“If you have time, you should study the Jade Peach King more. This thing might fetch a good price.”
“If Mu Yun doesn’t suppress the rampaging fire poison in his body, he can forget about forming an infant Nascent Soul in this lifetime. And the Jade Peach King is the key to suppressing that fire poison.”
“A single Jade Peach King can only suppress it for a limited time, so its effect isn’t significant. That’s why he doesn’t care much about it. But if you can continuously cultivate Jade Peach Kinges, sooner or later, Mu Yun will come begging to you.” Qiu Yun patted Xiao Jingting’s shoulder.
Xiao Jingting winced inwardly from the force of the pat, thinking—Did Qiu Yun hit me this hard on purpose, or is he just unable to control his strength after recently advancing to Golden Core? My shoulder must be bruised by now.
“Manager Qiu, you’re overestimating me. The appearance of the Jade Peach King is a matter of luck, not something that can be forced. I really can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to cultivate them continuously.”
Qiu Yun waved it off. “What are you afraid of? Mu Yun still has a long lifespan ahead of him. Take your time.”
Xiao Jingting chuckled and asked gossipily, “Manager Qiu, I heard that Mu Yun practices a special cultivation technique that requires him to remain a virgin to achieve Nascent Soul perfection. If he never breaks through to Nascent Soul, he’ll be a virgin for life.”
Qiu Yun gave him a cold look. “Whether he remains a virgin for life or not has nothing to do with you, does it?”
Xiao Jingting nodded. “True, it doesn’t. I just admire his self-control. Manager Qiu, don’t you think Mu Yun has it hard? There are plenty of beautiful people around him, yet he has to resist temptation all the time.”
Qiu Yun snorted. “His self-control is impressive—or maybe he just can’t do it. Even if he wanted to indulge, he might not be able to.”
Xiao Jingting nodded again. “You’ve got a point.”
“You’re still young, yet you already have three kids. Seems like you started early, huh?” Qiu Yun gave him a sidelong glance.
Xiao Jingting: “…” (Well, the original owner did start early.)
Qiu Yun grabbed Xiao Jingting’s collar and shook his head. “You really were a lustful devil. You went after Xu Mu’an when he was still young, didn’t you?”
Xiao Jingting: “…” (So unfair! In his past life, he died a virgin! But thanks to the original owner’s “legacy,” he got an early start in this one.)
“Manager Qiu, in the Barbarian Wasteland, we believe in ‘more children, more blessings,’ so people marry early. Someone like Senior Mu Yun—a 200-year-old virgin just to form a Nascent Soul—would never happen there. Most people in the Barbarian Wasteland struggle just to reach Foundation Building, let alone live to 200.”
Qiu Yun nodded. “I see.”
Xiao Jingting looked at Qiu Yun with sparkling eyes. “Manager Qiu, have you ever thought about finding someone?”
Qiu Yun tilted his head and smirked. “Do you think someone like me could find anyone?”
Xiao Jingting immediately nodded. “Of course! Manager Qiu, don’t underestimate yourself. There are plenty of people in our sect who don’t care about appearances—they value inner qualities. You’re a Golden Core cultivator! Just drop a hint, and admirers will come flocking. In fact, you’d probably be more popular than Senior Mu Yun. After all, trying to seduce him comes with life-threatening risks.”
Qiu Yun raised an eyebrow. “Is it really okay for you to slander Mu Yun like that?”
Xiao Jingting shook his head. “I’m not slandering him! I’m just stating facts!”
Qiu Yun chuckled. “You’ve got guts.”
Seeing Qiu Yun’s smile, Xiao Jingting suddenly felt a sense of impending doom. He turned around—sure enough, Mu Yun was standing right behind him.
Damn it, Qiu Yun! Couldn’t you have warned me?!
And Mu Yun, why didn’t you make a sound? Just standing there silently like a ghost…
Xiao Jingting forced a smile. “Senior Mu Yun, what brings you here?”
“I came to visit Manager Qiu.”
Xiao Jingting laughed awkwardly. “Ah, then I’ll leave you two to talk. I won’t disturb you.”
Qiu Yun didn’t stop him as he fled.
—
Xu Mu’an saw Xiao Jingting return in a panic and asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you so flustered?”
“When gods fight, mortals suffer. I was telling Manager Qiu to find a partner, and Senior Mu Yun overheard me.” Xiao Jingting sighed.
Xu Mu’an smiled calmly. “It’s fine. I haven’t met Senior Mu Yun many times, but he doesn’t seem like the petty type. Besides, the idea that he and Qiu Yun have something going on is just our speculation.”
Xiao Jingting nodded. “Yeah, but the problem is… I said some other things too.”
“What else did you say?”
“I said that if Manager Qiu wanted, he’d have more suitors than Mu Yun. And that pursuing Mu Yun comes with life-threatening risks.”
Xu Mu’an: “…”
Xiao Jingting sat down. “Do you think Senior Mu Yun holds grudges?”
Xu Mu’an reassured him, “Don’t worry. He probably won’t take it to heart. Besides, this is the Qingyun Immortal Sect—his influence doesn’t extend here.”
Xiao Jingting nodded. “True. He’s just a guest.”
Xu Mu’an mused, “I wonder what Manager Qiu and Senior Mu Yun talked about after you left.”
—
Spirit Medicine Garden
Mu Yun smiled at Qiu Yun. “I heard you’re skilled at cultivating spirit herbs. You’ve done an amazing job maintaining this garden.”
“Are you a Spirit Cultivator? Jade Peach Kinges are notoriously hard to grow, yet you’ve transplanted so many. Your abilities must be extraordinary.”
“Manager Qiu, how did your face end up like this?”
“…”
Qiu Yun stood silently as Mu Yun rambled on. Finally, he gave him a cold look.
“I heard Mu Yun dislikes talking. Seems like the rumors were wrong—you talk too much.”
Mu Yun frowned. “My apologies. Am I disturbing you?”
Qiu Yun nodded firmly. “Yes.”
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
“Go ahead.”
Mu Yun: “…”
…
As he turned to leave, Mu Yun spotted Xiao Xiaojin toddling through the herb garden, carrying a giant spoon and wearing an apron. The sight amused him.
“Little friend.”
Xiao Xiaojin turned and beamed. “Uncle!”
“Where are you going?”
“To see my big brothers!”
“Let me take you there.”
“Okay!”
As they walked, Xiao Xiaojin kept glancing at Mu Yun.
“What’s wrong?” Mu Yun asked.
Xiao Xiaojin shook his head. “Nothing. Uncle, you’re really handsome.”
Mu Yun chuckled. “Oh?”
“Uncle, I heard you’re over 200 years old.”
“That’s right.” (Among Golden Core cultivators, he was still considered young.)
“And I heard… you’re still a virgin at 200!”
Mu Yun raised an eyebrow. “Do you even know what a virgin is?”
Xiao Xiaojin shook his head earnestly. “No!”
“Then why bring it up?”
“Dad wouldn’t explain it to me. He always says I can ask him anything, but when I do, he refuses to answer!”
Mu Yun sighed. “Your father has his reasons. If he won’t tell you, don’t push it.”
“Dad said it’s a waste for someone as handsome as you to still be a virgin at 200.”
Mu Yun: “…”
“Uncle, do you have any kids?”
Mu Yun deadpanned. “I’m a virgin. How could I have kids?”
“Why can’t virgins have kids?”
Mu Yun rubbed his temples. “You’ll understand when you’re older.”
“Okay. But you should hurry up and have kids, Uncle! You’re already 200, and Dad’s only in his 20s but already has three. He says he can still have a whole bunch more!”
Mu Yun: “…”
—
When Mu Yun dropped Xiao Xiaojin off with Xiao Xiaodong, the latter was shocked.
“Why were you with him?” Xiao Xiaodong hissed after Mu Yun left.
“I ran into him on the way. He offered to bring me here, so I said okay!”
Xiao Xiaodong frowned. “You can’t just let strangers escort you around!”
“But my legs are short, and I walk too slow!”
Xiao Xiaodong: “…”
“Besides, he’s not really a stranger. He’s eaten at our house before! Mom and Dad hosted him. He even said my soup was good! We had a nice chat just now.”
Xiao Xiaodong: “…”
“What did you talk about?”
“He said he’s a virgin. He said he doesn’t have kids. He said he doesn’t have kids because he’s a virgin. Big Brother, why can’t virgins have kids?”
Xiao Xiaodong: “…” (First Xiao Xiaofan was an idiot, now Xiao Xiaojin too? Why are his little brothers so clueless?!)
“Big Brother, what are you thinking?”
“Nothing. By the way, the Spirit Herb Sect already got the Bodhi Fruit, so why are they still lingering?”
Xiao Xiaojin piped up, “Oh! Because they want to eat peaches! But all the peaches belong to Manager Qiu, and he’s scary. If you steal them, he’ll beat you up!”
Xiao Xiaodong: “…”
R : this kid is too well informed…
Oh btw I’ll just keep Mom for the Ger parent
Still catching up with this novel — I’ll be posting 1 chapter this week. Stay tuned, the novel will officially be back in May!
