Chapter 800: Sorry, We Have a Child

Chapter 800: Sorry, We Have a Child

Actually, San Niang also benefited herself; this cultivation session brought great gains to everyone, including Tang Wanzhuang who served as the external protector of the formation—everyone's cultivation rose a notch.

The one who gained the most was clearly Xia Chichi, currently the lowest in cultivation. At this moment, she had naturally fallen into a meditative trance, and from the look of it, one couldn't tell if she would break through to the Imperial Realm upon waking.

Single-system cultivation is ultimately biased; once the Four Symbols cultivation—where you have me and I have you—can intermingle and be comprehended together, the benefits are unimaginably great. If Xia Chichi had previously been constrained by the Dragon Throne and lacked experience, then at this moment, everyone's experience was assisting her, transforming into her own enlightenment.

The principle is actually quite similar to dual cultivation... Now it's as if two at the Second Layer of Imperial Realm and three at the First Layer are together helping someone on the verge of the Imperial Realm to break through. Even the founder of dual cultivation methods probably never imagined such good fortune in the world. And besides her, everyone else also gains benefits, directly sharing the breakthrough process from the First to the Second Layer—this is of incalculable value for those still at the First Layer.

The implication doesn't sound very pleasant; if the Blind One saw this scene, she'd probably be so angry her chest would ache. What's the point of writing the Book of Chaos? Isn't this a Book of Promiscuity?

The parties involved didn't have so many messy thoughts. It would be best if it really could anger her to death. Zhao Changhe glanced at Xia Chichi, who was in meditation, and said softly to San Niang, "Something is missing... The Four Symbols Grand Formation cannot be fully completed; it can only be a flawed formation... The problem lies with me—there are some things I haven't mastered enough."

San Niang nodded. With everyone's cultivation insight, the problem was obvious. What was missing was precisely the concept of time and space that San Niang had asked Zhao Changhe about some time ago.

When the Four Symbols come together to form the formation, it must contain the concept of time and space. But Zhao Changhe truly didn't know this aspect... Apart from the spatial implication in the Star River, nothing Zhao Changhe had encountered in his cultivation so far was related to time and space. And the implication of the Star River was not his own; he couldn't actively guide it.

So there was no need to continue practicing the combat techniques later. Just from the flow of the formation's implications, one could tell it couldn't be completed, and what was missing was a core key.

Looking back, he had encountered all sorts of remarkable laws—life and death, existence and non-existence, cause and effect, energy channels—all kinds of profound things. But time and space, though very powerful, were common in a fantasy world, yet he had never encountered them.

Among several items, the Blind One had been somewhat anxious before, urging Zhao Changhe to learn, but she never mentioned time and space. Perhaps she was worried that if Zhao Changhe grasped the concept of time and space too early, he would be able to "go back" on his own...

"Jiuyou said I am Ye Wuming's puppet... Tsk, at first I thought I wasn't, but now that I recall, it seems more and more likely." Zhao Changhe laughed quite magnanimously. "But she herself admitted that she had tampered with my karma, just not everything succeeded."

San Niang and Huangfu Qing exchanged glances, both very surprised: "She actually admitted that to you?"

"Yes."

"Then did she mention any unsuccessful examples?"

"...It should be that she tried to stop you two from being with me, but it didn't work."

The two women flew into a rage and slapped the ground as they stood up: "Who does she think she is! We thought she had no enmity with us, and instead had the righteousness of inheritance, but now we'll see if we don't give her a beating!"

Zhao Changhe laughed and pulled them both into his arms, saying softly, "But I'm very happy about it... It shows that even if she could change everything, she couldn't change the fate between you and me."

The two older women blushed a little at his words, pinching his waist from left and right: "If your sentence didn't have the word 'you' in it, we might have been a bit moved. Since it does, go back to where you came from! Go, go, go—we also need to meditate for a while and digest what we've gained."

As it turned out, Zhao Changhe's waist didn't hurt even when pinched now. Instead, he kissed each of them: "Alright, alright, everyone digest what you've gained for now. I'll think about other things."

"Pfft."

Everyone went into meditation. Zhao Changhe sat cross-legged, placing the Star River and the Dragon Sparrow side by side on his lap, and sank his mind into the Star River sword.

Since only the Star River contained spatial implications, it was natural to start exploring from there.

But the moment his mind probed into the sword, he almost jumped in fright.

Little Star River floated quietly under the night sky, her pitch-black eyes staring straight at him. At first glance, the scene was terrifying enough to kill.

Then he felt a strange sensation—not strange because of the Star River, but because it reminded him of two other people. The Star River in this form—whether you said it was Ye Wuming or Ye Jiuyou as a child, someone would definitely believe it. They should have this kind of image and temperament, even including their abilities. But now, he had long forgotten when Ye Wuming started to smile and get angry; it seemed to have been going on for a long time. And Ye Jiuyou not only smiled happily but was even a bit flirtatious.

"Little Star River." Zhao Changhe leaned in: "Daddy hasn't come to see you for a long time. Has Sister Dragon Sparrow been bothering you lately?"

Dragon Sparrow: "..."

He thought Little Star River wouldn't respond to such an obvious forced conversation, but she actually answered: "During the time when we killed Tiemuer, she was a bit noisy, hopping around saying she had fulfilled her greatest birth mission. Soon after, she stopped."

"Soon after?"

"Mm, because I thought her ambition was too low-level, and she was very discouraged, so she went into seclusion."

Zhao Changhe: "...Then what is your ideal?"

Little Star River said: "Whatever Daddy wants me to do, I'll do."

"Uh, that's not what I mean. Like when Dragon Sparrow was born, it was Old Xia's war blade when he conquered the four seas. Its innate mission was to drive out the northern barbarians and bring peace to the world. Do you... hey wait, what did you call me?"

"Daddy."

Zhao Changhe was a bit stunned. Before, when he called himself Daddy, the Star River ignored him. He had the mischievous idea of making her call him Daddy, but she only called him Master. That was normal—in the sword spirit's mind, she didn't know what Daddy was; her concept only had Master.

When did she start calling him Daddy, and so naturally? Zhao Changhe almost wondered if he had lost a memory.

The Star River said: "Since Master thinks this is Daddy, then it's Daddy. It's just a different word."

"But Little Star River is so smart. You've heard and seen countless things with me. You should know that the two words have different meanings, right?"

Not to mention anything else, just the emotions between the Cui father and daughter—the Star River had seen it and would naturally know that it's completely different from Master and such.

But then the Star River said: "Indeed, they are different. You are Daddy, not Master."

Zhao Changhe: "?"

No way, I've been busy to death, barely spoken a few words to you. The most time we spent together was during that rest period in the Spirit Clan. I haven't raised you or taught you anything. Why does the Star River think I'm Daddy?

The Star River said: "It doesn't matter how the Star River sees me. I treat her as my daughter, and that's enough. I won't give her to anyone. That sentence was said by Daddy, so he is Daddy."

Zhao Changhe blinked, remembering that this was said in Chang'an before the northern expedition, when he was talking to Jiuyou. Jiuyou wanted the Star River sword at that time, and the exchange condition seemed to be... helping him get Ye Wuming? Then he refused.

So the Star River thought that made him Daddy?

"Well..." Zhao Changhe instead felt guilty: "Well, Daddy really hasn't done his duty. I've never had time to accompany you, just left you there without care... And, and the meaning of this visit is only..."

"Just that Daddy needed to comprehend space, so he came?"

Zhao Changhe was mortified, not knowing how to respond. Essentially, he treated her as just a sword. What face did he have to call himself Daddy?

But the Star River didn't think about these things at all. She just said: "I possess the meaning of space, but I don't know how to guide others to start cultivation in this area. If Daddy has a relevant cultivation primer and then comes to me, then there might be some gain."

Understood—it's like being naturally good at math but not knowing how to teach the principles.

Zhao Changhe stroked his chin. There was a primer for starting cultivation—Ying Wu had it. If he asked Ying Wu to guide him on some basic introductory things, not involving anything too profound, Ying Wu probably wouldn't refuse. Then for the advanced stuff, he could learn from his own daughter.

This plan was much better than learning from the Heavenly Book for other projects... It wouldn't be limited by Ye Wuming.

However, space could be solved this way, but what about time? And theoretically, time and space are interdependent—should they be learned together?

But then the Star River said: "If Daddy is studying the Four Symbols Formation, he doesn't need to consider time too much. It's no longer for combat use—it's like using divine punishment to hit a mosquito."

Zhao Changhe's heart stirred: "Then what is it for?"

"Transcending the Other Shore."

"What does that mean?"

The Star River scratched her head in rare confusion, then after a while said hesitantly: "Great freedom beyond all constraints?"

Zhao Changhe pondered: "Little Star River, why do you know so much, and some of the words..."

"Mother said so."

"?"

The word "Daddy" was something the Star River learned from him, different from this world. But he had never told her about the concept of "mother." It could only be that she had learned it from worldly experiences, so she called her "Mother."

This meant that in the Star River's concept, he really had a mother... Then who is your mother?

The Star River said: "Since the one who forged me to completion is Daddy, then the one who laid the foundation of my meaning is naturally Mother..."

Zhao Changhe twitched the corner of his mouth. Yes, the logic was impeccable. So unlike the Dragon Sparrow, who looked like a sea of people, the Star River looked like... Sorry, Blind One, we have a child.

Transcending the Other Shore... Great freedom...

"So..." Zhao Changhe considered for a moment, then repeated his initial question: "What is your innate mission?"

"To help Mother transcend the Other Shore."

Zhao Changhe pursed his lips, instinctively reaching out to rub Xinghe's head, but his hand met empty air. Then he remembered she was only a spirit, so he reached out again and this time his touch landed solidly.

Xinghe's perpetually expressionless face somehow showed a flicker of emotion, as if she hadn't expected anyone to be so bored as to use the ability to turn emptiness into substance just to pat a sword spirit's head, nor had she ever considered what it felt like to have her head touched.

Zhao Changhe felt a bit foolish himself and withdrew his hand sheepishly.

Xinghe stared straight at his hand, as if with a hint of anticipation.

Zhao Changhe tentatively reached out and touched her again, and a trace of delight appeared on Xinghe's face.

Suddenly, something stirred in Zhao Changhe's heart. He scooped Xinghe up and lifted her high twice: "Daddy will take you out to play."

Xinghe shook her head: "Xinghe doesn't like going out to play."

Well... if it was about keeping a child company, this child was different. She might truly not enjoy running around, preferring to stay still. If it were Longque who could go out to play, even the imperial palace might have been torn apart. Poor Zhao Changhe, who had never raised a child before, was momentarily at a loss, not knowing how to keep this child entertained.

Xinghe said, "You can let Sister Longque come spar with me. I like sparring with Sister Longque."

"?"

I understand a sword spirit's hobby is fighting, but didn't you used to find her noisy? And just now you made her sulk.

Xinghe added: "As long as she doesn't go 'Wahaha, am I amazing or what?' with all that racket, and just be a quiet blade that only fights... Being amazing isn't something you say with your mouth, and she even puts her hands on her hips—that look is too stupid..."

"Who are you calling stupid, you trash fish!" The next moment, a girl clenched her fists and stormed into the sword, fuming.

Xinghe's eyes lit up. She jumped down from Zhao Changhe's arms, and soon the two children, one big and one small, were tussling together.

Zhao Changhe watched the children rolling and wrestling in the void, dumbfounded.

I... my high-tier celestial-grade blade spirit and sword spirit—so this is how they fight?

What made him want to cover his face most was that although Longque was clearly a head taller than Xinghe, they were evenly matched, with Longque seeming to be at a slight disadvantage.

Hearing the stubborn voice from the void: "Is that trash-level strength of yours what your stinky daddy taught you?" Zhao Changhe covered his face and yanked Longque up: "What do you mean 'your stinky daddy'? Am I not your daddy?"

Longque kicked in the air: "Of course not! You come to keep that trash fish company but not me, and I'm your main battle blade!"

"...I only sought out Xinghe to perceive space. Well, I was wrong on both counts. How about I spend more time with you both from now on?"

"Daddy, don't interrupt our fight." Xinghe ran over to rescue her sister, who was being held in the air.

In the end, Zhao Changhe was driven out of the sword by the two sisters working together. He had wanted to learn the way of space but didn't even get a shred of it. What he unexpectedly learned was some ancient thoughts belonging to Ye Wuming.

But that didn't seem important. The greatest significance of this was spending more time with the children.

Just like with Yangyang—only when something happened to her did he realize he had spent too little time with her.

...

Withdrawing his mind from the sword, he turned his head and saw that everyone else was in meditation. Only Xia Chichi was gazing at him with sparkling eyes, a hint of a smile on her face.

Her cultivation was the lowest, so she didn't need as much time to digest things as the others.

"Broken through to the Imperial realm?" Zhao Changhe asked.

"Mm." Xia Chichi didn't seem to care much about the question. She stood up, extended her slender hand to him in an inviting gesture: "Will you take a walk with me in the imperial garden?"

"Sure."

The two left the Imperial Ancestral Temple hand in hand and strolled toward the imperial garden. Xia Chichi wore a very gentle smile along the way, as if in a very good mood.

Zhao Changhe glanced at her: "You... in a good mood? Because of breaking through to Imperial?"

"No, because I sensed you playing with the children." Xia Chichi said softly, "And then I thought, we'll have children of our own someday, and what that scene will be like."

Zhao Changhe didn't know what to say... Among the women by his side, if anyone had the hardest childhood, it was Chichi. This must have touched her the most. He wasn't sure if saying more would bring back memories of her early years...

But Xia Chichi herself spoke: "What we're doing is to ensure that later generations don't have to taste the bitterness we tasted. That's true for individuals, and it's also true for governing the world."

Zhao Changhe hummed in agreement: "You're a good emperor... Honestly, when you first wanted to do it, I supported you, but deep down I doubted whether you could do it well. As it turns out, you've done far better than I imagined."

Xia Chichi laughed: "So little faith in my resolve? Or in my ability?"

Zhao Changhe smiled: "After all, I've never done this before. It's incredibly difficult—much harder than cultivation."

"It's not really that hard." Xia Chichi said leisurely, "If you've never tried, you'll never know how comfortable it is to have a Tang Wanzhuang. She's too capable. If you were the one doing it, as long as she's around, she definitely wouldn't do worse than me—maybe even better... After all, she doesn't always listen to me; sometimes she contradicts and disobeys, which gives me a headache. But if it were you, she might carry out your orders without any limits."

"That's not true. Wanzhuang has her principles."

"What principles? The one who took the initiative to have the Venerable join you in serving you—that's not the Tang Wanzhuang we remember."

"Still holding a grudge over that old vinegar?"

"No. Let's see if she wakes up later. Tonight, she and I will keep you company together."

Zhao Changhe didn't answer.

Xia Chichi glanced at him: "Not in the mood? The three-day appointment with Ying Wu—it's only been one day. You can't be so preoccupied that you lose your appetite; that wouldn't be fair to us."

Zhao Changhe said: "Uh... it's not that. It's just that you don't have to consider things like being together... it's also unfair to you."

"It doesn't matter. It's quite hard for one person to satisfy you anyway. Being left limp by you every time isn't exactly a great experience." Xia Chichi muttered in complaint: "Like a bull."

"..."

Xia Chichi added: "Actually, if Yue Hongling were willing, it would be better for her and me to be together. I've studied the White Tiger's intent since childhood. Even if I can't keep up now, my accumulation and understanding are not something a beginner like her can match. If we dual-cultivate together, we can share."

Zhao Changhe said: "You... aren't angry?"

"Uncle-Master's suggestion was for the public good. The White Tiger's intent truly needs an inheritor, especially with the ancient White Tiger looming. We need to smooth over the lingering troubles first." Xia Chichi said: "Of course, to say there's no trace of displeasure in my heart would be a lie. But in the end, the greater matter takes precedence. Actually, I know this was also a very difficult decision for Yue Hongling... Because by accepting what was mine, she probably sees it as a stain in her heart. She'll find it hard to hold her head high in front of me, and she'll lose her confidence to argue with me. Yet she still took it... She did it for the public good too. The opponents we face now are stronger and stronger, and none of us have the leisure to care about our own dignity."

Zhao Changhe hadn't really thought about this in detail before. Hearing Xia Chichi say it now, it was indeed true. He had thought this might spark a quarrel between the two, but in reality, it meant they would never quarrel again.

From behind came Yue Hongling's voice: "I have not entered the Four Symbols Sect, so I am not a true White Tiger. I learned this sword intent only to fill the gap in the formation... In the future, when the Four Symbols Sect selects a qualified White Tiger Saintess, Hongling is willing to pass on the White Tiger's intent along with everything I have learned in my life to her. Or..."

The two stopped and turned around. Yue Hongling was leaning against a peach tree in the imperial garden, smiling.

It seemed she had come specifically to discuss the White Tiger issue with Xia Chichi.

"Or what?" Xia Chichi asked.

"Or pass it on to your crown prince or princess." Yue Hongling winked: "Although this child will have many aunties, I'm reserving the position of godmother."