Becoming An Immortal Begins With Marrying A Wife

Chapter 116: Shen Qingyi is Angry (22)

Upon hearing these words, the wives and concubines all looked at Chen An.

While drinking porridge, Chen An said, "Don't look at me. Just drink your porridge and wait for the members of the Crimson Fire Gang to come and collect protection fees."

Upon hearing this, the wives and concubines withdrew their gazes and silently ate their breakfast.

After about half an hour or so.

A shout came from outside.

"Fellow Daoist living in House No. 8 in the South Lane, please come out and pay the protection fee!"

House No. 8 in the South Lane.

This was exactly where Chen An's family lived.

"I'll go pay the protection fee."

"Master Chen, I'll go with you."

"Okay."

Soon, the two of them got up and walked outside.

After a moment.

They heard a creaking sound.

The gate of the courtyard opened.

Then, the members of the Crimson Fire Gang, who came into view for Chen An and Shen Qingyi, was a male cultivator who was extremely ugly.

None of his facial features were pleasing to the eye, and his face was covered in pockmarks, making him very unattractive.

This male cultivator did not hide his cultivation level, and his cultivation was at the third level of the Foundation Building stage.

"I am surnamed Chen, an old Chen. I am an alchemist. May I know how to address you, Fellow Daoist?"

Chen An took out two middle-grade spirit stones and handed them to the male cultivator, while smiling kindly and asking.

The male cultivator took the spirit stones and said coldly, "Let me introduce myself. I am in charge of providing protection and collecting protection fees for the residents of the South Lane. My surname is Gao, Gao as in tall. You can call me Manager Gao from now on."

"So you're Manager Gao. The security in Hundred Herbs Lane is average. We'll need your care in the future."

Chen An was very good at dealing with people. As he spoke, he had a thought and took out a bottle of low-grade Qi Returning Pill from his storage bag, smiling as he handed it to Manager Gao in front of him.

Manager Gao took the pill bottle and opened it. When he saw that it contained a second-grade pill, the Qi Returning Pill, his originally indifferent expression instantly filled with a smile.

"Master Chen, not bad, not bad at all."

"Almost everyone I've encountered along the way has been uncooperative, let alone showing any gratitude."

"If the residents of Hundred Herbs Lane were all as considerate as you, it would be great."

"If you encounter any difficulties here in the future, feel free to tell me. If I can help, I will."

Manager Gao said enthusiastically, forming a sharp contrast with his previous cold expression.

After speaking, he quickly left to collect protection fees from the next household.

Chen An didn't rush back into the house. He stood at the door and watched Manager Gao go to collect money from other households.

Shen Qingyi did the same.

In front of the other residents of Hundred Herbs Lane, Manager Gao was not as easy to talk to as he was with Chen An earlier.

When encountering residents who were reluctant to pay, he would scold them lightly or even beat them, showing extreme brutality.

When encountering those who couldn't afford to pay, he would drag them out of their houses and beat them in front of everyone, then take them away, saying they would be sent to the Samsara Tower to work as laborers.

Chen An knew that Manager Gao deliberately showed such brutality in order to warn the residents of the South Lane, making it easier for him to collect money in the future.

When Shen Qingyi saw Manager Gao oppressing the residents, her old habit of hating evil and loving justice flared up, and she even wanted to draw her sword and rush over to punish the evildoers.

Fortunately, Chen An was by her side and promptly stopped her impulsive behavior.

The Red Fire Gang has just settled in Hundred Herbs Lane and is worried about not having anyone to establish their authority.

If Shen Qingyi dares to make a move now, they will definitely be captured by the Red Fire Gang and used as a deterrent by publicly beheading them as a negative example.

...

Time flies.

In the blink of an eye.

Half a month has passed.

At this time, Wen Zhiyun has already been pregnant for ten months, but there are no signs of giving birth.

In the courtyard.

Wen Zhiyun looked down at her protruding belly and worriedly said, "Husband, it has been ten months already, why hasn't the baby in my belly shown any movement? Could there be a problem?"

"Yuner, don't worry. I have already used my divine sense to investigate. The baby in your belly is developing well and will probably be born soon," Chen An reassured her softly.

But in fact, he was also a little worried. He was afraid that his proud and willful concubine had conceived a Nezha, a child who would take three and a half years to be born.

Sitting in front of the door, teaching their daughter to play the piano, Song Huaying also spoke up to comfort Wen Zhiyun, "Sister Wen, don't worry. You are a fairy, so it's normal for you to carry the baby longer than mortal women. The longer you carry, the more talented your child will be."

"Silly Ying'er, there's no such saying. Fairies are also human beings, and there is no difference from mortals when it comes to pregnancy. Otherwise, it would be going against the natural order and give birth to a monster," Wen Zhiyun said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Song Huaying immediately made a few spitting sounds and said, "Sister Wen, don't say such things. The child you are carrying must be a divine child, not a monster."

"You are quite superstitious," Wen Zhiyun walked up to Song Huaying, smiled, and tapped her forehead.

Chen An watched this scene and couldn't help but smile.

Although these two usually called each other sisters, the tone in which the proud concubine spoke to the young wife at the moment sounded like a mother talking to her daughter, which was quite strange.

But after thinking about it, it didn't seem inappropriate.

After all, considering their current ages, the proud concubine, who was almost forty years old, could indeed be the mother of the young wife, who was not even twenty years old.

Thinking of this, Chen An's gaze fell on Shen Qingyi, who was sitting under a tree chatting with Gu Xinyue. Suddenly, he felt something strange in his heart.

Shen Qingyi was now fifty-five years old. According to the prevailing trend of early marriage and early childbirth in this era, she was already at the age to be Wen Zhiyun's mother.

However, at present, Song Huaying, who was not yet twenty, Wen Zhiyun, who was not yet forty, and Shen Qingyi, who was fifty-five, called each other sisters on ordinary days. This was really strange.

"The cultivation world may not be good in many aspects, but there is one thing that is good. Regardless of a woman's age, as long as she is a cultivator, her appearance will always remain young," Chen An silently sighed in his heart.

...

Unconsciously, another half a month passed.

On this morning, Wen Zhiyun was really anxious.

She sat on the edge of her bed in her room, looking very worried as she asked Chen An, "Husband, it has been ten and a half months already, why is there still no movement from the baby in my belly?"

"Quickly use your divine sense to help me check again!"

"Alright, I'll check again."

Chen An said as he released his divine sense, penetrating into Wen Zhiyun's belly to investigate the child inside.

After a thorough investigation.

The result was the same as before.

The child had no problems and was very healthy.

But for some reason, there was no sign of giving birth.

This was really strange.

"Husband, what's the result?" Wen Zhiyun asked anxiously.

Chen An smiled and reassured her, "It's alright, there is nothing wrong with the baby in your belly. Yuner, don't worry too much. Just wait a little longer and let nature take its course. The baby will be born soon."

"I hope so."

Wen Zhiyun looked at her big belly, her eyebrows furrowed without ever relaxing, feeling extremely worried.

At this moment, just like last month.

The voice of the leader of the Crimson Fire Gang came from the Samadhi Tower.

The voice was extremely penetrating, spreading like ripples in water throughout the entire Hundred Herbs Lane.

"All residents of Hundred Herbs Lane, the deadline of one month has arrived. Please prepare the protection fee and wait at home. Someone will come soon to collect it!"

Chen An ignored the voice.

Seeing Wen Zhiyun's worried expression, he decided to ease her worries.

After about half an hour.

[Spirit Root Aptitude +3] x5

Chen An sat back against the head of the bed, looking down at Wen Zhiyun nestled in his arms, and asked softly, "Yuner, do you feel better?"

"Mmm, much better."

Wen Zhiyun's face still had a slight blush.

Chen An kissed her and said slowly, "The person responsible for collecting the money from the Crimson Fire Gang should be here soon. I'll go out for a while, you rest in the room."

After speaking, he quickly got dressed and went to the courtyard outside.

Just as he arrived, the voice of the high-ranking official outside the courtyard sounded.

"Master Chen Dan, come out and pay!"

As soon as the voice fell, Chen An creaked open the courtyard gate and handed over the two middle-grade spirit stones prepared in advance, smiling kindly, "High-ranking official, long time no see."

"No problem, we'll see each other every month from now on."

The high-ranking official, unlike last month's enthusiasm, took the spirit stones handed over and, after saying these words, turned and left directly.

Chen An looked at the figure walking away and couldn't help but furrow his brows slightly.

This high-ranking official seemed to have a big appetite and was insatiable.

Last month, when Chen An gave him a bottle of Small Returning Pill, he greeted him with a smile.

This month, without giving anything, he was cold.

He was a bit difficult to deal with.

"Master Chen Dan, what's wrong?"

Shen Qingyi didn't know when she had walked out of the house and saw Chen An furrowing his brows slightly, so she couldn't help but ask.

Chen An didn't want to say much to Shen Qingyi, who was overly hostile to evil, for fear that she would have another outbreak and draw her sword, so he just said lightly, "Nothing."

Seeing that Chen An didn't want to talk, Shen Qingyi didn't insist on asking.

She silently stood beside Chen An, watching the scene of the high-ranking official going door to door to collect the protection fee in the alley.

At this moment, the high-ranking official arrived at the door of a widow's house to collect the fee.

This widow lived not far from Chen An's house, only a couple hundred meters away.

She was quite beautiful and had no children.

She made a living by selling spirit fruits, and her financial situation was not that good.

The monthly protection fee of two middle-grade spirit stones was a bit of a burden for her.

Now she was relying on her savings to get by.

When her savings were used up one day, she would be completely unable to pay the protection fee.

Therefore, since the day the Crimson Fire Gang announced that they would be stationed in Hundred Herbs Lane, this widow had been looking for a suitable husband for herself.

The reason she was still single was simply because her standards were too high and she looked down on Qi Refining Stage cultivators.

Even if it was a Foundation Building Stage cultivator, if his appearance was not handsome enough, she wouldn't want him.

Very picky.

During that time, there was an attempt to flirt with Chen An, but unfortunately Chen An was not interested in widows, so it ended there.

In front of the widow's house.

The executive walked up to the stall placed in front of the widow's door, glanced at it, and finally landed on the spirit grapes in front of the widow, asking, "Madam, are your grapes sweet?"

"Sweet, my grapes are always sweet!" The widow said enthusiastically.

After hearing this, the executive shook his head and said, "In that case, never mind. I prefer sour."

"Oh, I see. Would you like to see other spirit fruits to see if there's anything that suits your taste?" The widow said warmly.

Soon, the executive looked at the spirit peaches behind her and asked, "Madam, are your peaches sweet?"

"Sour, my peaches are quite sour. Would you like to buy some and give it a try?" The widow asked.

Once again, the executive shook his head and said, "No, I prefer sweet peaches."

"Heh...hehe, Executive, your taste is indeed a bit different." The widow forced a smile and said warmly.

At this moment, the executive pointed to the spirit loquats below the widow and asked, "Madam, are your loquats sweet?"

This time, the widow remembered and instead of saying sweet or sour, she asked, "Executive, my loquats are both sweet and sour. Which flavor do you prefer?"

"No, I was just asking casually. I don't like eating loquats." The executive replied.

"May I ask then, what flavor of spirit fruit do you like to eat, Executive?" The widow asked as warmly as possible.

The executive smiled and grabbed the widow's smooth hand, meaningfully asking, "I like to eat a kind of spirit fruit called 'widow.' Do you happen to sell it here?"

"Executive, please behave yourself." The widow immediately pulled her hand back and took a few steps back, feeling disgusted by the executive's touch.

The executive was too ugly, and she found it repulsive.

Seeing the expression of disgust on the widow's face, the executive was hit where it hurt and became angry. He raised his hand and slapped the widow.

"Smack!"

"Bitch, did I give you face?"

"I wanted to talk to you nicely, but you had to act like this. I had no choice but to take action."

The executive looked fierce and evil.

The widow was heavily slapped, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. She trembled in fear and dared not speak.

Not far away, Chen An saw this scene and shook his head, feeling the coldness of the world.

The widow was pitiful, but he had no intention of getting involved.

He was the head of a family and had a wife and daughter to take care of. He could only stand by and watch in such situations.

Being a hero to save the beauty was no longer suitable for him.

"Shen Fellow Daoist, let's go back inside." With the idea of out of sight, out of mind, Chen An said to Shen Qingyi beside him.

However, as soon as he finished speaking, there was a sudden "clang" sound next to him!

It was the sound of a sword being unsheathed!

Shen Qingyi couldn't bear it anymore. She drew the sword at her waist and with a swift step, she rushed towards the executive who was a hundred meters away!

...

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(End of this chapter)