Chapter 75: Mom, do you want to know your origins?
When Qi Huang returned to the Cheng Residence, she found that the events of last night had alarmed the entire Prefect Dong family of three. They had personally arrived at the scene to direct the constables in their investigation. Of course, even a fool could tell their intentions were not about the case itself.
Young Master Dong, acting like a sycophant, almost fell out of his eye sockets when he saw the two “Hong Ling sisters” appear together. He quickly asked Cheng Yuan what was going on.
Cheng Yuan, naturally, couldn’t be rude to the Prefect’s son, so he explained the matter of cultivators creating “clones.”
“You mean if she gets even stronger, she can cultivate more clones?” Dong Yu asked incredulously.
“Yes, if she can cultivate according to the explanation of Heavenly Punishment, even her three souls and seven vital souls can be cultivated into clones. Along with her main body, I will have eleven daughters then.” Cheng Yuan chuckled proudly, completely forgetting his troubles. After all, in this world, having one daughter was already a blessing from heaven, and he not only had one, but she could “split.”
“Eleven?” Dong Yu stared, dumbfounded, then a suppressed surge of ecstasy followed, “If someone marries her, wouldn’t that be equivalent to marrying eleven wives?”
“Nephew Dong, you’re thinking too much. With eleven daughters, I naturally have to find eleven sons-in-law,” Cheng Yuan immediately shattered Young Master Dong’s illusion.
“Heh heh…” Dong Yu touched his head, a bit embarrassed that his little schemes were exposed.
Qi Huang, who had been paying attention, couldn’t help but roll her eyes at this point. “Wanting to marry eleven? If I let you marry one, I’ll give birth to one child. I keep my word.”
After learning this, Dong Yu became even more impatient. He went to appease Cheng Hong Ling, but the result was obvious; he was met with a cold shoulder.
“Sister Hong Ling, don’t be like this! When I helped you with your Tooth Token back then, you said you’d give me a chance!” Dong Yu pleaded like a persistent dog.
“Did I say that?” Cheng Hong Ling was stunned, then she recalled something and glared fiercely at Qi Huang.
Qi Huang immediately put on an innocent expression, wishing she could run over and sew the mouth of that Dong fellow shut. When had she ever said such shameless things? This was pure slander.
“Sorry, it wasn’t me who asked you for the Tooth Token, it was her!” Cheng Hong Ling glanced at Qi Huang. She had absolute confidence in this clone. She thought to herself, ‘If you can even win over her, who is this male god’s clone, then I’ll accept my fate.’
“Was it her?” Young Master Dong, having no other choice, decided to try his luck again and went to appease Qi Huang.
Qi Huang remembered that he had helped her forge a Tooth Token back then, so she entertained him with a few words. She didn’t expect him to take liberties upon receiving a little encouragement and pestered her relentlessly, leaving her utterly speechless.
…
On the other side, Prefect Dong also called Cheng Yuan aside for a private conversation.
“Brother Cheng, I’d like to ask you a question, I hope you don’t mind.” Prefect Dong asked cautiously. After all, in the presence of a cultivator’s father, even a secular prefect had to be respectful.
“Brother Dong, just say what you have to say. Do we need to be so formal between us?” Cheng Yuan replied straightforwardly.
“I just want to ask about your daughter’s clone, is she like an ordinary person?” Prefect Dong asked vaguely.
“What do you mean?” Cheng Yuan asked back, confused.
“What I mean is, is she an independent person? Not missing any limbs, or having any other incomplete parts!” Prefect Dong had no choice but to be blunt.
“Of course, she’s an independent person! Not only is she not missing any limbs, but her personality is also different from my daughter’s. You can completely treat her as my second daughter,” Cheng Yuan explained patiently, not at all annoyed.
“Is that so? That’s wonderful! Congratulations, Brother Cheng! Not only did you have such an excellent daughter, but she can even act on your behalf to add more daughters for yourselves. It’s truly enviable.” Prefect Dong quickly flattered him.
“Act on our behalf?” Cheng Yuan heard this novel metaphor and couldn’t help himself, thinking, ‘I’m not like you, you pale and flabby fellow, I don’t need any help at all.’
“Brother Cheng! Do you remember what I mentioned before? I also understand your daughter’s situation. Our Yu’er is indeed not worthy of her, and I understand if you have other ideas. But it’s different now. Since she has a sister, we must form this in-law relationship.” Prefect Dong finally couldn’t hold back and got to the point.
‘So this is what you’ve been waiting for! Unfortunately, even my daughter’s clone, your son is still not worthy.’ Cheng Yuan smiled subtly and replied ambiguously, “Brother Dong! You know, my daughter is not an ordinary person; she is a cultivator. Parental orders and matchmaking are useless to her. But as I said before, as long as Nephew Dong can touch her heart, whether it’s her clone or her main body, I have no objections.”
Cheng Yuan’s words were very skillful. It sounded like he said something, yet he said nothing at all.
Prefect Dong was a smart man. Hearing this, he could only force a smile. After all, whether a fairy would marry his son was not something a secular prefect like him could control.
After finally seeing off the prefect, the Cheng family of four finally had time to deal with their own family matters.
The night was deep and quiet, but the Cheng Residence was still lit by candlelight.
In the main hall, Cheng Yuan and his wife sat in the upper seats, with Qi Huang and the main body sitting on either side. Each of them had their own thoughts.
Cheng Yuan looked somewhat dejected, partly because he felt unworthy of his wife, and partly because his beliefs had been shattered, leaving him feeling empty, as if he had lost something.
‘I can’t believe I once shouted in the HongHua Sect, “Are kings and generals born any different?!” Thinking about it now makes me incredibly embarrassed.’ Cheng Yuan sighed. Although his wife’s exact origins were still unknown, her extraordinary fertility already explained everything; she was definitely not from an ordinary family.
Jiang Li Niang, who had resumed her disguise, would glance at her husband from time to time, a trace of worry and self-reproach in her eyes. She was always understanding and knew exactly what her husband was thinking at that moment.
Cheng Hong Ling looked at her parents, constantly pondering how to handle future matters, such as whether to investigate her mother’s origins.
Qi Huang, undoubtedly, was the most restless among the four. She knew her current identity was awkward; whether she was an outsider or not was up to her nominal parents. It was possible she might completely lose this familial affection.
“Husband, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hide it from you, but because of my parents, I didn’t want to mention that I was adopted. After all, they never told me either.” Jiang Li Niang finally spoke first.
“Your parents never told you about this?” Cheng Yuan asked, a bit surprised.
“No, I overheard it by chance! You should understand why they kept it a secret. Since they treated me as their own daughter, I couldn’t let them down, so I’ve always kept silent about it.” Jiang Li Niang explained.
“Wife, you don’t need to apologize to me; I’ve never blamed you! Instead, I feel unworthy of you. Being able to marry you is the greatest fortune of my life,” Cheng Yuan explained sincerely.
The couple looked at each other and smiled, but both understood that the core issue was elsewhere.
“Mom, tell me truthfully, do you want to know your origins? If you do, I can help you investigate,” Cheng Hong Ling said.
Hearing this, Cheng Yuan visibly tensed up. He understood that with his wife’s bloodline, her background must be extraordinary. Once her family was found, his own position as an unworthy son-in-law would be over.
“Forget it.” Jiang Li Niang shook her head without hesitation, then said, “Don’t you remember what Mom told you before? I’m very satisfied with my current life and don’t want to think about those messy things anymore. Since they decided to abandon me, why should I go chasing after them?”
Hearing this, Cheng Yuan felt a slight sense of relief. He didn’t know if his wife was being sincere or considering him, but his heart felt warm.
Cheng Hong Ling didn’t insist, as it was her mother’s wish.
After a moment of contemplation, Cheng Hong Ling looked at the nervously expectant Qi Huang and said, “Dad, Mom, there’s one more thing I think I should tell you.”
