Marrying Wives and Attaining Immortality in a Chaotic World

Chapter 360: Harvest

After Huangpu Shuyi left, Ning Meixue didn’t bring up the topic of her again, possibly worried that it might distract her husband from refining the Metamorphosis Elixir .

Xu Lian praised her inwardly, thinking to himself, “What a good woman”.

They waited until the high furnace reached its “maintenance phase” and stabilized before leaving the area together and returning to their residence. Only then did Ning Meixue ask, “It seems that Little Junior Sister is quite attached to you, Husband.”

Xu Lian understood the principle of confessing early to mitigate the consequences. Moreover, in this world, jealousy was relatively low-key – as long as he explained things well, it wouldn’t be an issue.

Thus, Xu Lian recounted how Huangpu Shuyi had persistently pestered him in her quest to learn his advanced alchemy techniques. “I was so annoyed by her persistence that I decided to follow Master Zhao Ming’s example and pretend to pursue her romantically.

“However, I never expected Huangpu Shuyi to be so determined to master alchemy. One thing led to another, and we ended up consummating our relationship. But it wasn’t for long… just within the past five years.”

Ning Meixue gave him a reproachful look. “You’ve been with Huangpu Shuyi for five whole years, and you call that ‘not long’? Are you saying that you didn’t enjoy it enough?”

Xu Lian sighed. “One misstep, and she used it to blackmail me. What could I do?”

Ning Meixue frowned. “If she wants to learn your alchemy skills, why didn’t you just teach her?”

Xu Lian replied, “That’s the problem. My alchemy skills are… unique. They can only be understood intuitively, not taught by words. While I have no problem refining pills beyond their intended level, I honestly don’t know how to pass this knowledge on to someone else. After all, I’ve never been a master.”

Ning Meixue thought for a moment. “So what are you going to do?”

Xu Lian shrugged. “I’m not sure. I once suggested that she marry me, but she refused. She said I’m too old, since I’ve been cultivating for over two thousand years. She wants to have a young genius as her Dao partner. Yet she insists on learning my alchemy skills, which I can’t teach her. So we’re at an impasse.

“Her coming here clearly means that she intends to continue pestering me. Unless she learns my alchemy techniques, she won’t give up.”

Ning Meixue sighed helplessly. “Husband, you really think too highly of yourself. At such a young age, she’s already attained great power and shown remarkable cultivation talents. As Prince Rui’s direct daughter and now a titled princess, she’s one of the most promising young talents in the empire with a bright future ahead of her. Of course, she wouldn’t agree to marry someone like you, who belongs to the older generation after cultivating for over two thousand years.”

“If I revealed my identity as the Holy Son of the Nine Heavens, she’d definitely agree…” Xu Lian thought to himself with a wry smile.

Ning Meixue expressed her concern. “If she continues failing to learn your advanced alchemy techniques and doesn’t achieve her goal, she might grow angry and humiliated. In retaliation, she could expose your relationship with Prince Rui-or even report it directly to the Emperor. The results would be unpredictable.”

Xu Lian nodded gravely. “That’s exactly what worries me.”

A cold gleam flashed in Ning Meixue’s autumnal eyes. “Given the situation, there’s only one solution – to eliminate her. Only the dead have no secrets.”

Xu Lian was startled by her ruthlessness. “Sister, that’s not a good idea. When we conspired against Master Zhao Ming, if the truth came out, the worst case scenario would be that only the two of us would be punished by the court. But Huangpu Shuyi is different – she is a legitimate member of the imperial family. If anything were to happen to her and it came to light, both Marquis Qin’s household and Marquis Ning’s household would be implicated. It’s a crime punishable by execution and the annihilation of entire families.”

This made Ning Meixue hesitate. Her gaze turned melancholic as she complained, “Husband, you truly are something. You knew full well that she was a direct descendant of the imperial family, yet you still got involved with her.”

Xu Lian embraced Ning Meixue to comfort her. “Meixue, don’t worry. I’ll take full responsibility for my actions. I’ll find a way to persuade her.”

And so, in the days that followed, Xu Lian frequently visited the medicinal fields to seek out Huangpu Shuyi, trying every possible method to reason with her.

Unfortunately, the more he tried, the deeper he became entangled. Their situation became more and more complicated.

Until one day, Huangpu Shuyi broke down in tears because she discovered that she was pregnant.

She repeatedly pounded on Xu Lian, but he didn’t retaliate. When she finally grew tired, her red eyes glaring at him, she said accusingly, “Third Brother, you scoundrel! Are you still refusing to teach me your alchemy techniques?”

Her stubbornness was truly remarkable… Xu Lian could only resort to a delaying tactic. “I will teach you. Starting tomorrow, you can stay by my side and observe how I refine the Metamorphosis Elixir . Watch closely and learn – it will help you gradually grasp my alchemy methods.

Huangpu Shuyi narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Shouldn’t you start by teaching me simpler alchemy techniques first? Why jump straight into something as difficult as refining Metamorphosis Elixir ? Are you trying to trick me again?”

Xu Lian raised his hand, holding up three fingers toward the sky. “I swear on the Great Dao, I will not deceive you.”

Huangpu Shuyi finally believed him. After all, no one dared to use the Great Dao Oath as a lie. She placed a hand on her stomach and coldly said, “I need to get rid of this child.”

Xu Lian immediately objected, taking her hand in his and speaking with deep emotion. “This is our child. How could you bear to harm it? Let’s bring it into this world.”

Huangpu Shuyi replied coldly, “I only became intimate with you to learn your alchemy skills. Do you really think I would marry you?”

Xu Lian replied, “What’s wrong with marrying me? I’m now the overseer of this exclusive cultivation resource zone, capable of refining Metamorphosis Elixir . In the imperial court, I’m considered one of the upper echelons-wherever I go, people address me as an alchemist master.

“What’s more, my cultivation hasn’t stagnated over the years. I’ve already reached the ninth stage of the Unity Realm, and I am close to ascending to the Origin Tracing Realm. By then, I’ll be both an alchemical master and a top-tier powerhouse in the Origin Tracing Realm. Is that still not enough for you?”

Huangpu Shuyi replied, “If you were unmarried, you could be my consort. But you’re already a Dao partner with Second Sister. How could I marry you? What would that say about Prince Rui’s household?”

Xu Lian thought for a moment before replying, “If you think my current achievements aren’t enough, then wait. Observe my future achievements before you make a decision.

“You are still young and do not intend to find a Dao partner so soon, right? If my future accomplishments are to your satisfaction, then marry me. If not, we’ll let it go.

“But no matter what, I won’t allow you to harm our child. I really care about you, and I hope you’ll give birth to this child. After all, we’ve been together for five years. Having a child won’t make a big difference, and no one needs to know. It won’t affect your future either.

Huangpu Shuyi hesitated.

Xu Lian reassured her once more, promising to teach her diligently. Finally, she relented.

He had successfully persuaded her.

Life returned to a semblance of calm.

Chi Sui visited once and stayed for several days. Seeing how skillfully Xu Lian handled the refinement of Metamorphosis Elixir, he left satisfied.

A few months later, Huangpu Shuyi began to show signs of pregnancy, and fearing discovery, she left the exclusive cultivation resource zone. Xu Lian purchased an estate outside the imperial city to settle her there.

Six months later, Huangpu Shuyi gave birth to their child and returned to the Exclusive Cultivation Resource Zone.

It must be said that Huangpu Shuyi’s talent in alchemy was indeed impressive. Under Ning Meixue’s guidance and through daily observation of Xu Lian refining Metamorphosis Elixir , her skills steadily improved.

This result surprised even Xu Lian. He had not expected his bluff to work out so well – it seemed that he had not deceived her after all.

More than two decades passed.

One day, the Metamorphosis Elixir that Xu Lian had been refining was nearing completion. He felt that the timing was right. After such a long period of careful planning, it was finally time to reap the rewards.

Of course, his target wasn’t just this batch of Metamorphosis Elixir . His ambitions went far beyond that.