Chapter 555 - 300: The Birth of a Daughter

Linsa Continent Marketplace.

Since the Ling Family replaced the Cen Family as masters of this place, the Marketplace had undergone massive expansion and various upgrades.

Today, its scale had expanded more than tenfold, and it grew more popular by the day. After all, the Ling Family now held territory across five sea regions.

Over the years, Cultivators from all walks of life had gathered here. The most numerous were, of course, Loose Cultivators, with no shortage of them from the Qi Cultivation Stage to the Golden Core Stage. Most hoped to settle here permanently.

The greater the power, the more popular its territory, offering abundant resources and, naturally, more opportunities for development.

Thus, over time, tens of thousands of outside Cultivators had flocked to the Marketplace, creating a motley crew of all sorts and conditions.

This was an unavoidable situation for any major power, with no exceptions. The Ling Family’s upper echelon did not deliberately avoid this fact; they simply reinforced the forces stationed in the Marketplace.

At all times, a Nascent Soul True Monarch from the Ling Family presided over the Marketplace, supported by a number of Golden Core Masters. This was enough to ensure that the foreign Cultivators behaved themselves and dared not cause trouble.

On the east street of the Marketplace, inside an unremarkable Talisman shop, two attendants in loose blue robes stood idly at the entrance, chatting. Since there were few customers, they were happy to enjoy the peace and quiet.

As for whether business was good or profits were high, that was the Shopkeeper’s concern. Their wages as employees were fixed.

In the back of the shop, the proprietress—heavily made-up and gracefully poised—sat behind the counter. With a woeful expression, she fiddled with the beads of her abacus and sighed.

"Another loss this month. How can we go on like this? Are my whole family and I going to have to starve?"

Across from her, a round-faced, portly man dressed in fine silks and satins leaned against the counter. He stuck out his belly and said with a grin:

"Oh, come on! You were never cut out for business anyway. The higher-ups didn’t send you here to earn this paltry sum."

The proprietress rolled her eyes and retorted irritably, "You might as well just call me an idiot! To think that I, Feng Cuixiang, am a somebody in the organization, yet I can’t even manage a tiny little shop. It’s so embarrassing!"

"Forget it. Everyone has their specialty, and this isn’t yours. There’s no need to take it to heart."

The round-faced man’s expression turned serious. He used his Divine Thought to ask quietly, "It’s been a few years since I was last here. How are things?"

"How else could they be?"

The proprietress fiddled with her abacus and looked up at him. "The growth rate of this family’s power is unnaturally fast. Just at the end of last year, they produced another Nascent Soul True Monarch!

And according to the intelligence we’ve gathered, that new Nascent Soul True Monarch is named Song Xuelan. She was originally just Patriarch Ling Changxing’s personal Maid!"

"Is that so?"

The round-faced man frowned. "How many does that make now? What kind of opportunity did the Ling Family stumble upon to be able to cultivate so many Nascent Soul True Monarchs?"

The proprietress mused, "I think their backer is most likely Lu Hua Palace, or perhaps the Liu Ying Clan? Xianyin Pavilion isn’t out of the question either."

"Perhaps. After all, besides Patriarch Ling Changxing, the rest of their Nascent Soul True Monarchs are all women, and most of their Golden Core Level Elders are Female Cultivators as well."

The round-faced man blinked his small eyes, deep in thought.

The Ling Family had found a powerful backer and was being propped up as a vassal force, serving as a capable pawn for some hidden power in the coastal waters of Yuzhou. That was the only way they could have obtained so many resources in such a short time and produced so many experts.

This deduction seemed perfectly reasonable and self-consistent, so much so that many outside Cultivators believed it to be true.

However, the round-faced man’s intuition told him that something was off. ’Perhaps the truth of the matter isn’t like this at all?’

After pondering for a moment, the round-faced man asked, "Our plan... what stage is it at?"

The proprietress shook her head. "Not ideal. The targets we’ve identified so far have low Cultivations. More importantly, their innate talent is poor and their growth potential is limited. Even in a few decades, they won’t be able to secure any significant position within the Ling Family.

As for the Ling Clan Members at the Pseudo Core level or higher, while we now have opportunities to approach them, the difficulty of winning them over and turning them against their family has exceeded our expectations."

"So?"

"To complete the mission assigned by the organization, I must obtain more resources and more time to lay the groundwork. Only then will I have a chance to succeed!" the proprietress said in a low voice.

The round-faced man sized her up for a moment, frowning in thought for several breaths, before finally nodding.

"Alright. I’ll report the situation to our superiors as soon as possible. You’ll get more support."

...

By the time Ziyunxi once again graced the Linsha Continent with her presence, Ling Changqing’s first daughter had finally been born.

「The Inner Courtyard of the Palace」

In the lavish and elegant floral hall, Tang Qiu Yao, Liu Ying Meng Luan, Meng Feiyu, and the other women had all gathered. They were a flock of beauties, their vibrant gowns a dazzling, overwhelming sight.

Ling Changqing paced back and forth outside the delivery room, his hands behind his back and his brows slightly furrowed.

Whether in his past life or this one, this was his first time becoming a father. Although he knew there wouldn’t be any problems, he couldn’t help but feel anxious.

The gazes of his many beautiful companions were also fixed on the delivery room door, but they were more focused on Ling Changqing himself.

Although they had no proof, they all felt that Ling Changqing must have shown favoritism. Otherwise, why was the Patriarch, Ling Qiyue, the first to have good news, and not someone else?

His harem was now vast, filled with beauties of every shape and style—a veritable garden of splendors. But a Dao Companion who could bear Ling Changqing’s child would surely hold a different weight in his heart.

Yu Ruoshuang, Qin Yun, Bai Qingyi, and the others were already gritting their teeth in determination. ’From now on, we must work hard with Ling Changqing and strive to bear him his second daughter!’

The reason they thought of a daughter was, naturally, due to Ling Changqing’s own judgment. According to the results of his Celestial Secret Calculation, he was fated to have more than just one or two daughters, and even granddaughters, but male heirs would be difficult to come by.

’This is likely not good news for the family. Surely the Ling Family isn’t destined to become a clan ruled by Female Cultivators, just like the Liu Ying Clan?’

An unknown amount of time passed before a loud cry from a baby finally set Ling Changqing’s anxious heart at ease.

A moment later, the attending Female Cultivator who had assisted with the birth walked out, holding a swaddled infant with a beaming smile.

Ling Changqing hurried forward and gently took his daughter, cradling her in his arms to examine her closely. His many beauties gathered around as well.

The baby girl in the swaddling clothes had already fallen fast asleep. Her features had inherited her mother Ling Qiyue’s exquisite, cool beauty, yet they also held a vibrant, heroic spirit. She was the very picture of a future peerless beauty.

"...Congratulations, my lord!"

The women all spoke up to congratulate him. Their smiles were genuine, but the resentment they felt toward him in their hearts was just as real.

"This little girl’s innate talent is truly remarkable! And her Luck and Fortune are equally powerful!" Ziyunxi exclaimed, her voice filled with surprise and delight.

Ling Changqing nodded. "Indeed, it is. Reaching the Void Refining Realm in the future won’t be a problem, and even undergoing the Unity Tribulation isn’t impossible!"

He himself only possessed a Celestial Grade Middle Spirit Root, yet this little girl was born with a High Grade Celestial Rank one—and a complete set of the Five Elements of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth Spirit Roots at that.

As for her Luck and Fortune, it was also exceptionally strong, standing out even among the women of his harem.

Tang Qiu Yao stepped forward to take the swaddled baby. Gazing at her adoringly, she said to Ling Changqing, "My lord, won’t you give our daughter a name?"

She and Ling Qiyue shared the deepest bond, so she felt an especially close connection to this child.

Ling Changqing thought for a moment. "How about Ling Shuanghua?"

"Mm, that’s a good one. Let’s settle on that!" Tang Qiu Yao agreed after murmuring the name a few times to herself.

Next, Ling Changqing lifted the door curtain and entered the delivery room. He saw that Ling Qiyue had already been cleaned up and was resting on the bed with her eyes closed.

As a Cultivator, her recovery ability was far beyond that of a mortal. At this point, she was mostly fine.

"You’ve worked hard, my dear."

Ling Changqing went to her and kissed the Female Patriarch, holding her in his arms. As one of the first two Dao Companions to give herself to him, their bond was naturally extraordinary.

Ling Qiyue opened her bright eyes, her smile filled with happiness. "After so many years of hard work, you’ve finally become a father!"

"Mm, but it’s mainly thanks to you, my dear!"

Ling Changqing laughed. He was mainly responsible for sowing the seeds, but whether they blossomed and bore fruit was up to the woman.