Chapter 162 (Patreon)

“Alright, good job. We’ll call it here for today,” Tianyue said and started stacking the books that had been placed on the table. “It’s almost time for practice. Xinyue, take Xinlu and head over to your grandparents.”“Yes, Mom,” Xinyue said with a sigh, rising to her feet and pulling her younger brother up.

“What’s with the sighing? I thought you liked to cultivate?” Tianyue asked.

“I do. It’s these books I can’t stand. You’ve tired me out, Mom,” Xinyue said, turning to Tianyue and forcing her lips into a pout.

“What’s wrong with these books?” Tianyue said, glancing down at the books in her arms; they were all classics from back home, most of them were the very same copies Tianyue herself had studied.

“What’s the point in learning about governing? About laws? Isn’t it just a waste of time? We’re not even learning about the laws the Sword Sect has set,” Xinyue complained.

“Well, you’ve already learned everything else. You’re so smart, I have to fill that head of yours with something, right?” Tianyue questioned.

Her daughter was now 11 years old, and all through her childhood, she had been like a sponge, absorbing all the knowledge Tianyue taught her. 

Tianyue had started to worry that she might not have anything left to teach her soon. Fortunately, she had studied laws extensively back in the Yan Kingdom, knowledge that she was sure was hard to find in this place.

Tianyue believed it was an excellent reference to have once Xinyue grew up. If she started working in administrative tasks like her mother, she would need some real-world examples.

‘I guess I never considered if it was boring or not, though.’

‘Come to think of it, didn’t these books bore me to death back then as well?’

“I suppose I can find a different topic to study. One that interests you a bit more,” Tianyue said. She didn’t really care that much about what Xinyue learned, as long as she learned. The girl was a genius, much smarter than Tianyue; it would be a tragedy if she grew to dislike reading.

“Really?” Xinyue asked, smiling brightly.

“Yes,” Tianyue said with a wry smile. “Did you have something in mind?”“I want to study formations,” Xinyue answered immediately.

“I don’t know anything about formations,” Tianyue said.

“Aunt Tianyi does, though, right? Isn’t she returning soon?” Xinyue asked.

“That’s what I’ve heard, yes,” Tianyue answered. 

Her younger sister had been gone for several years now. She had gone to Yuanchi Immortal Land to visit Song Hongchi a few years after she had advanced to the Foundation stage, which was about six years ago now.

‘I guess she has been gone for almost four years. Time really flies.  No wonder Dad was so upset.’

Her father had been complaining about Tianyi being gone for too long after basically just a week had passed, but he became angry for real about a month ago.

Tianyue didn’t know how he found out, but apparently, Tianyi had been helping Song Hongchi with a mission for the Green River Sect, investigating something in the western edges of the Sword Sect’s territory. 

From her Dad’s reaction, it wasn’t without danger, and he had called her back home straight away.

‘I wonder what she experienced. I’m sure she’ll have quite a few stories to tell when she gets back.’

“When she gets back, I can study formations from her, right?” Xinyue asked.

“It should be fine. But you should make sure to get on your grandfather’s good side before then. Remember that you are part of the Qu Family, you can’t expect to receive the same treatment as your cousins. It’s only because your grandfather dotes on you that you get to enjoy the same privileges, but don’t take it for granted,” Tianyue warned. “I know, I know,” Xinyue said, nodding, “I’m always well-behaved, you know that.”“Er,” Xinluo interrupted, “Can I also choose what I want to study?”“No. You don’t even have the 100 Shu Characters memorized. You can choose more freely when you’re older,” Tianyue said.

“I thought we were the Qu family,” Xinluo muttered.

“Well,” Tianyue said, rubbing her head, “You are, but you are also a Shu.”“How does that work?” Xinluo asked.

“It just works,” Tianyue said. She was starting to regret agreeing to marry out of their family so easily. She hadn’t really considered the implications back then. Luzei didn’t want to marry into another family, so Tianyue didn’t want to make an issue of it. What was the big deal? She just wanted to get married and start a small family of her own.

But with time, she had begun to understand that things were a little more complicated. If not for her father’s special treatment, who knows how things would have turned out for her?

‘I guess there was no real way to convince Luzei. Even if I had made an effort back then, he would never have budged. So there is no use in thinking about it.’

It wasn’t like she regretted marrying him. She loved him, and she loved her three children. What was a family name compared to that?

It just complicated things a bit from time to time.

“Do you feel like you are part of the Qu family? Our family?” Xinyue asked her younger brother.

“Of course,” Xinluo answered.

“Do you feel like you’re a part of the Shu Family?” Xinyue asked.

“Well…yeah,” Xinluo answered.

“There you have it. We’re both,” Xinyue said with a shrug. “Now let’s go. We’re going to be late.”Tianyue smiled as she watched them leave. Her daughter was so clever.

“When can I start cultivating, Mom?” Her youngest child, Xintuo, asked. 

“You’re only five years old. You’ll have to wait for a year or two,” Xinyue said, bending down and patting him on the head. “But your siblings practice spiritual qi, and that requires spirit roots. If you don’t have any, you won’t be able to go with them even when you grow up.”Xintuo’s eyes grew red. “Don’t I have spirit roots?”“We don’t know yet, sweetheart,” Tianyue comforted. Her father definitely knew, but he refused to say anything until it became relevant. He had only revealed that Xinluo had trash-grade spirit roots two years ago.

“But it doesn’t matter. If you don’t have spirit roots, you can practice body cultivation, like your cousins. Maybe you can comprehend fist intent like your grandfather one day,” Tianyue encouraged.

“How do I do that?” Xintuo asked.

“You punch!” Tianyue said, punching out with her fist in the air. “You punch and punch and punch, day after day, year after year, until you can entrust everything you have to your fist.”

Xintuo nodded seriously, looking quite comical with his red eyes.

“Anyway, that’s for when you’re older. Let’s go to the Main Mansion,” Tianyue said.

She grabbed her son’s hand and headed outside. Her husband was busy, helping Tianan with his wine for some reason, so Tianyue had to be the one to look after their youngest son.

There was actually a courtyard in the eastern part of the estate that had been allocated to leave the younger children in case the parents had to work. It was kept running by her sister-in-laws Xi Lia, Luo Qinze, and Ling Ximing. No matter the time of day, if you found yourself with too much on your plate, you could leave your child there to play with their cousins.

But Tianyue rarely used it; she spent most of her time in the Main Mansion, so there wasn’t a problem with keeping Xintuo by her side.

“Can I look around, Mom?” Xintuo asked when they entered the Main Mansion.

“I’ll see,” Tianyue answered. The Main Mansion was huge, especially for a small child like Xintuo, and he quite liked wandering around and exploring all the rooms. Usually, that wasn’t a problem.

“Xinan, Xinnu, we don’t have any guests, have we?” Tianyue stuck her head inside an office next to the main hall and asked her nieces.

“No. We’re not expecting anyone either,” Xinan answered.

“Good. I’ll let Xintuo wander then. Let me know if anything changes. I’ll be in my office,” Tianyue said.

“Okay,” Xinan said, nodding. “Jijing was making a fuss this morning, so she is back here if Xintuo wants to play.”“Hear that, Xintuo?” Tianyue asked. Jijing was Xinan’s first child, three years old now. She had seemed quite fond of Xintuo the last time they met.

“Mm,” Xintuo nodded shyly.

“Well, you do what you feel like,” Tianyue said, patting his head. She then turned to her nieces. “Come get me if he makes trouble; I won’t be very busy.”Tianyue headed up a floor to her own office. It was almost time for the monthly resource allocation, so she had to make sure everything was up to date when she went to ask her father for spirit stones. There were a lot of in-laws now, and the Shu family grew bigger and bigger each year, and people advanced every month, making it quite a long process.

Luckily, Tianyue was not responsible for going around and checking everyone’s progress. If someone advanced, or got married, they had to come to her and report.

Just as she had begun her work, Gu Xiang, Tianzheng’s wife, knocked on the open door. “Busy?”“What’s the matter?” Tianyue asked, eyes down on her papers. Gu Xiang had worked with her for many years now, so the two of them were very familiar. 

“Xingu advanced yesterday,” Gu Xiang reported with a bright smile.

“To the Master stage?” Tianyue asked, shocked.

“Yes,” Gu Xiang answered.

“Seriously? How old is he?” Tianyue asked.

“He just turned 20. I was also very shocked,” Gu Xiang answered.

“Our kids really are surpassing us one after another,” Tianyue said with a sigh.

“It’s nothing compared to Tianhu’s family. It’s a good thing, though. It keeps everyone grounded,” Gu Xiang said.

“That’s true. Those kids seem to have inherited my brother’s protagonist fate,” Tianyue said. She always felt Tianhu’s stories were straight out of a storybook. Who would have guessed that Xinxi, Xinjiang, and Xinmo would all outdo him?

“Anyway, I’ll update his records. He’ll receive 50 spirit stones each month starting tomorrow,” Tianyue said.

“Oh, wait,” Gu Xiang said, raising her hand, “Why don’t you wait until he comes and reports himself? He’s been looking forward to it.”Tianyue laughed and shook her head. “So you just came here to brag? Fine, just wait till my kids grow up a bit, and I’ll nag your ears off.”“Fine by me,” Gu Xiang said. She stuck around for a while longer, before heading back, tending to her own responsibilities.

Tianyue continued working on her own for a while, but her thoughts were constantly drifting. 

She had an idea earlier when her daughter complained about the boring books about governance. Tianyue thought that maybe she could write something a little more interesting herself. A sort of compilation of what she had learned both from her experience within the Yan Kingdom’s Office, as well as helping her father with Clan matters.

And now, when talking about Tianhu’s experiences, she got another idea. To write a story of her own. One inspired by her family member’s adventures. 

The thought of some little girl reading about her brothers and sister and feeling the same amazement that she had experienced when she was a little girl was quite exciting.

‘I should give it a try. I’ll let Luzei read it first and see what he thinks. If it’s good, we can start making a few copies to sell in the book store.’

‘It would be nice to have as a collectable within the family if nothing else.’