Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 158 - 128: The Greenery Maiden

Evening of October 17, 2017

Wang Jiu flipped open the early pregnancy diary left by Li Jing and was immediately greeted by surprising text.

"March 1, 1999, sunny

In accordance with the family elders' requirement that family members must fulfill the obligation of continuing the family line, Zhou Wenjun and I engaged in our seventeenth post-marriage mating session in March 1999. It lasted 1 hour, 17 minutes, and 25 seconds, with * emissions, ** injection volume, and an estimated conception probability of 99.4%.

Afterward, Zhou Wenjun pointed out that this mating session was unplanned according to our prenup memorandum on marital life, and that pregnancy and childbirth severely disrupted her reading schedule, so I owed her compensation. Thus, despite my reluctance, I gave her my cherished, signed edition of the entire set of 'Celestial Wolf Campaign'.

Her reaction was unexpectedly enthusiastic. Whereas 'Celestial Wolf Campaign' was merely bedtime material for me, it was an absolute classic to her. Upon receiving the signed editions, she agreed to fully devote herself to the duties of motherhood for the next ten months, providing a perfect environment for our child.

Had I known, I might have just given her the regular edition?

Anyway, at least this was a good start. I hope the next decade passes smoothly so I can complete my lineage duties and live a life of my own. *Note (For details on this matter, please refer to the prenup memorandum on marital life)"

Seeing this note, Wang Jiu immediately dug out the prenup memorandum from the pile of books to understand the concept of this lineage obligation.

Li Jing and Zhou Wenjun's marital relationship was far different from any couple he had seen before. This bond formed on nearly absolute rationality was truly eye-opening!

Who would have thought human society could be so rich and colorful?

Soon, Wang Jiu found their mutual memorandum within the stack of books. It was concise and to the point, yet it essentially set the tone for their marriage.

Simply put, both were staunch singles advocates, uninterested in topics like marriage and children.

However, both families did not support their single status—Zhou Wenjun, though lesser in status than Li Jing, was also considered minor nobility among commoners, and family rules were strict.

Both believed that while enjoying many privileges bestowed by their families, they should also shoulder corresponding obligations. Continuing the lineage, as one of the basic duties of family members, should be fulfilled even if reluctantly.

However, this is work, not a hobby, and should be tackled within a strict logical framework that balances personal rights and duties. For instance, on childbirth, both agreed that it would be best to have just one child. This satisfies the family's basic requirement without taking too much personal time. As for the timing of childbirth, it should preferably coincide with a mutually agreeable break period—such as the holiday after a famous writer completes a novel.

Additionally, the memorandum also detailed other aspects of marital life, including intimacy, relations with both sides' elders, adultery issues, etc. After reading the memorandum, Wang Jiu gained a conceptual understanding of the couple's emotional life.

"In this way, it seems to explain Li Wanqing's disregard for elders. Her growing environment emphasized gender equality and the balancing of rights and obligations, while downplaying traditional ethical authority. So conversely, if unable to persuade her logically, attempting to impose demands based on elder status would be counterproductive."

Upon understanding this, Wang Jiu resumed reading Zhou Wenjun's pregnancy records.

Records show that from March 1999 to January 2000, Zhou Wenjun indeed fulfilled her motherhood duties to the fullest, as promised. She actively cultivated, exercised adequately, and ate sensibly. To this end, she completely adjusted her schedule, halving her reading time every day and even quitting several late-night live shows to quickly adjust her physical, True Essence, and Divine Sense state, creating the best conditions for Li Wanqing's birth from all aspects. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

On the other hand, Li Jing also adjusted his life rhythm, assisting Zhou Wenjun on all fronts during those ten months, including transferring True Essence, nurturing Divine Sense, and recording live shows with the Audio-Visual Talisman.

Then, in January 2000, Li Wanqing was born smoothly. On that day, a celestial phenomenon appeared; the entire room was filled with a strange fragrance. That day, family elders conducted an initial test of her talent and physique, which yielded astonishing results.

From this, Wang Jiu concluded it wasn't difficult to see that Li Jing and Zhou Wenjun were quite exceptional as parents.

Even though emotionally, they seemed overly rational and detached in the child-rearing process, lacking the excitement typically expected of parents, what they actually did was far superior to those who appear to love their children but are either negligent in action or overly indulgent.

So, how did Li Wanqing, who grew up in such favorable conditions, become such a troublesome figure?

With curiosity, Wang Jiu patiently continued to read on.

Soon, Wang Jiu found the first answer.

Family pressure.

According to the records written by Li Jing, Li Wanqing's birth was considered a response to their family obligations, but the result of this response was clearly far beyond expectations. At a very young age, she exhibited talent and ability far beyond her peers.

Generally speaking, children would have to reach the stage of Breaking Wind Barrier before they were qualified to discuss the word "talent." There were many who surged through the Body Refining Stage and possessed extraordinary martial arts by the age of ten but then stopped progressing—an idol girl was one such example.

However, Li Wanqing was in a completely different realm. After she was born, she showed her extraordinary, superhuman traits everywhere.

For example, her innate divine power. When Li Wanqing was a little over a year old, while other children of the same age were still wobbly in their steps, she could already run swiftly and climb over walls and houses. Or her gift of Spirit Wind. Generally, cultivators must achieve Merit Perfection in the Body Refining Stage, with True Qi highly condensed in their bodies, to control the wind and absorb the Heaven and Earth Spirit Wind for their own use. But Li Wanqing could almost harness the Heaven and Earth Spirit Wind from birth and could casually use it to lift the skirts of her elder sisters while other children were painstakingly training their muscles and bones to lay the Foundation of Barrier-Breaking.

Such talent was truly stunning and immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the Li Family Mansion.

Thus, the original child-rearing plan of Li Jing and Zhou Wenjun faced strong interference.

According to their initial plan, they should ensure Li Wanqing's growth while fully respecting her free will, without too much interference. She should be free to pursue whatever she liked.

However, in the eyes of many elders, this seemed to be wasting precious talent. How could they allow such a fine piece of jade to "develop freely"? Of course, they had to make full use of it and deeply tap her potential.

At that time, the main proponent of this view, who greatly interfered with Li Jing and his wife, was Li Ruwen, the brother of Li Tianya, a typical traditionalist. He was conservative and old-fashioned, emphasizing ethical hierarchy and order among elders and juniors, deeply hating many recent liberal trends in the Li Family. And in Li Tianya's later years, when he was fully cultivating Inch and Mile, as his brother, he was once the second most powerful figure in the mansion. Even after Li Fengyun took over as patriarch, he repeatedly challenged his authority. Additionally, Li Ruwen had an unfortunate life: his wife died in childbirth, and his only son, due to congenital deficiency, passed away soon after marriage without leaving Li Ruwen a grandson.

This venerable elder, with a tragic history, had considerable say in the mansion as the representative of the traditionalists. Although he couldn't coerce Li Jing and his wife to do anything specific, he could certainly make their lives difficult.

Li Jing and Zhou Wenjun both disliked trouble a great deal, and after being hassled by Li Ruwen several times, they simply handed Li Wanqing over to him for management.

And from the observation diary written by Li Jing, it can be seen that Li Wanqing's rebellious phase likely started from this point and reached its peak at the age of nine.

In 2009, taking advantage of the freedom to move in and out of Li Ruwen's house, Li Wanqing successfully encouraged the long-widowed daughter-in-law at Li Ruwen's home to bravely pursue her own happiness and elope with a Cyan Cloud Female Wanderer. When Li Ruwen learned about this, he was furious and rushed with a sword to chase after his daughter-in-law, only to be confronted by Li Wanqing halfway and scolded in front of all the family elders.

Li Wanqing, with her sharp tongue, had long mastered Li Ruwen's weaknesses over the years, and once she erupted, it was like a river in flood, inundating Li Ruwen with endless criticism. Pity this centenarian, almost the same age as Li Tianya, who had been inept with words his whole life, felt his Qi Blood churn in his chest but couldn't put it into words. After being justly questioned by Li Wanqing, he fainted on the spot from rage.

And he never woke up again.

Of course, he didn't die. A group of immortal cultivators would never let a family elder die from anger. It's just that Li Ruwen's Primordial Spirit was too severely injured, causing him to refuse to wake up. So the old man is currently lying in his own little courtyard, growing vigorously alongside the small jujube tree outside his house.

On the other hand, after this incident, Li Wanqing made a stunning impact, allowing everyone to witness the sharpness of this world-shocking talent. Three days later, Li Wanqing even bet with her father and won the contract that relinquished the parental rights of discipline.

With her biological parents no longer disciplining her and the previous head of discipline sprayed into a vegetative state, there was no longer an able soldier in the vast Li Family. A few months later, a family elder came forward and invited Wuqing Daoist, a close friend of Li Jing, to be Li Wanqing's mentor.

At this point, the matter was basically settled, but Wang Jiu still found this sentence in the records personally written by Li Jing.

"At this point, Li Wanqing finally returned to the original track. I hope she can freely develop her nature from now on. And the obligation we have as her parents can finally be fulfilled ahead of time."