faint fragrance of rice porridge rushed toward him.

Su Qingyao was sitting in front of the small stove, with her back to him, carefully poking the fire in the stove with a piece of firewood.

The dim yellow stove fire reflected on her still-pale but focused profile, casting a layer of warm, soft light over her cold, clear temperament.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, she turned her head and saw it was Lin Chen, her expression visibly relaxing.

Lin Chen put down the herb basket, walked over, and said nothing, just extending his arms from behind to gently embrace her, feeling the warmth and softness of her body, before quickly letting go.

Su Qingyao's body stiffened slightly, and a wave of heat quickly spread from her neck to her earlobes, bringing up a touching flush of red.

She did not turn back, only asking softly in a voice as faint as a mosquito's: "Are you tired?"

"Hmm." Lin Chen replied, his gaze falling on her still-flat abdomen.

There, the first bond connected by blood in this cold and unfamiliar world was gestating.

It was also the entire reason why he must become stronger and must protect it.

Outside the courtyard wall, the night grew thicker, like ink dripping into clear water, quickly enveloping the entire Black Stone Town.

An invisible web was quietly tightening in the darkness.

And the two people in the web, one was accumulating every bit of strength in the light, while the other was weaving a deadly trap in the shadows.

An inevitable conflict was already brewing.

In the middle of the night, Lin Chen suddenly opened his eyes from a light sleep.

An extremely faint sound of tiles rubbing against each other, almost covered by the night wind, came from the direction of the roof.