As the disciples completed the trials one after another, aside from Yu Ce, who claimed first place in the second round, Lin Tanjiu stood in second. Although she didn’t take the top spot, her accumulated points firmly secured her position at the top of the overall rankings.
When Lin Tanjiu stepped down, Shen Tanqi immediately leaped off the carriage and rushed forward to congratulate her.
“You did amazing!” Shen Tanqi praised generously, causing Lin Tanjiu’s ears to turn slightly red. Then, he pulled Lin Tanjiu and Xiao Yu, urging them onto Rongyun Sect’s grand carriage, saying, “Let’s go together. Rongyun Sect’s carriages are spacious enough for all of us.”
Glancing at the truly luxurious carriage, Lin Tanjiu hesitated, “Is this… really appropriate?”
“Of course it is. More people means more fun,” Shen Tanqi replied with a smile, holding her wrist.
Behind them, Xiao Yu’s eyes widened slightly as she observed Shen Tanqi and Lin Tanjiu. She leaned in close to Lin Tanjiu and whispered, “Sister, your cousin is really something else.”
Lin Tanjiu was used to Xiao Yu’s imaginative chatter and whispered back, biting her lip, “Don’t talk nonsense. My cousin already has a family and children.”
“Where did you get that idea, sister?” Xiao Yu shook her finger dismissively, eyeing Shen Tanqi’s profile and chuckling. “Last time, when Yu Ce teased you, you actually believed it. Men can’t have children together. I think you’ve been reading too many novels.”
Lin Tanjiu shook off Shen Tanqi’s hand and playfully patted Xiao Yu’s shoulder, half-annoyed, half-amused. “You’re the one who sneaks peeks at those things.”
She doesn’t sneak peeks; she reads them openly, okay?
Until they stepped into the Rongyun Sect’s carriage and saw the two adorable little ones playing in the center, Xiao Yu’s eyes widened, her mind going blank as she incredulously stared at those two identical little faces.
Shen Tanqi, unaware of her state, invited them into the carriage and lifted the curtain to let in some fresh air. He turned back and noticed Xiao Yu’s shocked expression, asking, “What’s wrong? Is it too hot?”
Xiao Yu slowly shook her head, snapping out of her daze amidst Lin Tanjiu’s suppressed laughter. She sat down beside Lin Tanjiu, looking stiff, “No, are they really here?”
Lin Tanjiu quickly covered her mouth, stifling a laugh, “I told you earlier. Cousin and Yu Ce are deeply in love and have three children. You refused to believe it. Now you know, right?”
At this, Xiao Yu’s mouth twitched again, “Where’s the third one? I only see two?”
Before she finished speaking, the curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a cool and refreshing breeze swept in, as if one was standing in the early morning mist over the sea. The newcomer, dressed in snowy robes with distant brows and a cold temperament, seemed like a celestial being descended to the mortal world.
The newcomer’s eyes lightly swept over them, landing on Shen Tanqi inside the carriage. In a low voice, he said, “I have brought Mian Mian.”
Xiao Yu stared blankly, seeing the round and fair egg in the person’s arms.
In that moment, Xiao Yu’s worldview was briefly overturned.
Beside her, Lin Tanjiu burst into laughter uncontrollably. “See, I told you so, but you never believed me.”
Seeing Yu Ce entering with Sandan in his arms, Shen Tanqi’s eyes softened, whispering, “Alright, did you explain it to my father?”
That day, he had discussed with the original Yu Ce about persuading the family head to stop using elixirs and instead use Yu Ce’s dragon ball to properly nurse his health, hoping to heal his father before the poison spread too deeply.
So Shen Tanqi planned before leaving to have Yu Ce try persuading the family head to see if he might change his mind.
Yu Ce tucked Sandan into his arms and murmured softly, “I’ve talked to him, but he refuses to use my dragon ball.”
The head of the Shen family was too stubborn, and his bias against Yu Ce was longstanding. Unable to swallow his pride, he reluctantly agreed only to stop taking elixirs and urged Yu Ce to leave.
However, this time, his attitude was better than before. At least the Shen family head didn’t immediately threaten him with his jade cane upon seeing him.
Seeing Yu Ce looking disheartened, Shen Tanqi suppressed a smile, took Sandan, and said, “It’s alright, no need to rush. We’ll come back after the sect’s grand competition ends, and I’ll try to persuade him then.”
Yu Ce took a seat, and Shen Tanqi glanced at Lin Tanjiu and Xiao Yu, who seemed momentarily uneasy. He whispered softly, “By the way, I haven’t introduced them yet.”
Lin Tanjiu and Xiao Yu looked over as Shen Tanqi brought Goldfish and Taro Ball forward, smiling, “This is my eldest son, Yu Jin, just call him Goldfish. The one with a small mole at the corner of his eye is my second son, Taro Ball. You girls can call him Taro Ball.”
Pausing for a moment, he addressed the two little ones, “Call them big sisters.”
Goldfish and Taro Ball curiously stared at the two pretty sisters in front of them and obediently said, “Big sister.”
Xiao Yu blinked and nudged the slightly nervous Lin Tanjiu with her elbow, saying, “Goldfish, Taro Ball, calling me big sister is fine, but you should call her Auntie.”
Lin Tanjiu blushed slightly. She had never been called auntie in her life and playfully slapped Xiao Yu on the arm. Yet, she heard Goldfish’s soft childish voice, “Hello, Auntie.”
She turned around, and Goldfish had shyly come up to her, pulling out a few cookies from his pocket and handing them to her. The child seemed a bit shy, murmuring, “Auntie, you’re so pretty.”
Lin Tanjiu’s cheeks grew warmer as she reached out and took the few pieces of cookies from Goldfish’s palm, whispering softly, “Thank you, Goldfish.” She had little experience with children, and at that moment, she didn’t even know what she should say, burying her face even lower to hide her flushed cheeks.
Xiao Yu was amused by her expression and quipped to Goldfish, “So Auntie is pretty, does that mean I’m not?”
Goldfish blinked and pulled out a few small oranges from another pocket, murmuring softly, “You’re pretty too, Big sister. Dandan has never seen sisters as beautiful as you two.”
Xiao Yu was delighted by his words and couldn’t resist scooping Goldfish into her lap. If it weren’t for Shen Tanqi and Yu Ce still present, she would have pinched Goldfish’s cheeks to see if she could really squeeze milk out of them.
“Your words are so sweet, who taught you?” Xiao Yu held Goldfish on her lap and removed her storage ring, placing it in Goldfish’s hand generously. “You gave us gifts, so your sisters will give you gifts too, alright?”
Storage rings were typically used by cultivators to store precious treasures and rare items, not something to be given away so casually.
Shen Tanqi was startled and quickly interjected, “Goldfish is still young, why are you giving him a storage ring?”
Xiao Yu shrugged indifferently and hummed, “What? Do you think there’s nothing good in my storage ring?”
Shen Tanqi hesitated, “…I didn’t say that.”
Seeing this scene, Lin Tanjiu was also surprised. She covered her mouth and said to Shen Tanqi, “Xiao Yu comes from a family of alchemists. Her storage ring contains rare alchemy recipes that are hard to find in the world.”
Xiao Yu smiled proudly, “See, Shen Tanqi? It’s not just your Shen family that’s a big family.”
Goldfish seemed to realize how precious the item was and timidly looked at Xiao Yu, wanting to return the storage ring to her. “Big sister, I can’t take this…”
Upon hearing his soft voice, Xiao Yu couldn’t resist pinching Goldfish’s chubby cheeks. She said, “It’s okay. Big sister has already memorized all the alchemy recipes inside. Consider this a gift from Big sister to welcome you and your brother. When you return home, both of you should study hard and refine good pills to give to Big sister in the future, alright?”
Lin Tanjiu looked at Xiao Yu somewhat speechlessly. She knew well that Xiao Yu could see that Goldfish didn’t have much talent, and his cultivation was only at the Foundation Establishment stage. Even if he learned the alchemy recipes, he might not be able to refine any high-quality pills. But Xiao Yu was naturally generous; when she met someone she liked, she would readily give money and gifts, even emptying her pockets of valuable items. This girl had a strong sense of righteousness typical of those from the martial world.
Still, it was fortunate for Goldfish and Taro Ball.
Goldfish glanced at Shen Tanqi, seeking advice from his daddy. Shen Tanqi, with a thoughtful expression, spoke up, “Since Big Sister is giving it to you, just take it. Remember, when you refine pills in the future, you should share more of the benefits with Sister Xiao Yu.”
Now he understood why Goldfish had become an alchemy prodigy at eighteen. Presumably, Lin Tanjiu and Xiao Yu had both helped his family’s two children a lot.
Feeling a warm trickle in his heart, Shen Tanqi looked at Xiao Yu and Lin Tanjiu, revealing Sandan in his arms from the swaddling clothes. He whispered softly, “By the way, here’s the youngest, though not yet born. His name is already decided: Shen Mian, nicknamed Sandan.”
Sandan as a nickname was his biggest compromise in naming, accommodating Yu Ce’s preferences.
Lin Tanjiu and Xiao Yu looked at the egg in his arms and leaned in closer.
“How many months has Sandan been?” Lin Tanjiu asked cautiously, as if afraid of startling the baby inside the egg.
Shen Tanqi extended a fingertip and gently tapped the eggshell of Sandan. He smiled gently, “He’s been one and a half months. We still have to wait another eight or nine months.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Ce moved closer to Shen Tanqi and reached out to stroke the eggshell of Sandan. Suddenly, he frowned in confusion and asked, “Ah Qi, have you been infusing spiritual energy into Sandan recently?”
Initially, he wanted to check if Sandan was full, but upon touching the egg, he found that its vitality seemed very weak. Without careful perception, it was almost imperceptible.
Shen Tanqi was taken aback for a moment before saying, “Of course, didn’t I just infuse spiritual energy into him last night?”
On the evening after Shen Tanqi had driven away original Yu Ce, he spent the entire night nurturing Sandan. For some reason, lately during the incubation, he felt like his own spiritual energy was being drained by the baby inside, requiring him to take a third-grade Revitalizing Yuan Pill each time to replenish himself.
Hearing this, Yu Ce’s expression showed no signs of relaxation. He took Sandan from Shen Tanqi’s hands, carefully sensing again.
Watching from the side, Lin Tanjiu and Xiaoyu exchanged glances, both unsure of what was happening. But seeing Yu Ce’s serious expression, it seemed something significant had occurred.
Shen Tanqi’s heart tightened, but he didn’t dare disturb Yu Ce, who was deeply focused on observing Sandan.
The two children stared eagerly at Yu Ce and the little brother in his arms.
What’s wrong with the little brother? Is he sick?
Can eating small biscuits cure him?
Inside the carriage, silence fell suddenly. Everyone held their breath, waiting for Yu Ce to speak.
After a long while, Yu Ce withdrew his hand from Sandan and took a deep breath. His voice carried a barely perceptible tremor.
“His life… is slipping away.”
TL: GWTOS is now complete! It’s a fun novel about a chaotic couple, so make sure to check it out! [Link]
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
