The Gong Family’s Test and a Revealing Discussion

Su Hanxing stepped forth once more, steadily receiving the plummeting golden treasure bow. Its exterior gleamed with opulence, while spiritual energy surged within, clearly marking it as an extraordinary artifact.

Chi Qiu remained rooted to the ground, golden tribulation lightning swirling around her as a potent deterrent. Any cultivator who dared to probe this area was instantly suppressed by her formidable aura, none daring to make a move.

“This bow, my Gong family has taken a liking to it. We hope you will part with it, Daoist Friend; our Gong family will certainly not treat you unfairly.” Su Hanxing had just landed when he saw four or five white-robed cultivators gather, subtly encircling both him and Chi Qiu.

Far off, Gong Lingfeng had not arrived in person. He was currently in a standoff with the Gate of Wonders, both sides having claimed some treasures, but now vying for the same rare fruit.

Despite the ongoing confrontation, Gong Lingfeng still dispatched cultivators, personally instructing these few to test Su Hanxing. If Su Hanxing offered the treasure bow, the Gong family would gain a treasure for free and ascertain that Su Hanxing was a weakling, making it effortless to bypass him and recruit Chi Qiu.

Conversely, if Su Hanxing refused to yield, a conflict would arise between them, providing an opportune pretext to attack Su Hanxing in the future. Gong Lingfeng, ever a conservative and prudent direct descendant of the Gong family, had failed to uncover information about Su Hanxing’s sect. Thus, he needed a reason to cautiously make a move against him, avoiding any escalation into a full-blown conflict between powerful forces.

“The Gong family certainly has long arms. Since you haven’t made a move, I’ll spare your lives for now. You want this bow? Tell Gong Lingfeng to come speak with me himself.” Su Hanxing’s expression remained unfazed. He put away the treasure bow and waved his hand as if dismissing subordinates, intending to send these Gong family cultivators away.

“We are kindly advising you, Daoist Friend, yet you are being quite unreasonable.” The leader, seeing Su Hanxing’s complete refusal to yield, frowned and retorted that Su Hanxing was being unreasonable.

“Enough with the idle chatter. If you wish to seize the treasure, make your move swiftly. Dawdling and bickering here is truly tiresome.” Chi Qiu strode to Su Hanxing’s side, her black jade longsword in hand. Clad in black scale armor, her eyes gleamed with golden tribulation lightning, exuding a powerful, heroic aura.

Having just acquired a complete set of treasure armor, Chi Qiu was eager to test its might. With someone delivered right to her doorstep, she found herself rubbing her palms together in anticipation.

“If you don’t dare to act, then retreat quickly and assist your master in their confrontation with the Gate of Wonders.” The long spear in Su Hanxing’s hand trembled slightly, as if eager to devour its prey.

Seeing that Su Hanxing and Chi Qiu were not intimidated, the leader tightened his grip on his axe-halberd, inwardly conflicted about whether to strike.

[Come back. Secure the current treasures first.]

Just as the leader was debating whether to retreat, a wisp of true qi, carrying Gong Lingfeng’s soft whisper, entered his ear. Instantly, he no longer hesitated. He waved his hand, signaling the other cultivators who were about to step forward to fall back.

“Today’s grievances are noted; they will surely be repaid in the future.” With that, the figures of the cultivators flickered and vanished without a trace.

“How utterly baffling. These scions of great families truly are this annoying.” Chi Qiu watched their retreating figures, a look of disgust on her face.

“They were likely here to test us. If they truly coveted this, it wouldn’t be just these small fry who came.” Su Hanxing said, smiling at the pouting Chi Qiu beside him as he offered his conjecture.

“They are currently vying for treasure with the Gate of Wonders, so they wouldn’t genuinely engage us. They merely came to intimidate us. But I won’t be scared by such minor characters.” Su Hanxing scoffed.

“That’s why I said I don’t want to join these aristocratic families or sects. This kind of scheming is truly…” Chi Qiu shook her head. She had also been observing the movements of the various powers within the grand hall but couldn’t deduce Gong Lingfeng’s true objective.

“Heh heh, if Little Chi were to join an aristocratic family or sect now, there wouldn’t be any need for scheming.” Su Hanxing, having successfully driven away the Gong family’s scouts, was in high spirits. Seeing Chi Qiu lament the treachery of human hearts, he couldn’t help but tease her.

“Hmph, fine. Since you put it that way, then I’ll go find Gong Lingfeng and enjoy the glory and wealth of the Gong family.” How could Chi Qiu not understand the underlying meaning of Su Hanxing’s words? She was annoyed at first, but then a good idea suddenly struck her. So, she decided to play along with Su Hanxing’s words, wanting to test whether he truly harbored such thoughts about her.

Immediately after speaking, Chi Qiu put away her longsword and feigned walking back towards the Gong family’s direction.

Su Hanxing initially thought Chi Qiu was just joking, but seeing her walk further and further away, he panicked.

“No! Absolutely not!” Su Hanxing was somewhat dumbfounded. He darted forward, blocking Chi Qiu’s path of retreat.

“Why not? Didn’t you say earlier that over ninety percent of female cultivators choose this path?” Chi Qiu inwardly chuckled at Su Hanxing’s frantic obstruction, but on the surface, she feigned confusion as she asked.

“Little Chi, you… your talent is outstanding; you will surely break through to the Dharma Manifestation Realm.” Su Hanxing froze for a moment, then his mind raced, concocting a reason to dissuade her.

“If I join an aristocratic family, does that mean I can’t break through to the Dharma Manifestation Realm?” Chi Qiu tilted her head and countered.

“Naturally, that won’t do,” Su Hanxing shook his head, looking quite serious.

“Why not?” Chi Qiu asked, puzzled.

“If you join an aristocratic family, you must bear children, and this is an extremely taxing endeavor. After bearing children, it’s already excellent if you can maintain your cultivation realm without it dropping; wanting to break through further is simply a fantasy.” Su Hanxing saw Chi Qiu pause and slowed his speech slightly.

“Really?”

“Not a single false word,” Su Hanxing vowed confidently.

“I’ll believe you for now. But if you spout such nonsense again, I’ll…”

The sword subtly unsheathed, and Chi Qiu’s gaze, filled with deeper meaning, fell upon Su Hanxing, making his back instantly prickle with cold.

“It was indeed my mistake. Little Chi, please don’t take it to heart.” Su Hanxing repeatedly bowed in apology, yet even with his slight bow, he still towered over Chi Qiu, forcing her to look up at him.

Seeing Su Hanxing humble himself and admit his mistake, Chi Qiu’s anger naturally subsided. She sighed softly, gazing at Su Hanxing with a peculiar look, though no one could tell what she was truly thinking.

“Will female cultivators in the God Concealing stage giving birth affect their cultivation?” Chi Qiu didn’t bring up the previous matter, asking with a hint of curiosity.

“Indeed. When a female God Concealing stage cultivator becomes pregnant, they can choose to nurture the child with their own true qi essence. Such a child will possess extremely high cultivation talent. However, doing so will deplete their true qi essence, causing their realm to drop. Of course, they can also choose not to nurture with their essence, in which case the child born will be no different from an ordinary person.”

Su Hanxing nodded, then continued.

“Although female God Concealing stage cultivators who are willing to marry hold a rather high status, not every female cultivator’s status is equal. Only a select few can enjoy treatment comparable to Dharma Manifestation Realm cultivators.”

“There’s such a difference… and what determines this status?” Chi Qiu was confused.

“Naturally, it’s determined by their ability to bear children. Some female cultivators will experience a drop in their cultivation realm after giving birth, requiring decades of re-cultivation to return to the God Concealing stage. Others can bear several children without their realm dropping at all. The status of these two types is, of course, vastly different.”

As Su Hanxing spoke, a peculiar smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He leaned closer to Chi Qiu and whispered, “Little Chi, do you know how quickly a female cultivator, whose status is comparable to a Dharma Manifestation Realm cultivator, needs to bear children to enjoy such treatment?”

Chi Qiu instinctively took a few steps back, her black armored skirt swaying slightly, producing a crisp ‘clink-clatter’ sound.

“How quickly?”

“One year and six months. As long as you can bear a child with extremely high cultivation talent every year and a half, you can stand on equal footing with Dharma Manifestation Realm cultivators within the aristocratic family.”

“As for those God Concealing stage cultivators who can only bear a child every few decades, their treatment is not much different from ordinary God Concealing stage cultivators.”

Su Hanxing’s voice was soft and slow as he leaned into Chi Qiu’s ear once more, whispering.

Chi Qiu immediately felt a shiver run down her spine. Her brilliant golden eyes widened, and her face turned extremely grim.

“Little Chi, do you still wish to go enjoy the glory and wealth within that aristocratic family now?”

Seeing that his words had successfully frightened Chi Qiu, Su Hanxing squinted and chuckled like an old fox.