Chapter 61: Adopting a Godson

Gongsun Lin stopped beneath a tree, angrily wiping away her tears, frustrated with herself for crying over Chen Mu.

Gongsun Qingyang approached slowly, gently patting her head. "All right, Lin'er, don't cry. That boy dares to turn his nose up at my daughter? I'll deal with him for you."

"Who wants him to like me? Father, stop saying nonsense. I'm fine, really, don't trouble Chen Mu," Gongsun Lin replied, eyes reddened.

"My silly girl, Chen Mu is like a block of wood. You're so protective of him, but it's not worth it. Besides, you've only known each other for less than a month. Feelings need time to grow."

"Father! I do not like that wooden-headed fool, it's just... just..." Gongsun Lin stammered for a long time, unable to put her feelings into words.

"Lin'er, I know you like him. If you do, be brave and say it. If you keep it bottled up, how will he ever know? If you can't, I'll swallow my pride and speak for you. Let's see if he dares refuse then!" Gongsun Qingyang said, gritting his teeth.

"Father~ please, don't make things hard for Chen Mu. I know his heart is focused on revenge right now. He told me that his sect was destroyed and his father expelled from the family. Chen Mu is really pitiful..."

"Ah... a grown daughter is hard to keep. Here I am, trying to help, and you defend Chen Mu... And you say you don't like him? You make your father's heart so cold," Gongsun Qingyang sighed.

"Father, you're terrible. If you keep this up, I'll ignore you in the future. I just feel sorry for Chen Mu, that's all—not because I like him..." Gongsun Lin blushed, fiddling with her fingers.

"Fine, come back with me now. Your mother will be worried since you rushed out. She's personally overseeing things this time. Chen Mu may be extraordinary in talent and strength, but he's a bit clueless. My precious daughter likes him, and he hasn't even noticed. If it were up to me, I'd have already given him a good thrashing. Still, since he saved both you and your mother, I'll let him off for now."

"Father, you're at it again. I'm not talking to you," Gongsun Lin said coyly.

"All right, all right, come back to your mother. We'll talk about everything else later."

Gongsun Qingyang finally coaxed Gongsun Lin back, but when he saw Chen Mu again, he was left dumbfounded.

Chen Mu solemnly greeted the recently returned Gongsun Qingyang, bowing deeply. "Chen Mu pays respects to his foster father."

Gongsun Qingyang froze, then looked to Zhao Qingqing. "Wife, what's going on?"

Zhao Qingqing replied, "I've accepted Chen Mu as our foster son. He recognizes us as his foster parents. I hope he'll look after Lin'er in the future."

Gongsun Qingyang was stunned for a while, then said to Chen Mu and Gongsun Lin, "You two, step outside for a moment. I need to speak privately with my wife."

He shut Chen Mu and Gongsun Lin outside. Gongsun Lin was bewildered. What was happening? She'd only been gone a short while, and her mother had already accepted Chen Mu as a foster son? Wouldn't that make him her brother now?

Inside, Gongsun Qingyang smiled wryly. "What made you decide to take Chen Mu as a foster son? I was just advising our daughter to slowly develop feelings for him. They've only just begun to get to know each other—give them time, and affection will blossom naturally."

Zhao Qingqing shook her head. "I can see that Chen Mu doesn't have romantic feelings for Lin'er—at least not yet. Maybe in the future, but right now, forcing them together is unwise. That's why I made him our foster son. It doesn't hinder their relationship. Why are you so anxious? I just want them to be closer."

"You're right. A foster son isn't a real son; there's nothing wrong with him being with our daughter..." Gongsun Qingyang finally relaxed, otherwise his daughter would be crying again.

"Call the children back in. Leaving them outside like this is unnecessary," Zhao Qingqing complained.

"You're always so good with the children..." Gongsun Qingyang said helplessly.

When Chen Mu and Gongsun Lin were called back, Zhao Qingqing explained the matter of adopting Chen Mu as their foster son and urged Gongsun Lin to support and help each other.

When she mentioned mutual support, Gongsun Lin blushed again, realizing her mother's true intentions, and nodded.

Chen Mu said, "Then from now on, I should call you Sister Lin."

Hearing this, Gongsun Lin was instantly furious and protested, "You're not allowed to call me 'Sister Lin.' Can't you call me 'Lin'er' like Father and Mother?"

Chen Mu was perplexed. Wasn't she old enough to be called 'Lin'er'? She was a sister, not a little girl...

But he didn't say this aloud, lest Gongsun Lin be even more upset. So he awkwardly called out, "Lin'er?... Sister?"

Gongsun Lin was secretly pleased when he said "Lin'er," but when he added "Sister," her mood soured.

She sighed. Let it be for now. The future would sort itself out. For now, she and Chen Mu were family, and that made her happy.

Seeing Gongsun Lin in better spirits, Chen Mu scratched his head, thinking, "A woman's heart is a needle at the bottom of the sea."

At that moment, Gongsun Qingyang looked at Chen Mu with a serious expression. "Chen Mu, as for your revenge plan, Nine Nether Sacred Land can't help you for now. We're in a tense situation with the Ming Moon Empire's royal family—friction is increasing, and we're in a constant state of readiness. If you want Nine Nether Sacred Land's support, you'll need us to prevail or replace them in this conflict. Do you understand?"

Chen Mu was silent for a moment, then said, "You mean, unless I overthrow the Ming Moon royal family, Nine Nether Sacred Land can't help me avenge my sect? That won't be easy..."

"Exactly. Ideally, you'd replace them. Then not only could you mobilize the Sacred Land's power, you'd have the entire empire at your disposal for your revenge. But these are not your immediate concerns. What you need to focus on is improving your strength," Gongsun Qingyang continued.

Chen Mu nodded. Indeed, his most pressing task was to grow stronger.

Gongsun Qingyang spoke gravely. "Tomorrow, I'll lead a group to confront the royal family of the Ming Moon Empire. It'll be a fierce battle, but I must seek justice. So, Lin'er is in your care for now."

"Yes, foster father. With me here, Sister Lin will be safe," Chen Mu promised.

"Good. With those words, adopting you was the right choice. Go accompany Lin'er for a while; I need to speak with your foster mother alone."

Thus, Chen Mu and Gongsun Lin left the Hall of the Sacred Land, walking together in silence through its core grounds.

Gongsun Lin was awkward, uncertain what to say. Just as she pondered, Chen Mu suddenly spoke. "Don't worry, foster father will return triumphant. I'll do everything I can to protect you while he's gone."

These words eased Gongsun Lin's heart, and she smiled. "With you here, I'm not afraid."

Chen Mu stretched lazily. "I'm heading to the supply office to request twenty more blood-essence herbs for cultivation. Where are you going?"

"I'll go with you and take a look."

So the two made their way to the supply office together.

When the steward saw Chen Mu and Gongsun Lin arrive together, he looked as if he'd seen a ghost. Chen Mu was here again.

He respectfully greeted the young master with the Sacred Land's customary salute, but inwardly wondered why Chen Mu was with her.

Chen Mu spoke, "I used up yesterday's blood-essence herbs. Please give me twenty more."

At this, the steward exploded, "Do you think blood-essence herbs are cabbages? You took twenty yesterday and it's still not enough? How are you using them?"

"I eat them, of course—part of my cultivation. All consumed with my technique," Chen Mu replied, exasperated.

"Eaten? Impossible! How are you not dead from it?" the steward exclaimed, convinced Chen Mu was hoarding the herbs for resale.

"My technique refines them. Are you going to give them or not?" Chen Mu said, impatient.

The steward, looking pitifully at Gongsun Lin, pleaded, "Young master, this boy is bullying us! He's lying—there's no technique that can refine blood-essence herbs. He must be pocketing Sacred Land's resources!"

"What nonsense! My father told you to give them, so you do it. Stop with the useless talk, or I'll have you removed from your post," Gongsun Lin snapped, annoyed at the steward's audacity to slander Chen Mu in her presence.

The steward was taken aback. He'd hoped to complain about this greedy fellow to the young master, but she was defending him instead. What was their relationship?

With no recourse against someone with powerful backing, the steward shrank back and fetched twenty blood-essence herbs from the storeroom for Chen Mu.

With the herbs in hand, Chen Mu and Gongsun Lin left the supply office together.

After wandering for who knows how many rounds, the two finally grew tired. Chen Mu escorted Gongsun Lin back to the Hall, then returned to his own residence.

He was determined to advance his physical cultivation. Entering his bedroom, he activated all the wards and began practicing the Ancient Nine Tribulations Sutra.

He consumed herb after herb, circulating the Sutra to rapidly refine and nourish his flesh, soon achieving the peak of the Skin Tempering stage.

The herbs he'd been consuming these past two days were all third-grade, their immense blood-essence potent enough that even a Core Formation cultivator would need to nibble them cautiously.

Yet Chen Mu's new body, first fused with a divine structure, was inherently powerful and resilient; second, with the Ancient Nine Tribulations Sutra, he could refine the wild medicinal energy, converting it into pure blood-essence to nourish his flesh. Thus, he had no fear of being overwhelmed by the herbs' power.