Chapter 134: With Child

A soft, sweet voice rang out, and in an instant, the Guanyin wood transformed into a little girl wearing a green dress, looking remarkably like Shen Qingli.

"Daddy, Mommy!"

The child chirped happily and lunged toward the couple. Shen Qingli’s eyes widened, and she instinctively ducked behind Xie Jinchuan.

"What—what is happening here?" she stammered, staring in disbelief at the beautiful little girl. She couldn't help but wonder if she had caused some kind of disaster.

"You really are no ordinary piece of Guanyin wood; the Deer Spirit Clan certainly left behind quite a legacy." Xie Jinchuan lowered his gaze to study the little girl, who barely reached his knees. She had chubby hands and a chubby face, and most importantly, she looked just like Shen Qingli—equally adorable.

"It was Mommy’s spiritual energy that helped me take human form! My name is Guanyin!" Guanyin said, blinking her large eyes at Shen Qingli with a sweet, innocent smile. "Mommy!"

"Don't worry, she has no ill intent. She is the last surviving sapling of the Guanyin Sacred Tree of the Deer Spirit Clan. I never expected her to be hidden here in the human world." Xie Jinchuan reached out and pinched her chubby cheek, quickly accepting the reality of having a daughter. He scooped her up into his arms and turned to Shen Qingli. "Consider her our first child."

Hearing his playful tone, Shen Qingli shot him a glare, then reached out to poke a tiny dimple on Guanyin’s cheek. "She’s warm—she’s alive!"

"Mommy, now that I’ve taken human form, I am human, of course! Mommy is a silly beauty!" Guanyin pouted and held out her arms toward Shen Qingli, looking at her expectantly.

"Not very big, but you certainly know how to talk," Shen Qingli murmured. As she took the child into her arms, she felt the little girl lean her head against her, looking entirely content. "Mommy smells super good. I like it! I love Mommy the most!"

Feeling the ticklish sensation of the child nuzzling her neck, Shen Qingli looked down at Guanyin’s happy face, a wave of maternal affection washing over her. She turned to Xie Jinchuan, who had been watching them both. "Do you think that if we have children of our own one day, they will be just like this?"

Xie Jinchuan moved closer, wrapping his arm around Shen Qingli’s waist. "I think they certainly will be."

"However, your body isn't ready for pregnancy yet. When the time is right, we will naturally have children of our own."

The thought of having a child with him filled Shen Qingli’s face with sweetness. "Our children will surely be as cute as Guanyin."

As she spoke, she looked down to find that Guanyin had already fallen asleep against her, her breathing steady and peaceful.

"Your essence is incredibly nourishing to plants like Guanyin. Even without direct spiritual energy, just being by your side every day will help her thrive." Xie Jinchuan couldn't resist; he mimicked Shen Qingli by poking the child’s chubby cheek, then shifted to poke Shen Qingli’s cheek instead. He still found his wife’s the most irresistible.

"Will she be in danger like this?" Shen Qingli asked, worried. Guanyin wood was known to attract demons, and being a sacred tree... she feared that even the slightest blow from an enemy could destroy such a young sapling.

"Just cast a restriction spell on her to conceal her aura," he suggested.

Shen Qingli followed his lead, tracing a charm in the air that promptly vanished into Guanyin’s forehead.

[Host, you don't care about me at all.]

As Shen Qingli laid Guanyin on the bed and turned around, a snowy-white figure leaped into her arms.

"I do, but who told you to go around provoking people?"

[Waaaah!]

"If you 'waaaah' again, I’ll throw you out."

The Green-Green Coriander immediately fell silent, sensing the icy chill in Xie Jinchuan’s gaze. It silently pulled its paws off Shen Qingli’s chest and hopped gracefully onto the floor.

[I’m going to go cultivate, I’m going to go cultivate now.] It scampered away.

Xie Jinchuan’s gaze softened as he looked back at Shen Qingli, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"I found this. Take a look at the maintenance methods for Guanyin wood. If she can successfully bear fruit, we won't need to hunt for the power of the Deer Spirit everywhere. But... the fruit is incredibly difficult to produce." He paused. "Furthermore, once the fruit of the Guanyin Sacred Tree appears, it will attract many greedy eyes, as it is said to revive the dead and regrow flesh and bone."

The final sentence left Shen Qingli stunned. "Really?"

He nodded, a fleeting, unreadable look flashing in his eyes so quickly that Shen Qingli missed it.

"No wonder everyone wants it. But Rong Qiaoyi probably doesn't know this is a sacred tree; if she had known, she would have snatched it away long ago." Thinking of the expression on Rong Qiaoyi’s face when she realized she’d been swindled, Shen Qingli felt a sense of vindication.

"She likely lacks the ability to sense the restriction, so don't worry about being discovered. The wood is still young and needs nutrients; you should keep her with you as much as possible, otherwise, she might wither," Xie Jinchuan cautioned. Shen Qingli made a mental note of it, the two of them looking very much like a pair of doting parents.

"And this isn't even our biological child. If it were, you’d be even more concerned," Shen Qingli teased, looking at Xie Jinchuan, who had donned his glasses. She felt a flutter of affection she couldn't suppress.

"Well, then, why don't we try to make a biological one as soon as possible? What do you think?"

The man’s silhouette loomed over her. Shen Qingli lay on the sofa, blinking as she traced circles on his chest with her finger, her every movement lively and alluring.

"I’d like that, but... I’m on my period." She winked at him and gave a cheeky grin.

Xie Jinchuan felt a mix of frustration and helplessness, but seeing her provocative expression, he reached out and pulled her closer. "You started this fire; you’re going to help me put it out."

Before she could respond, his lips covered hers, and he guided her hands to explore further. Her cheeks flushed an instant, deep red.

"I..." Any further protest was swallowed by his fervent kiss.

Forty minutes later, Shen Qingli washed her hands, her cheeks as red as apples, silently warning herself never to take advantage of his temper again. She was always the one who suffered for it in the end!

"Let me rub your hands for you." Back in bed, Xie Jinchuan chuckled as he leaned in, his long, elegant fingers gently massaging her wrists to relieve the fatigue.

"Xie Jinchuan, I don't think we’ve ever really been on a proper date. I feel like for people like us, nothing in the mortal world is ever quite exciting enough." Shen Qingli murmured, reflecting on how they had never really gone out for fun.

Xie Jinchuan watched her sleepy expression. "Let me make some arrangements. I'll take you to see a side of this world you’ve never imagined, how about that?"

"Okay... it’s a deal."

Overcome by drowsiness, Shen Qingli drifted off to sleep. Xie Jinchuan pressed a kiss to her forehead, then turned, cast a spell, and vanished into thin air.