Cultivation Daddy

Chapter 204: Chapter 203: Three Days of Seclusion

When Fu Seng brought all seven children back to the Spiritual Tavern after school, the evening atmosphere in the restaurant was already bustling. The moment Li Jingxuan stepped through the doors, his hands were crossed behind his back, his small chest puffed out like a proud little rooster.

"Sixth brother, does your neck hurt?" Seeing how Li Jingxuan held his head so high, Li Juanxin couldn’t help but ask.

Li Jingxuan nearly fell when he heard that, he ignored the hater and continued walking with his head held high.

As soon as he reached the backyard, he leapt lightly onto the stone table, striking a heroic pose as his brothers gathered around.

"The hero has returned! Father! Brothers! Today I stood upon the stage of the Vermillion Sword Hall forging grounds and faced down dozens of senior disciples and seasoned blacksmiths!"

Li Jingxuan said loudly, holding up eight fingers: "The furnace fire burned like a raging inferno! But with a flick of my wrist and my mastery over flame control, I forged a blade so powerful that the instructors were completely struck speechless! Instructor Zhuang and Instructor Chi said my inner refining technique was a masterpiece!"

Li Yuhan couldn’t help but laugh, leaning casually against the wooden pillar: "Is that so, Xiao Xuan? But I heard from the students that your sword looked more like a burnt sweet potato than a weapon."

Li Jingxuan puffed his cheeks, pointing a finger at his second brother: "What burnt sweet potato? That is called unadorned inner perfection! The instructors said true power lies on the inside! Even Liang Rui, who has practiced for over a year, barely scraped past me because I didn’t waste time on superficial polish! Now he’s begging to be friends with the master."

The rest of the family couldn’t hold back their smiles at his shameless exaggeration. Li Jingsheng asked: "What’s your rank?"

Li Jingxuan replied: "I ranked 8th in the top fifteen. Which was beyond expectations according to instructor Chi."

Li Zhang slapped him on the shoulder, nearly knocking him off the chair: "Eighth place is still in the top ten out of the whole school! Good job, Sixth Brother! You didn’t embarrass us!"

Li Jingxuan frowned: ’Fourth brother, was that unintentional or did you do it on purpose to show how strong you’ve become? Ha! I didn’t expect you to want to play like this.’

Li Jingxuan was roaring inside, but he still maintained a smile on the outside.

Li Yujian nodded: "Not bad. But Xuan, why can’t you craft a sword that looks... a bit like an... actual sword."

Li Zhang laughed: "Unfortunately, Xuan doesn’t have eyes for initial beauty. I don’t think he’ll ever make anything better looking than this."

Li Yuhan thought of a solution and suggested: "Then you two should hang out more often. Oh, add Xin to the group as well. You’re a stylist who, little Xin likes pretty things. I’m sure with your insights, Xuan would soon awaken his sense or vision of beauty."

Li Zhang thought about it nodded in agreement: "You’re not wrong, second brother. I will think about it, but this is going to be a lot of work."

Li Jain walked out from the kitchen wiping his hands with a towel. His eyes were filled with amusement as he looked at his sixth son: "So, our little forge master won eighth place in his very first competition?"

"You know it." Li Jingxuan grinned.

Li Jain looked at the sword and praised: "Xiao Xuan did very well. I’m very proud of you."

"Thank you, father. Everyone’s judging the sword’s appearance, which was making me feel a little doubtful."

"The appearance can be improved later. Your technique is more important at this stage." Li Jain said as he returned the sword.

Li Jingxuan lifted his chin proudly: "That is what I said. Once I create a holy weapon, no one will care about the appearance."

"Xin, what do you think?" Li Jingsheng asked

As someone who’s attracted towards beauty, it’s important to get Li Juanxin’s opinion on things that concern beauty. Li Juanxin shook his head. It doesn’t matter how powerful it is, there’s no way he’ll hold such ugly weapon.

Li Jingxuan changed the subject, it was about time to get his reward: "Dad, forging takes an immense amount of spiritual energy and physical stamina. My arms are still sore, and my stomach has been rumbling since noon. As a reward for defending our family honor, I request braised spirit beef ribs, sweet-and-sour spirit pork, crispy rainbow fish, and crispy golden chicken dumplings for dinner tonight!"

The others were speechless: our family honor was never on the line.

Li Jain chuckled softly and patted Jingxuan’s head: "Since you worked so hard and made a new friend in the process, Dad will satisfy your appetite tonight."

"Yay! Dad is the best!" Li Jingxuan cheered, hopping down from the table.

Li Jain returned to the kitchen to prepare the meal. Before long, the mouth-watering aroma of food filled the backyard.

The children had already cleaned up and changed their clothes. They sat around the large round table, enjoying the feast.

"Yes! This is the taste of victory."

Li Jain watched his children eat, a feeling of warmth filling his chest. This is his favorite scene on a daily basis.

...

With the Spiritual Tavern officially open and running smoothly, the daily routine had stabilized. But Li Jain knew in his heart that he could no longer put off his own cultivation.

Ever since he opened the tavern and displayed dishes capable of triggering instant breakthroughs, too many eyes in South River City and beyond had focused on him. Unknown spiritual senses had been probing around him over the past few days. To protect his peaceful life with his children, absolute strength was necessary. Besides, the barrier to the Divine Palace realm was already fragile for him. He had already gathered herbs needed to make the Divine Power Ascension pill.

After the Tavern closed for the day, the family carriage brought them back to the Li residence.

Li Jain decided to pay his grandfather a visit. He walked toward the eastern courtyard where his grandfather lived.

The eastern courtyard was tranquil, surrounded by tall bamboo groves and stone paths. The Moonlight through the leaves, was casting soft shadows across the stone tables and courtyard bridge.

As Li Jain stepped into the courtyard, he noticed that his grandfather was not alone. He wanted to turn around and leave, but the others saw him as well.

Sitting at the stone table opposite his grandfather was an elderly woman. She wore elegant, deep teal robes embroidered with nine distinct silver lotus motifs along the sleeves. Her silver-white hair was pinned neatly with a jade hairpin, and her posture was calm and upright.

The old ancestor’s expression was much better than the last time Li Jain saw him. Clearly, Li Xinyue’s efforts weren’t wasted.

"Xiao Jain, you’ve returned," The old ancestor said, gesturing for him to approach.

Li Jain stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Grandfather, Elder."

The old ancestor nodded and pointed toward the elder woman: "Xiao Jain, come meet Senior Elder Chu. She is the Third Master of the Nine Spirit Sect."

The Nine Spirit Sect was one of the premier orthodox sects in the region, possessing deep foundations and terrifying influence.

Elder Chu’s sharp, perceptive eyes turned toward Li Jain. She observed the young man in front her. On the surface, he appeared gentle, and refined, like a peaceful scholar. Yet, with her centuries of experience, she felt an incomprehensible calmness around him that made even her feel a trace of awe.

Li Jain cupped his hands gracefully: "Junior Li Jain greets Senior Elder Chu."

Elder Chu smiled: "No need to be so formal. I have heard quite a lot about you recently. Your Spiritual Tavern has been very lively these past few days. Even my sect disciples have been restless recently, talking about descending the mountains just to try your dishes. Your grandfather wouldn’t stop singing your praises."

Li Jain shook his head: "Senior praises me too highly."

Elder Chu smiled and said nothing more.

After exchanging a few courteous remarks, Elder Chu sensed that the grandfather and grandson had family matters to discuss, so she took her leave to go sightseeing.

Once Elder Chu left and only the two grandfather and grandson remained in the quiet pavilion, the old ancestor looked at Li Jain, his eyes narrowing slightly with curiosity: "Xiao Jain, you came to see me at this hour. Is something on your mind? Or did you come to ruin my date?"

Li Jain was speechless, and laughed: "I thought you said it was an exchange of knowledge and not a date?"

The old ancestor waves his hand: "Get to the point, boy. Can’t keep the lady waiting for too long."

Li Jain walked over to the stone table and sat across from his grandfather.

He looked toward his grandfather and said: "Grandfather, I came because I have something to tell you. I’ve been putting this up for quite some time. Now that the tavern has been stabilized, I intend to enter a short three-day seclusion starting tonight."

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