The Ancient Strengthening Technique

AST 1698 - Yiye Jiange Has a Son, Qing Xiu

"I'm going to be jealous of this little fellow." Qing Shui chuckled.

Hearing those words, Yiye Jiange let out a soft giggle. Anyone could tell how happy she looked. She turned toward Qing Shui and chided him, "What are you jealous about?"

"My position has been degraded by this little guy, even before he's out in this world. I fear that once he's born, you will burn the bridge between us and forget about me."

"You are an asshole."

…...

The news of the Second Palace Lord's death was quickly spread out. Even though no one had seen his corpse, there were many ways one could find out if he was still alive or not in this world.

As the Grand Palace Mistress of Eastern Peak Dragonwolf Palace, Qing Hanye had naturally become the Palace Mistress of said palace. In actuality, even if Qing Shui didn't kill the Second Palace Lord, Qing Hanye would still have been able to assume control over the Dragonwolf Palace. Qing Hanye's prestige was quite high in the Dragonwolf Palace even after all these years.

Qing Shui didn't expect to see Qing Hanye at the Sunset Sea King Palace a month later. When the Sunset Palace Mistress, Muyun Qingge, and Qing Hanye arrived to the small courtyard, Qing Shui was stunned.

The three ladies seemed to be radiating in splendor when they stood close together. Qing Shui wasn't shocked because of their beauty, as this wasn't his first time seeing their beautiful appearances, but he was shocked because the three ladies were quite harmonious when they stood together, as if they had been friends for many years.

"What? Am I not welcome?" Qing Hanye smiled when she saw Qing Shui's expression. This woman who possessed the most amorous eyes, charming personality, and demeanor, was alluring in her manner of speech and action. Compared to how she was twenty years ago, she was even more bewitching and seductive now.

Qing Shui rubbed his nose and smiled, "Why would you think that? Come and sit here."

He then gestured to the three ladies to sit down inside the pavillion. Yiye Jiange could no longer participate in such occasions like this anymore. Most of the time, she would stroll around, relax, or take a rest to read books and whatnot.

"How's the Dragonwolf Palace?" Qing Shui asked while pouring her a cup of tea.

"It's still alright. Any movements I make can't be hidden away from you. You should be able to see all of my actions with your own eyes!" Qing Hanye looked at Qing Shui with exhilaration. She had already noticed the existence of the Spirit Fish.

Qing Shui laughed awkwardly. He didn't intend to hide it from her at that time, so it was normal that she was able to find out about it sooner or later.

"Qing Shui, do you know why Little Sister Hanye came today?" the Sunset Palace Mistress asked while looking at Qing Shui.

Qing Shui, on the other hand, was acting a bit unnatural. He had a thing or two going on between the three ladies. He was aware of the Sunset Palace Mistress' feelings, and he had always been maintained a safe distance with Muyun Qingge. Even though it was a bit awkward when her wounds were being tended by Qing Shui, they were now acting like any ordinary friends would.

The most complicated relationship he had among these three was with Qing Hanye. She had feelings for Qing Shui ever since they were at Greencloud Continent. Both of them had memories that could never be forgotten with each other. However, her body had never been touched by him before. Even so, her memories with him did not pale in comparison with any sort of physical contact.

However, it had been a long time since then. Nowadays, Qing Shui couldn't tell what she was thinking for certain. Humans would continuously change and time would change everything. Things could have a drastic change after a long period of time.

"I really don't know. Why don't we congratulate the Grand Palace Mistress today?" Qing Shui said in a slow pace.

"Of course we are going to congratulate her, but we are going to add one more thing to celebrate. Little Sister Hanye came today just so we can form an alliance to go through thick and thin together. We came here to ask for your decision on this," the Sunset Palace Mistress smiled as she gazed at Qing Shui.

Qing Shui knew that they were just trying to demonstrate his importance by doing this in this way. In actuality, there was no need to go through him for such matters, much less asking him to make the decision for the alliance. However, he knew the reason for that was because they had a relationship that was unknown and complicated between one another.

"It's fine if you all make the decision for this sort of matter." Qing Shui said, courteously.

"Am I not welcomed here, or do you just not want to see me in this place?" Qing Hanye said, lowering her head slightly.

At that moment, Sunset Palace Mistress and Muyun Qingge looked at Qing Shui with amusement. How many terrible love affairs did this man have…

"Alright, I'm afraid of you. Alliance or cooperation, even if both of you merge into one Sea King Palace, I have no objection." Qing Shui responded quickly.

"Then we will listen to you. We planned on merging the Sunset Sea King Palace and Eastern Peak Dragonwolf Palace." Qing Hanye lifted her head and smiled.

Qing Shui poured tea for himself when he suddenly stopped. He looked at Qing Hanye with a shocked expression. The amalgamation of the Sunset Palace and Sea King Palace was already an extremely unexpected decision. He didn't think that the Sunset Sea King Palace would want to merge with the Eastern Peak Dragonwolf Palace now after that. The amalgamation of two sects wasn't that simple of a matter. Moreover, it wasn't a decision one sect lord would be able to make by himself. However, now that Qing Hanye had casually spoke her intention, it was clear how much control she had over the Dragonwolf Palace.

However, the duration in which Qing Hanye was in control of Dragonwolf Palace was too short. In normal circumstances, no one would do such a thing like that. He put down his cup and shook his head, "You have just become the Palace Mistress of Dragonwolf Palace. Doing this isn't the best choice right now. Why don't you settle for an alliance?"

"Some things are very simple and not as difficult or complicated as you imagine. I have the say for Dragonwolf Palace now, and no one will object against my idea regardless of the decisions I make." Qing Hanye said, confidently.

Even though Qing Hanye said it like that, there was no amalgamation in the end. There wasn't any covenant either. Everyone understood in their hearts, so some of the conducts were omitted.

He brought out some wine and cooked up a few dishes as a sort of celebration. Yiye Jiange attended the feast too. Her slightly bulging stomach did not affect her beauty in the slightest. As a matter of fact, she seemed to have gained additional points of maternal charm and purity, which caused the other three ladies to become envious of her. Anyone would be able to see how happy Yiye Jiange was at the moment.

…...

Three months later, Qing Shui was waiting outside at the small courtyard. The Sunset Palace Mistress and Muyun Qingge were there as well.

"Don't worry, Jiange will be fine." the Sunset Palace Mistress consoled Qing Shui when she saw the worried expression on his face.

Ten months of pregnancy. This wasn't the first time Qing Shui had been through it in his entire life. His eldest children were already adults, so he wasn't particularly worried. However, he had no idea why he would still feel a bit flustered. He couldn't calm down no matter what.

He was the best physician out there, so he knew that Yiye Jiange would be fine and would be able to give birth without a problem.

Wah!

As soon as the distinct baby cry rang out, Qing Shui felt relieved. However, at that very moment, a familiar sensation rushed to his head, as if there was something new. Despite the sensation, he couldn't care less about it and went straight into the room.

A female physician from the Water Tribe was the one responsible for assisting Yiye Jiange in giving birth. There was another female disciple of the physician who was currently cradling the child in her arms. When she saw Qing Shui entering the room, she said ecstatically, "Congratulations, sir. It's a boy."

Qing Shui took the little guy wrapped in cotton cloth into his arms. His son's eyes were as bright as a pearl - they were pure and uncontaminated. As Qing Shui cradled his son in his arms, the child did not cry. In fact, he quietly looked at Qing Shui without making a fuss.

His skin was smooth and fair, much like Yiye Jiange's skin. He was a boy, yet he seemed delicate like a girl. Qing Shui cradled him as he sat beside Yiye Jiange.

The Sunset Palace Mistress, Muyun Qingge, and Qing Hanye had also arrived. However, they didn't go inside hastily, as they knew that this was the perfect time to let Qing Shui bond with Yiye Jiange.

"Qing Shui, let me take a look." Yiye Jiange was looking a bit pale.

Yiye Jiange's cultivation was undeniably strong. Even though she had just given birth to her child, she wasn't as weak as the ordinary women in Qing Shui's past life. Even so, her Origin Qi had been severely injured. She would need to rest for three days if she wanted to get out of bed just like a normal person would after giving birth to a child.

Qing Shui handed the little guy over to Yiye Jiange and placed a pillow behind her back as a support so she could lie down.

Yiye Jiange seemed remarkably gentle as she cradled her child in her arms. Seeing how she currently was, Qing Shui felt quite happy. This was a type of satisfaction that words could hardly describe.

After a long while, Yiye Jiange finally lifted her head and noticed that Qing Shui was still looking at her with utmost bliss, which caused her cheeks to flush in red. She felt warm in her heart. This was her man, and this child was their son. This was a family to her.

"Now that your eyes are all focused on him, I am forced to stand on the sideline." Qing Shui chuckled.

"Pick a name for our child." Yiye Jiange smiled. She didn't respond to Qing Shui's words, because she knew he was only trying to tease her.

"This child is quite delicate. I believe he will be more good-looking than a girl once he grows up. Let's give him a tough-sounding name." Qing Shui suggested.

"Since he's delicate (xiu qi), why don't we call him Qing Xiu?" Yiye Jiange proposed as she looked at the little fellow.

Qing Shui rubbed his forehead and thought that this name sounded quite feminine. However, there was an emperor from ancient history in his past life who was also named Xiu. After considering the name for a while, he said, "Very well. This name is good too. It has a good meaning as well."

What came next was hilarious to Qing Shui. Yiye Jiange wanted to breastfeed her child and told Qing Shui to leave her in private. After a few moments of bashful gestures, she began to tell him of her intention, which caused Qing Shui to smile, "I have sucked on it before. Why are you still embarrassed about me seeing it….."

"Go die!"

Qing Shui was driven out by Yiye Jiange, right where the three ladies were standing. When he saw them outside, they looked at him in amusement. This caused Qing Shui to become quite embarrassed. He had forgotten that they were outside earlier. Even though his voice wasn't that loud, the three ladies were able to listen to their conversation very clearly due to their cultivation base.

Muyun Qingge was indifferent while Qing Hanye was bewitching in both ways. Qing Shui almost threw away his soul because of one look from Qing Hanye. Only now he knew what it meant to be enchanted by a person.

This devilish woman was in possession of the Nine Yin Body. In a sense, she was truly able to acquire the Soul Charming skill after all these years of cultivation.

The Sunset Palace Mistress giggled, "You can let your child rob it from you next time."

Qing Shui had always been quite thick-skinned, but at that moment, his face was flushed in red. Not only was this lovely mature woman charming, she was also bold. Qing Shui wished he could sink into the ground from shame. He could only pretend he didn't hear her and said, "I will go and make something as a supplement for Yiye Jiange."

After Qing Shui left, the three ladies went inside and naturally began to joke around when they saw Yiye Jiange. Yiye Jiange was able to hear their conversation even from inside the room. However, the three ladies were now focused on the child. Each of them took turns as they cradled the child in their arms.

"As we have agreed, the three of us will be his foster mothers from now on." the Sunset Palace Mistress said to Yiye Jiange as she played with the little fellow.

"This will be his good fortune." Yiye Jiange said in a benevolence tone.

Not long after that, Qing Shui brought in steaming Tiger Bone soup as he walked in the room. Even though he felt a bit awkward, the conversation topic was naturally extended due to the presence of a baby. Besides, everyone knew the Sunset Palace Mistress's behavior, so everything went back to normal very quickly.